Recycling Bottles

I bought a kiln this year. I will eventually be fusing glass, but at the recommendation of some of my fusing friends, I have started out slumping wine, beer and liquor bottles. The are really cool! They can be used as snack or cheese trays and beer bottles make good spoon rests.

It has helped me familiarize myself with the kiln. I know that it's going to take 5 hours for the program to run from start to finish. The hardest part is waiting for the kiln to completely cool down so the glass is room temperature. Have to wait until the next morning.

I guess the neighbors think we are lushes, there are boxes of bottles people have saved for us in the garage. The laundry room looks like a liquor store with cases of bottles stacked. At any rate, I'm having fun!

Nashville Zombie Walk 2011

Parrot Panel Installed!

I finally finished the parrot panel and it has been installed. It is the focal point of a bathroom in Kentucky. The beautiful glass looks great day and night. This was my final leaded panel, and I am proud of the way it turned out. I painted the parrots' facial features on the glass on both sides. They would have been such tiny pieces of glass, and would have been lost if leaded. The beak of the 2nd parrot is a foiled overlay onto the window. It gives some depth and dimension to the panel.

My next project will be with glass fusing. I just bought my first kiln and although I have a lot to learn about fusing, I am excited about trying something new. I will still make stained glass suncatchers and do some mosaics.

SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS!

On my way home this morning, I saw two dead kittens who had been hit by cars on a remote stretch of road, where they had evidently been dropped. They looked to be no more than 3 months old. It breaks my heart that these little guys never had a chance. I only hope there aren't litter mates still nearby having to fend for themselves.

I get angry when I see abandoned animals. There is no excuse for it. There are low-cost spay and neuter clinics available. All one has to do is call their local Humane Association or animal shelter. In Tennessee, there are several mobile clinics that travel to neighboring counties, as requested. If one can show need, it can be done free of charge.

It is unbelievable how many dogs and cats are being abandoned today. Whole litters of puppies and kittens turned out. Pregnant, old, young, large and small. Even more are being euthanized because the shelters are full. There is no need to bring more animals into the world when there are so many available for adoption. The 3 little girls in the photo are waiting for a home. They were abandoned.

Please, spay and neuter your pets!

Parrot Panel Progress

I got caught up from my trip and found some time to work on the parrot panel. I got one parrot leaded, which is a little tedious. Pictures help me keep up with my daily progress.

Traveling With A Pit Bull

I just got back from visiting my youngest son and took my pit bull, Gremlin with me. Her experiences with riding in the car had previously been to the vet or the lake. I was a little nervous about the 2 hour trip and staying away from home for several days. My worries were unfounded. She had the entire back seat of my car to herself, didn't mind being tethered to the seat belt and slept or watched the traffic during the trip. She was the perfect house guest. She didn't mind when we went out and left her alone in the house and didn't bother anything. I am very proud of her.

I took her because I wanted her to meet a 9 month old lab mix named Smokey. He was abandoned at a drive in market when he was just a few weeks old. I saw him last August when he was about 8 weeks old. Boy, has he grown! I think he's a horse pretending to be a dog. He needs some training, but he is sweet and eager to please. He and Gremlin had a ball together, but she wasn't used to playing with a dog bigger than she is. She needs a dog friend and Smokey will be a great playmate. He will be coming to live with us in April.

I still get angry when I hear another "all pit bulls are bad" story. I own a pit bull. I know what they are like, how they behave and how smart they are. Pits love people. Our veterinarian says Gremlin is a perfect example of what a pit bull can be when loved and treated well. I think I will always have a pit bull, now that I live with one. They are remarkable dogs and great companions.

Love Catchers

I have a friend, Su who has a delightfully creative mind. She comes up with some of the coolest glass creations. She sells her glasswork as Squidglass on ArtFire and Etsy.

Her latest endeavors are fused glass hearts that look like mesh, like they came out of a waffle iron. Now, as I understand it, these are very special hearts. They are love catchers and they capture love and good vibes, but let the heartaches go right on through. Very magical hearts, these are. They come in black, blue, pink and for you traditionalists, red.

I know I love mine!

Granite

One of my boys works with granite. They fabricate and install granite countertops, backsplashes, fireplace hearths and surrounds and windowsills. The company has weathered the economic slump, but it was rough.

Looking at the growing pile of scrap granite, my son decided to use the sink cut-outs for cutting boards and trivets. Since I already sell my stained glass online, I listed some of his cutting boards in my ArtFire shop. Some are 8 inch square, some are 12 inch and there is a 4 inch trivet. Each one is 3/4" to 1 inch thick and all have plastic or felt "feet". They are heavy and the weight makes shipping out of the US too expensive. They are only available in the continental US and are shipped in Priority Mail boxes. My ArtFire shop is www.artfire.com/users/GlassFancy

I have had one of these cutting boards in my kitchen for awhile and absolutely love it. It's not going to scoot around and is going to last forever. I have another that I use under a large planter, to keep it off the carpet. Works great and looks nice! Recycling these granite scraps is a great idea.

Made Up My Mind

After thinking about and considering my alternatives, I have decided to cut back on my stained glass work. I will be concentrating more on the mosaics. For the past year, I have been having problems with arthritis in my hands. Some days I can barely make a fist and the affected fingers ache like they've been whacked with a hammer. It is especially bad in the winter after I've been out in the cold. Foiling glass is almost impossible when my hands are stiff and I am not satisfied with anything but my best.

I will still make my 3D butterfly plant stakes and some of the snowflakes with the bevels. No more small suncatchers with tiny pieces and absolutely nothing with foiled marbles or glass nuggets. My thumbs hurt just thinking about foiling a marble!

At first, I was disappointed. Then I was angry that the only joints with arthritis are in my hands. I wasn't ready to admit it was time to move on to something I could manage. I'll admit I haven't made much for about a year. But, I'm ready to move on and take another direction.

I have completed the pattern for a stained glass panel for a friend's birthday in March. It's two parrots in the jungle and will look great in his bathroom window. Sort of my last hurrah in stained glass.