More.... creativity?

I thoroughly enjoyed a jewellery making course I took last November, and I was so pleased with the results (a sterling silver spinner ring) that I figured I must be a creative genius! This revelation fueled me to sign up for a similar hands-on type of class, in which we learned how to design, cut, and put together a small stained glass panel. Now, I absolutely love stained glass artwork, so I had a vision in my head of coming home with a brilliant piece that I could display proudly, perhaps even somewhere in my oasis in Canmore. Well, the final class was last night, and all I can say is..... REALITY CHECK!

Week 1 - Design and Cut Glass Pieces

Week 2 - Grind and Foil Edges

Week 3 - Solder Pieces Together and Frame

Much of the work was quite a bit easier than I anticipated. For example, scoring and cutting the glass was not at all difficult. Granted, my pieces consisted of straight edges only, no curves, but the material isn't hard to shape when you use the proper instruments. Grinding went well, once I figured out the stone I was using was dull, dull, dull and switched to a new one. Foiling the edges was tedious and time consuming, but I learned the technique quickly and managed to get it done without slicing my fingers on the paper-sharp foil edges. Soldering..... okay my soldering skills are in the range of 'non-existent' to 'in serious need of improvement', so this step of the activity was the weak link for me. It went off the rails early in the process, as by the time I realized a few of the pieces were off-square, I had already tacked them together. D'oh!

At any rate, my somewhat sad first stained-glass creation will likely sit unobtrusively on an out-of-the-way shelf, but in the end it was a fantastic learning experience and I would not hesitate - in fact I would love - to take another crack at this craft.

I chose to display it on a small iron easel rather
than attach hooks and a wire for hanging it.
Boooo.

Next on the agenda.... The Art of Welding Metal! Yup, I am not being deterred whatsoever by this recent minor soldering fiasco - I'm jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Truth be known, I registered for the week-long welding course a while ago, but it begins in July so I have plenty of time to practice up! LOL!

Cheers!





Gettin' pretty bored with the arctic climate as of late.....

Dreaming of places I'd rather be!

A Milestone!

Or should I say a kilometre stone..... as in, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND kilometres! That's right. My trusty ol' 4-Runner just turned over the 200k mark on the odometer, and fitting that it happened while I was enroute to my favorite place - Canmore.

Wow. The Toy is still running like a top, and touch wood has yet to let me down. I'm honestly hoping to get at least another 7 years / 200,000 km of adventure out of it!

Speaking of adventure, there hasn't been much of it this past few weeks, due to the extreme chilliness which has enveloped the land. Brrrrr. So I've been volunteering and pet-sitting and just in general mostly staying indoors. This upcoming weekend should see things turn around however, as I'm planning to rack up a few more k's and head out west for some fat tire biking and snowshoeing.

Lovely Luna!

It appears that I like her, more than she likes me! LOL

It's a dog's life....

Fingers crossed that the cold snap snaps! Or at least slightly cracks..... Can't wait to get outside! Yeah!


Cheers.

Happy me!

Did the Groundhog see his shadow?

It's Alberta, and it's February, and the winter season happens every, single, year.... so I'm not sure why it is still such a dang shock when the weather plummets into deep freeze temperatures! Egad! This week has been a nasty slap in the face by Mother Nature, however I really can't do much complaining, as up until now she's been relatively gentle on us.

Case in point: Snowshoeing in K-Country last weekend was a real quandary for the senses. The calendar said January, but the trees hinted autumn and the temps screamed spring. Thick snow blanketed the ground and frosted the surrounding peaks, but there wasn't a breath of wind and it was warm enough for shirt sleeves.

It was a 'remove a layer / add a layer / remove a layer' kinda day! The five of us had a fantastic time, and then as it so often does in the Rockies.... the weather changed drastically overnight. Not surprisingly, the wind woke me up at about 2:00am.....

Needless to say, the rest of the week has been spent indoors for the most part, which means I've had some time to work on my home redecorating project. My quirky accent chair arrived, so now the upgrades to my main level are complete.

Next up: furnishing a spare bedroom, and more outdoor pursuits out west if the forecast shapes up a bit. I will have to do some research to find out if the local groundhog is hunkered down for another six weeks or not!

Stay warm everybody!

Cheers.