Glass by Gailanne

06/17/2026

I’m heading to Black Diamond doesn’t wanna come back and pick you up to set up my glassworks this morning and then I’ll be back on Saturday afternoon for the meet the artist.

06/06/2026

Just finished up day one of the two day Sooke Secret Garden tour. Raining fairly heavy at the moment with packing up some things. But all in all, we were pretty lucky at this location for just Sun, cloud, and some wind gusts. Supposed to be about a 45% chance of rain tomorrow in the Sooke area so hopefully it’s a different area than where I am!

06/05/2026

I can’t say I’m feeling very ready, but a few last things waiting for prices and to be packed up ready to go.
So if you don’t have your tickets for the garden tour, hopefully you get out and get one and say hello when you’re at the garden I will be a vendor at.

05/12/2026

Just under four weeks until the Sooke Secret Garden tour, so don’t leave it too late to get your tickets.
As well as 10 gardens to tour, there will also be places to listen to music, studios to visit, and some vendors that were welcomed by the homeowners into some of the gardens.
These are a few more bud vases and a couple of larger vases that I’ve taken out of the kiln lately, that may or may not get taken to the garden tour spot. I will be a vendor at.
Remember, it’s never too early to think of Christmas gifts! Even if you’re not that interested, please do say hello to the vendors and you can always pick up a business card or ask them for their contact info in case you think of something later that you would like to check out.
This will be my second year as a vendor, and I thoroughly enjoyed last year, looking at the beautiful garden that I was in and chatting with the people and hearing how much they were enjoying the Sooke Secret Garden tour.
The money from your ticket goes to support the Sooke Philharmonic.

05/08/2026

I just took the opportunity to drop in and see this display. It’s only on for two weeks and it is well worth making the trip into Colwood to see these students works. Open Thursday to Sunday from noon to four. 

🎨✨ You’re invited to experience creativity like never before! ✨🎨

Step into a world of imagination, talent, and storytelling at Reveal & Conceal – Student Art Show presented by École Royal Bay Secondary School.

From bold expressions to hidden meanings, this inspiring exhibition showcases the incredible work of emerging young artists in our community. Each piece invites you to look a little closer… what will you discover?

🌟 Opening Gala: May 7 | 6–8 PM
🖼️ Exhibition Runs: May 7–17
🕛 Thurs–Sun | 12–4 PM
📍 Goldfinch Arts Centre, 170 Goldfinch Rd, Colwood

Bring your friends, family, and curiosity, support local youth and celebrate the power of art! 💙

05/03/2026

Do you have your ticket yet for the Sooke Secret Garden tour that financially supports the Sooke Philharmonic?
Tickets are $40 each and you can talk to your phone or computer to get on the website to find more detail about the gardens, the vendors, where to buy tickets, etc..
It’ll be happening June 6 and 7 rain or shine, although I’m sure hoping for sunshine again this year.
This will be the second year I’ve been a vendor in someone’s garden and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting other volunteers and the ticket holders out for the weekend enjoying local gardens last year.
If you’ve never gotten out for one of these tours, I think you’ll be in for real treat. Lovely homeowners open their gardens, volunteers set up and take tickets and help give out information, there may be some of the Philharmonic playing in some gardens, plus some Art studios are open as well as some vendors set up in some of the gardens.
I’ll have an assortment of bud vases, vases, garden stakes , sun-catchers, and i’m sure I’m forgetting a couple of other things.
So come on out and enjoy a great weekend and support our local Sooke Philharmonic.

04/16/2026

The sunflower is new this year. Actually, it was supposed to be a 9 inch bowl but I wasn’t really happy with it when it came out of the kiln from the first firing. So I fused it on a clear piece of glass and now it’s out in the garden.
I just wish putting some glass out would help hide the weeds, but I guess it doesn’t work that way. Maybe it’ll just distract people from realizing how many weeds are around!

04/12/2026

Making some plant stakes for upcoming fairs and markets. I keep these pretty simple as I like to have a number of things at my table/booth that are about $20 or under.
I’ll be at Metchosin Hall for the pre-Mother’s Day market on the Sunday prior to Mother’s Day. (May 3)
If there’s a cancellation of another vendor, I might be able to get their spot for the Saturday and be there for the whole weekend.

04/04/2026

Two years ago today, the end of the trip in Namibia.
We visited a cheetah conservation center. Learned some amazing things. One of the things that they do is raise herd dogs and local farmers have to pay a fee for them and prove that they will use them as herd dogs. Cheetahs tend to hang around the farmland, not the national parks where they’re at danger from the leopards and lions. That means that they are often killed because they are blamed if a goat or a calf is killed. Now the farmers understand that’s not the case and they can protect their herds without killing the cheetahs.
And, unfortunately, cheetahs cannot be returned to the wild if they were not with their mom for long enough. They cannot teach them to eat from an animal that they take down.
And the majority of the young cheetah cubs that are poached to be sent to the Middle East countries, where some people think it’s a status symbol to own a cheetah, do not live past a year-old.

03/30/2026

Thought I’d take advantage of natural light to get a few photos for a change. The round suncatcher aren’t really designed to be on a shepherds hook in the garden, but as I said, I was just after the natural light.