The next Shards of the Blade preorder will be tonight at 6pm ET! Like in May, I will have a few more preorder spots available than usual, but for the best chance at getting one I always recommend being on the site right at 6pm. I will have two or three more preorders this year, and, as a reminder, these preorders ship in about 8 weeks from your time of order.

The next collection I am currently working on is a Myth and Magic collection inspired by an eclectic mix of Arthurian legend, knights, wizards, and a dash of D&D! Then in September I will have another collection that is an autumnal theme celebration of Middle Earth. Just in time for Hobbit Day on September 22nd!

I hope you’re all having a great summer. I’m going to see the new Spider-Man movie this weekend with my kids, and all of the Rings of Power content that came out of SDCC over the weekend has me so excited for the new season release in November! Sauron’s new dark look, Celeborn, Simon Pegg as the voice of the Balrog… I’m ready for it all. Summer’s been a good one, but I’m ready for autumnal cozy season!

Ashley

My special edition Summer in the Shire Collection will be available tonight at 6pm ET. This collection has an assortment of pieces inspired by my vision of the Shire during the summertime. The Summer in the Shire Suncatcher (seen below), which features summertime flowers, like coneflower and morning glory, and strawberries bending around the green glass Hobbit Door center, and vibrant orange and red sunflowers at either end.

Another piece in this collection is the Summertime Leaves of Fellowship, which are a larger version of my usual design (you can see the size comparison below). Also, just like the “real” mallorn leaves, I have accented their undersides with silver, which causes them to shimmer even more in sunlight, as they are described in the books.

I know that the mallorn trees are primarily found in the woods of Lothlórien, but if you remember from the books, Galadriel gifts Sam a little box of soil with a mallorn nut inside. Sam uses the soil to help regrow the Shire after the Scouring of the Shire and plants the mallorn nut to replace the old Party Tree that was cut down. So, I imagine that this mallorn tree would become a new special gathering place in Hobbiton, and decades later would grow into a magnificent tree with large leaves like these in the summertime, shimmering in the warm summer breeze.

There will also be a selection of one-of-a-kind colorful Halfling Door Suncatchers with a myriad of door designs.

All of these designs can be previewed now and will be available in a limited number this evening!

As always, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon.

- Ashley

Just a quick reminder that the next Shards of the Blade preorder will be tonight at 6pm ET! I will have a few more preorder spots available than usual, but for the best chance at getting one I always recommend being on the site right at 6pm. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m trying to have more preorder opportunities for this design this year, so if you aren’t successful tonight, there will be more preorders this summer!

My Fantasy Collection is also now reopened for orders!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ashley

Hello friends! I wanted to send a short message to let you know that my Fantasy Inspired Collection and all of the core designs will reopen today, Saturday May 23rd, at 3pm ET. This will include all of my fantasy inspired large suncatchers and smaller ornament designs inspired by Middle Earth and beyond. As usual, this will not include my sword designs (which I always have in separate releases), except for the Hilt of the Blade! As a reminder, I make all of my pieces by hand, to order, with a lead-time of about 5-6 weeks. I will keep my Fantasy Inspired Collection open for orders through the weekend, though some of the designs will be available in a limited quantity.

I will also have another preorder for my Shards of the Blade next Friday May 29th at 6pm ET. I know that these preorder spots tend to sell quite quickly, so it’s inevitable that somebody misses out by a hair each time, which is why I am trying to offering more preordering opportunities this year!

Speaking of people missing out. I was also blown away by how quickly my Botanical Knight Swords sold last month! I am already working on some new ones, including some of the flowers that people have specifically asked about, like the Forget-Me-Not, Snowdrops, and Strawberries. I may also offer some custom listings in the future in different tiers so people can select the specific size and flower/fruit that they would like. So stay tuned!

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, some ‘behind-the-scenes’, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon! Patreon members also get early offerings of limited edition collections, and other perks.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. It’s a bit rainy here, but we are hunkering down for the weekend with some cozy activities. I recently started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and while I have some thoughts on the books, they’re definitely addictive and I picked up the 4th book from my library yesterday. We’re also planning to see the new The Mandalorian and Grogu movie!

Thank you as always for your support. It’s a joy and a privilege to make art that connects with others.

My best wishes,

Ashley

The Knights are emerging again tonight at dusk! I’m excited to introduce you to a few new Knights, but there will also be some returning favorites. The collection will be available tonight, Thursday April 30th, at 6pm ET. I have some previews below and there will also be full listings to preview on my site by noon today.

My Botanical Knights were originally inspired by a mixing of my interests in fantasy, heraldry, and the language of flowers developed in the Victorian Era (but also the symbolism humans have found in nature for millennia). First I choose which flowers or fruits I want to create in glass, then I start imagining the Knight that will embody that flora. The imagery I paint on their hilts comes from both the flora and their personalities, and ultimately what pops into my head as I experiment with motifs while painting the glass.

This collection finds the return of the Strawberry Knight, Snowdrop Knight, and the Forget-Me-Not Knight. To commemorate their return, I have created two to three swords for each of these brave and kind knights. The Pussy Willow Knight and Forsythia Knight are the newest additions to our community!

I hope you enjoy all of these new designs and the Knight’s individual stories. I really enjoy creating these characters!

Here is a list of upcoming releases for May (all times ET):
April 30th, 6pm: Botanical Knights
May 4th, noon: Star Wars Day! Lightsaber Suncatchers and my first large Lightsaber design preorder
May 23rd, 3pm: Fantasy Collection reopens!

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, some ‘behind-the-scenes’, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon.

Thank you for your support!

Ashley

I’m going to open up preorders for my fantasy sword designs again this evening, Friday March 20 at 6pm East Coast time. Originally this was going to be just for the Shards of the Blade, but after some polls in my Instagram stories showed interest in my other designs as well, I’m going to also open up preorder spots for the Sword of No Man, Enchanted Elven Dagger, and Barrow-Blade of the Brave!

In addition, I’m going to have my Springtime in Middle Earth release this coming Wednesday, March 25th, which is Tolkien Reading Day! This release will include some colorful Halfling Door Suncatchers, my Springtime Leaves of Lórien (pictured below!), my Springtime in the Shire Suncatcher, and a few other pieces that I need to finish up. I’ll send out another email early next week with previews of what will be available.

I’ve had a bit of a slow start to my year, but the changing of the seasons is breathing fresh life into some old projects and new ideas are also flowing with the winter’s thaw, so I expect to be in your inboxes again soon.

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon!

Happy Spring Equinox!

Ashley

I can’t believe the end of the year is almost here! The last few months have truly felt like a whirlwind in so many ways, but I have two more releases for you all before finally seeing out the end of 2025.

First, today, at 6pm EST I will have my Yuletide in Middle Earth release! I have all of the previews up on my site. This will include icy Leaves of Fellowship, jolly Halfling Snowpeople with vests and potato noses, snowy Shire scenes, and more! All of these designs will ship in early January - but I do have some pieces already made, so it’s possible that if you order close to the release time that you could receive it earlier!

And then my final release for 2025 will be another preorder for my Shards of the Blade design! The preorder will open at 6pm EST on Friday, December 19th. As always, I will have more opportunities to order this popular design again in 2026.

I will also be running an end of year giveaway of a box of goodies that will include some of my stained glass as well as a few items from some of my Tolkien community friends! Check out my Instagram and TikTok later this week to enter!

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your support this year. I know that for many of us this year has been a heavy one for so many reasons. Many of Tolkien’s words and stories have buoyed me through the past 12 months, and the community that I have in all of you, and especially in our online communities, has been a true light in the dark places.

I cannot wait to continue to make art that brings you joy in 2026! I have a notebook of new ideas by side and I am excited to share it all and see what the new year has in store.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy end of the year, and a warm and festive Yuletide season,

Ashley <3

Hello friends! My Fantasy Inspired Collection and all of the core designs will reopen this Sunday, November 2nd, at 4pm EST. As a reminder, I make all of my pieces by hand, to order, with a lead-time of about 5-6 weeks. With that in mind, any orders placed this coming week will ship by early December, just in time for holiday gifting!

I will also be donating 5% of the proceeds from this opening to my local school district’s fund for students and families experiencing financial or emotional hardship. This fund exists through donations from the community and provides both basic necessities and financial relief to eligible community members.

In case you missed it, I introduced two new permanent designs last month! My Red Book Suncatcher and the Fellowship Suncatcher - these will be available again in the reopening on Sunday.

As always seems to happen, the holiday season is also rapidly sneaking up upon us! I’d like to take this as an opportunity to remind you all that it is more important than ever to support artists and small business owners at this time. If you want to shop small this holiday season make sure to also *shop early* - handmade pieces take time to make and ship! With that in mind, I’ll also be opening a few pre-order spots this Sunday for my Star Tree Toppers designs. I didn’t have time to do this last year and I hope that a few of you can add a tree topper to your heirloom ornaments this season!

I will also open up the listings for my other holiday ornaments, like the Mistletoe Sprig and Bunch, Prism Stars, and Prism Ornaments.

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, some ‘behind-the-scenes’, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon!

I do plan on having at least one more Shards of the Blade pre-order in November, which I will post about in all the regular places, as well as a Yuletide in Middle Earth release, and maybe a few other designs depending on how my schedule works in the month ahead!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks as always for your support. It’s a joy and a privilege to make art that not only supports myself and my family, but also gives me the means to support my local community

My best wishes,

Ashley

Happy Hobbit Day! I’ve made for you all an entire collection of stained glass pieces in vibrant autumnal colors inspired by the world of Middle Earth and especially the Shire. Imagine butterflies bobbing on the breeze, enjoying the last of the late summer flowers. Wandering through Hobbiton you pass all the colorful hobbit homes and the trees are just starting to change from green to shades of autumn. As you pass Bag End you catch a glimpse of Bilbo at his study window, closing a book with a rich red cover before turning inwards to make the final preparations for his 111th birthday. You hear it will be a party for the ages….

In addition to colorful hobbit doors, three versions of my Peace of the Woods Suncatcher in colors of autumnal leaves, Autumn Leaves of Fellowship in yellow, amber and red, Halfling Village Suncatchers, Monarch and Paperwing handpainted butterflies, and the return of my Autumn in the Shire Suncatcher - I am very excited to announce two new permanent additions to my Fantasy Collection!

I hope you will go and formally meet my Red Book Suncatcher and the Fellowship Suncatcher ( you may have seen peeks of them on my Instagram stories the past few weeks).

Find the entirety of my Hobbit Day Collection now in my shop!

As always, thank you for your support and I hope you can take some hobbity time for yourself today to think about both the small and big things you can celebrate in life - and remember that there is some good in this world and it is worth fighting for!!!

Wishing you all the best,

Ashley

Hi everyone! My Fantasy Collection will reopen today, September 14th, at 4pm EST. As always, this will include all my core designs except for the swords.

There are some new faces here since my last reopening, so just as I reminder - I reopen my Fantasy Collection every month with a set number of pieces available in each design. I calculate this to be about what I can make over the following 4-6 weeks. When that sells (sometimes in a few hours, sometimes over a few days) I close the listings in that collection (which you will then see as 'sold out) for the next month while I work on the orders. I make every order by hand, to order.

When my Fantasy Collection is closed to orders, it is because I am working on all my open orders! My default lead time for most of my handmade designs is 5-6 weeks unless otherwise indicated in the listing.

If you ever have questions about a design, a collection, or my openings, you can always email me at abjglassworks@gmail.com or dm me on Instagram!

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, some ‘behind-the-scenes’, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, and my Patreon!

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and thanks as always for your support. It’s a joy and a privilege to make art that you all connect with and want to include in your homes. Truly something that I am always quite in awe of!

My best wishes,

Ashley

Hello everyone! I will have *two* new releases for you later today!

First, thank you so much for your patience on these new swords. I know a lot of you have been waiting to see what versions of these I would make next and I am very happy to introduce five new stained glass Flora Knights to you all! Going in clockwise through the above photo I’d like to introduce the Ivy Knight, the Coneflower Knight, the Acorn Knight, the Snowdrop Knight and the Poppy Knight. All of their individual lore stories, descriptions and measurements are now available to preview, and they will go live in my shop at 6pm EST tonight. Each Knight is one of a kind and listed individually. I hope you enjoy them!

My special edition Summer in Middle Earth Collection will also be avaiable at 6pm EST tonight. This collection has two pieces, the Summer in the Shire Suncatcher (seen above), which features summertime flowers and fruit bending around the green glass Hobbit Door center, and vibrant orange and red sunflowers at either end.

The second piece in this collection is the Summertime Leaves of Fellowship, which are a larger version of my usual design (you can see the size comparison below). Also, just like the "real" mallorn leaves, I have accented their undersides with silver, which causes them to shimmer even more in sunlight, as they are described in the books.

Both of these designs will be available in a limited number this evening!

I hope you have a wonderful end to your August. Thank you all for your kindness and support, and I will see you all very soon!

Ashley

Hello friends and Happy August! Today I reopened my Fantasy Inspired Collection and all of the core designs are now available to order again!

The summer feels like it’s been racing by and later this month I will have some new Flora Knights swords, which will be released alongside a few Summer in Middle Earth designs. I will also have another Shards of the Blade preorder towards the end of August, so stay tuned for more emails about all those releases coming very soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful month. Thank you as always for your support and kind words over on Instagram and TikTok.

Sending you all my very best wishes, Ashley

A quick message for those who haven’t seen my reminders on Instagram and TikTok , my next Shards of the Blade preorder will be TODAY at 6pm EST. These preorders will ship in roughly 8-10 weeks. As always, I make all of my stained glass pieces by hand, to order, so there are a limited number of preorder spaces in each release, but I will have more opportunities to purchase this design in the future if you miss it!

You can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon!

(and yes, I still can’t access my main TikTok account, so follow my backup @abjglassworks if you haven’t already!)

Thanks as always for your support!

Ashley

A very quick message to let you know that as of TODAY, Sunday June 15th, at 4pm EST my Fantasy Inspired Collection is available to order from again! This is my first Fantasy opening for two months, and I’m so happy to be back. As usual, this will not include my larger sword designs, but everything else will be available.

For those who follow me on Instagram, you will already know why I have been MIA with my glass the past few months, but for those who missed it, here’s a little explainer:

Since the beginning of February, but most intensely from the middle of March through mid-May, I was a part of a grassroots community group working to get our local school district referendum passed in the primary election this past May - and miraculously, against the odds, we did it!

Only 2 out of 18 since 2006 had ever been passed in PA, and unbelievably now we just passed the 3rd, which is also the largest in PA history with a bond of $285 million. With 40% voter turnout (about 17.7k people) we passed it with 385 votes. Over the past few months I had taken on more and more, because apparently I have no chill and the fixation was real. But we did it, and since then I’ve processing the whole experience while also working on fulfilling all my open glass orders so that I would feel ready to open my shop again.

I don’t know how long it will take to truly process what we did. I’m so proud to have been a part of this driven group of people, in the core of our Vote Yes to Invest group. I’ll be forever changed.

And now I am back to full-time glass work! I am hard at work finishing up my existing open orders, and I will have much more regular shop openings from now on - along with those stained glass swords I have been promising for months! Thank you for sticking with me through this most unexpected adventure. As Gandalf would say, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” - and I would not take back the past 4 months for all the gold in Erebor.

I don’t yet have set dates for my upcoming releases, but they will include a new preorder for my Shards of the Blade, and the very belated Snowdrops Collection and Knights Collection. You’ve all been so patiently waiting for those- and they are so close to being ready!

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon!

Have a wonderful week and thanks as always for your support and immense patience with me this year! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about upcoming releases.

Sending you all my very best wishes, Ashley

Hi everyone! My Fantasy Collection will reopen today, April 6th, at 3pm EST. As always, this will include all my core designs except for the swords.

If you placed an order in my last opening on March 1st, I'm finishing those up now and should have the last of them sent out next week! If you're new here, the lead time for most of my handmade designs is 5-6 weeks unless otherwise indicated.

Also I *promise* that my stained glass snowdrops and my Spring in Middle Earth Collection are coming! - a local school district referendum that I mentioned a bit ago on my Instagram is slowly invading all aspects of my life (I’m in charge of all our social media and volunteer emails and more!) and my time is getting whittled away at, but please know that I am prioritizing all open orders- those are all on schedule. It's just the fun extra designs that I want to get out to you all (snowdrops, Autumn/Winter Knights, Arthurian Legends, Spring in Middle Earth…) have gotten less time to work on. Combine that with regular parenting.... that work/life balance eh?

Here is a tentative list of releases for April (all times EST):
April 6th, 3pm: Fantasy Collection reopens!
April 18th, 6pm: Snowdrops and Spring in Middle Earth
April 25th: Autumn/Winter Knights
April or May, tbd: Arthurian Legends Collection
End of April/Beginning May, tbd: Fantasy Collection reopens

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on and info on new upcoming releases over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon! Patreon supporters also get some perks for the monthly support they provide to me, so check it out if you’re interested.

Have a wonderful day and thanks as always for your support! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about upcoming releases.

Ashley

A quick message for those who missed my reminders on Instagram, my next Shards of the Blade preorder will be TODAY at 4pm EST. These preorders will ship in roughly 8 weeks. As always, I make all of my stained glass pieces by hand, to order, so there are a limited number of preorder spaces in each release, but I will have more opportunities to purchase this design in the future if you miss it!

You can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon!

Thanks as always for your support!

Ashley

A very quick message to let you know that today at 4pm EST my Fantasy Inspired Collection will be available to order again! As usual, this will not include my larger sword designs, but everything else will be available.

I also have a tentative list of releases for March (all times EST):
March 1st, 4pm: Fantasy Collection reopens!
March 15th, 4pm: Stained Glass Sword Preorder for Shards of the Blade
March, tbd: Snowdrops Collection
March, tbd: Knights Collection
End of March, tbd: Fantasy Collection reopens

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on, as well as information on releases, over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks as always for your support! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about upcoming releases.

Ashley

Hello everyone! My Fantasy Collection will finally reopen today, Sunday January 26th, at 4pm EST after being closed for almost two months. Thanks for your patience as I took a little end of year break and worked on finishing up my 2024 orders.

I’ve gained some new followers on social media in the interim since my last email, so I want to provide some reminders on how my art and shop work ( If you’re not new here, feel free to skip this paragraph!) I open my core Fantasy Collection once a month (usually near the end of the month) for new orders. I open with a set number of pieces available in each design. I calculate this to be about what I can make over the following 4-6 weeks. When that sells (sometimes in a few hours, sometimes over a few days) I close the listings in that collection for the next month while I work on the orders. I make everything by hand, to order. When my Fantasy Collection is closed (with the listings showing as ‘sold out’), it is because I am working on all my open orders!

My stained glass sword designs are available in separate releases. I intend to have my next sword preorders for the Shards of the Blade, Enchanted Elven Dagger, and the Barrow-Blade of the Brave in February. My sword designs always have an estimated shipping of 8 weeks due to the intricate process of making them.

Here is a tentative list of releases for the rest of January and February (all times EST):
January 26th: Fantasy Collection reopens!
February 7th: Natural 20 Suncatchers
February, tbd: Stained Glass Sword Preorders for Shards of the Blade, Enchanted Elven Dagger and Barrow-blade of the Brave
February, tbd: Autumn Knights Collection
End of February, tbd: Fantasy Collection reopens

As always, you can get peeks of what I’m currently working on over on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and my Patreon! Patreon supporters also get some perks for the monthly support they provide to me, so check it out if you’re interested.

Have a wonderful day and thanks as always for your support! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about upcoming releases.

Ashley

Today, Wednesday December 4th at 2pm EST, will be my last Fantasy Collection reopening for the year! As usual, I make all of my designs handmade to order, so any orders placed this week will not ship until January.

Thank you so much for all of your support this year. I can’t say it enough how much it means. I’ll be back in 2025 with both new and familiar designs, and I can’t wait to show you what I have in the works already!

In case this becomes my last newsletter of the year- have a wonderful December, enjoy time with friends and family, and remember to take some time for yourself as well.

My very best wishes for the rest of this year and beyond!

Ashley

Hello dear subscribers! In celebration of shopping small this and every week of the year, I have TWO collection releases for you tomorrow on Small Business Saturday!

The first is my Yuletide in Middle Earth Collection, which I have expanded upon this year. In addition to the Yuletide in the Shire Suncatcher and Yuletide Leaves of Fellowship, I have added three more designs, which you can see below and preview now on my website! All of these designs will be available tomorrow at 11am EST, and will ship in 1-2 weeks.

I am also finally ready to release my Autumnal Nature Collection, thank you so much for your patience in awaiting these items. I hope you love each and every piece. They are all one of a kind and are ready to ship this coming week. I have more of my handpainted Potion Bottle Suncatchers, Autumnal Leaf Wreaths, and a few iridescent moon phase garlands. These are also available to preview now on my site.

Thank you again for your support, whether in kind comments on my social media, placing orders, sharing my work with your friends and family, or subscribing to my Patreon. I’m sure you know how much this all means to us small business owners, and I truly never take a day of it for granted.

Wishing you all the very best,

Ashley