It's a Family and Friend Affair

Put to music and this title would sound pretty familiar, right? Here at Crescent Moon we are hitting all the right notes and friends and family are part of the band. Mike started apprenticing in glass blowing last year and has since spent time honing his craft. He doesn't get many hours to do this, since he is active in running the shop and most of the time spent at the studio is as the assistant to one or another glass blower. Assisting is the best way to learn.
He brought this wonderful blue vase to the shop last week and it shows how far he has come.


Anne Bartlett is my sister, the pretty one, and since our purchasing the shop, has discovered her love for glass too. Working with fused glass her dichroic pendants have become a favorite item since their introduction. Talented family so far! Anne's studio Serendipity is in her home in Wilmington.


Friends included here. Lynn Donofrio and "Me" have embarked on unleashing hidden talents recently. Our method of choice is hand-painted glass art. Not as easy as one imagines. Just getting started we are practicing painting techniques and let me tell you...leaves are hard. But the laughs and good times we are having make the mistakes all worth it. I convinced Lynn and myself that our first "vases" deserved to be showcased in the shop. So here they are. Would all the real artists please try not to roll on the floor laughing. :)

Mike and I are fortunate to be loving our work and our hobbies, and we have more family and many friends that you never know may want to tap into their artistic sides. There will be a place in the gallery for each and every one.

"Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still." Henry David Thoreau

The ART of DISPLAY

We are asked frequently at Crescent Moon on how someone would go about displaying or hanging their art glass ornaments. That one question sometimes catches me by surprise, because at Crescent Moon we have our art glass displayed every way we can think of. That is not the typical situation for your home however. We do suggest to anyone decorating with art glass to think outside of the normal table displays.

We have several display hangers that you can extend from a sturdy cup or “j” hook inserted in the ceiling, wall, or window frame. The size of the hook needed will depend on the weight of the glass object.

For solid surfaces such as a stud, simply drill and screw the “j” hook into the wall stud or ceiling beam. But if the surface is hollow, you will need to drill and insert a plastic anchor into the hole and then screw in the “j” hook. Anchors and hooks can be found at the hardware store.

Here are some examples of displays. Have fun with your decorating and add a little surprise of color to an unexpected place in your home. Glass catches the light from your windows and lighting like no other 3D art and catches the eye as well.

Another New Beginning

The blog has been silent and I have been absent. We are dirt dwellers once again and my mind and body are totally absorbed in the many tasks required to set up a full household. Running from store to store, I’ve stimulated the Wilmington economy with my purchases on multiple trash cans, laundry accessories, cleaning dusters, mops, brooms, wands, cloths and rugs, drawer organizers, and last but not least, bubble bath for enjoying our new soaking tub. There will be projects of course, lovely ones like painting, caulking here and there, building shelves, and replacing faucets. The task we’re looking forward to the most however, is decorating with our art glass. Our new home showcases like a gallery with perfect architectural points and excellent lighting. Platters, jellyfish, orbs and vases will be placed throughout. Fan Pulls and finials will grace the lighting. Nightlights will illuminate the halls and chimes will hang on the porch.

House living is new and exciting for us. Seems silly to some I’m sure, just as moving and living aboard our boat was 4 years ago. That was exciting and new then too. Buying a shop called Crescent Moon 2 years ago was exciting and new. Every choice we’ve made has been refreshing and fits Mike and I and our personalities. Everyone should add something new and exciting to their lives occasionally. It’s stimulating!

Next I’ve heard is the Harley…

Bittersweet

Making a significant change in your life or taking a risk that may seem crazy to everyone around you, and feeling good about it, is not something that is taught or coached in a class or seminar. The "feeling good about it" simply comes from the gut. At least that has been our experience. And we are feeling good about our decision to become dirt dwellers again and have bought a lovely home in Wilmington's Masonboro area. This means we will move off our dear Quiescent which I've described and blogged about previously. It is for sale and we are getting quite a few interested inquiries on it. So there are transactions happening both in home and boat real estate and that is good news.

Living aboard Quiescent and traveling the ICW in 2005-2006 is an experience that Mike and I agree we will never regret. Many individuals and couples put off doing what they talk about, always putting another milestone in their path to accomplish before embarking on their plans, and subsequently often lose the opportunity. Maybe foolishly to some, we tend to jump right in. When the guts tell us it's right. Quiescent has allowed us to meet many new friends while traveling, experience sunsets that were awe inspiring and gave us "a story" to tell our customers when we strike up a conversation with them. No, we don't regret a moment. Well, maybe the moments when I blow fuses trying to use too many burners and the oven at one time, or the coffee pot is brewing and I plug in the blow dryer. But those pale to all the other wonderful times we've had with friends and family aboard cruising NJ and the Cape Fear region.

So this transition in our lives once again must mean I will need to change part of our blog purpose and shift all my focus to our glass and shop. Well, Mike has never been without a boat since he was eight, and we do have a kayak still, so there will always be a little bit of our love of the water in my musings.

Here are a few of our boats we've enjoyed.