Glass Hearts made with color frit.

For the last year and a half while working at R. Strong glass I have been learning how to
make hearts. These paperweights began as a Mother’s Day present from Randy Strong to his mother, and continue as a permanent product in the R. Strong Glass line.

I really enjoy making them because whenever someone buys one or is given one as a gift, you can see their whole face light up with happiness. The gift of something beautifully handmade is truly like no other.

Dichroic Hearts

So far in my heart making adventures, Along with making hearts for R. Strong glass, I have made 100 crystal hearts for the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2011 conference in San Francisco and I have made 90 for friends to bring to Burning Man and give as gifts to people they met there. Everyone comes back with stories of how much people loved the hearts and sometimes were in near tears when receiving them. I really believe that hearts are a powerful symbol and I will probably continue to make them for the rest of my days in glass.

For me making these hearts has been an interesting journey. When your making them you always have to be critical of what your are doing and really see the design as you are making them. It has taken me since I started here to really get the process and design down, but all the realizations I have had while making hearts have helped me gain more knowledge about everything else I do in glass.