One or Two Mary Mother of Gods?

Yesterday I worked on the sides of my altar. I used a old chipped Limonges plate. There is a difference of thickness that I will need to compensate for when I grout. Now you can see the one Mary "look" and perhaps this will help with you thoughts.

I think on the bottom of this shelf, where I rest my one or my three Marys, I will put a deep blue mirror like tile. I may have just enough to do this. I was originally going to put a design in the "floor" but now I think it will get lost.

I also was able to finish my two small Jim Dine inspired heart shaped tea light holders.

I may grout today, but I don't think so. Tomorrow I am back to trying to find a substitute teaching job. Ugh.

Yesterday I grouted 6 pieces, granted that 5 were just tiny tea lights, but still, I grouted. Grouting is just not something that I enjoy doing. I love the results of grouting, but not grouting. Why? Well, because it is messy. Usually I use a dark grey grout and it gets under my finger nails and into my skin, too. I put lotion on before and this does seem to help. But I just don't like to grout. I will try to readjust my attitude towards grouting. Perhaps if I can just skip ahead to the finished results, then I will be okay with grouting.

Oh well.

I have begun something new. A portable altar. This is just one shot of my beginnings. There is some debate as to whether I should put one Mary, Mother of God or three. Actually, I am thinking my portable altar needs SIX Marys. Take a look and let me know what you think.

My continuing mosaic "work" for a very busy Thursday.

Thank goodness I was able to squeeze in a few hours in the morning because yesterday afternoon I spent cleaning up my refrigerator. Just think about all the dust that each week you remove from your floors once or twice? Well, behind and underneath my frig all of that dust had built up (UGH!) and had caused a small part, perhaps an inch by 2 by 3 inches to burn out. I called a very nice man in town who drove out here and fixed this and we cleaned up the dusty mess. In a 2 hour period I spent half of my money from my table's final payment. Sigh. Well, at least I COULD pay him!

This is what I completed on my time spend mosaicing. I completed the finial side of the 4 seasons vase/candle holder. It looks a bit bright, almost too bright, in the photos. Then I continued to tackle the background of the picture frame. First I had put a yellow mirror tile in and then when I sat back and looked, I realized my 4 yellow leaves blenden in a bit much. So I got out my trusty screw driver and removed them all. (In the photo you can see the remaining tiles and semi-wet Weldbond.) After a bit of scrounging, I decided to put a transparent pale celery green glass in the background.

The first photo is of my Jim Dine inspired heart vase/candle holder - grouted and ready to sell, as well as three tea light holders. Grouting makes them ZING!

My continuing mosaic "work".

This is what I have been working on this week. A used frame from a "used a bit" store in Silver Bay, the Dilly Dally, as well as a vase/candle holder.

The Table is now at it's home. Sigh!

My customer came and got her table yesterday (it was so windy and snowing - quite the awful weather to be driving in!) So now it is gone. I felt a bit disorientated at first, then I swept out my studio and got to work.

Here are the final photos. One as I am applying the grout penetrating sealer to the surface, the other of the Table and finially of Laurie (ready to carry this huge Table out to her vehicle.)

The Sun!

I got so excited on Saturday as there was SUN! It seemed almost miraculous in this season of cold and wind and ICE. So I retook a few photos of tea lights that I had done in December to see if the light was as strong as I thought it was.

Just a bet of time to work yesterday...

I had just a bit of time to work yesterday. Here are the results.