Bright Colors, Please!

For more information on this handpainted art glass wind chime, or to buy it, CLICK here.


After several years of designing with my own artist-made 'beach' style glass, I found that several times a month I would get emails asking if I had any purple, or red, or orange. I can't make my own glass in those colors, but appreciated that bright colors can be very nice. My solution? Hand painted glass.

This style is double-sided (almost like getting two wind chimes!), with all the paint on the inside of extra-thick glass, well sealed and protected from the elements. Pretty flashy, huh?

People who ask questions or request something are so valuable from an inspiration point of view. They get me thinking and I will work hard to come up with a new idea that gives them what they asked for. This is great for them, but even better for me, as many of my best ideas have come from a question or request. This is one of the best things about selling online, rather than just in a store.

Selling through a store, you never get to hear what people think. But selling online (eBay for example), you get all sorts of feedback and comments. I love getting up in the morning and finding a couple of emails raving about my work~ those will get me out and working on a cold, wet morning, and doing a better job than I might without those compliments. I want to please more people!


Detail images of the colorful glass wind chime~

tsk Design an Excuse to go to the Beach

For more information on this freestanding home / garden / office beach stone with artist-made glass suncatcher, or to buy it, CLICK here.


One nice aspect of my work is that I have a standing excuse to head five minutes down the road to the beach. The excuse is that I can always use more beach stones, more driftwood, more pebbles. But honestly, sometimes I just need to go to the beach!

At the beach, I often see something I find attractive, but do not instantly know what I am going to use it for. So I drag it home, and maybe a week, or maybe a month or more later, inspiration will strike. If I take something home, I almost always use it, sooner or later. Sometimes I know what I want before I go, but if that is the case I almost never find it. It's better to let things find you.


Early morning, Pacific Ocean~ perfect for finding natural treasures.



Wet beach stones ~ Which one to choose?

tsk Design ~ Where are all the birds?

For the first years we lived here on the Sunshine Coast in the country, surrounded by forests, I found it odd that there were not more birds. Sure, I'd hear some singing from time to time (mostly early in the morning waking me up!), and sometimes see one off in a tree, but I thought there would be many more. Gee~ I had seen far more in our tiny yard when we lived in Vancouver!

Well, after making many different types of wind chimes, I hit one day on the idea of making a deluxe bird feeder wind chime. After making one, I thought: 'Wow~ I want one of those!" and hung it up. Guess what? After about two weeks, there were so many birds in our yard, I was filling the feeder daily! So I made an even large feeder, and sat back to enjoy the show. Turns out there always were a ton of birds~ they just had not had any reason to come out and visit!

Often birds flit in and and out so fast that without the gentle tone from the chimes, I'd miss them. But birds landing and taking off swing the feeder a little, and the beach stone clapper gently sounds against the copper chimes. I look up on hearing the chime, and see the birds. Nice!

To read more about this feeder, or to buy one, CLICK here.

First Post ~ I'm Blogging! tsk Design

Better late than never~ seems everyone is blogging! I've only recently had time to check out blogging, and am intrigued to see some artists / crafts people are using blogs to add discipline to their lives by doing something like 'a work a day.'

That's a fine idea, since one of the hardest aspects of working at home is getting to work! I'm not going to promise a 'work a day' because I think everyone deserves at least a little time off~ and many of my designs take much longer than a day to make. But I do intend to showcase something most days.

When I do not feature a recent design, I plan to chat a bit about the ups and downs of making a 'living' by working at home making things for people. A glimpse into the chaos that is my world! It's mostly great~ but sometimes tough.

I've always been drawing, painting, making things. But only since moving to the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia have I had the space to really make noise and a mess. I work with beach stone, copper, my own artist-made glass and other materials designing everything from small glass and copper ornaments to giant beach stone and copper wind chimes. I walk the beaches and wander the forest finding natural materials to incorporate into my work. For five years, I have been serious about making a living doing this~ mainly through eBay, but also a gallery in Vancouver, and sometimes local stores.

Here is today's work: A Mosaic Kaleidoscope Wind Chime. 42 inches long. Artist-made glass morsels and tung nut oil red cedar with large copper chimes.


If you would like more information, or to bid on this,
CLICK here.