Crafty Xmas

Pretty much everyone that didn't move away too quickly ended up with a piece of stained glass from me this year.  Many pieces are what we will politely call learning pieces, which is to say, don't look too carefully at the solder or fit or details in general.  But I got a lot of practice and had a good time in the sometimes freezing garage.  Glass is always pretty.  

The many suncatchers/ornaments: 

There was another small tree, that one with black patina,
that I think I forgot to photograph, along with another holly
and star with slightly different glass.

Big fish with wire eye

Bee!

Fox!  I made another one of 
these too, with a slightly
lighter glass. 

Freeform, semi-mutant gecko for
my favorite lizard gal in FL

Star being inspected by 
curious kitty

Tree blinged out with glass beads.

A few tulips (all with some serious stem issues - ah well): 

The original model - single wire 
stem, so balance is tricky.

Pair of pink tulips, now with double-wire
stems.  One has a truly
bad solder attachment that 
I couldn't fix.  

And a quilt pattern panel for my sister. It has a LOT of pieces that had to fit together enough to at least provide the illusion of a square shape: 

So many pieces! So few
correct angles.  But it worked
out in the end.  

Square-ish

The kitchen no longer looks like a gift shoppe with stained glass everywhere.  And I am itching for somewhat warmer weather so I can start on more projects in the garage!

Sparkly

Another suncatcher, extra-sparkly. The lack of light in the wintertime has left me even more obsessed with shiny things. Eventually, I'll run out of chandelier parts and winter will end. 

In the meantime, I have rather cool shadows on the blinds.    

 

New Year's photos, Takoma Park

As many people know, I'm fond of the town in which I live, Takoma Park, MD.  Here are some photographic reasons as to why (please forgive gray lighting - twas overcast today):
  

This truck, often parked in my neighborhood, makes me
want to Eat More Kale.  I don't even like kale. 

 


The Lawn Art House

 

Because what says Christmas more
than a kangaroo with a child in its
pouch wearing a Santa hat?

 

Polar bear with faces.  Does that
mean he ate the people?

 

Floating baby heads

 




 

A few houses down, a pink rhino grazes.



The porch mannequins down the street are
festooned with lights for the season. Their
garb changes for every holiday.

Someone took a cart most,
but not all of the way home. 

Why do I fit in Takoma Park?  Why, because I spent a portion of New Year's eve afternoon making these:
 

Psycho Smile Suncatcher

Fetch! Camel Dog Suncatcher

So far, I'm only happy with the fact that the copper circle on the second one is more seamlessly connected.  Less hideous versions are being considered as I experiment with my materials further. 




Finally, a gratuitous experiment in posting video.  The happy babbling of Sligo Creek: