I've wanted to visit the Shiny Sparkle Lab ever since I saw them on a local news highlight. We…read moredon't have enough of these unique creative hubs in our city, so this place is really a gem. I've done glass fusing in the past and loved it, so I decided to finally visit and take a class that focused on making either a Charcuterie board or coaster set. I took the class as part of my birthday weekend on 2/10. It is usually $124 however, I received 30% due to an advertised deal on their site (code sp30). I traveled by train from the Bronx to get here and was very excited however, my experience wasn't as exciting as I anticipated. Unfortunately when I arrived, I got lost. I walked back and forth trying to find the space and even asked around, but no one had heard of it. I looked online trying to find a phone number and to my luck, there is none. After walking around for 15 minutes, I finally found it. The door/entrance has a small sign with their name on it. Maybe it's just me, but they need a better indicator. The business is located on the upper level of what seems to be an executive park of some sort. Meaning, one building with multiple businesses inside or around the premises. The building itself looks like its under heavy construction. I would never have imagined that any sort of classes were being conducted there. Nonetheless, I made it just in time as the instructor, Dorie, seemed to have just began. She gave a great overview of glass fusing techniques and offered tips on making our piece as great as possible. Her directions were also very clear and concise. Once she was done, we were directed to begin our masterpieces. There were 12 students including myself. We were placed at a large table where all of the materials were laid out for us. Each person had a section or workstation at the table to work from. In addition to the wonderful layout, we were offered some delicious bites of charcuterie treats, wine, and water. I took an apron and got to work. The entire class was about 3 hours.
We were offered a sheet of paper to sketch out our design. I did not like this nor did I expect it. I was under the impression that we'd do a predetermined design. Sort of like when you participate in a Paint and Sip class. I am not a creative person, so it takes me a long time to figure out a design from scratch. Nonetheless, I came up with something that I thought would be lovely. As mentioned, the table is filled with a variety of materials to create your masterpiece. Unfortunately, a lot of the glass pieces come from larger pieces that seemed to have been cut previously. Many of the pieces were cut unevenly or in various shapes so it felt like I was putting a puzzle together. I had to find pieces that fit into one another as best as possible to make some parts of my design cohesive. My design was somewhat abstract. I focused a lot on various sized boxes and lines. It was difficult to do this with broken pieces because I ended up having to cut them more to make them into squares or find multiple pieces of the desired color to make it as close to a square as possible. In my past experience with glass fusing, they offered pre-cut squares and full glass sheets for me to work with, which made it alot easier. In the end, I ended up staying behind to finish my piece because I just could not find enough cohesive pieces to fill the plate. Honestly, I just threw whatever on it to make it complete because I was tired of it.
Despite my lack of creative frustration, the staff were extremely kind and helpful. Whenever I needed help or guidance, they were only steps away to assist. In addition, they were so patient with me as I remained behind to finish while others left. Once complete, they took my name and placed it aside to be fired up. I received an email that it was ready for pick up and stopped by accordingly.
Overall, I'm not in love with the finished piece but I'm content with the experience. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had some direction for the design or more pieces that didn't require as much work. The person working next to me also experienced a creativity block and was worried about the time, so I know it's not just me who may have felt uneasy. I don't think I would return only because of the distance. Otherwise, I would give it another try. I also would recommend to others. It's a nice time for friends or a couple to connect and enjoy themselves.
