Friday, March 17, 2017

In The Studio - Friday

Hello all! Have you missed me?

If you have missed me, chances are you've been wondering if I plan to continue with my mosaic business life or if I've retired completely.

Rest assured I will always have some sort of mosaic business, whether just doing custom work or selling online. As long as I can comfortably hold the tools and the mosaic muse stays with me, I'm continuing to do what I love!

While February was a slow month of mostly resting, getting over a nasty bug the entire household had and getting those awesome shelves that were put up recently in my room packed to the gills with boxes and mosaic supplies, March is starting out with a bang. I've completed one mosaic reward wall art piece (still not yet grouted) and will share the progress now.

I found my graphite paper (yay!) and used it to help draw a basic design on the 8 x 10 inch wood panel.


Then started looking through the glass.


Some of what is shown above made it into this piece, some did not.

I started with the palm tree and found some really cool dish shards that would work for fronds.


Switching sides, I worked on the rocks and water on the right side of this piece.


Filling in the sand and shadows was next.


Each day I did a little, some took hours, some took less. All-in-all, it took 7 days to complete, 8 hours in total.


I'm thinking gray or black grout. I want it to be intense. Either of those colors will make it so.

Good news on the Etsy shop! It is reopening in a few days! I decided to open it on the first day of Spring which is Monday, March 20th. I should start blogging 2-3 times a week at that point as well. Stay with me as I start anew once more.

For those who signed up for the newsletter, I'll be sending it out next week and then no more until the end of the year when things get busy on Etsy and discounts will be available around November, maybe. Most folks don't actually take advantage of the discounts I've offered each month in the past, so there is no need to make them until holiday time rolls around once more.

Meanwhile, stay with me here on the blog and see what the 2nd mosaic I'll be working on for the lucky person who donated money to my fund raiser last year. The 3rd one I had to do has been generously donated back to me to include in my Etsy shop and sell in that way getting even more money to add to the fund raiser.

For those who are also wondering about that, I'm very near my goal. Within the next few months, almost a year to the day that I started the gofundme campaign, I will have paid the debt completely. It is an amazing thing to have so much support when it's needed. I'm extremely blessed! I had a lot of help and I've been paying it myself now a little each month thanks in part to my social security retirement benefits. Grateful, humbled by the generous spirit I have encountered and amazed as I said, by the support.

Support Independent Artisans, Designers and Crafters for your gift-giving needs all throughout the year. Thank you!

Stay peaceful.
Cindy, Earth Mother Mosaics