Started to mosaic!

1. Nipped tiles around eyes

2. Used "marbles" for flower

3. Wormie worked up in millefiore

 

A block of styrofoam packaging came in the mail the other day with something I ordered...  Rather than tossing it, I decided to sculpt a birdie for the yard.  Having never tackled such a thing, I approached it in a rather staight forward manner...  kind of boring... :(
So I added a wormie :)...
1. Sculpted Styrofoam
2. Styrofoam covered with Plaster Canvas
3. Wormie (added for interest)!
Next comes a layer of ThinSet and then... MOSAICS!!!

Hmmm... I'm thinking it's time to update my blog...  Haven't done that in so long... it's about time, eh?!

Before I do, I thought I would post "Where's The Prince?", a present that I made for one of my dear, sweet sister!  If I can find some of my WIP photos, I'll post them too!

Here's the shoe, a tape dispenser, finished!

 

 

Gazing Ball

My first Gazing Ball is now complete!  I grouted it last night...

The really cool thing is that it floats!

Loving Mosaics!

Last year I discovered mosaics while enjoying a wonderful workshop in Italy.  That was an amazing (and fun) discovery!

Now I'm addicted...

Here are two W.I.P pics of a gazing ball for my garden.

Momma's Pumpkin Patch

Well this is a far cry from a pumpkin patch… but last fall I placed a pumpkin on this stump… Since my 94 yr old mom thought it was "so interesting" as it "aged" through the winter, I tacked a bit of chicken wire and added moss and dirt to it this past spring. Violá! A little pumpkin patch for my mom! She's tickled pink!

Coyote or Fox?

Came downstairs early the other day and found this guy casually perusing my front porch!  I stomped my feet and clapped my hands... He/she just looked at me as if to say, "What's your problem?"  So I got a pan (after I took his picture!) and clanged it with a metal spoon!  That did the trick and he took off!  He returned again mid-morning and I repeated my "pan trick" and I haven't seen him since!  I'm wondering, is he a coyote or fox?  I live in northeastern PA and am told that coyotes are in all states but Hawaii!

Jade Blooms

I have some very old Jade houseplants and I love them! One is blooming so I thought I would share it's beauty with you! The flowers are tiny miracles…

Christmas 2011 Thoughts

Our Christmas was quiet and sad this year for we had an unexpected loss in our family...  My husband's mother quietly slipped away a few days before Christmas...  It was a shock because she had been relatively healthy...  We are still trying to comprehend her passing...  We miss her dearly...
With sadness and death we take comfort in our faith...

Slugs Aren't so Bad

About 14 years ago we discovered two cats eating bird seed under our bird feeders. Someone had abandoned them and they were struggling to survive. Having several indoor cats, we attempted to merge them into our happy menagerie to no avail. So we bought a wonderful heated little pet condo for them and now we feed them milk and cat food twice a day.
Today as I was picking up their dishes, I wondered what on earth are those brown slimy things??? I got down on my knees and discovered… Sammy and Sally Slug!
I watched them nibble at Tyger and George's scraps! How fascinating to watch - their antennae stretching and shrinking - their mouths (?) eating the morsels of food! God's creatures both great and small are a miracle to behold!

Live & Learn

Today I decided (with all my new skills!) to make an angel for my friend's upcoming birthday.
Well… to begin with… How does one construct an angel??? I cut the glass for her robe and sleeve - simple enough! Foiled, tinned and even did some decorative soldering…. "This is fun", I thought.
Then came the little wire hand. Grrrr…
it was almost perfect… one more dab of solder should "do it", I thought… And just like that it went on a crazy angle! :-(
Thinking I could easily correct it by gently bending it, I learned a new lesson :-(. I cracked the solder, breaking the underlying foil seam. It wasn't all that noticeable, but I knew it was there, so I pulled it apart. Tomorrow I'll fix it… *sigh*
Live and Learn…. :-(

Decorative Soldering

Ok! Is this cool or what?! It's plain old solder and simply amazing! Don't you agree?

Stained Glass Fish

My first completed stained glass project! The class was fantastic and I made many new and wonderful friends!
Wait until you see my next post - Decorative Soldering!
I can't wait to use this technique with some of the mosaic work from the Rajasthani workshop!

Stained Glass Tropical Fish

Learning a new technique is fun! You make new friends and feed the muse.
I'm learning stained glass and this tropical fish is my "beginner's project".
During the first class we learned how to cut the glass. In the second class we put copper foil on the cut pieces. In the final class (next week), we will learn how to solder the pieces together. Next week I'll post the completed project!

Dad

Today my Dad would have been 91...  He was born in 1920 and died from a stroke in 1997 soon after his 77th birthday.

Dad was such a special man...  When he was only 10 years old, he lost his right hand while playing ball with his friends.  The ball landed on a train track and he thought he could out run the train...  He was wrong...

On his birthday (with a smile on my face) I honor him by tying my shoes with my left hand only and challenge myself with left-hand only tasks.  If he was here, he would smile and think I was silly... but he would also think it was sweet...  It must have been hard losing his dominant hand.  Tying my shoes with my left hand is a challenge!

Funny thing, I never really thought about him as having only one hand until I went to college.  One day a friend asked, "What happened to your Dad's hand?"  You see, not only was he a professional (going to work every day in a three piece suit)... but when he came home, he fixed anything and everything that went wrong in the house!  He could fix our bikes, a plumbing leak, anything electrical... you name it, he could do it with just one hand!  He was one very determined man.  He adored my Mom, loved us kids, loved God and loved life.

I miss YOU, Dad!

God bless You!

Reina de la Noche (Queen of the Night)

This morning I received this beautiful gift from the Reina de la Noche!

Isn't she lovely?  She blooms in the night and so one must watch and wait patiently!

And oh she has the most heavenly fragrance!

Spirit Tree

This is the beginning of my Spirit Tree series.
I sculpted her from clay. She has dried thoroughly and next she will be fired in a kiln (perhaps twice). Finally, she will be embellished with findings and illuminated from within.

Spirit Tree II

Today I began the second Spirit Tree. It rained lightly all morning and then the clouds just hung overhead like a huge gray tarp.
What better way to spend the day! I sculpted outside until dark! Got a little wet… and at one point forgot to close the door… next thing you know, Puffy (one of my four INDOOR cats) nonchalantly sauntered past me! Yikes! I grabbed him with muddy hands, raced into the house, did a head count for the other kitties and thanked the good Lord they were all safe and soundly sleeping!
Spirit Tree II will be dedicated to Puff!

Rajasthani Workshop with Laurel Skye

Here is the Mosaic Bottle that I created in Italy at Laurel Skye's Workshop:

Under the glass tile on the bottle on the left is part of the painting, "The Annunciation" by Fra Angelico.  We were able to see this beautiful painting in Cortona.

Under the glass tile on the right is an image of the Hotel Oasi Neumann.  This is what used to be a monastery and is where we stayed while in Cortona.

In case you are wondering, it's just ONE bottle - front and back!  Oh the wonders of Photoshop! : D

Rajasthani Tappetini

This is the Tappetini piece that I created at Laurel Skye's incredible mosaic workshop in Cortona, Italy!