More Custom Work

Whew!  Lots on the horizon in the world of custom gifts and things.  Our oil lamps arrived.

These will go into our centerpieces for twenty tables at the big Claremont Heritage Foundation's summer fundraiser.  We're selecting a few varieties of glass that will surround the oil lamps for a beautiful hurricane lamp effect in the garden.  I think this one could be a winner.

We'll load some cool colored sand at the base and rest a cluster of the oil lamps on top.  The distorted flames should be beautiful.  

And, another order for luminarias.  These are really going to be beautiful, wrapped around the glass cylinders.  

New projects

We just completed a round of custom luminarias for a customer that wandered into the store, last weekend.  A lot of people are drawn to the cool artwork we feature on the glass, as it looks really great when it's lit from tea light, within.

I just finished a new project that I'm really excited about - table top fountains.  I stumbled across these amazing colored translucent boxes in a variety of shapes and colors.  My wheels started spinning and a project was born.  I threw it up on facebook and it's already gathering a lot of steam from people interested in a workshop.  Pretty cool.  Beside a window, the fountain dances with sunlight through the colored glass and flowing water.  I think it's a winner.  

Custom Work

We got a bunch of custom orders for luminarias, over the weekend.  They really seem to be taking off.

We're anxiously awaiting May 3rd, when the announcements will be sent out for those accepted into the Renegade Craft Faire.  We're hoping to bring a few lines to the event for wholesale to area shops.  Fingers crossed!  

Earth Day was a smash, as a lot of people showed up with bottles that they cut into drinking glasses.  It was a steady turn out all day long.  

In case you missed it, a 1927 steam engine locomotive roared through the village on Sunday, two blocks from our store, as part of a run to the San Bernardino Railroad Museum.  It was pretty neat-0!  I ran out and snapped this as it crossed Indian Hill Blvd.    

Also, Julie Bergmann, who teaches her ever popular class, "Through The Viewfinder," had her picture chosen as part of the mosaic ad for the TV show "Touch."  

Apparently there's a giant billboard for the show in Times Square.  We're pretty excited for Julie.  Her next workshop in building the device that took that picture is this Saturday morning.  Check it out here on our website.  

Couple things...

We just bot back our "Greetings from Claremont" cards.  I think they look pretty cool.  This is a custom piece we created right here at the store.  So many people ask if we have Claremont postcards, so we just upped and made one.

And, the poster is up in the window for this weekend's Earth Day celebration - live music, stuff and street closures.  What more could you want for a groovy time in a hamlet nestled in the foothills of SoCal.  ;)

Customizing our custom work!

A funny thing happened the other day.  A customer bought a sign for her boyfriend.  She ordered one of our awesome custom signs by Meissenberg Designs.  For this particular sign, you can change the mountain and the altitude.

We think it came out fantastic, and she did too.  However, a week later, she comes walking back into the store with the sign in hand.  "Guess, what?"  See this altitude?

She found out later that the altitude of 8,600 feet is for the top of the ski lift, while the summit is a much more respectable 10,064 feet.  And, since she is giving this to her mountain climber boyfriend, she doesn't want to embarrass herself....Trouble.  "Is there anything you could do?" she asks.  After a bit of pondering, I made a suggestion.  

I thought maybe we could make a groovy little interchangeable sign like the forest service uses for its alerts and information.

I added some hooks.  

And, voila!

It feels a bit more custom than...well...standard custom.  I think it works.  :)

It's a rainy day in Claremont

The tea is hot, the music is cool and the art is fresh.  Make something today at heirloom.

 How 'bout a journal from real birch wood?

Great Article!

We're super excited about our article in ten57 magazine!  It really captures our vibe.  Thanks to Chris Bashaw for taking the time to understand what we're all about here.

Also, we're headed to the "Crafted" space at the L.A. Port to check out the scene down there.  The team behind Bergamot Station in Santa Monica is opening a 500 stall handmade-only super mall.  They should be up and running this summer, but they're currently filling spaces with interested parties.  We'll see how it goes after we tour the facility.

If you know of any artists who be interested in participating in the Claremont First Fridays Artwalk, have them drop me a line at info@heirloomclaremont.com.  We're looking to build the event to a carnival-like scene here in the village.  I'm in charge of the Village West and bringing the tenants together to grow the experience.

And, last but definitely not least, our application is in for a space at this summer's Renegade Craft Faire in downtown L.A.  The website says that there are 1500 applicants for 200 spaces.  Fingers crossed!

It should be a great summer here at heirloom!

Branching out!

We're very excited to report that some of the groovy things in our store that Becky and I make ourselves can now be found at Co-op 28 in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.  Becky created some amazing gardens in a great selection of her neat containers.

As I was hanging my lamps up in Marci's store, a friend of hers came by and said my fixtures should be hanging in the wine bar down the block.  She said she'd mention me to the owner and suggest that he pay a visit to the display at Co-op 28.  Super cool!

I'm kind of partial to the clear glass.  

Then, we did another class this morning with a family of three.  Mom's daughter was visiting from the east coast during Spring break.  They had a great time learning the craft. 

Our first "First Friday Artwalk" in Claremont was a huge success.  Carrie Todd had a fabulous turn out.  

I think this may rank as one of my all time favorite lamps.  I made it this morning.  

So many projects!

We're rolling up our sleeves here and gettin' 'er done.  We've got "The Heirloom Workshops" at Co-op 28 in Los Feliz on April 21st, and from there, it's all about new workshops.  We're adding Journal Making this month and we're also currently designing a tabletop fountain project that we'll be bringing to the class schedule very soon.  Oh, and check out the most excellent railroad lanterns that we'll be fashioning into a couple of pendant lamps.