First Project Done

I got my first mosaic vase done yesterday and I think it turned out pretty good! Here are some pics of the process:

My disaster area for cutting glass and gluing.

 The last of the gluing. I had to tape the beads around the corners so they would dry in the right place. I had to put it in the oven to get the glue to dry clear even after a week.

 

After being grouted and cleaned up. I did this part yesterday, and I'm glad I chose a subtle grout color because my grout lines were not that great since I haven't perfected my glass cutting skills yet. Also, I used textured glass so the grout kind of stuck in the little cracks and crevices where it was not supposed to stay. I got most of it out by using a toothbrush and vinegar. I'm not sure why I decided to start with a 3-dimensional square vase because the edges were a pain. It was hard to get the grout to stick on the corners and I feel like it looks a little to thick because of the size of the gap, another reason why I'm glad I used a lighter grout color. Anyways, I am pretty happy with how it turned out, and now I can move on to something new!

TGIF

I have not had the best of weeks. Was not feeling full of rage as I did last week, but was not feeling myself or in a stable state this week because 1) I had a mild but nevertheless annoying bout of stomach flu, and 2) I didn't talk to my husband all week because he was away from computers. I had no motivation to do anything at work most of the week (my cave of an office not helping), but today was a little better. After I woke up that is. I slept through my alarm and awoke to a bad dream that made me feel very unsettled as I rushed to get to work not too far after my normally-late-getting-to-work time...yeah I just gave up trying to be on time because even the days that I am running on schedule there will be a traffic accident, or some other obstacle that still makes me late. I find that I have much less anxiety in the morning when I am not trying to be on time.

Anyways, my Friday turned out to be an ok day and then my hubby came back and was online. It was very late at night for him and he had had a bad day and just really wanted to talk to me (I love that). I was not expecting to hear from him for another day or two, so it was a pleasant surprise even though he was telling me about his rough day. It's the middle of October now which means that we are halfway there to January when he comes home for R&R!

I went to see a movie with my brother tonight, Life as We Know It. I really enjoyed it and it's good thing I wasn't watching it alone or I would have been bawling on numerous occasions. We both thought it would be more of a funny movie, but it turned out to be a great drama/love story too. Recommended.

Well, my mosaic vase is in the oven right now because the glue had still not dried clear after a week. Hopefully I will get a chance to grout it this weekend. I'm excited to get my first project done!

Ye Old Weekend

So after my crazy week last week, I also had a pretty busy weekend, but it was enjoyable at least. After my 12 hour sleep I got to talk to my husband online (twice on Saturday actually since he had a day off!), and then went out into the world. My first stop was the Comcast service center to change my name on my account and ask about the digital switch message we keep getting on our tv. After waiting in a long line (outside for part of it) I was able to change my name and found out that we have been getting free cable for the past year and a half! Oops, sucks for you Comcast. I always wondered how we got like 100 channels for $11/month...but unfortunately I had to upgrade our account and get some kind of converter box so that Megan and I can still watch HGTV for hours on end. Oh, on my way to the service center (which I had been to before not too long ago) I was mistaken about which road it was on. So I ended up in Deephaven which was way past where I needed to go. However, the fall leaves were beautiful out there and I found some garage sales so it was a nice scenic drive.

Anyways, after that I drove to St. Paul to go to Mosaic on a Stick. I actually was not that impressed with their selection of materials, but they did have some beautiful work there for sale. I got a few things there and then headed over to J Ring Glass Studio thinking I would get some glass and pick up the tools I needed there. They were lacking in the mosaic tool department, but the glass area was AMAZING. I had to limit myself in how many of the aisles I went down, I just stayed around the outside. There are sheets and sheets of beautiful glass in every color and texture. I got a few small sheets to start with. Since they didn't have the tools I wanted I had to go back to Mosaic on a Stick to get those. I just started on my first small project, a simple rectangular vase. I had fun cutting my little glass pieces tonight with my new tools. I'll post some pics when I finish it.

Yesterday I went to the MN Renaissance fair with my mother-in-law and my husband's best friend, his mom, her boyfriend, and his kids. It was quite the bunch and we all got dressed up in our old time garb. It's fun to go dressed up because people comment or ask to take pictures with you or of you. The people watching at this fair is fantastic. There are all kind of crazies (us included) that dress up and have fun. The taverns are always full of music and laughter, the royalty wanders around with an entourage, the vendors are mostly in character. I ate too much food, and I must say that the cheese curds don't even compare to the State Fair ones. I hope next year I will actually be able to go with my husband. He bought an outfit last fall that he looks super cute in (for some reason I didn't go with him either time he went...kicking myself now). Oh yeah, I was in Florida the second time he went. Here is a picture of me from this year:

Last night I was reading Army Wives, and the chapter I read was about a soldier dying in a helicopter crash. Not the best thing to read right before bed. I'm convinced that subconsciously contributed to my "off" day today. I was in a bad mood, was tired, irritated by everyone and everything...good thing I got to talk to Will online today, that helped me through. I don't think I should read any more of that book while he is deployed, I don't know what I was thinking. The show isn't as bad because they don't really kill off any main characters for the most part since they need to stick around for the show to be good. Although I just watched the end of season 1/first episode of season 2 again with my mom and man that makes me cry. Moral of the story is I'm switching to Harry Potter and other books that have absolutely no similarities to my life whatsoever for my bedtime reading.

Mosaic Class

This weekend my friend Hannah and I took a class on how to make mosaics. I was inspired by a piece that I saw in the Fine Arts Building at the State Fair and went home and looked up to see if there were any classes in Minneapolis for learning the techniques. We signed up for a class taught by a local artist who is very talented and really nice and fun too. Her name is Sharra Frank, here is her website. I recommend her for classes, but she only does them once in a while. She also does commissioned pieces and public art. In our class it was just 5 of us ladies and we learned all about the tools, materials, and techniques for mosaic art. The first day of the class we worked on cutting glass and tile and gluing our materials to either a mirror frame or window. I chose to do the mirror so I was gluing my pieces to wood. Hannah did the window so she was gluing right onto the glass. Here is mine at the end of the first day:

Today at the second part of the class we learned how to mix and add grout to the cracks to fill in the spaces. I'm really glad I took this class because I wouldn't have wanted to mess with that stuff figuring it out on my own and Sharra gave a lot of good tips on how to make the process cleaner and easier. Here is me with my baggie of grout!

I wasn't a big fan of the messy part even with gloves on. I don't like touching gooey things and my glass pieces were sharp so I was afraid I was going to cut my fingers. If you know me, I don't do well with blood on my hands for obvious reasons. So after you get all the grout in you have to clean off the glass and tiles and then polish them to make them shine. Here are our finished products:

I am pretty happy with the way mine turned out. I think it looks a little childish because of the colors I chose and because I didn't know what to do with the sun since I couldn't quite cut the pieces the way I wanted to. I will learn how to do that better in time. I am excited to do more and experiment on my own. I always have the impulse to buy or grab old windows and things when I find them, and a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I could do mosaics on them and turn them into art! I have a large mirror that I found in the trash and I plan on using that after I get a little more practice on smaller projects. After class I went to Michaels and wandered around and found some beads and things to use. Next weekend I will take a trip to the mosaic store in St. Paul (Mosaic On a Stick, I love the name!) and get some tools and other materials. This is going to be a fun new thing to do and a way to use my creativity and it will keep me busy!

I also went for a long walk today. It was a perfect fall day in MN, 65 and sunny with the leaves starting to change colors. I found some new trails and wandered, not knowing really where I was going (which is what I love to do). Walking in the woods by myself and not really knowing or caring where I am going is me in my happy place. Unfortunately, I didn't wear the best shoes so I got a blister. I also almost stepped on a little bitty snake while slowing down to assess said blister. I think I walked at least 4 miles. So today I had art, nature, exercise, and I got an email from my husband. Today was a good day.