About Annie Woods
Behind the Torch
I have been blowing glass since 2007 and work on a Bethlehem PM2D. The type of glass blowing I do is often called Lampwoking. This term was coined when oil lamps were used to melt the glass. However, the modern practice utilizes bench mounted torches burning propane or natural gas mixed with oxygen to heat up and melt rods or hollow tubes of glass. I use borosilicate glass, coe 33.
My studio is in Bellingham, WA and shared with my husband and 4 other glass artists.
Why Cats?
I've always loved cats. I owe this appreciation to my Pop, who bestowed his love for kitties on me. When I was around 5 years old he took me to pick out a kitten. Well, 2 kittens because his rule has always been "You always get kittens in pairs". He is so right. We brought home 2 Calico sisters, named them Calie & Coco and so began my life long journey as a Cat Lady.
Calie was a beautiful, sassy long haired Calico. She was my first best friend and was with me throughout all of adolescence & high school. I will never forget the first time I found one of her whiskers. It was such a unique special treasure, I taped it into my diary for safe keeping. We had a wonderful 16+ years together.
Of course there have been MANY kitties to come and go throughout my life and each one was special.
Fluffy, Bear, Bird, Bug, Ringo and China - everyone's favorite grumpy opinionated Queen.
My current Kitties
Perhaps you followed along as I fostered "Mamma Patty" and helped her birth EIGHT kittens in September of 2020. The Crazy 8, as I called them, were all named after Kill Bill characters. This litter produced 5 "normal" kittens and 3 weird little potatoes, who enchanted us all. We ended up adopting 2 of the 3 (Beatrix & Rufus) and were shocked as we watched them grow into beautiful long & lanky cats.
Romano
Our third kitty was actually my very first foster after losing China—and also my first ‘Foster Fail,’ a term of endearment used when you foster a cat but end up adopting it.
Romano came from a colony of over 40 cats and had been dragging his left arm for some time. As soon as the rescue was able to bring him in, it was clear that the arm had to be amputated. We named him Romano after the doctor on the ’90s TV show ER, who also lost his left arm in a freak helicopter accident. Unlike that character (who was a total jerk), Romano is the sweetest, most loving cat—so much so that he quickly earned the nickname ‘RoMOMo’ for adopting Bea and Rufus as his own kittens.
He’s a typical goofy tuxedo and doesn’t miss his arm one bit!
Data
Our 14 year old purebred Mutt, Data was adopted in 2011 at 9 weeks old from Rez Dog Rescue in Yakima, WA. She is the most amazing, intelligent, empathetic little dog. Yes, l said little - although she looks like a big Shepard type dog, Data is only 27 pounds! After 8 years of being bullied by her evil big sister, China, Data now enjoys the company of her 3 kitty siblings who all love to try and sneak in a snuggle with her.
In August 2024, Data was diagnosed with cancer. A soft tissue sarcoma was growing in her neck, wrapped around her spine, compressing her spinal column, and limiting her mobility. After being told the tumor was inoperable, we reached out to Dr. Sullivan at Bellingham Vet, who believed Data might be a candidate for SRT radiation treatment.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, we decided to proceed with radiation. In mid-September, Data underwent three fractions of SRT radiation. Eight weeks later, she had regained all of her lost mobility and was completely weaned off prednisone. We hope the radiation keeps the cancer at bay for as long as possible. Every day is a bonus day and we are so grateful to see her happy and living her best life as the goodest girl ever.
Data's Fundraiser
Between the MRI that revealed the cancer to the CT scan & SRT Radiation treatments, Data's medical costs far exceeded what we could pay up front. Many people reached out who wanted to help contribute. Instead of just accepting donations I decided to create a Fundraiser Giveaway. Each time you purchase a Data Sticker you get entered to win a piece of my glass art.