Fenton for Levay Whimseys

We ran across five pieces of Levay from 1980 while looking through storage. Four baskets, and one small vase. The cool thing about these is that they were all made from the same mold, but had different things done to them. I thought they were a nice example of handmade glass, and the unique finishing touches that can change the whole look of a piece. 🙂 Really drives home that they are HAND MADE, individually, and not just churned out by a machine.
Mom says she had a whole box of these at one time, but these are all that are left. The vase is signed, “Levay 12/86 1980”. The baskets are not signed.
All of these pieces were made from the butterfly and berries tumbler mold, and vary in height and size, from about 4 inches to about 7 1/2 inches.
Notice the different crimps used to acheive different looks. Also check out the looped handles on the baskets. Neat!

For detailed individual photos, see my album on Facebook, here.

New Kelsey Murphy pieces!

We got a few one of a kind Kelsey Murphy pieces in over the weekend. Mostly sand carved Fenton animals, and one 5 color paperweight blown by Ron Hinkle. All beautiful!
I made a photo album of all the pieces over on our Facebook page. It is a public page, so you don’t need to be signed up on Facebook to see it. 🙂
If you ARE on Facebook, however, you can become a fan of the page and receive updates in your news feed. 🙂 Also, you can find me at facebook.com/jesseandjenni, and add me as a friend. Just add a note to let me know where I “know” you from. (i.e. Fenton collector, glass lover, etc.)
Here are a few pictures of the new pieces to whet your appetite.
Have a great week!
Jenni

“How can I tell if it’s Fenton?”

We hear this question in our store all the time. 🙂 The answer is not so cut and dry, but let me give you a quick run down.
Fenton Art Glass has been around since 1905. Before the 1970’s, they didn’t mark their glass at all, so to identify it, you will have to buy or check out some books about Fenton glass. (I have links to a few at Amazon.com on the right hand side of this blog.) Read the books, familiarize yourself with the glass.
Now, from the 1970’s on, it gets a little easier. Between 1970 and 1975, Fenton started adding a logo to all of their glass molds. It was an oval with the word Fenton inside it. In the 1980’s, they kept this logo, but added a small number “8”. In the 90’s they added a “9”, and now, they are adding a “0”. This has the added bonus of helping to identify the decade the glass was made.
They have also used a few different logos to signify different things about the piece. For instance, a script “F” inside an oval means that it is a mold Fenton acquired from another glass company.
For a more complete list of logos Fenton has used, with easily recognizable pictures, click here.
It does happen that sometimes the logo gets sort of melted back into the glass while the piece is still hot, and can be very difficult to find, so it’s not a sure-fire way to tell. But most of the time, it works pretty well.
One final note: In 2008, Fenton opened up their International Division, and are now adding a small “USA” to their molds to show the piece was made in the United States.
Any further questions? Feel free to comment below, or email me at jesseandjenni@aol.com.

Example

PNWFA Convention Wrap Up

Well, we’re home from Oregon, and getting settled back in!
Thank you so much to all of those who have sent their prayers, best wishes, and loving thoughts to my Mom….She made it to convention, and left last night to go back to West Virginia with Kelsey for the week. 🙂
We had a wonderful time at convention! Friendly people, beautiful glass, delicious food, and enlightening seminars, what more could you ask for??
I have very exciting news, also! Kelsey and I were talking while we were there, and have decided to work together on a book about cameo glass. The most exciting part about this, is that she wants the book to read like a conversation, and wants all of you to be a part of it!! We are just planning it now, but I will be setting up a blog where Kelsey can share information with you, and you can ask her any questions you may have. This is an awesome opportunity for you to be able to directly get answers from this world famous cameo glass artist! We will also be asking any of you that would like to share pictures of your personal collections, to send in pieces to feature on the blog, and maybe even in the book!
We are thrilled with this idea, and think it is going to be a ton of fun for everyone. 🙂
So keep checking back for more information on this project. I will be starting a sign up list for people that want email updates about it.
Hope you’re all having a GREAT first week of summer!

Greetings From Salem, Oregon!

Hey Everybody!
We’re in Salem, Oregon at the PNWFA convention, and are having a blast!
We heard Kelsey Murphy speak today about the magic that is cameo glass, and are looking forward to hearing her speak about the present and future of this amazing art form tomorrow evening at the banquet.
We tried to videotape her speech today, and will try to do tomorrow’s, also. (I say try, as I borrowed my brother’s video camera, and had never used it before. 😉 Hopefully, it’ll turn out!)
It was an awesome speech, with amazing information. So much information, that I’ve decided to have a weekly blog series called “Notes From Kelsey”, where I can pass some of this fascinating stuff on to you.
I’m also excited to have finally met a long time online friend of mine, Terry Joley, and her family. Terry is co-founder of the Fenton Dollers of America, a club for collectors of Fenton’s bridesmaid dolls.
She is just as sweet as I knew she would be, and has such a nice family! 🙂 It’s so fun to meet people I’ve known online and over the phone, but never met.
And of course, it’s always wonderful to have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, too!
Stay tuned!!
Jenni

Father’s Day!

Father's Day Bears

Well, I feel like I missed Spring this year. April and May are gone, along with the first week of June already! Yikes!
Father’s Day is just 2 weeks away, on the 21st. So here is our Collectors’ Showcase exclusive Father’s Day bear set, limited to 150 sets.
There is a Daddy bear and a baby bear, all dressed up for a day of golf! Baby bear’s hat reads, “T-TIME”, and is holding a card that reads, “TO DAD”, and a golf club. Dad’s hat reads, “#1 DAD”. Perfect gift for the Father or golfer in your life! 🙂
From now until Father’s Day, we are offering free shipping anywhere in the United States on these!!
Have a wonderful week!

“Fire Cat”

WOW! This is an amazing alley cat! Aubergine carnival carved by Kelsey Murphy with a fire-breathing dragon clashing with a magic-wielding wizard. Out of this world!
(This cat sold immediately, but I wanted to share it with you before I sent it out.)
I will be attending a class Friday and Saturday. I will check my email if I can, but if you don’t hear back from me right away, that’s the reason.
Hope you have the best weekend ever! 🙂
Jenni

“Purrfect Iris”

OK, here is the first of several new Kelsey Murphy pieces I’ll be uploading in the next few days. 🙂
This one is carved on a sky blue iridized Fenton alley cat. (This cat is a second, as these were very rare, made for VIP night 2007.)
It is carved with a large iris and beautiful, intricate butterflies. The bottom is signed “Purrfect Iris Kelsey Made In Heaven”.
Watch for more cats and dolls coming soon!

New Shipment!

Just opened 2 boxes of Kelsey Murphy carved Fenton cats, alley cats, and bridesmaid dolls! Watch for pictures this afternoon! 🙂 GORGEOUS STUFF!

Mother’s Day

Mother's Day Bears

Being in the hospital with my own Mother, then taking care of her at home, Mother’s Day kind of snuck up on me this year!
I wanted to share our Fenton Mother’s Day bear set with you. There were only 100 of these made, exclusively for Collectors’ Showcase. The set includes a Mama and a Baby bear. The baby is holding a card that reads, “To Mom”. These are the perfect gift to show your Mom how much she means to you, and to remind her of your times together. 🙂
I hope you all have a wonderful week, and be sure to tell your Mothers how much you love them! I know mine means the world to me!