Is that...could it be??? Why YES, Thin Ice finally has a local glass blower!

A few short weeks ago Thin Ice was thrilled to welcome Robin Nicolai into Thin Ice as one of the newest artists and one whom Thin Ice has been searching and hoping for since the beginning of time (or 2006, when Thin Ice opened depending on how dramatic you want to get).



Originally from Buffalo, Robin spent a few years traveling the country before settling into Southern Illinois for a bit where she learned how to blow glass from someone she'd met along the way.



Now back in Buffalo, Robin has stayed true to her craft and works in her backyard blowing glass into little turtle shapes, jars, perfume bottles and pendants. Her work is stunning yet organic with no two pieces alike.



Thin Ice is really thrilled to be able to feature Robin's work and we look forward to you stopping in to 'ooh' and 'ahh' because really who can't look at a mini glass turtle and not have that reaction?

Sea Turtles!

Sea turtles no longer have to be relegated to that big, stinky tank taking up half the living room. One of the very talented local artists at Thin Ice took into consideration the fact that sea turtles signify stability and longevity and so thought to create a line of pottery featuring the aforementioned sea turtles!

What does one do with said pottery, you ask? You give it away as wedding gifts, of course!

Pottery is always a great wedding or housewarming gift and all of the pottery at Thin Ice, sea turtle emblazoned included, is oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.

There are many great pieces to choose from with prices ranging from $18-$75 and a variety of beautiful glazes. Stop in to pick yours out today (and no offense to any actual sea turtle owners-I'm sure your tank isn't stinky at all)

GREEN! It's not just the color of Spring!

Now that the sun is finally shining people are out walking in droves! It's wonderful to see all the smiling faces but what accompanies almost every smiling face? A paper coffee cup in hand. The cup itself is inevitable, walking around with your favorite ceramic mug is a little silly, but what doesn't have to be inevitable is the paper sleeve encasing the aforementioned cup. Enter local artist Maureen, who decided to tackle this environmentally unfriendly problem by hand knitting coffee cuffs! These are beautifully crafted in a wide array of colors and designs for both guys and girls. There are flower cuffs, button cuffs, buffalo cuffs, bumblebee cuffs, you name it and she's probably knit it. Stop in and do your part to shed some green by picking up a reusable, functional, and super fun coffee cuff!

Mother's Day is May 8th!!!

I don't want to alarm anyone but with Easter being so late this year I don't think many of you realize Mother's Day is practically upon us. Typically moms want jewelry, which works out well considering the wide variety of locally handcrafted, one of a kind jewelry available at Thin Ice. If you want to deviate from the norm this year you are still in luck!

There are some great ikebana vases at Thin Ice that are great gifts for moms who like to garden. An ikebana vase is not a traditional vase. Instead it is a beautifully sculpted ceramic bowl with three chambers in it. The chambers are hollow and have openings in the bottom so what mom can do is cut a few flowers from her garden to display them in this artistic vase. She would just add water to the bowl which would have access to the flowers through the chambers. This is a great idea because you don't always want to chop so many flowers from your garden to fill an entire vase. So this is a great alternative. Also, from the bouquet of flowers you give mom there will inevitably be a carnation or daisy that will outlive the roses and orchids. Those, too, can be kept in the ikebana vase long after the baby's breath and irises have wilted.

Of course there are many, many other gift options at Thin Ice, most of which were handcrafted right here in Buffalo, and all of which were handcrafted in the USA!

Robots and Owls Oh MY!

I'm not sure what this trend means but there are more owls and robots at Thin Ice than ever before. All unique in their own way and all handcrafted by different local artists these robots and owls are really fun and creative!



Hand felted pins by Esther Niesen, leather and copper bracelets by Heather Mordaunt, www.hm2jewelry.com, and fully functional coasters by Ingrid Luongo are the goodies shown in the photos but at this rate there will be more robots and owls at Thin Ice before the week is over!

Sale Couch is Open

Publish Post
Thin Ice now has a sale couch! Everything on the couch is on sale, except the cat. Well, maybe the cat.

Stop in to check out what's on sale!

Well isn't he just the cutest thing?

New Item at Thin Ice! Locally handcrafted..............wait for it............Origami Buffalo?!?!?! How Adorable! This little guy measures 3" tall by 4" long and is locally handcrafted out of a map of Buffalo. That's pretty clever, if you ask me. For only $18 you too can own your very own Origami Buffalo to give as a gift or why not collect your own herd!? Perfect for a mantle, end table, or desk.