In This Issue: Message from the Editor | Glass Blowing Basics | Sisters Creating a Stir | Small Business Seminar Series | Recommend a Business

 

Message From The Editor

 

We live in an area that is rich with independent businesses. Growth is required for success but often small businesses feel limited by cash flow. I Highly Recommend presents the Small Business Seminar Series to facilitate the sharing of practical tools and resources to grow your company by drawing on the success and wisdom of others in the community. Seating is limited so register online today!

 

This month we are pleased to feature the unique entrepreneurial sprit of women. Using glass, Alison Rose from Porcupine Wood Design expresses her love of colour through abstract design within functional forms. S he shares the traditions and history of glass blowing in a vibrant narrative. We also feature a partnership of two sisters who are creating a stir. They specialize in finding a truly unique and meaningful gift for that special woman in your life.

 

Glass Blowing Basics

 

The mysterious man-made substance that most people unknowingly take for granted. Glass is everywhere from windows to fiber optics. A material that aides all of our senses letting us live comfortable lives full of extreme convenience. When asked how glass is made, people frequently reply “I've never really thought about it.”. Here is a brief narration that should help answer this question and maybe a few more.

 

Old is an understatement when describing glass. Discovered in Mesopotamia about 5000 years ago, now known as northern Syria and Iraq, glass is a basic mixture of silica, lime and soda melted together. It was first employed to create jewelry and small vessels. At that time only the incredibly rich could afford glass as it was, and still is, an exceedingly tricky material to work with.

 

The process of glass blowing developed in the first century B.C. was momentous. Vessels could be made faster with a higher success rate and glass became more accessible, giving life to many new functions. Blowing glass by hand was the most efficient way of working with glass until the invention of power-driven machines in the 19 th century. Today blowing is still the primary technique used by craftspeople to create vessels. It has been said that a glass blower from the first century B.C. could walk into a modern day hot shop and be familiar with the tools and equipment.

 

Pieces of equipment commonly used in modern glass studios consist of a pot furnace full of molten glass, a Glory Hole (an insulated drum with a torch inside) for reheating glass, a special work bench where tools can be used to shape and cool glass, 5' steel blowpipes, rods of steel called punties, and annealing ovens to slowly bring the glass down to room temperature and prevent cracking.

 

To make a vessel the craftsperson dips the end of a blowpipe into the furnace, similar to how a person uses a honey spoon to collect it from the pot. This is called gathering (a single piece may need 1-4 gathers). Wet newspaper and wooden tools called blocks are then used to shape and cool the outer layer of glass forming a skin. The consistency of the glass at this point is comparable to fresh caramel or toffee.

 

The Gaffer (head glass blower) or their assistant will blow into the end of the pipe to make a small starter bubble in the glass. Specific areas of the glass are then manipulated, heated and cooled at the bench by the maker with special tools. These steps are alternated with heating in the Glory Hole and blowing at the bench. In addition to blowing out a vessel, gravity and centrifugal force are used to achieve desired shapes and sizes. Once the vessel has been completed it is taken off the punty rod or blow pipe and placed in the annealing oven for many hours.

 

Tremendous mental, physical and visual control is necessary when blowing glass. A craftsperson spends years honing their skills. People who choose to work with such a complex material are challenged by its sensitive nature, seduced by its versatility, amazed by how it can simultaneously be fragile and strong, and ultimately stunned by its beauty. Glass is part of virtually everything in our world, a solid that is technically a liquid!

 

For more information about Alison Rose and her glass blown creations, visit porcupinewooddesign.com.

 

Sisters Creating a Stir

 

Sisters & Partners

Elissa Green and Ilana Blum have been partners for three years but Sisters Creating A Stir for over 37 years. When people ask how they became partners they usually blame their mother. A single mother of five, she still managed to find the time to instill the strength, willfulness and strong opinions that the women in their family are known for. The attitude is inborn and multi-generational. But luckily it (and they) come with a fabulous sense of humour, a perfect sense of timing, and two incredible heads of hair. Elissa and Ilana have already started to pass all of this down to their daughters. The humour, the willfulness and (thankfully) the hair!

 

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Both sisters believe strongly in the power and strength of women and their ability to accomplish great things if they choose to do so. Over the past 3 years the sisters have managed to turn adversity into opportunity and to turn that opportunity into success. Although there have been changes in the course of their company, they have never changed their belief in themselves or in the other women entrepreneurs they have encountered on their journey. They began almost three years ago selling incredible homemade baking but after a slight disagreement with the government over the definition of “home baking”, they wisely decided to take a right turn instead of continuing straight.

 

The Past

The sisters have an extensive background in customer service and a pretty good understanding of human nature. Elissa worked in the travel industry for over 15 years as everything from a travel agent to the director of sales and marketing for a small but well respected travel wholesaler. Ilana has worked in customer service in several industries including pharmaceuticals and the auto industry. She has also worked with youth as a director and coordinator in the religious world. Currently, she is pursuing one of her dreams of achieving her teacher's degree.

 

The Present

Now, Sisters Creating a Stir has several different aspects to it. They sell art that embraces the beauty and strength of women, they create unique individualized gift baskets, they are the creators of the quarterly ‘Goddess Night', and now they are the chapter directors of the North Toronto POW chapter. Ilana and Elissa approach each new adventure as they have approached so many others, with enthusiasm, determination and the desire to create a stir!

 

To contact Elissa Green and Ilana Blum, visit www.sisterscreatingastir.ca or call (905) 884-1438

 

Small Business Seminar Series

 

The key to success and longevity is growth, but what does that look like for a small business owner? I Highly Recommend is hosting a series of seminars that focus on practical advice for small business owners.

 

This seminar series will be held at The Junction Cafe in Hamilton. Admission is $20 for students and members of I Highly Recommend ($30 for non-members), plus GST. Complimentary refreshments will be served and a cash bar is available.

 

Seating is limited. Register today!

 

Recommend a Business

 

I Highly Recommend is a directory of local small businesses in your community. We are built on a network of trust and rely on your recommendations and referrals. If there is a business that you highly recommend, be it product or service, please contact us.