April Glass Pendant Contest

AAEGlass.com

APRIL PENDANT CONTEST:

Submit your pendant entries to tanya@aaeglass.com

Last date of submission is 4/30/10

Pendant submission must be using one of our decals. If you submitted to the last contest, please submit new work. Winner receives $100.00 gift certificate to our store.

Thanks to all!

Thank you everyone for your submission to the last contest! Craig Snell from Australia was our $100.00 winner!

Past entries are below this post, just scroll down to get an idea.

AAE

20% Off Sale on Dichroic Glass Supplies

AAEGlass.com

20% OFF

ALL FUSING DECALS

UNTIL MONDAY ONLY.

Coupon code: GLASS20

See below for our April Pendant contest.

AAE

Janny Glass Art Show in California

Janice Osborne of JANNY GLASS will be participating in an art show in La Quinta California on Saturday, March 27th. Janice has recently started using our products and we have seen her grow as an artist. Her pieces are beautiful.

If anyone is in the La Quinta area next Saturday, here is the information about the show.

My next show is in La Quinta California at "Art Under the Umbrellas" Saturday March 27th at

Olde Towne La Quinta from 10 AM to 4 PM.

We wish you much success Janice!

Are You Ready For Spring?

AAEGlass.com

The spring season is just around the corner and the art shows will be in full effect. Also, Mother's Day is about 6 weeks away.

Over the past 3 years, Mother's Day has been one of our best sellers next to Christmas!!

Floral decals are by far the most popular for this time of year. Be sure to stock up now.

If you want us to mention an art show that you will be in, we will be happy to. We can promote it all over the web with our several different outlets.

If there is anything we can do to help you grow your business, just send us an email at info@aaeglass.com and we will be happy to.

Thanks and Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Slante

AAE

25% Sale this weekend Only, Free Shipping

AAEGlass.com

This weekend we are offering a whopping 25% off glass art supplies. Fused glass decals, Bottle Stopper Blanks, cords, bails, etc. Enter coupon codeGLASS25

Be sure to stock up for the spring art fairs and Mother's Day which is just around the corner.

AAE

Winner of February Pendant Contest

CRAIG SNELL

We received so many beautiful entries this month and we want to thank everyone for participating! We decided to include a few "Honorable Mentions" and give $10.00 gift certificates to those winners...and the winner is...Craig Snell from Australia! Congratulations Craig! We love how Craig used our mighty tree of life decal to create a scene of the kimberly in North Western Australia. Craig used one of our tree decals but cut it up and manipulated it a bit. In Craig's words, "the mighty tree decals are like the boab trees we have here which also grow in Africa. A stockman as cattle are the main business here. I also engraved and painted some anthills in." Nice job Craig, a lot of work and creativity went into this piece and it shows!

Craig's pendant has earned him a $100 credit to AAEGlass.com

AAE

Honorable Mention - Pendant 4

LEAH POLLARD

Leah submitted a floral pendant that earned her honorable mention and a $10 credit to AAEGlass.com. We loved the colors used on this piece, very complimentary.
Thanks so much Leah.

AAE

Honorable Mention - Pendant 3

RAYA LYNCH

Raya submitted a meadow scene using fused glass decals. Raya's entry has earned her a $10 credit to AAEGlass.com. Thank you for your continued support.

AAE

Honorable Mention - Pendant 2

PAM MARCUM

Pam submitted a colorful pendant using a flamingo fused glass decal. Pam will receive a $10 credit to AAEGlass.com for her gorgeous work.

AAE

Honorable Mention - Pendant 1

PAT EDWARDS

Pat submitted a dichroic glass pendant with a combination of glass fusing decals. Very nice work. Pat will receive a $10 credit to AAEGlass.com for her work.

AAE

Dichroic glass jewelry Artist of the week Elisabeth from www.glisteningglass.etsy.com

Our second Dichroic Glass Jewelry Artist of the week is Elisabeth from www.glisteningglass.etsy.com

Elisabeth makes some beautiful dichroic glass jewelry using fusing decals. These are some pictures of her work. We love it Elisabeth. Thanks for sharing. Decals were purchased at www.aaeglass.com

Elisabeth will be featured in our next newsletter and will receive 10 FREE tree of life fusing decals. Here is some information about Elisabeth's business:

What a privilege to be a featured artist! My name is Elisabeth. I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, a full time mother of two girls.. and a chocolate lab that I consider one of my children also :) I really enjoy peace and quiet when the kids go to bed!! That is my time to concentrate on glass. I am a perfectionist and quality is very important to me. Each piece is a fine balance of colors, textures and shapes. When combined, expresses it's own unique story. Creating and sharing these stories is my inspiration :)

Side Note~ I am currently taking classes at the Pittsburgh Glass Center to expand my knowledge in glass and to learn new techniques. I have just started a new line of Earth Friendly, Recycled Glass. I was so excited to use these decals from A.A.E. on my Recycled Glass Pendants and they look beautiful!! Thank you!! www.glisteningglass.etsy.com

To enter your business for dichroic glass jewelry artist of the week please email your information to info@aaeglass.com. We look forward to learning about your business.

New glass fusing decals available today!!!

We have released a new TWO color tree fusing decal. This is the best one yet. We also have gold and silver plated bails as well as several cords. Square and round bottle stopper blanks are located in the supply store as well. Not to mention several other fusing decal images. This supply store can be your one stop shop. http://www.artfire.com/users/AAE-artglass

Again we congratulate Mandy Codd as glass artist of the week. Get to know a little bit about Mandy and her store below. Get your emails in asap to be the next featured glass artist of the week. info@aaeglass.com

We will be sharing tip #4 this week which will review different cold working machines and how they work best.

Dichroic Glass Jewelry Artist of the Week Mandy Codd

Our very first dichroic glass jewelry artist of the week is Mandy Codd of www.dichroic-creations.com

Mandy will be featured in our weekly newsletter and she has also won 10 tree of life decals. You can visit her store by clicking on the above link. The pictures seen here are dichroic glass pieces Mandy made using fusible decals from our store. If you would like to be considered for artist of the week, simply send us an email at info@aaeglass.com. We will randomly select a new artist from the submissions we receive.

Here is some background info from Mandy about her and her business. Congratulations Mandy!

***My name is Mandy Codd, I'm a glass artist living on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

I have an extreme passion for dichroic glass.
A lot of thought for colours and design goes into each one of my handmade
Dichroic Creations.

I would have to say I am very addicted to glass and don't think I could ever lose the excitement that I feel when I open the kiln after each firing.

I am a stay at home Mum and have been creating my pendants for 2 1/2 years now, I work around my three Children, their ages range from 3 to 13.

I am always learning something new and just having fun experimenting too. I was so very excited to have been able to purchase these new decals and look forward to creating more beautiful pendants with them - my next lot are already in the kiln LOL.***

Tip #3 Keeping bubbles out of your dichroic glass jewelry pendants and decals

AAE GLASS DECALS
One of the biggest enemies to any dichroic glass fused pendant jeweler is the dreaded bubble. No matter how hard we try, sometimes a bubble creeps into our pieces and is it unavoidable. It is frustrating when working with fusible glass water slide decals and a bubble appears just above the decal. Hopefully we can offer you a few tips on how to avoid the curse of the bubble in your decals. While there is no sure fire way to avoid a bubble, following these 4 steps should help.

1-Once the decal is applied, blot out any excess water with a paper towel.
2-When the excess water is removed, wrap the paper towel around your fore finger and GENTLY brush the entire decal design after the excess water is removed. Be sure to smooth out any wrinkles or folds in the decal.
3-You must let the decal dry for at least 12 hours before firing the glass.
4-***HOT TIP*** If you are in a hurry and can't wait 12 hours to fire, use a blow dryer at close range for 20 minutes.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at info@aaeglass.com. 

***Stay tuned for a complete new style of decal that AAE Glass has developed.  They will be released in early 2014!  We have received the proofs and Tanya has adjusted to her specifications.  They are currently in print and when available, will be announced to all.***

AAE Glass

Help is available

We have received a few emails from glass artists asking for help and advice with their jewelry making. We are more than happy to answer any questions you have and we welcome them. The email address is aaeglass@gmail.com

Several dichroic glass artists are using these fusible decals for the first time. We can advise you how to eliminate air bubbles as well as offer advice on what background colors work best for each decal. I enjoy helping people make the best jewelry they can. There is no such thing as a dumb question. If you run into any problems at all, email us at aaeglass@gmail.com

I will be posting tip #3 this week and it will focus on how to eliminate air bubbles (see bubble in the top of the calla lily picture above). We will get into more detail about this in tip #3.

Also, if you want to email us about being a featured artist, there is still time. We have had several inquiries about this but people are still in the process of making their pieces so pictures are not available.

I have stocked my store with several new pieces this weekend. http://www.artfire.com/users/AAE-artglass

Thank you again for following our blog.

AAE

New gold butterfly water slide fusing decals available

We have released some new decals. These gold butterfly decals fire beautifully on dark glass. It is hard to find glass fusing decals that show well on dark glass. Well here they are. We have had many requests for more decals that fire on dark glass. Give these a try with your next jewelry pieces.

Also, starting today, we have decided to give all of our blog followers a PERMANENT 10% discount off glass fusing water slide decals. Just use the coupon code BLOG when you order and we can refund your 10% discount through paypal. Visit our shop today for these and other hard to find glass fusing supplies. http://www.artfire.com/users/glassdecals_fusingsupplies

I have also listed several new pendants as well as the best piece I have made in a long time. It is a linked bracelet and I love it. Visit my etsy store to view. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28881138

Thanks again for your patronage.

AAE

Looking to feature artists

We want to give you artists yet another outlet to promote your jewelry. We are looking to feature a glass jewelry artist per week on this blog. You may ask; What will this do for me and my business? Here is what it will do...

1-We will devote a blog entry just to you and your jewelry.
2-We will post 2 pictures of your finished product (using water slide decals purchased from AAE).
3-We will share a "blurb" about you and your business.
4-We will post a link to your store.
5-You will win 10 FREE tree of life water slide decals.

The first featured artist will be selected on Monday Aug. 10th.

Here is how you enter for a chance to be featured:
1-Click on the "comment" button below this post.
2-Give us some history on you and your business.
3-Give us a link to your store or web page.
4-Email us 2 pictures of your finished jewelry using these water slide decals.

We can't wait to see what everyone has to offer.

AAE

The 3 day decal sale has begun

Several people have taken advantage of 20% off dichroic water slide fusing decals this morning. We still have some new designs available and the sale goes through Monday. http://www.artfire.com/users/GlassDecals_FusingSupplies We have sold out of a few designs so be sure to secure yours today.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you, or if you have any questions.

AAE

Tip #2 Photographing Dichroic Glass Jewelry

The business of making and selling dichroic glass jewelry has many steps. None more important than photographing the jewelry so it sells fast and for a good price. Many times the difference between making a sale and not making a sale is the quality of the photo. I wanted to share some of my experiences with you, what works, what doesn't.

I have tried everything I can think of to improve my pictures. I have taken thousands of pictures over the years. I have spent hundreds of dollars on photo domes, photo cubes, cloud domes etc, and I wasn't happy with any of the pictures. After talking to a family friend, during Thanksgiving dinner, he gave me the best picture taking advice I have ever received. I started doing this 2 years ago and it has never failed...You can reach in the couch cushions or under your car seat to come up with the $2.99 it will cost you to purchase this top notch photo apparatus. Don't laugh. Are you ready? I purchased a gallon of milk, ate a few bowls of cereal and followed these five easy steps:

1.) Soak the labels off your empty milk gallon.

2.) Cut the milk gallon in half all the way around.

3.) Place your jewelry piece on your desired background.

4.) Place the milk carton over the jewelry piece and your background, place the lens of your digital camera in the top of the milk carton and click away.

5.) Take your photos outside. The best time of day is 2-5p.m. when it is slightly overcast or even a little shady. Direct sunlight is not good, it will only over-expose your photos.

If you look at our pictures in the store, they are clear and sharp with no glare spots. These have all been taken with the handy milk carton. http://www.artfire.com/users/AAE-artglass

So if you have a taste for Lucky Charms and need an apparatus to take great pictures, head out to your local grocer and pick up a gallon of milk. You won't be sorry :)

The following items have been released or will be released this Saturday. Please follow our blog to take advantage of 20% off your water slide decal orders from Saturday 8/2 through Monday 8/4. http://www.artfire.com/users/GlassDecals_FusingSupplies Purchase your decals, enter "blog 20" in the note to seller section and we will send you a revised paypal invoice.

1-Red and 22 kt. gold lily decal.
2-Red rose decal
3-Large and small 22 kt. gold butterfly mini sheet.
4-Large and small yellow single rose decals.
5-Round and square wine bottle stopper blanks.
6-Various sized wholesale cords and jewelry necklaces.

New Water Slide Decal Designs: Saturday

We will be releasing 2 new, water slide decals this Saturday at 12pm. http://www.artfire.com/users/GlassDecals_FusingSupplies These designs are brand new and limited in number.

We appreciate everyone who takes the time to bookmark our blog and follow. We have received some great notes from you this week, thank you. In appreciation we are offering 20% off decal orders from Saturday 8/2 through Monday 8/4. Just let us know that you follow the blog when you order (must sign up as a follower).

Along with the new designs, we will also be releasing square top bottle stopper blanks for below wholesale price. We created these square blanks and they can only be found in our store. We will have some round as well.

Tomorrow we will be posting our 2nd tip which will touch on photographing your pieces to sell. The goal is to take pictures that pop off the screen at the buyers. Hopefully we can offer some useful information. Here is a link to my store if you want to take a look at some pictures. I am still experimenting, but have found this to be one of the more "fun" parts of the process. http://www.artfire.com/users/AAE-artglass

Again, thank you everyone for following and I will be back tomorrow with tip #2.

AAE