My Glass Studio

Hello again, lampwork and glass enthusiasts! I thought it was a good time to share an update on my glass studio setup. Around a year ago, I moved to beautiful Sooke, BC, and have been slowly establishing my new studio space since then. It’s in a shed outside my house, which I had wired to accommodate my kiln, oxygen concentrator, computer, mini fridge, and lighting.

My Torch & Kiln Setup I use a Nortel Minor torch that I have had since 2004. I’ve only had it serviced once when I accidentally dropped a blob of melted glass over the ports. It’s been a fantastic little work horse! I do “clean” the ports myself occasionally by sticking a pin down them to remove any built up carbon, but that’s about it. The Minor runs a surface mix of oxygen and propane, and you can use an oxygen tank or a concentrator. I have small barbeque sized tank of propane outside my shed, and an oxygen concentrator which I purchased refurbished many years ago, and it’s been great too, no issues. My kiln is an AIM Kiln with a bead door and a Barlett 3-key controller . I’ve had to replace the relay I think twice since 2004.

Closeup of Amy's lampwork workstation — Amy’s work table

Glass and Tool Storage

I store my glass rods in a Soda Stream display case of all things. I found it at a second hand shop and it was perfect for my needs! I have a large collection of glass that I’ve accumulated over the years. The majority of my glass is Moretti/Effetre, and I also use some of the Vetrofond Odd lots, and Creation is Messy for more specialty colours. I have a bit of Lauscha and Double Helix, and I use Kugler clear almost exclusively now, especially for encasing. I use a lot of frit in my work, and pretty much exclusively Val Cox is my vendor for this. I store my frits in plastic containers from the dollar store, and keep them organized on shelves above my work station. I also have some CG bead rollers, presses from Zoozii’s, and keep a bowl of water on my work table. I should mention too that my work table is an old table that was my grandpa’s and has a bit of sentimental value. It’s come with me through many iterations of my studio, from my parents’ basement to a garage at my first house, to a room in my parents’ house, to a basement in my next home, to another garage, to here!

Lighting

It’s lovely and light in the spring and summer when I can open the door to my shed, and I do have windows for natural light too, but in the winter it’s a bit dark. I have a little clip on lamp that helps immensely.

Ventilation

Proper ventilation is extremely important when working with glass, due to the metals in the glass that can be hazardous, and also because the flame sucks up the oxygen in the air. My dad built my ventilation system so I can’t speak to exactly what went into it, but I’ll share some photos.

Safety

I do not have heat in the shed, and I set my puffy coat slightly ablaze during one session this past winter. (I was not injured although my coat was). It is not recommended to wear flammable clothing while working, and not recommended to reach across an open flame for something you need. I plan to get a small heater at some point although the shed is not insulated, so it might not help a lot. I also make sure that I have everything readily accessible for a session before lighting my torch and am extremely mindful that the hot area of the flame might be larger than it looks. I keep a fire extinguisher handy. I also wear special didymium glasses which help me to see into the flame while I’m working (they block the sodium flare from the glass), and they protect my eyes from flying glass too.

Thank you again for stopping by and “visiting” my studio today! Visit me on Etsy to see my work.

February 21, 2023

Tips for Selling on Etsy

Etsy can be a great place to sell your handmade items. Etsy started off as a small community for artists and crafters when it was launched in 2005. I had my first shop on Etsy in 2006, when it was still very new. It has grown exponentially since then, for better and for worse. Some who use the site find it difficult to compete with sellers with more mass-produced goods, which have been increasingly finding their way onto the site since Etsy allowed for outsourcing of production for sellers in 2013. Etsy allows a seller to reach a huge worldwide market, and the cost of doing so is low – a listing on Etsy costs 20 cents and lasts for 4 months. The fee that Etsy charges on sales is 6.5% which feels reasonable. The downside of Etsy is it can be a challenge to get seen and build up a following of repeat customers. The competition is high.

Val Cox “Olive” frit – lampwork beads by Amy Houston

Tips for Success

Find a Niche

Because of the saturation of products on Etsy, to be successful there you need to find your niche. You want to be either the only one selling this one specific thing, or else you need to be the best or most appealing version of it! But focusing in on something unique and fantastic is a good strategy toward success.

Focus on something that is better handmade

Handmade items almost always cost more than the store bought version, but they have a uniqueness, a quirkiness, or a higher quality than what you can order on Amazon. If this doesn’t describe your product, you won’t be successful. Give your buyers a reason to choose your product!

Take great photos and build great item descriptions

Buying online has challenges for your customers. They can’t pick up your product and look at it for themselves, so you need to make up for this with photos that engage their eye, and descriptions that make them excited to want to buy your product. Etsy allows videos now too, which can definitely enhance your listings. Etsy has some great articles about listing photography, and writing listing descriptions. Try to be as clear and descriptive as you can with written descriptions too. If you offer different options, make it easy for your buyer to understand how your system for purchasing works. (Do they need to fill out customization? Choose a “variation” from a dropdown? Make it clear and easy!)

Build your brand

Etsy has some really good guides to branding and marketing. While building a brand is key to running a small business, the advice I would add is that you can start small. You don’t need to purchase a lot of fancy extras like wrapping paper with your logo on it. Make your packages simple and pretty, and invest in some nice business cards to throw in (I like Vistaprint). Some people like to throw in little extras like a few candies with the package; this is nice for some people, if it fits with your brand, but not necessary for everyone.

My advice is to focus on your product in the beginning, and focus on making your shop and listings look as good as you can. Really tailor your shop’s experience to your niche market. Who is your customer base? What kinds of things do they like? What makes your product special and unique that they will love?

Offer excellent customer experience

Try to answer messages within 24 hours and sooner if possible. Be generous with return policies. Ship your items quickly. Communicate clearly.

Expect it to take some time

I have slowly built up my Etsy store over many years. It definitely helps to have more listings in your shop, because each listing is like a seed that can bring a customer in and spawn sales in other parts of your shop. And know that success won’t happen overnight. Just keep slowly building, celebrate any early sales, and keep at it.

February 21, 2023

What to Expect When Ordering from Madeforyoulampwork

Hello again lampwork and glass followers! Today I am going to share with you some details about ordering from my Etsy shop, madeforyoulampwork, including what’s new, some helpful hints, and what to expect when you order from me!

My Etsy shop is set up right now for “made to order” work – but what does that mean? It allows me to provide you with a large catalogue of designs I’ve previously done. I have “recipes” for all of these bead designs and the supplies in stock to create them. This has proven to be a really effective system for me to sell on Etsy, and I think that my customers appreciate it because there’s such a wide selection to choose from. I in turn dedicate my torch time to filling orders that have already sold (instead of trying to guess what I should stock my shop with), and creating new designs to add when sales are a bit slower or I have extra torch time on my hands.

When you order beads from my shop, you do have to wait a few weeks for me to ship them. That’s the downside of “made to order”. I have a pretty long queue of orders usually as well. When it gets too long, I put my shop in vacation mode, since I only do glass part time. This system seems to work out really well for me and my customers though!

I work through my queue of orders in the order that they come in, with the occasional exception if someone is in a real rush. If a customer reaches out to me and asks for something faster, and especially if it’s a smaller order, and I have the time to fit in an extra session at the torch, I might be able to accommodate.

I try very hard to answer questions from my customers within 24 hours of them coming in. I’m not always successful and sometimes I forget to respond at all so please don’t hesitate to bug me a second time if you don’t hear back from me after a day or two!

Recent Changes to Highlight

I’ve been slowly working on updating my Etsy listings to make it easier for my customers to choose the number of beads, what bead size, what hole size, and what finish (glossy or etched) they want. This means that I’m getting rid of the “Earring Pairs” section and now every design/listing will have a price option for a single pair. Since I also have many options for size and hole size, this will really open up your ability to customize your order as you’d like! I’ve always been open to this sort of customization but this is really streamlining the process for me, and for you.

I’ve also had to increase my shipping fees for smaller orders to the actual cost of shipping, because I was losing too much money on small orders. Shipping has gotten so expensive, especially shipping within Canada. But I am still offering free shipping on larger orders – over $35 in the US, and over $50 in Canada and Internationally.

I hope that this information is helpful to you, and please reach out to me if you have any questions.

February 21, 2023

Lampwork, Art, Hobbies, Work, and Life

Some beads using Val Cox "Aqua Violet" frit

Greetings fellow glass lovers! It’s been a while since I posted here on my glass site!

Just over 2 years ago, I had a big change in my life. My son was born and I became a mom! And then a lot of other stuff happened. My son was born at 32 weeks, so about two months early. He was very healthy but needed some extra support at the beginning of his life – he was in the NICU for 5 weeks, mostly for feeding support. As a result of his premature birth, I was able to take a longer maternity leave from work (18 months), which was fantastic. But less fantastic, during this time I separated from my husband of 13 years. I moved into a suite in my parents’ house so they could help out with little Clifford, which was going to be especially necessary when I went back to work.

While lampwork is a treasured hobby and side gig for me, I do also have a full time job. I am blessed to be able to work from home which lets me balance things with my 2 year old. I don’t have to commute, and I can pop upstairs to visit him throughout the day. However, since he came along, I haven’t had a lot of time to do glass, and I’m fine with that. I do manage to get in a few hours a week which is fantastic to keep my skills up and keep my Etsy shop going. When I get too many orders in my queue, I just put my shop in vacation mode for a few weeks to catch up.

I know that many of you who follow me are also really busy in your lives. Some of you are stay at home moms who do art or craft for some singular joy and possibly a bit of side income. Or, are you fitting it all in on the side while managing your day job? Are you retired, fitting in your art and craft in whatever space you can find between family and home responsibilities?

The struggle that I imagine we all share is in trying to balance it all. Trying to fit in the art and craft that gives us joy while keeping on top of the rest of our busy lives and somehow staying sane through the process (when for many of us, the art and craft is what helps us to maintain our mental health!)

So how do we find this balance? How do we create time for the things that give us joy?

Here are some things that have helped me, and I hope they might help you too.

Do find the small bits of time in the day and fit things in there. Sometimes a half hour here or there (or even less) can really add up!
Don’t get down on yourself if you have a day or a week or a month where you can’t fit in the extras. Just be patient and keep looking for ways to fit it in.
Don’t stretch yourself too thin. Say no to whatever you are able to that does not fill your cup.
Do make yourself and the things you want to do a priority, at least once in a while. In life it’s not always feasible to do so, but sometimes you must.
Don’t miss out on time with family and the friends that matter. Time with people is something you can never get back.
Do cut down on interactions with people and things in your life that are not contributing to your happiness and joy.
Do keep finding ways to do art and craft. If your usual ways don’t fit your life at the moment, try others that might fit better. Creativity is important for our hearts and our souls, and there are an infinite number of ways to explore that.

Thanks for stopping by today, and please also stop by my Etsy shop to see what I’ve been up to over there!

June 3, 2018