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Favorite Pieces

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:05 pm

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I thought I would show a few of my favorite pieces in here where everyone doesn't have to see them. I'll start with my favorite outdoor piece.

This started out as a surprise piece of glass my hubby bought me. Little did he know how much work that little glass would make. I decided we would make a peacock feather and I liked it so well decided to make two more and a hypertufa vase to display them in. The glass is heavy so the vase is built with a piece of pipe in the bottom that slides over a rebar driven in the ground. The feathers are each braised to a rod. The vase was hollow and the feathers were creted right into it. This dude ain't going nowhere.( I hope)

We love this piece but hubby did say he hopes we never have to make it again.
This pair of ethnic faces is made with glass of all different textures. The sun hits it in the morning and it's one of the first things I see as I head to the shop.

This fish was a fun pairing of glass and copper art.

This feeder was made from some beautiful cast iron shelf brackets we bought for one dollar. I told hubby they would be wasted on a shelf and must have their own place to shine. So this feeder was born. The plaque under is a fave also. I make pansies that are on wires sometimes and these sat around so long waiting to be soldered that I was missing two pieces of them. So I decided to put them in a plaque before more got lost. I can't sell it because their is so much labor in it that I HAVE to keep it. At least that's what I tell myself.

I HATE to sew but I found myself having to buy a new sewing machine. I resented having to spend a dime on a new machine so I decided to make me a pincushion that would cheer me up at stressful sewing times. I got out my sculpey and made this. He's the only company I have when sewing as hubby runs for the hills when he sees the machine come out.

When I was in third grade I wote a book report on making mobiles and made my first one. I still make mobiles and here's one I really like. We are major birdwatchers so these are all representative of real birds.

My modest dream was to have a bathtub in a room that is NOT a bathroom so hubby plumbed one of the spare rooms and we made a dressing room. I love Bath, Bubbles and a Book. I had seen this beautiful stencil in a book and wanted it bad. Lucky for me the wall is very rough so hubby cut thin board for the stencil to go on. Then I painted it and sealed it with poly and he put it up. If the wall hadn't been so rough I would have had to paint it in the tub. It's such a peaceful place.

This is my favorite batik.

We work in hot glass also and make beads and jewelery when we have the time. Here's my faves.

I'm not happy unless I have several things in the works at all times.


Last edited: Sun Dec 10, 2006 4:23 pm

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Junk Saturday

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:39 pm

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Well we found out about a new junk place. They are only open two days a week, so yesterday was the day. I wanted to look for some glass to make a totem. Yes, thanks to Cajunbelle and Miss Petals, I am on the hunt for glass. The place is a defunct shoe factory and was huge. Piles of junk everywhere. I'd say half or it you couldn't even get to. We were like rats in a maze and were hoping we didn't run into the real thing. I wore a light jacket and it was freezing in there. No heat at all. I didn't want to be weighed down by a heavy coat. Good thing too because there was some climbing involved. I found some nice glass pieces right away. Hubby asked what they were for and I told him we are making a totem. He said, "A what?" So I explain but he wants to know why this is the First he is hearing about this. OOps, must have forgot to mention it before. Now he is totally into it and as I am clambering over mounds of junk I keep hearing my name. When I look up there is a nice glass piece for me to decide if I want. I could rent him out to unesorted ladies. He doesn't mind fetching and carrying at all. As I pick out pieces he carries them back to the counter. They had a zillion good pieces. Turns out they bought the whole inventory of a lighting place. Wonder of wonder I found a pretty dress in with all this junk. I don't know where that came from. Here's some of the glass pieces.

And here's a closeup.

I especially like these crackle ones.

Since most of it was new it was nice and clean. They had some domes that were huge. The smaller ones were one dollar and the bigger ones were two. I found this interesting brass piece to make a birdfeeder out of.

We were inspired to go on to Goodwill where we bought four lamps to do hypertufa in. Everything was half price so what a good deal it was. We had a good time but had to get home and get cracking on our Christmas presents once again. I'm pretty sure that tonight I will dream Of garden totems instead of sugarplums.

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Church comes Home

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 11:27 am

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I was somewhat surprised by my hubby dragging this bench home from "The Junkyard from Hell". It's only a few miles from my house and quite a scary place. I've been there but I usually send "my representative" to look for interesting junk. We've had some good finds but this bench was huge, 9 feet 4 inches of Huge.

We measured in my front room but it was just too big so my husband said he would cut it down to size. He took off one end and sawed two feet off it and then moved the middle leg back to the middle. Then he painted it gray and then sponge painted (only he did it with a plastic bag) it a lighter gray. Then I made some pillows for it and in it finally came.

It's a very comfortable bench too. We love to restore junk!

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Stress Test

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:44 pm

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Yesterday at 11:30 it started to rain, no thunder so I was on the computer. Suddenly there was the dreaded straightline wind. A weird whump hit the roof. I jumped up and yanked the computer cord out of the outlet. Another whump. Went to the utility room and sparks shot out of this plug (our burglar alarm is plugged there) and black smoke is coming out!
Shut door and went to kitchen window, big limb down and all wires off the pole. Call 911! Hubby is on job with no phone. Luckily get Cindy(husband's cousin and our good friend) and she is coming right over in case I and dogs have to bail. Police come. I have to physically shove dogs in living room closet because I need them close for exit and police won't come in. Police says firetruck on the way and they will go into attic to make sure there's no more fire. Big storm erupts now. 4 fireman,1 police, 2 electric guys (to turn off electricity quick) and Cindy arrive. Things check out ok. Fire and police leave. Now need electrician before power guys feel safe to turn power back on. HOT. Mr. bethie makes the scene. He has just come from mex restraunt to get surprise "friday food". Surprise is on him! Gets electrican on the phone but he is already at another storm victims house. Walks hubby through checkpoints. Hubby is handy as a shirt pocket. If wires behind this outlet are melted we are screwed but mercifully we are unscrewed. Get power back on at 2. Meanwhile they have had to take down power lines to our shop. They are hooked up illegally! Not by us of course. Not because of size of shop but distance from house, shop is deemed "commercial" and has to have its own meter and be rewired to it etc. Not doing this anytime soon. Cost $900 for firetruck service. Hopefully insurance will pay that. Not sure since like all of them they keep cutting benefits. Possibly lost burglar alarm system, have to get the guy out. Lost koi pond pump, 1 tv, vcr and microwave. Still happy house didn't burn. Got to "meet new people". Cindy blew off work and stayed. Ate well and had a drink-phew! Kosmo sure looks happy about it all.

Zeb(my other dog)celebrated when all the excitement was over by puking 3 times on the already wet and muddy lr rug. We'll be steamcleaning it tomorrow. Got badly needed inch of rain! Up early this morning to get started with cleanup. Trellis shattered, about 10 potted petunias destroyed, limb fell directly on 5 butterfly bushes so may have to drastically cut them. Good hubby is chain sawing right now. In typical "US" fashion we're "not too worried about it" More worried about crazed back to school shoppers when replacing appliances at Wal-Mart.
My beloved came tapping on the door a little bit ago to have me come out. He had his hands cupped and this beautiful freshly emerged Polyphemus moth in them.
Ants were attacking it so he brushed it off and we admired it a bit and let it go. NOW all is right with the world.

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Dead Pet Society

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:09 pm

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Several years ago my beloved German Shepherd "Champ" died. We decided to make him a little memorial stone. It was a little heart shaped stone with his name and a paw print in stained glass embedded in it. My husband decided to take it and show it to the vet the next time he went as the vet is a big dog lover. Well the stone never did get back here. Between the two of them they decided to leave it up there with our phone number on it in case someone else would like one. So from time to time we get a call from a grieving pet owner who wants one. They get their choice of glass color and it's fairly simple. Sometimes the circumstances are quite distressing. We got a call once from some people just a few miles from here that were loading their horse in the trailer (with their 2 kids right there) and a tragic accident happened (I've managed to block that part out) and the vet had to come out and put down the horse right then and there. They called for a stone and said how much it would mean to the kiddies. We made them a nice big stone with two horseshoes and the horses name. When we went to make it we didn't know if the horshoes should point up or down and had to make several calls to find out. We didn't want to bother the owner. They got the stone and with the kids made a little flowerbed in their yard.
Sometimes months go by and sometimes we have several to make at once. We recently got a call for a rabbit and a dog and decided to make our dog Lucy that died of old age this winter her stone at the same time. We usually put a paw print on it but the rabbit print was so underwhelming I decided to make a little profile instead.

They were pleased. Then right after that we got a call for a cat stone. We had went up on the price since materials have gone up so much. We gave her a price and then found out her cat's name only had four letters so we decided to make a cat profile too.

I was glad we went to the extra effort because when hubby delivered it (he always does the people part) she told him her grown son had died several years ago and this had been his cat. Just so sad. I made my pets a little memorial spot on the way to my garden.

They are buried in a different spot in the yard but I wanted to see this everyday when I go back to the veg garden. We made my big Rottie "Max" a caricature stone since everyone was always afraid of him for some reason. I took this picture yesterday and you can see how dry it is here. I love how my Sheppie "Zeb" chose that exact moment to lay his toy down on the stone. So the Dead Pet Society goes on and I hope that someday my Champ stone will find its way back home.

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Sandblast

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 6:42 pm

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Six months ago we were listening to a Ben Taylor cd. He's the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. His music is great and we had it up pretty loud when there was a loud crash. One of my sandblasted owl pictures had fallen off the wall. The picture is sandblasted on the glass so it was a total loss.
It's one of a set of nine we made at least 15 years ago. Suddenly we're looking at a big empty space and thinking "oh no, we've got to make that picture again". I knew I still had the pattern since I have every one I ever made but getting to it in my bulging craft room was another story. My husband had to see if the sandblast hoses had dry rotted with age and get all his stuff together too.

I had taken a picture of the broken one so I would know what was frosted on it. I finally got tired of looking at the empty space and we got started. First the glass is cut to size, then a sticky resist paper is put on the glass, then the pattern is put under the glass and everything you want frosted is cut out with a razor knife. I decided since we were going to all this trouble we should make a few candle things while we were at it. I wanted to come out with more than I had going in. I had a great rosebud pattern (not one of mine) that I just love. I also had a complicated sunflower pattern I wanted too. It took forever to get cut out. You have to cut the design for these four times so it will be on all sides. My husband came in and laughed and told me to go look in the mirror. Little bits of sticky paper were all in the front of my hair. I didn't know how they were getting there. Then I realized when I was taking a "little break" from the sunflower cutting I was leaning my head in my hand! I was more than ready to be done. My husband blasted the glass, then we cleaned them, foiled them, soldered them, cleaned them again, put black patina on the solder and cleaned them for the last time. Finally.
They turned out very well but I still blame Ben Taylor a little bit.


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Assassins

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:23 pm

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Well, it's finally butterfly time once again. There's nothing like these flying jewels. Our host plants are full of eggs. Every spring I root cuttings from pussy willows and contorted willows and grow them in a box on top of my storm house. This gives several of the butterfly species some nice young leaves to eat. In the fall I plant the trees or give them away. Everyone likes the contorted willows. It makes beautiful branches to put in a vase. Sunday we had our first large caterpillar, a viceroy. The butterflies look like small monarchs. We did what we like to call a "worm visit" and keep tabs on our caterpillars. He was fat and sassy and ready to spin a cocoon. I got up early the next day and went to see him. To my horror he was in the grips of an assassin bug.Well, it was too late for him and assassins have to eat too. In a little while he was sucked dry and dropped on the concrete where a bunch of little ants had him. The next time I came by there was no trace of him at all. I did see the assassin bug the next day still on the plant and evicted him with a blast from the hose.

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damselflies and giant bees

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 6:49 pm

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I chased this damselfly for two days to get his picture. He just kept eluding me.He has a beautiful metallic tail that looks blue or green according to the light. He reminds me of the aluminum tumblers my grandmother had. He is an ebony jewelwing. This morning my hubby and I had went our seperate ways. Him to cut some glass at the shop and me to work on some other glass at the dining room table. That's a room with a great view and good music too. I prefer it to the dingy dark shop. My Rick came tapping on the door for me and we went down to the little creek that runs next to our yard. There was 6 beautiful ebony jewelwings flitting in and out of the sun streaks. Some were femalesand while not as colorful as the males, when they started slowly folding their wings in and out they looked like beautiful black lace gloves. They flitted and mated in the streaky sunpots and then the females landed in the mud next to some scrubby plants and began to lay eggs! Turns out they lay eggs into the plant stems. They just flitted and courted and sparked and the sun beat down and the quiet tranquility of the day was mesmerizing. Then we decided we better get back to business. As I walked back to the house I heard my husband say, "man that was great". And it surely was.
My vitex trees are in full bloom and are just covered with bees We got right under it and enjoyed the pure Beeliciousness of it all. The buzz was right in our ears and flowers were dropping from all the activity. I noticed several of a bee I did not recognize and took his picture. I sent his pic to my favorite bug site-what's that bug.com and they didn't know. They consulted Their expert and he said they are Giant Resin Bees. They just got to America in 1994 from Asia they believe via ship. They are tracking this bee as it spreads. It lives in the holes carpenter bees make but does not make those detrimental holes itself. It seemed a very gentle bee and payed me no mind at all. All in all, a great day in the natural world here.

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bethie in a nutshell

Category: bethie's world | Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 6:49 pm

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Welcome to bethie's world. A world of art and nature. I grow the food plants for butterfly larva and in the hot months have hundreds of butterflies daily. I grow a zillion flowers and never have to put up a hummingbird feeder. My husband and I work on stained glass in our spare time, sandblast art,woodworking,hyper-tufa, and metalwork to name a few. I don't think I've ever made anything that he hasn't had a hand in at some point and vice versa. I work on mosaics a lot. This winter when we had the time we did our bathroom vanity in mosaic. It was nothing but work but of course NOW it was all worth it.We have been happily together since I was 19 and somehow managed to grow (and Growup) together and not apart. We love hiking and nature and canoeing. For years we rehabiltated baby birds of prey. We are avid birdwatchers and have made our yard a haven for wildlife. That has its downside as every creature in creation has tried to take up space on our little paradise. From hawks snatching birds off our feeders to weasels taking up in our shop to giant snakes laying on our windowsills we have had an interesting ride. We moved here to rural West Tennessee 20 years ago from the big city of Norfolk, Va. and we have never looked back. The laid back country lifestyle suits us perfectly.
Well enough for now. I hear a bunch of weeds calling my name.

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