Finished a few.

It is interesting how blogging affects me. As events are happening I think my blog about it , then when I sit down to blog I can't-for-the-life-of-me remember what I wanted to blog about.

I did tell you I finished some of my mosaics. (I am holding out on the one I made my sister though.) This first one is a repair job. I have it hanging in my living room and for some reason it has fallen off the wall about 5 times and the last time 2 pieces, 1 at either long corner, popped of and I had to re glue and re grout them. I can't see a difference, can you? It works as a test model as it fell 5 times before anything broke. I would say that is pretty sturdy. Of course it was onto carpeting, I really doubt the results would be the same on tiled floors.

The next 2 are my first birdhouses. They were fun to glass but a little tricky to grout. I set up a table at my yard sale and sold one of them.

This last is glassed over a wooden box, with pearls in the top. It was fairly fast even though I had to be very careful it would open and close when finished. Red is a hard color to find, but I think this turned out very pretty. Sorry the picture is blurry.

Getting the hang of this?

Truly there were words highlighted in yellow! I did the preview and they were still highlighted in yellow! I fiddled with several ideas and keys and still they were highlighted in yellow! But after I posted and went to a new window to look they were NOT highlighted in yellow! Then when I tried to go back and re-edit I couldn't figure out how. I REALLY need a class on blogging!

Long time...

I have been very busy. My son that was in Australia for two years came home, got a job, quit, and left for summer school in Provo as a visiting student. He will get home in two weeks.

I started my sisters mosiac, had a workshop with 5 participants, finished my sisters mosaic, and grouted several 'mosaics in waiting'. (I can't figure out how these words got highlighted with yellow and have no idea how to undo it.) Here is my snowman plaque (although not a very good picture.)

I took the bright blue 4 drawer dresser that the TV sits on in the livingroom, out and painted it, and painted it, and painted it. Then it rained, and wrinkled the paint on the drawers, and I had to sand the fronts of the drawers and paint them, and paint them. Now I have a pale grey dresser that the TV sits on, much better.

I looked through some of my storage and had a Yard Sale, where my youngest son proudly made about $17 on HIS toys (I had a very difficult time getting him to let go of anything) and we had plenty to donate to a nearby Thrift Store. In the process I discovered that I have at least 4 boxes of used jeans to make quilts out of.

We've had two birthdays. 13 son turned 14 and 15 son turned 16, a very important 16. With one more this week, 9 son turning 10.

We had family come that we seldom see. They stayed long enough to watch one of our towns Celebration parades.

We've had our towns mega celebration. Helped minimally on three different floats. Worked 3 hours in the Hamburger Stand. Watched parades on 3 consecutive days (luckily 2 of these we can watch from in front of our house). Had my In-Laws camp in our backyard for a nice two week visit. We have the most beautiful floats I have ever seen. Below are two of them but the pictures do not do the floats justice. The bottom one is of cows with the words "Cow'nt Your Blessings" and if you look very closely you can see my 9son sitting at the back.

Snowy Easter

Happy Easter! Spring has dumped about 8" of snow on us today. It is melting fast and we needed the moisture. We did not hide eggs outside though. I am loosing my thrill for doing baskets and coloring eggs. D is now 9 and is not convinced there is an Easter Bunny. So how do you wind down the bunny side of Easter? I have struggled with this as it does not honor the reason we have Easter. Do we teach about the atonement and resurrection enough? I think my kids all understand the importance of Jesus Christ. They believe He is their Savior, the Redeemer of the world. They know about the sacrifice Christ made for each of them. I hope they know how personal and real it is. I'm sure I was fairly clueless at their ages. I still am learning and gaining in my understanding. How do you transition from baskets, candy, eggs and bunnies to repentance, renewal, sacrifice, and love?

Baby Shoe Pin Cushions

I made these baby shoe pin cushions for a craft show. I loved doing them and then did not do the craft show. I gave a few away and sold 3, but still have 17, all different. Let me know what you think.

Buttons

I love love love buttons! One time while I was home (Denver-at my parents home.) I found a magazine of my sisters, Threads Oct/Nov 2008. On page 30 it has an article about buttons, very interesting and informative. It contains the web info for the NationalButtonSociety.org where I found an article about Norman Engler who did button mosaics. I copied two for you below, but if you are interested at all go to the site and look under Special topics and it shows them up close and give a lot of details. These pictures are LARGE and have thousands of buttons all sewn on.

I love love love mosaics and have given some thought to the idea of making a picture with buttons, but it has been done much better than I had envisioned. I really enjoyed these 'paintings'.

Talk about vintage fabrics!

As I said I have been going through ALL my fabrics. I came across this "vintage" fabric. It was probably added to my stash through a yard sale purchase. Not that I bought it because I loved it and couldn't go home without it, BUT because it was in a bag of other very useful pieces and the seller would NOT let me just take out what I did want to purchase, I HAD to take them all and this gem was among the rest. Now I'm sure it initially was purchased by someone to make curtains out of-- there are three yards of this choice stuff. My question is, now that someone came to their senses and got rid of it WHAT should I do with it? I could fussy-cut the pumpkins for an I SPY QUILT!

I could cut narrow strips and forget how unique it is. I COULD slip it carefully into a package and sneak-opps-ship it quietly to someone else and see if they have more creativity than I do and make something wonderful out of it! I am open to all ideas and if you secretly crave olive-gold-red fabrics covered with wine bottles and green filled wine glasses PLEASE ask for this remarkably....incredibly unique "vintage" piece. And if one day you go to your mailbox and find a package without a return address, don't be surprised if you open it and find......?