I have become a grandmother!! That’s just unbelievable. Her name is Sofia and she was born April 19th. She is such a sweet, beautiful baby, I am totally in love with her. She lives a few hours away, but I hope to see her again in a couple of weeks.

Of course I am working a lot this time of year and no mosaics have been finished, one has been started. Am making a small square table top with Cinca unglazed. I love working with Cinca, it has such an organic character.

Summer has finally arrived here, took long enough. And oh, those sunsets!

It’s gray and rainy and cold again…that time of year. It’s also mosaic making time!

This is when I really get to working on the different ideas I get in my head during the summer. I have a number of things in progress, some of them need a little more creative input, others just need grouting. I have such mixed feelings about grouting. I love the way it accentuates my work and how it can emphasize the colors – or mute them. To me grouting is half the piece. But I hate the mess and cleaning it up! That’s why I have a number of unfinished pieces. I think maybe I have to find me a grouter helper!  There are mosaic artists who never grout their pieces it all depends on the medium. I like to work with glass, clay and ceramics and have yet to make something that can stay ungrouted (is that a word?).

I sold a piece before the holidays in my Artfire studio! Sure made me darn proud. Now that I have a new camera, I can take better pictures of my work and hopefully increase the sales. I haven’t spent time promoting the studio and from nothing comes nothing. I’m not complaining. Someone liked my art enough to pay money for it (a few times now) and that just blows my mind every time it happens.

Speaking of pictures, here are some of the work I am currently finishing. More to come.

Cheers!

I have a new studio! ArtFire is a great website (better than Etsy I have been told) with all handmade items. My new studio is all ready to go, waiting for customers! So think about giving the gift of something hand made this year!

The link is on the right with the bookmarks.

Having my 1st cup of Glühwein of the year.

Very nice cold weather drink, etched into this German’s childhood memories. Well, maybe not childhood, but “teenagehood” and adulthood then. Warms you right up…from the inside out. Spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom are ingredients of Glühwein and they are good for your digestion, support your metabolism and are partially antibacterial. The essential oils of the spices, which can develop so well in the hot wine, trigger positive feelings and warm body and soul. The aroma lingers a bit in my kitchen, making me think of geröstete Kastanien (roasted chestnuts) and Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) and a cold wind coming from the river in downtown Frankfurt. Everything smells so good! Well, it is said that smells trigger more memories than any other sense, and for me, right now that’s true.

It also just made me think about how my heart would jump on dark winter mornings when I wouldn’t hear any cars outside my window…that means it had snowed overnight! It’s been a long time since I have been that excited about snow.

So here is the recipe, try it, I’m sure you’d like it. Just be careful, it’s potent and it IS still alcoholic.

Glühwein Recipe: 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, peel of 1/4 organic lemon, peel of 1/4 organic orange, 1 bottle of a dry red wine,4 TBS sugar or to taste, but not too much. Heat all ingredients in a small pot until wine is hot, but do not boil! Drink while hot, kick back and enjoy!

Went and had one of my favorites professionally framed. My pocketbook cried, and so did I – when I saw it! It still blows me away. Of course now I won’t want to sell it anymore and therefore it takes up the perfect spot in my house. After this I will also have my very first mosaic framed professionally. I think it’s great when people can see what difference a frame can make.

After this late summer we have had in the PNW, Fall came in overnight. With lots of hail and rain and wind. Time to make some bright and cheery mosaics! Last night big hail was hitting the skylights and it was so loud, I almost joined the cats under the bed. But the ocean looks so much more mighty in this weather, it’s unbelievable. Gotta love it.

I am glad to say that now I finally have my own Etsy store up and running! I already sold my 1st piece and am very excited about that! To think that something that started in my head is actually appealing enough for someone to pay money for it…what a wonderful feeling that is! Someone WANTS my art!!

I have some more to photograph and put into the store, so be patient and come back often! The link is in the bookmarks below. Please go visit (and – of course – buy would be nice)!

A friend of mine gave me a box of tempered glass, some of it in pretty large pieces that were still together. This is the first piece I made with it and I really enjoy the result. It has two parts to it, firstly painting the background and then covering it with the glass.
Actually, I’m not a painter, but abstract coloring is not that hard to do. The glass looks a bit knobby in the picture, which is isn’t, but it reminded me of corals that grow like ground cover. So the next project will have other colors of the ocean floor to resemble corals a bit more.
As soon as I can get my hands on more broken windshields! The shells are from Florida from a lovely Etsy shop, the Salty Sea House. They have been tumbled and are almost rock like, very lovely.

A video of Manzanita, Oregon, made by Andre Hagestedt, who has a really great informative website (www.beachconnection.net) for those visiting the North Oregon Coast. Thanks, Andre!

A must see film. A visual journey with a clear message.