Fire Studio in Appleton, Wisconsin is a storefront studio that features glass fusing, pottery painting and mosaics, and is open to the public with no appointments or scheduled classes. Just walk in, pay your money and create.

The women I was with on a Girlfriends Getaway to the Fox Cities (of which Appleton is a part) all wanted to make glass pendants. We choose colored glass shards of all sizes, and with the help of the resident artisan, Jennifer Stephaney, we began working. First, I planned my design and the desired colors. Then I looked through the broken glass for the required hues. After picking out what I wanted, I glued them in place with Elmer’s Glue-All. (See photo.)

Realizing that the glass would melt and fuse, we could only hope for the best. When we were satisfied with our creations, we left them there to be fired in a kiln. It usually takes a week to receive the finished piece.

When I got my pendant back, I was pleasantly surprised. (See photo.)