Switch Plate Covers

On Sunday, 26 July, mom and I went to the metals studio in PAO to work on cutting out more pendants, bowls and enameling. I wanted to work on my pieces for my V-J-J necklace but we could not find the pieces. I was really disappointed because I want to get a new necklace made up for our up coming shows (we did finally find the pieces but I started working on the switch plates).

For the past few years I have been trying to find electrical outlet covers and switch plate covers I like for both of my bathrooms. I have yet to find anything I liked so I decided to make my own covers. I decided to draw a template on a copper sheet, cut out the templates, drill holes and cut out the areas where the outlet and light switches would go. I would then use enamels that are close to the colors I have in my bathrooms. I got the covers cut out but I am still working on drilling the holes and cutting out the outlets and switch areas.

I did get one light switch plate done for my bathroom. My walls are a light purple/dark pink kind of color so I used a white enamel as a base coat and then used four different colors of pink and purple on top of the white. Overall I am really happy with the way the cover turned out, except for the warping. I know there is way to fix that problem, but I can't remember how, so I have an email message into my professor asking for help. I now just have to work on the electrical out let cover and the light switch plate and electrical outlet for my other bathroom.

Spirit of Monticello

Mom and I had our first festival of the season. We were at the Spirit of Monticello on 25 July 2009. Both mom and I were not even sure the festival would be going on because of the thundershowers that came through early in the morning and then while we were setting up a big downpour came through about half an hour before the festival was to start.

I am so glad mom and I got the tent out and practiced setting it up with the sides on Thursday because we really needed those sides up when it started to rain. Some of the vendors did not have tents or tents with sides, so I was feeling kind of sorry for them.

Mom and I were able to get the tent up, tables up, and most of the inventory out before the big downpour came through.

The day started out really slow and I was not even sure we would make our booth fee. But in the end the day did turn out nice. The sun came out around noon and the temperature started to warm up which brought out more people to walk around. Yeah for the sun!

Our soggy tent after the first rainfall

Images of our inventory


Images of the stormy sky

Flameworked Glass Rosaries

Last year, during the Lafayette Octoberfest festival, we had a customer make a suggestion of making rosaries. She thought the rosary would make a very good item to sell. So, for Christmas one of my presents suggestions was a cross press for glass. My cousin, who had my wish list, bought me the cross press. I was ecstatic but of course now I had to teach myself how to use the cross press and I don't follow directions very well so some of the first crosses I made were pretty interesting looking.

I hadn't used the cross press much until a few weeks ago when I decided to make rosaries for two of my cousin's weddings. Both mom and I did research on rosaries and I decided to make a five decade rosary for Michael and his new wife Kandi and Sarah and her new husband Josh.
For the beads I decided to use their birthstone colors and combine the colors into a small bead and for the large bead I used the birthstone color of the month they were married in.

For Michael and Kandi the birthstones are June (white), April (clear) and the month they were married in was May (green). For Sarah and Josh the birthstones are February (purple) and October (pink) and the month they were married in was July (ruby).
This is Michael's rosary - the cross is Kandi's birthstone
This is Kandi's rosary - the cross is Michael's birthstone

This is Sarah's rosary - the cross is Josh's birthstone

I ran out of time and did not get a chance to take a photograph of Josh's rosary. Just picture the cross a dark transparent purple color.

I am really happy with how the rosaries turned out. Everyone seemed to really like them. I even received a request to make a gift for friends nephews baptism. I again used the birthstone colors of the parents and the nephew's in the beads. I also combined all the colors into making the cross. This time I only made a one decade rosary so that took less time to make than four Five Decade Rosaries.


I also made another One Decade Rosary out of the "jelly fish" beads. I use a base glass color of black and melt silver foil on the bead. I then take silver ivory stringer and place dots on the bead and melt that flat and then take clear glass and melt it over the top of the dots to make the dots pop. I did this for all the small beads and one large bead and the cross. I then used Czech beads and sterling silver beads as accents in the rosary and a sterling silver rosary center.



I currently have a lot of ideas on what type of beads and crosses I want to make. I know for sure I want to try and make pink ribbon beads for breast cancer and I want to create black and gold beads and maybe some beads with the "P" on them for Purdue. I have a whole page of ideas but just not enough time.

Flowers on Campus

Both mom and I have been taking pictures of flowers on campus. There is a little flower park over by the PAO building that we like to go to on the weekends or during breaks at work. Something new always seems to be blooming when we go, so it is always an adventure. The one thing I need to do is learn the names of the flowers I am taking pictures of. You would think I would be smart enough to take a picture of the flower and the sign with the flower. Oh well. I hope you enjoy the flowers this is just a small taste of all the photographs mom and I have taken.

Photographs of Campus and Downtown

Mom and I have been coming onto campus several weekends this past summer to take photographs of buildings, flowers, water fountains, etc. Mom and I were thinking of entering the PAA Photograph Contest. Both of us enjoy taking photographs and maybe eventually we will matte and frame our photographs to sell in our art shows.
Below are photographs that we took:
Inside the Union
Front of Bindley
Fountain in front of University
McGinley Plaza and Morgan Building

Fountain and top of Morgan Building
Front of Dauch, w/ American Flag
Top of fountain in front of Hovde
Loeb Fountain located near Beering
Top of Bell Tower
The Backside of Bindley Building
The Bindley and Birk Building

Turkey Run

It has been awhile since I have blogged, over two and half months. It seems like the summer has just flown by and mom and I have done a lot, but it seems like there is nothing to show for it.

In May mom and I went to Turkey Run State Park to take photographs. It was an awesome day because mom and I had fun taking photographs and playing in the mud and water. Mom and I left early in the morning so we could get to the park when it first opened. Both of us don't care to be around a lot of people and we wanted enough time to get through the trails without tons of people mucking up shots.

It had been raining a lot this past month so there was a lot of running water and spots that was pretty muddy. We had fun trying to figure out ways to get through the trails without having to backtrack.

Below I have provided some photos that we took and if you could not tell, I like water.