Artist finds peace in creating something beautiful

Lisa Money of Cambridge etches glass, embroiders and custom paints wood crafts

Cambridge artist Lisa Money wants to bring something beautiful into people’s homes.

She etches glassware, vases, mirrors, vehicle windows and anything else she’s asked to do. A common gift item is a set of matching champagne flutes. She’s even created trophies for a boat parade.

“I’ve always been creative,” explained Money. “It’s who I am and what I enjoy doing.”

She inspired by things she comes across in every day life, particularly the natural setting around her home. In the warm weather, she can be found sitting on her deck, hard at work.

“To me, it’s relaxing,” Money explained. “This is my time. It’s what I do for me.”

Nature finds its way into her one-of-a-kind artwork, as well. Eagles and roses are the most popular items she etches, and other wildlife next on the list. She has over 3,000 patterns in stock. If a customer can’t find something she likes, Money is happy to fashion something unique. She has taken people and pets from photographs and transferred them to glass. In addition to fashioning new pieces, Money has repaired antiques, such as a Hoosier cabinet that needed new panes.

Her hobby began with a one-hour Community Education class when she was 16. Thirty years later she’s still enamoured of the work, and strives to make each item a piece of art.

Etching requires a lot of prep work. It typically takes Money longer to draw up a design than it does to actually etch it. “I do a lot of retrofitting,” she explained.

She prides herself on crisp edges, which are difficult to achieve. Without a tight seal between the pattern on contact paper and the glass, the acid will seep through, ruining the project.

Her materials come from a variety of sources. Money scours discount stores and garage sales for glass. “If I can get it cheap, I can sell it cheap,” Money explained. Other times, customers provide the material. She hasn’t found that any one glass works better than another; however, she can’t etch Corningware or other bakewear. “The acid won’t take to the bakewear,” she explained.

Twice each year, Money carefully packs up her artwork to sell at craft fairs, which make up the bulk of her business. Word-of-mouth is also an important mechanism for sales. Recently, she’s added a web site (http://home.earthlink.net/~wolf36/yourglassormine) and Facebook page (Your Glass or Mine). After being laid off, Money hopes to increase the amount of work she does.

Towards that end, she recently purchased an embroidery machine and intends to add that skill to her repertoire.

CUSTOM PAINTED WOOD CRAFTS

Another hobby also dates back to her high school years. As a teen, Money loved woodshop. Today, she’s got her own shop set up in a detached garage.

When she was given a bird feeder, Money thought, “I can make these.” So she did. Next she fashioned a pileated woodpecker out of a scrap piece of lumber. Money completes the whole project herself. She starts with a piece of wood, cuts it, sands it down and then paints it.

She finds much of her raw material at Menards, taking advantage of sale prices. As with her glass etching, she passes the savings onto her customers.

Blue Jays and pileated woodpeckers are the hottest items at craft shows, as are her signs.

“I paint whatever happens to come to mind,” Money said. She’s happy to paint whatever slogan a customer asks for. Lighter stains tend to be more popular, but she works with a variety of colors.

“Time flies when you’re having rum” is one of her favorite sayings. Other popular ones are: “Because I said so,” “Happily Ever After,” and “When in Doubt, Look Up.” At a craft fair one day, a woman came up to Money and fell in love with a sign that said “You Are My Sunshine.” She told Money, “My husband used to tell me that all the time when he was alive.”

“[I] brought joy to her just with a saying. It’s neat that I can do that,” Money observed. Other people enjoy having their own “famous sayings” in paint, making them permanent.

When she paints, Money uses little brushes in order to get clean edges. She keeps a jar of Q-tips handy to clean up any mistakes. “It takes a long time. That’s okay, though,” she stated. She knows that art can’t be hurried.

To contact Money, email wolf36@earthlink.net or call (763) 274-4630.