Stained Glass

What I'm creating-stained glass:  This was seriously the highlight of my beach vacation this weekend, besides getting to spend time with my wonderful aunt, uncle, cousin and sister.  We got to meet my uncle's mom, Pat, who has been making stained glass for over 30 years!  Here are some of her past projects.  And these are just some of the ones they have up at the beach cabin.

They also had these cute little hummingbirds up everywhere.  My cousin, sister and I decided to ask if we could make one, and Pat said yes.  Here are the steps and the final project.  :)

Step 1: Pick out glass for project.  I ended up leaning towards pinks, purples and blues. 

Step 2: Cut out glass into the shapes you want.  For the hummingbird we used five shapes: the head, two wings, a body, and a tail.

Step 3: Grind the shapes so they fit perfectly together and have smooth edges.  This part was difficult because the pieces need to fit together like a puzzle.

Step 4: Copper foil and burnish the edges of each indivdual piece.  The copper foil is how the whole thing is held together.

Step 5: Lay pattern pieces together and saughter.  The saughter is basically a fat wire that you melt and spread along the copper foil.  It cools quickly.

Step 6: Add hook, hang and enjoy.  I am going to hang it in my dorm. :)

What I'm creating-projects:  Today was my best friend's sisters birthday so I made her this photo collage frame as a present.  I love making presents like this because I believe time is a much more meaningful gift than spending a million dollars on someone. 

What I'm creating-ICAD: Here are my index cards from the past few days.  I cannot belive the project is almost over.  I love watching the cards change with my mood throughout the summer.

What's inspiring me:  STAINED GLASS!

from: here, here, here, and here

Enjoy tomorrow and make something pretty.

Much love.