Glass fusing

 WOW --- I quickly glanced at the comments, and we are all learning new things! Life is just so cool!

OK -- this is not to make you jealous, but I have the BEST job in the world. Keep in mind that I have several jobs, and I LOVE all of them. Who else can say that? I met someone yesterday who says the same thing. He used to work in health care, and now he's an artist and LOVES every minute of his day. He probably doesn't make the same amount of money, but health and happiness trump money any day! 

Let's put it this way -- if you are in the crafty business, you're more likely working with like-minded people, and it's easier to have conversations as they "get it." You can be crazy, and they get that as well. There is much creativity involved in what I do, and we get all kinds of toys to play with. I was going to say adult toys, but that might not be the most appropriate way of phrasing it! 

And I hear some new stuff is coming down the pipelines, but if I breathe a word of it -- off with her head! And your heads as well. So those are best kept as secrets for the moment. 

I zipped along the 407 in perfect time --- why can't all highways be that uncongested. There is a price for that freedom, however. The car got unloaded with stuff, and we started the day with a meeting. Yep -- there are meetings, and there are meetings. The meetings are not such a big deal if you're with like-minded people. 

But it was the afternoon that was a riot. In light of team building, we went on an adventure to Leslieville, a district of Toronto. I'm unfamiliar with all these areas, as I'm suburban. 

It was cool to see the CN Tower from the opposite side that I had been on the previous day. And a little bit closer as well. 

The CN Tower

So we headed off to Verbeek Glass Studio in Leslieville. 

Verbeek Glass Studio

The owner, Layne, is amazing! He is very personable and happy as a clam in his "new" job. There is a gift shop if you don't want to make anything yourself, and despite my rule of not buying knick-knack stuff, I purchased two items which you'll see when I get home. None of us had ever done this before. OH -- what were we doing? Glass fusing. We were shocked at how easy the entire process was. 

All you need are three tools and some glass! 

Tools to cut Glass

After a quick lesson, we went "glass shopping," and we were off. It was a challenge to get started. What colors to use, what design to make, and so on. But as the process continued, we became more comfortable, and soon I had something bright happening. I know you all expected something orange, and there are bits of orange. I like orange, but I also like BRIGHT. And yes -- I should have taken that photo before I wrote my name on the sheet underneath. These will be fused and will become bowls. 

My fused glass piece

We were a diverse group, and it showed in our final projects. Five of the nine pieces are square (we had a choice), and blue is the favored color. Some are geometric with straight lines, while others are bits and pieces. And there is a very neutral one. That will be so amazing. I can hardly wait to see it. NO ONE created a quilt block! That thought never even occurred to me. 

Step One of our glass bowls

Verbeek Glass Studio offers many other classes, so if anyone is interested, you can book a class. They also do workshops for kids, which would be so cool. 

I found this in the washroom. Oh my!!!

A rubber duck "obsession"

More rubber ducks

Those are rubber ducks! I said to Layne that someone has an obsession. And he called it something else which escapes me at the moment, but he's an artist -- he gets it! OH -- I think he called it a collection! Yes -- it's a collection, not an obsession!!!

You should check out the gift shop, as the items are reasonably priced and beautiful. He also does commissions, and some of those he showed or described will be stunning. 

I finished a bit early, so I headed out for a walk. I needed more steps for the day and got 12.8 KM in. I was happy. Today will be more challenging as we're in meetings all day, so I'll be heading out soon for a walk. 

Walking down Queen Street

We popped down to The Distillery District for dinner. I think I've been there once. It's a cool area, although a lot of it was shut down last night. But no matter, we found a pub to eat in, and the food was excellent. 

The Distillery District

We passed the LOVE sign with all the locks attached to it. Hmm - how many of those people are still together? 

Locks of love

The LOVE sign with all the locks

I'm sure lots of you have seen bridges (especially in European cities) with locks on them. Some cities have cut the locks off because the added weight was too much for the bridges!!!

I had not slept well the night before (too excited for this week?), so thankfully, it was an early night. I read for 5 minutes, and then I was out! 

That's it for me today!!

Have a super day, and think about your job and what you do all day! It had better be fun!!

Ciao!!!!