WarmGlass.com

Howdy Ho!!!

I´m going to be visiting Florida for a week. (Currently residing in remote Germany). Would like to know if anybody can give me a heads up as far as where to get glass supplies? I will be in the Tampa/St. Pete area. However, I will be passing through Jacksonville and Gainsville. (GO GATORS!!!!!)

Thanks,
Kim

Go dawgs...
If you get down to the Sarasota area there is Firebug designs in Venice. She has a nice shop.

Hi Kim,
I live 20 miles south of Tampa. Not to many places to get supplies - however here are some links of places you can try.

http://www.originalsinglass.com/ Lisa does beautiful fused sinks

http://www.glasscrafters.com/

If you go to glasscrafters take time to head to St. Armands Circle - beautiful shopping district with upscale shopping great places to have lunch outside. Also the beach there is fabulous, the sand never gets hot and it is just great! As a matter of fact, am heading there today.

While in St. Pete make it a point to go the museum of art and see Chihuly.http://www.fine-arts.org/

Another supplier is http://www.katglass.com

While in the area - if you have time, give me a shout I'd love to meet you for lunch.
Kim

The large glass wholesaler in Florida is Art Glass House in Cocoa Beach. It is pretty far south of Jacksonville on the same coast. I don't know the local retail glass shops in the Tampa/St Pete area that might have fusing glass and supplies. If you would like, email me and I will try to find out more information for you. I live south of Tampa in the Sarasota/Venice area. We have started a glass guild in Sarasota. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi.

-Carolyn

Carolyn:
Would you email me information on the glass guild please? kim@glassaddict.com I forgot about Art Glass House, they are wonderful, however, your first order does have to $1,000.00. But, they have EVERYTHING!
Kim

I knew that I could count on ya´ll! Thanks for all of the info. A min. order of $1,000.00 is too much...not only the price but remember that I will have to lug all of this stuff back to Germany. I´ll remember not to buy any white glass powder (frit). Heaven only knows what the customs agents will think it is.

Art Glass house is in Cocao.













How 'bout then Dawgs.....

I"ll throw in my 2 cents. I live in Jacksonville. However there are no big glass suppliers or shops here. I get my stained glass and fusing supplies from this little place called Class Glass. Unfortunately, that don't sell any fusing supplies except some bullseye glass in large quantities. The main reason I like them is there mark up is only 10%. If anyone knows of a good supplier around here with out a large first order ($1000 is WAY to much for me, I don't do that kind of work).
Hope you have fun visiting FL!

Jonathan

P.S.
GO GATORS!!!!

<<Art Glass house is in Cocco>>

Make that Cocoa. )

I just want to thank you all again for the terrific input. I´ve been clicking on some of the websites and will do some more research with the info. I´ve been given by you all. Would love to meet some of you but my time back home will be very limited and I have a lot of catching up to do with family and friends that I haven´t seen in many years. I don´t want to commit to something that may not be possible. If I have the time while there I will post another message...how´s that?

Thanks,
Kim

I say when you are on the "suncoast", Firebug Designs is a "must-see". Liana is the founder (along with myself) of the Suncoast Glass Guild. She has a huge selection of glass, frit, tools, kilns, all the "necessaries" and she is a very knowledgeable and talented artist. If nothing else, go into her studio in Venice and look at all the beautiful warm glass items on display (made by her students and customers). Venice is about 1 hour from Tampa...depending on traffic.

Paulette
http://www.suncoastbeads.com

http://www.firebugdesigns.com/
Here is her web site .....

http://www.firebugdesigns.com/
Here is her web site .....

Well I guess that visiting Firebugs Designs will be on the list of things to do...even if I do have to drag my sister (who I´ll be visiting & doesn´t do glass) with me. Maybe she will become addicted to glass like I am.
Kim

What a terrible thing to wish on another family member.

Jerry I guess that what I mentioned above does sound rather cruel. I am quite sure though that she will find it fascinating if not a bit intriguing when she can actually SEE some examples of some finished products & what steps are required to get there. She has never been exposed to "warm glass" other than when I talk to her on the phone. She does ask questions about it so there is somewhat of an interest....unless she is just trying to be polite. We won´t have to stay very long & if she starts yawning we´ll leave. I know that I am already trying to do too much while visiting the USA but family & glass are my two objectives. Don´t worry we will be hitting the beaches along with a ton of family activities but what can I say...I´m also addicted to glass.
Kim

Hey gatorgirl

I was just razing you a bit. Having been around addicts in the past I know that there are the "never do what I am doing" junkies and the "Don't you want to try it?" junkies. I always thought the later were a bit sad. As if they felt stronger because they had weakened someone else. Junk proselytizers. Glass is so difficult I don't encourage anyone; it rarely encourages me. And so I feel that people need a strong drive to do it without any encouragement from others- otherwise they will probably be needy the whole time that they work with glass. And if they are going to act like that they should study DANCE- at least then they would have a nice enough figure to make giving them attention pleasurable (I mean that for males and females) But I guess if you really love what you are doing it's ok. Or if you don't like your sister, it's ok. Just remember, "Once the glass goes in, it never comes out."

This is all tongue in cheek but the sentiment is true.

Also, I hope that you have a wonderful time. The Florida beach sounds so good right now. But it is supposed to be 68F here Sunday so I plan on fitting our dumpy little beach here, probably Buckroe Beach in Hampton, VA. Not quite Florida but...

Jerry, the beaches in your neck of the woods aren´t bad. OK, so the sand isn´t as powdery and white as Clearwater beach but Virginia Beach isn´t bad. (What used to drive me nuts was the bumper to bumper traffic in and around Norfolk...especially after some of the aircraft carriers returned from their voyages.) You´re just a hop and a skip from Nags Head and I absolutely love it there! (By the way I´ve been told that Clearwater Beach is under construction. I guess they just built this huge bridge and now it is sinking into the water. Oops! From what I hear they are going to blast it and have to start all over again. Not my idea of a peaceful beach.)

Kim

If you're going to Venice you might try Casey Key beach right down the road a ways. Beautiful beach and weekdays it used to be fairly empty. Some days you can find prehistoric sharks teeth washed up.
There is/was the most gorgeous humungous Banyan tree on the left before the Key entrance.
I've been thinking about taking one of the small sharks teeth and fusing it inbetween some glass but am afraid of exploding bits. It would make an interesting pendant but.......plucka, plucka

Oops! It's not Casey Key it's Caspersen Beach. So many C's, and only so many brain cells.

If you want a nice full-service retail shop in Clearwater, try Emerald Rainbow. They carry all stained glass supplies, as well as rods, torches, etc., for lampworking. I don't remember if they have anything for fusing or slumping. They also have classes periodically, and manufacture some products for the stained glass crowd.

There is a large glass shop in Sarasota (Glass Crafters), but I was disappointed with them. Perhaps it was because I expected more, or because I wanted to buy wholesale. I didn't find them worth the drive, and felt that service was poor, at least on the day I went.

If you want a nice beach, by all means go to Venice. There is a beach down past the airport where fossilized sharks teeth are abundant. I've never failed to find lots. Ask the tourist bureau/chamber of commerce as you come into town for information on where to go, and how to find them.

Enjoy your trip, and say hi to my parents in Clearwater!