I had the opportunity to experience glass blowing this last Saturday. My son gave me a gift of a glass blowing class.  The teacher has over 20 years of experience. He did about 60 percent and left about 40 percent for me. Which seems about right since I didn't know anything about glass blowing. 

 Here are photos of the process.......

It was a hot day and the kilns were so hot. I am glad this is not my full time job, 

or it would only be a winter time job ~smile~

It looks like my vase  is orange, that is just because it is HOT, HOT, HOT glass.  It is really the greenish color that can be seen in the last photo as the teacher is taking it off the pole.

And my bud vase revealed........tune in tomorrow.

Tiny Books.........

While I love all books, tiny books make my heart smile.  I just recently put up this shelf area to display some of my collection.  I find these mini books at thrift stores and flea markets.  I usually don't buy them from antique stores as the price are too high for my thrifty soul. I look for books about the size of my palm or smaller. 

Closeups of each shelf.....

I love this little postal scale.  Just 2.00 at a local flea market

I found the sweet child's tea cup at the thrift store for .99

The set of Shakespeare books were found at a flea market.  When I asked how much they were the seller said "Oh those are old, they are expensive"  I asked how expensive.  The answer?  5.00 for all 5 books.  Yes, please, I'll take them.

These are not really mini books, but I love them.  A desk set of address labels, photos corners and the like, only 4.00 at the flea market.  Most of the boxes are full.  Also the tiny children's card game sets, 1.00 each at the flea market.

Akro Agate Tea Sets

I have always loved the little Depression Era tea sets called Akro Agate.  I found two sets at the thrift store for 20.00 each.

Not dirt cheap thrift store prices, but good enough when I have always wanted a set. I bought one for myself and my adult son bought the other for me for Mother's day. I set them up on one of the shelves in my Hoosier.  Added a few books and vintage Scottie dogs I had on hand.  Super cute.....

This is the third year I have been able to be a part of a very amazing Internet happening - the 8th Annual Bead Soup Blog Party.  Folks from all over the world get paired up and exchange beads.  Each sends a focal (sort of the centerpiece), a special clasp, and beads, beads, beads.  We all design and create with our "Soup"  Then posting our work on a specific day and time, we all start blog hopping to see the A.MAZ.ING creations.

This is all the made possible by the Herculean efforts of Lori Anderson. She spends hours and hours putting it all together for our benefit.  I want to send her the BIGGEST of THANKS!!

Here is the "Soup" I received from my partner, Theresa Buchle   http://www.bead-mused.blogspot.com/  Be sure to drop in on her blog and see what she is up too.

She generously sent me two "soups" - One is built around rose quartz and the other around an ammonite and some jaspers and agates. She also included a little pair of earrings she made just for me. Those are made of niobium, copper, mookite, and glass.

And here is what I made with my delightful "soup".........I had an old worn vintage compact in my stash, and thought the little dragonfly Theresa sent would be perfect as my focal. Drilled some holes in the compact, attached the dragonfly, used some vintage pearls from my stash, mixed with the "soup" green stone beads to round it all out.  I even created a little surprise inside the compact.  I plan on storing little slips of paper with encouraging quotes inside the compact.  Only I'll know what they say........until I decide to share  ~~~smile~~~

I thought I'd link my two other "Bead Soups"

2013 - Wisdom necklace

2012 - Project # 1

2012 - Project # 2


Click here to find all of the 2014 Bead Soup participants......

Thrift Store (Find) Thursday......turns out my .99 old picture purchase is a colored engraving signed by Victor Valery.

A French artist, this piece is of Reims Cathedral in ruins after WWI. This "find" was in the bin of stuff waiting to be put on the shelves (Goodwill style) It had a bunch of stuff on top of it and I could barely see the corner of it. Something about the fading color caught my attention and I dug it out. So glad I did.

I found an interesting pieced history at the thrift store. A WWII Catholic metal cover (bulletproof) prayer book, cover reads '"May The Lord Be With You".  Internet research shows it was intended to be kept over the soldiers hearts and could 'deflect' bullets from piercing the heart. Neat piece of history. Bears a stamped owner's name.....M. Woodbridge, 1949

A new "old" treasure. The Rational Method in Reading. A Manual of Instruction for Teachers.......1894 original copyright date, this book is a 1907 edition.

Perhaps I am the last one to find this, but just today I found the app GoodReads.  What fun it was to scan the ISBN number on many of my books.  Now I have a nice list of my books, maybe I'll be able to stop the "do I have this book?" question.......http://www.goodreads.com

My newest thrift store find......Kitchen Gardens, illustrated by Tasha Tudor.  I have been looking for it for a while. Some color plates and many black and white illustrations.  I have been looking for it awhile.  Glad to have found it.

Found last week at a local antique fair - - the street sign of the street my family lived on while I was in 3rd and 4th grade.  The dealer said she bought it at a garage sale at the house on the corner of Stanley and California.  My house was next door to the garage sale house.

I just had to have it. It makes me smile.....

My newest thrift store book treasure.....

Titled - "Better Say" a book of helpful suggestions for the correct use of English words and phrases. 

It is a small, pamphlet like book, just 34 pages. I guess in 1909, there were but a few words that needed corrections 

An example...........hope. " I hope he arrived in time." Better say: "I trust he arrived in time." Hope refers to the future; "What a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?" (Rom. 8:24)

I love old books.  

My latest art endeavor.....a college class in watercolor.  Just a beginner, but, I love learning new things and I like watercolor.

This is an altar I made in honor and memory of the printed word.......it is titled Disappearing Ink {Requiem for the Printed Word}

A requiem is defined as a mass for a deceased person. While the printed word, i.e.: books are not completely dead, the printed word is dying a slow death.

As a child I spent hours reading the encyclopedia, The Book of Knowledge. It was a dear friend. I get nostalgic even seeing the end pages. (I used them as the center focus of the altar) So much time spent learning about the world in the pages of National Geographic. Books were a window into other worlds, they opened doors……
So many memories of getting lost in a good book that became a friend.

Those days are gone; the online world has and will continue to change our world concerning the printed word.
Rest in Peace, oh much loved book-friends. You will be missed.....