Here is the custom platter (for keys) that I just finished glueing yesterday morning. Once I've grouted this it will be complete and I can mail it back.

This is my Doctor's Without Borders piece. I should have sent this last week to the woman who is organizing this on line auction. However, today is the day it goes in the mail.

The interior frame is just a bit off - and there is a reason for this. The widow of a quirky friend who died a few years ago gave me the frame and to remember his quirkiness I made it just a bit off.

I just completed this and put it on my Etsy site. More of my Ocean / Big Lake in Autumn Series.

Well, today I am ready to conquer the World - at least the World between my home and Duluth. This is no small feat as yesterday it SNOWED and RAINED and the wind was phenominal. All of this Weather and it is still October. Go figure. The Weather is just one more thing that we have no control over.

Today I substitute teach in K and this should be Fun as it is at a very nice school and there is a studnet teacher.

Here is another vase/candle holder in my Ocean Series, grouted and everything. You can buy this at my Etsy shop.

grouted and looking oh so beautiful!

Today I am assigned to substitute two half days at the same school. Hopefully they will have scheduled a lunch time for me as one time when I did this I did not have any lunch...

Here is a mosiac candle holder or vase or just a pretty to set someplace for "stuff". Ungrouted.

I had a successful day at Grand Superior Lodge's sale. Here is what I sold:

I will be at the Grand Superior Lodge's Fall Festival Tuesday. This is the first year of this Festival and I am expecting to have a great time.

oh those lanterns! the glass does not fit! All i need to do is to cut off about 1/8 of an inch. Let's hope this works.

i have just returned after two days of sales (surrounded on both ends by funerals) and I had fun and I sold a bunch of mosiacs! Here are pictures of some of the things that I sold.

The idea of these two lanterns was the four seasons or one seasons per side. It is just a bit hard to conceptualize but the sheets of mosaic glass will be placed inside of the lanterns.

Seeing the sheets in my studio window made me realize how beautiful they'd be with the candles shining through.

A success!

See my lanterns in pieces - I am so hoping to complete these two this week, but it means an hour or so of filing down the very sharp metal edges of the wire that was cut.

Our Boy Dog, Griffen, died a week ago Friday.

Here are my fabulous mittens. I LOVE them. Of course I could give them away as a gift...

I think I'll keep them.

Oh my! I have lost my post so I'll start again.

I went to my only art fair of this summer. Why only one you ask? well, life has gotten in the way.

My high light was a trade of a mirror I was only indifferent to, for a spectacular pair of mittens that I still can barely believe are mine!

I have finished this Mirror with Hearts and Flowers by painting the frame in a chartruse and a dark blue green. What do you think?

Perhaps instead of my usual mosaics, you'd like to see a photo of a spider web. They are very intricate and amazing.

Yesterday I grouted this Lantern, a mirror and a couple of tea lights. The Lantern take a bit to mask it off - otherwises I'll find harden grout in the oddest of places! This Lanern has the sweetest little door to place your tea light in - hinged on two doors.

I have begun to mosaic this mirror and I am excited about it! This is a totally corny mirror with hearts and flowers and I LOVE it. Tells you something about me!

Oh my the wonders that I can see in my many untended gardens. These Lilies are too beautiful to believe. Beyond what I could possibly create!

Last night a bear came into our yard and tipped over the compost container. Yikes! I hope that the container is okay. Bears can cause so much destruction! I can see that this bear also empty out the bird feeders that I had just filled yesterday. I tend to forget that we share our home with wild animals.

valnorthwoods blog: Oval Floral Mirror

valnorthwoods blog: Oval Floral Mirror

Oval Floral Mirror

I have finished this Mirror. I decided to grout it in a dark grey to cut down on the femininity of it. So here it is in it's finished glory.

What color should I grout this Mirror?

I have completed putting the tessarae on this Mirror. Tomorrow I may grout and I am wondering about the grout color. I was thinking of a rust or straw color. Any opinions?

Yesterday I went into town, Two Harbors, to see the Heritage Days Festival. In the past, the

Agate Bay Crafters used to organize the Crafts Fair. This year someone from the City of Two Harbors took over this event. I was very disappointed! Hardly any crafts, mostly people selling things that they had purchased - even bed pillows were being "hawked". This is not the craft fair that I have formerly participated in. Very unpleasant. I am glad that I decided to "just stay at home" and not display my mosaics.

Do you remember this line "Just stay at home!" from an old Lily Tomlin skit that was on Saturday Night Live maybe in 76 or 77? Lily played all of the parts of a "road trip" including a teen aged daughter who said she thought an elderly disabled person needed to "just stay at home!" At the time my friend Bonnie and I laughed as Lily was so good at just hitting the right nerve.

Here are a few examples of what I have shown at Heritage Days in the past.

Well my Eino and Inez Table is gone, sold on Sunday July 4! Can you believe it? Someone was shopping on-line on Sunday. (Perhaps it was raining where she was?)

Now that this Table is gone, I find that I miss it. Do you ever make something and then miss it when it is sold or given away? Usually I am so happy that someone else saw the beauty in something that I made that I don't think about the item being "gone."

So here is a photo of this very magical Table with Spirals and Leaves.

Good Morning Everyone!

I have just gotten back from a short trip to Minneapolis where I (of course) bought some art glass and visited with friends. After speaking with my good friend Abigail, we decided I'll have a show at her house, maybe in late September.

I also went to a wonderful gallery with my dear friend Bonnie. This gallery was small but so beautiful. It made me happy to actually see and touch the creativity that all of these artists share.

good morning! It is June and the air smells wonderful each morning as I walk my two pooches. Yesterday we ran into a neighbor of ours out walking her two dogs. In the fog it was difficult to make out who it was.

the rain and the fog are getting to me. Today I THINK the sun is going to shine. I'd love it if it did. At least for right now I am able to see the sun rise which is a change from the last week when I couldn't!

I grouted a Mirror yesterday. I had an old oval one handled silver platter that had been my Grandmother's. It had a whole series of patterns etched with in this fairly large platter. I placed the mirror in the middle and covered the remaining flat surface with vines, flowers and hearts. Grouted in a dark charcoal, I think it looks spectacular!

Here is an unfinished portrait of this Mirror.

hmmm ... today is looking like a miracle of Spring with the sun shining and little to no wind.

My nephew is building a tree house and this sits amongst the pine trees just to the left of my studio windows. This is going to be a spectacular tree house. I'll post pictures.

Good Morning to Everyone who happens to stumble upon my blog. Again. What can I say. I think I am only writing to myself!

This morning I actually published a blog post but it got eaten up by my lack of experience! Today I will publish a few photos of grouted items - a table and a vase. (You can see the vase pre-grouted below.)