Etched Glass

I have attempted to try my hand at glass etching over the years. And although I love the look of etched glass, my method of using a liquid etching (cheaper) than the traditional (yet more expensive) method using a sandblaster and sand, have resulted in a less appealing finished piece. I do finally have a small affordable blaster and hopefully it won't be too long before I have time to give it a try.

In the piece displayed below, I simply placed my design drawn on a large piece of white paper onto one side of an old salvaged single pane window. Flipped it over and placed a piece of clear contact paper edge to edge on the frame. I then used a very sharp exacto knife and removed all the contact paper from the areas I wanted to receive the liquid etching. This is the tedious time consuming aspect of the project, but sure gives you time to think and I rather like that part of it. Always being careful of course to keeping focused on the design so as not to cut away the wrong parts. Sticking stuff back in place, not fun.

Once it is all cut out, you apply the liquid etching with a brush. I let my project sit in the bathtub for the recommended time and then just rinsed it off under the tap. Old glass from picture frames are a great cheap way to practice your etching skills. Etched wine glasses would make a nice gift for the holidays. Holly and berries a simple yet festive design that are pretty and easy to draw. Childrens coloring books are a great resource for simple holiday motifs.



This is my finished project using liquid etching. I am not completely happy with the shadowing left from the etching process. But the dim setting in my shop makes it more apparent then when it's hanging in a lighter setting.

It's hard to mimic the etching found in nature which though fleeting is always the most exquisite.

Kudos to Jack Frost.
The only thing missing is a rosy cheeked child peeking out.

Bouquet

Always frugally minded I am. So this past September, mid September to be exact, I was searching the garden for blooms to decorate picnic tables for a family gathering in our local park. Now I am not a great cultivator of FLOWERS. So I did feel a little flustered because I never feel prepared for these things. I always have some glossy magazine image stamped firmly in the forefront of my bean. I begin to mentally fret before realizing I must do what I can with what I have at hand, right where I'm at. (hmm... where have I heard that?)

My garden beds are predominately perennials and do not have much in the way of standard blooms for arrangements. But I would not be deterred in my search. Here is what I came up with.

I was pleased!

My simple arrangement was not only really quite lovely but the scents from adding some herbs was delightful as well.

I was happy to start with something traditional and familiar like Hydrangea. The Nikko Blue is an amazing cultivar if ever there was one. Once in bloom this home garden stalwart will change like a chameleon with the seasons. From it's original blue back to green, then gray with touches of purple. I love it.

From the herb garden, I came up with some spikes of Russian Sage (not a true herb, but fragrant perennial), Lady's mantle, and some Basil that had went to bloom. I also had a few stems of Chocolate basil that had lavender hued blooms. I wish I could of had a few more stems of those purpley brown leaves for contrast. A few sprigs of dill and it's done.

Here are few other options I am keeping in mind for future arrangements.

Tomatillos! Why not?

Their dangly paper shells appear first to eventually fill with the actual tomatillo. My plants were covered with them at the end of the season.

Purple Sage.
Their hues mimic the coloring of the hydrangea I used. More fragrance to boot.

Same goes for the Echinops ( purple globe thistle).
Another lovely gray/purple perennial. It's round spikey globes would definitely add some interest.

Lady's Mantle (alchemilla mollis).
I always love it's frothy look in any arrangement.

My noggin's full of ideas, just waiting to be tried. How bout' some raspberry stems with bright tell-tale fruit just hanging on at the end of summer for a touch of red. The spiky blue tops of Anise Hyssop ( Agastache), or tiny clustered Oregano tops. It's not all about pumpkins and gourds folks.

And.... if you're super duper lucky.... after collecting all your garden goodies...

You might convince your sister to put together another half dozen bouquets for you.

Now we're talkin'.

House Remodel

For the last two years we have embarked on the journey and lessons of home remodeling. The plan was (however nuts it may seem to family and friends) was to rehab a small house for resell (aka flip). The timing however was not on our side. We couldn't swing our hammers or fling paint fast enough to avoid the free fall in the housing market. We decided then to just take our time, work hard, apply the best of our knowledge and skill and pray for the best. Fortunately, we received the much needed guidance and expertise from a friend in the business who kept us on the straight and narrow. Who stopped us from shall we say, "doin' it wrong". That help was invaluable in our eventual sell of a cute little place to some folks who absolutely adored what we had accomplished. Now don't get me wrong, the money, the kind of money we hoped for in an otherwise robust economy did not materialize as hoped for. But every now and again, I pass by that little cottage and say, "Man we built that". A nice snug little home for a family. Makes me feel good. And hey, the days of working in cold rainy weather and peeing in a bucket were over.

Or so I thought.




Our first cottage completed in 2009.
Carlton, Oregon

It was fun building the cedar and elderberry branch trellis for an accent piece.


*******


It wasn't long, maybe a few months later, we spotted another cottage in need of TLC. This time we joined forces with our friend and his wife for a team project. Aptly named the "Pickme" house. Ahem, that's french. And together we had the most fun completeing this project. A lot of work to be sure, but seeing every skill and design idea come together was way cool. We stripped and polished the vertical grain fir flooring in this ol'girl and she is b-e-a-u-tiful! All the wood trim work re-planed, re-painted and reinstalled. Whew. I don't think this place had seen so much attention in years. But we are thrilled with what we have accomplished together. Hopefully, another family will feel the same.

Our second cottage, completed 2010.
Carlton, Oregon