An Unpleasant Task

Yesterday I had the unpleasant task of burying a beautiful cat that was allowed to roam and got hit by a car. I saw it happen. Since the cat wandered all over the neighborhood, we have no idea who it belongs to. But under the circumstances, I doubt if the owner cares anyway. I don't think they deserve to know.

The man who hit it was just going to leave the cat laying there, but I thought that was awful, so I got a box and buried the poor thing in my backyard under the forsythia where it always watched birds.

I'm still upset about it because it didn't have to happen if the cat was kept indoors. There are too many predators and dangers to allow pets to roam. No excuses.

Christmas Open House at the Two Rivers Mansion

The beautiful Two Rivers Mansion in Donelson, TN (next to McGavock High School)will be open this weekend for Christmas. Area florists are decorating the parlors and hallways downstairs and there are several of us upstairs that make and sell handmade jewelry, pet items, stained glass and other things. Refreshments are served in the dining room.

I will be there with my stained glass, glass mosaics and gemstone jewelry. If you are in the area, I hope to see you there!

CGGE Gift Guide

The Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) has set up a gift guide at http://cgge.org/shop.aspx for your convenience. It is filled with all kinds of glass items!

Azaleas Blooming In November???

Two years ago I relandscaped in front of the house and planted 6 Encore Azaleas. They have done really well and had a few blooms last fall. They were really pretty in April, but have put on a show this fall. The plants are covered in salmon pink blooms and have lasted about a month. Encore azaleas are definitely worth the extra cost!

I'm a Cat Lady!

I've always been an animal lover and have adopted or found homes for many stray cats and dogs. Right now there are 2 onery cats and 2 dogs in my pack. It breaks my heart to see the photos in the local newspaper of the adoptable cats and dogs in the area. Two weeks ago I noticed the New Leash On Life rescue organization needed volunteers to help care for the cats they have at the local PetSmart. I went Friday night to learn the ropes and I think I'm really going to enjoy this. I start this week, two mornings a week I'll be feeding and cleaning the kitty condos for the kitties waiting for their forever homes.

It can't be fall already!

Today was the first day of fall and I am not happy about it. Fall means winter is coming and I don't like winter either. I'd rather be outdoors. There is always yardwork to do in the spring and summer. If I don't have dirt on my knees and under my fingernails, I'm not happy.

Now I get to look forward to chores like ripping down old wallpaper and painting the hallway with 9 doors/doorways. Some of the ceilings are looking drab too. Nothing to get excited about.

I've been looking at some of the photos I took of my daylilies and other flowers and don't want to even think about cleaning up the acorns and leaves that will begin falling soon.

Ok, I'll admit I'm coming down with a cold and feel like poo. Sorry about that!

Getting Ready For the Christmas

Although I'm not quite ready to start thinking about Christmas, I have started listing Christmas items in my ArtFire and Etsy shops. I have a lot of Christmas suncatchers or ornaments. The smaller ones make great package tie-ons.

Learning Something New

I recently bought a bottle cutter and spent some time scoring and breaking out the bottles. Beer bottles are good to practice on but I've already found that the clear bottles break cleaner and on the score line than the brown bottles. A few broke way off, but I did get the hang of it. It took a few tries to know how much pressure to apply with the cutter. Tapping the score line took a bit of finesse because the rod you use to tap is from inside the bottle.

The main reason I was interested in cutting bottles was to make windchimes. I made one for my son and daughter-in-law with Landshark beer bottles to hang in their Tiki bar.

My Junkyard Dog

June is a busy month because we have 3 birthdays. Last weekend we celebrated all 3 at once. My birthday was June 12th and I got some awesome sandals (it's nice to have a son who works at Zappo's), the 4th season of Rescue Me and a dog made out of scrap auto parts. The best part was having the whole family together.

I need to learn to weld so I can make the junk sculptures!

Just Fooling Around

Today was dreary and cool. Instead of wasting it, I went downstairs to my studio and made a suncatcher using a potmelt a friend had sent me. Sometimes I just like to see where the glass is going to take me. I found several pieces of scrap glass that matched the colors in the potmelt and laid them out on my workbench. I may have to trim an edge or two, but it mostly just fits together like puzzle pieces. Working with a pattern was just too tedious today. So, this one is for my friend Nancy.

Check out my new collage!

Get my collage or Create your own

http://artfireshops.gotop100.com/in.php?ref=114

For My Mom

My Mom and I were very close. We could talk about anything. I miss that. She always loved peonies and when mine would bloom, I would take her a big, fragrant bouquet on Mother's Day. She's been gone for almost 9 years but I still pick a big bouquet of peonies and put them in a vase and wish her a happy Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Time To Rant

I am becoming more irritated every time I grocery shop. Recently I noticed that the Nutri-Grain cereal bars that I have eaten for breakfast for several years have shrunk to 1.3 ounces. The wrapper is still the same size as it's always been, the bar is just 2 inches shorter than it used to be. Same goes for toilet paper. The rolls are 1/2 to 1 inch shorter than they used to be. Check the next time you put a roll on the roller. It looks stupid with all the extra space. A pound of coffee has shrunk to 12 ounces. Potato chip bags are half full and puffed up with air. Cereal boxes are twice as tall as the bags of cereal in them.

Do the manufacturers think consumers are stupid? We are getting half as much for twice the price. If toilet paper wasn't so expensive, I'd look up some of the CEO's of these companies and roll their houses.

Fused Glass Hummingbird Feeder

I recently bought the most gorgeous fused glass hummingbird feeder. I am always on the lookout for unique garden items and this was absolutely perfect! It is made by GloriousGlassGarden on Etsy. She also makes fused glass birdbaths that are to die for!

Is This Dogwood Winter?

Just when it seems like winter is over, we get another cold spell and the sun disappears for a day or two. My dogwoods and tree peony are in bloom which coincides with the current cold temperatures. Right now it is still 46 degrees and it's almost noon. I was hoping to buy bedding plants next week, but unless it warms up, I'm going to wait. There is nothing worse than having to move all my pots to the pool shed or cover them.

Soap Carving - A Lost Art?

I have always felt my paternal grandmother was probably the biggest influence on my creativity. She was truly an artist in her own right. We stayed with her when we were kids while our parents worked, and she always had art projects ready for us. She recycled materials as far back as the 60's, seriously! Even though she was only 4'10" tall, she was a little bundle of energy. She was always working on something.

One of her many talents was soap carving. Ivory Soap made huge bars and she would buy them and store them in dresser drawers to "age". She had a tiny penknife that she used to carve the aged bars of soap. She carved a nativity scene that had about 70 pieces. A display case for it that was covered with navy blue velvet. She also carved a wedding party with the bride, groom and their 6 attendants. Both groups were entered in the state fair during the 40's and 50's. I have the blue ribbon for the bridal party from 1947. I also have the bride and groom. The detail she captured was amazing and her sense of scale was spot on.

The soap has aged to a yellowish patina and it is a bit crumbly. The bride and groom are all that is left. I am afraid the photos of the complete sets are long gone. For posterity's sake, I have photographed it before it is gone. I don't think you can even get the huge bars of Ivory soap anymore.

I Shop When I'm Bored

Why is it I always complain that I never have time to just sit down and do nothing, then when I HAVE to stay off my feet, it drives me crazy? I had foot surgery this past Wednesday to fix the toes I messed up wearing high heels. I was in constant pain and decided it was time to do something about it.

Now that I have so much time on my hands, I've been doing some browsing and window shopping. My wish list has grown considerably. A few of the new additions to my list are shown above.

I noticed that one of my online friends can do anything she sets her mind to. Linda, also known as Papernclay makes fused glass jewelry. She also makes polymer clay pieces. Her watermelon beads were awesome! She does origami and can make a crane out of your wedding invitation. Recently she started learning lampworking and I am in awe of the beautiful beads she has made already. People like Linda inspire me to try new things. You can find Papernclay at Etsy.com and ArtFire.com.

Glass Anarchy's Got the Blues!

Signs of Spring?

We have gotten a break from the cold, dreary winter weather this past week. It has been in the 60's several days. I have opened windows to let the house air out. Today I was walking the dogs around the yard and discovered crocus already blooming. There are also some daffodils showing color that should be blooming by next week.

I am not a winter person, so this has been invigorating. I've already tilled the garden to get it ready for onions in a few weeks. The garlic I planted last fall is doing well and there is still sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary that survived.

A Day To Spend Outdoors

This is already a wonderful weekend. Temperature is in the 60's, the ground has thawed enough to till the garden and set my onions out. It doesn't matter what else I should be doing, I'll be outside all day.

I came across an interesting blog the other day. http://paprikasperch.blogspot.com
She contacted me because she was featuring one of my butterfly plant stakes in the blog. Her jewelry shops are http://paprikasplace.etsy.com and http://baciscreations.artfire.com I love the heart necklace (pictured).

All You Need Is Love...

Well, not really, but it's a cool song. I've made some Valentine's Day items and had fun by not doing such traditional fare this year.

Gemstone Bracelets

I've started listing some gemstone bead bracelets on ArtFire and Etsy. I had built up quite a stash of beads even after I made some earrings and bracelets for myself. I have jade, quartz, amethyst, mother of pearl, jasper, turquoise and garnet. The rutilated quartz is one of my favorites but I love the amethyst and mother of pearl too.

A Rose Is a Rose....

The holidays always take me away from my glass studio. I always know when I've been away from glasswork because I start dreaming about designing new projects. I have several potmelts made by Linda Hartman of Papernclay. One in particular has fascinated me because it looks just like a red rose embedded in the glass. I made the suncatcher with the potmelt, just like I dreamed. It is framed by diamond bevels and scarlet cathedral glass. It felt good to be back at my work bench once again. My rose suncatcher is listed on ArtFire.