Fused Glass Luminaria

I was finally able to spend some time with the glass again. I've been foolin' around with fused glass for about a year now but have not been able to get down to the shop since school let out for the summer.

 This project is a candle luminaria. It is made with specialty glass and frit (crushed glass) and then fused and slumped.

 When you place a candle behind the luminaria, it creates a lovely glow. This piece started life on an 8-inch round glass  as an exercise in cutting curves. Once it was fused I didn't know what to do with it. So I set the round piece on an 8-inch square, edged it with the glass spaghettis noodles, put round button beads in each corner, and filled the corner spaces with more frit. Once it was fused again and then slumped it had a nice scalloped edge which I think looks nice with the motion and curves of the "flames".

 I've given away most of the other items I've made or the photos that I have of them are not of very good quality. But I do have a few to share with you.

This panel is of a quilt block called Flying Geese. Mom's Christmas present last year.

 Ohio Star quilt block. I'm not crazy about the glass hangers that the girls at the shop told me I should make but maybe these are just too big. This one went to my mother-in-law.

Blue panel made using strips of glass. This one I kept.

Necklaces for co-workers.

 

Flower garden pendant for my sister.

Something colorful for Chrysalis.

Fused glass is funny. When it fails, it fails horribly. But when it's done well, it is thrilling.

So that's all for today, thanks for taking a peek.

Photo Challenge #1

Let me start off by stating the obvious: I am not a professional photographer. I am a very visual person and love to peruse photo collections in whatever form they take- Flickr, websites, books, photo albums. I love the surprise of a good image. But I am not a professional photographer.

I bought my first camera, a lovely Kodak Pocket Instamatic, for something like $28 in about 1976. You wouldn't believe how long I had to save- that was a mountain of money way back then. Photography proved to be an expensive hobby. Not only did you have to buy the film but also the flash cubes- the "Magic Cubes." You got four pictures before you had to yank off that little cube of blasted glass and plug in another. With each snap of the camera the little cube on top would flash and then turn 90 degrees to the next flash bulb, ready to go. I think the magic part was getting the cube off without crushing it to bits or lacerating you hands.

Plus, each camera came with an extender thing-y intended to raise the flash thus eliminating red-eye.

Ah, those were the days. Funky as it was, I was so proud of that thing.

I've forged ahead over the years with a new camera every so often, learning mostly by trial and error, hit and miss. Right now I'm using three cameras: a Canon G3 (an oldie-goldie), a little Canon A410 that I carry in my purse, and an iPhone. I've been trying, really trying, to see from the right side of my brain, to see like a photographer, to see pictures in the world around me.

So I issued myself a challenge- a picture a day for seven days- as a short little exercise in discipline (ha!) and taking the time the time to stop and look around. Some days it was easy, other days, like the days I worked, it took more of an effort. At any rate, here are the results of Photo Challenge #1.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday 

 Friday

Saturday

So I did maybe cheat just a bit by using photos to blog with as challenge photos but it's my challenge and I make the rules! Yippee!

Cantaloupe Soup

M-m-m-m-m, juicy sweet cantaloupe, I've been waiting for you. M-m-m-m, fresh chilled cantaloupe cut into pieces and eaten with my fingers. Fruit salads, that fruit salsa thing for the grilled angle food cake, but oh.... Cantaloupe Soup.

I love this recipe that I found years ago in Susan Branch's "The Summer Book". I've fiddled with the already delicious recipe over the years and this is how I make this soup. I'm not saying it's an improvement, it's just been personalized to my taste buds.

Four ingredients-

A large ripe cantaloupe

1 cup Greek yogurt (so creamy)

        You can substitue sour cream if you wish.
3/4 cup orange juice

A few squirts of lemon or lime juice

Cut up your 'loupe and throw it into the blender along with the other ingredients. Puree. I try to avoid over-processing as I like it a bit chunky. OK- not as chunky as this picture makes it look. I had to puree some of it to make room for the rest of the cantaloupe.

If your ingredients started out cold you can eat it right away, otherwise you'll want to chill it in the 'frig for a bit because the colder the better. You can plop a dollop of yogurt on top for show if you like.

The thing about this soup is that it's so easy and that's what makes it so great on a hot steamy evening after work when you can hardly think from the heat. Throw stuff in a blender and eat it.

You see mint added to this in other recipes and it's good but my hubby doesn't like mint so we do without. I've added a splash of vanilla before and that's good too. Or toss a peach in the blender. Like I say, throw suff in the blender and eat it.

Enjoy!

And now a word for the blender.

My old blender has been dripping lately.

There have been signs that this was coming but today it happened- while I was taste testing the Cantaloupe Soup, my blender leaked and dripped juice down into the motor. I'm pretty sure it will dry out eventually but the problem is the blade housing. Fatally cracked. An intense Internet search revealed that my blender model has been discontinued and no one, I mean no one, has replacement blades for it. So a moment of silence and remembrance please. Oh, those raspberry margaritas at the beach with the girls. All that Pesto over the years. Pineapple Smoothies. Cheese-Beer dip for the pumperknickle bread.

So--- with fond memories in tow, I'm off to court a new blender. You need to go get some cantaloupe.

My Hide Is Fried

 

 When I was 26 years old, a funky little bump appeared on my left temple and somehow I just knew it was skin cancer. My dermatologist said that I almost won for youngest person she had seen with skin cancer. Since then it's been a regular trip for me, trucking off to the dermatologist every so often to have something looked at or burned off.

I spent my adolescent years, which took place during the 60's and 70's, in east Texas. Huge dark tans were expected and I can remember being made fun of because of my white legs. I am fair and freckled but spent hours upon hours beside the pool anyway, coated with baby oil, thinking that I was going to bronze up. Actually, we frequently used cooking oil with the idea that it would soak into our skin, as opposed to mineral-based baby oil, and would moisturize our skin. How hysterical is that logic! Though I never used it, once I moved to the northeast I learned that iodine was a crucial ingredient in homemade tanning oil.                                    

                                                                                                 

By the early 80's I had begun to slack off the tanning efforts somewhat, partly because of the risks, mainly because it was edgy and fresh, almost defiant, not just to not have a crispy critter tan but to actually be somewhat pale. Pre-goth. But the damage was done. No amount of sitting in the shade would undo the second degree sunburns or UV frying.

Rates of skin cancer have been increasing rapidly the past few years. Maybe it's the ozone hole (or not), maybe it's the increased leisure time we have to spend at the pool (well, some folks any way). But a huge factor in the increase of skin cancer in younger and younger individuals has been tanning beds. I've spent a total of 15 minutes in a tanning bed- it kind of freaked me out, like a big hand was going to reach in and poke me with a fork and a little red button was going to pop out of my belly.

The saying goes, "Check you birthday suit on your birthday." Take some private time with your skin, a mirror, and no clothing to look for changes in moles and freckles as well as to notice any new ones. Follow the ABCDE's of skin care-- you need to keep an eye on (or get your dermatologist's eye on) any pigmented area on your hide that falls into one of these categories:



Asymmetrical- Any mole or freckle that has an uneven, lopsided shape or is different on one side.
Border- Irregular edges.
Color- Moles that are blue, brown, black on one side but not the other or that have changed color in general.
Diameter- Larger than a pencil eraser.
Evolving- Any mole, freckle, or lesion that is changing or elevated.

The Skin Cancer Foundation has a really nice page on self-examination.

There are several good websites about skin cancer, assessment, treatment, and prevention:

Skin Cancer Foundation

American Academy of Dermatology

I wish I could say that my skin is now lily white and never sees a single ray of sun but the truth is that being out in the sun is a hard habit to break. I love to be outside.







Yahoo Health has nice info on soothing a sunburn should that happen. I've always favored the pure aloe gel and soaky bath with vinegar.



Anything that comes between you and the sun offers some degree of protection. I keep a big dark golf umbrella in my car, just in case I'm stuck in the sun some place.


Coolibar offers protective sun clothing, as do SunProtective Clothing and Sun-Togs.


Sunscreen? Anything is better than nothing, but some are better than others. American Academy of Dermatology has a nice page about sunscreen. My personal derm-lady insists on sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

I debated about photos for this post. I'll leave it up to you to do an image search for sun damaged skin--

--or skin cancer. Some of the pictures aren't pretty. Effective, but not pretty.

Me? Well, I'm trying to set a good example for my kid about skin care and sun exposure but like I say it's a hard thing to give up. I came to peace with my complexion long ago and it's been ages since I "layed out" to get a tan but there's always that tug to get just a bit of a healthy tan, which of course is an oxymoron.

Maybe it's a good excuse to get one of Abby's black lace parasols.

http://www.laceparasol.com

Stay cool and shady!

Summer Clouds

What is it about summer clouds?

Happy Independence Day

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.

~William Faulkner

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

~Thomas Jefferson

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

                                                                      ~Lee Greenwood

Aesop: “Better to starve than be a fat slave."

Fireworks T-Shirts

Just in time to celebrate- a cute shirt to wear to the fireworks show!

Simple, simple, simple.

And relatively cheap. If you don't have a spare white T-Shirt pick one up at the deep discount stores, dollar store, outlet/seconds place. In this neck of the woods we have Big Lots and Gabriel Brothers.

You need:

White cotton T-shirt

Sharpie permanent markers in a variety of colors

Quarter or bottle cap (optional)

Rubbing Alcohol

Small dish or cup- shot glass works too

Eye dropper

Cardboard or a thick layer of newspaper

Iron

If you've looked ahead, you might be put off that there are 7 steps involved. No worries- it doesn't actually play out like that in real life.

A note about the photography in this post. These pics were taken with three different cameras, on two different days, in two different places- one with a group of patients and one in my crafty romper room at home. That's why things look "dual personality".

OK- let's light 'em up!

Step One- A Good Foundation

Cut a piece of cardboard so that you can slide it up inside the shirt. You want it wide enough to hold the shirt out flat (maybe even stretch it a bit but not essential) and long enough so that you can make your design over as much of the shirt as you would like. You can use newspaper instead to the same size specifications.

You want your shirt nice and flat.

 

Consider folding the sides back under the cardboard so that your design stays on the front and won't seep through to the back if you accidentally mark on part of the shirt that does not have the cardboard under it.

If you are having trouble keeping the shirt smooth and flat you can pin it in place around the edges with a few push pins or thumb tacks.











 Step Two- Don't Drink This

Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol into the little dish or cup (or shot glass) and keep it handy with your eye dropper.

Step Three- Loading Up The Fireworks

Using a Sharpie marker, make a circle of dots spaced evenly around the quarter or bottle cap. You don't have to use the coin or bottle cap but it gives you an idea of about how big to make your circle.

The circles can be slightly larger, but only slightly, as well as a good bit smaller. You'll figure it out in a flash after the next step.

Don't be skimpy with the ink but rather get your dots nice and juiced up with Sharpie ink. Instead of trying to draw little circles, you can dot out your initial circle and then go back over each dot with the marker by tapping it in the same place to increase the size and amount of ink. Or hold your marker in one spot for a couple of seconds.

Step Four- Making the Magic Happen

  

Using the eye dropper, drip several drops of rubbing alcohol into the center of your circle of dots. Just like when you splop food on your favorite blouse, the rubbing alcohol will expand and spread through the fiber of the T-Shirt. As it absorbs into the fabric and passes over your dots it will pick up the ink and carry it outward. Just like with your favorite, most expensive blouse. The final size of the fireworks burst is determined by a couple of things: how much ink (and to a lesser degree the color) you loaded your dots with, and how much rubbing alcohol you drip into the center. That means that the more alcohol you add, the further it will travel but keep in mind that there is ultimately a finite limit to its expansion.

Do the fireworks one at a time, switching colors and sizes of circles as you go until you have a sky shirt full of explosions.

Step Five- What Kind of Fireworks Do You Have?

Here are some of the different ways you can make your fireworks.

A simple circle of dots, many or a few, as demonstrated above.

Evenly spaced dots of one color with dots of another color in between.

"Side-shooters". Add dots to only a portion of each side of the circle so that they look like the fireworks that shoot out the sides.

Another variation of the side-shooter.

This side-shooter  (orange burst) had accent dots added afterwards.

Spiral fireworks.

Crackler fireworks. Sometimes you'll see the fireworks that sparkle and crackle all over the place when they detonate instead of big bursts shooting out from the center. Make your circles by tapping in dots around the perimeter instead of the more solid dots. You can add other colors.

Text.

Yes, spell it out with a row of dots and then drip rubbing alcohol on each dot. Go easy on how much alcohol you add or the ink will blur out your word as it spreads. You can go back over the original dots to emphasis the words.

Step Six- Adding The Shazaam

You can use a Sharpie to fill in sparkle  and Shazaam bursts for accents.

Once your shirt has dried a bit, use a yellow-ish marker to make little stars and sparkles.

You can add dotted lines or other accent elements to the fireworks also.

Don't add rubbing alcohol to these accent marks.

You can also use glitter glue to add some sparkle (which I usually like to try to fit in somewhere) but I can't tell you how many washing it will last through.

I tried using a silver metallic Sharpie once but it did not carry in the alcohol. You could, however, use the metallic markers to add your Shazaam bursts once you had all of the fireworks going off all over your shirt.

What an explosive mess! Yea!!














Step Seven- Get It Set

Let your shirt dry with the cardboard inside. The ink will need to be set before you wash or wear it so place some paper towel over the design and iron it with a fairly hot iron for 3 or 4 minutes. Another common practice for setting inks and dyes is to put your fabric in a hot dryer for 20 minutes or so. Because I usually do this craft with patients I like to do both- iron the shirt and dry it in the dryer. Overkill, yes, but I have this near obsessive fear of a patient going home with a really cool project that they love only to have it fall apart, fail, or fade away. So I iron and dry.

OK- let's see what we've got.

These shirts were made by patients where I work, all elderly, an even split of men and women, some craft vets and some craft babies.

My favorite shirt in the bunch was made by a woman who described herself as a "Craft Atheist." I told her I could make a believer out of her and she conceded afterwards that she just might convert.

Yeah!

Love it when that happens!

And some of my fireworks.

So what are ya' waiting for !!!

Fireworks at dusk !!!

Happy Fourth y'all ~

Addendum:Fast Forward There's been terrific response to this project and I'm thrilled y'all are having fun doing this with your kids. Check out this post from 2011 that shows a variation on this craft. It's just as fun.  Thanks so much-- Chrysalis.