New Info from GAS Weekly Digest

I love getting the weekly newsletter from the Glass Art Society. I feel so “in the know” as far as new glass information is concerned. So I’m doing a bit of the old cut and paste to pass on new info…

Paragon Industries has just released the 14″ square x 6 1/2″ deep CS-14S
and CS-14D glass fusing kilns.

CS stands for clamshell, which means the kilns lift out of the way for loading. Open the dual-opening CS-14D by lifting a conventional
kiln lid or by lifting the clamshell firing chamber. The single-opening CS-14S walls and top lift up as a single unit.
An optional bead door and high-temperature glass window are available for the CS-14S. Both models can be ordered with the optional mercury
relay or a ceramic fiber lid. The kilns come with a digital Sentry Xpress temperature controller.

The kiln base extends 4″ in the back to support the weight of the kilns when they are opened. The heating elements are mounted in the top.
“The idea behind the CS kilns is that you can assemble glass on a kiln shelf while it is already inside the kiln,” said John S. Hohenshelt,
president of Paragon Industries. “In many cases this will eliminate the need to glue the pieces before firing.”

For more information, contact Paragon: 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557
/ www.paragonweb.com / [email protected] / 2011 South Town East Blvd.,
Mesquite, TX 75149-1122

This sounds like a very cool kiln…more info in the next post.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?