Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Too Hot !!!

It is July 3rd and the planes are flying overhead preparing for the annual 4th of July celebration. We have several Air Force personnel who fly over the river near our home in formation to signal the start of the Fireworks Display here. Unfortunately, we are experiencing very high temperatures and have been for the past few days. It is expected that we will reach 100 degrees sometime this afternoon. Added to that misery is that our lawns are quite brown and we have not seen, nor expect to see rain until well into next week. Due to that fact, I am not outdoors today, but have decided to spend some time in the glass shop. As I listen to them fly overhead, I am in my basement working on glass twirlers to be auctioned off for our church to raise money for the NICU unit in a nearby hospital. These twirlers are anywhere from 6 inches to 12 inches in diameter and when completed can be placed on a porch or in front of a French door or window. What makes them twirl is a gadget you might find in a fishing tackle box. Any pattern can be used to make these little beauties and the subject matter is only limited by your own imagination. Since I live in Green Bay Packer Country, I will be making quite a few of these to auction off. To satisfy other possible bidders, I have added several different kinds of flowers, birds, dogs, angels, and assorted other themes to each circle. I always like to contribute to the community in any way I can and the profits certainly go to a great cause!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Color Added!!



Enclosed in this post are a couple of pictures of the plain bird houses and butterfly houses projects from a few months ago. The larger bird house on the left is only about 1/3 of the way done. I haven't decided what I'd like to put on this one, and until I do, it will just sit and wait.
However, I decided to go a bit "whimsical" with the bird bank and just couldn't put my brush down when it came to the butterfly house. Of our 8 acres there is a very small area where the butterflies congregate, but the variety of colors on these amazing creatures is inspiring.
There has also been a huge movement in our area to try to bring back the bluebird. At the moment I am looking to find a good set of plans to make several to put on our acreage. If any of you have found plans that will build a shelter for bluebirds that withstands temperatures down to -30 degrees, please send them my way - won't you?
Thanks much!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

More Ideas For Your Garden Areas







Using glass in the garden is something that can be integrated into any color scheme or plant texture. Whimsical glass sticks can be placed in the garden and add character to even the smallest of gardens. The picture above is from the yard of a rental property where we used to live. Look closely and you can find a tulip and a lady bug glass stick. In the other photo (middle) are examples of other themes you can use - a garden angel and a frog combined with a sun face stepping stone and a moon and stars stepping stone. The picture on the top is a close-up of some of the possibilities.
Some of the stepping stone patterns come from a wonderful book entitled, "Tiffany Gardens", written by Julie Bishop-Day from the Glass Workbench. In it she explains the entire process of making stepping stones and the book has several patterns from which to choose. If you are looking for more information on this subject go to info@sunshineglass.com.


Depending on the length of the stick, you can use these near ground cover crops or even in tall grasses on your property. Each year I try to come up with a few more ideas. The same patterns used for the stepping stones can also be transferred to the garden sticks as well.

Each glass stick is soldered to a piece of 1/8" copper rod. This kind of sturdy base allows the glass to blow in the wind without breaking. Ribbon and other accessories can be added to each piece.

Adding Color To This Season of White

The birdhouses from the previous post have been sitting in my basement for quite some time and I needed to get some inspiration in order to get going on them.
It came to me today when I was looking through my latest addition of "Organic Gardening" magazine. There were several pictures with vines and also birds that mark the onset of spring here in Wisconsin. The pictures with their vivid colors and contrasting foliage were just what I needed to get going with these little gems.
I have to say that once I get going on these things, I find it hard to know when to stop adding color. But as I look outside and see nothing but white, my senses are starved for something from the color wheel to get me through. If the groundhog is right, and we have 6 more weeks of winter, this will be a long wait.