I wish you a very warm welcome to Glass Tales and to my website.  My 'home page' will be an amalgam of information, including what I've been up to recently, with thoughts, hopes and wishes for the future.

Everything you will see during your travels around this site has been designed and made by me, Joanne Rohrer.  Where I may have used another artist's materials (e.g. handmade lampwork beads in some of my jewellery), acknowledgement is given.  I have the huge pleasure of knowing some wonderful people in this world and wish to spread the word about their fantastic skills and products whenever I can!

 (handshaped hexagonal lampwork beads by Joanne Rohrer)

A beautiful new year is well underway and I have no doubt that everyone has more than sufficient aims and goals for 2010.  I try to avoid making lists of things I wish to achieve, as they change so frequently, I just get tied up in knots and crossings out and eventually run out of paper!  (You're right of course; I do use my computer and edit lists that way, but it sounded more interesting doing it the old-fashioned way.)  As in many parts of this beautiful country, we really had our fair share of snow here and, coupled with the fact that we live on a pretty steep hill, it made things all the more interesting trying to keep up the usual routines of outdoor life.  Being the stubborn person that I am, I did struggle through snow and ice to reach my studio and it finally (and fortunately) cleared before things got prohibitively dangerous.

Having learned the new skill of silversmithing at the Old Kennels last November, I've been slowly but surely getting together the tools and equipment required.  So if I can allow myself time away from the torch, I am really looking forward to getting started with something very different. 

The first fair of the year, the Beadwork Fair at Ardingly took place last Sunday.  Visitor numbers were greater than in January last year (thank you!) and fortunately the snow had cleared in time to allow everyone to get out and about as usual.  Winter has seemed especially long, although it's not over yet, of course.  Paul and Yvonne Hulbert, the organisers, put on a wonderful event as always and I was chomping at the bit to be back in action.  It was a really great day and my thanks go to everyone who took the time to pop by my table to browse or to purchase.  I'm still shaking my head in amazement but also with gratitude at the support I continue to receive - thank you so much. 

The next fair is almost upon us in the form of the London Bead Fair at Kempton Park on Sunday 7th February.  I've had to work hard to replace all the beads I sold two weeks ago, so fortunately there'll be something for everyone to see!  There are a couple of changes to my calendar on my Events Page (which is fortuately kept much more frequently up to date than my home page - sorry!): I'm seriously endeavouring to participate at the Big Bead Show in April at Sandown this year.  My last time there was in November 2008 which was incredibly busy.  However, the autumn Big Bead Show unfortunately clashes with the Beadwork Fair up in Harrogate, so I'm unable to attend at that time.  Also, when more details are known about my own open studio weekend towards the end of this year, I'll let you know.

That's all for the moment and thanks so much for visiting my website.  Please do check my Events page, to see which fairs are coming up.  If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to drop me a line by email - I'd love to hear from you :-)  In closing, I'm absolutely not one for public outpourings, so I do hope you'll forgive this singular occurrence: I know and fully appreciate that life has been more challenging of late, with increased pressures being felt more widely than usual, never more so than with the beautiful people of Haiti - my thoughts and best hopes are with them.  

Last updated: Friday 5th February 2010