Promo Blast!

Stained Glass Butterfly Mosaic Wall Hanging -

FREE SHIPPING Within US - $35.95

This is a pewter butterfly done using stained glass and is 5 inches across.

Red stained glass, some iridescent, silver glitter tiles and mirror with pieces of Millefiori and glass rods nipped to fit. Covered in white sanded grout painted in silver glitter and sealed.

Silver ribbon is between 9 and 10 inches long and the filament wire attached is adjustable or can be removed easily and hung with something of your choosing.

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part Two

It's been a rough week for me physically, so working in the studio has been hit or miss. But on a good day, I can get a few hours in. And I use those hours to the fullest.

It's now officially time to lock the door to keep curious kidlets away and start in on their Christmas presents. The Super Secret Mosaics Lab is now in session! Woo-hoo!!

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm making each child an ornament. I've gotten their initials on each ornament and will fill them all in with stained glass.

A, R, M, J, K & Z ornaments

The initials will be filled in with black stained glass and then as I get inspired, I'll decide what to do and how to do it on each one. I may go with a simple design on the other side, like a star or tree.

Each phase of a mosaic is so much fun. Pulling out different found objects and playing with glass is the best! I love what I do!!

Also part of the Secret Lab is the gift for my daughter and her fiance'. It has been hard for me to land on one idea but after much thought I decided it was time to use some of the window pane glass. I have a big box filled with it and have been reluctant to use it because I don't have the frames, so finishing is a bit of a problem. I can mosaic like crazy on all of them but how to make them safe for others to handle and where they'd be placed is a big concern.

I'm experimenting with a few ideas; right now I've decided I'd try to use fabric tape around the edges and work on a way to either hang or display on a stand later once it's finished. I don't have many options but maybe we'll figure it out together once it's been gifted.

Mark and Tara on glass

The pattern of these fun caricatures were created by Mark a few years ago. I have always loved them and hope they think it's cool to see themselves in mosaic.

For my other daughter and her husband, I just received a house plaque in wood that will get primed and because they are living in a rental, I'll put their last name on it so they can take it wherever they live in the years to come. There's nothing to show of interest with that yet but I will share when there is.

Looks like I'm going to be busy this weekend!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part One

Little Dude and I have been doing the finishing touches on his ornaments.

sprinkling glitter

We're doing a few at a time so they will dry completely, then turn them over and do the other side.

They look really pretty and he's happy with how they are turning out.

My final review on these snowflake ornaments are mixed.

-Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard

These were not easy to do for us (he is 7) and I did most of it myself. Although the concept seems simple enough. If a child is old enough to use a hot glue gun (I don't have one so I used Weldbond which is slow to dry) it would be a snap. While glue was drying the clothespins tended to bend slightly even placed flat on a surface. I believe they wouldn't do this with a hot glue gun, so take that into consideration. It has taken weeks to make them from start to finish. That isn't always fun for a 7 year old. Patience is not something he has a lot of.

Other than that, I love how they look but might not make these again.

Now that the Little Dude's ornaments are close to completion, I can start on the ones I want to make.

First I covered those fuzzy things with plaster cast strips.

Once the strips are dry (in a day or two), I can start having some fun covering them with stained glass.

If all goes well, I'll have at least one to show by the next post. Yay!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Promo Blast!

Think Pink Art Pendants Collection

Exclusively from my Facebook Page - "Think Pink" Art Pendants Collection.

All pendants are $35.95 a piece plus FREE SHIPPING Within the US and come with a necklace. 15% of each sale will go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
{ http://www.bcrfcure.org/ }.

The campaign started in October to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will continue to run until the end of 2014.

Message me any time to ask questions or to reserve one for yourself. I accept PayPal only at this time and will send you an invoice for payment. You do NOT need a PayPal acct to use it if you have a major credit or debit card.

Spread the word and share if you'd like!

Mention how you found us for a free gift with your purchase.

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part Two

The Super Secret Mosaics Lab is once more up and running!

It's almost time to lock the door while I work and begin the mosaic gifts for the family. It gets harder every year to come up with some kind of original idea and hope that grandchildren as well as the adults like what I give them.

This year I've decided to keep it simple for the most part and make the same thing for almost everyone. I love using old things that are broken or no longer useful and turn them into something else entirely. Giving what was once old or forgotten a purpose once more is a good way to keep the creative juices flowing as well as being eco-friendly. Using that as the goal, I found the perfect thing!

A few years ago my daughter did some "After Christmas Shopping" and bought some holiday lights for 1/2 price. She hung them around Little Dude's bedroom to use instead of a nightlight. These things were called fuzzy snowball lights.

The lights themselves didn't last mostly due to my grandson pulling them apart. Luckily he didn't get hurt but the lights were not usable after he was finished with them. I saved a few of the fuzzy little snowballs and figured I'd make something with them some day.

Well, today is that day! Yay!!

Back in June I tested one to see how it would hold up without plaster cast strips. It was very hard to mosaic due to the funky, fuzzy stuff, but I did it.

Some pieces fell off during grouting as you can see from the photo above. A few months later it started falling apart because the tesserae and glue didn't have enough "tooth" to grab onto to stick properly.

To ensure these last beyond the day they are gifted, I am going to cover what I have left in plaster cast strips today, adding a hanger under a layer of strips to make it secure enough to hang on a tree.

Once they are dry, I can start the fun I always have with mosaic magic! I'll share more when the magic begins.

Also on the list: I want to make a mosaic for my daughters and their guys this year and as I get going on them, I will share what I'm doing here. I'm a few weeks behind schedule because of those awesome clothespin snowflake ornaments Little Dude and I are making. FYI: they've been painted and he'll be adding the glitter to them soon. As promised, I'll share some photos of him working on them when they are finished.

So far, both of the mosaics I have in mind for my daughters are in the thinking stage. All those being gifted my mosaics over the years know they might not get what I'm making by the holiday. That has been something they know might happen. I have learned that I can't rush the muse and she and I have been slightly sleepy these days. It's going to take some time to wake her up and get going. But I'm getting there.

Come back to visit soon or better yet subscribe to my blog so you don't miss all the fun!

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

In The Studio - Part One

It's been busy here In The Studio this week. Holiday gifts are behind schedule due to illnesses and the creative muse disappearing to sleep for a bit, I'm about 3 weeks off my initial scheduled.

I'm making wooden snowflake ornaments from clothespins with my Grandson. He'll be gifting all his favorite people with them this year for Christmas.

They are fun but very time-consuming because I don't have a hot glue gun. I would suggest, if you decide to try these yourself, to borrow one if you don't own one.

I found the idea on Pinterest and have seen many blog posts sharing how easy they are to make, so I thought we'd give it a try.

The concept is simple but working with a 7 year old boy with a heavy hand became a challenge and frustrated us both. The first step, taking the clothespins apart ended in having broken pieces of wood and a slightly impatient child. To soothe us both he asked me if I would do the "hard part" and let him do the final touches. I agreed.

To spare his embarrassment, I didn't take any photos of the broken pieces but assured him he would be able to try doing these again next year if he wants to. I think his fingers got pinched in the springs and caused him to pull a little too hard. I watched him struggle with a few before I asked him if he wanted help. He sighed and said: "oh yes, please!"

You can see in the photos below what I've done so far.

take the clothespins apart, flip them and glue together

glue first 4 in a cross pattern

continue to glue until you have the shape of a flake
(NOTE: we wanted these to hang so I added clear nylon filament wire before gluing the last 2 pieces together)

glue is dry and this one look awesome

Although I love these, just as they are, we'll paint these white and sprinkle silver glitter on them.

I'll share a finished one soon!


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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy

Promo Blast!

I've been working on my Zazzle shop recently and have some wonderful gift ideas to share today.

Dress up your table any day of the week. These make a nice wedding gift. Perfect for a housewarming gift.

'Dusk' - Burnt Umber Cloth Napkins
$35.95 per set of 4

This tote is perfect for smaller items at the grocery store and sturdy enough to carry a few heavier things too. Measures a little over 15 inches and is made of canvas. Keep one in your car for those quick shopping trips, to hold odds and ends like tissues, pencils, a book or magazine or two. Nice gift to give a new Mom. Busy people everywhere could use a tote!

Star Shine - Original Mosaic Design Budget Tote Canvas Bag
$12.95 per bag

Nice and comfy lumbar pillow has the print on both sides. Measures 13 by 21 inches. Made from woven cotton. Machine washable too. Add some color to your family room, bedroom or give as a gift to your favorite college student for their dorm room.

Colors of Autumn Lumbar Pillow
Print on both sides
$39.95

This Keepsake Box is just right for all those who like to keep handwritten letters and cards, who have a lot of jewelry or for those who just like to keep things in a pretty box that doubles as a beautiful piece of home decor. Give it or keep it, this mahogany box should be used with love.

Through My Window 3 Keepsake Box
$65.95

These are just a small example of some really great gift ideas now and all throughout the year.

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

Stay peaceful,

Cindy