Even though I studied art in undergrad and I’ve worked with a wide variety of mediums over the years, I’d never tried glassblowing…until today. For starters, it was never offered at school. But mostly, it just seemed a bit intimidating.

But I signed up for a class at Third Degree Glass Factory in the hopes of creating a pumpkin as lovely as these shown above. The course description insisted that anyone could do this. So I crossed my fingers and took them at their word.

Sure enough, each student was assigned an instructor to help with every step. They did some of the hardest parts for us (below is an example).

They also finished the stems for us.

Tah-dah! Here’s my pumpkin getting its final touches! (Actually, it’s my Mom’s pumpkin, as it’s her birthday gift. Sorry for the spoiler, Mom.) I couldn’t be more tickled with the result. I think I might look into other courses in the future!

Today was also the beginning of a festival in my little community. This afternoon I walked to the park to check it out and realized that I’d missed the parade while I was at glass class. But I love the aftermath.

And finally, just for fun…ew.

What a lovely day.