It seems like all I ever talk about on this blog are the things I have to get done. I have been able to finish a few things recently, but actually finding the time to document them here has been a challenge. Cracked Pots is in 10 days. I feel unprepared, but I'm trying not to stress about it. The kids are home full time, and Matt has been traveling a ton. It seems like he is gone more than he is home. We knew this summer was going to be busy for him, so I decided not to do a lot of shows. It was definitely the right choice.
I wanted to show a couple of things that I actually have been able to finish.....
A new garden ball made from a big bag of beach glass that I scored at a garage sale.
Another new ball, this one made from a huge piece of textured mirror that I got from that same garage sale. It is really cool, but so textured on the back side, that it's not the easiest to work with.Here is my to be grouted pile. That green and blue one is made from the glass in my previous post.
Last, because there is always one, a work in progress. A baby quilt ordered by a friend. I signed both the boys up for camps next week, hoping to use the time to catch up and get ready. Wish me luck.....

This weekend we had our annual block party. I absolutely love my neighbors, and feel so lucky to live on this block.
I don't measure the success of a party by how many water balloons are thrown, but some members of my household do.
They thought it was "better than Christmas".
We had lots of hanging out with friends, and neighbors, and local entertainment too!
As if that wasn't enough to make a great day, my friend showed up with these sheets of glass. On her bike!
I haven't cut into these yet, but have been really busy making lots. I'll be back tomorrow, after I have enough sun to take a few pictures.

Happy 4th of July

Lots of kid time and not much work happening around here. Enjoy the long weekend!!

Finished!

Finally!! I am pretty happy with how it turned out, and even more happy to have the space cleared off of my table.

So, now on to the next project.... the picture below is the official "before" picture. I'm hoping this one won't take nearly as long as the birdbath did. I found a few boxes of beautiful seconds tiles that I am planning to break up and use on this space. I don't have a lot of experience with tile, but figure that it can't look worse than it does now. I'll post the progress pics as soon as I have any.
Until then, I am so excited about this weekend. I am going to see this, and this, and hope to stop in at the Recycled arts fest in Vancouver too. I can't wait!

the workbench

Lately I've been getting a lot of emails asking how I make my garden balls. I always tell people that I never just make one from start to finish, and I always have a bunch of projects started on my work bench at once.
These are a few that I have going on right now. You can see that I use a lot of different items to keep the balls balanced for a flat top work surface.
I'm always trying to find tricks to keep the glass from sliding off the sides of the balls,
or in this case, the birdbath. Having a small flat work surface makes it easier for me to add a few pieces here and there. Since I almost always have at least one helper working with me on my workbench, being able to work for short periods of time is key for me.

The wedding was beautiful. It was fun and simple. The marble balls made the perfect centerpieces for the garden setting, and the marble magnet wedding favors were a hit.
I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. Thanks for a fun evening Ben and Erin. Congratulations to you both!!

I keep thinking things are going to slow down around here, but it seems like busy is our pace for now. The last day of school is tomorrow, and a lot of activities are ending this week too. Some time should be freeing up, but another kind of busy starts with having the kids home full time. Last week my small marble balls were a Portland Pick, which was flattering and totally unexpected, and sent me scrambling to make more marble balls. All for good reasons. Some friends of ours are getting married this weekend. The wedding is in a garden, and instead of flowers on the tables, marble balls will be the centerpieces. This is a picture of the marble magnets and their cute packaging for wedding favors. I can't wait to see it all come together.
If a wedding, a birthday party, 2 soccer games, and a pre-school graduation aren't enough to keep us busy this weekend, we'll be stopping in here

to check out all the great new garden art. On another note, if you were one of the people interested in the mosaic house numbers class, it is running on Sunday and there is room for more. You can click that link to sign up. Have a great weekend everyone!