Lesley Pyke - Glass Engraving and Life

2011-12-20T16:16:00.001Z

Greetings everyone, I have finally completed one of my busiest and most stressful years of my 28 year glass engraving career! It is evident by how quiet I have been on this blog, just managing to keep up with my Facebook pages, so apologies to those who are not on Facebook. I am still here :-)

OK so what on earth has happened since I last blogged....well my wee grandson turned 1! We were visiting my sons and my new grandson and all the family in New Zealand at this time last year, I get very sad when I think about it and so try not to too much.
I have had the usual incredible variety of commission subjects,I will show you just a few.
This is a macro photograph of the cross section through a dual tandem pipe weld of a 52" oil pipe. It would be instantly recognisable and very special to the recipient. It was not as straight forward as I had thought, but with some serious concentration I think I pulled it off as my client was delighted! Picture on the back completely drill engraved, and the lettering on the front and base front, sandblasted.
NOTE: The second picture is the actual photo of the pipe weld.

Some time back I engraved this countryside scene for a presentation. The Thick heavy Tudor Crystal is a wonderful canvas for this subject.

Often I am asked to copy a glass that is broken, usually from quite a while back, this is not always possible so I create my own version with the customers "ok." This was for the Chairman of the Prince's Trust.

It was time for the World Land Trust auction again, this time I donated this crystal block with a badger in his lair.

I had a request for this set of whiskey glasses with a family crest, they went off to the States.

One of my customers asked fror a nick name to be engraved on a lovely cut crystal whisky glass. The name reminded me of glasses I did years ago in Africa, with a hole in them so they dribble. She laughed and asked if I could do just that, so I did. Aparently it went down a treat!!

Oh dear, the tears flowed, I did my last Darsham craft day, teaching glass engraving, I have had to cut down on a number of things I have done for years, the pressure of my work this year has been phenominal. It was a sad day for me. :-( I will create a blog page one day with all the photos I have taken over the years. I LOVE you all!!

Darsham village craft day.


Greek Wedding

This crystal set went off to Greece for a wedding present to the best man from the bride and groom. The scene is well known in the village where they were to be married.

I have been engraving perfumes again, this time for Liz Earle. 3 venues, John Lewis, Stratford, London, Liz Earle store in Duke of York Sq, Chelsea, London and then last weekend was Liz Earle store, Victoria Quarter, Leeds. They have one fragrance and it is stunning!!!!

This week, the 22nd and 23rd December, I will be engraving for BOND No:9 in Harrods, London.

I have done another little thing recently, rented a single shelf in the high street, in a cute shop called Coast and Country, Halesworth. It has given me the opportunity to have a presence in town, sort of an advertisement and at the same time I can create little gift items that I have fun doing (like dribble glasses) which I don't make for my showroom as I don't have the same foot fall.

Well there are lots more photos but I can't share them yet for obvious reasons. I hope you all have a safe and loving Christmas. A big huge Thank You to all my customers for another excellent year!! Here's to 2012!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce quotes

2011-09-24T11:58:00.001+01:00

Available at my stand at Cambridge Glass Fair tomorrow, I purchased them in France and have hand engraved them, the bottom two are engraved front and back.
(quick google translation of the note that came with them.....I cannot personally vouch for any of it but they are pretty!)
Rock Crystal
Composition: Silicon Dioxide
Color: from transparent to whiteHardness: 6-7
Location: Madagascar, Europe, Brazil
Therapeutic properties: Pierre of light, it helps a
find balance of body, and I'etre Pesprit.il
makes perceptive and intuitive person who wears .Il
prevents weight gain is a bridge between the material
and the spiritual, it helps a self-knowledge.
Associated signs: Aquarius, Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus,
Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo

Website: http://www. vertusdespierres. com
email: francois-gigoi@wanadoo.fr
Cristal de Roche

Composition: Dioxide de Silicium
Couleur: De transparent a blanc Durete: 6-7
Localisation: Madagascar,Europe,Bresil
Vertus therapeutiques: Pierre de la lumiere ,il aide a
retrouver l'equilibre du corps ,de I'etre et de Pesprit.il
rend clairvoyant et intuitif la personne qui le porte.Il
empeche le gain de poids,c'est un pont entre le materiel
et le spirituel,il aide a la connaissance de soi.
Signes associes: Verseau,Capricorne,Poissons,Taureau,
Gemeaux,Cancer,lion,Vierge

Site internet: http://www. vertusdespierres. com
Mail: francois-gigoi@wanadoo.fr

2011-09-23T13:06:00.000+01:00

Gosh! Work load has meant I have been quiet for ages and I come back to a whole new look Blogger setup!!!

I have been watching the news regarding the dismal state of the economy just about everywhere and yet thankfully I remain as busy as ever, and at the moment frantically so as I also have the Cambridge Glass Fair this coming Sunday, the 25th September, after which I hope to calm down to a blur (a "bur blur" as one of the members of the Glass Engraving Club pointed out!!). I have been creating some rather different work, it is Me doing what I feel like doing and really really enjoying the short time I allocate myself in which to do it. I have no doubt it is not everyone's cup of tea, it is quite contemporary, but neither are my pretty flowers or meandering fish with a more realistic look what everyone fancies. This piece is "Ice Mother" lead crystal, sandblasted and hand engraved.

I have also been doing a bit of perfume engraving again with a few more lined up before Christmas,(details to follow). The picture shows me engraving for Acqua di Parma Harrods a couple of weeks ago.

Then whilst I scrub up ok for a grandma (so I'm told) but this job is certainly not generally glamorous! Below I am engraving and polishing the "Tree of Life 2", wet glass dust / wet pumice and cerium oxide "juice" ......

Engraving the "Tree of Life 2" crystal overlay disc.It has two views, not a front or back. It changes dramatically with lighting.

Thoroughly enjoying my exploration of the more creative glass work I watched this piece ("Thought Process") grow with no plans at all, I decided sometimes a work of art creates itself. And here are a couple more pieces for Cambridge Glass Fair on Sunday.

Then there have been a few interesting commissions, too many to mention them all and some have not been presented yet, I was asked to find and engrave an old lift! Well here's what I did.......

Next blog will have a couple more bizarre images, pretty technical and not your every day commission, but fascinating.

Here was another challenging request, Dartington Champagne flutes with willow trees on the back and draping round the front with a couple of birds. I intended the bubbles of the champers to compliment the dangling leaves of the willow.

Anniversary celebrations for a lovely couple who have a turkey farm nearby. Then again there was the annual Rumburgh Flower and Produce show for which I donated this main trophy and a miniature to match. The base was made by a local chap and that will have some small plaques added with each winners name.

And there have been a run of weddings of course.....very romantic!

So lastly please don't forget if you are a fan of glass, old and new, do visit the Cambridge Glass Fair this weekend!!!! It is a marvelous collectors fair and you will not be disappointed. You will find me on stand C5 in the Contemporary Hall, as you come in, to the left

PS: Next Saturday I will be demonstrating glass engraving in the Halesworth Bookshop celebrating my feature in the Book of Forgotten Crafts, which will be on sale there. A wonderful Christmas present!

Remember: Every thought we think is creating our future. Louise L. Hay

London Riots.....oh dear....

2011-08-10T16:26:00.005+01:00

It is really sad, when times are so hard, to see such behaviour. Kids without a conscience or any common sense. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much.
Here are some important words to ponder over a cuppa.

I am very busy with all sorts of engraving at the moment and will catch up shortly. We have been off line at home (where I do a lot of my blogging) for some time so I have been quiet. I hope that this changes shortly.

Please stay safe everyone. Live in Love.

Stay in and Drink TEA

Framed canvas prints of engraved glass

2011-07-20T14:23:00.007+01:00

....I forgot to mention in the previous blog, I have uploaded a few pictures to Easyart, a website where you can order professionally framed canvas prints, your own choice of size colour mounts/frames etc. It is a new idea I had and so I am giving it a go.
Here are some example with my choice of frame:

It is a small collection of photographs (so far) of my work which for the first time is extending the life of this medium by hanging it on walls. Engraved glass has many moods and characteristics depending on the light and situation, often the best is not seen by the viewer. A photograph taken in an ideal situation records the detail of engraving and the magical effects with an intimate sense of closeness, often much larger than life.

Here is the link to the page http://www.easyart.com/art-prints/artists/Lesley-Pyke-17034.html

Where is summer??...anyway it is wedding season

2011-07-19T17:23:00.014+01:00

I can never believe how quickly a month goes by! I will be 50 next year and I thought that was aeons away!!! It seems it is racing towards me at full speed, I think I will blink and be telling you I am almost 60....in fact I blinked and it is already almost 10 years since I came to my roots here in UK from Zimbabwe!!

Well business is pretty steady I am happy to say, always a good variety of things to do. Here are a couple of photies as usual. Naturally I have been on the golf course, this photo was taken at this years Air Ambulance charity day, a fantastic day it was and a very large sum of money was raised. I took several photos on my little camera, of the prize table, then proceeded to delete them all thinking I had downloaded them......not like me.A dear little partridge for a shooting presentation.

It has been wedding season of course and I have had a number of weddings and anniversaries to engrave for. I love this swirly theme, it is very tricky to do but worth the effort, I absolutely love working the whole glass together!

I have had a huge pile of papers, magazines etc etc getting very dusty on shelves, waiting for me to make some kind of record. I have never really done this and always kick myself when I see other artists and engravers listing their editorials, it is a great thing and I need to share them with you. For the moment I have made up 2 collages.

The oldest one I have with me is from Zimbabwe, It is Air Zimbabwe's SKYHOST in flight magazine, 1996, if I remember correctly it was when Air Zimbabwe had only just started flying overseas. They had also asked me to paint 2 oil paintings of Victoria Falls, a sunset scene and a moonlight one to be used for the 2 main menus. Sadly I don't have copies of those.

Busy engraving the mirrors for the "Aviators Arms" in the Sheraton Hotel, Harare.

Lastly I have once again been asked to engraved a scene of popular Southwold, our lovely seaside town. This is a Christening present.
Well I wonder what Google+ is all about. I do try and keep up with it all, lets see what happens there. Quite exciting really.

Sending everyone a big hug, we all need hugs! There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Busy June for Glass Engraving, Back from holiday and on a diet!

2011-06-11T14:02:00.016+01:00

Goodness knows why the waiter decided I needed a large one??!

Well I am back from the French Riviera, (sound so snooty but it is not I can assure you, it can be done very reasonably) , what a lovely relaxing time we had. Weather was gorgeous despite some scary forecasts, but any heavy rain was short lived. I could live there tomorrow! So I have lots of work on the go , hit the ground running as it were. Amongst some smaller items to engrave I have the annual East Anglian Air Ambulance golf day which is always a stunner, I always play in it too and just make it as the grass pollen season it just about finished and my eyes struggle a bit out there...best I keep my ball OUT of the long grass then hey!!
It is amazing that the government does not aid air ambulances and they run on donation only, abysmal...shame on them!

So before I left for France, of course I had the Spexhall golf prize table to do (see last blog entry) and here are a couple of pics of me preparing the glass for sandblasting.

A smile for the camera !!...it is better to watch what you are doing though :-) The mask which I have made must stick down along a parallel line I have already marked on the glass and must be central too! I use magnification which makes life much easier, nothing at all to do with being a grandma now!! (Mason has just started crawling BTW)

Practically moments before I left for holiday I had an urgent request from a regular customer of mine in Canada, can I engrave and send 6 drinks coasters, which had only a few days to get there before her dad's birthday, of his wine label, the panic was on but all completed and was sent on time and arrived JUST in time, all's well.Whew!...but I do love the satisfaction of a plan coming together.

Of course as I mentioned last month, I was about to head off to Harrods for a stint with Givenchy, engraving for the launch of their new perfume Eaudemoiselle , that was very successful and of course great fun. From the feedback I have received it was a hit with the customers, I know it was crazy busy from start to finish. The engraving was by hand on a small metal medallions which hung around the perfume bottle, so gorgeous! I was engraving initials only. We were situated in the front of the main "Black (perfume) Hall" in a spectacularly elegant looking stand!
The challenge with these sessions is of course being able to design a monogram in seconds by hand and engrave it quickly and neatly with people watching, often the customer waiting to get to his expired parking.....with people wanting to talk to you and whilst wearing the very unflattering headband magnifiers and trying to look perfectly gorgeous and un flustered throughout, just like all the beautifully groomed staff there. Meanwhile you feel like both your eyes are in the same socket and you think your face looks like a fright, but it doesn't really. With train and underground there is 6 hours of travelling with the 8 hours of engraving in the middle. I am always like a complete zombie when I get home and that was a day before we left for the airport hotel before flying on holiday the day after. I would like to say a big thank you to dear Raphaelle and all the Givenchy staff who were amazing and for this opportunity and of course Harrods once again for just being fantastic as usual!

OK so I am back in the land of engraving now and amusingly (not!) my first day back on Wednesday, I walked it and turned on my PC which just looked at me blankly.....nothing doing! My old UPS had decided to stop working, "drat" said I and had to unplug the mixture of wires and cables and find the cables that go into a normal plug...from the cupboard full of arbitrary cables we all have, where they seem to reproduce themselves and goodness only know where they all belong, but I seem to have what looks like a plague of snakes and they are all tangled???

I managed to find what I wanted and had to immediately order (more expenditure) a new UPS which amazingly arrived the next morningThe new UPS

....and I now have it all plugged in again. All for that 5 minute grace period where you can save and shut down at a safe pace without losing any work, during a power cut...yes we do get them from time to time and it IS worth it! I will give this place a plug at the end of the page because they are great.

To end I would like to mention that an old friend of mine has just this week lost her battle against breast cancer. It has been a very sad time, sad sad, just so sad. I had not seen her for years, we are both from Zimbabwe. We were planning to meet up somewhere after this last treatment, she lived quite far away, so now we never will. It is hard to realise when you are in the thick of things, work mainly, wrapped up in our own lives, that there are some things that need our attention, some people that need to be seen, visited, shown how much you care. I needed to see Karen, I really did. RIP my friend and God Bless her dear hubby and daughter.

http://www.upssystems.co.uk/
http://www.eastanglianairambulance.org.uk/

A few of May's commissions, 2 week closure, engraved windows, and Harrods.

2011-05-21T14:27:00.012+01:00

May has been one of my busiest months and I have finally completed all orders I had to before our holiday in the south of France. Wonderful Saint Raphael and the surrounding areas will be our playground for 2 weeks including a little trip to Monaco, just love watching the variety of fancy vehicles that will be driving around, being the F1 time, generally overtaking us at a blurr in our little hire car! I will be back in the office on June 8th.

Tomorrow I will be engraving for a perfume launch by Givenchy in Harrods. these are usually great fun, I get to meet so many amazingly beautiful people. I adore the sounds and aromas of this area of Harrods which I have come to know so well. This time I will be situated in the display area between the White hall (cosmetics) and the Black hall (perfumes).

One of the commissions I had this month, was for 2 small windows, pictured below. I had previously engraved a similar scene for this customer and they then extended the front of the house so asked if I would complete some more to fit the new entrance as the others had to be removed.

I combined acid etching with hand engraving. The idea was for the background to be obscured for privacy.
I had another commission for my favourite glass, the Tudor Crystal bowl. This time for a 5oth wedding anniversary. The brief was the house, the crest, lots of bunnies and ducks, 3 different flowers and lettering around the base. I absolutely loved designing and engraving it and of course the quality of the crystal is just superb to work with! This bowl is 10"wide x 7" tall and so heavy. A large gentleman customer tried to pick one up with one hand the other day and couldn't!

This flower was engraved under the base.

A gentleman at the golf club I belong to (Halesworth) sadly passed away recently and this vase was commissioned by his widow, a floating trophy which will be played for annually. I will engrave the winners name on the back each year.. The scene is the 18th green and some of the plants by the practice putting green which is situated nearby.
I took loads of photos and used a bit of artistic licence to create the scene so all can be seen in this composition. The vase was a very thick, heavy, stunning Da Vinci lead crystal , 12" tall.

Staying with the golf theme, my local football club (Spexhall Huntsman and Hounds) held their annual fund raising event at Halesworth Golf Club, and once again I was asked to provide and engrave all the main prizes which went down to 6th place and included teams of 4 and individual prizes. I played in this event, it was a stunning day, (no I didn't win any of the glass, we missed the prizes by one shot!) , great fun, beautiful weather and on a course that is always in the most impressive condition!

I have the great pleasure of engraving another set of my African Big5 plus one. Always very nostalgic. I have been engraving these for 27 years and I wonder how the engraving has changed!!!

Well that is my news for now. I hope the sun is shining for you wherever you are.

A busy Glass Engraving April, Harrods perfume launch and a new editing roll.

2011-04-26T11:17:00.009+01:00

Once again it has been a long time since I last posted, it seems I am managing my blog only once a month these days. I guess the Facebook pages take up a lot of that roll, but still, there is something special about a blog, it is more solid and in fact I tend to forget that not everyone has a Facebook account! So to those who don't I apologise for always asuming that you do.

First of all I would like to wish the Royal couple, Prince William and Kate, a very happy life together. I do hope that the weather is kind to them on the day. Here are a few items I have on offer, I have not been maketing them as I have been too busy, but I felt I had to join in the celebrations. The crystal dome paperweights are a limited edition of 100 and the whisky and wine are a limited edition of 50 each, the flat oval paperweights are not numbered or signed so that there is a cheaper option, these are presently available exclusively at Halesworth Stationers (Suffolk) along with the Limited edition Dome paperweights (which I am now selling in my eBay shop too) I have engraved one large goblet with the full coat of arms (Prince William's) and this is £250.00. It is signed and dated and simply numbered #1 and will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. I will only engrave more if requested to and they will have follow on numbers.

There has been a run of requests for family crests, I love this subject, it always looks great on any glass.The crest below was copied from an old goblet of similar size and shape, which was engraved using a copperwheel technique, this I mimicked with my drill. An interesting challenge which worked quite well. These 3 are what I engraved.
I do have some great photos to show, but some have to wait until they have been presented to their recipients....although I can show some without identification details....hmmm let's see....ok I have blurred any givaway details. This is yet another triptyque of crystal decanters with the subject of a yacht engraved on the front. I create acurately drawn artwork for a mask, I sandblast and then hand engrave.

I do love my computer programs and I have had a really good publishing one for some time but with no real need for it, so I was delighted to recently take on the role of newsletter editor for a local business group. I have had great fun with the program, it is the same brand as my new web building program (Serif) I am trying to learn, they are very similar. I also use the drawing and the photo programs from this range.

Today I am just finalising details for another perfume launch at Harrods in May, one day only, and should be a busy one, great fun as always I am sure, more details to come ......

I have been LOVING the sunshine and the warmth of it......oh bliss! Golf has been back on the calendar in a big way, i have also been popping off for quick practice rounds on the 9 hole course. Oh why can't the weather just stay like that....(dreaming of Zimbabwe, sigh) well it just makes us appreciate this beautiful weather even more.

"Be still and know that I am God..." - Psalm 46:9-11

The Book Of Forgotten Crafts

2011-03-26T15:42:00.008Z

Zooming in right quick....busy busy...but I have to let you know that The Book of Forgotten Crafts is now available, it is a stunning book about some amazing crafts in the UK,
there is a 4 page section about me and my glass engraving pages 84-87 , for which I am ever grateful and very flattered indeed. I had spent a perfectly lovely day with Paul Felix and his trusty camera some time back, a real gent! I hope your lovely book flies off the shelf, it should !!

Here are some links :
http://susiehallam.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/the-book-of-forgotten-crafts/

http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2011/3/prweb8230761.htm

http://britishcrafts.wordpress.com/

http://www.paulfelix.co.uk/ Hats off to you Paul and to everyone involved!

http://www.davidandcharles.co.uk/display.asp?k=9780715338315&

http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/03/p951476/from-bodger-to-broomsquire-a-new-book-aims-to-keep-traditional-crafts-a

March 2011 Glass engraving goes on despite all the planets trouble....

2011-03-15T15:28:00.008Z

Main hall Cambridge Glass Fair

First of all I have to say that I am so shocked with the earthquakes and tsunami that I am finding it hard and almost wrong to carry on with normal work...this is just not fair to any man or any country. What suffering those people are now enduring and my little insignifincant thoughts but hopefully significant prayers go out to everyone affected.

Since my last post Cambridge Glass Fair came and went, it was busy and fun and hard work all wrapped into one. I have so many photos but will just put in a few, you can see more on this link
I reckon it must have been a record attendance, so many people! Anyway I am always amazed at the glass blowing demos, imagine...a portable glory hole (or whatever it is called) !!!Such a pity I can never get away long enough to watch properly.

The hiring of a cabinet was a good move!!

I managed to run around taking a wee video. I still have the footage from Sept last year and never managed to edit it....oh for time....anyway this is the February 2011 fair. Mainly showing my stand and then a glimpse around the various halls.

Anyway lots of variety in my orders lately...as usual, I don't often get asked to engrave a teddy, great fun!!

I do enjoy engraving fish and I hope that this dad was happy with his prezzie! There is always a great deal of thought put into the gifts by my customers, which makes engraved glass so special for the recipient, my job is often the easier part!

I have been engraving this "Pond Life" theme for some years now, sporadically....and these two are number 10 and number 11. This time they are STUNNING large heavy lead crystal paperweights, hand made by Ian Bamforth, he has counter signed one of them.
As I had engraved the large commemorative goblet for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I have started a limited edition of 100 crystal dome paperweights. Each is initialled and numbered /100 you can also purchase them from my eBay shop. where you will see other items for sale including the pond life paperweights at the moment.

"How about a Toucan on a square vase"....this was suggested a couple of years ago by a glass collector and so having finally gone for it....she bought it, I must admit, it really did look good on that vase, even if I say so myself and I would never have thought of engraving the subject !

Finally, for the moment, one of my oldest customers, from when I first plopped into this country 9 and a half years ago, came in a ordered this loving cup, rather large one I must add, and I was told the whole story about when and how they are used in an official banquet...fascinating! This is their family crest.

Oh I almost forgot......

After Facebook decided to change so much on the "Pages" I have had to split my engraving page in two. So the new page is a "CLUB" run by myself and will have the same idea as the other except it will not feature my work so much but the photos of OTHERS which I will comment on as usual along with the rest of the page "Likers". My main page still goes on as a quicker more general version of this blog, my work in progress etc etc.

Well I must just end with the thought of how important our lives are, lets make the best of every moment, surround yourselves with those worth being with, whose characters agree with yours, not with those who spoil and waste your time. Exercise every muscle and drink water, we are so lucky to have it.

Royal wedding commemorative engraving for sale

2011-02-24T13:46:00.004Z

Well it had to be done. I have just completed my first piece of Royal wedding memorabilia.

I wrote to Buckingham Palace to make sure I get it right and legal, and on their instruction purchased the official crest to be used, from the College of Arms. The wording is also as per instructions. I will be taking this to the Cambridge Glass Fair this Sunday, 27 feb, to see what interest there is. It is not an order it is just what I have decided to do and will be for sale and I will take orders for more if anyone is interested. This is a Krosno glass goblet, although I can work a vessel of your choice as long as it is suitable.
Today I am thinking of all the New Zealand earthquake victims and their families. My prayers are with you.

more for Cambridge Glass Fair.....Persian theme...

2011-02-21T15:51:00.006Z

Cambridge Glass fair is less than a week away...they say it will warm a little during the week...I like the sound of that...double figures would be good!!

Here are some more pieces for my stand.

I have had visions of this decanter for some time and finally I have completed it....as a little boy once said
"I close my eyes and have a think....then I draw my think" I love that as it is so true.

5 viewes of the engraving

This is a Krosno Asquith decanter, lovely thick and heavy. I just adore the shape of it and really felt it suited the Persian subject, a quote from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The quotation is sandblasted all around and the grapes are hand engraved all around above the lettering.
I have a number of smaller pieces for my stand including some RCR Crystal perfume bottle which I have engraved using the combination of both sandblasting and hand engraving.

I am still working on my orange blossom plate, this is almost complete now. I will also have one (possibly two) "pond life" paperweights, I did a run of these in the past, 8 so far, which proved to be very popular. They may have the same theme but are each completely different, usually featuring carp and a dragonfly. They will be marked with their unique number.

So back to the workbench....which is rather dusty...

My thoughts go out to all those people and creatures who are cold and thirsty right now, may you be warm and have your thirst quenched.

...and always to women in an abusive relationship....be strong and do what you have to do, you do not have to put up with it.

new engraved glass work

2011-02-14T13:43:00.003Z

Popping in quickly to show off a couple of engraved pieces......above are some game birds on a Dartington crystal hurricane lamp (candle holder) and below is how I spent a good part of the weekend. This piece is an Ian Bamforth overlay glass bowl which I am hand engraving with orange blossom, still a long way to go. This will be available at the Cambridge Glass Fair on 27th Feb, (see previous blog post)

Back to the grindstone.....Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Engraved crystal bowl / Cambridge Glass Fair / the showroom grows again.

2011-02-07T14:22:00.009Z

Once again it is time for the Cambridge Glass Fair, I cannot believe how fast this event comes around, but then I suppose I have been quite "busy" since the last one!! I have plans afoot, making this fair a little different to normal.

This is a large crystal bowl which I have had for some time and have been bringing out from it what has been hidden for so long. I wish to call it "Green Peace" and this will be available at the Cambridge Glass fair. Anyone wishing to purchase it or reserve it beforehand should contact me, but one way or another it will be there.
I have had a hectic weekend and Sunday was spent re organising my showroom...again! I was lucky to be able to purchase some display cabinets from a shop which had to close. There are too many shops closing and it makes me really sad. But these cabinets now are doing a fantastic job displaying beautiful crystal and glass. (The empty ones on the left I am talking about)

I also purchased a shop front cabinet from the same shop which now provides some more storage space and some of my Rock Tablet range inside the display case. It is all about the dusting! I aim to get all my glass behind glass one day !!!

Otherwise work / life is ok and I actually can't think of too much else to say about it, I have plenty of work and plenty of blank crystal staring at me waiting to be turned into something spectacular for my gallery, and of course for Cambridge Glass Fair. This is a day not to be missed, I know I am like a stuck record (for those of you who remember records) but it truely is!

For those who don't know, (as I am asked all the time), I also do very simple engraving, if you want one initial that is fine too! Here is a pretty little vase I did last week. This little vase with one name and this flower (will vary slightly) = £48.00

The Facebook engraving page seems to be a busy little place these days, it has certainly taken a load off my emails, budding engravers are making good use of the advice and are sharing their pictures more boldly now, I love it!!

Well that is it, I don't have much time, got to dash. I hope that New Years resolutions are still going strong.....hmmm, you can start again anytime you know :-)

A great engraving year ahead!

2011-01-16T19:10:00.008Z

Southwold on a chilly day....

It is already the middle of January!!! Is that the annual cliche or what?! It is very chilly but I have to say I am delighted to have missed all the halabaloo of the December freeze, so this is no doubt mild in comparison (still too cold for golf though)...oh and the handicap secretary informed me that the computer decided to cut me a shot as I "overperformed" last year hahahaha so I am now off 15.6 (16) so I had better get out there soon with mittens, earmuffs etc etc to practice.

Mangawhai, New Zealand....

I am well settled back into work but of course am still looking sideways at my photos and wishing......sigh. But alas I have a lot to do here before I can think about escaping to the sunshine again,

So the next date for the diary is 27th February when it is the Cambridge Glass fair once again.
For glass enthusiasts this is the fair to attend! For the highest quality antique crystal and a diverse selection of contemporary glass with the makers/artists in attendance. A food hall, live lunchtime music, bar, special exhibition and much more.

Chilford Hall Vineyard is situated amid rolling countryside a few miles south east of the City of Cambridge with its colleges and lively arts scene.

The Cambridge Glass Fair is more than just that - it is an event which brings together around 100 exhibitors from across the U.K. and Europe.

I will be in the Contemporary hall as per usual, I must check how many fairs I have been at, this is the 17th and it happens twice a year. I was first asked to participate when it was still mainly antique glass and crystal, there was no "contemporary hall" , that was a number of years ago now. They interviewed me some years ago too, it is in the archives on the site and you can see it HERE.

OLD photo......(and I think they whitened my teeth) :-D

When I look at photos/videos of my stand it has changed considerably, both in content and display setting. CLICK HERE for a few of my old videos . I will make an effort to video this fair next fair....although still have my oldie woldie video camera....lol....hope it is still alive.

There is also a great general video of the fair taken in 2009. Watch it HERE.

Of course I am working on several pieces for this next fair, both small and large, I hope to have work for sale that will appeal to all tastes (how about a big ol' toucan on a chunky square vase just completed)....and to suit all pockets. Speaking of which I always have my mobile card payment machine with me and accept ALL MAJOR CARDS. I also have my order forms there for new orders.

I have been pushing it at the gym again, it really helps to motivate me for the rest of the day, well every second day.... my alarm is set for 5:15am in time for a quick coffee while I get ready....gym opens at 6am. I am delighted to say I can hear the birds singing when I come out afterwards, even though it is still dark, It is a lovely sound.

"alors"....(must be wishing for some Mediteranean sun....) it is Sunday evening and Real Madrid did not beat Almeria tonight, not good, what chance is there of Barcalona losing...hmmmm

My thoughts are with all the people suffering in both Brazil and Australia....

Please sleep safely and soundly.

Back to work !

2011-01-11T17:49:00.008Z

My gorgeous grandson ♥

Happy New Year!!
Well we have been back from New Zealand for almost 2 weeks already, it took a good week to get over the jet lag which is a really wierd thing! When the bod wants to sleep it practically shuts down any time anywhere....and when it want to wake up, it will be like an owl even at 2.30am....so on went the cricket and the kettle, Brian was exactly the same and was eating sandwiches at that time too. We had to be really strict to get over it all.

Letting my hair down and dancing at my oldest friends 30th wedding anniversary party!!

I miss my sons already and my wee grandson too, it will be so strange when I see him again as he is changing daily. What a lovely time we had and what a beautiful family we are now joined with. So I now feel much less down in the dumps and have a renewed vigour, I have experienced where my children have been living for the last 10 years! I Should have had that experience a long time ago life does not always go just the way you want it to when you want it to. Never give up on your point of destination, your vision. Continuous positivity is all it takes.

The last of the RCR Crystal perfume bottles, so sad to see them go extinct!

Meanwhile my workshop has been pretty active already with daily orders coming in, for just about everything. Often people ask what is the most asked for engraving at each time of year....well there is no such thing, somewhere on the planet someone is having a celebration of some sort, a farewell, an award, a berievement, or just in the mood for an addition to their collection of art.

(just thought I would show you the side of this glass I did just before Christmas, subtle initials in the jungle !)

I had been seriously thinking of openning a gallery dedicated to contemporary engraved and hot glass one day. That will be a vision in my mind now, completely seperate to my present business. I have put some feelers out there and it is surprising what has been coming up.

Well my fingers are frozen as I type here as my radiator on a timer has turned off and it is time to head home.

My thoughts are with those who are so terribly effected by the flooding in Australia. Keep strong, safe and dry.

New Zealand holiday is fantastic! Please feel free to email me for January orders and enquiries.

2010-12-18T22:14:00.009Z

Hi all, just zooming in for a quick update. We are having a fantastic time here in Auckland, spending quality time with family and friends, experiencing all sorts of exciting things and places. I feel very privileged!
This blog set up is not letting me edit and move my photos properly, goodness knows why...so the pictures are jumbled up a bit I am afraid and I can't change that.

(click on photos for bigger pictures)

Going up in a gondola in Queenstown, with my youngest son Gavin and Brian.

oh how funny that was Gavin and I having completed the Luge, what a giggle!

Learning all about vinyards and grape growing by a dear old friend Duncan Cramp near Queenstown. He manages this vinyard with his wife Janie, we had such a good laugh with them! Just like old times in Zimbabwe!

It is a very dry area but is perfect for the grapes. The views are spectacular.

His vinyard is Mud House.

Myself and Brian. ;-)

Myself and my little grandson Mason with his new knitted scarecrow by his great Aunt Kathleen, he is absolutely adorable, so is the scarecrow!

Brian and I on the chair lift to the Luge in Queenstown .

We are playing lots of golf with my sons Shane and Gavin. I am in my element!!

My little grandson and I meeting for the first time. (as I said, the photos are out of order)

My sons Shane and Gavin and my grandson Mason. :-D

Shane is the very proud dad

Brian and Shane catching loads of fish in Mangawhai

Gavin and I at Rotorua to see the geysers

Giving a slideshow, talk and short demonstration of hand engraving glass to some of the members of New Zealand Society of Glass Artists in Auckland

Very exciting to meet such lovely people and learn about the glass industry in NZ too, I had great fun. Many thanks to all involved!!!

So our holiday continues with big plans for a family Christmas. Tomorrow we are going to experience the centre of Auckland and stay in a hotel for something different, 6 of us, I am really looking forward to that. Otherwise our plans now mainly consist of golf and Shopping for Christmas, I am not even thinking about the long trip home to the freezer!!

Please take care everyone who is experiencing the big freeze, it really appears to be very icy weather there.

Happy holidays !

New Zealand and glass engraving

2010-11-20T16:13:00.007Z

There is just over a week left before I visit my 2 darling sons in New Zealand, their special people in their lives, old friends (I will try not to emphasise "old") and my new baby grandson! What a wonderful thing to look forward to, after almost 10 years I will finally see where my children live. 2 years since I last saw Shane my eldest, and 6 years since I last saw Gavin, my youngest. It has been a long heartbreaking time and now the day is coming fast. I have plenty of work to still get through and although I have officially been closed for the year I have still had the odd order here and there sneaking in, and I will probably still sneak in more as I get through in good time...providing they are pretty simple, no mega yachts at this time please :-)

I have been taking a few orders for next year and I will be on email to continue taking orders (and quoting as best I can from so far away).

There are some negotiations going on about the possibility of a casual evening get together with fellow glass people in Auckland, still finalising date (between 6th and 10th Dec). Please contact me if you are interested.

So back to a spot more engraving before I head off for this misty old Saturday!

Check out the eBay shop HERE 23/11/10(last transactions of eBay shop complete and now closed until 2011)

Many congratulations to Kate and William. God Bless them.

RCR Pyramid perfume bottles

2010-11-11T18:28:00.002Z

This is a request to glass engravers / suppliers out there:

If any of you have any RCR pyramid perfume bottles in stock and can sell me a few, please contact me.

Cheers
Les

15 November, there are some FAB people out there, thanks guys, you know who you are, I have the full quota needed for this order :-) THANK YOU XXXX

Business holiday shut down - and big news...

2010-11-10T15:27:00.007Z

Firstly please note that the business will be closed from 27th November to 31st December 2010. I will be answering emails and taking orders for 2011 during this time though there may be a short delay before answering.

Time has been fleeting, so much to do!
The Limited Company is all very well, but of course meant new bank accounts, which meant sorting out card machine, direct debits, etc etc..and the "powers that be" decided I should be number 15b instead of 2-4, so all those stationery changes etc.....every things seems to take so long! But it will be worth it in the end.

"Hiya Grandma"

Of course my big news was (if you haven't seen it on the Facebook engraving page) that I became a "Grandma" on the 27th October, I have a little Kiwi grandson called Mason Shane John, he is the cutest (of course!). We have met on Skype which was amazing, and I said "nite nite" on his first night at home.... and now the count down has begun for the big trip, to see my sons, my grandson and all the new family and some old friends. What a special time.

We have never flown so far, so if anyone has any tips I would be most grateful :-) I don't even know what aeroplanes offer these days. I am sure it will be quite an adventure.

It is very sad that after many years, RCR crystal perfume bottles are no longer available. They have been such a hit, excellent quality at a reasonable price. I have engraved so many of them with all subjects, floral, wildlife, abstract, lettering and even nudes. I have just a couple left now, I will miss them.

It is a flood of both Christmas gifts and awards and presentations at the moment. Lots of variety from houses to horses, cows and piglets, to logos badges and loads of lettering, from a little gift to prestigious annual awards at a London hospital.

eBay sales are very quiet and I keep selling items off the shelf in my gallery before they have a bid. I will relist and add a last small batch of items in a couple of days and that will be it until 2011. Remember that the prices in my eBay shop are very much reduced as it is more of an advertising campaign for me.

Oh I added Uber Twitter to my Blackberry, felt very cool. Follow me HERE

This year has been very interesting in that I have engraved for 3 royal families (not in the UK though) very exciting and very flattering to know my work is in 3 palaces!

Orders are already coming in for 2011, I shall have to get my feet back on the ground rapidly on my return to the "fridge" after a month in New Zealand summer! This grandma will hit the ground running as they say, one is possibly 2 church door panels.

I am still managing to get to the gym 2-3 times a week, 6am, although it is now very dark and ccccold, still dark when I come out of the gym!! Vital to keep it up as the need to EAT is strong when it is cold. It is very difficult to munch a piece of lettuce when your fingers are numb.

I can't think of what else to tell whoever is reading this, just thanks for stopping by!

"everything I need to know today is brought to me in delightful ways" Louise Hay

Chile miners rescue / general glass engraving news

2010-10-14T11:32:00.007+01:00

Not since a purple banner flashed across the TV screen saying that Lady Di had been involved in a car accident, have I been so emotionally involved and completely engrossed in a news item. Ever since these miners were trapped I have followed the story and yesterday was just the most amazing climax and what a stunning positive happy ending. I think the world learnt a whole lot from Chile and how they conducted the whole rescue from start to finish. The support that was given and I am sure will continue to be given is fantastic.
Chi Chi Chi le le le !!
So back down to work. Commissions on the go range from English wildlife, family crests (one on a very old crystal doornob!), farm animals (cows/horses and piglets) to go on a large bowl, gorgeous Highland Terrior on a crystal block and several simple lettering engravings for one of my oldest customers (whilst I have been in this country) who I have engraved so many things for I have lost count! I feel at home here when she walks in, like I have been here for many years although it has only been 9. I love my "pioneer" customers, who in the beginning commissioned me going on not much more than a couple of photos and my word that I have had years of experience in Africa. There are some very precious people out there.

Recent commission: A presentation bowl to an outgoing Lady Captain of a golf club.

This Saturday is the Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Guild of Glass Engravers in London and for anyone who has an interest in engraved glass, I would encourage to join so that you too can benefit from such events. We will have 2 excellent speakers during the day and are able to purchase crystal and glass blanks from local glass blowers for engraving. A very unique event.

I have a passion for cullets and here is a selection I have staring at me waiting for some inspired engraving.....why does mining come into mind?.......or something hidden in the earth for centuries perhaps.....

To finish...I just need to say, keep positive always and have faith!
Have nothing to do with people who are not nice and keep with people who are.

ps:......pop into my eBay shop

Busy engraving week and Cambridge sales

2010-09-28T12:28:00.010+01:00

Well I was up at 4.15am (or was it 4.30...all a blur now) to get ready and drive to the fair. Thankfully the route is generally quiet at that time and on a Sunday, I am not keen on traffic, especially with a car laden with crystal! The rain held off just long enough for us all to offload the cars but I think the customers had to deal with the rain and would have been relieved to step into the sparkly warm dreamy world of crystal and glass.
This picture shows the main antique glass hall just before the opening. There are also stands all around the walls behind me and to the sides. My stand is in the Contemporary hall which you see part of below, also just before the doors openned.

I am a bit far from the main food hall (which is probably a good thing because there is a fabulous array to choose from) but I do miss the live music at lunchtime unfortunately.

It was lovely to see so many friends and "regulars" there and I was delighted to have sold one of my pieces, "Woodland Honey" to a couple who already own a few of my other works. This little honey pot caused quite a stir, one lady came and told me she thought it was the lovliest item at the fair. I also received a commission for another one.

My crystal bowl "Serene Musing" was also a little star, litterally, as there were people photographing it! Anyway that sold to a gent who found the bamboo a reminder of where he had lived. It was a pleasure to engrave, exquisite gentle colours, very thin layers which I carved through. The beauty of something like this is that it is so unique, the bowl was hand blown by Ian McDonald .

So now it is time to catch up with orders which are piled neatly waiting for some action! Football awards, Golf club presentations and awards, a lovely Tudor crystal bowl for a wedding, got some barn owls and badgers to do that have been waiting for ages....also some interesting poetry on crystal bookends, family crests on champagne flutes...and a number of antique crystal tumblers to have a family crest...along with an old crystal doornob! (or is that doorknob??) ...well I had better stop waffling then.

Have been "gyming" at 6am too, helps me deal with it all.....

oh ....and have added a few small bits to the eBay shop

‎"My understanding of life continues to grow. I walk upon this planet safe and secure, always moving forward toward my greater good." - Louise L. Hay

Engraved Glass at Cambridge Glass Fair!

2010-09-24T14:42:00.005+01:00

Only a couple of days left now and I am very busy with finishing touches for Cambridge on Sunday. I thought I would give you a quick glance at some of the new and new-ish pieces I will have on my stand for sale. I will also have smaller pieces and some oldies that have not yet found a home. Prices will be from around £35 - £550.
I take all major cards for payment.
See you there.

a one-hundred foot bamboo can progress even one more step.

Serenity - engraved cased green glass bowl

2010-09-18T17:20:00.006+01:00

This is how far it is at the end of today, Saturday, will do more tomorrow, still lots of touching up and shading and highlighting to do. This will be available for the first time at Cambridge Glass Fair next weekend. (added 24 September : this piece is no longer available) It is a cased green/ clear/ turquoise very large glass bowl (blown by London glassblower Adam Aaronson) which I am hand engraving.....nite all....

Glass engraving and cambridge glass fair!

2010-09-16T18:08:00.006+01:00

Well I have just been playing golf (I don't normally on a Thursday for obvious reasons, but it was our Lady Captian's 50th birthday golf bash and what a lovely day we had! Happy Birthday Cathy !!

Just a reminder that it is the Cambridge Glass Fair 26th Sept and I will be in my usual place C5 - Contemporary hall.
(aah I see it is now hailing outside, big thunderstorm so I had better make this quick )

Here is a nice action photie for you:
This piece is entitled "Serenity" and features bamboos on a large green cased bowl which I am hoping to complete for Cambridge Glass Fair.

I had better get this computer turned off....
chat soon. ♥
stay positive always

"Today is my lesson in self-worth. I see my worthiness in everything I do." - Louise L. Hay

crystal cullet

2010-09-03T12:00:00.002+01:00

Hi there, just a quick one, ....I am looking for one, or a couple of, crystal cullets. Probably about 7" wide. Please contact me 01986 874634 or my email lesley-pyke@glass-engraver.co.uk if you have or know where I can get one. They can be very raw edged, I will polish them.
Lots to do.........thanks everyone.....keep positive always :-)

glass engraving, exhibitions including Cambridge Glass Fair, golf......the usual...oh and registering my business as a Limited company, and grannyhood

2010-08-29T18:03:00.016+01:00

Hi there world :-) It always feel like a Clint Eastwood "I talk to the trees" moment or Shirley Valentive talking to her kitchen wall.....but still it is a good feeling, like a diary I suppose, but not to get too carried away....hmmm, so I thank you if you have taken the time to stop in and read my blog.

All sorts has been happening and I have been putting most of it in small chunks on the Facebook engraving page which is going very well and has proved to be a very effective engraving help for those who want it ...as well as a mini blog it turns out, I notice a huge change in the number of people writing to me directly to ask for help in their work. They soon see that SO many questions are already answered there. (Details on the side panel)

"Flame of Love" which says "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" it is a hand blown crystal disc with a splash of firey colour within the centre. The Flame Lily is hand engraved back and front and the lettering is sandblasted in a very casual style, rather like a lover's doodle, also on the back and front. This piece will be available first at the Cambridge Glass Fair. Should you wish to purchase it prior to the fair let me know, but it will be on display as sold and released to you after the event....so that leads me on to that...

The Cambridge Glass Fair will next be on Sunday 26th September......(I had better get on with my other pieces right quick!!)....at Chilford Hall Linton near Cambridge.

Well I should have put this first really as it is very important, although makes no difference to anything much really.....I have registered my business as a Limited company, Lesley Pyke Limited. This means.....well changes with the accounts and such, but I am the glass engraver and my esteemed accountant will have that headache. I just have to be nice to me or I won't get time off to play golf!!

......oh yes, nice lead...well I have been making more of an effort, like about once a week , and I successfully defended my title as "Runner up to Champion" just can't quite get those last few shots off, but I have managed that before in this country (in the last 8 and a half years) Champion twice and runner up 4 times. This year however for the first time I was the Handicap Winner (Net winner), I am very proud of that! There.... I have blown my trumpet....

So the next thing to tell you about is so so lovely, I am going to be a granny, beginning of November!! I am so excited, the only thing is they are in New Zealand, sigh, life is very tricky, but thanks to modern technology our communications are fantastic. I already have a granny brag album with 2 scans!!! It is my eldest son Shane and Sian who are having a baby, a little boy. I am surprised that with these fancy machines you can't yet have a conversation with the baby, maybe skype through a tube???...ok I had better get serious again...both my sons are doing well in New Zealand and I am immensly proud of them, and I am very excited about a pending trip over which I can barely speak about as it is just so wonderful , to see my boys, Shane (and his lovely girlfriend) who I last saw 2 years ago and my baby, Gavin, who I have not seen for 6 years!!!! Also to meet my new grandchild. sweeet!

Now for some local news... our village church St Peter's in Spexhall, is right at this moment putting on a lovely art exhibition, last day is tomorrow, bank holiday Monday. It looks wonderful, so many pieces of artwork, paintings, sketches, sculpture, sitting on all the pews and on the windowsills and any available shelf. Today there was a BBQ (although it did rain unfortunately) and some lovely old singing from a Ukulele band, very very entertaining. I have one of the windows with a small selection of engraved glass and crystal and also some of my drawings and paintings shown here. So if you are near Spexhall (Halesworth), Suffolk tomorrow, do pop in. After that I will be hanging my work on the walls of my gallery/showroom for sale....by the way, this artwork is what I do occasionally on a Sunday when football is on and when I am not working on my laptop!

This weekend marks the start of the International festival of glass and one of the events is the opening exhibition of the new Stourbridge Gallery, I have one piece in the exhibition "Tree of Life" details of which you can see on the For Sale page of my website or on the main Stourbridge Gallery website below.

Well I think that is just about it for the moment, I have a lot on the books for this week including a beautiful old building to go onto a large Tudor Crystal Goblet, loads of details on the building and there will be lettering all around the base.

So here's to a good week ahead, I hope that help comes soon to all those desperate in the Pakistan and China floods, and also those poor miners stuck so far under the ground, oh dear, my heart goes out to them and their families...hang in there guys!!

http://www.stourbridgegallery.co.uk/

http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/

Busy engraving bee!!

2010-07-22T18:09:00.004+01:00

I find that golf and business go hand in hand so I decided to advertise on the new Tee box signs we have put up at Halesworth Golf Club , where I am a member and also the practice range there. I do not do a lot of advertising these days, but this one is different for me and rather fun.

Well I have not had a day off for some time now, have had 2 large and tricky orders do deal with all at once with some small ones thrown inbetween to keep me on my toes. A close call, but all is done and I am back on track. Here I am hand engraving a Rock Tablet.
This is a Dartington candle holder I recently engraved. A child held by one ladies hand (left) and a man's hand (right).

My dear customer sent this gorgeous thank you card. The tears flowed! I love my job!

LOVE IT LIVE IT.....keep positive always x

Hot sunshine, exciting times and glass engraving exhibition

2010-07-09T12:44:00.008+01:00

The Guild of Glass Engravers exhibition is still ongoing, I am sure that there have been many visitors as this is such an exciting varied display and sale of engraved glass...not to mention the absolutely stunning venue. Just the best!! (The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge)
I have one piece in the exhibition "E-MOTION"

Cumbria Crystal colour overlay bowl (thick clear crystal inside), 17 x 9cm - Drill engraved and sandblasted both inner and outer surfaces, it changes dramatically with different display situations.

£593 (purchase through the Guild of Glass Engravers website link below)

To the weather......Loving it loving it! It feels like home, sigh, normal human type temperatures, oh how I love this weather, long may it last.

Finally the grass pollen has calmed down, having affected me after the flu, it was just horrible, really. Nothing like sitting outside when it is dark with a massive pair of sunglasses on, all taped up around the edges...I must look a sight! Anyway it has passed now so I can enjoy the rest of summer.

Exciting news is that I am now booking flights to New Zealand to see my sons, oh I can't wait!!! I last saw my eldest 18 months ago now and by the end of the year I will not have seen my youngest for 6 years! Circumstances can be utterly miserable when out of one's control , but that is life and I always make the best of what I do have. Now it is time and I will be there for Christmas, oh what a Christmas it will be!!! ...I will also be meeting my new grandchild due in November!! yipppeee!!! I have never been on a trip that long, never seen where my boys have lived for the last 9 years.

.....But you see I have another order for a little crystal star on which I will be engraving a tiny hand and foot print of a little baby who did not get to live, once born, he was "born sleeping" . I am sure, though, that he had a lovely life in his mom's tummy, listening to her voice, and his dad's, and feeling their love.

I am grateful for the time I spend with my sons, every single second.

So now, work is the key, more than ever! I am busy busy and have such a wonderful variety of orders, my clients always keep me on my toes, I love it. More details soon. Recently I have been engraving golf prizes and the like, a nice change from very difficult work which is coming up next.

Thank you to everyone who sends me such lovely letters and emails, I know I send you off to join my Facebook page (only because of that thing...time) , but I want you to know I am very flattered and I wish you all the very best.

21st Century Engraved Glass
An exhibition by members of the Guild of Glass Engravers
Octagon Gallery
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge CB2 1RB
15 June to 15 August 2010

flu - ugh

2010-06-22T14:42:00.002+01:00

Quick note to say I have a nasty bout of flu, all present orders up to date and on time, so no worries, but now (14:45 Tuesday 22 June) taking self home with raging tonsils and temperature. Please bare with me. Will be back in office tomorrow morning.

New display cabinets and Guild of Glass Engravers Exhibition

2010-06-15T11:20:00.008+01:00

So much has been happening since my return from France just over a week ago! ...and I still have so much to get through to get comfortably on top of things here. I have had a piece accepted into the Guild of Glass Engravers Exhibition , if you look at my April Blog, it is the new piece "E-Motion" a lovely crystal bowl by Cumbria Crystal which I have hand engraved and sandblasted on the inside and outside. There is an online catalogue and sale, see below for link. This exhibition will be well worth a visit in person though!

I also took delivery of 3 fantastic bespoke display cabinets for my showroom to replace some of the old cabinets I had, and I really mean "old"!! (Link to the supplier below )So yet another rung of that long long ladder climbed. Never give up on your dreams!
I completed my owl panel and this was collected yesterday, my client was very happy and it was sad to say "bi" even though I hadn't known Mr. Owl for very long. I really enjoyed creating him.

21st Century Engraved Glass
An exhibition by members of the Guild of Glass Engravers

Octagon Gallery
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge CB2 1RB
15 June to 15 August 2010

Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday 12:00 to 17:00
Admission FREE

This exhibition features the very best of contemporary engraving and includes work by world renowned engravers.

DISPLAY CABINETS

It is so important that you are grateful for everything in your life. Many people focus on the one thing they want and then forget to be grateful for all the things they have. Without gratitude you cannot achieve anything through the law of attraction, because if you are not emanating gratitude from your being, then by default you are emanating ungratefulness. Be proactive and use the frequency of your being to receive what you want.

Rhonda Byrne

Back to work!

2010-06-07T17:03:00.003+01:00

Playing at Valescure Golf Club, French Riviera

Hi all, I am back from 3 week hols and full speed ahead, so much to do, many emails, quotes etc to deal with. PLEASE be patient, I will answer relevant all.
Presently working on a large window panel with an owl on a branch who has been waiting for many weeks to emerge from the glass, loving it!!!
will catch up soon

Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries Corita Kent

Annual closing

2010-05-12T18:11:00.006+01:00

Christening goblet

It is that time again for annual leave and I am almost through the last few orders.

Business will be CLOSED
from Sat 15th May to Sat 5th June incl

I will have my laptop with me and therefore receiving emails as usual so will answer what and when I can.

I have still a file full of quotes to complete before the end of Friday which I will do. I thank you all for being so patient. I have been doing the very best I can to not let anybody down.

I already have a considerable amount of work to do on my return so will only take simple lettering to the end of June.Always try and give me as much time as possible. It is getting more and more difficult to take urgent orders these days.

I have completed yet another decanter triptyque featuring a mega yacht. This one is much larger than the last one I did. ( well the yacht is.... not my decanters..if you know what I mean)
Pictures to follow soon.

Amoungst recent orders was a full golf prize table, it looked fab!So it remains for me to say happy holidays to anyone else that is fortunate enough to be getting away.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet

new glass engraving videos

2010-05-03T15:32:00.006+01:00

Just a quick one...as usual...to let you know I have added 2 new videos, one glass in 2 parts.

Otherwise news is I am catching up on the April / May workload, but about to close orders for June! It is all good!
Gotta dash, enjoy my little vids.
per ardua ad astra !!

New engraving

2010-04-14T13:41:00.003+01:00

The Zest exhibition is underway but next in line is the Guild of Glass Engravers national exhibition and details of what is intended to be exhibited are due in this week...so it has been a bit of a panic (as usual) to decide and complete , photograph etc. All done now.
All pieces submitted to that exhibition have to first be accepted by a panel, so there are no guarantees that any of mine will be on show, in the mean time I cannot sell them therefore they will not be available until 15th June. I am submitting 3 pieces, one of them being a brand new one:
"E - motion" Cumbria Crystal colour overlay bowl 17 x 9cm hand engraved and sandblasted.

Work remains quite overwhelming, hence I have been officially "fully booked" for April since the end of March. This means that I work at a safe pace and as soon as I have caught up enough to be comfortable I change my status. This I announce on my website home page.

Amoungst several large orders including Christening goblets, a window panel , a large golf table of prizes and some hospital awards, I am also working on another decanter triptyque with another mega yacht, fantastic to work on!!

I am rushing to town to drop off some junior county football awards and then back hard at it! At least it has been trying to warm up (weatherwise) and I have been able to unwind on the golf course again, at LAST!!

It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place this world is when one is playing golf. ~Robert Lynd

Glass Engraving Exhibition, London, Zest Contemporary Glass Gallery.

2010-04-02T10:46:00.006+01:00

Last week I attended the opening of "Deep Surface" engraved glass exhibition at Zest Contemporary Glass Gallery, London, where I am exhibiting a few of my pieces. One of them "Endangered" has already Sold. All pieces remain on show until the end of the exhibition on 5th May.

A message to all women out there:

Inside of you is a smart, powerful, dynamic, capable, self-confident, alive, alert, fabulous woman. Let her come out and play. The world is waiting for you. - Louise L Hay

Glass Engraving lessons at Darsham village.

2010-04-01T17:45:00.004+01:00

Capturing one of the moments of delight!

I had a lovely day at Darsham once again and here are some pictures capturing the fun! Well done everyone involved, it is an awsome event!
I have another mega yacht triptyque commission to do and am in the middle of a Dartington Crystal decanter covered once again in an English woodland and lined up also is a 40cm owl on a branch for an internal window, 2 woodland goblets, 1 woodland covered honey pot (definitely the theme of the moment!) , a set of wine glasses for the launching of a yacht (normal size yacht this time) and a few other bits and pieces, like watch backings etc....hence I am fully booked for April already apart from very simple lettering. I also am hoping to finish a piece for the Guild of Glass Engravers exhibition.....No Easter holiday for me!

Happy Easter everyone. have a quiet reflection rather than a tummy full of chocolate!

A memorial garden for a beloved cat.

2010-03-23T09:58:00.005Z

Please note I will be CLOSED Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th whilst I am in London for the openning of the ZEST "Deep Surface" exhibition.
I will be contactable on my mobile and by email.

Recently had this commision, to complete a memorial for a beloved cat called Stig. The goblet is beautiful Tudor Crystal, by far the best canvas for work like this in my opinion.Very busy at the moment and of course the Zest "Deep Surface" exhibition opens this week. I am very much looking forward to it. Some pretty serious engravers work is being exhibited in this prestigious gallery.

Enjoy the sunshine everyone, I can see it outside.....can't wait to get back to playing golf and feel that warmth on my back again!

London exhibition

2010-03-09T13:15:00.006Z

Please note: March is FULLY BOOKED, except for simple lettering.

I have a few pieces in the latest exhibition dedicated to engraved glass:

Deep Surface - The Secret Art of the Glass Engraver.

Zest Gallery London 25th March - 5th May 2010

After that, hopefully, I will be in the Guild of Glass Engravers bi-annual exhibition which is in Cambridge this year.

Last week I was professionally photographed for a book on crafts which is including a section on engraved glass and apparently will be out in autumn. I will give you more details on that as they emerge.

In the mean time I am flat out with the usual queue of quotes and commissions. Presently on the workbench is a beautiful Tudor Crystal goblet which is a memorial for a client's beloved cat. There is no picture of him (the cat), only the wild flowers, trees and little creatures that he shared his garden with. Immediately after that will be a golf prize table! (that being a golfing term for a table of golf competition prizes).

Oh speaking of which, I just grabbed 2 days to go away with some ladies for a bit of golf which was great fun except for the fact that I nearly froze solid and in fact pulled out of the second day because I value my life !! :-) Really I do love my golf but playing at around zero deg C is not fun as far as this African body is concerned! It is fair to say we booked it months ago when we imagined the weather was going to be a few degrees warmer as is normal for this time of year!!!

So it is back to work. Remember to have a peep at the engraving page on Facebook, it is going great guns with lots of engraving chit chat from budding glass engravers all over the world. See the right side of this page for the link.

"When I wake up in the morning, I plan for a good day. My anticipation attracts good experiences to me." - Louise L. Hay

Another new piece

2010-02-26T16:44:00.002Z

Just quickly....another new piece.
See it first at Cambridge Glass Fair on Sunday!!
Gotta dash!! see you there.................

Cambridge Glass Fair and Zest

2010-02-24T15:08:00.005Z

I have been up to my eyes with work, as many of you have been told :-) I do apologise to those who are waiting for quotes etc. These deadlines will pass quickly and then I will be back to my normal commission work.
Cambridge Glass Fair is this weekend, Sunday actually and I am frantically engraving away. I will be on stand C6. See also HERE

Mirror Carp decanter

I also have been creating for a stunning engraving exhibition by Zest Contemporary Glass Gallery. So it is all GO this end! I must dash off again. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Cambridge!! (The pieces for Zest will be on show too)

The Native

Serendipity

Perfume engraving - Harrods

2010-02-08T14:47:00.003Z

Engraving perfumes in Harrods last week - It was great fun and hard work! I think that it could have been a tad busier, the mornings are very quiet. Always a great experience though, a walk on the wild side for me who otherwise has the stillness of rural Suffolk!

So it is back to work, it is 0DegC and snowing again. I try to think of something positive about that but it is tricky when I can't wait to get out onto the golf course with the warm sun on my back again, sigh.
I have a couple of glass exhibitions to work towards and of course Cambridge Glass Fair again , this month! Really cannot believe it, already!
I have got my contemporary hat on for my newer pieces.
Cherrio for now and
" The most thoroughly wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed" Nicolas de Chamfort

New brand for Lesley Pyke

2010-02-02T13:38:00.004Z

As of February, a new website is being professionally designed, I will have a new "brand" which will be a little more contemporary than I am used to but it is 2010 and when I was 12 years old (in the 70's) our school teacher asked us to draw a picture of what we thought the world would be like in the year 2000...we all drew space men and aliens! May I introduce the basic theme of my new brand:

Engraving (personalising) perfumes at Harrods

2010-01-26T17:56:00.004Z

Just to let you know I will be back engraving perfumes (bought that day in-store) at Harrods, London, on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th February. With Valentine's day the following weekend this would be useful for anyone considering giving fragrance to their partner, man or woman. It was very popular last year!
Of course perfume is a lovely gift for ANY occasion, so do make use of this oportunity if you can, I only do this about 4 times a year.
Prices will be

£10 = for up to 15 letters
£15 for up to 20 letters,

if you require more you can add a combination of those amounts.

Otherwise the year is back to it's normal busy self, football awards, birthdays, anniversaries, all the usual. I also have a few exhibitions to work for this year and am letting my creative juices flow for those.

Keep warm and healthy! Floss and use those pokey things between your teeth too!! :-)

engraved Fish panel and mega yacht

2010-01-20T17:01:00.006Z

Yesterday I completed the hand engraving of a 1.5m glass panel which shows 2 barbel and one mirror carp swimming along in their watery home.
The main attention is on the fish with the background just hinting of the situation without being too busy. I think this has worked well. The important thing to remember when installing a glass panel is lighting. It may need a dedicated light somewhere where it will not reflect directly into the glass but show off the engraving to its best especially at night. It does depend on its position, internal or external window, as to how much or if extra lighting is required.

In December one of my commissions was from USA, for a decanter triptyque, this was a fascinating commission where one picture stretched acurately accross 3 Atlantis Crystal decanters. For this subject, high quality pictures are required and often close up detailed pictures too. It is still very cold here and I miss my golf!

I have been spending a great deal of time over the last few months, any spare moment I have during weekends etc, trying to learn a new and modern website building program (I won't tell you how old mine is, certainly more than 8 years), I am completely self taught in the computer field and this has been very frustrating as time is fleeting and my website is in dire need of a facelift and modernisation.

So today I made another big decision, I have commissioned a new brand and new website designed and built by professionals!

Sometimes we expect far too much from ourselves, trying to save time and money but in effect we are wasting both.

Initial cost will soon be gone and forgotten and the benefits will be there instead.

CARPE DIEM!!

snowed in.....very very cold!

2010-01-09T11:17:00.006Z

Just a quickie, am at home not risking the trip off the farm in case I can't get back. I am enjoying the snow, it is so beautiful, but I do hope that I can get back to work on Monday :-)

Keep warm and safe everyone. (working on a couple of videos and my new website)

website down...and Real Madrid

2009-12-29T14:24:00.004Z

Hello everyone, I hope you are all enjoying this festive holiday season.
Just a quick note to say my website is down for the moment as I have run out of bandwidth...as you do....should be back again shortly, my apologies for any inconvenience.

In the mean time I am back in the office catching up on what I have to do and it will be very shortly that I will be fully booked for January as I have rather a lot lined up.

We had a quiet Christmas and will do the same for New Year. But we did have an AMAZING time watching Real Madrid thrash Zaragoza 6-0 at the Bernabeu on the 19th Dec! It was minus 10 degC (kick off 10pm meant we only got back to the hotel around 1.30am) Great experience. I will be back (My partner goes several times a year but this was my first )

Have a safe New Year celebration, especially those in the UK (and other) snowy/icy weather.

La Liga !!! ...and Christmas glass engraving

2009-12-16T10:51:00.007Z

Recent Christening gift, Hand engraved Tudor Crystal goblet.

It is just over a week to Christmas day. So much has happened and so much still to do. It has been the busiest time ever for me. My clients have "pushed the boat out" when it comes to challenges and once I had completed those, I had the clients who are there to bring me back down to normal heart rate gently with a couple of cats, a horse, some holly, snowflakes, poems, an angel, simple lettering, and a unicorn....

I had just completed a triptyque of 3 Atlantis crystal decanters which, as we speak, are now on their way to New York. First of all the commission was for the clients house spread across all three, then they decided to have their yacht instead. I have engraved many many yachts and boats of various descriptions, but this does not mean I know anything about them. Therefore a subject like this requires detailed photographs, these are are absolutely vital as there is no room for guesswork. Thankfully with the help of modern technology, all pictures I needed were supplied on request....and fast.

It worked very well in my opinion and after Christmas I will be able to show you. Prior to that order I had engraved a smaller yacht on a Dartington Crystal tankard with Southwold in the background and a lovely monogram opposite the handle.

At the other end of the scale, in size and emotion but not in meaning....I engraved the tiny little hand print of a baby who was not given the chance to grow up and be a "people" but to remain a little star in the sky. A heartbreaking commission that to the family is so so much bigger than an 11 million U$ yacht!

Well yes I did say "la liga" in the title :-) what all girls must do before they die.......watch a home game of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid!! My partner is a great fan and goes to watch them a couple of times a year, this time he is taking me.....I have slowly been groomed over the last 8 years and it is time :-0 This Saturday they play Zaragoza, kick off is at 10pm (past my bedtime) and it will be -3 degC and raining according to the weather report!
We have seats on the very front row, great to see the players but where there is no cover....so will someone please tell me WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO WEAR?????????????????? apart from waterproof mascara and mittens!!! I really think in future I have to go for VIP status as this is just not on!!! ha ha ha ...anyway it will be a great pity that Ronaldo and Pepe are not playing! If you really want to know my favourite is Casillas! He is always there, just faithfully always there and an absolute star. Hala Madrid!!!

I hope to take lots of photos, I fancy a very hyperactive football themed glass in the making.

Well I will leave you with a memorial to dear Guinevere, a pet sheep of one of my clients.

...and in case I don't get another chance, I would like to wish everyone who reads my blog a very peaceful and loving Christmas, don't stress and don't eat too much!

Teaching at Darsham

2009-11-29T20:07:00.004Z

Yesterday I once again taught at the Darsham craft day, and once again it was an absolute pleasure!!!! I get such a thrill out of teaching and seeing incredible results and seeing delight at their achievements, huge thanks to Jo for all the organising. 6 students in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. I have been doing it long enough now to have about 50% of them having their second go or even more. 50% having never tried to engrave glass before and some quite aprehensive, but always managing perfectly well.
Well done everyone!!

So it is back to work tomorrow (oh and I played golf today in rather chilly weather, 10 holes did us fine as we dived back into the club house for a well deserved drink)I have a busy week ahead with some pretty challenging orders, I couldn't think up such variety myself!!! Pictures to come once all the recipients have seen them....which will be after Christmas.

Hope everyone is coping with the season, we keep it simple, we don't do presents for each other we buy our own if we feel like it. I bought myself a golf club. Of I course made up a lovely parcel of wrapped up Christmas prezzies which I sent to my sons in New Zealand. Gifts for your children, (what you can afford) to delight them, that is what it is about as far as I am concerned. The rest is good will, good cheer and love. Don't waste all your hard earned money on what the world dictates. The origins of Christmas is quite different, it has been twisted and now become ugly in many cases.

You know by now the story of my children, so I have a sad tinge to my Christmas and it always makes me think about the many many people who have lost loved ones. Children, parents who have either moved far away, died or even worse those that are missing, my heart goes out to you most especially in this season which holds the most precious memories.

Run up to Christmas

2009-11-14T12:38:00.006Z

Much is happening all round, it is that time of year when timing is crucial, it speeds up so much on the run up to Christmas and then suddenly hits you smack on! I am taking all sorts of engraving still, lots of small jobs and a couple of big ones on the go, nothing with extreme deadlines that I can't cope with so I am cruising along nicely.
I am presently working on another lovely Tudor Crystal Christening goblet. I absolutely love these! A combination of sandblasted lettering and hand engraved decoration. Pictured above is the last one I engraved for a family with an African theme. The other favourite is English woodland themes.
I am filming most of this new engraving for my collection of little movies which will eventually be put on a DVD. I use a remote control to move the zoom and pause and film.
I must just add that I certainly do engrave simple subjects aswell, it is all part and parcel of my business. I frequently am asked whether I do this sort of thing, I DO enjoy them, these jobs are not always as simple as they look, a curved glass will mean each line of lettering can be on a different curve, meaning some clever computer artwork tweeking, this is very important for a professional finish where all lines appear perfectly straight.
Just thought I would leave you with this glass, a subject I had never engraved before, "Morris Dancing In Merry England"
Things are not always as they seem when viewed from a different angle :-)

glass engraving/awards/ golf...sport of Kings!!

2009-10-23T11:11:00.008+01:00

It has been a while and I have been so busy! If anyone has peeped at my website lately I have had the fact that I am fully booked for anything other than simple lettering up there in red letters for a some time. (this doesn't always work ;-) I am just making sure I don't take on more than I can handle, it is always very important that I don't feel panicked! So I am "calmly" getting through quite a lot. I will take down my little "sign" shortly as I catch up.

We did sneak a golfing weekend away at Sprowston Manor in Norfolk! We even had the red carpet for our entrance....and masses of security guards...well nice thought, but it was for the king of Malaysia who was out on the golf course and who then later came in and had a splendid tea with his entourage just in front of us whilst we were having our sundowners, then he got whisked away in a helicopter. What a life! Seems a nice chap anyway ;-)

It is the season not so much of gifts...but of awards, presentations, trophies! DIY decorating, windows etc. I have had some interesting enquiries as usual and technology is always so helpful, a phonecall from USA and during the call the client takes pictures of his dining table (for which he wants a very large glass vessel) and emails them immediately to me to discuss.

I have had a lot of URGENT jobs recently, and I have decided that "Urgent" should be my middle name, so don't apologise, it is the nature of the business and if I can do it I will, if I can't I will say "no" or give another option, like the waiting list! Often I manage to get through more than I thought I would.

NOTE: I have a Parcel Force acount so the postal strikes are not affecting me.

I attended the AGM and Conference of the Guild of Glass Engravers last weekend, as usual this was a great day, most informative and inspiring. I was also able to get my hands on some MORE beautiful crystal blanks from the glass blowers selling their work there, I must have about 10 now, all different and waiting to be brought to life. I also have a magnificent Adam Aaronson bowl which I have some great ideas for....wonder if I can buy time from somwhere?The Guild's bi annual national exhibition is next year in Cambridge, so I will be hopefully exhibiting.

Well my heater is on, last night I made our first yummy stew with all the freshest ingredients , accompanied with a glass of good Chilean red....mmm winter? bring it on!

Meat and veg! simple, and so good for you!! Feeds your body and soul!

Cambridge Glass fair

2009-10-01T15:10:00.004+01:00

Firstly ...I will be CLOSED Friday 2nd and Sat 3rd October.....

My stand at the fair

I didn't mention in my previous post about the fair, it came and went so fast! It was a lovely day, beautiful weather, beautiful people, always such a pleasure to be there. As Monday came I had to hit the ground running again as I had to dust, clean, wipe, put everything back in place and then had several very urgent jobs to complete and despatch and of course my polisher came....that took my attention and it has been difficult to concentrate on what I have to do first before I can play! Work is like Picadilli in the rush hour at the moment!
In this photo I am showing my Bowl of Sea V to well known glass blower Adam Aaronson.

"Faith is taking the 1st step even when you don't see the whole staircase" Martin Luther King

New glass polisher

2009-09-30T18:52:00.005+01:00

Finally I climbed the next step, this is one cool tool!! All the way from Texas, I have so many plans for it now ;-)
Never give up on your dreams. Use every single day !
I am now pausing to think of those who have lost their lives, their homes, their loved ones in the south Pacific tsunami, another terrible tragedy. I hope and pray that those who are missing are not suffering. Those searching, be strong.

Newly engraved pieces

2009-09-20T11:19:00.005+01:00

Cambridge Glass fair will be upon us in less than a week now. I have been creating a few interesting pieces, here you see "Delicate Deliverance" and "Madame" ....interestingly I suppose the titles could be for either...?

I am very excited about my polisher....crumbs I do hope it is well on its way. I keep thinking of AMAZING things I can do with it.

Bowl of sea will be finished this week. A final special polish would be awesome!

I have forced myself to take a day off today (Sunday) to gather up some depleted energy. However I still find myself stuck in the laptop!!??

I do wish you a peaceful Sunday wherever you are.

New Facebook page

2009-09-14T18:13:00.004+01:00

Hi all, to try and ease the load of glass engraving questions I get from all over the world...I have just today started a new Facebook page, please see the panel to the right.

It will take a while to get going (because I am still so busy)and once it does I hope it will be a good source of information and you can all chat and discuss etc

I have just ordered a fantastic new polisher from USA and can't wait to get it:
I will let you all know about it when it gets to work! Gotta dash.....soooo much to do!

Keep fit and happy, don't waste a single moment being negative. Seek the LIGHT always!

Fully Booked Sept

2009-09-07T11:10:00.003+01:00

Hi all, please note I am fully booked for September. If I have emails from you waiting for quotes I will answer those and include them this month.

"A useless life is an early death. " Goethe

bowl of sea

2009-09-06T14:04:00.002+01:00

Hard at it this lovely Sunday....now got to cycle home....chat soon. Have a lovely day all.

Cambridge Glass fair

2009-09-03T10:23:00.005+01:00

Hi all, have been mega busy, but have been grabbing whatever time I can (bank holiday weekend for example) to get creative for Cambridge. Here is a taster of the latest, I have a long way to go with it still, it is my 5th Bowl of sea, all quite different, but this one so far is the closest to the original in its colours and movement, although the bowl shape is very different. Its debut will be at Cambridge Glass Fair, 27 Sept.
I bought a nice bike to come to work on from time to time. reminds me of school days. I am also squeezing in more golf and am so so happy about that, it really helps with the time I have to concentrate on my work. Still keep up the gym too, I was there at 7am today....absolutely worth the effort and I recommend it to everyone who has a body! Get my drift?!!
I say again, "muscles must move."

PS I have still so many emails coming in every day from budding engravers.....yes yes I will do something about it as soon as I can. It is very encouraging that at least my little website halps a bit in the mean time. The biggest request is for a DVD, oh yes, and I have loads of material for that already, I could do that easily in one week ....that is what I would have to do, take a week off specifically for that.

Coming close to the time I should be hearing about this "big job" I wonder...I really do wonder.... if it doesn't happen then I really want to try and go and visit my boys in NZ, I have not seen my youngest for 5 years and that is not right. Sometimes you have to take life by the short and curlies and swing it!! It would be my longest trip ever and I would have to go alone, quite an adventure. But will have to see price of tickets v time I have to close.
Keep on going everyone and always stay positive, be confident that you are doing the best you can.

million giraffes and engraved glass

2009-08-25T09:18:00.008+01:00

Well it has become a habit when I get to work in the morning, it is a fun and cheerful start to the day....just to have a look at a few of the new giraffes, thanks to Ola and his awesome website/blog! When you think that every possible version of a giraffe has been done...there are many more, you must take a look and you must make/draw you own, or get your kid or granny to. It is such fun!!! Naturally my Gerry would have been quite upset if I hadn't sent him in and now he is there playing with all the other giraffes! I had to send one with the working process shown as intially they were not sure it was made by me....you are not allowed to buy or use a computer. The rules are simple. So please help this guy get to his million pictures in the time that is set. It costs nothing and is just good clean fun!
http://olahelland.net/giraffes/

As per usual I have been inundated with work.....I took this photo to show you that I don't have any fancy cleaner machines for post sandblasting cleaning off, it is very basic old bucket of hot water and I do it all myself along with everything else concerned with running an engraving business, hence I have not been able to answer many of the emails I get from all over the world about engraving techniques. I know I keep going on about this, but I have simply not got the time at the moment. I also have a fair amount of quotes to get through and I apologise to those who are waiting patiently, I will get to you ASAP.

(4 waiting to be despatched and 4 just arrived...showroom accommodating overflow)

I have to take a careful look now at what I take on in the next couple of weeks as with what I already have on the books alongside the Cambridge Glass Fair on 27 Sept which I have to do some serious engraving for....I also have the possibility of the "big job" quote being accepted. This is supposed to be around mid September, it is a waiting game now.

I know I talk about golf a lot, it is essential for me to do this otherwise I would get stale in my workshop. I have another great day on Thursday when we will have our ladies Invitation day, I am looking forward to that, I have been working weekends , so it is not like I am skiving ;-) when you have your own business there is no such thing as set working hours!

I am glad I have caught up with you a bit....must get on with it now.

“The purpose to life is a life of purpose” Robert Bryne

Golf Club Championships, Cambridge and abstract glass engraving

2009-08-14T15:41:00.005+01:00

Hi all...yesterday (Sunday13) was our ladies golf club champs, 36 holes in one day, weather was gorgeous, had a great playing partner and we both played out of our boots!! At least I can say I brought in the winner ;-) she got me by one shot to take the title leaving me a very happy runner up, quite satisfied with having played the 2 rounds under my handicap. I feel privileged as a human being to be able to play my golf, a wonderful healthy sport! I did eat pasta every day for a week prior to the day (for energy) and upped my gym and aerobics exercises as my flu had really taken it out of me! So all's well that ends well....and it is back to the workshop!
I must remind you that it is once again the Cambridge Glass Fair on Sunday 27th September at Chilford Hall Linton, Cambridge. I have been in the mood for some crazy abstract, good to let one's hair down from time to time. I am extreemly busy at the moment so not sure how much I will manage to complete. Above is a wee taste on a Tudor Crystal Air twist goblet called "Reach" £290.00.

Oh did I mention that I had sold my Portland Vase Study, I was over the moon that it went to a very good home although I did feel sad to say goodbye, it will always be a very important piece to me!
Gotta go.....catch up soon....

positive positive positive

classical crystal flutes

2009-07-29T10:36:00.003+01:00

Well have I had flu of the curley tail variety or just normal??? Who knows, but it has hit me hard and is VERY annoying. I did take 1 and a half days off, but that was it, (when I did have a fever). But now a sort of horrible head cold is lingering. Best part is I have no appetite and therefore it is very easy to stick to my diet ;-) I have no sense of smell, very interesting.

I have a folder with several emails waiting to be answered (as in quotes and enquiries) and another folder full of engravers questions. The pressure is on to make a serious engraving DVD just on the basics of engraving. I need time...and also I have to wait till the nails on my right hand grow as lusciously as those on my left, have been using them far too much as tools (picking tape off sandblasted glasses, unpacking endless boxes of glass etc etc..) I can't make a DVD with grotty nails!!

I have several tricky, challenging and fun orders to do, as you can see above is one I am in the middle of, this has been an extreme challenge in computer graphics (well for me anyway) using Serif PhotoPlus X2 , Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 and CorelDRAW X4......to transform and create the music artwork, each glass has different music. I will now be adding more lettering on both the body and the base. I am sandblasting these sumptuous Dartington Crystal Celebration Flutes and will touch up any areas by hand that require it at the end.

Another "beut" lined up is a gorgeous decanter with a fine green tint inside. The customer wants large styalised waves going round, mmm I like this idea.

As soon as I have posted this I will be answering the emails in the "quotes to do" folder!!! If any of you reading this are waiting for answers, once again apologies to those who have been waiting, I usually try and keep it to only a couple of days.

Well keep healthy and drink lots of water......and exercise. Muscles Must Move.

Mighty serious video to watch!!...a change from glass engraving

2009-07-16T12:49:00.006+01:00

Engraving inside and out of the vessel

I have just watched this video and have to share it with as many as I can. I totally believe in pure health, eat what has recently been living / growing/ breathing, prepare it yourself. Get yourself a nice fresh juice and a small bowl of nuts and raw carrots and sit back and watch.

I could add to the video the importance of MOVEMENT (exercise) and happy positive thoughts. Avoid people who are negative and miserable. I personally have a completely adverse reaction to sarcasm and teasing, it is a form of bullying. People who love to make others feel stupid in order to feel clever. Avoid them! Breathe properly and deeply, fresh air. Drink lots of water.

Now back to work, loads of engraving in my workshop so I had better jump to it ;-). I am also putting together a new page for my website showing loads of examples of what I have engraved on the Dartington Crystal range. Another little note to mention is that I am presently waiting for the result of a very large quote I was asked to submit. I will not explain now, the results will be announced mid September, what a wait! However things will be a little different around here if I get it, and if not then it has been a great honour to have been considered. The work technique itself is very basic, but it is just very big and very many ;-) sorry but you will have to wait now !

Answering emails

2009-07-09T10:36:00.003+01:00

Hi all,
once again I am completely pushed for time and I must let you know that anyone waiting for answers to their emails (quotes or otherwise) I will be attending to them ASAP, I have a considerable amount of work to get through and I will get to answer them. I am thoroughly enjoying the variety of work coming in. ;-)

There is some lovely new stock from 3 of my main suppliers, items I will suggest according to your requirements. Some you will see if you type "2009" or "2010" into search in the catalogue which is an affiliate site direct to one of my suppliers.

“He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.” Proverb

catching up engraving ...and golf

2009-06-22T10:19:00.009+01:00

( Teeing off the 11th (short hole) with my Callaway 9 wood. )

Last Friday was the annual Air Ambulance Charity Golf Day at Halesworth Golf Club, we had a fantastic day, it is always so well run and for such an essential cause.....the government simply does not fund Air Ambulance, so they rely on charity!! Can you imagine that!!!! I am trying to play more this year, lately I have not had time at all, but it is something one has to MAKE time for, like my gym, it is very important to keep up with activities like this, it stimulates the mind body and soul, and ultimately makes one work better. I absolutely love my golf! The photo was taken by a profesional who was there all day, will add his name if I get it.

(One of my donated prizes)

The last 2 weeks have been so hectic and I am finally catching up with new enquiries still coming in every day. I often get people wanting chips in their old glasses ground down too, I don't do this I am afraid, I do not have the equipment (or the time either).

It was Fathers day yesterday, I had my beautiful Daddy in my mind all day, the most beautiful Daddy angel in Heaven. I do love and miss him so much.

This week has a line up of mainly sandblasting so far, but that is fine, every order is so different, I never go unchallenged, the artwork can be very tricky and I use both Corel Draw Essentials and Serif Draw Plus X3 for that.

I do get loads of emails with endless questions about engraving and sandblasting, I can't always answer I am afraid, there are just not enough hours in a day and remember I do not employ anyone and am not planning to. I have to focus on my customers and their commissions first and foremost, then on my own pieces. I will always try and add as much info as I can on my website to help engravers, but that also has had to "take a back seat" for a while. One day.....one day...I will compile a Q&A from the many emails...but not just yet.

I have to pop to town just now to post my youngest son's birthday present, he will be 22. It has been 4 and a half years since I last saw him. New Zealand is a long way away. I always struggle with this, nothing I put in the box seems adequate. I sit and look at it and feel deeply disturbed as it is so unnatural, I almost want to hug and kiss the box, I should be able to just give it to him with a real hug and a kiss.

I had always been too soft and things would have been so different had I been who I am now, instead of being mentally beaten to a pulp, and being convinced to let my children go. BUT, every day I grow stronger still, And whether or not it is clear to me,
"no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

I am thinking now about the next Cambridge Glass Fair which is on the 27th September, Chilford Hall, Linton. I am planning some interesting engraving...hmmm...

Back from holiday - back engraving!!!

2009-06-08T15:13:00.004+01:00

A quick note to say HI I am back...had a fantastic holiday, loads of sun, fun, golf, wine, food, sea, just perfect! We were in Saint Raphael, Cote d'Azur (South coast of France) for 2 weeks. My ultimate aim is to live and work in France, my heart has felt this since I was very young. Basically with the internet it would not make too much difference to my work which already comes from anywhere in the world. Never give up on your dreams....lots of hard work and saving to do!

For those waiting for quotes, and email answers, I am getting through them as quickly as I can.

ps....I also went to the gym on average every second day during the holiday..... ;-) pays to keep the fitness level up and the weight down!!!

Busy May engraving

2009-05-18T13:30:00.006+01:00

Guy's & St.Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Awards, London.

It was an interesting challenge, transforming  the massive commissioned statues outside the hospital (created by Rick Kirby) to a relatively small piece of engraved glass and still represent the artist's technique well enough for his approval. The figures are sandblasted and hand engraved on the back with the main lettering on the front and more lettering under the base front.

Several awards and presentation this month, football, Masons, golf... and the usual anniversaries, so many 50th anniversaries, it is always so nice to know that there are couples out there getting that far!
I am off on my annual vacation therefore will not be able to do any engraving until early June, however please email me if you wish, I will keep up with emails as much as I can. I will be back in the workshop from 8th June and already have a number of jobs lined up so please don't leave it too long if you need something then.

Last week I met up with a dear old friend of mine in London, the last time I saw her was at the airport as I left Zimbabwe in 2001. It was a special day and we laughed and cried throughout. I do miss my friends terribly. Thank goodness for the internet! I think this is a wonderful time to be on the planet for technology.

talking technology... I was thinking the other day about how these days they have paper thin massive TV screens....and I very clearly remember the old black and white TV that took ages to warm up and then we only had 3 hours of tele to watch.....but then again that was in Rhodesia. We were a little behind. I also remember my youngest son asking about records...he wanted to know which end the needle would have started the middle or on the outside....I remember stopping school and listening to the radio when they landed (if they actually did) on the moon. My great granny never ever believed it anyway ;-)...well why have they not bothered to go there much again and why are they only planning to in about 2020???? I must check up on that one. I so wanted to be the first lady in space. I even wrote to NASA when I was 10 years old and got a lovely reply, and envelope full of Q's and A's and loads of A4 size glossy photos...sadly that was lost in my dash from Zimbabwe. I had kept them all those years, till 2001, c'est la vie!

Well you have to think about what is important in life, and "life" is important, health and freedom. Look after what our maker has given you, fill up with the correct fuel....NOT chocolate cake, and especially don't breathe in black nicotine when we were given such beautiful lungs and delicious oxygen.

Sun is shining...out there

2009-04-30T13:33:00.008+01:00

Let me see...it is already the 29th April, I turned 47 on the 7th which came and went so fast, as usual just another day with absolutely nothing special about it at all. I had to remind Brian over morning coffee. Sigh... we eventually had dinner several days later as we were both so busy at work, long gone are the days of presents and flowers, maybe that was another life somewhere on another planet. Sometimes I wonder about life and if there is actually something more to it. I am not being very positive here so I had better lighten up.

I still have not managed to update my photos on my website so I have quickly added this one, rather fun as I had never engraved an Asian Ele before (only African) , this was for someone at a Safari park.

Great news is that my youngest son, Gavin, is finally out of Afghanistan and I wait now to hear about his arrival back in New Zealand. That has been 6 months of dark cloud over my head. I feel very deeply for every mother who has a son in a war zone. Wives, girlfriends and children too, it is a deep subconscious worry.

April has been by far the busiest month I have every had in my business, I remained fully booked throughout and am still catching up but am almost there. I have managed all deadlines with some clever juggling and luckily I have a number of super-duper suppliers who have just not let me down, whether it is for glass, masks or presentation boxes.

I had a wonderful wonderful time last weekend when I caught the train, very early in the morning, to London, where I met up with my Godson and his sister, visiting from Zimbabwe both of whom I had not seen for 7 and a half years....I have known them since before they were born and so they are very very special to me, their parents are amoungst my closest old friends who I miss so very much. We had a wonderful time being tourists in London, doing the usual things like the London Eye , Tower Bridge, Bucks Palace. I was shocked however to see the prices to get into some of the attractions so we gave them a miss, but really it was a very memorable day and I feel very privileged to have been able to do this. They have both grown SO much I felt like a little "titch".
AS I type this an ice-cream van has just pulled up outside my office. Temptation is so strong but as yet I have not bought anything and long may that strength continue. Unless you have a great metabolism and these things don't make dramatic changes in your body and you don't get pimples from the rich creaminess ....Just DON'T do it. The pleasure is only for a moment.

I will be on leave from 24th May - 7th June so please keep this in mind when ordering. I will however be keeping in touch by email.

Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

comparethehaircut.com and Harrods

2009-04-15T19:06:00.005+01:00

Today I got fed up and dashed into town for a radical new haircut, then dashed back to try and catch up with work. Slowly getting there.
Harrods was hard work but great fun! I engraved masses of lipsticks, one day I did 70!
Anyway not sure when I will next be in Harrods as I have so much to get on with here in little old Halesworth ;-)

I hope all of you had a lovely Easter, I did eat the Snickers bar in my hotel room fridge! That was as close to Easter chocolate I got and in my books was very bad indeed!

Remember to keep every muscle of that body in tip top shape, definitely do NOT smoke and exercise every muscle till it aches (especially if you have recently eaten a Snickers) drink lots of water, think happy and positive thoughts, never let anyone put you down or limit you in any way, stay away from nasty individuals and thank God for all your blessings every day.

Easter weekend

2009-04-09T18:51:00.003+01:00

Hi all,
I am taking orders for May now but must warn you that I will be on holiday from mid may for 2 weeks so keep that in mind.

I have another stint with Guerlain at Harrods tomorrow (Good Friday) and Saturday so won't be in my workshop. I will be working on Monday , skelaton hours though.

Mad rush as I have to pack, I hope you all have a lovely Easter!!

fully booked April

2009-04-07T09:40:00.005+01:00

Hi all, another quickie, I am fully booked for April, except for VERY simple wording only on single items.
Harrods with Guerlain was manic, I still have a sore neck! It really does seem people just LOVE the idea of a name on something, especially if it is complimentary!

I will be there again this (Good) Friday and (Easter) Saturday, after that I have to settle properly into the work I have lined up. Some truely awesome jobs including several military crests/badges on both decanter sets and glass panels (for internal doors). I have several prestigious awards to complete including a well known hospital and a mirror/sandblasted light fitting, oh and also some gorgeous items to go in a gift shop of a castle in Italy! There are the watch backings, an intriguing commission, and looks like another pile of swing top bottles are about to invade!!

I am being snowed under with photos that I need to get onto the website to share with you....(when???) and more animals to engrave and get over to Australia and having completed a Dartington Admirals decanter covered in an English woodland scene recently, I am now to engrave a similar set of Dartington Crystal Bordeaux glasses. Amoungst my smaller orders are a labrador, a tiger and lots of flowers.
There is always something different, and don't ever think that a simple name on a glass is too trivial, no job is ever trivial!! I love those just as much, to have something simple and elegant to engrave brings me back down to a normal heart rate and is essential for my wellbeing ;-).

Have a Happy Blessed Easter everyone
..... and remember it is not law to eat CHOCOLATE! I never do at Easter.

home time

2009-03-28T16:02:00.006Z

Another week another £, well I managed all I had to do and now it is Saturday afternoon once again. This photo was taken only 10 minutes ago as I was just finishing this glass, one of 2 going off to Australia on Monday.
I must update the photos on my website, I have so many new ones to show you....it seems these Harrods trips mean that I miss out on my usual weekend Website work.
Next week will be pretty hectic, as I have a few orders to get through before I head off to London again , this time engraving exclusively for Guerlain for their new lipstick launch, Thursday and Friday, then Saturday I have an early start off to Darsham once again for their craft experience day where I will be teaching all day , around 12 students in all....I think Sunday I may just stay in bed all day ;-) then again...what a waste that would be.

oh yes, I am thoroughly enjoying having an account with Parcel Force now, it means my customers pay less for a large parcel and it means I no longer lock up, drive to town, pay a parking fee, and stand in a post office queue often with a massive parcel I have had to carry with a rachet strap, wasting time and money!!! Should have done this years ago...I book a collection on line and they come and collect..."simples". I still send small overseas parcels by Royal Mail as it is much cheaper.

Master your mind & emotions & you master your life! (from Tony Robins' Twitter)

Engraved glass.. perfumes at Harrods

2009-03-23T12:35:00.003Z

Mothers Day weekend at Harrods was a mixture, Saturday was fairly quiet, but then Sunday was manic and I had to turn people away so that I could pack up to catch my train/train/bus/train/walk/hitch/fly/....(engineering works meant that my 2 hour trips became 4 hour trecks to and from London!) Anyway, all was well.
Some people wonder why I am doing this, well as I have mentioned a few posts ago, it is something different, something out of the ordinary for me, a little adventure, and although seemingly simple compared to what I am engraving normally, it is actually very difficult, quick thinking, speed artwork and engraving on all sorts of strange bottles, under watching eyes and pressure, juggled with chatting to customers and trying to look glam all at once. Not something I will always be able to do.

This week I have some hospital awards with challenging artwork/ military presentations with crests/ retirement presentation with large elephant / Football Association awards...oh and I will be composing a letter to my MP , House of Commons, challenging the rediculous turn of events over a week ago. How a small business is punished for daring to try and expand into an extra office and has to pay for that whole year as a "big business" in non domestic rates.

" If it happens, it must be possible; make things possible." author unknown

Harrods for Mothers day and Guerlain!!!

2009-03-17T11:00:00.005Z

Well I am still dealing with this small business rates problem....oh the joys of running your own business, but it is always important to stay on top of things and what is right and fair, sometimes you have to fight for it. Rediculous really.... anyway on a more cheerful note...

I will be at Harrods on Saturday once again, engraving perfumes for the customers, with the next day being Mothers' Day I am sure it will be a busy day.

A new event for me will be coming soon after that, also at Harrods, Guerlain are launching a new lipstick and I have been asked to engrave them for the customers, much the same idea as the perfumes. More details to come shortly.
So in the mean time, I must get on with work in hand, loads of pictures to upload and get onto my website when I have some time, I have so much to show you!...

As you can see we were blessed with some glorious sunshine this weekend, had to dust off my sunglasses.

May you always walk in SUNSHINE. May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

Happy St Patrick's Day

non domestic rates

2009-03-14T11:45:00.004Z

....you know, sometimes it is not easy to stay calm, positive happy, smiley, jovial. Sometimes you want to just scream at the utter incompetence of some organisations, the absolute idiocy of some people placed in positions of power and authority.
I extended my little workplace to include the little office next door as my nice new showroom, working so damn hard and staying so positive.
One has to organise non domestic business rates so I had immediately alerted the authority of the news. weeks later I remind them....they have no record....weeks later I finally get some one to sort it out, the place has to be re assesed for rateable value.

We also have small business rates in this country, for those who are just that, small!.

They still are negotiating the new rates....which they had ommitted to include as a small business.....and got my post code wrong too ??? even though I have been running this business in this country for 7 years or so... then this morning , a nice quiet Saturday, with my next project lined up, a lovely comport which I will engrave a logo and lettering all around the base and lovely happy English flowers around the body..... I start the day by checking my bank account to make sure all went in and out as it is supposed to....and lo and behold my local council has now helped themselves to a massive amount of money, clearly in error, just like that, sent me into the red and into a rage that I cannot even begin to describe. They don't talk on the phone, so you have to leave a message or send an email. It feels like being back in Zimbabwe.

Now tell me how does one logically deal with this. Deep breath, stretch? You feel personally invaded and powerless. How long before it will be sorted out? Do I have time to waste arguing? ...now how much time am I wasting writing this whe I should be telling you all the best news?......

Do I now feel like creating my pretty lovely engraved comport for my client?? ...no.

I think, ok, I will go and play the 9 hole, that takes about an hour as a one ball as long as there is no one in front....then I will feel better, then come back to work...however there are big black clouds overhead and rain is threatening and it is rather cold.....so golf is not a good idea right now.

What will make me feel calmer? I am now going to make a nice cup of tea and then I am going to begin the artwork for this glass, comport. If I don't then I have lost, if I do I will feel better as I get involved in it. It is not the end of the world. Certain things and certain people cross our paths to test our patience to the absolute limit.

I have had to deal with far far worse.

so looking on the bright side....all WILL be well.

New little video...Endangered bugs!!

2009-03-09T07:13:00.003Z

Has been such a busy week...so just a quick one....here is my new little video I made last night (late...hence a spelling mistake..ooops)
Will catch up shortly!
Peace and Love ;-)

Cambridge Glass Fair pictures, work news and Harrods

2009-02-25T13:33:00.016Z

Click on images to enlarge.

Cambridge Glass Fair was a great success. So many people, I have never seen such a crowd! I sold a few of my African animals and scenes and the rest I will be putting in my eBay shop very soon as I usually do.

I met so many new and interesting people and of course many of the regulars..... some I could only wave to over the heads of the crowds so I am sorry if I did not get a chance to chat. The engraving demonstrations went down a treat and worth the extra effort, though I was often too busy talking to show as many people the demo as I should have , so my apologies if you did miss out.

Many thanks to Paul and Christine for yet another perfectly efficiently run fair, true professionals! Till the next one in September!
what's next......a pile of work to catch up on, a fun golf game followed by a fashion show.....where I have to model ;-0 .....and more engraving at Harrods, both perfume (22nd March for Mothers day...possibly the 14th too) and a launch of a famous brand's new lipstick on various dates where I have to engrave the lipstick compacts. A different rather glamorous detour in my engraving journey like the perfumes, and that is life, hey, an interesting journey and I am enjoying the ride.... everyone must enjoy their own ride.
PRESS THE ARROW BOTTOM RIGHT AND WATCH IN HQ

Cambridge Glass Fair tomorrow (22 Feb) !

2009-02-21T14:11:00.011Z

Just a quickie....here are some of the latest items I will have for sale at Cambridge Glass Fair tomorrow, 22 Feb.... see previous blog for Fair details. I will have with me some of my other major pieces (non African) with me, but not necessarily on display, just ask to see them.

CLICK PICTURES TO ENLARGE

See you there!...with your pith helmet and safari suit ;-)

16 Feb 09 Cambridge Glass Fair on 22nd Feb

2009-02-16T12:45:00.009Z

Firstly I must remind everyone that once again I will be at Cambridge Glass Fair this Sunday 22nd and will also be demonstrating as well as displaying and selling my work. I am always in a position to take orders too. Payment is easy as I have my mobile card payment machine with me. My main theme will be Africa. I will have with me some of my other pieces but if they are not on display just ask me if you would like to see them.
Do remember if I am engraving just talk to me, don't worry about interrupting me and ask me any questions too.

So now the Valentine's event at Harrods went off very well with 2 very busy Saturdays! Thank you to all the fantastic customers. You can see above a small selection of the perfumes I engraved. Such fun as usual! Next will probably be Mothers day....then Fathers day.

I am thinking this week of all those, including a very dear friend of mine, who have been made redundant. These are very difficult times for many. Stay positive always!!!!

Cambridge Glass Fair website : http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/

9th Feb 2009 - Harrods engraving of perfumes

2009-02-09T10:32:00.005Z

I had a great days at Harrods on Saturday in the run up to Valentine's day. It is a very long day too, I get up at 4.15am and catch the 6.30 train to London, after a full day (up to 7.30 pm) of engraving I head back home, 3 hours door to door trip. But it is still a surreal and exciting experience, even though I have done this several times now....and will be there again NEXT SATURDAY 14th FEB.

As a professional engraver with commissions from all over the world involving very complicated artwork on all shapes of crystal and a combination of hand engraving and sandblasting, sometimes also acid and stipple, which calls on all the experience of 25 years in the business full time that I can muster.....engraving perfume bottles in Harrods is still one of the most challenging jobs I have done.

One is presented with every shape and size perfume bottle there is, some of the "glass" is not even glass, often a colour is added in the way of a thin rubber coating, which is not good when approached with a drill. But I have been learning by experimenting on samples if they are looking troublesome, generally I manage to make a plan, mostly the glass is gorgeous to work on. Some surprisingly effective, one we thought was not engravable turned out to be easily engravable with a subtle and interesting effect. The customers are delighted at the idea of being able to offer something very different, that extra little surprise when openned.

The layout and engraving has to be decided and executed with great haste, balance of layout and neatness vital, often with many interruptions, but that does not worry me too much as I love the interraction with so many different people.

They all have things to do, trains to catch and parking times to stick to and each job must be perfect in my eyes. On seeing my serious examples of engraving I have on display along with a slideshow of my work, one customer commented how this was rather a "come down" .....it is an interesting comment, but as I have explained, no easy feat.

This week I will be designing and engraving a Dartington Admirals decanter with a lovely English woodland scene all around the body, a delightful subject.

Of course there is the Cambridge Glass Fair fast approaching ...22nd February...where is the time going?? I will be featuring African animals and demonstrating engraving.
http://www.cambridgeglassfair.co.uk/

At this point I would just like to pause for a moment to think about all those who have died, been badly injured and have lost everything in the fires of Australia.

24 Jan 09 - Engraved glass and just life

2009-01-24T11:05:00.007Z

Hi all....I have never started a year like this before in my 25 years of professional engraving. Just so so busy! I want to thank all my customers, so so many all over the world, some who are becoming friends, even though we may never meet. I am always touched by the kind words and it makes my job such a pleasure to know something has arrived in time for a special occasion or presentation. Thanks go to those who have had to be patient too ;-) It is clearly advisable now to allow a few weeks for an order, depending on what it is of course, but there is never harm in asking and I can generally squeeze in small orders along the way.

Today I am feeling grateful for life, I am blessed with so much. I know that we can't always have some things we desperately want though, and I guess I am trying to tell you that today I heard that my youngest son cannot make it to visit me in April as his tour of duty in Afghanistan has been extended. So next Christmas is the next possibility. I continue to look forward to the day I can see him again, mom's can be such sops, hey, but the main thing is we are able to let each other know how much we care and that is a wonderful thing. The last time I saw Gavin was January 2005, my boys live in New Zealand. My eldest, Shane, is still on his travels in South Africa with his fiance, having spent several wonderful months here with us, and will be heading back to his home in New Zealand next month. I miss my boys beyond words, sometimes it is hard to remember to be a tough business woman, but it is my work that keeps me going along with the love of my partner and my Faith that I am continually being protected.

Keep busy and keep looking forward with nothing but optimism

On a completely different note..........although still an optimistic one

If anyone feels inclined, please could you vote for me for this award, here are some details and a link:

New for 2009 - The craft&design Selected Awards

In recognition of the superb work of talented designer makers in Britain and Ireland, we are proud to announce our exciting new suite of Awards for 2009. This prestigious project is for everyone who enjoys crafts; makers are invited to enter and everyone is invited to vote!

Our craft&design Selected Awards are based around designer makers whose work has been accepted to be featured on our craft&design Selected website, our online gallery at http://www.craftmaker.co.uk/

You can read the full details here: http://www.craftanddesign.net/awards/

Link to my page on the site

14 January 2009 - so busy / Harrods dates

2009-01-14T08:47:00.004Z

Well a belated Happy New Year to everyone, I can't believe how time has flown (cliche and boring) I would say this is due to the fact that I have just not stopped and some of the work I am doing still now is from last year. I am probably busier than I was just before Christmas. It is fantastic of course. I am loving the variety of work and the some of it really challenging, especially timewise. I juggle and squeeze in urgent jobs with older jobs wherever I can and it all works out fine in the end. So don't worry of you feel you have to appologise that it is an urgent order....I would say at least 50% are! It is all just business.

I have several highly decorative hand engraved pieces to complete for overseas at the moment, Canada, Australia....and have had orders from every corner of the UK already this year...(ok slight exageration). I must say that I am totally impressed with Royal Mail and Parcel Force, who just never let me down. Rest assured, though, I pack my glass extreemly well and you could probably drop kick the parcel quite safely, though you might break your toes!

I will be heading back to Harrods for Valentines engraving sessions, possibly the 7th and 14th and then for Mothers' day in March.

So back to work, I am in at sun up today because I have an urgent sandblasting order of 15 glasses arriving just now, in fact should be NOW, for a turnaround back to London by later today.....never a dull moment here ;-) Even brought my breakfast to work!

Well don't forget to eat whole grain and fruit for breakfast, fat free yogurt for tea time, low fat lunch/ dinner including loads of vegetables and salad, ONE glass of red wine after work and loads of water all day long!

22 December 2008 b

2008-12-22T17:08:00.008Z

I was recently asked if I would take on the engraving for NATO, a great honour which I gratefully accepted. so the first job I did was a presentation for MCC Northwood Staff Member of the year 2008. You can see the full script HERE on Nato's website under the above title. Presentation photograph and permission to publish courtesy of NATO, for which I am most appreciative.
I have also been busy engraving all the Suffolk Football Association awards for Women's, under 18 and under16 men, and long service. It is a transition, I believe, to a more modern glass award as opposed to the more traditional ones of ties etc. At least they can be personalised too!

A while back I had spent another day at Darsham teaching glass engraving, a fantastic day once again and well done to all my star pupils (some becoming regular and quite accomplished!) They all succeeded to create mini masterpieces as usual.
CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR LARGER IMAGES

22 December 2008

2008-12-22T14:46:00.004Z

Another excellent day was spent in the company of beautiful people and beautiful aromas of Harrods Cosmetics and Perfumes department on Saturday. Being the last weekend before Christmas it was packed and I did not stop engraving practically all day, working much longer than I intended and still turning customers away with one offering to pay double! It really is a lovely idea and I want to thank Harrods for coming up with it and asking me to make it happen over the last 3 weekends. I was so well looked after and much was done to encourage the staff of all the perfume houses to make the service known to the customers who may not have seen me.

Once again a great selection of perfumes, some very challenging bottles, but most challenging were 2 Russian gentleman who had to give me a micro lesson on Russian letters. The bottles were challenging as well, sadly I simply did not have time to take a photo. They were very successful and the gents were very happy.

I will be back again when it is a time for giving again....Valentine's Day seems to be the next in line. It would be good to get there more often but business is as usual during the week and pretty busy it is too. My last Harrods day involved 6 hours travelling and 8 hours engraving....it is quite challenging but so worth it.

Till next time......

19 December 2008

2008-12-19T09:50:00.007Z

Quick note to tell you all that I will be engraving perfumes in Harrods once again tomorrow Saturday 20th December, the last time before Christmas. From approx 10.30 am to 5pm.

Prices will be the same as before, £15 for a name and little flower/heart/jewel/feather or £25 including an additional short message. Alternatively I will engrave a name with a small floral bouquet for £25.

Make your Christmas gift to that special person not Just a bottle of perfume but a totally unique personalised surprise for them.

Please note that these prices are a special for Harrods ONLY.

Happy Christmas everyone

16 December 2008

2008-12-16T15:24:00.015Z

Once again Harrods was an experience which words cannot describe, it is so much fun, whilst being very concentrated work, and the people are just gorgeous!! The setting, the aromas, being in one of my favourite departments of cosmetics and perfumes of course! I worked both Saturday and Sunday staying over night in a fabulous hotel a short walk away who decided to upgrade me to a luxury suite...!!?? I was so exhausted it was hard to take it all in, but what an absolute treat with my lounge and staires down to the HUGE bedroom, 2 TVs, bar and snacks, too much to mention!! So I am very grateful to them! It will be sad to have to stay in a little single bed room next time ;-)

I had a grand selection of perfumes to engrave, some quite challenging. But there were usually ways and means...I had one Arab lady who wanted some arabic writing engraved, so I drew up some lines on the bottle for her and got her to write as neat as she can with my pen onto the bottle, I then engraved over her writing and added a couple of hearts as requested, it looked amazing! It is always a delight to see the customers faces when they see the bottles completed.

It is still to be confirmed whether I will be there again this weekend as I have still so much work to do in my workshop.
In the mean time it has been a week since my son left, I simply cannot believe it! They are now in Zimbabwe for a short visit, that is hard to believe too and hard to stomach so I try not to think about it. I don't think it has actually hit me yet that he is not going to come strolling into the lounge in the morning any more....luckily I have been too busy to get a chance to.

Happy Christmas everyone!!!

12 December 2008 - Harrods again

2008-12-12T17:01:00.003Z

Just a quick one to say I will be back engraving perfumes in Harrods, London, both Sat and Sun (13/14 Dec).
Pricing structure will be different to the last time.

See you there ;-)

7th December 2008

2008-12-07T10:22:00.006Z

Wow, what can I say, that was an awesome and surreal experience. I would like to thank Harrods for asking me and all the customers who bought perfumes to be engraved. It was non stop all day in fact. I had to escape to an office for a quiet bite to eat and a bottle of water for 10 minutes and then practically escape again to pack up at 5pm, and catch my trains... and what is up with London?? There are SO many people and what credit crunch??. I have very kindly been asked if I will do the same again next Saturday, this will be confirmed during the week.

Otherwise, today I await the arrival of my son Shane and his girlfriend Sian back from their farewell tour, and they will spend tonight with us before heading off to a destination nearer Heathrow to fly off to Africa, and then back home to New Zealand. I have clearly been distracted from feeling too sad, with being so busy in my work, it has been such a dream to be so close to Shane again . Now I have another exciting visit to look forward to, my youngest, Gavin, who will be coming around next April. Life is so precious and I am eternally grateful for all the wonderful things it gives me.

I know I have said this before , but I really wish that all moms who don't see their kids for one reason or another could experience what I have in the last few months.

Life is a journey...enjoy the ride

5th December 2008 - Harrods 6th!

2008-12-05T15:19:00.009Z

Well I wasn't going to mention this....but....er...I am going to be engraving perfumes etc in Harrods Perfume department, London, for customers tomorrow, Sat 6 Dec. This is a first and quite a challenge, but should also be quite entertaining, a very surreal experience. The cost per item will be £25 for a name and/or very short message , depending on space available on the item the customer wants engraved, also a short name or initials £15. All engraving done will be completely freehand while you wait...or walk around the shop.
Whatever next!!!??? ;-)
I should be starting around 11am (engineering works on the track as per usual) and packing up around 5pm.
Come on George Clooney.... just pop in....

latest news.....we have just agreed that another option we will offer is to engrave your OWN handwritten message on the item. I will give the customer the a suitable pen and they can write / sign the bottle afterwhich I will hand engrave their message/signature forever into the perfume bottle. How about that!!!?

16 November 08....exercise routine

2008-11-16T12:19:00.008Z

It has been a very hectic but succesful week and I am finally getting on top of things. So it is Sunday and I am going to mention another very important aspect of my life.

A glass engraver spends a lot of time sitting on one's behind, whether it is at the PC doing artwork/quotes/ordering/website/photographs/emails...or sitting at a desk sticking masks or hand engraving. I stand up when sandblasting or packing parcels or waiting in a post office queue! This all would be very bad for my health if I didn't have a regular exercise regime and healthy diet. It is not a glamorous affair, there is NO make up involved so believe me this is a first for my photos!!

DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ROUTINE UNLESS YOU ARE EXPERT IN THIS AREA AND KNOW YOUR BODY AND ITS CAPABILITIES. I am only sharing this for fun and have not included specific precautionery details.

Apart from playing golf whenever I can (at the moment only about once every 2 weeks) I go to a gym 2 - 3 times a week (more when I can) for an hour of vigorous workout. If I don't then I do some of the basics before breakfast.

This does not necessarily mean high energy/high impact aerobics, far from it, but I make sure my heart rate goes up in a 5 minute stint on each of the following: bike/ treadmill/ rower/ cross trainer = 20 minutes. I do not jog on the tread mill , I have never been one for jogging, but I walk at a very fast pace on a very steep incline.

I then move on to every other muscle I can possible think of and work it until it burns. I come from the days of old....no pain no gain etc....I have been doing my gym since I left school in 1979, prior to that I did ballet... something I believe every little girl should do, from the age of 7 I was taught posture and grace whilst at the same time respect and decent discipline and how to work hard to achieve the best that you can be.

Back to my routine. ... I next "pull down" behind my shoulders 25kgs, 2 or 3 x 12 reps, then "peck deck " 12.5kgs same reps. Onto the tricep pull down 25kgs, same reps.

I then move on to a pair of dumbells, where I do a routine of arm exercises whilst standing. It should be taken as read that whenever standing everything is taute, tummy tight and good posture.

Next it is off to the thighs, inner and outer on the abductor, I squeeze 40 kg inner and then 45kg outer, 3 reps of 12.

Off to the mat where I begin with tummys. I don't have a name for my first exercises, basically balancing on the butt and lifting top half and legs at the same time. I do this 15 - 20 times, then I grab 2 3kg dumbells and balance again and twist from one side to the other15 times. I then work the upper tummy with the dumbells followed by "the plank" for 30 seconds. I have been trying to get up to a minute, but by this stage I am usually struggling. I turn on my side and lift my upper body 20 times each side.

I then do 20 "ladies" press ups, then lying on my tum lift my arms and legs symultaneously for my back. Then I stretch the **** out of the muscles I have used to this point.

Next I grab a 7kg dumbell and do 50 calf raisers whilst holding the extra weight. Then I streeeeeetch them out.

Finally I do my last lot of stretching back on the mat, finishing with my neck, gently.

During this whole process I am drinking a lot of water.

I always feel alive and ready to take on what this life tends to throw at you where you need to be strong, mentally and physically, a bit like some prisoners do when they have a long sentance to serve (well like they seem to do in the movies, a lot of weight training), in some way, many of us need to have the same attitude.

So, I had better carry on my quiet Sunday, next week has a lot of engraving to accomplish, beginning at least 3 of those days with my gym at 7am!!!

LOOK AFTER YOUR HEART

7 NOVEMBER 2008

2008-11-07T10:37:00.002Z

NOVEMBER FULLY BOOKED, taking small orders only for December/Christmas still.
(all emails and quotes received will be fine for Nov, even if you are awaiting prices from me)

Many thanks everyone.....in haste

Keep well and safe

3rd November 2008

2008-11-03T13:00:00.006Z

Well the art Glass Fair seems like a life time ago already, I have not had a moment to post anything since then. Demonstrating is exhausting but people were very interested to see how it is all done...and no one asked me "where are you bringing these in from...." which I usually feel pretty miffed about!

My demo piece for the day was the set of optical crystal book ends pictured here, "King and Queen" This is now available for £280.00. One off.
A huge hug and kiss to my Brian who helped me , he is very special!
I have been madly busy...still...and thank goodness....and recently completed a rather prestigious order:I am looking at a long list of orders to get on with right now so I really must get on....but not before saying once again how fantastic my life is, to be able to still have my boy with me for another month. It has been a very special year of healing.
Always believe in your dreams....and well done Lewis "Hammie" !!!

18 October 2008

2008-10-18T09:51:00.004+01:00

A lovely pic of my eldest son Shane and me after a game of golf! Such a special time we are having. Anyway, thought I would share that before I dived into my work and packing up for tomorrow's glass fair. Would love to meet anyone visiting the fair who reads my blog ;-)
have a great weekend everyone. x

11th October 2008

2008-10-11T14:08:00.004+01:00

It is a lovely sunny day and for the last week it has apparently been the same but I have not even seen it...so, late yesterday afternoon I managed to sneak out with my son for 9 holes and then played 18 with a very good friend of mine this morning. It is really important to get out in the fresh air especially when busy..I have decided! When I thought I was busy before I was mearly strolling in the park, and I keep saying that. How much busier can I be? But really there is always room for more somehow.
One area I have been sacrificing for some months, is the answering of many emails I get from fellow budding engravers around the world. I apologise once again, it has been impossible to allocate time to this as yet. All emails are neatly in a folder waiting patiently to be answered and will eventually.
One of my latest commissions (for a Christmas present) is a HUGE crystal vase which will have a collage of the family pooch, all over it. This one is due to come for her portrait photos soon. It is always important to take photos of the dog at the same level as them so there is no forshortening. Dogs are always a popular subject and I really do enjoy engraving them, I have a lovely old bloodhound on an optical crystal plaque, waiting to be collected. Can't show you as yet . Also recently completed all the awards for a London College, such a different type of order and that is what makes my job so interesting.
Just about to tackle 40 beer tankards for an "Oktoberfest" right now, although a beer now after a hard game of golf sounds a much better idea.
Next Sunday is the Art Glass Fair at Dulwich College, London. I will be demonstrating hand engraving all day, and of course selling my wares.

I will leave with this little note for any woman out there who is feeling low, and especially those under control of a misogynist at this moment :

Inside of you is a smart, powerful, dynamic, capable, self confident, alive, alert, fabulous woman! Let her come out and play, the world is waiting for you!
Louise L. Hay

2nd October 2008

2008-10-02T10:29:00.002+01:00

Today was a difficult day for me as I had to say "goodbye and good luck my boy" on Skype, to my youngest son , who I have not seen for 3 years, and who lives in New Zealand and is leaving for his 6 month tour of duty in Afghanistan. How do you do that?? I need to be giving him a big hug! Instead there were just tears and a snotty tissue on a poor quality live stream on a computer. Then again, at least I could see him and tell him I love him.

I am so so proud of him, and to be more positive, he will be much closer on the planet to me than he has been for the last 7 years. A huge blessing as well is that I have my eldest son with me still until December, he does not realise how special this time with him is to me....(would probably cringe as all boys would at a soppy mom).... but I am truely fortunate, as this time for me could have been much more difficult. I love you boys more than words can say.

I really have so much to be greatful for, including a fantastic amount of work coming in....what credit crunch??

So I had better get on with it, and keeping busy is the best way to stave off negative feelings.

I know I have said this before, but today it is important....Keep your face to the sunshine so you cannot see the shadows.