glassybaby tales

Charlie...Rootbeer Float...Zen Garden...Drinker Event at 555

   Yesterday was glorious...goldenrod glorious. Today...let's just call it a wet dog day. The flights of extreme weather mood are what bear the abundance of every little snow drop that is popping up from the Seattle earth. For this, we give Spring thanks. 

   We have been replicating  rain indoors...coaxing along a waxy little green plant that found a home at glassybaby in a glassybaby. Please indulge me with a quick 'Charlie Brown' plant time line. Quill is a company that supplies us with all sorts of things, from office supplies, to kitchen supplies, to snack supplies. As a client thank you, we received our little green plant, "Charlie," last fall sometime. Upon arrival, he was immediately transplanted to a glassybaby. Truth be told, I doubted his chances of surviving. Look at Charlie now...intrepid little guy and well loved. 

   Other notes from the week...our kitchen intersects us all. I love it for the chance to chat with our glass blowers. Andy and I crossed over this week, while he was preparing a masterpiece of a root beer float. He explained that after a shift making dozens of root beer glassybaby, his Pavlovian response, landed him right in the aisles of the local Safeway store, picking up a liter of root beer and a half gallon of french vanilla ice cream. Another great moment inspired by glassybaby. Andy also shared this (I love this)...he has a glassybaby, sand, zen garden. To explain, we have mounds of fine sand under our kilns. I believe if molten glass drops to the floor, this sand is there it catch it. Andy makes a habit of tending to the sand, creating zen patterns. Root beer floats and zen garden designs...he is evolved. 

   End note...if you are in New York, or can book a last minute flight...we are hosting an open house, this Saturday March 27th, at our 555 Hudson location. Sip on chilled white wine, served in the loveliness of glassybaby drinkers. We will provide light bites, of the cheese and cracker variety, all to the clock of 6-8pm. We hope that you can join us for this soiree...if not...there will be more.

   More Soon, Nicola

NYC Epiphany...Prophetic...What's Next?

   I love receiving emails with photos attached...dimensional...and even better when they hail from New York City, the other coast, where glassybaby resides and flourishes. A darling customer, Barbara, shopped at 555 Hudson, in New York, adding two glassybaby to her 'already holding,' two glassybaby at home. Then a visual epiphany occurred. While walking past 4 gorgeous, full length gowns, in a New York City, window front, Barbara had a color deja vu. The gowns were a perfect match in color to her line up of 4 glassybaby at home in her windowsill. We love it...amusing glassybaby couture. See the visual parallel above. Thank you Barbara for providing this whimsy.

   Speaking of New York, Lee was on a press junket in New York City this week, the fruits of which we will detail soon. Our New York store continues to emerge and it is exciting.

   A treasured customer and glassybaby friend named Anne Marie Pickels called while Lee was away. I had the pleasure of fielding her call. Bear with me as I recount our ticklish exchange:

Anne Marie: 'I am calling with an idea for glassybaby.'

Nicola: 'Wonderful, what is it?'

Anne Marie: 'I have 8, three week old, Labrador puppies in my possession and I thought that maybe glassybaby would like to do a photo shoot with them incorporated.'

Nicola: 'Anne Marie, you are absolutely prophetic. We have a professional photo shoot scheduled for this Thursday.'

Anne Marie: 'I know I am pathetic. I just love these puppies and I love glassybaby. I know, it is pathetic.'

Nicola: 'No, no, not "pathetic"..."prophetic"....prophecy.'

Peels of laughter ensued. I had to recover this one quickly. I absolutely adore Anne Marie and something she is not...is pathetic. Funny exchange.

   Endnotes...if you have a moment...join us on Facebook. So many 'fans' are sharing wonderful anecdotes and photos of their signature glassybaby mixes. It is wonderful to see the personal translation of glassybaby beauty. Easter is next and then Mother's Day. For the record, my top glassybaby pick for Easter is robin's egg, and for Mother's Day, BFF (best friends forever.)

   More Soon. Happy Spring. Nicola

  

O.K....Sophie Hands On...Hannah's Hopeful Hearts

   O.K.,it is o.k. to write about glassybaby and the ABC bachelor wedding, since we are in O.K. Magazine in photos of the wedding. The humdinger secret has gone public. glassybaby lit various elements of this block buster wedding. Find us in the March 15th issue of O.K. Magazine on page 35. Lo and behold...there is a photograph with candlelit glassybaby in pollen, cream, lamb and other color dreaminess. glassybaby grace the page as a mezzanine candle halo to the smart, square, wedding cake, aloft on a pedestal...simply gorgeous. glassybaby candlelight was the perfect elixir to the Seattle signature that was placed on the outdoor wedding ceremony. Rain and wind came in epic, even biblical, proportion. Think inverted umbrellas and Seattle in mid November. Passionate rain, sort of poetic for a Seattle fellow on the day of his betrothal in Palos Verdes, California. Such fun for glassybaby to be included in this epic love story.

   Other minutes from the week. Our beloved Sophie Solomon, friend and glassybaby collector, joined us with 4 colleagues for a team building, hands on, glassblowing experience. Apparently to work for Compass Partners, you must be smart and gorgeous. This team of women each tried their hand with molten glass on a pipe. The cache of glass objects they made is waiting to be picked up..a mix of colorful paper weights and glasses. I am impressed, and we are lucky to have, born natural teachers, Tarryn and Quade, who moonlight for us as glass blowing tutors.

   End note with solemnity. We have learned of an extraordinary young girl named Hannah Hunt (her amazing story and inspirational life is shared here: www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahhunt.) Hannah has malignant anaplastic medulloblastoma, three words that do not define the Hannah you learn about from the caring bridge website. It is pure joy to scroll through the photos of Hannah and find without exception the most beaming, beautiful smile, emblazoned on her young face in every photograph, living her life. Something to know, if you are local, next Friday March 19th at 7pm...there is a fund raiser at Grace Church on Bainbridge Island... in Hannah's honor. The event is named: Hannah's Hopeful Hearts. 100% of the donations and funds raised on this evening will go directly to the Olson Lab. Dr. Jim Olson is Hannah's brilliant oncologist, who has dedicated much of his career to the eventual cure of pediatric brain tumors. What a profound cause. Hannah will be there with that beaming smile. I look forward to next Tuesday when Hannah and her Mom will be in to select glassybaby color for their event...we are all thinking of a rainbow of color...for a rainbow of a girl.

More Soon. Nicola

p.s. Thanks to Jim Waltz for my new blog glamor shot.

glassybaby Turn Down Ammenities...glassybaby Food Network...Hudson Vacation Destination

   Last week we 'sealed the deal' to partner with the Seattle Convention and Visitor Bureau. I love this Bureau. We had the delight of meeting with a dynamic trio of their representatives, Janet, Lyndsey and Kim. Lyndsey moonlights as a glassybaby evangelist and collector. Click here to view her featured in our You Tube, Valerie Waltz original, Seconds Sale, 2010, movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i367QqwxhHs. As for our new found association with the Seattle Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the possibilities are endless. Our meeting darted and dodged between all sorts of creative ideas on how to tie glassybaby into Seattle tourism and convention dwelling. A personal favorite emerged for me. Perhaps we will be chosen as a 'Hotel Turn Down Amenity.' To explain, often convention attendees return to their hotel room to find a gift waiting for them. What better than a beautifully, hand crafted, Seattle made, glassybaby? Blog wish: More Turn Down Amenities for everyone.

   Other musings from the week. It feels sleuthy yet welcome to page through our Production Log Book. Always within, are delightful insights into the daily making of glassybaby. The notes recorded help us hold to a high standard. There are notes about color bar and equipment, and sometimes exclamations, like on January 20th: 'Out of 175 glassybaby made, there were no seconds!' A perfect game. Hand written smiley faces decorated the log book page in multiples. Amidst the production importance, notes emerge about what I will coin: 'The glassybaby Food Network.' On various shifts, during the lunch break, meals are prepared by team mates for team mates. Recent menu recordings include:

• meatloaf and potatoes au gratin gruyere...with a note to say "still #1 4 eva"
• sloppy joes and green bean casserole
• pancakes for lunch

I will love reading these food notes 4 eva. glassybaby production powered by pancake lunch.

   Lastly if you are hatching a plan for Spring Break with the kids on school hiatus...may I suggest New York City. Just think...Central Park, Pastrami sandwiches, a stroll through the Frick and glassybaby on Hudson just before Indian dinner. It has limitless potential. Come find us. 

More Soon, Nicola