Monica and I joined the CraftologySJ team in the fall of 2016, the first official year of Nellyglass Studio, just before the annual Saint John Sparkles event. Monica convinced me to make a special ornament just for the show and so I did… a bunch of them, like thirty! They sold very well and we were delighted. It was fun to meet the customers… some people who knew us, came out just for us!! and, as well, new friends were made. Thank you, one and all.
The next Christmas of 2017 was enchanting because after a year’s experience, we were comfortable at CraftologySJ. I produced a new ornament to compliment the previous year and made forty of them. Familiar smiling faces shared with us in the holiday spirit.
We stayed with Craftology for two more years. That meant two more Christmas ornaments were produced in small numbers as before of forty or fifty. For 2018, an irridized 3.5″ star. The ten pieces in the pattern form an inner star which echos the overall shape.
Then for 2019, a Christmas Diamond featuring a central square bevel set in irridized glass. After four Christmases, folks were getting to know us at CraftologySJ and we had a ball. The ornaments have sold out each year making them collectable as a complete set. I know of a few folks that have all four of the above.
Alas, when COVID crippled the tourist industry in 2020, CraftologySJ sadly closed its doors. That also meant no more Saint John Sparkles night in December, so I had resigned myself that the ornament series was finished.
However, Monica saw it differently and once again convinced me to make a new ornament; a 3.5″ frosted snowflake. The beauty of a snowflake is in the repetition of an intricate pattern. So, I used 37 pieces of glass, some as small as the head of a match. It was an ambitious project but the result is precious. Also, in keeping with a 2020 marketing angle, we limited the edition to twenty and sold them through Instagram. They sold out in 8 hours !😀
For Christmas 2021, I designed 6 little trees each with a different pattern and each with 5 pieces of glass. I made twelve sets of six (72) but the possible color combinations meant no two trees were exactly alike making each one unique. Monica helped me stage a pretty photo for Instagram and we posted the sale at 1pm on a Sunday. They were sold out by 4pm. 😊🎄
In 2022, I designed an ornament inspired after those vintage glass beauties of yore. I started early in the year and produced a few at a time between commissions. They are made entirely from irridized glass with a faceted jewel in the center in seven colors; blue, green, red, pink, white, yellow and clear. No two are exactly alike, each one more beautiful than the last. It was a busy afternoon on the day I advertised them but Monica managed the mayhem with calm and efficiency. I was delighted to post “SOLD OUT” four hours later.
nellyglass studio 