Library at the Hong Kong International School

This beautiful library is in Hong Kong - the designer had me make these custom mobiles for their new space at the Hong Kong International School.
I worked with Matt, of Ekko Mobiles, to have the steel frames made - these mobiles are each about 8feet in diameter and there are four of them in the library.

Airplants in Glass

If you would like one of these - I listed more in my shop online!

Check it out

Happy Thoughts...

Today I've been book-keeping. This is one of my least favorite business tasks. So I procrastinated this morning by making up these beautiful terrariums with my glass bits... after loading up a handful of vessels with pebbles and charcoal and dirt I stopped to take a picture...
Funny how the glass steams up pretty quick in my photo studio - the bright lights are hot!
I bought this new little succulent at the nursery. "Baby tears" or sumthin like that... it makes white flowers and has lots of tiny little bits tightly packed together. I thought this might look pretty neat, I look forward to seeing how it evolves.
I got out my little orange glass mushrooms, I had to play with these - they are so damn cute!
They might disappear under the plant as it grows, but they look so happy!
This last one I didn't put any glass bits, no mushrooms or nuthin, just a bit of plant. It just seemed so content as it was.
So I had a good time making and photographing my little creations. Then I attacked my accounting.

A little crafting to keep my spirits up.

Stress Management: How To?

There is always stress to manage in life, like stacking stones. Stress and then more stress, and more stress on top of that. I love my life and thoroughly enjoy my business and my work - but I am no exception - life is stressful.

My #1 stress management technique is to eliminate all possible sources of stress, but really this has proven to be an inadequate plan of attack. Seriously. Cuz it is not possible.

Stress must be invited into my life occasionally in order to keep taking on new challenges... this year I applied to a host of big shows for my artwork, hoping for the best for my little business.

I was rejected (or wait-listed) from every show I applied to. When last year I was accepted to anything I tried! The plan was to build on my success and added confidence from 2010 and bring my glass artwork to even more shows in 2011. Evidently this is not going to happen. I am trying to roll with the punches, and I feel beaten. C'est la vie. I am busy with many other projects and plans, but its depressing none-the-less.

Heres my personal take on stress. I need to learn better techniques to learn to manage it. Anxiety and panic are unwelcome attendees in my personal and business life. Seems awkwardly overly personal to share like this on my blog - but hey - its honest, and its me. Lately I feel depressed and this is why. Rejection. Blah. Stress. Yuck.

my Personal Top 5 Sources of Stress:

1. success/failure
2. rejection
3. money
4. time management
5. general shenanigans

My Top 5 Stress Relief Techniques:

1. sex
2. yoga and/or meditaion
3. making artwork, getting crafty
4. hanging out with friends
5. exercise

Looking at stressful things from another perspective can help sometimes too... its a guarantee that there are many ways I could be far more stressed than I already am, and I am thankful for the advantages of my little life, but this gratitude does not alleviate my stress. Depression is a very self-absorbed state of mind.

How do you manage your stress? As an artist, as a human, as a significant other, a friend, a business-owner... how do we do it! What causes us all this stress and how do we make that misery manageable... how do you do it? I want to learn more.

Walking the Rim

Here are some pictures from a recent collaborative piece - "Little Women" - my studio mate Dennis McConnell made this beautiful glass "saturn" bowl and he asked me to make ladies to attach to the bowl. The bowl is 22" in diameter and the little ladies I made are less than 2" tall.
Some of the ladies are walking around, some are sitting... there is one that is trying to pull another out of the hole in the middle.
They are very simple, these little ladies, but I enjoy the detail in the animation that is achievable. I like to make them doing things, seems to add a human character, a humor value.

There is one lady that is waving to another lady... a couple of ladies are looking over the edge and one lady is sitting on the bottom looking at the lady that is trying to scramble out of the hole...

Thanks Dennis for asking me to collaborate with you!

Colors of the Caribbean Sea

This was a happy commission... a mobile the colors of the Caribbean Sea. I put one small bright yellow disc, like the glorious sun beaming down on the warm sand... the curves of the beams in this mobile remind me of waves lapping at the shore, with glass the colors of crystal blue ocean water.
Once while in Belize I stayed in a place that had a long white pier with wooden chairs on the beach outside out little rented home. This is my idea of a great view.

Before I left for this trip I had a dream, I was on a beach staying in a purple hut on stilts right on the ocean. Sort of like a cartoon. Sure enough we flew down to Belize, caught a bus out to the beach (the buses there are brightly painted re-purposed old yellow school buses pumping reggae music) and while wandering around to find a place to stay, there were these huts on stilts, built in rows on the beach, painted perfectly purple. We had to stay there!

The little dock on the ocean was also part of these purple beach houses. We sat on those chairs for a few hours that first day and burnt our Portland-white-kid-white-white-skin. Unfortunately the sand flies seemed to think these beach houses were as cool as I did, the ocean breeze coming in the window at night also brought the sand flies. So we only stayed there one night, my friend got eaten alive all night by the tiny nearly invisible pests (they thought his blood was way tastier than mine) and the next day I found out the solution was rent a room that had air conditioning, the bugs didn't like the cold.

It as only one night, but a great story I think, purple huts on stilts on the beach. In my dream it was something more of a funny purple house on stilts stranded on an otherwise empty island... Heres what they looked like in reality

Ironically, when I fired the discs for this mobile, one of the blue discs turned bright purple in the kiln (I had mislabeled a piece of unstruck glass). I quickly made a replacement that is a beautiful blue-green. The purple disc brought me back to fun memories in Belize.

A Day Made of Glass by Corning

This video format is too wide for my silly blog... I dunno how to fix that, but its a neat watch. So enjoy!

come and get it

I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop. A few choice mobiles are 20% off! Which ones? The best ones!!!

http://LeahPellegrini.Etsy.com

After appreciating my statistics on Craftopolis, I have decided to have a quick sale to show my appreciation. The 3 mobiles that stood out as distinctly popular in the "Etsy Shop Lovers" application, these mobiles I have put on sale. Its for a limited time only, while supplies last.

If you have wanted one, this is your big opportunity. The little minis that are on sale are FREE shipping as well. Holy moly I know I'm crazy - I just love sharing! The more glass mobiles I get out there into the world, the more smiles I have shared.

this made my day...

I was invited to brunch on Saturday with some friends from I Heart Art:Portland and two Etsy employees visiting from Brooklyn, NY.

I brought some little gifts to give the Etsy ladies: some little mini mobiles and glittered nutz for their bikes. Couldn't help myself, I love meeting Etsy people.

As I handed a mobile to Kimm Alfonso, Events Coordinator for Etsy.com, she looked up at me and exclaimed "I've bought from your shop!"

Honestly - how great is that! We really had no idea of the connection until she saw my little mobile. I love to be known by my work. Makes me proud. The shared smiles, its awesome.

Thanks Kimm! It was great meeting you in person! (photo courtesy of Kimm Alfonso's facebook)