The sponsor’s ad might not convey the message but this glass challenge wants you to express what spring means to you…in glass.  Put on by the Glass Challenge, there is a professional AND a hobbiest category so there is no reason not to enter.

Ed Hoy’s is sponsoring the current challenge and is giving away gift certificates in the amount of $350, $250 and $150 across the two categories.  Be sure to click the link above for the specifics of the contest.  Deadline to enter is June 30th.

I love gardening.  I love growing things.  I love to be outside working in the dirt. But, alas, for the last 11  years of my life I have lived in the middle of the desert.  Not only does that mean that anything that you plant to survive probably has some type of sticky substance or needles on it but also that the soil is hard, dry and just not very workable.  Did I mention that it’s so hot that flowers don’t survive?

Today I was waking up with my cup of coffee and Google reader and came up on this post by Atlantic Art Glass.  They spoke of their garden/yard a little differently, as being overgrown but seeing their beautiful glass flowers I thought, well, I might just have to settle for glass beauty around me instead of the real blooming, flowering garden variety.

It could be worse.  I could have a huge lawn to mow.

You might remember the auction site just for beads, JustBeads.com.  They’ve been offline for a while but I just found today that they’re planning a relaunch of the suite for May 16th.

In the meantime, they’ve created a discussion forum where you can ask questions, talk about beads, get tips and tricks and much more.

I’ve embarked on a color study project to document what different colors of transparent glass do when layered over each other.  I’m hoping that it will serve as a reference as I branch out into other designs.  It is very time consuming as each bead in this series takes 30 minutes to an hour but once the project is done I suspect it will save me time that has normally been spent experimenting with color for each design.  No more trial and error…I can just reference my documentation.  You can read more about this project today on Watch Me Create, another blog I write for.

Today must be the day for glass houses in my Google alerts.  Check out this enclosed dining area on this glass house.  It looks like this house is nestled in the woods.  What a great way to enjoy the great outdoors without the bugs, hayfever, humidity or snow.  Be sure to follow the link to see some other modern glass homes.

I just have one question:  Just who does the windows?

It takes a special kind of person to live in a glass house.  Especially at night when you kn0w that people can see in but you can’t see out.

Check out this elegant home that allows you to be closer to nature with floor to ceiling glass walls!  Be sure to click through to see the other enchanting architectrual elements of this stylish one story home.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know that cupcakes are the years hottest dessert trend.  Don’t have a sweet tooth?  Well, now you can wear them too.  Check out these great glass cupcake beads by Laura Sparling.

Laura was highlighted on the All Things Cupcake blog this week. Who knew that glass confections could make your mouth water?  Keep cooking that glass!

It’s easy with products from Hang Your Glass.  Being a bead maker I’ve not had the dilemma of hanging glass pieces but now that I think about it, there are some pretty interestingly shaped glass pieces out there.

Hang Your Glass (now also sold at Bullseye Glass) states:  “Any Shape.  Any Angle”

What a relief that is for both the artist and collector alike. So, don’t be intimidated to make your unique pieces.  Now it’s easy to make them into wall art.

Thanks to Jesska of the Thousand Threads blog who turns us on to Australian glass artist Les Baxter.  You can see more of Les’ work at the Architectural Glassworks web site.  From bright and bold to earthy and serene these glass panels would be sure to add class and dimension to any space!

Now there is a blog that puts a focus on working the elusive silver glasses that are so popular right now with glass bead makers and buyers  Maybe reading the enVisin blog will help with that.

There are different methods to working silver glass that produce a range of colors not common in soft glass beads until recently.  The glass is expensive but well worth it if you can get it to do what you want.  Check out the blog and see for yourself.  But warning…don’t go if you don’t want to have a new desire hanging over your head!

Are you mesmerized by mobiles but wouldn’t know where to start making your own?  Why not enter the contest at the Garden of Leah blog?  All you have to do is comment to be entered to win.  And then, if you do win, you can create your own mobile with whatever you’d like! Leah is known for her glass mobiles but who says you have to make yours with glass?

But hurry…the contest ends April 1st!

So, if you have something you want the world to know about, why not start with Craft Gossip?