Stained Glass Pieces Made in 2012

BAHAI' NINE POINTED STAR

I made this as a wedding present for Shamim (my daughter in law's brother) and Stecha Deghanni. Have you ever tried to divide a circle into 9 parts - not an easy feat for us non math people. I used bevels to create the main part of the star and enhanced the piece using yellow and blue spirit glass.

MUIR CRANE AND WATER TRAPEZOID WINDOWS FOR EAGLE LAKE RESORT LIVING ROOM

I am very excited about making these two windows for Muir's living room at their family resort in Haliburton. It was quite a challenge to come up with a design that worked for a trapezoid that is 82 inches long; 4 inches high on one end and 20 inches high on the other. The design needed to flow. I spent several days mulling over different ideas and designs that might tie in with the wonderful view of lake and trees outside their huge living room wall of windows.

Window One shows features a modern crane at wider side with a ribbon and glob design flowing off to the smaller end of the trapezoid. This part of the design suggests water weeds and flowing water. Window Two features bonsai type branches at the wider side and the reverse of the ribbons and globs flowing off to the smaller end. 

WINDOW ONE: CRANE DESIGN

WINDOW TWO: BONSAI TYPE BRANCH DESIGN

An irridescent baroque glass was chosen for the background of both windows, while the background for the two circles is done in an irridescent rain drop glass. The flowing ribbons are done in various textures of pastel colours. The large circles are rondels and each window has a clear faceted jewel in the large side circle. There are over 150 pastel globs representing water bubbles flowing through this piece and it took a huge amount of time to do the fitting around them.

I started with the tree design and worked to the end before choosing the blue glue chip for the border of the circle. When working the other window I found a piece of glass that had blues and the same wine colour as the tree so this worked perfectly for the bird. However there was too much blue here so I used a green gluechip for the border of the circle. It was quite a challenge choosing the various colours and textures but the finished product was lovely. The gobs and pastels worked well with the irridescent coating on the background glass.



CLOSE UP OF TREE AND BIRD DESIGN

BOTH WINDOWS INSTALLED

A VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE

A VIEW OUT TO THE LAKE

The windows were very difficult to install due to their size and shape. The slightest twist would cause them to crack so I was very relieved when Arthur finally completed the installation and they fit and nothing cracked. It took over 150 hours to make these windows which were also hard to photograph due to the large area of differing natural light, trees in the background and window glare.

These windows have become the focal point that Pat's mom said just lights up the room!!! 

KANJI FOR LOVE

This piece is a memorial gift for my friend Dawn Cobden in memory of her parents, Lloyd and Patricia Melindy who were killed in a car accident in the summer of 2010. This Kanji symbol representing the word "love", honours the love in Dawn’s family - agape as her mom was a Christian minister, sibling love which is there in abundance and the married love of a couple devoted to each other.

The project started with the clear blue-rust background glass which was a unique find. From this evolved the bright orangEy red glass chosen for the lettering. At this stage, even though the design only used two colours of glass, the piece needed more, so I added the clear ridged border, the green faceted jewel and corner pieces, then the outside blue border in water glass. Arthur made the pine frame.


BIRD OF PARADISE
Wedding Gift for Brooke and Jason Morden

This is a very elegant piece featuring a unique green-turquoise rippled glass in the leaves and pencil bevels in the border. The fairy is tucked in behind a gorgeous orange rondel. The clear baroque background glass sets off the design nicely. The white frame was made by my husband Arthur and sprayed by my daughter Amber at  Elmira Kitchen and Baths.

LUA'S MOTHER'S DAY FAIRY

While working with Caitlin I made the fairy below, putting it into the oval as a Mother’s Day gift for Miranda for Lua’s new bedroom. Since the fairy had red hair, this unusual fractures and streamers glass works nicely for the background.

 LIFE OF "PI" FOR LUKE AND KEIR

I discovered the Tiger print at someone’s house  while playing bridge and thought it would work out in stained glass one day. Well this is the year that the animated version of “Life of Pi”came to the movie theatre and it was amazing. Jean’s daughter Cyndi had given us some baby furniture and this was the perfect way to thank her and celebrate her son’s Luke and Keir and their new home. It was quite a challenge fitting all the teeth and grinding the centre of the eyes out and working with the small black circles. Many types of orange and yellow glass were used. The green glue chip was perfect to enhance the ball the tiger is perched on and the turquoise water glass provides a perfect back drop.

ART DECO TREE BRANCH IN TEXTURED CLEARS

This piece was a gift for Susan Giesler’s 60h birthday- a gift from the Tuesday Discussion Bridge ladies. We sweated over a pattern for months as Susan wanted something simple and classy. I adapted the original pattern to incorporate rondels, globs and outside borders. It was a big decision to use the pastel wine and turquoise glass in the globs, rondels and borders rather than leave the piece all textured clears as in the pattern on the left.

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Stained Glass Pieces Made in 2011

BLUE HERON for JEANETTE KLING

This piece was made for Jeanette's bathroom at their new cottage in Haliburton. She was very concerned to get just the right colours and was pleased with my poetic licence. Faceted jewels provide rainbows and strength to the design.

MERMAID REPAIR for BARBARA ARTHUR



This window was almost a total remake as there were over 25 pieces broken. Barbara's daughter had accidentaly slammed the door on her room mates mermaid glass. Before deconstructing I had to develop a pattern from the original glass. Background glass, border and hair are mostly new and it was a challenge to try and match the existing glass. The lovely baroque irridescent glass brought new life into the piece which had just plain window glass in the background. Arthur made up a new frame. Conincidentally this was the same pattern I made for our sauna window many years ago.

STATION MEXICAN SUN LOGO for BEV CHRIS

My friend Bev Chris provided a condo in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for myself and 4 bridge friends this winter. We deicded to present here with some stained glass as a thankyou present. Bev used to own a hotel in Waterloo called The Station. When the hotel burned down in a fire Bev was able to save a few pieces of green glass in a U shape from one of the stained glass windows. It was quite a creative challenge to figure out how to make this one piece of dull glass into something with life and meaning. I had picked up the sun piece in the Walmart garden area and knew I could find a place to use it. Thus it became the focal point and of course, represents our "fun in the sun" in Mexico. Using this sun, I then had to widen the U shape border. Also, Bev had two new grand children last year and a closer look shows that this sun looks like Thomas the Train... which of course ties in nicely with the lost train station as well. I added the S for Station and the colourful border for life and a third colour - a basic design element.

FUCHIA IN CIRCLE for JENNFER and KYLE

This pattern came from a photo I took at Liz Krompcamp's cottage when we had a 60th party there two years ago. I purchased some new sizing softward which allows one to take a photo and turn it into a B&W pattern. This is such a unique design with a touch of art deco and interesting curves. I loved making this piece which was a wedding present for my good friend Cathie's daughter Jennifer. The turquoise pastel glass sets off the piece nicely.

 
FUNKY ART DECO FLOWERS for LARISSA and FEMI 

I picked up the lollipop like burgundy pink glass in a shop in New Hamburg a few years ago.... waiting for a home. It was fun to go back to a Sibbett pattern and I loved choosing the colours for this design because I was making it as a wedding present for Larissa who is very funky and flamboyant. The apricot glass in the centre of the flowers is a one of a kind piece I just discovered.... a very unusual shade. It was tricky to work around all the green blobs and  also a challenge to keep the background lines flowing rhythmically.

EMILY CARR'S SKIDEGATE TOTEM

It is always exciting to get a challenging commission and this was one of my most interesting. Sue Pottery wanted to give here daughter a gift of stained glass as a wedding present in memory of her father who used to do stained glass. She wanted it to be taken from one of Emily Carr's paintings as both Heather and her father were big Carr fans. I poured over her painting's trying to find one that could be transferred into glass. Her work is dark, twisted and pointy - not very good for glasswork. I chose this totem pole painting because it had lots of blended colours and bold curvy lines. It was difficult to find glass that suggested the many paint tones but in the end I was thrilled with the glass I found and how the design grew as I worked from the top of the pole down. One of the things Carr did with her later works was blend the subject and background in a kind of universal togetherness. I was also thrilled that this piece made it safely by bus to Vancouver in a wooden box my husband constructed.

SNOOPY NIGHT LIGHT for ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Siddorn ordered a Snoopy night light for her new son. It was hard to find a pattern that could be converted into stained glass without having too many small pieces as this is just a wee night light.

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This is Dayyan's visit in May. He loved riding with Grandpa on the lawnmower.

It was a warm weekend so he had fun with his aunts in the pool. What joy!!

NIFTY 60'S PARTY FOR OLD HIPPIES

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY 2010

Click to view: Flickr photos of the 60th Group Birthday Party Westlake Weekend

I organized a party to celebrate the birthdays of several of my friends who are turning 60 this year. It was held at the Liz McIntyre's holiday home in Westlake near Isaiah Tubbs resort and Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County south of Belleville.

The invitation read as follows: You are invited to a WOMEN’S WEEKEND AWAY to the home of Liz McIntyre Krompcamp in Wellington, Prince Edward County.

When I realized that so many of my old friends were turning 60 this year I decided to organize a party to celebrate our friendship over the years. My sister Gaye, so sadly taken from us, would also have been turning 60 this year so I would like to do this in her memory too.  I have also included a few friends who turned 60 before me!!! Many of you know each other .

This is certainly a milestone in our lives. When I turned 60 myself last year I realized how grateful I was to just be on this side of the grass!! I hope you can make it as we party on, play bridge, watch movies, eat out, munch, drink wine, reminisce and laugh together.

Date: Friday, April 30th to Sunday May 2nd, 2010

We could not have had a more wonderful weekend.

The ladies arrived............................................................................................................................
On a Friday night coming from Ottawa, Tweed, Brockville, Toronto and Elmira bringing food, libation, bedding, memorabilia and a zest for comraderie and adventure. I did not arrive until 11:00 pm at which time Liz gave me a tour of her place and I sorted people into various bedrooms, working around each other's snores, personalities and disabilities!!!










The sun smiled.................................................................................................................................
Nature was bountiful. It was unseasonably warm and sunny. The lake was glassy and gorgeous. We were awakened with shrieks of laughter coming from the deck by the lake where early birds had gathered in their PJ's to share stories and watch the sun rise. Breakfast was served outside at the picnic tables complete with champagne orange juice, fruit Costco quiche and delicious coffee from Liz's yuppie machine.




The scenery was fantastic..................................................................................................................
We set off cross country to several beach places of interest. The closest beach was surrounded by Sand Dunes and we waded into the water. Then we stopped at a place I'd not seen before, where years ago there had been a lodge that was destroyed by fire. The shorelines there were rocky and the trees cragged. Outlet beach was next and it was strange being there this early in the year. The snow fence was still strung across the beach and those of us who were not nursing bodily injuries and aged bones had a zesty walk along the beach. It was strange to find it covered in zebra muscles.




The flowers bloomed............................................................................................................................
The rest of the afternoon was spent leisurely on the deck by the water visiting, playing bridge, looking at old photos, laughing and sharing stories from years gone by. Our green thumb ladies, Joanne and Liz headed off to do some work in the gorgeous flower gardens. Of interest was the two trees that had died at the front. Liz and John have had a local artist carve them into two imposing figures. Everyone who comes gets to pick names for them to add to the list of suggestions........ you can imagine......



The birds chirped..................................................................................................................................
Birdsong arose with the sun. Literally, the setting on Westlake was pretty as a picture book. The house is nestled amongst some huge evergreen's and enhanced by tiered gardens. There are craggy trees at the waterfront and civilized lawns. We were surrounded by beauty as the birds flitted around, thrilling us with their joyful sounds of spring..... and since this was so early in the season, there was naught a mosquito to be found.




The meal was scrumptious.................................................................................................................
We ate in style round an elegant table with a lovely centrepiece made from fresh cut daffodils. Joanne treated us to steak and chicken deliciously sauced and BBQ'd as well as a type of scalloped potatoes. Janet brought salads and Gail brought some home made baked beans and a delicious gluten free cake complete with a 60th candle as we blew it out and sang happy birthday to ourselves.




The bridge was fun...............................................................................................................................
Imagine, we were all bridge players even though a few were somewhat rusty.  Well it was fun but it wasn't about the bridge. It was hard to keep the chatter down enough to concentrate on the cards.... and some of us had imbibbed too much. I won't mention any names!!!


The home and hospitality was supercalifragilisticexpealidocious ...........................................
Liz was a most generous hostess. She promptly told us where everything was and after making us our first cup of coffee, left us to our own devices to make shift in her modern and fully equipped kitchen!!! We enjoyed the fireplace both evenings and sat in comfy furniture and slept in comfy beds. The art work on the walls and rustic home with huge windows facing the lake made us feel quite pampered in this wonderful home away from home. We invaded but also cleaned up our messes and the group gave Liz a stained glass window that I had made for the occasion. It was kind of a unique surprise as Liz had conferred with me about having a window made for her newly renovated bathroom in her Toronto home, over a year ago but never got around to ordering it. I was very happy to discover that I had accidentally chosen just the right colours and she was very pleased!!!




The memories were haunting and humourous .............................................................................
Some of us knew each other from high school but had not seen each other for years. Several of us had lived together in Toronto on Garnock Ave. in a party abode in our early twenties. What wonderful memories we had from those experiences. Of course none of us had aged or put on any weight over the years and we were all still virgins!!! Why we even had a wee visit from Mary Jane.... you may find her in one of the photos where we're looking at old albums. And yep, someone couldn't handle her and had to go lie down.




The laughter ensued and the healing began ..................................................................................
I was so uplifted to see how well all my friends got along with each other inspite of being a very diverse group. We shared our joys and sorrows, relaxed and just let it all hang out. It was interesting to see the differing paths of our lives and yet somehow we all have gotten to this point, damaged but uplifted, wiser and just damned glad to still be here. Where will we be in another 10 years? Will we get back together for another reunion? Liz has invited us back. She always was a bit sardonic!!! er should I say sarcastic!! It was a happy, healing, peaceful weekend, a precious gift for us all that is now a treasured memory.

These are some of the wonderful girls in my circle:

Nanci, Liz, Janet, Gail, Marilyn, Cathie, Joanne, Marie, Inez

GIRLS IN MY CIRCLE 

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man. Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom. Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities. Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be. One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another , 'Let's fight together,'
Another , 'Let's walk away together.'

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back, Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself .
Those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman,

But for many, it's wrapped up in several.

One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
A couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

You are the women who have come into my life
To make a difference. No greater gift there be.