glassybaby tales

The Color of Hibiscus, Secretaries +1, U Village Revisited

   I love this... two glassybaby gift sets sent by our 'Fresh from the Oven,' same day courier service...speak a thousand words. This unfolded in the store last Monday... a lovely customer entered and spent careful glassybaby time perusing the multitude of color. For lovely set #1 she chose Coral Red, inspired by the Hibiscus color woven into the fabric decorating a Hawaiian get away home. Our customer and her husband had recently stolen away to these great digs for an island retreat generously provided by their dear friends. She was choosing the right color by holding up a cell phone photo. She nailed it...Coral Red will be smashing. Next came lovely gift set #2... a handsome combination of French Vanilla going to, and here is the thousand words part, the other generous family friends who took care of the kids while mom and dad lanai-ed at the Hawaiian oasis. So perfect and stylish to use glassybaby and our same day delivery service to thank the generosity of these collective friends.

   Other notes from the store. On the eve of Secretary Day, a dear and familiar customer swooshed through our door. She chose four gorgeous glassybaby in the pinky purple palette (Prom Dress, First Kiss, Sister and Taffy.) Four secretaries would each receive this recognition vessel...add ons to their growing collections. Our customer stealthily tossed in a fifth glassybaby at the last minute and half whispered something like this:

'My husband will kill me if I buy anymore glassybaby for myself...but of course...I can't resist.'

Then their was a rousing exchange between all the shoppers in the store about the virtues and pitfalls of shopping 'smoke and mirrors.' Your secrets are safe with us.

   End note. We have once again arrived at University Village. We love and appreciate this partnership revisited. Our Village housing trajectory? We have gone from tent to shed to storefront. Lee and Jeanine, our C.O.O., steered the design ship and the store looks absolutely fab. Just imagine, verdant plantings in long boxes, 'floating' shelves with glassybaby in the windows, a projection of glassybaby being made, custom Russian Birch tables for lighting the glassybaby, and a macho shelving unit with every color in our Spring palette and more. It is a great little outpost for us...during May and June. You can find us just adjacent the kids play area. The Village annually commits a weekend in May to raising shopping dollars for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Many vendors take part in 'Shop to make a Difference.' We will multiply that weekend into 8 weeks plus of raising funds. Four dollars from every Village sold glassybaby will go to Fred Hutch. We extend our gratitude to the University Village for this opportunity so parallel to our abiding commitment of giving to cancer causes often and forever, Come find us. And...don't forget Mom.

   Until Next Time, when hopefully my down coat will be in the closet. Nicola

His Greatness and Joann's Greatness

   The Dalai Lama graced our Seattle soil with his presence this past week and we were honored to provide glassybaby for one of the gala events for him. It was wonderful to work with Gemma Daggatt, the lovely Project Manager of the Seeds of Compassion, Dalai Lama events. With Gemma, I discussed the possibility of a swath of glassybaby color. Color choice is always the fun part. After delightful color rumination, Gemma chose a stunning mix of reds, oranges and gold tones, driven simply from the vision of Buddhist robes. We landed a stunner palette and again it was our joy to be a part of this momentous occasion.

   Further, a Lakeside School teacher had an epiphany. He entreated us to donate a single glassybaby to present to the Dalai Lama from Lakeside students. The kids took a Poppy glassybaby as a gift to his eminence. Although earthly possessions are not likely at the top of the Lama 'needs' list... we just love the thought of  a glassybaby gift presented to this great man who's message of compassion is a transcendence we aspire to.

   Something from the wings...we have the pleasure of working with Joann from Hot Glass in Seattle. Hot Glass supplies us with color bar...think Grandma Jane's Caramel, Raspberry Sorbet...Hot Glass is one of our color sources. Occasionally I get to be a courier of color, like today, and well, there is Joann... always there at the ready for our 'pick up.' Joann, Joann, Joann, she is simply marvelous. We banter as she loads up the scale with our bounty. She strikes me as a kind of life muse. It is so apparent that she loves what she does...she can easily rattle off the metallic properties of all the Hot Glass colors and she always weaves in something from her life experience...selling her house in Idaho, to move into a studio in Belltown, walking distance to work...choosing Seattle, her soulful place. Anyway, she is just one of the many great people in our fabric. And to boot...she said this before my departure today: 'Yeah..I am due to buy another glassybaby. I just love them. The first thing I do when I walk in the door at night is...light my glassybaby.' Sweetness and light.

   We celebrate compassion and Joann.

   Until Next Time, Nicola

"'Twas totally the coolest fieldtrip eve'"...Bridesmaids Receive

   There is nothing quite like a batch, a big batch, of colorful, handmade, sweetly scribed, Thank you notes from 5th and 6th graders to glassybaby. A little background...Lee sweetly opened our doors in the name of science education. Over the course of 2 days we shut down production (the rarest of occasions) to host this gaggle of kids. Our glassblowers sweetly put on their teacher hats while these Lakeside School kids lined up to try their hand in the medium we so adore...glassblowing. The science teacher, Scott Jameson, found the science merit in this awesome and unusual field trip. Think molecules, physics, the periodic table, expansion and contraction ratios...very erudite...like these kids. They were delightful to host, and came with great questions and utter glee while in the glassblowing hot seat. A few excerpts from their Thank you notes:

• glassybaby...simple and short is better... like glassybabies and this letter.
• I had a super fun time blowing at your studio. 'Twas totally the coolest field trip eve'.
• Random acts of kindness makes the world a better place. Getting exposed to glassblowing really expanded my horizons. Thanks for making it possible.

They went on and on in the best way. So, at the risk of looping...to the students we say: Thank you for the Thank yous.

   Endnote...I took a phone order on Tuesday from a beautiful voice inquiring about 'giving' glassybaby. What came forward through our conversation was the great news that this customer had just received her last chemo treatment. That her wedding had been postponed by 1 year due to a cancer diagnosis. That she is well and planning her marriage. That her bridesmaids will each receive the gift of a giving glassybaby...all four in different colors (True White, Seattle Sunset, Goldenrod and Angel.) The weight and levity of this gift struck me and we wish this bride every best blessing on her next journey.

   Until Next Time, Nicola

Woodybaby, Easter Revisited, April is Green

   I viscerally remember the thrill as a kid of finding a lone foil wrapped Easter chocolate days after the bunny had come and gone. In that spirit...a few glassybaby Easter anecdotes.

   According to my in store sources a charming, highly evolved man came in to buy Easter glassybaby for his wife, mother, even his 2 kids. So smart. He described his wife's great adoration of glassybaby. He further described that his medium is wood rather than glass. So, his wife is the proud owner of the one and only 'woodybaby,' carved and emulated after, you guessed it, a glassybaby. We love it.

   Lee described a soggy derivation of an Easter egg hunt for her three great kids, think teen alternative. Throughout her backyard greenbelt the kids hunted for colorful glassybaby, placed upside down...inside?...cold green cash. A successful and weather sensitive hybrid of the old standard chocolate egg hunt.

   Last hop...a gentleman exchanged 2 glassybaby that he had received for Easter from his wife. An obvious connoisseur...he labored over the choice. I complimented his hyper color sensitivity, and he got two beauties. During the boxing segment of his store time...he confessed to collecting two worldly goods...glassybaby and Mini Coopers. He has 12 of the former and 2 of the latter. Again a highly evolved male.

   During the month of April we celebrate Mother Earth and Conservation International. Go green with us. Your purchase of the following colors will be a contribution to Conservation International:

• Fertile
• Verdant
• Greenlake
• Hidden Moss
• Grass
• Jeffery

Four dollars every time one of these colors is purchased during April will go directly to C.I..And the whole lot looks smashing together. We believe that the grass is always greener on the side you are on.

   Until Next Time...Nicola