Clayton Hill Studio

Posted on June 9, 2016 by claytonhill

So, it takes a while …

I’m 3 days into it, but WOW! There is an actual studio under all of this!!! I’m thinking [hoping, praying … BEGGING!] one more day ought to do it. We’ll see …

A few days ago, a fusing group on Facebook started posting studio-selfies, I mean videos – way cooler than selfies! [BTW – thank you L.Duncan!] Which was the motivation I needed to find/reclaim my studio – clear away the clutter and layers of glass dust/grime, sort, organize and sanitize. And, since I have a head cold, my cleaning-frenzy is producing all snorts of sneezes and coughing jags, clearing out the respiratory tract of evil/wicked viral … STUFF! Go pulmonary toileting! [Yes, there is lots of tissue-usage and hand-washing going on too!]

So, once my studio shines again, I will post a link to my FB video … And, start melting glass again!

In the meantime, I wrapped up a few pieces for the boutique before I got all virally-loaded:

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Posted on May 31, 2016 by claytonhill

Who’s on Second – Third Base! AKA Weekend Wrap Up

Oh My Goodness – I never realized just how true this round-about was! The old-folks kicked my ARSE, they did this weekend!

So, when a 70+ year old Alzheimer patient tells you they ‘have to pee’ – well, you’re there to help them out. Little did I realize (at the time), he’s in a brief [a pull-up, sized ‘Adult Large’ – for all you lay-folk] … OK. Super-nurse to-the-rescue.

“OK, stand up.” Yeah, not so steady … Let’s untie this origami-knot(!) that’s holding your shorts up. What’s this? A urine soaked brief … ??? OK, easy enough to remove …
“Now, here’s the urinal…”
“WHAT? I don’t see any urinal.” …
“Well no – it’s a plastic bottle, wait a minute … ok, you’re all set …”
“I don’t see a urinal …” And, this is where I’m in a precarious position, trying frantically to convince a male patient he is ‘safe’ to urinate … “Hold on, don’t move – OK, all set … you can ‘go’ – now!”
“But, I don’t see a urinal …” No. You wouldn’t, as I am on the floor, holding the plastic bottle in place, all but begging you to pee … NOW!!!

Nursing is so … dignified?!? No, it’s about maintaining dignity! Moving on …

Next patient … 90 year old, TKO – heavy weight champion … “OK, you’re going to stand up, turn and sit on the bed-side commode. “

“What? You want me to stand?”
“Well, sure … isn’t that what you do at home to get to the bathroom?”
Come on, PULL! “You WILL stand up, NOW [soldier!] and sit down on that toilet seat. Falling is NOT an option …” [Best drill-sergeant/sternest-MOM-voice … EVER!]
[Houston, we have landed. But, wait … there’s a problem …] “No, don’t go yet … you need to scoot over, just a bit … you’re not centered/on the ‘toilet’ seat yet. No, move over a bit more … More … OK, centered. Good!”
… “GO!” …
… All done? OK … You can’t get up? … Umm, how do you do this at home, again? …And, I proceed to safely WRESTLE ASSIST the patient back onto the stretcher …

So, both patients met their ELIMINATION needs … I’m pretty sure I lost about 10 pounds of sweat-equity/water-weight … But, you know – I’m in that super-fun stage of POWER-SURGES/hot flashes … Both patients=Dignity intact. The nurse, however, will never be the same again …

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Posted on May 27, 2016 by claytonhill

Restocking, custom orders and … penDots

Equals PLAYING … So, this is what you can do when all of your kids are ‘self-sufficient’ … Amazing! I love it …

I’ve sold out of a few Michigan-specific dichro cabs … and all four of my two-legged kids attended/are attending my alma-mater … So, totally due:

And, I’m wrapping up a custom-order … One more evergreen-tree to go (- and these) …

DH and I are having a bit of fun, going round-n-round with my penDot obsession … I keep making them, and HE keeps telling me ENOUGH … We shall see …

And then, just to keep me in a NURSING-mind-set, a fellow-co-worker sent me this … try to UNSEE it!!! [So, YEAH … I deal with THAT, TOO!!!]

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Posted on May 20, 2016 by claytonhill

Well YEAH – There’s that …

Yes! My studio still needs cleaning, but … I have a whole mid-size kiln shelf of hot cabs just waiting for ‘GLAMOUR’ … So, you know – thank goodness I didn’t put all those frit jars away!

But, wait – there’s more. Today marks the last day of my biological two-legged children attending high school. Well, OK … I suppose DH may have someone unaccounted for (- I don’t think so, but …WHATEVER?) … We are so officially DONE with High School – FOREVER … SWEET! [Please don’t think I am taking any opportunities away from our four-legged off-spring … If any of the Neos or Yorkies get a scholarship … Well then, obviously – I am ALL IN – and, back in the mini-van! Winking smile ]

Meanwhile, my garden is planted! (Yay!!!) So I am totally back in my studio – working on a new slumped bottle design … Hmm – we’ll see:

I’ve moved along my custom sun-catchers to the next level. And, I have planned for another dragonfly pendant or two …

So sure – with all my productive activity, I decided it MUST be time to play with Kumihimo … Another bracelet in-the-works …

Ummm … YEP! My cluttered studio and I are getting along nicely …

With much love,

Pigpen

Next up: Photos of our beautiful Thoretta Blue … and possibly my clean studio. Maybe ??? We’ll see …

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Posted on May 19, 2016 by claytonhill

Help … My studio needs cleaning!

But, I don’t want to stop making stuff … This is crazy … I have hundreds of dollars worth of dichroic glass balancing precariously on teetering molds [umm, multiple molds], while I shuffle jars of frit from here-to-there, to make room for etching cream … on the cutting mat, off the cutting mat … move again, so we can get to the cutting mat, thus stacking the jars of frit on top of a chair, on top of EACH OTHER … never back in the CABINET … ENOUGH!!!

Umm, wait – a custom request for a few ornament designs … You bet! I can do that … So, the piles rise and teeter a little bit higher … Oh, look – I have pretty slumped glass bottles!

And, a batch of dichroic cabochons!

Oh – and a new snap-cab dragonfly pendant!

While I play with future sand-blasted sun catchers and stamped designs!

Yep, my studio needs some massive de-cluttering, cleaning, organizing … And, then there is Ragnar … Ruh-roh Raggy! Who totally needs me to play with him … [Crummy photo as he did not want to slow down to ‘pose’ …]

I will clean my studio next week, I’m sure … After we get the garden sorted out!

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Posted on May 13, 2016 by claytonhill

Oh my! First up – a few new slumped bottles in the works …

Then a stamp platter I’ve wanted to work on for a while starting to take shape … So many stamps, so little time!

And, my enamel experiment from weeks ago, finally stenciled and blasted … What to do with it now? But, I have more stencil/blasting ideas … OH MY!

DH built a new glass storage rack under the torch table this week, so we headed out to my local supplier and picked up my ‘panic order’ … a day before Spectrum announced it’s future closing. Oh, the panic set in again, but DH offered wisdom/restraint. And, today Uroboros announced it will build … so, I stay put with my current coe 96 supply while I make, experiment and play in the studio. Here’s my 96 sheet stock … [Don’t panic, don’t panic, DO NOT PANIC!]

Next up, pictures of Ragnar (nicknamed Raggy, ruh-roh-Raggy), our 4 week old Yorkie pup! Who is starting to realize there is more to life than his welping box … Ruh-roh!

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Posted on May 7, 2016 by claytonhill

Mother’s Week

New offerings at the shop – in honor of Mother’s Day:

Found myself in a ‘fiddly’ mood this week – working with beads, pliers and earrings … A good week:

Met up with ‘the girls’ for dinner – always a fun evening. Thanks to Heather for spinach pies and Congratulations to Lara & Craig! I’m happy to say all is well in our worlds and life marches on …

I had a few kiln-loads click-clacking this week: Bottles, night lights and dichroic jewelry – here are future dichro pendants and badge reels:

Next up – some stamped glass designs …

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Posted on April 28, 2016 by claytonhill

Laying low …

WWU: Assisted fellow-staff with one nasty case of Norovirus this past weekend. While I cleaned and scrubbed [head to toe] with soap, sanitizer and BLEACH, I woke up Tuesday moving slow, with pains (head ache and back ache) … Jumping to the only sensical conclusion, I announced to the family that I was suffering from Noro-meningitis …

As we roll into Thursday, and proving I’m made of sterner stuff, I’m feeling better. Still taking it slow, I’ve played with pups … That’s Dozer showing off SQUISHY FACED LOVE!

I crossed a few items off the to-do list, remaking a custom bracelet in a larger size … with TINY ‘lil 11.0 seed beads. Doggone(!) – Someone’s eyes are getting old!

Made up a few more wire-wrapped glass bead/charm earrings (dragons, light bulbs, and sea-turtles … OH MY!) … and ready for Mother’s Day! Winking smile (You’ll have to check them out at the store!)

Did a little (grocery) shopping. So, I made 10 pounds of Shrimp Stir Fry (this basic recipe, sauce and shrimp doubled to keep up with all the additional veggies), because I was obviously a [Gourmet] cafeteria cook in another life, and will never master the ‘skill’ of cooking SMALLER quantities …

And then I did a bit of internet shopping … DOH! More jewelry making supplies, fun stamps and glass molds coming this way! Smile

I wrapped up the night doing a bit of frit-work on tiny ‘canvases’ … more mini-hot-cabs in the kiln …

I’ll leave with a quick pic of our Xena (5 months old) – thoroughly enjoying her ‘hug’ from our son … Silly girl!

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Posted on April 22, 2016 by claytonhill

Moving right along …

Got through our tax session (Thanks Jim!) and a fun-filled E.R. weekend; Despite meeting one of the most unpleasant airline employees ever (service desk), we now have extended, four-legged family in NH, CO, NJ, PA and FL. The pups did great!

Which brings us to Thursday. I’m almost over this cruddy virus. I’m playing in the studio, and DH is finally watching Vikings with me! I’ve been playing with snap jewelry. John likes to call them penDOTS … sure, Babe!

And, my plotter and I remain in-sync! So, I’ll be slumping a few bottles, making some plates and etching a bit of dichro …

I’ve got more night lights waiting for a photo session. Speaking of pictures – I need to take a few of our newest family members; Our Thoretta Blue (Zeus and Blondie’s pup) and our 6 day old doberman-mouse (Yorkie pup), who currently remains nameless, but is growing and strong! Photos to come …

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Posted on April 13, 2016 by claytonhill

Some re-stocking, stolen studio time … and T-3

Just 3 days before our Ribbon-Cutting ceremony/2nd Grand Opening … So exciting! There will be champagne, cupcakes, door prizes … and healthy people! Come on out to Zen Artisan Boutique this Saturday, 4/16/16! [Meanwhile, a special THANK YOU to ALL who made our first grand-opening weekend so successful!!!]

I am hoping to drop in before my nursing tour this Saturday – if I can get healthy again. I’m presently fighting off a mutant strain of an especially potent illness known as Lederhosen-Canadian Flu … a particularly gnarly strain created by my co-workers. Or maybe it is simply this year’s version of the (URI variety) flu. Please don’t make me get any more dramatically descriptive than that, as I fear my fingers may snap off from the continuous tetany-esque rigors (Tetanus-like chills) whilst my brain continues to liquefy and ooze out of my sinus passages … But – do not fret! I am currently home-treating with every ER nursing cure/back-woods-concoction/wives-tale remedy that I’m aware of … And, I promise not to stop into the Boutique if I am not well!

In the meantime, I’m crunching numbers. Yes, it’s last minute tax-preparation. Yesss, I said I would NOT wait THIS long to get ready. NOO – it’s NOT the best idea to play accountant when enveloped in a viral haze … But – it’s what I’m doing.

I’m also stealing studio time. Because, I keep a vial, bottle, umm … JUG of MEDICINE in my studio refrigerator … Anyway – I’m in the studio. So, I’m making a few new night-lights, mini-MINI-hot cabs, and dichroic donut necklaces …

Next up, a bit of thinfire/enamel play, some screen-printing projects, more poppy designs, and sand-blasting … Arrgh! Winking smile

Ending with total cuteness, and bringing up the rear … Meet Rollo – our last available pup. Who continues to live the high-life with his sister, our own [ClaytonHills] Thoretta Wanda Blue (photos to come, I’m certain), as his litter-mates prepare to journey to their new homes (NJ, NH, FL, CA, CO, PA and Ontario) … Here he is with his mom, Blondie!

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Clayton Hill Studio

Site of my fused glass life

So, it takes a while …

Who’s on Second – Third Base! AKA Weekend Wrap Up

Restocking, custom orders and … penDots

Well YEAH – There’s that …

Help … My studio needs cleaning!

Stencils and stamps and experiments …

Mother’s Week

Laying low …

Moving right along …

Some re-stocking, stolen studio time … and T-3

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Recent Posts

Archive: Clayton Hills

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