Tuesday again!

THis week and the whole month of NOvember have simply flown by. Time keeps going even when I am tired or too busy to even think straight.

Today (after I finish teaching my GED class at HOCHS, in Duluth), I will drop off 5 more tea lights at BLue Lake Gallery as SEVEN of the ten I dropped off last week have sold. Although I don't make much money on these as the Gallery mark-up is 45%, I am still making about as much as I would if I were being a substitute and almost twice as much as being a Super 1 cashier so this is still profitable to me.

Here are some before and after grouting pictures of the 5 that I will be bringing in today. In the before photos you can see the pines in the background of my very messy studio space. I've included a picture of the bookcase of the four seasons in the Pines that was inspired by this view.

Tuesday and today I take what I have to a gallery on Canal Park

Canal Park is a heavily touristed area of Duluth and a gallery there would like to take my mosaics. So today after completing my job as a GED helper I will go to this gallery; they can choose what they want. I was able to grout 6 tea lights yesterday so I will have these as well as what is left following Saturday's market. Actually I went to the Festival of SEASONS, not Trees! Oops! My mistake.)

Here are the 6 before and after photos of these six.

Friday and I have completed 6 tea lights for Saturday's show in Duluth - the Festival of Trees!

I worked very fast and was able to finish 3 more tea lights just in time for the Festival of Trees. I have never been to this show before, but my friend Shelley says it was her best show ever, so I am attempting to be optimistic about it.

If you look at these photos you can see the "before" grouting and "after" grouting. Not quite a Oprah redo show, but still you are able to see the dramatic thing that the grout does for these humble tea lights.

Thursday and three t lights

Here are three tea lights ready to be grouted - in fact they have already been grouted - ready for Saturday's show in Duluth called the Festival of Trees. This morning before I head off to work I will grout three more and then that is it for this Show.

It is Monday and I have the whole day to work on house projects as well as mosaics!

I decided to take today off from the substitute system. I so need a day to be at home and to clean our floors, bring in wood and do some mosaic.

There is a place in Minneapolis that will take my stuff for the holidays and I think I need to call there today and see if Rose, the woman who owns this furniture store/art gallery still would like my stuff. Last year she did, but I let the time get away from me. Perhaps now she won't need the pieces from me, but I should at least call and find out!

Stephan Hoglund, the gallery owner in Grand Marais, took SEVEN pieces of mine. The altar, the funky black table, three vases, the platter Mirror, and my hand plate. So now this gallery has nine of my pieces.

In a few hours we will be journeying up the "coast" to Grand Marais

In just a few hours, we will be journeying up the coast to Grand Marais to drop off the Table that I have been working on. Stephan Hoglund will be looking over a group of things that I think he may like for his gallery. I am excited to have a day for a working "vacation" of sorts.

Here is a photo of this funky old table, found in the basement of our former duplex. I have painted it black (from an old elementary school pea green!). The top is centered around a modified compass rose, surrounded by Fibanachi "waves". I have used glass tiles, porcelian pieces of fish, leaves and circles (purchased from firedandfused), beaded chain and spray painted taconite pellets for the perimeter.

I am in love with this table! You can see the influence of the Lake as well as my earlier (huge commissioned) table within this one.

Friday at last!

This week has seemed incredibly long with going from one job to another, trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to connect with people and just realizing that I just cannot do everything.

In between doing all of my various jobs, I was able to complete my portable altar and yesterday paint my table black. Perhaps today the grout will finally get on this table!

As usual, the altar looks so much better in person than in the photos.

Tuesday!

Today is going to be so long as I leave to work in Duluth preparing people to be able to pass their GED tests at 7:30 a.m., followed by an 8 hour shift at the grocery store. I should be home by 10:30 p.m.! Whew! I could get myself tired just thinking about this.

Yesterday during the part of the day that I had off, I grouted my portable altar. I did the exterior sides and front as well as the "floor" of the interior and the top exterior. This took me the better part of three hours. I am pleased with this and hopefully will be able to see it in all of it's splendor - candles lit and a sprig of something green in the vases at the top - by Thursday.

It's Monday. Sigh.

I was able to finish this funky hand made table yesterday before going to work at the (dreaded) gorcery store job. I really like how this turned out. The pictures don't really capture how wonderful this looks. Oh well! The colors blend nicely, much better than in this photo. I hope to paint it black today and grout it on Wednesday or perhaps Thursday.

Today I am going to grout my portable altar. I have been working and revising this for so long it will be good to be finially done with it. I have the interior "floor" as well as the exterior top and sides left to grout. This will take a chunk of time as it is somewhat massive and also 3-dimensional.

Today was supposed to be my day off from work. (The first in over a week!) But I need to go in for a bit. Sigh. I wish I had the whole day to myself but it was just not meant to be.

It's Monday. Sigh.

Saturday and the first day of deer hunting.

So far I have only heard one shot. I have such a mixed feeling about the deer. I love seeing them and think that they are so beautiful, and yet I love eating venison. Go figure! I am a contradiction like many of us.

I made good progress on my small (salvedged from the basement of our former duplex) table yesterday. Always trying to get the most out of my tiles and to stretch them as far as I can, I made 4 smaller waves within the larger waves. I really like how these "mini" waves suit the total design.

Tomorrow is the start of Day Light Savings - don't forget to change your clocks to "Fall Back" - you've earned an extra hour of something special - be this sleeping or watching a favorite program on TV or doing something artsy crafty - like mosaic.

Thursday and I am off for my first day of Nettleton substitute teaching

I am working at Nettleton today - home of the infamous table dancing Tyree. No chance for him table dancing in my room as I will work in second grade today for Kathy Tolo. She is such an unending supply of good will!

Yesterday I had a job interview. I am skeptical that I got this job as the principal did not call me like she said she would. Oh well - another week, another interview! I would have loved this job and had I been hired the school would have loved me as well.

Here is what I worked on once I got home (after wolfing down a bunch of potatoe chips and cookies in my depression over this interview!). Here are also photos of the mirror and the altar shelf I grouted the day before. In the center there is a modified Compass Rose made up of two hearts, numerous leaves and small blue fish.

November First

I was able to work on my small table yesterday while watching Frasier reruns. I love that show! Perhaps it is how very silly the two pompous brothers can be. At any rate, yesterday was particularly good with a show about (of course!) Halloween. All about misunderstandings and misinterpreted over heard conversations.

THis is what i was able to achieve on my table. I was able to cut the tiles and lay them on the reverse side. I like how this looks. The "inspiration" is the lake waves stylized.