Expiring Soon!

This beauty leaves Etsy this month. It is also important to note that I'll be taking all the expired items from Etsy off of Storenvy as well as they expire. They won't be seen again until they are added to the new website which won't be up and running until mid-January 2015.

I'm sharing only one item this week although more are leaving the shop this month. I am fondest of this one. I play favorites!

Mixed Media Contemporary Art - $157.50

The title of this is "A New Horizon". I imagine standing towards the edge of a cliff where I see grass, hills, water, sand and rocks. It's a new beginning, a fresh start and an inspiration in one 12 inch mosaic stained glass plate.

When this is turned it completely changes perspective but no matter how it's placed, it is quite beautiful.

Stained glass colors used are green/yellow, amber, white/light blue and aquamarine.

I love making mosaics on discarded items; transforming them into something beautiful and unusual. Such is the case for this mosaic. Very small hand cut pieces of stained glass are placed on a discarded 12 inch microwave plate and grouted.

This plate is meant to be shown in sunlight. I used to call these plates suncatchers, but traditionally suncatchers are hung in the window to grab the light. My plates are heavy and hanging is not recommended nor do I craft them for that purpose. They look fantastic sitting in the window in a display dish holder (not included).

Layaway is available on this item. Contact me for more information.

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Blogger Had The Hiccups on Monday, October 13th

For those who received 2 posts on Monday, one of the scheduled "Promo Blast!" and one unscheduled "In The Studio - Part 1" possibly partially completed, disregard the 2nd post. It should have stayed in draft, however, blogger published it all on it's own! I watched it happen ... amazed that it did what I saw it do ... in horror. ^_^

I write all my blog posts ahead of time so I'm not feeling pressured on the day the post is due. This morning I had a few minutes to add pictures and work on Wednesday's "In The Studio - Part 1" post. I did notice the photos were loading oddly (wrong size, not being placed in the blog after selection, etc) and should have left the site at that point, however, I pushed on and it publishing before it was ready for it was the results.

Look for Wednesday's post to be posted in it's entirety on the right day.

Meanwhile, because blogger's site has the hiccups, this means I have more time to do other non-computer related things today. Woo-hoo!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Promo Blast!

I've picked a stained glass mosaic that is one of the most recent pieces I've made and will be expiring this month on Etsy. Never fear, this will return for sale at some point on my new website, but in the meantime, should you decide this would be the perfect addition to your home or as a gift, grab it now through Etsy!

Mosaic Candle Holder and/or Vase - $45

Beautiful blue stained glass pieces add such a soft, subtle addition to any room in your home. This stained glass candle holder is gorgeous. Soothing and delightful to look at with the sun shining through or with a candle in it. Day or night, this vase is incredible.

Measures 3-1/2 inches with glass "feet" added to make it possible to place on a tablecloth or other materials used for special occasions.

Wouldn't this make a great one-of-a-kind housewarming or hostess gift? Wouldn't it be great for the office in your home or at the workplace? It holds more than a candle. It could be used for pens, pencils, fresh flowers ... all with a touch of class.

Use it at home with a candle for a romantic feeling in your home. The candle light makes the colors of stained glass glow a brilliant luminosity. Sit it in a sunny spot and watch the blue stained glass come alive! It's gorgeous!!

It would be a wonderful surprise for anyone's birthday, make a special anniversary or retirement gift.

Fits any decor making it a great wedding gift or a wonderful treat for yourself! This is a mosaic that is functional as well as a useful art piece. Votive and tea lights fit easily in this holder.

DO NOT SUBMERGE IN WATER OR PLACE IN THE DISHWASHER.

To see instructions on how to care for and maintain my luminaries go here and read the description:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/82915798/mosaic-stained-glass-candle-holder

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Awesome Finds

This week, I did a search on Wanelo for "Fall Decor". A lot of things I found were no longer available; either sold or discontinued, but I found some Etsy goodness which is still my first place to look. Click on the shop link under each picture to take you right to the item on Etsy.

FestiveHomeDecor

MissionChoppingBlock

AllFiredUpinFlorida

JustChuggingAlong

BubbleGumDish

SusanWindsor

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part 2

The birdhouse is finished! The 4th wall is up! Woo-hoo!

4th wall

Here's a collage of all 4 sides.

I no longer see a surprised owl on the front. That's a very good thing!

And here's the roof and chimney - completed! Yay!!

Front

Back

I'm thrilled that it's completed. The next step, grouting, might take a while to do because I think I'll break up the task into 2-3 sessions. More photos soon!

The next project is a baby gift for an extended family member. I've painted a panel that will now get the mosaic treatment. When I do panels or larger mosaics like this, I always paint them first to give myself an idea about colors to use. Painting them keeps me focused on color and not go off into an abstract direction (my natural way to go).

Baby's last name is Fox, Mom loves owls :)

I'm using broken dishes for this panel. I'm happy to say I now love using broken dishes in my mosaics! Yay!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Throw Back Thursday

I came across some photos from 2008, when my Grandson was 1 year old and I had long, not yet completely grey hair! Wow!!

Little Dude's 1st Birthday Celebration

He's so cute in his little sweater vest

Of course I had to look around for some mosaics too from the same year. I think I've improved a tad since 2008. But I have to say, I'm proud of what I taught myself along the way. I had the basics down at this point but was still learning how to use the tesserae.

I picked photos showing my first experiences using microwave plates. To this day, I LOVE to use them to create mosaics with. Taking the discarded item, no longer useful as is, and creating art with it is my most favorite thing.

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part 1

I'm working on the birdhouse and enjoying it so very much.

wall 2 - complete

I wasn't always a fan of using broken china or dish tiles as some call them. I often call them shards because of how they break when I would try to nip them. As I've been working mostly with stained glass, I thought it was time to "face my fear" as it were and work with dishes again.

wall 3 - ready for the background fill in

An interesting thing happened about the time I finished filling in the 2nd wall. I found myself starting to really enjoy what I was doing; truly enjoying the moments I could nip up old china and broken pottery and turn it into a design on a discarded wooden birdhouse salvaged by my cousin.

wall 3 - finished

This 3rd wall took 2 days to fill in. Partly due to using such small pieces but also because I slowed up the process so I could savor every moment. I was enjoying using broken china! Wow!!

wall 4

Once I've filled in the last wall, I've got the roof to tackle. I considering adding more mosaic to the bottom platform, underneath so that it's all completely covered, but I think I'll go back to my original plan to paint it and the chimney too.

Part 2 will show the results of this pretty birdhouse filled with moons and suns completed and ready for grout. Come back to see it finished next week!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy