Memorial Day Weekend Art Festival

AAE Glass wants to share an Art Festival with you taking place this Memorial Day Weekend in Springfield, Nebraska.  Our friend Pam Honken will be showcased so be sure to say hello.  She makes beautiful glass art and her website is PHDezign.com.  This show is sure to be filled with beautiful glass art.

Come join Pam this Memorial Day Weekend at the 

Spring Arts Festival at Weiss Studios and Gardens

Saturday May 26th 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday May 27th 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Beautiful gardens and beautiful art created by special artists :)

Directions: 13603 Pflug Road, Springfield, NE 68059

From Omaha, take I80 to the 144th Street/Hwy 50 exit (Sapp Bros.)

Turn south onto Hwy 50, go 6 miles

Just south of Springfield, turn east (left) onto Pflug Road

Go 1/2 mile on Pflug Road to Weiss Studios and Gardens

Patty Gray and 20% Off Decals, Settings and More

AAE Glass is happy to announce the details for Patty Gray's two, 4 day workshops in October.  Tuition includes ALL supplies.  You can reserve your seat with a 50% deposit, just be sure to select the class dates you want. There are a limited number of seats and they are sure to fill fast.

 PATTY GRAY

 
AAE Glass is also happy to offer 2 new, beginner level classes taught by two local glass art teachers in southwest Florida.
4 Week Fusing Camp with Lois Johnston
Fused Glass for Absolute Beginners with Naldyne Light
Both Naldyne and Lois have been involved in the glass art community in southwest Florida for several years. They have spent the past year expanding their knowledge and working with Tanya Veit and now want to pass this knowledge onto anyone who wants to learn or expand their glass art techniques. Take advantage of the state of the art studio in Cape Coral, Florida.

How about a sale to go along with the new class announcements?!?!
Use coupon code: MAY12 (no spaces) to receive 20% off decals, silver settings, bails and chains at AAEGlass.com.

Have a great week everyone!

AAE Glass

Art-A-Whirl Minneapolis, Minnesota

AAE Glass is always trying to bring you as much glass information as possible. When our friend and accomplished glass artist Ria Neilson told us she was going to have featured work at the Art-A-Whirl event this weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we had to share this wonderful event with you.  If you are near the Twin Cities, be sure to stop by and say hello to Ria.  Tell her AAE Glass says hello as well. Art-A-Whirl is packed with great glass art as well as several learning opportunities. Click HERE for times and directions.  The show runs from May18th -20th.  Thanks and have a great day. 

Tanya Veit at The International Festival of Glass

Tanya Veit of AAE Glass will be teaching a masterclass at the International Festival of Glass Monday August 20th through Thursday August 23rd in Stourbridge, England. Visit the official website for the festival HERE.   

While Tanya has worked with several European glass artists and even hosted a few at the AAE Glass studio in Cape Coral, Florida, she is looking forward to both teaching and learning glass fusing across the pond. If any readers happen to be in Stourbridge in August, swing by and say hello!

The International Festival of Glass has been growing since 2004 and is a destination for glass artists from around the world.  There will be some great artists and instructors at the fest and knowledge will be shared by all.  Hope to see you there.

AAE Glass

Marketing Your Fused Glass Art...

...can't be ignored.

I wanted to write a bit about marketing yourself and your glass art as well as offer you a place to promote your work for FREE (AAE Glass). I will include some links to articles I have written for Glass Art Magazine as well as glass fusing tutorials Tanya Veit has written for Glass Patterns Quarterly.  If you don't have a subscription to either magazine they are very easy to get and affordable.  You can choose either a printed version, CD or PDF format.

I understand not everyone sells their fused glass art in a part-time or even full-time capacity, but a majority of our readers do.  Advertising can be very expensive and if not done properly, it can be a complete waste of time, money and effort.  It only makes sense to take advantage and focus on social media outlets, which cost nothing but time and effort.  Don't get me wrong, time and effort are of tremendous value, but shedding the cost associated with paid advertising will lighten the load. 

Here are a few links to marketing articles I have written for Glass Art.  These are things I have learned through trial and error over the past several years.  Social media is always changing, so giving yourself a solid foundation will allow you to adjust on the fly.  The more you contribute, the more you get out of it.
Using Social Media to Sell Your Dichroic Glass Jewelry
Blog Your Way to Sales
Partnering with Artists in Different Mediums to Increase Sales
Using Social Media with Confidence

Getting back to promoting yourself for FREE...Art show season is here.  I am happy to promote any art shows you may be attending by sharing your location with us.  We often feature artists on this blog and by sharing yourself with AAE Glass, we share it with all of our readers.  Email mark@aaeglass.com if you would like to be a featured artist or share any art shows you may have in the coming weeks or months.  Also, if you know of any quality art shows in your area, please share them with us.  I know all of our readers appreciate quality glass art.

Here are a few fused glass tutorials Tanya has written for Glass Patterns Quarterly.  Tanya believes in teaching glass artists as much as she possible can.  She will share every technique she knows with anyone willing to learn.  Tanya's class schedule can be found at AAE Glass.  Stay tuned for new, beginner classes as well as specialty classes in Cape Coral, Florida.  This is a great community to learn!
Garden Butterfly Fused Glass Barrette Tutorial
Optical Illusion Donut PendantTutorial
Pelican Beach Pendant Tutorial

As always, it is great hearing from all of you.  Keep up the great work and lean on us whenever you feel the need.

New Glass Fusing Classes With Tanya at AAE Glass

We wanted to give you updated dates for Tanya Veit's Extreme Fusing Classes, as well as give you an opportunity to get on the waiting list for future beginner and guest artist classes at the AAE Glass Studio in Cape Coral, Florida.  If you would like to get on the waiting list for beginner glass fusing classes or guest artists such as Patty Gray (early October), please send an email to info@aaeglass.com and let us know your interest.  We will give you first chance to sign up before we announce to the public.  Guest artist classes with teachers such as David Alcala (starting today!), fill up very fast.  Patty Gray's workshop is sure to fill up fast as well. 


EXTREME FUSING I (Two day workshop with Tanya Veit)
May 18-19
June  9-10

 EXTREME FUSING II (Three day workshop with Tanya Veit)
April 30 - May 2 (Only two seats left)
May 25-27
July  13-15

AAE Glass Studio Hours

The AAE Glass studio in Cape Coral, Florida will be closed from Wednesday May 2nd through Wednesday May 9th. We will open again on Thursday May 10th.  We are using this time to create new classes and add brand new equipment and tools to the studio.  Our goal is to provide you, the glass artist with every tool possible to further your glass art work.


AAEGlass.com will be active during this time, but packages will not be shipped during these dates.  If you need something ASAP, please order this week to ensure it gets shipped before these dates. 


As always, thank you for your continued support and patience during this time as we set ourselves up to better serve you.  It will be well worth the wait.


Sincerely,


AAE Glass

Tanya Veit's Pendant is Featured and Available to Win

TENDER ALLURE

AAE Glass would like to thank Linda of Tender Allure for featuring one of Tanya Veit's original, dichroic glass pendants in her giveaway.  The contest is easy to enter and can be done directly on Linda's BLOG.  Enter now to win this exact pendant!  AAE Glass is always keeping our eyes open to pass along anything that may be of value to our readers.  This fits the bill.


Linda shares fashion finds with her readers that she feels are unique and well crafted.  She has features on handbags, jewelry and more.  Take a look at her BLOG for several past reviews on some very interesting items as well as a chance to enter her giveaway and win this pendant.  I wish you all luck!


AAE Glass

AAE Glass has New, Premium Dichroic Glass

And we are going to give you 20% off to wet your appetite!  That is 20% off ALL glass fusing supplies including some hard to find and very unique dichroic glass hand picked by Tanya Veit at the CBS factory in California. Stock up on decals, silver findings, silver chains and our BRAND NEW selection of dichroic glass. The glass is going to fly out the door, so be sure to get yours tonight.

COUPON CODE: BUNNY

Also, Tanya has released several new Extreme Fusing class dates for the coming months.  The studio has never been so stocked with top of the line machines, glass and talented glass artists!  We are expecting our brand new sand blaster next week and will be sure to pass that knowledge along to anyone who wants to learn. We don't just open doors at AAE Glass, we kick them down!


There are only a few seats left for David Alcala's "Sand to Glass" class.  David is the creator of Flexi-glass and will be sharing his knowledge on April 25, 26 and 28 at the AAE Glass Studio in Cape Coral, Florida.  You can view his youtube video HERE.

As always, if you have any questions, reach out to us at info@aaeglass.com

Now what are you waiting for?  Get to AAEGlass.com now!

AAE Glass and Social Media

AAE Glass wants to share a social media presence with you.  One of the most common questions I am asked is, "Which social media outlets are best for my business?"  The truth is, you can make any outlet work if you build a solid foundation of followers. 

A solid foundation of followers will allow you to maximize the results of the time you devote to social media marketing.  Time is the biggest hurdle when using social media to market your business.  Don't follow people (or accept followers) who don't fit the profile you are looking to interact with.  We have all heard the saying "Quality over Quantity," this applies to social media as well.  When you have a group of people who share information and answer questions kindly and intelligently, you will quickly build credibility.  The more credibility you gain, the more quality followers you will attract and your solid foundation will grow into a larger and larger pool of potential customers and vendors. 

With that said, I want to offer you a "jumping off point" to help you build a solid foundation.  I am going to list a few sites that we use to promote our classes and products. Feel free to see who our followers are or what groups we have joined.  You may find some people you know and want to connect with them.  If you decide to follow AAE Glass or Tanya Veit, you will be connected with several other glass artists around the world.  Also, if you haven't already, go ahead and "join" the blog and you can be alerted of any new tutorials or new products that are released.

BLOG- Full of FREE tutorials, new products, glass art news, sales, and more!  We even feature glass artists from time to time with links to their sites, lists of the shows they are participating in or just to spread the word about glass art. 

FACEBOOK - The most popular social media outlet today.

TWITTER @AAEGLASS - Great for sharing quick information and links. You will also want to utilize BITLY.COM to shorten your links which will leave you more characters for content.  Millions of users. 

GOOGLE+ - Google's entrance into social media, still new and slowly growing.

LINKEDIN - Lots of great groups to join for anything you are looking for.

YOUTUBE - Video tutorials.

Thanks as always,

Mark Veit

AAE Glass

To Cap or Not to Cap...AAE Glass has the Answer

AAE GLASS DECALS

We receive this question from our customers often and would like to address it first hand in case anyone else is curious. The answer is “NO” and there are many reasons why. 

There are two types of fusing decal formulas on the market, put simply, low-fire and high fire. AAE Glass decals are actual enamel and are screen printed. The decals are strong, rich & detailed, this is due to the screen printing process. We are only able to do this with a low-fire formula. The higher the firing temp and formula, the less pigment color (vibrancy) you are able to achieve. This is why we made the conscious decision to stick with a low-fire formula and process.

When Tanya first started decal designing, she had a vision of designing a foreground and a background. Her thought was to create layers of glass scenery (background) while topping it off with a beautiful foreground image. When she first started creating, many years ago, only high fire formula decals were available in very limited designs. After creating a beautiful four layer background, she would place the decal between her final clear coat…not good! The decal design would spread and was distorted due to the amount of glass layers Tanya was using. Determined to achieve her vision on multilayer glass, AAE Glass developed a low fire decal formula that is fired LAST on top of the glass. This way, it would not matter if you used 2, 3 or 6 layers (as most of Tanya’s work does).  The decal can be fired on top of the glass and never distort the image, while focusing on the depth of the glass and really making the foreground decal image stand out. This method of using decals and layering has been a hit with Tanya’s jewelry with over 140 galleries and boutiques carrying her multilayer, scenic decal pendants. No Limits! That is what we at AAE Glass base our business and artistic principals on.

If you would like to learn the layering and design process with Tanya’s glass, please sign up for one of her many workshops at www.aaeglass.com

Customer Appreciation Day Sale at AAE Glass Studio in Cape Coral, Florida

AAE Glass wants to invite you to the biggest sale our new glass art studio has ever seen.  We want to offer anyone who comes to see us Sunday, March 18th, from 10-3pm, a chance to SAVE 25% on ALL glass and glass fusing supplies.  We are located at 1228 Lafayette St, Cape Coral, Florida 33904. (239) 471-7724. We will also be offering special discounted class tuition to anyone who signs up for a class starting in April.  This is a 1 day, in store only event.  Whether you are trying fused glass for the first time or you have been fusing for decades, we have a class for you.  We offer a very relaxed atmosphere for learning and have fun with all of our classes.

Tanya Veit, principal artist, just returned from teaching at Coatings By Sandberg in Orange, California.  She went on a shopping spree and brought back over 100 POUNDS of handpicked dichroic glass.  Yes...100 POUNDS of both 90 and 96 COE dichroic glass handpicked by Tanya herself!   These aren't your typical dichroic colors either, these are hard to find and never before seen colors.  We have a selection of dichroic glass that will have your jaw dropping.

On top of the dichroic glass, we have massive amounts of both Bullseye and System 96 sheet glass, including several special production sheets.  We sell our sheet glass in various sizes, depending on your preference (6x6, 12x12 and half sheets).  These smaller sizes will allow you to purchase a wider variety of colors.

We will be offering $100 off any new kiln purchased on March 18th.  Who doesn't need a new kiln?!

We also have glass fusing decals, frit, powder, paint sets, silver settings and various tools.

We will be releasing "studio time" as well.  For everyone who purchases $300 or more will receive one FREE hour of studio time with access to all of our state of the art equipment.

We might even have cookies!!!

Tanya will be doing a FREE, LIVE dichroic layering demo at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm for anyone who wants to learn a few tricks and get a preview of the Extreme Fusing classes. 

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 18th from 10-3pm.

AAE Glass

Tanya Veit Teaching at The Vinery Stained Glass Studio

Tanya Veit at The Vinery

AAE Glass is shipping Tanya Veit and her unique glass fusing techniques to Madison, Wisconsin and The Vinery Stained Glass Studio.  Call The Vinery directly (608-271-2490) to book your seat today.  She is bringing both EXTREME FUSING I (Jan 27-28) and EXTREME FUSING II (Jan 29, 30, 31)with her.  If you are anywhere near the Madison, Wisconsin area, be sure to call today, only a few seats left. 


Denny Berkery has been a friend of AAE Glass since the beginning and he provides an excellent atmosphere to expand your glass fusing techniques in the form of these workshops.  Denny has written several books on glass and has the experience to back them up.  Even if you can't take the workshop, The Vinery is a must stop when you are in Wisconsin. 


Thanks Denny and we look forward to catching up!


AAE

AAE Glass Presents Featured Artist PoetryGift.com

 

CLICK VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE HOW EASY POETRYGIFT.COM MAKES GIFT BUYING

AAE Glass is proud to feature a small, personalized poetry business, Poetrygift.com.  Poetrygift.com is not the typical glass artist that we feature, but if you need a gift for a hard to buy for person, look no further.   

Poetrygift.com has been an AAE Glass supporter from the beginning and we have done several collaborations with them throughout the years.  Poetrygift.com is a 100% woman owned small business.  They have been in business for over 20 years and bring both smiles and tears of joy to the eyes of their recipients.  Here is a more info about poetrygift.com.

Looking for a special Christmas, anniversary or birthday present? Why send flowers? Now you can send real preserved flowers that will become a treasured keepsake. This beautiful preserved Real Rose dome with love poem is a romantic way to tell someone special how much you love them. Wonderful gift for an anniversary or birthday.

Nothing says "I Love You" like a Rose! Now you can make that rose a lasting keepsake.

*Preserved Real Roses - Special Christmas Gift Idea* Tired of giving roses that are thrown out in a week? Give your special someone a beautiful preserved Poetry Rose Dome with a love poem that he or she can read over and over again. The roses last for years and years and years.

PoetryGift.com is a Chicago area company now celebrating its 20th anniversary. The company was founded in 1991 by three women who recognized how much people enjoy receiving personalized gifts for the special occasions in their lives because of the immeasurable sentimental value attached to these gifts. To that end, they created a collection of original, heart-warming poems, presented in a variety of distinctive designs. The poems are customized with names, dates, and personal messages for many of life’s occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, baptisms, etc.

In 2000, Poetry Gifts began selling on the World Wide Web and have been very well received all over the world by people in all walks of life. In addition to the Poetry Gift collection of poems, the company offers its customers who have written their own poems the opportunity to have their poems appear in an original design and personalized with their specific information.

The mission of PoetryGift.com is to provide customers with high-quality, meaningful, personalized gifts. The owners of the company believe in the importance of individuals showing the special people in their lives how much they are thought of and loved. A Poetry Gift can be read over and over again as a constant reminder of that love.

PoetryGift.com prides itself on its unrivaled customer service and its ability to ship orders quickly, with delivery as soon as the next day.

AAE Glass Featured Artist Debra Nuckolls

AAE Glass is proud to introduce Debra Nuckolls of Fused Glass By Design.  Debra has been a long time supporter of AAE Glass and we love her fused glass jewelry.  Here is a bit of info from Debra herself.

If you would like to gain extra FREE exposure for your business, please send us an email (info@aaeglass.com) with pictures and a synopsis of you are your business as well as a link to your website.


My name is Debra Nuckolls and I have been fusing glass for about 5 years. In researching new techniques and products to use in creating my jewelry I found the aaeglass website and started ordering products. I was lucky enough to attend Tanya's Extreme Glass Workshop at Ed Hoy's this year.  Tanya is a awesome teacher who inspires your creativity to a new level. I am just starting out with my studio on ARTFIRE and hope to begin selling at craft fairs next year. Love your blog!

Thanks Debra, we look forward to seeing more from you and good luck with you ARTFIRE store.  

15% Off Tanya's Hand Picked 90 & 96 Dichroic Scrap Packs

DICHROIC SCRAP PACKS

FRIT BLENDS

COUPON CODE: SCRAP

AAE GLASS wants to give you a jump start with your glass fusing this week.  We want to offer you 15% off 90 & 96 COE hand picked dichroic scrap packs.  Tanya has created these scrap packs just as she would if she was going to create glass art herself.  You can search this blog for video and step by step tutorials on how to combine all of AAE Glass' products to create one of a kind jewelry.


If you have taken Tanya's workshop, you know how attention to detail is priority number one.


Be sure to take a look at our new fused glass decals, silver settings and frit blends as well to complete your glass jewelry fusing experience.


As always, feel free to share your work with us.  We are happy to promote glass artists who show our quality products in a great light.


Thanks and have a great week.


AAE

AAE Glass New Dichroic Fused Glass Jewelry and Decals

FUSED GLASS DECALS

SILVER SETTINGS FOR GLASS

DICHROIC SCRAP PACKS

AAE Glass


Tanya Veit has spent the last few days experimenting with the new, larger fused glass decals AAE Glass recently released.  She has been combining the fused glass decals to create stellar designs (above).


While we have had numerous beautiful, larger glass pieces shared with us by our friends (bowls, vases, plates, etc), Tanya shows these larger decals can easily be incorporated into your glass jewelry the same way as the smaller decals, they can even be used right along with the smaller decals.  This has opened up so many designing possibilities as well as other aspects for Tanya to share with students in her famous Extreme Fusing Workshops, coming soon to Cape Coral, Florida in the brand new AAE Glass Studio.  You won't want to miss this top notch learning experience and if you have had the pleasure of meeting Tanya, you know you will have fun right along with the intense learning.


Be sure to check out other posts on this blog to see these fused glass decals in action. 


Thanks to everyone who has shared their work with us.  We are excited to know that these new decals have been received in such a positive way.  Again, the superior quality to any other decals on the market shines through.


Have a great weekend!


AAE

Color Me Bad Fusing Decals and BluDragonfly Glass

AAE Glass wants to thank Christine Wilson of BluDragonfly for displaying our Color Me Bad decal sheets in such a good light.  These decals can be painted by you! Who doesn't want to add their own touch or flare to their wearable dichroic glass art pieces?  Thanks Christine.

A few years ago I took a fusing glass class at a local studio and fell in love with fusing. After that class I came home and started experimenting with different techniques. I discovered Tanya's website - AAEGlass.com and her decals. After that the direction of my work changed!

All my fused glass jewelry is created in my home studio. All the pieces are started from scratch – I cut out the glass and create the design using dichroic glass and custom-made frit combinations. In some of my pendants I select a decal that best compliments the colors in the pendant. All of the pieces require several firings. Along with fused glass jewelry I also make lampwork (glass) beads and incorporate them into jewelry.

In July 2011 I took Tanya Veit's Extreme Fusing Workshop in Denver. This is the best class that I have ever taken and nothing can compare with the information on fusing that Tanya is willing to share. Recently I have been experimenting with the Color Me Bad decals. They are a lot of fun and allow your imagination to run wild playing with different colors. They look exceptionally dramatic on the dichroic backgrounds. In August 2011 I participated in the 2011 Fairplay Colorado Bead and Fiber Show. My "Pelican" pendant placed 3rd in the juried competition for Jewelry/Wearables.

I will participating in Art Shows this fall in Arvada, Greeley, and Windsor CO. I am a member of the Rocky Mountain Flameworkersorganization which is a group of local glass artists who meet once a month. I am also a Self Representing Artist (SRA #126). I currently have 2 websites for my jewelry ETSY and BLUDRAGONFLY. My work is also available at the Mountain Blown Glass Shop in Estes Park, CO.

I can't thank Tanya and AAE Glass enough for the workshops and the wonderful selection of decals and dichroic glass available on their website. They have added a whole new and exciting dimension to my art.

Christine Wilson

BluDragonfly

www.bludragonfly.etsy.com

Layering dichroic glass for fusing by AAE Glass

Firsing Instructions for Fused Glass

Tree of Life

Decal Sheets

 

 

Silver Settings

Fused Glass Decal Firing Instructions

Application Instructions:

1. Clean the glass surface where the decal will go.

2. Remove any wax paper barrier, if any, from the decal surface.

3. If desired, cut decal to desired shape using xacto knife or scissors.

4. Soak the decal in a shallow pan of warm water until they easily slide off the paper. It is easier to apply decal directly from the paper to the glass piece. Leaving them in water too long will result in them floating off the base paper and it will be difficult to apply.

5. Use a paper towel to blot excess water and gently smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles. If air bubbles are not gently rubbed out, a tiny hole will pop through the decal when fired.

6. Change water frequently after soaking several decals to remove impurities.

7. ALL MOISTURE MUST BE REMOVED PRIOR TO FIRING. OVERNIGHT DRYING IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

8. Decals go on your FINISHED, fire polished piece. DO NOT cap the decals with a top glass layer. Decal firing is the last step to your piece.

Firing Instructions:

Preheating is particularly important in decal work. Materials from the medium on the decal must be burned off gently. Good ventilation allow for a clean final product. Leave the kiln lid open 1-2 inches, plus any peepholes. Preheat slowly to 1000 degrees to prevent pinholes or blisters and then procede with normal ramping. Heat-soak the decals at top temperature for approximately 8-10 minutes. THE FIRING SCHEDULES PROVIDED ARE FOR A REFERENCE POINT ONLY! GET TO KNOW YOUR KILN AND TAKE NOTES!

Need additional assistance? Email us at info@aaeglass.com with any questions you may have. Remember, it is always better to under fire than over fire!

Low-fire schedule

250 DPH to 350 HOLD 20 minutes

500 DPH to 1000 HOLD 10 minutes

AFAP to 1034-1074 soak 8-10 minutes

High-fire schedule

250 DPH to 350 HOLD 20 minutes

500 DPH to 1000 HOLD 10 minutes

AFAP to 1280-1320 soak 8-10 minutes