The-Strange-Carafes

I want one!! This is not only a beautiful wine carafe, it's also an amazing glass sculpture. You can purchase one for me here.

Also, please check out my previous post about our new designs, and vote for your top 5 in the poll on the right side-bar!

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New Design Poll!!

I've been working on new designs for pendants and things recently, and I'd love to hear your opinions! The new fused glass jewelry line is going to use decals of my pen-and-ink artwork, but I've got too many designs to choose from! This page only represents about half of the designs I'd like to use, but these are the ones I need your help choosing between.

Select your favorite designs on the poll to the right, and try to limit it to about 5-6. You can click the image above to see a larger version of it.

By Wednesday of next week, I'll be able to narrow down the most popular designs, and you'll soon see them on pendants, earrings, rings, magnets and pins! There may even be cuff-links and belt buckles in the works. ;)

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ROFLMAO

Okay, I know that's a really dramatic title for a little announcement post, and I'm not actually rolling-on-the-floor-laughing at all. :)

The big news is that I've been accepted into the LOLcats Art Show in San Francisco!! Yay! I don't know how many artists submitted proposals to I Can Has Cheezburger, but I feel really fortunate to be able to participate.

I'm hand-engraving a reclaimed vase with one of my favorite cat macros, the Interpretive Dance kitteh. I hope it turns out well, since it'll be displayed alongside some other amazing artists' work, and then auctioned off for charity.

Here are some progress shots of the vase, since it isn't finished yet, but should be this afternoon. I get to wear that super-chic respirator too, since I'm working with my face a lot closer to the glass dust than usual with this larger piece. Now you know how glamorous my work really is.

Studio Progress: I'm ordering my sandblasting equipment today (or at least, I'm talking to the saleswoman again), and I'm researching cheap glass kilns. My studio is going to need some rewiring for the voltage these big boys are going to need, but it will be totally worth it. The agreement with Urban Outfitters is coming along nicely, and I'll let you know when their glasses hit stores. Right now, I'm just trying to get all my stuff together for holidays, which are coming up like the pavement after a freefall from an airplane when your parachute doesn't open.

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B&B + Urban Outfitters

So, the big news of the year that I've been dying to announce is that Bread and Badger is collaborating with Urban Outfitters! That's right, the big UO heard about our mustache pint glasses last month, and decided they'd like to carry them in their stores!

I've been scrambling to get things together for this big order, but I'm still way behind on my production capabilities. If I were to hand-etch each of these glasses, they may not be done for many months! I've decided to license my artwork to Urban, so they can produce as many as they'd like, and still be able to get them this fall. They'll be carrying Robot, Mustache and Bicycle pint glasses, made from my designs!

They tested out the robot design with two production methods: one is sandblasted, and the other is a "simulated-etch" permanent decal. (From left to right in the photo above: original hand-etching, sandblasted, sim-etch.) I actually preferred the sim-etch (it'll stand out nicely in their stores and will still be different from my own glasses), so it looks like that's what they're going to produce. It's a little weird to see my design on something I didn't make, but I think they're going to turn out awesome! They also aren't limited by size, so the robots can fill up the front of the glasses nicely.

I'm still trying to outfit my new studio with sandblasting equipment, so I'll be ready for the next big order (cross your fingers!). It's a slow process, learning about all the necessary tools and machinery, so it still might be a ways off in Bread and Badger's future. This has all been a fantastic learning experience for me, and I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to grow my business, and to grow as a business owner!

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PDX Indie + The Sampler

I'm a member of a new cooperative for Portland artisans called PDX Indie. We're an Etsy Team that became our own legal entity (the first to do so!) so that we could start collective advertising and a mentor group for ourselves and other local artists.

Our first awesome group activity was to organize a special City Sampler for Portland! We've collected around 1000 sample products from a variety of artists and craftspeople in our wonderful city, which will be available for purchase here, starting today! Get a sampler box of the PDX crafty goodness while it lasts, or visit our members' shops for more amazing handmade products.

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