14/02/2008 by admin.

FACTORY TOURS TO VETROFOND!!!!

Due to the demand - and in the interests of giving a really good show I have agreed a number of formal visits to the Vetrofond factory, where we will be allowed to see a number of processes and glass work that is normally NEVER on view to casual visitors (there normall are not ANY casual visitors anyway, but you know what I mean )

These trips will run from the morning through lunch, which will be hosted by the factory team… I will be bringing my bus down to Venice loaded with kit, so have place for about 6-7 people per group, which is about all we can safely bring into the factory work space anyway.. these tours will be completely free - although we will need to catch the Alilaguna to the airport stop where we will meet up with the bus.. Please respect the factory teams request that no camera’s are allowed inside the factory - as a number of the machines and systems are custom designed and operated. Although Mr Moretti is happy to let us in to show of the factory and the glass masters who work there - he is sensitive to the commercial realities of the glass industry.

One thing that absolutely amazes me is the speed and choreographed moves of the glass masters and their teams - from the intial gather to the final piece is a incredible blend of heat, glass, delicacy of touch and pure unalloyed skill!

Dates are

20th March

25th March

27th March

31st Marc

4th April

And then - as a final blowout - Mr Moretti and Laura have offered to host us a Cheese and Wine farewell party after the end of Sarah’s alst GGG glass - to go out with a BANG!!  Anyone else as pshyched as me?!!!!

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13/02/2008 by admin.

Today’s update will bring a bit more info and some tips and tricks for getting around - the most important being the “Venice Card” which is offered to visitors to the islands and is great value.. even if you only travel once daily on the the water buses the Venice card will end up saving you money and the hassle of trying to buy a ticket, sort out change etc etc etc.. I recommend it to all visitors - I will have one myself!…

I have also produced a more detailed info pdf for visitors and guests - to help answer some of the most commonly asked questions and to give a visual reference to the islands of Venice and Murano.. for further playing i also recommend trying out Google Earth - which is one of the “killer apps” you keep hearing about on the web!.. its free, its fast, its practically magic!!!

I will be posting links to the various B&B’s, apartments and Hotels i have been able to hunt down… these links will connect you to to companies we can recommend or to whom Vetrofond have checked out for us.. be aware that the demand for accommodation over the Easter weekend is extreme - so please do check out what is available and by all means email me to help if you need it.. Laura from Vetrofond will call anyone in Venice/Murano for us it you need someone who is fluent in Italian!

also, i was asked by some of our more distant visitors to bill them for the final payments before they started travelling all the way out her - i know that i would prefer to handle payments from my “home”, and hence secure, PC.. to try and stay on top of all the paperwork i have run through most of the payments - and i apologise if this has come a bit soon for some of our later guests.. please pay this closer to the time - but please also bear in mind that i have had to open waiting lists for some classes and thus most payments can be refunded at almost any time..

Aside from that, progress proceeds apace - with the technical people from Vetrofond building the work desk for me, plumbing it with sufficient gas points, replacing broken windows, organising fridges and sofa’s etc etc and any number of the million and one little thngs we are getting set up.. I will be shifting a few palletes worth of furniture, burners, kilns, plasma screens, projectors, poster, books, DVD’s etc etc etc in the next few weeks - to give the shippers time to run a boat over and deliver it all for me.. I may have to go down there AGAIN just to make sure things are going well!!

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11/02/2008 by admin.

hi guys, i am sooooo blown away by everything we have seen and discussed it is going to take a while to get it all sorted out and down in something like coherent form!.. what we have found is an absolutely brilliant resource for all things venetian and muranese… check it out - especially the venice card and the season ticket for the boat busses - which can save a fortune over a few days and even more over a few weeks..

and on too the pics - i am trying to split the post - so here’s hoping it works!!

Read the rest of this entry »

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05/02/2008 by admin.

i would like to open a seperate thread for all those willing or wanting to share space - for the company or for the fun, what a great way to take home the most brilliant memories and make new friends from all over the world!!

Posted in Accomodation | 4 Comments »

05/02/2008 by admin.

Excellent news today, after a lot of emails and calls i can confirm that Alessia Fatone has graciously agreed to a rate of only Eu105 per day for her classes, entirely due to the fact that she is effectively a local and as such her overheads are significantly lower than our out of country visitors!..

What this means is that we now have a full schedule from 5 well known and internationally experienced and featured teachers available in one place over the period of three gloriously busy weeks!!.. where else could you spend a 10 day period and have 5 seperate and uniquely different classes?.. this is going to be SUCH a ball… Griet and i will be down in murano this weekend doing a final check of the studio space and speaking to the apartment owners to come to an agreement over housing for us all.. we will also be meeting with the team at the Vetrofond factory, and there are some very VERY excitng ideas being thrown around which may make this the most exciting trip we have EVER planned!…

Thanks to the phenomenal response recently we are starting to close out some of the classes and are now running a waiting list for some days.. this waiting list is strictly first come first served - and i will not accept any payments or deposits from people on this list unless i can confirm a place for them!..  if the demand becomes to great i may have to revise the length of time we are down there - or formalise some late night owl sessions to ensure our visitors all get every opportunity to meet with their preffered teachers, and see the magic on Murano!..

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01/02/2008 by admin.

it had to happen i guess!!

SOLD OUT - Sarah H, Silver class

LOL congratulations to Martina for nabbing the last place on the class of the 5th!.. the others are filling up quickly now as word spreads around the world..

please let me know if there are any forums you think i should update our information on, at the moment we are listed on everyones websites, LE, frit happens in the uk and GBUK in the uk.. i know there was a thread posted in france, and in germany - so we are getting the word out there..

We will be in Murano next week to take final pictures, measurements and sort out our links with the local accommodation.. Mr Moretti is also going to look at doing some special glass for us - which is going to be really COOL!.. i have been thinking about videoing the whole three weeks - and editing a DVD for participants?.. what does everyone think?  i would also like to do some t-shirts and stuff like that, something like “my mom went to murano for a fabulous glass glass and all i got was this lousy t-shirt” kind thing.. i am also soooooo tempted to do a “glass junkie” range!…

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28/01/2008 by admin.

final class dates, and names etc are now available… classes are filling up quickly - and we will be down in murano next week checking out the studio space and taking more pics..

there is a bit more news, due to the incredible demand it now looks like we will have alessia fatone teaching the week before dora, sarah and pati are here - along with classes by diana east!.. this is all breaking news - so watch the blog for updates.. this whole thing is just getting bigger, and BIGGER!!!!  the only question is how much fun can the flame workers take!!!

I am going to save the current class list as a pdf and link to it here - just give me a second to figure out how the heck to do that!!!

CHECK THEM OUT!!!!

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22/01/2008 by admin.

A brand new batch of Fabulous Vetro clear!!!… Coming SOON!!!

Vetro glass Master shaping - you’ll see this on our factory tour!

Alladins Cave, next door to our studio on Murano!!

Outside the studio door….

View from one of the windows…

and the other

Just ANOTHER typical “street scene”… seen one, seen them all - BORING!!!!

one of the great characters in Murano…

and another, having just caught lunch

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21/01/2008 by admin.

oooooooooo……

new class -HERE

LOL - at least Sarah is getting us sorted out!… now all we gotta do is find out where to slot this one in?…. and how about some mini “late night owl” classes, for those who march to a different clock?..

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14/01/2008 by admin.

right!!!!

prices - Eu225 per day, all materials included and all the beads you can make! ;-)…..

classes….

22nd/23rd March - Dora Schubert, two day course with complex twisties, latichino’s and signature cane and the making of a rattle bead

24th/25th March - Dora Schubert, two day course concentrating on stringer and dots and colour reactions - for those with non-shaky hands!

26-30th March - Pati Walton, 2 x 2 day courses based around aquarium and flower beads and intermediate and advanced techniques for encasing etc.

31st March - Sarah Hornik, Freestyle Focals and futher funky fun! See Sarah create her pieces, and learn the techniques to apply to your own work!

1st April -  Sarah Hornik Silver Secrets, or how to be a precious metals wizzzard and impress your mates!Stunning tips and tricks to pop your eyes out!

2nd-4th April - Pati Walton “Masterclass”, 3 days of Pati’s magic - including garden and aqaurium beads, signature can and simple/complex murrini and damn good fun!!

5th/6th April - Sarah Hornik, Colour magic and combination’s, along with more freestyle “glass jam” sessions where  the studio will come to life and everyone is encouraged to meet and work with Sarah and see some of her new work and develop their own pieces!.. The ultimate studio session with like minded artists pushing each other to do the very nicest work!.. And naturally, lots of fun, laughter and great food and company before we head on home to all points of the compass!..

The final closing party promises to be epic, and I suspect friends made here will be friends for ever…

Naturally the above does not include the “Cast Beads” classes that Di East will be running in a smaller part of the studio, or the late night glass jamin’ sessions where i expect to see the local artist come along to show us how it is really done!.. there are plenty of rumours doing the rounds as to who will be in Murano, but I KNOW the Big Kahuna (Mike Frantz) is going to be there - and his friends and guests are sure to pop in!.. there will be so many opportunities to hook up with folks from allover, the social side of this whole thing may be the most important of all!!

I will be taking along and setting up webcams to give us a shot at streaming clips of courses and parties, and will be updating the blogs and the websites as the fun goes down.. we need to start spreading the word on this thing now, so anyone who thinks they may know someone else who would be interested please point them on over here and lets “get this party started”!!!

whoo hoo!!!! roll on spring!! enough of this grim wet cold miserable weather - come on down to Venice in the spring and have some fun!

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