Happy Holidays!

Well, it's getting to the end stretch over here at Happy Owl Glass. We will be closing our website from December 25 through January 5 for a much-needed break. We will return in January with our annual sale-on-everything. We'll keep our Etsy site open in that timeframe, but may not get orders out until early January.

We are now in the Adirondacks where the snow keeps piling up. Luckily we don't mind getting cabin fever for a bit, especially when there is a fireplace to warm us up. Plus, it is Maisy's first experience with snow as a wide-eyed toddler, and she gets to break in her snowsuit!


It may not show in the photos, but there is over 2 feet out there! I wish we'd remembered to bring our snowboarding gear (though with all the other necessities they may not have fit). There is always renting...

Have a wonderful holiday with whatever you do, and we'll be back in January!

More new items + express shipping

Got some more new items up over on the Etsy site, including the always lovable skunk (in coaster form).
Later today I'll be adding an express shipping button to the site, so that you can all rest easy (yet pay a bundle) for fast shipping during this busy holiday time.

Also, did you know that Renegade Handmade in Chicago now has an online store? Check it out!

New Etsy Items

Just a quick note to let you know about our new goods over on the Etsy site. We've posted quite a few things leftover from the Bazaar Bizarre (seconds galore!), including the Woodland Creature pendants that we're making for next year. I made so many of these, exploring different color options, sizes, etc., and I have a lot of them for sale as seconds or samples. I'm slowly adding them, so look for more in the coming days/weeks:
There are also our animal coasters for sale on the Etsy site, available as sets of two:
Plus, "seconds" cufflinks also leftover from the Bazaar Bizarre:
All this stuff is discounted, as they may have tiny flaws (each listing will say why it is considered a "second").

Hope you have a great weekend! :)

News!

Art Star in Philly has now posted the remaining owl ornaments on their website (I happen to think there are a couple really nice ones!):

Get one before they're all taken!

Also, I have donated to another giveaway. This time it is my tiny dishes to the Paper + Stitch blog. Check out all the loot and comment over on her post if you want to win! This giveaway ends on Friday December 19 so hurry on over to Paper + Stitch!
Lastly, I am humbled to be written about on the inspiring blog, Daily Imprint. Check out the write-up/interview here. Natalie writes about some creative, super-talented folks that make my head spin. Somehow I got in that mix... so thanks, Natalie!

Bazaar Bizarre in a nutshell

This past weekend came and went in a flash! The Boston Bazaar Bizarre proved to be great--a lot of people were unsure, being that it was in a new location (oh yeah, and that little news item... something about a recession...). But people turned out in huge numbers to shop handmade, as in years past. It was wonderful to see!
It was also nice to see old pals. We loved our location near Faythe (Handmade Nation):
Dabney (Mogo):
and of course local friend Tomoko (Tadworks):
We were among good company, though the corner we were in was so cold!!! We all tried to stay warm (note Faythe's fuzzy hat and Tomoko's scarf) whilst chatting it up with customers nonstop. It was very busy! Thank you to everyone who came out and braved the chilly weather! And additional thanks to the organizers of the show for giving us a great new venue.

Check us out!

A few quick notes...

First, don't forget the Bazaar Bizarre if you're in the Boston area this Sunday, December 7! We'll be in the Happy Owl/Handmade Nation/Tadworks/Mogo corner. Visit us! It's going to be a great show!!!

Second, have you stopped by Design*Sponge today? I've finally found my true calling... food writer. Okay, so I like food and was thrilled to write a post about it, but I'm probably not going to change careers. But it was fun to shoot the photos (and eat)!Lastly, it is the final day of our '09 Preview sale! Nine new nightlights, each makes a great holiday gift. Our Etsy site has been replenished with a few last ornaments as well, so get them while they last (you can grab some of "all of the above" at the Bazbiz, too!):
Have a great weekend! :)

Sneaky Peeky + New Ornaments!

From our newsletter...

Hello dearest customers!

Since you've been so good to us over the years, we are pleased to give you a sneak peek of our '09 nightlights. These will be available for sale only through Friday, Dec. 5! Pass this secret page on to your friends who are fans of Happy Owl but may not read these updates or be on our mailing list! Consider it a big thank you for 5 fantastic years...

We've also had time to make more ornaments that were so well-received last month. Check out the new batch on our Etsy site, and stay tuned for a few more to be posted later this week! Below is one of my favorites in its super-70's colors:

Last but certainly not least, we will be hawking our glass goods at the Boston Bazaar Bizarre this Sunday, December 7! We'll be selling TONS of seconds and regular items at a huge discount. Hope to see you there!

New ornaments

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Ours was just splendid. We spent time with our neighbors who have a 4-year old, and Maisy had a fantastic time. She was asleep in my arms as I carried her home past her bedtime, and she slept until 8:30 the next morning!

The past few days I've been busy in the studio making more items for the Bazaar Bizarre, and making new ornaments as well...
They're a bit different from the first batch, being that their faces are screened directly onto the body glass. But I'm just as fond of them and hope that you enjoy them, too. I'll be finished with them at the end of the weekend, and will upload them on the Etsy site.

Giveaway!

Hi there!

Head on over to the Indie Fixx blog! This year we participated in Jen's 12-Days-of-Indie-Shopping, and you have until tomorrow at 3pm eastern time to win a complete set of my prints. Go go go!!!

Avoiding the cold

The past couple of weeks have been filled with sickness and work. Though I was trying to get to my studio as much possible to stock up for the Bazaar Bizarre, Maisy came down with a cold. Then diaper rash. And we were all weathering the storm that comes along with a toddler not sleeping well because of those things. Since then Justin has gotten sick. How can it be that I've managed to escape this virus? I can only think that I'm doomed for a Thanksgiving curled up in bed. Luckily we were going to keep it low-key this year, so it won't be too big of an issue if I end up sick.

To keep my sanity during the lull of everyone around me not feeling well, I started making these lovely ornaments. I was so taken with them when I first saw them, and I had most of the supplies on-hand already. So why not try? Well, I was quickly reminded that I'm by no means adept at embroidering...


I call it my disease ornament (I'll keep this one for myself). There is something about those circles that remind me of sick cells. Plus it seems fitting since I'm currently living in a den of sickness. Hope you are staying healthy this season!

Departure

This past weekend wrapped up a workshop I took in metalsmithing. I love taking classes that are in materials other than glass but also, if possible, incorporating them into my work. I have no intention on making silver pieces to be part of my line, but it is fun to see the results of mixing the two! This first piece was just a test of my bezel-ing skills. Silversmithing is not my forte, but I'm learning...
It's my naked mole-rat! In capsule form! Wrapped in silver! A fun project with one of my favorite creatures. I made it into a pendant when all was said and done. Silver is so pretty, I just wish I had more time to take more classes! I also made this funny piece:
I call it my "nose pendant". I just chose a random rock and didn't see the nasal connection until I put the bezel on it. I love it!

Morning at the Museum

Friday was spent in Cambridge with my friend Tomoko of Tadworks. It is always a pleasure to meet with other creative-types, and one that entertains Maisy is like icing on the cake! I love getting away for lunch sans-toddler, but a visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History without Maisy would have been downright criminal. Going there is loads of fun & inspiration for myself, but it's delightful for little ones, too. In case you've never been, it's chocked-full of dead animals:
I seem to find something new every time I visit. This time it was some sort of antelope with bizarre proboscis (missed the name & location of it):I thought his expression was so gentle and charming. As with any toddler accompaniment, in the end it turned into a glorified game of peek-a-boo...
Good times were had by all!

Studio visit!

Earlier this week I was visited by the lovely Meighan of the blog My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses. Her first studio visit! (I'm humbled)...



I met her back in the spring and we hit it off like old pals, and it was good to see her come out to my studio (a bit of a drive to the boondocks, considering she's in JP!). Check out her blog if you're not aware of it already; it's a smorgasbord of inspiring artists. Check out the post here. Thanks, Meighan!!!

Sale!

Over at our main site we're having a sale...
Just as the birds head south, so do our prices: enjoy savings on all our bird-related items, shown below... take 30% off until November 14! All items below are on sale:
We've already sold out of our owl ornaments on Etsy. Thanks so much! But we still have lots of lovely little miniature pendants available, as well as mystery packs of badges.

Now go and vote! :)

Introducing...

Baby Yeti!
I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of how it turned out! And I'm happy it wasn't too warm outside--it was a very hot costume. Happy Halloween everyone!

New item idea!

I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner... I just added a new item to my Etsy shop. It is a mystery pack of 3 badges that I consider 'seconds'. These badges are most likely slightly mis-shapen, but some are just a little too small or too large to fit into the regular family of badges. I sold these at the Bazaar Bizarre a few years ago, and they did very well. I have even thoughtfully packaged them for you so as not to reveal their colorful badge-ness. Perhaps they'd make a nice stocking stuffer come December. :) I hope you enjoy... otherwise look for them at this year's Boston BazBiz!

Fall and the Family

We got to visit with many good friends this past weekend, and I forgot all about the business for a couple of days. It's always nice to have an excuse to get away, and when it's with friends in the Fall (in the Catskills) what could be better? It was a perfect opportunity to snap a few shots of Maisy in her first year of walking through the forest. I love how she looks like she's actually using her prized stick as a walking stick (what a born hiker!):

Though this lovely weekend has past, it's onward full-force toward the holidays, isn't it? Upon our return I promptly added more ornaments to the Etsy site, and shipped off the most recent orders (way to go!).

I can't believe that October is coming to a close soon, and that the weather has gotten so chilly. Here's to hoping you had a delightful Fall weekend, as well.

Here's to a great weekend ahead

We're about to leave for a much needed get-together with friends, but I wanted to post that I've begun to add a couple of the ornaments from the Art Star show to my Etsy site. You can check them out here, or wait a few days when I'll be adding more...
Have a great weekend!

SOWA market

Big thanks to Tomoko of Tadworks for sharing her booth space with us last Sunday! I had a fantastic time chatting and soaking in the sunshine... talking shop and fanny-packs, smelly food and cute babies... and watching the hula-hoopers (correct word?) across the way. Tomoko seemed like she wanted part of the action, but I think my camera threats may have swayed her decision. Here are a few images from the beautiful day:

Tomoko and her goods:
My little display:
Hula-hoop corner:

And if you also want to laugh at my fanny-pack, visit this image.

We also happened to be situated right next door to Pogibabies, who made Maisy a lovely little hat a few months back. Check out her Etsy shop! She is an excellent crafter of hats for the little ones in your life.

And as promised, there is a small sale happening over on my site and Etsy site! Badges are just $5 (marked down from $9) and miniature pendants are only $15! These are prices I have at shows, and I decided to extend the in-person discount to all of you not in the Boston area on Sunday. Enjoy! (sale ends tomorrow!)

Visit us!

Just a quick-type post to let you know that we're sharing a booth with the wonderful Tomoko of Tadworks tomorrow at SOWA Market in Boston! This was sort of last-minute, weather- and health-pending, but right now it's a-go. Hope to see some smiling faces there, should be a delightful New England fall day! :)

(next up: small sale honoring booth prices to come next week!)

And what a lovely book it is

I received my copy of Handmade Nation in the mail yesterday, and it is so beautiful. I haven't been able to sit down and give it a thorough reading just yet, but I'm so impressed by everyone who contributed (not to pat myself on the back or nothin). Nikki McClure, Jill Bliss, Jenine Bressner, to name but a few who inspire me... to peek inside everyone's studios is fascinating. I love looking at the set-up, colors and organization of fabrics, pens, etc. [It's the little things.] Great job, Faythe and Cortney!

Okay, so Maisy wanted her Goodnight Moon routine back, but give her a few years and she'll be down with diy.

All my new little owls

I've finished the ornaments!
Super happy with them. I love how spooky and glazed-over they look in the right light. Now all I need to do is package them and ship them off to Art Star. Hope that everyone is doing well! I know there are a few shows that happened recently are about to happen (namely Renegade Chicago and Crafty Bastards in DC). Wish we could have participated this year, but our plate is just too full. Hope that the weather is fantastic next weekend for Crafty Bastards!