About Me
I am a retired nurse and researcher, but have always found ways to explore my creative side. In 2007, at a trip to Murano, Venice, Italy, I saw the glass artists there create masterpieces in glass. I began designing jewelry in 2009 and then in 2014, I was fortunate enough to take an Introduction to Lampworking at The Glass Shoppe Studio with Grace Edwards and was completely hooked! Since then, I have taken many classes, workshops with some amazing glass artists, such as Karina Guévin and Jana Filípkova, and spent many hours at the torch. My husband has always teased me about how my attention is so captivated by what he calls 'shiny things' and so when I had to think of a business name, this one fit perfectly!
I now have my own home studio, but also torch regularly at Loretta Studios and Gallery, as well as teach Glass Blowing in Soft Glass courses there, regularly. My husband and I live in rural Ottawa, and we love the outdoors! We camp, hike, bike, canoe in summer and ski, snowshoe in winter. Of course, we love to travel and I am always inspired by the beauty of the land around us.
While I am passionate about glass, I am also passionate about our environment and like many, have concerns about the impact of climate change on our natural world. To that end, I avoid the use of plastic in how I market and sell my work and use natural recyclable materials wherever I can. Nature does truly inspire me, so I do what I can to avoid contributing to the effects of climate change.
I now have my own home studio, but also torch regularly at Loretta Studios and Gallery, as well as teach Glass Blowing in Soft Glass courses there, regularly. My husband and I live in rural Ottawa, and we love the outdoors! We camp, hike, bike, canoe in summer and ski, snowshoe in winter. Of course, we love to travel and I am always inspired by the beauty of the land around us.
While I am passionate about glass, I am also passionate about our environment and like many, have concerns about the impact of climate change on our natural world. To that end, I avoid the use of plastic in how I market and sell my work and use natural recyclable materials wherever I can. Nature does truly inspire me, so I do what I can to avoid contributing to the effects of climate change.
My home studio - not usually this neat!
 Something new! I call these my Snow Globes. I love shaking those lovely colourful Snow Globes and watching the sparkly white flakes dance. It always makes me smile!
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Inspired by my love for Canadian Winters, these blown glass beads are a mix of White and Transparent glass, then strung on white wire. Simple, elegant, timeless....
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Some of my blown beads - I really enjoy glass blowing. The colours and shapes that you can get tend to be a bit more organic and I think that style best suits me.
I love experimenting with different colours and techniques. I am constantly learning - that is the beauty of lampworking; it truly is a journey, and not a destination. I use a variety of materials and often add other types of beads into pieces that I create. I have used leather, rubber tubing, as well as silver and copper. I have found that shells and crystals work really well to accent colours and textures in some designs.
My 'swirly' beads - beautiful pale green and white in clear transparent glass. Silver plate rolo chain and ear wires.
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Hand-blown transparent aqua glass with accented glass beads, sliver plated ear wires
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I especially love creating a piece that is custom made. There is something so rewarding in creating a piece of jewelry that was someone's vision. If you have something in mind, please contact me and we can talk about what you would like. I also have an Etsy shoppe, so please feel free to visit my shoppe and see some of my creations.