Monday, February 28, 2011

Travel Planning

Look what arrived in today's mail from Amazon.com :-).  Our trip planning is well underway.  10 days in Italy then 10 in France the first 3 weeks of Sept.  I can't wait to go!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Fused Glass

Last week when I was still at home, I spent a day out at Morning Star Studio learning about fusing glass.  Linda is a great teacher.  I got to play around with 2 tiles and try out different types of glass, just to see how they melt together.


The first tile was done on white opaque glass with scraps of different blues layered on top of it.  We got to talking and let if fuse just a bit too long.  This caused the edges to draw in a bit.  And there is a little less texture to the layered pieces than I'd wanted.  But it was a good first effort.  I can use it for snacks or something, it looks great on my kitchen table.

The second tile was on clear glass with an iridescent back.  The flash from the camera makes it look gold, but it really isn't.  This one we fused just right, so it still has some texture.  I used frit (small pieces of glass) to make the flower petals, which was interesting.  I actually like how they turned out a lot more than I thought I would.  I was afraid they'd melt into the back ground more, but they didn't.

So, some more experimentation is due.  But the long term plan is to create a couple of large pieces that I mount on the wall behind my cooktop and use as a back splash.  I really like glass, and this is going to be a fun project.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Summer Schedule

I'm hoping for some company this summer.  So here is my schedule for your planning purposes :-)