Well! I have survived my “three shows in three weeks” now and I would like to say thanks to everyone who came to see me in downtown Guelph, at the Bloomin’ Earth Festival and at the Globe Studios these past few weekends.

But now, I must turn my mind to other things. I will be working for the Pelee Island Bird Observatory from May 24 until July 10! I am very excited about this upcoming adventure.

Unfortunately it means I must be away from my business for that time. I will not be available for creating custom work until after I get back in mid-July. Thanks for your patience and I look forward to getting back into the swing of things later this summer!

Tonight I spent a couple of hours enjoying the opening reception for the Globe Studios Spring Open House Art Show & Sale. (I am a Guest Artist!) The event continues all weekend! Come check it out.

We are coming up fast on my next show…the Bloomin’ Earth Festival! I’m really looking forward to this one. I’ll have my recycled-bottle glasses on display in addition to my regular stained glass art, in keeping with the eco-theme of the show!

Bloomin’ Earth Festival
Saturday, April 24th from 9am – 4pm
at the Kitchener Market
(300 King Street East)

Colour and Light will be in tent #3, up on the piazza. You can see a map of the event HERE.

Looking forward to seeing you there!!

Just a quickie post to remind you about the show happening this coming weekend…I will be at the Spring Arts and Crafts Weekend at the Old Quebec Street Mall in downtown Guelph both April 17 and 18 from 10am-5pm!

Click here for more information!

So the theme for the BlogFire Blog Carnival this time around is “for the kitchen” so I thought I would take the opportunity to show off a little side project I’ve been working on. I recently bought a bottle cutter, and have been experimenting with making various things from recycled bottles, including…drinking glasses! A great addition to your kitchen cupboards. Here are some photos…click to enlarge:

These are made from bottles from one of my favourite breweries, Rogue. Check out their beer if you haven’t already, they make some good stuff.

I call this one “Tiny Bubbles”. It’s made from a nice emerald green glass wine bottle, etched with an effervescent pattern.

I think these should be called “Seaweed”. They’re a matched pair, made from olive-green wine bottles, etched with a flowing pattern.

I plan on offering things like this for sale in my Etsy and Artfire shops eventually, but at the moment it is still a pilot project so this is just a sneak peek for those of you who follow my blog.

Oh my goodness, it has been so long since I updated here. But now that the crazy Fall/Holiday selling season is over, I can sit down, take a breath, and give this blog a little love.

The latter part of 2009 was good to Colour and Light. I did reasonably well at the events I attended (particularly the 15-day Holiday Marketplace in December), I made some online sales, I sold my ENTIRE inventory of soap just before Christmas, and most importantly, I quit my day job!!

I’m very excited about what 2010 has to offer…an entire new year in which I can devote my full time energy to my business! This means that doing shows with (gasp) reserve inventory will hopefully become the norm rather than a fond wish.

I need to set some goals. I want to do some spring shows, maybe some outdoor stuff in the summer, and I’m planning on applying to some of the “big” local shows for the fall. Hopefully I’ll get accepted! I’ve also got some custom work on my plate already, which is great. Need to think about whether this is the time to approach shops, or if I should sit on that until next year, or maybe just later this year. Not sure. I’ve also got some ideas for new creative things to try with my art, and I’m pretty excited about that.

But 2010 isn’t going to be ALL about the business. I’m also looking forward to finding some time to take better care of myself, and I’m stoked about doing some actual gardening this year…not much planned for the front yard this season, but we have one raised bed in the backyard that is waiting for spring. Gotta make a garden plan. I want to grow some food! I’m also going crazy thinking about experimenting with cheesemaking, and a cookbook I received as a Christmas gift is making me want to try curing and smoking my own bacon. It doesn’t get any better than that.

So, I wish all of you a happy 2010!

I have been so busy working in the studio lately that I have been neglecting my blogging duties. But now I am here to say that there is another craft show coming up where you can have a chance to see Colour and Light!

Edelweiss Holiday Craft Sale
Sunday, November 29, 2009 from 10am-4pm
Edelweiss Tavern, 600 Doon Village Road in Kitchener

I hope to see you there!

I also have several new items in both my Etsy and ArtFire shops, so please check them out!

And finally, I wanted to say that the lovely folks at CanArtisan wrote a very nice feature article about me last week! Go here to check it out, and have a look at the rest of the blog while you’re at it to learn all about fantastic Canadian artisans online.

Here are two new Etsy listings for your viewing pleasure:

So! It is that time of year again, and by that I mean November and by that I mean it’s time once again for the KWLT and FASS Free Theatre Workshop Series!!

I am once again running my Stage Management workshop, this time on Wednesday November 11th at 7pm, taking place at Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre at 9 Princess Street East in Uptown Waterloo. So come on out and learn everything you ever wanted to know about stage management for community theatre, but were afraid to ask!

Click HERE to get more info and check out the other great workshops that are taking place too!

It’s almost time for my next event!

The Ninth Annual Frederick Art Walk
Saturday, November 7th from 10am-5pm

The Frederick Art Walk is a 2km walking tour through one of Kitchener’s oldest neighbourhoods. Participants can enjoy the beauty of a fall day and the pleasure of exquisite artwork, in a setting of grand maple trees and century-old homes. The 2009 Art Walk will feature an amazing array of works including fabric art, paintings, chocolate, photography, pottery, stained glass art, sewing crafts, tile work, and jewellery.

I will be exhibiting at 60 Chapel Street. I hope to see you there!