It\s the first day of Summer, which means I've been neglecting this site for too long. Not a single post for Spring 2014 which is sad really. We have been getting moved in and organized, and the new torch is hooked up. So the good news is that my studio is up and running, and I have some new creations. 

First we went over to the mainland in March and hit Ikea. Our poor little VW Golf was filled to the brim with goodies. We arrived at the BC Ferries terminal 4 minutes late and then had to wait 2 hours for the next sailing. I love living on an island, but getting on and off the island is a real pain in the ass. Anyways, I'll try not to go into a rant on that.

I wanted some shelving to store glass that would fit the alcove in my studio, and I couldn't be happier on how it turned out.
We spent a few evenings putting Ikea shelving together and in all honesty it went pretty well. No divorce papers being served!

I'm glad I did the measurements before we went to Ikea, as I knew exactly how much space I had to play with.
I went with two "Besta" cabinets for the base (which I'll probably store glass sheets for fusing), and three "Expedit" bookcases for my glass rods for lampworking.

While I would have changed the placement of the 3 light coloured tiles in the left front of the picture, I am happy with the tile job so far. The grout goes down on Tuesday, so I hope to be able to move everything back into the studio for next weekend. 

I chose tile so that I don’t have to worry if a hot piece of glass falls to the floor. When you are in the middle of a bead you don’t want to have to get on the floor and look for a piping hot ball of glass.

The new torch is so quiet. The oxygen concentrator is the loudest thing now (at least until I get some music) when I’m making beads, but I can actually have a conversations in a normal voice. It’s just another added bonus of the upgrade.

Last weekend I was able to successfully do a couple batches of beads. No more scum! I did have to turn the torch down to a smaller flame, but it’s still amazing. 

They started the floor today, so once that is done I will post a picture. I originally wanted some blues (surprise surprise) and greys, but decided to go with just 3 different shades of grey in the same size and tile family. My instructions for the tile guy were “I want it random, but not random”. These instructions make sense to me, but my husband just shakes his head.

In the New Year the tiles, trim, etc. will need to be done, but it's pretty close to being completed. Merry Christmas to me!

We have walls! I primed and put the first coat of paint on my new walls. It is starting to come together and look like a real building.

Here they were almost finished the siding. It's starting to look more and more like a studio. Hoping to be complete shortly into the New Year.

The doors are in as well as the insulation here. A warm spot for the winter to torch will be a welcomed change.

I'm looking forward to having my own studio for a variety of reasons. I have been working out of our unheated garage for a few years now. The idea of having a heated space will make those winter days torching that much more enjoyable.

Also, I will be switching from MAPP gas canisters to having a natural gas supply. This should save money and be healthier for the planet. The number of canisters I go through in a year is around 60 ($8 a can when I buy bulk), so it can get a little costly. When you are 3/4 of the way through a bead and run out of gas, it can be very annoying.

This is also the perfect opportunity to upgrade my torch. All these years on a hothead have definitely taught me patience, but some of the larger beads I do take 1.5+ hours. I have ordered an Oxygen Concentrator which when combined with the natural gas will create a much hotter and cleaner flame. With the new torch I hope to be able to increase productivity as well as perhaps be able to do larger beads than I have in the past. I am extremely excited!!

The walls are covered in Tyvek Homewrap to help protect against wind and rain. The roof is done and it's dry inside... as long as the rain doesn't blow through the open doorway.

The last week has been a bit slow going on the studio front, but I'm a little slow at posting so it's all good. Here they were starting the roof.