Something Different

When I was ordering mandrels for buttons a couple of weeks ago they had thimble mandrels and I thought what the heck it sounded like fun so here is the first one I made.

New Focals

I have not made Artifact beads in a while but they were so much fun. I made 9 great big lentil beads in one session at the torch. I really want to make some more I have several more ideas.

More Buttons!

These little shank buttons are just about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch across. I want to make some sets like this in the next week or two.
And these are my first attempts at two hole buttons.

Flowers from Florida

Yes I know it has been two weeks since we were in Florida but since it is cold and rainy here and our trees are just getting little leaves and I have no flowers yet I was trying to cheer the place up. It is actually cold enough here this morning that we turned the heat on for a while. This is a wisteria.
And these are azaleas.

Button Button who's got the Button

Wow two posts in one day! But I could not wait. I did not get much work done all week but yesterday managed to get into the studio for a little while and made some buttons. I just loved these going into the kiln and I still really like them. I may not know what I am talking about though so need your opinions.
The first two photos are pretty big buttons about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. The blue on in the back on the second photo is about 2 inches long. They are all lumpy and bumpy and I really like them that way. They are defiantly not what you would find at the fabric store.
These are all smaller ones. I think the biggest of this batch is the face at a little over an inch.

More from Florida

While we were working very hard on the chore below we did take Easter Sunday afternoon and visit with friends and family. This is my husband, his sister, and his best friend from his younger days. We had a cookout on the river and some of them pretended to fish.
Jeff of course had another nap. But I have to confess laying in those hammocks was so much fun.
I forgot to take some before pictures but needless to say the bottom two feet of the shed wall was rotten and you could see through big holes to the inside. We replaced those two feet and caulked it up so rain and animals could not get in.
It looks pretty good from the front side. Hint if you live in Florida do not put wood siding so close to the ground. If the floor had been raised the wood would not get wet so easily.

We have been gone.

Hi! We have been in Pensacola Florida. I took my computer and planned to blog while we were there but every night I was so tired I just did not get it done so I guess this week you will get to see what we did. My sister and her little boy were there for the first few days we were there and we did some fun stuff. We went to the Navel Air Museum and Griffin got to fly in one of the cockpits that they have for the kids to climb in and play. There is so much concentration going on here you would think he must really be flying.
One day we went to the beach and this child got into that cold cold water. I swear he was blue but had the best of times. He was constantly doing things that made you think he was 16 not 6. This was the muscle man pose.
I just really liked this shot you can not even see their faces but it was like we were alone on the beach and the water held our total attention.
This bird was right down town on the pier where the big ships come in there is a park there and we went to sight see the day we went to the beach.
Jeff was preparing for what was to come in the next few days. Of course he can sleep any where and one afternoon slept in this same chair through a visit from the next door neighbor and we were not quiet.
We had to take some family photos before Stephanie and Griffin flew home. It was a busy three days but the work is yet to come.