born in our American hot shops
How is color born?
made from sand, by hand, with heart:
the best glass gifts are made by the best artisan glassblowers, in our hot shops in Washington and Montana. scroll down to see how human hands breathe fire into light.
a dance of glass
step, dip, blow, spin, trim, stamp, clamp, seal, cut, and anneal.
explore the glassybaby hot shop process:
the color drop
in a molten moment, a drop of colorful glass meets a clear substrate. the two meld into one, ready to grow into a beautiful living form.
the roll
our personalities are largely shaped before we go to preschool – a glassybaby is similar. the roll prepares a basic shape for expansion and refinement.
the mold
after quick trip to a 2,300º furnace, the glassybaby gets some air blown into it, and then a metal mold shapes its sides into an iconic curve.
the trim
once the glassybaby is shapely, it needs to get ready to break away from home and cool down – that means trimming off the excesses of its personality and refining an elegant upper lip.
the anneal
over the course of a whole day, the glassybaby mellows into its mature phase, cooling down to room temperature in special ovens.
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1the color drop
in a molten moment, a drop of colorful glass meets a clear substrate. the two meld into one, ready to grow into a beautiful living form.
-
2the roll
our personalities are largely shaped before we go to preschool – a glassybaby is similar. the roll prepares a basic shape for expansion and refinement.
-
3
the mold
after quick trip to a 2,300º furnace, the glassybaby gets some air blown into it, and then a metal mold shapes its sides into an iconic curve.
-
4the trim
once the glassybaby is shapely, it needs to get ready to break away from home and cool down – that means trimming off the excesses of its personality and refining an elegant upper lip.
-
5the anneal
over the course of a whole day, the glassybaby mellows into its mature phase, cooling down to room temperature in special ovens.
true “one of a kindness”
some come out tall and lithe, some come out stout and curvaceous. some have big feet, some have thin, eloquent lips. each one is beautiful, in its own unique way – just like you.
meet our glassblowers
Sean is an artist and educator and has been working with glass in the Seattle area since 2005. He has been a lead glassblower at glassybaby for 12 years. His work is a manifestation of a deep desire to create and share beauty with the world while constantly trying to find ways to craft in a sustainable way. Sean is also an amazing photographer of flowers.
Sean is an artist and educator and has been working with glass in the Seattle area since 2005. He has been a lead glassblower at glassybaby for 12 years. His work is a manifestation of a deep desire to create and share beauty with the world while constantly trying to find ways to craft in a sustainable way. Sean is also an amazing photographer of flowers.
watch the dance, in person
our hot shops are open to visitors – come and see how the baby is made.
find a hot shopfresh from the oven
Our glassblowers just finished hand crafting these glassybaby colors.
