Believe it or not, I'm still priming shapes to mosaic. My grandson hasn't been feeling well; family first, art second.The good news is he is feeling slightly better today and I am back to priming.

Salvaged from the dumpster - small wooden jewelry box with a few drawers will become 3 separate mosaic goodies

I've almost forgiven Etsy for their glitch yesterday and listed the dove this morning on both Etsy and Zibbet. My goodness it is amazing how quickly Etsy staff fixed the photo problems. It was causing trouble for many not just those of us with the new format. I'm still not thrilled that my shop has the new format but I will get over it and adapt if everything, like switching the order of photos, works. I was angry yesterday mostly out of frustration. Today, I'm once again rolling with it, letting it go and moving on.

In keeping with my promise to share Zibbet items a little more, here is something from the Vintage shop.

Ceramic Serving Dish With Wooden Stand

And head on over to the Mosaics shop too while you're visiting Zibbet. Didn't the dove turn out nicely?

Dove of Peace Mosaic: Wall Hanging, Wall Art

Yesterday I gifted my daughter with her candle holder and I surprised her with a dot painted bottle too! Traditionally, I always give candle holders or glass vases as gifts. I believe my daughter and her husband have about 10 so far and always seem to love each one I give them. Perhaps it's more that they love the person who made it especially for them.

Celebration Day - gifted

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

Not much new to share this day from the studio. I've been priming shapes and haven't done much else!

The biggest news, I suppose, is the changes I've had in my shop on Etsy. I'm unhappy with most of these changes, only enjoying the new way to favorite items. As a shop owner, I have less ability to control what is shown. I understand we're in the experimental stages with this and that it's just a test. Which means it could last months or be gone by the end of today. In the meantime, I am not going to list new items until the things I don't like are changed or the old way comes back.

The main complaint for me is that I have been unable to switch photos within a listing. Trying many times to change the order of the photos was fruitless yesterday. I even deleted a photo on the newest listing to see if it would change. Even with it no longer part of the listing 24 hours later, it still showed the deleted photo. I am hoping this is a glitch and will be fixed soon. I'm hovering over the forums and announcements sections on Etsy in hopes to find news about this problem. Until it's fixed, I won't renew or add new listings.

This upsets me a lot because I have been planning on doing a Christmas In July month long event on Etsy to coincide with an auction I'm doing on tophatter.com on July 10th and a CIJ event with an Etsy team from July 11th-21st. I'll keep hovering and hoping it all straightens out before these events. I will still plan on doing the CIJ events on Zibbet and Etsy. Even with the inability to change the photos it's possible to change titles and descriptions (so far) and CIJ is a big deal for many who enjoy it. I didn't have much luck with the sale last year but with the team involvement on Etsy this year, I'm hoping that luck changes.

Meanwhile, what this means is that my Zibbet shops will get more promotion and love. I'm okay with that because I love them just as much!

This morning I shared a listing from the vintage shop on Facebook and Tumblr. One of my favorites:

Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers: Mid-Century Modern, Round Wooden Souvenir Set

This afternoon I'll be sharing something from the mosaics shop. :)

Mosaic Upcycled Small Scalloped Dish, White, Abstract, Useful Art, Housewarming - 4 3/4 inches

And for those shop owners on Etsy who don't see any difference at all in their listings, here is what mine looks like now:

Not bad actually at a quick glance and probably more user friendly for folks who use phones and not computers to look at items. I however, am not yet a fan, in case you haven't figured that out. I am very unhappy with the photos being so small under the first one that they are lost. I use these photos to share with the customer, why would Etsy make them harder to see and possibly lose a sale?? :(

Complaining aside, Zibbet will be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and here on the blog more for a while. It should be interesting to see how long it takes for the photo glitch on Etsy to get fixed and how soon I am singing their praises once again. I am usually a "go with the flow" kind of person but these changes are not acceptable to me if I lose control over my own listings. Harumph!

Time to head towards priming more shapes. Maybe this afternoon I'll get going on a new mosaic! That should bring a smile to my face!!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

Wednesday already! Sheesh!!

I've come up for air a bit from the crafts table and have been grouting, adding finishing touches and priming.

Dove of Peace - mosaic wall hanging

This dove was so nice to work on. It just needs some bails and jute and it'll be ready to list! Yay!

Both candle holders were grouted yesterday. The one on the left is going to my daughter for her birthday in a few days (I can't believe my "baby" is going to be 26!!). The one on the right was listed this morning!

Candle Holder

Today I am taking part in a treasury swap for one of the teams I belong to on Etsy. Once the dust clears, my items should be in 16 treasuries today! Whew!! I share, always, on the FB Page if you'd like to see them. The one I made is on there too.

I've been watching the glue dry on "Grow, Bloom, Fly" and have decided not to chance having it fall apart in transit this week. It's due in Cape Cod by July 9th, I can wait until next week to ship it. That means I get to spend a little more time with it. I'm okay with that!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

Grow, Bloom, Fly

Grow, Bloom, Fly

This mosaic is heading to the Signatures Exhibition on Cape Cod for The All Artist Salon from July 10 - September 1, 2013. If you live in that area please consider attending to see lots of beautiful art. Admission is free. I can't go myself so anyone who visits or takes a workshop being offered there by some favorite mosaic artists, PLEASE take photos and share!!

Cape Cod Mosaic Workshops: www.capecodmosaicworkshops.com
Signatures Exhibit Events: www.mosaicsignatures.com

Grow, Bloom, Fly

There are a few spots under one flower that's still a bit wet from glue (shown directly above). I'm really hoping it's dry by Wednesday when I'm packing it up but if it's not, it's heading out anyway!

I worked a lot on Saturday and got the mirror completely on the gazing ball. Each time I make a custom ordered ball in the gold mirror, I love them more and more. They are so pretty.

waiting for grout

I mosaicked two candle holders in pretty purple stained glass. One is a gift, one will be listed as soon as it's grouted. Isn't this glass awesome?!

also waiting for grout

And I've started working on one of the crosses. My decision to start making them now, for a craft fair at the end of the year (in November) was based on the fact that my muse sometimes hops from project to project and back again. In this way, I'll be sure to get all 25 made and ready to sell.

Back to work!


Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

Happy Summer Solstice!

It's a family day today running errands with my daughter and spending time with my favorite little grand dude. I enjoy those days a lot and because I live with them, I get to have these joyful days often.

I have a few photos to share. Yesterday when I was out and about, I noticed something that had caught my eye a few days earlier, curbside. It was raining on that day and I decided not to stop and check it out, however, it stayed with my thoughts until I was in the area again. It was still sitting there and SCREAMING for me to bring it home. So I told my daughter she may want to hide her face as she gets so embarrassed when I curb grab and I went for it.

This is a wood foot board for a toddler's bed. Originally I thought it was a head board and when I am finished with it, that is what it will become. I imagine it covered in bright mosaics in broken dishes, mirror and stained glass. Isn't it awesome?! It will take some work on one side particularly, it looks like the frame (which was still there as well but broken beyond what I could repair in my tiny space without proper tools for such things) and the board were split from each other. Probably from too many times of jumping on the bed! ;) I'm very proud of myself for listening the voice inside me that guides me. It told me to get this and make it useful once more. I can do that.

Look who has dots! This is Luna Nuren after her ear surgery. She now sports a nice little strip painted in brown, orange, yellow and green. She's the coolest elephant on the planet!!

I worked a bit on the gazing ball. I ran out of glue so the errands today will include stopping for more.

Enjoy your day. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Summer!!


Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

I only have a few rambling thoughts today. These are days when I know only I will appreciate what I've written, but I write for myself anyway, so it's all good!

I spent most of yesterday with the family so that means no time was spent in the studio on mosaics. By the time dinner was finished, I was fairly tired and not willing to pull out the mirror and start cutting it for the custom order. It's never a good idea to cut glass when you are tired!

I thought I'd attempt, yet again, photos with natural light just as the sun was setting. We had a lot of rain yesterday and there wasn't much natural light at all. I only got one, semi-decent photo of the vintage ceramic pitcher I showed yesterday. It's fuzzy and the handle on the pitcher disappears with the frame behind it, so I won't use this particular shot. I will, however, use all of the items as props again and move them around on a sunny day. :)

I promised myself on evenings when the sun is setting and we don't have large puddles everywhere, I will take a few props outside and set up a photo shoot. Many do this but I haven't tried it very often yet. I did get some great shots of the 3D elephant before she was finished getting glass glued on her, showing the sparkle and shine glass and mirror can have in the sun. This was taken in Sept 2012. Obviously I need to use the natural elements a little better than I had here. But she sure does shine!

I love my favorite tree, the lush surroundings of the apt complex where I live. I do believe there's a park not so far from me. It's time to uses nature and place my mosaics within it for some photographs.

My love for photography is a wonderful thing. I'm using a digital camera by Kodak but there will come a time when I outgrow it. It takes some truly remarkable photos, however.

I think I'll be experimenting with outside photos with my mosaics this summer quite a bit. I hope you come along on this new journey with me!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

I'm running late today. It's good that I am not on a ridged schedule. That's the best part about being forced to retire sooner than I was planning on it. I can do what I want once my kids and grandkids are content for the day.

Not everything got finished yesterday that was on my "to do" list but a few things were accomplished.

The mosaic wall art is resting and will be grouted in black this weekend. I really love the green glass where the blue was. The painted colors under it give it the effect I wanted and saw in my head.

Ready for grout!

I'll share glam shots of this grouted, framed and hung on my wall before it gets shipped off.

This mosaic is heading to the Signatures Exhibition on Cape Cod for The All Artist Salon from July 10 - September 1, 2013. If you live in that area please consider attending to see lots of beautiful art. Admission is free. I can't go myself so anyone who visits or takes a workshop being offered there by some favorite mosaic artists, PLEASE take photos and share!!

Cape Cod Mosaic Workshops: www.capecodmosaicworkshops.com
Signatures Exhibit Events: www.mosaicsignatures.com

Last night I updated some pendant listings on Etsy. Some of them come with a faux suede cord now, I'm pleased to say. It's been a while since I've been able to offer cords with my wearable mosaic jewelry. Not all the pendants have bails large enough to fit these cords but those that do were rephotographed and some have been edited.

I'm slowly getting through the last few vintage items for Zibbet. Here's a sneak peek of something that's not yet been listed.

This needs to be measured, a few more photos edited before it gets listed.  I love ceramic pitchers. I'd have a large collection of vintage and new if I had the space. Some day ...


Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and Father's Day events went well for all who were part of them.

We went to a bowling birthday party for a 10 year old on Saturday. They had so much fun!

I enjoyed taking some cool photographs of glow-in-the-dark elements at the bowling alley.

On Sunday, I added the last of the glass to the wall art and immediately disliked it!

 

Once I saw this photo, I knew I would be taking off all the blue glass I had just spent hours putting on. And so, the process of ripping it off began. What was left, was a little mess of dried glue and chipped paint.

After cleaning off a little bit of the glue, the next step was to paint the sky blue once again.

I'm going to use the same green you can see in these photos and continue on up to the top. I know the placement of color will work well and I will be happy with it once again. The glue that was difficult to remove will now be an added texture under the glass. I have tried on other pieces to rid it of glue residue and found it to be tedious and disappointing. I never get it all cleared off and it bothers me a lot when I can't. I made the decision a long time ago that I wouldn't even attempt to try to remove all adhesives from the substrates I work on if I need to remove tess ... I roll with it. Less stress and adds dimension. Win/win.

My only regret is fighting my instincts as I was placing the blue glass down initially because I kept telling myself I didn't like it and to stop. However I was determined to see what it would look like completed with the blue. As always, the instincts were correct. I couldn't wait to get that beautiful blue stained glass up! It is truly very pretty but just not right for this piece.

I'm still on schedule with my deadline. I always give myself a few extra days just in case things like this happen. Overall, it is a happy piece of mosaic art and I am happy to have created it!

Today will be a mixed bag in the studio. Once the glass is down on the wall art, I have a few MDF pieces to prime, gold mirror tiles to cut into triangles, some photos to edit and listings to get ready for both shops. Whew.

Time for more coffee!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics

I had some fun grouting yesterday! I really love to grout. I love watching my mosaics come to life once I begin the process of cleaning off its grout plus polishing the beautiful glass as I go. It's a Zen experience for me. And when I'm finished, a delighted smile appears on my face and I think: "I created that!"

Mosaic Candle Holder: Stained Glass Mosaic, Earth Tones

I did quite a bit of photo editing yesterday for both shops but only ended up with a few new listings. I have a lot of updated photos for already listed items too. The perfectionist in me would not allow sub-par photos to be used which means the Camera Goddess and I will have another session soon.

Mosaic Bowl: Pique Assiette, Recycled, Upcycled, Eggplant Purple, Home Decor, Kitchen, Useful Art

Wooden Fruit, Vintage, 9 Pieces

Later in the evening I got started on the "patch of glass grass" on the wall art.

I've noticed the Mac Glue, which normally takes less than a day to dry is still "milky" looking under the glass I used around the words. I'm guessing it has something to do with our damp weather and am hoping it will clear up under there before I grout. I'm far from ready to grout and that means I have a lot of fun still left to do on this mosaic. I'm pleased with how it looks so far. Isn't the green stringer glass perfect?! How blessed I am to have been gifted most of the stained glass I use for my art. I'm one lucky ducky!

Stay peaceful.

Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics