Nancy’s passion for brilliant color is also visible in painted furniture pieces, wooden picture frames, and benches. Painting furniture was the seed for this thriving enterprise. Nancy was searching for something to help her feel better, to relieve the stress of dealing with a recalcitrant teenager.

“I began to paint furniture because it was so refreshing. The furniture was quiet, the paint did what I told it to do, and it was attractive to look at. It was a pleasant experience and it just felt good to do it. You could feel the stress go away. Maybe that was a measurable moment.”

Nancy says she developed her “expertise” in glass making through practice — disaster after disaster. She drew upon a large dose of self-confidence and combined it with a mindset that you can make something else out of a seeming disaster. “Pieces can be broken up and added to something else and it will add a new dimension to it that wouldn’t have been had that not happened. It’s a real stepping stone.” That’s the philosophical underpinning for Nancy’s artistic hallmark, the jewel motif.