Who is Steph Jones??

Hello there!

My name's Steph and I'm a glass addict!! I'm a contemporary kiln-fused glass artist living and working in Cheltenham on the edge of the Cotswolds, UK. Working under the name Handmade Heaven, I produce a range of unique and contemporary fused glassware, gifts, art and jewellery for men and women.

Over my time working with glass, I've become something of a 'coaster-queen', producing unique, fun and funky designs in bold and bright colours. My work has been sold to customers all over the UK and US, as well as Europe, so I am quite the international! It has a wide-ranging appeal and is different and modern. I specifically produce things you won't see anywhere else and feel I am doing something different with the glass, colour-wise and with the design, to other fused glass artists.

My work has been described as "sweets for the eyes", real eye-candy stuff, and it's funny how many people have a strange urge to eat my glassy products! They do have that quality of boiled sweets about them but I wouldn't recommend them for consumption! I produce affordable 'artworks' for everyday use, showcase artwork for wall-mounting and display, gifts and 'wearable' art in the form of jewellery for men and women, with this range ever-expanding as I try new ideas and techniques. The possibilities with glass are endless and my 'to do' list is huge! I really love working with such a tactile medium and am very passionate about my work. From the amount of fingerprints I have to clean off my work at fairs I know that other people can't help but touch too. The traditional thought is glass = 'do not touch', but with my work, it's positively encouraged - you just can't help yourself!

My website is http://www.handmadeheaven.biz/ which will tell you a lot more about me and my work. You can also see my gallery of commissions and my online shop which are both crammed full of bright and colourful photos. It's definitely worth taking a look rather than me try to explain my style as, like they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.

I am currently working on a new range of latticeware designs, which I am launching at the Home & Garden Show at Cheltenham Racecourse (5/6/7th May '07) which is very exciting for me. I have had a spectacular reaction to the designs I have created so far, and with my glass looking better in the flesh than on photos, I am hoping for good things from it this coming weekend.

I have an online shop and work in outlets in Gloucestershire (hoping to sort out some more in the next few weeks) and also thrive on commission work. I enjoy the challenge of bespoke designs and have many very satisfied customers so far.

I am a trained graphic designer and design children's books day-to-day and I find my design background has been really helpful not only with colour choice and design, but also presenting my products to my customers. I work with glass almost every hour outside the graphic design job and can't get enough of trying out new, exciting designs.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog and come back regularly to see how I am getting on.

Thanks for reading,

Steph :)