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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 2:02:27 GMT -5
I've had a small fused glass kiln for about two months now, and have made several jewelry projects. The other day, I bought some purple glass, and after fusing it with some other colors, I got an idea to create a set of three, which turned out to be four, abstract pieces that tied in to the characters of Bill, Pam and Ralph. This is what turned out, along with a brief interpretation: [glow=red,2,300]Pam:[/glow] On Pam's, I had the purple background because she tends to wear a lot of purple. The teal looking circles are another color she wore a lot, while the green/gold glass is her "gold star" from Bill. The blue represents the sky the Ralph flies in, and the fused glass in it adds to him being invisible sometimes - but her still know where he was (i.e. in the room). [glow=red,2,300]Bill:[/glow] To translate Bill's, the golden triangle at top is the "little gold stars" comment, and the blue background is "Way to go Blue!" one. The red with the blue diachroic squares is just to add to the patriotic effect, and the little green dot on the white... little green guys.  [glow=red,2,300]Ralph's:[/glow] For Ralph's, I ended up making two. The original pendant (which I am making into a brooch) is on the right, which represents Ralph wearing the suit, with the center bit the stars in the sky the night Ralph got the suit. That said, the more I thought about it, I realized that there was more to Ralph than just the suit. So, I then made the one on the left. This case, the red black and white triangle is Ralph's suit, and the blue and yellow is Whitney High School colors (Ralph as a teacher). I based the colors for Whitney High on the jerseys the kids wore and the letter sweater Ralph wears in the episode "Dreams." The bit of diachroic glass in the gold triangle is a holograph, which he'd get sometimes at the school. The center stripe consists of three diachroic pieces: Pam (purple), Bill (gold) and the greenguys (green) which of course represent the three most important people/beings in his life. I also plan on making one that represents the kids and the green guys, but right now I'm taking a break from fused glass so I can work on some of my other craft projects for another project I'm a part of. It was a lot of fun to work on, and hope you enjoy.  |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 10:57:04 GMT -5
Not bad, but I don't think you need to clutter up Pam's with Ralph and Bill.  |
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 11:32:48 GMT -5
Not bad, but I don't think you need to clutter up Pam's with Ralph and Bill. Hey, I gave each one their own separate picture and didn't I put Pam's on top? Out of all of them so far, I've worn Pam's the most. Oddly enough, it's the one of the three I thought that was going to fuse oddly - or in a way I didn't want - based on what I saw through the vent at the top of the kiln. There's clear glass at the top of the gold glass, and I thought for a moment it covered the diachroic glass swirls, which if it had, could've erased some of the swirls. |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 12:04:50 GMT -5
I think that is probably because there is a lot of jewelry out there in the style of the one you did for Pam. The colors and nuances are more subtle and blended better than the other three.
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 12:12:53 GMT -5
I think that is probably because there is a lot of jewelry out there in the style of the one you did for Pam. The colors and nuances are more subtle and blended better than the other three. True, but I have sold several pendants that look like Ralph and Bill's. Here's a few others I designed, top design of which has been quite popular too:  |
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Post by MST3Claye on Feb 14, 2009 12:52:14 GMT -5
They all look great, Mel! Pam's piece looks very well done. I agree with HD in how it would look like a normal jewelry piece. I also like the Ralph one with the suit colors.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 12:58:56 GMT -5
In the other picture, I like the one on the right in the second row. To me, they look more like jewelry pieces that could sell to anyone and they do not seem to be geared towards a TV show where the others appeared geared toward something...and most people might not understand what or why.
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 13:31:06 GMT -5
In the other picture, I like the one on the right in the second row. To me, they look more like jewelry pieces that could sell to anyone and they do not seem to be geared towards a TV show where the others appeared geared toward something...and most people might not understand what or why. Thanks HD, the triangle is one of my favorite pieces, and I've sold a similar one to a customer. But, none of the ones in that new picture have any ties to any show, and are just having fun fusing glass. As far as the other three, they're for fun, and if asked when I wear them, I just say they're pendants I've made. Don't even say "GAH" themed, because not many here know the show or if they do, know Ralph. I've seen pendants that are similar to Ralph's and Bill's too made by others, and people have bought them. |
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 13:34:14 GMT -5
They all look great, Mel! Pam's piece looks very well done. I agree with HD in how it would look like a normal jewelry piece. I also like the Ralph one with the suit colors. Thanks Claye, and I agree, Pam's is the most often style you see at fairs and such. While I like making them in that style (I have made a few clear ones with just diachroic), I also like making the more abstract pieces too because they're a little more unusual - something that's rather sought after here. It's similar to the domino pendants I've made - I use buttons more than decoupage because you see more of the latter than the former. |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 13:34:25 GMT -5
Good point. Are you going to try and sell them?
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 13:39:02 GMT -5
Good point. Are you going to try and sell them? Well, I've sold a couple, and I've been invited to show at an art gallery here. I would love to have a booth at the fairs and such but either a. I'm covering it and therefore can't man the booth all day or b. when I can get one, they're too cost prohibitive. |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 13:54:57 GMT -5
You know that you can take vacation days, right? |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 13:55:10 GMT -5
How much do you sell them for?
Do you sell the chains too?
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Post by MelMac on Feb 14, 2009 14:17:54 GMT -5
You know that you can take vacation days, right? Yes... but usually the latter is the bigger impact than the former. I might be able to attend a couple of booths later on now though since I've paid off my car loan. How much do you sell them for? Do you sell the chains too? Right now, I'm selling the domino pendants for $15 and the fused glass pieces for $20. I'm not charging something absurd, such as the $40 or so I've seen for pendants the same style. I'd rather keep my prices to where pretty much anyone can purchase one. I still make a bit, true, but to me it's more fun to see people actually wear and enjoy my work than just hear "Oh, that's pretty." Usually, I will attach a leather or silk cord to the pendant, as some people can't wear mixed metals but want to wear the necklace right off. I do know the bails are mixed metals; however, most of the time when I see people wear these pendants they rest over a shirt, so the metal doesn't touch skin. Haven't been able to find sterling bails yet, but I'm trying to. |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Feb 14, 2009 14:27:59 GMT -5
Nice touch on the cords, Mel. |
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Post by MelMac on Feb 16, 2009 1:47:52 GMT -5
Nice touch on the cords, Mel. Thanks, and they're also removable so people can put them on a chain if they so choose. I've also considered making the kids one a bracelet instead, as I have a few irregular pieces that would work with what I have in mind. But, I'm not sure yet if that's the way I want to go with it. |
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Post by MelMac on Feb 18, 2009 23:54:51 GMT -5
Not quite "GAH," but thought this one turned out well. It's a new one I made the other day, which was inspired by someone suggesting it'd be neat if I could do heart shaped ones. While I can't cut hearts out of the glass (don't have the experience yet), I was looking at millefori and got an idea. This was what I got:  The challenging part is to get the millefori to balance out to make a heart shape. |
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Post by ThatGirl on Feb 20, 2009 0:47:53 GMT -5
They are all lovely. I like Pam's best. It is very vibrant and the colors remind me of her eyes against light skin and very dark hair. Really lovely.
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Post by Ms Boku on Feb 20, 2009 10:55:56 GMT -5
They are all lovely. I like Pam's best. It is very vibrant and the colors remind me of her eyes against light skin and very dark hair. Really lovely. Me too. The best fro sure. |
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Post by MelMac on Feb 20, 2009 14:33:06 GMT -5
They are all lovely. I like Pam's best. It is very vibrant and the colors remind me of her eyes against light skin and very dark hair. Really lovely. Me too. The best fro sure. Thanks for the compliments both That Girl and Ms Boku.  I think out of all of them, the most compliments I get are for the purple one you mention, the triangle and the heart one. I had a couple of people ask me about them at a social I attended the other day, so I e-mailed them pics of what I had made. Don't know yet if they'll buy one, but it's a start. |
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"FOUR?!"
I think out of all of them, the most compliments I get are for the purple one you mention, the triangle and the heart one. I had a couple of people ask me about them at a social I attended the other day, so I e-mailed them pics of what I had made. Don't know yet if they'll buy one, but it's a start.