Fused Glass...

A few weekends ago, Naomi and I enjoyed a Saturday morning fused-glass workshop. There is a studio not far from us and I had been intriqued by the interesting projects you can make with fused glass. It is a process of adding cut glass pieces onto a glass base. It then goes into a kiln which melds the glass all together. It can then be fired again and slumped into a functional shape like a bowl or plate. Naomi and I both chose to make display plates. The class we took focused on cutting glass into triangular pieces and then assembling a mosaic style design. We chose to do a class, but the studio is such that you can just go in and work on a project with available help from the staff.

When my oldest kids were younger it seems I made time for a lot more arts and crafts and creative endeavors... and every once in a while I feel a bit guilty about the younger ones missing out on some of that... so this was a fun opportunity!

Naomi chose to create a likeness of our former dog, Dixie, and I created a more random, abstract floral design. Below are the plates before going into the kiln...

... and here are the finished projects back at home!

Hopefully we will make time for some more creativity soon!

California Winters...

While much of the country is under a blanket of snow, it definitely feels like spring is on it's way here in Northern California. Having grown up in the Canadian prairies where spring can't be counted on until at least April, I have become quite spoiled after 30+ years in California. We often have comfortable temperatures well into November and by the last week of January or the beginning of February we are seeing signs of spring; that makes for a pretty short "winter".

These are some pictures I snapped in our yard last week.

 A clump of daffodils with the first flower almost open

 Quince

 This geranium has been flowering all winter, I guess it's in a protected corner.

 Purple wallflower at the front of our house

 Fringe flowers just starting to bloom

 We have large areas of Rosemary which are all in blossom with their purple-blue flowers.

Well, I trust you are seeing some signs of winter's end, wherever you are!