Christmas Ornaments- Glassblowing

A couple of weeks ago I attended glassblowing class at Juggernaut Glass in Houston TX. And this week I went back for a class in Christmas Ornaments. Juggernaut Glass offers two classes; a one hour class in Icicle ornaments and a two-hour class in hand-blown glass ornaments class. They are offered throughout the week but also on the weekends in the morning/evening.  This Christmas ornament class is offered from November- December.

Compared to the fusing class, this was definitely a glass blowing class. At the Christmas ornament class we used a propane oxygen torch to heat up and melt the glass. Each class has about 4 people, which kept the class small to allow more one-on-one attention. We used googles to see the glass in the hot flame and a glass blowing kernel to make sure the glass doesn’t cool down too quickly which could caused cracks to form.

Hand-Blown Glass Ornament Class- Two-Hour Class

In the two-hour class we created a classic 3D circle ornament, this consists of heating up one end of a glass tube and blowing in the heated tube expanding the glass to create a air bubble, continuously repeating this process to increase the bubble size until…. you have a large sized Christmas ornament. Because this was a beginners’ class, the ornaments were kept small plus it’s actually difficult to expand the glass without cracking or bursting the glass bubble. During this class we used clear glass to allow the glass to heat up more easily, and it made the process of expanding the glass easier.

Icicle Ornaments- One-Hour class

In the one-hour class we created Icicle Ornaments.By melting pieces of glass together we were able to fuse the glass together and twist the glass to create twirls. We first started with clear glass to learn the process and later used transparent colored glass for the final project.

They have backup pieces to make including class snowmen if all else fails.

If you would like to check out Juggernaut Glass check out there website: http://www.juggernautglass.com/index.html

You can also check out more pictures and video below. Thanks for reading guys, comment, like and subscribe and let me know what you guys think….

 

Light Fest- The Light Fest

With the Christmas period coming up there has been a new company called the the Light Fest. The Light Festival is an amazing, magical evening allowing adults, couples and families to make a lifetime memory by making wishes and dreams to the sky by letting go of fears, and embracing your true self to light fire to lanterns. The light Festival is a family friendly event which takes place rain or sun with environmental friendly lanterns made of sustainable materials and will be picked up once the lanterns fall to the ground.

The Light fest does not allow any pet animals at this event. The light Fest is priced depending on available tickets and approximate to event dates. Prices range from $25-$55 and include a lantern, a marker and key chain flashlight inside a swag bag.

I have always wanted to attend a light festival event especially after watching a number of Korean dramas on DramaFever and Viki. So when I saw this event on Facebook, I knew this was a must see and even cancelled an extra credit event for class to attend this event.

The light festival started at 1:30pm with check-in to receive your swag bags and get seats. I wouldn’t really call this a festival because there wasn’t really much to do. They had a couple of stalls providing food from hot dogs, burgers, fries, turkey legs and nachos. Plus a small stage  where they performed some live music by a singer called Mitchell Ferguson. Mitchell Ferguson is a singer born and raised in Dallas Texas for more information on him check him out on YouTube.

We arrived late around 3:00pm which made it a long wait time, so it is important to bring plenty of things to do to entertain yourself. Even better bring food and snacks and make this into a feasting slumber party and even bring a movie or a board game or two. The event truly starts around dark which can vary depending on sunset of the day. We started around 6:30pm and the event was truly beautiful and magical, and one of the best events I’ve ever been to. Throughout all of my adrenaline events just seeing the beauty in the world is by far the best.

If you plan on going to the event check out some of the tips below and make sure you are prepared.

Tips: 

1. Bring your own food, drinks and snacks(A Indian family brought more dishes than I could count and everything smelled and looked amazing.)
2. Bring Blankets and chairs to sit on the floor (make this into a slumber party, relax and keep warm)
3. Bring Books and games for the wait time (there was no internet).
4. Arrive closer to lantern lighting if you don’t want to wait around.
5. Bring cash for parking and food.
6. Bring a large group- the more people the more fun.
7. Buy your tickets early to get the cheapest price.
8. Leave late (parking was extremely bad – couldn’t get out of the parking lot straight away).

Below are some more pictures including a video. Thanks for reading Guys and let me know what you think. Comment, Like and Subscribe.

GlassBlowing- Juggernaut Glass

I have already done pottery and painting next up was to attend a glassblowing class. Thanks to “Juggernaut Glass” I was able to attempt glassblowing.

Juggernaut Glass is a community of glass artists and instructors skilled in a lampworking and flameworking. They create functional art, glass beads, pendants, marbles and more. They are located at Eastworks located at 116 Pleasant St. Suite 58 Easthampton MA and at Heights Art Studios & Gallery at 214 E 27th St. Houston TX. They offer classes as well as custom and wholesale orders for any occasion.

I managed to find them with groupon  where they were offering fusing classes which allowed you to create pendants or square coasters  which could be used for anything.

When you first arrive at the studio the parking is very limited due to the fact the studio is located in the middle of downtown Houston and is surrounded by residential apartments and houses. They limited each class to about 4 customers however they do offer larger private classes by reservation for  to 8-16 people which requires a $50 deposit beforehand. They do require each customer to call 2 weeks beforehand  to ensure they are able to get a full class. The studio was quite warm even though there was air conditioning throughout the studio. This was probably because of the heat coming from the furnace. I would hate to have to take this class in 100 degree Houston weather in the summer.

A table is located in the open area of the studio for each of the customers where they placed paper plates and bowls for the glasses fragments.slow acting glue is applied to make sure the glasses pieces stay on the template. There were also tinters for small pieces of glass and glass cutters to apply pressure on glass to be used on the cutting board.

Although this was advertised as a glassblowing class it was more a glass working class, we were not able to blow the products for a number of reasons such as safety, plus blowing each products takes over 18 hours because of heating and then allowing the glass to cool before heating again.

Glass shrivels when applied with heat so it was recommend to do a least two layers to ensure the coasters maintains it shape. I decided to use a clear glass first, shown in the picture above. And a series of blue glasses for the second layers, shown below in the photo.

I was trying to create more of a seaside sunset coaster so I selected several glass fragments and layered them.

Here is the final piece before the coasters was fired in the furnace.

Now that the pieces were done, I left my pieces behind to be placed in the furnace and went back to collect it a week later.

Overall Experience 

I loved this class despite it not really being a glassblowing class,in the end it was still worth it to me. The instructor was informative and made sure everyone worked in a safe environment and knee what you were doing. They answered all your questions and even advised which glasses to use for a better finished product. I would definitely recommend Juggernaut Glass and hope you try them out.

With the Christmas season coming up they have a series of holiday ornaments class which will hopefully have some firing which I will be blogged about in the future.

Thanks for reading guys and see you soon in my next blog post. Comment below and let me know what you think.

 

 

Enchanted Rock- Central Texas

Hey Guys! I am back with yet another adventure blog post. There is nothing I love more than getting out and having an eventful weekend. This week I went to a state park in Texas called the “Enchanted Rock” for a geology university trip.

Background

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is located in  the hill country of Llano Uplift approximately 17 miles north of Fredricksburg Texas. Enchanted Rock is a massive pink granite dome spanning 640 acres and rises 425 feet above the surrounding area to an elevation exceeding 1825 feet above sea level. Enchanted Rock is the largest pink granite mountain in the United States.

There are a number of amenities available including a Park store, Hot Showers, Stargazing, Technical climbing and of course Hiking Trails. There are also campsites available upon request and reservation located near the shower building, where you can use the grills, lantern holders, tent pads and picnic tables. However there are no areas available for RV or vehicle camping. Reservation are required for overnight stays specially for Fridays-Sunday.

Enchanted Rock is open from 8am-10pm, (10pm for day time visitors) and costs $7 per person per day and is free for children 12 years and below. Peak visitors time are September-May and Holiday weekends. When the parking lot is full the park will limit the number of visitors allowed in the park and may even turn you away, so make sure to call ahead and arrive early.

Personal Experience 

I have never really hiked before so this was a new experience for me. Once I got started I didn’t want to stop. I guess the will power to reach the top is a powerful motivation. Thankfully the weather was perfect with clear skies without a single cloud to be seen. It was sunny but breezy which was a blessing with Houston weather. The hike to the top was difficult with no clear hiking trail and a deep incline it was without a doubt a struggle but once you get the hang of it, it becomes almost second nature.

Once you reach the top you are met with 360 breathtaking scenery on top of a pink granite dome, I describe it as “baron but beautiful”.

I don’t know where you could find better views.

 

 

The return trip is no joke. I am not sure which is harder the way up or the return trip back down. Due to the extreme decline, going down can  be a tricky but the trick is to go slowly and watch every single step you taking.

Tips:

• Make sure to call ahead or leave early during peak season (September-May and Holiday weekends)
• Make sure to bring cash but they also accept cards
• Make sure to bring plenty of water.

If you are ever in Texas try to check out the Enchanted Rock, you won’t regret it. That’s it for this weeks blog. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think. Know anymore amazing places in Texas? let me know in the comments below! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Cafe Eccell

Cafe Eccell
Hey guys! And welcome to another Beauty In A Blemish food blog post.

As you all know I went going to Flying Trapeze with my sister (Brenda) then hit Cafe Eccell to get something to eat after.

Cafe Eccell opened in August 1989 in College Station Bryan Texas, introducing wood fired pizzas and new culinary meals to Houston. All pizzas and dishes are made by hand and use the freshest of ingredients. Cafe Eccell serves pizza, salad, soup, taco and more, not including either the Brunch or dessert menu.
Cafe Eccell has a quiet and warm atmosphere and is extremely inviting, If you are a drinker, this is the place for you with a variety of white wines (Dry – Light Body, Sweet/Fruit – Medium Body and Fuller Body), Sparkling Wines, Dessert Wines, Red Wines, beers and margaritas. With so many options you are never out of choices.
Me and my sister ordered the Queso Blanco served with limitless handmade fresh tortilla chips followed by My Big Fat Greek pizza with spinach, premium mozzarella cheese, roasted bell peppers, tomato, feta, kalamata and chopped lamb.

Lastly we finished off with two desserts, the first a fresh seasonal tart with Belgian chocolate, almond cookie shells and coconut milk pastry cream topped with mango and strawberries decorated with chocolate syrup and powder sugar. The second dessert was another tart with dark Belgian chocolate, almond cookie shell and chocolate pastry cream again served with strawberries and decorated with chocolate syrup.

Although we both got tarts they also have chocolate amaretto mousse key lime pie and Creme Brulees such as Kentucky and cinnamon toast s’mores plus bread pudding.

I love a restaurants who knows how to serve desserts, the one thing I can’t stand is a restaurants that doesn’t have a really dessert and instead serve ice cream or fruit (noooo thanks)
If you want to check out restaurant get more information and check out their website:

http://cafeeccellbryantx.com/about/

Here are more some of the pictures.

Thanks for reading guys. Comment, like and subscribe and let me know what you think.