It's been a while!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Here is a little catch up!

Sue's lovely door number (I may alredy have posted this!) which I hope to share a picture with you in situ very soon.

No -I haven't gone mad!  These are the pre-decimal coins soaking in Cola to clean them. Just think what it does for your teeth!

Some paper pulp waiting to be made into beads...

Ok - getting the childrens' ideas down on my substrates...

...all three ready...

 ...now I can start gluing.  I have until next Friday to finish these!!!!!

Don't think I will be sleeping much...

Welcome home!

It was so lovely to see Janet, Georgie AND Bridget this morning. Sue - have a wonderful holiday!


Loving Bridget's finished door plaque for her grandchildren. Just needs grouting now.  The other two pieces are looking fine and I had a break from glass - well, I couldn't allow my dear friend to continue to be distressed when her favourite cup split!  The water went in, the cup cracked and her face fell. Mine lit up! "I'll have that!"  I'm sure she'll be pleased when I give it back to her, though, remade.


I did think I'd messed up the soup this morning by adding too much water but it turned out fine in the end. Wasn't one of my favourites but cannot have been that bad because I've just had another mug of it!

Red Cabbage and Kidney Bean

serves 8 - 10

1 x onion
1/4 x red cabbage
1 x tinned red kidney beans
1 x stick celery
1/2 x stick leek
1 x handful broccoli
1 x handful cauliflower
1 x large bowlful of diced carrot and swede
1 x teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 x teaspoon garlic and chilli flakes
1.5 litre vegetable stock
salt to taste


Wash and chop as appropriate (someone had taken my sharp knife from the kitchen so I had to tear!) Place in slow cooker for 3 hours, blend to desired consistency and serve with a swirl of cream (we had semi skimmed milk for a healthy version!)

Treacle and Soup

I really enjoyed Sunday at the Treacle Market, setting up a table outside Mike's new shop, mosaicing with my gorgeous SMALTI.

I do not know where this week has got to!  It has been a wonderfully creative week, making coasters with children on Sunday, water colour beach scenes at Mount Hall and Mosaic Club on Monday, shifting 360 kilos glass yesterday and my mosaic group this morning.

I DO love Wednesdays.  I got a little excited today as my new slow cooker arrived so I could do a bigger batch of soup! Recipe at the end.

Janet and Georgina's mosaics are coming on so well - really proud of you girls! 

Well, the slow cooker worked.

I do not think I could EVER be able to run a cafe serving soup, I would not be able to make the same soup twice!

Here is what we had this week:

3 x small potatoes 

4 x small carrots 

2 x celery sticks

1/2 x white onion

1 x vegetable stock cube

1 x chicken stock cube

2 x fresh cloves garlic

1 x bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 x tablespoon cous cous

garlic and chili flakes to taste

1.5 litres water

splash of semi skimmed milk

Do not peel the vegetables - just the onion and garlic. 

Chop everything up small.

Place everything except the milk in the slow cooker on 'high' for 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

Optional - whizz half the soup with a hand blender and add the milk before serving.

I would actually have liked pearl barley in this but it was tasty nevertheless.

Our New Spring Timetable

Well, it is here! Our popular mosaic workshops plus a new glass fusing course. Exciting! I am really looking forward to meeting new students this year, so why not book with a friend.  Our morning workshops and full day courses include lunch.

 

Please click on the link to go straight to our workshops page:

 

SPRING COURSES FOR ADULTS

I have really enjoyed planning the fused glass course - participants will create lots of lovely fused glass items for use completely separate from mosaic but there are also opportunities for the mosaic artist to benefit from this wondrous course!

Our range of Dynasty Smnalti is now in stock and until such time as our mosaicsandmore webiste it up and running, we will be selling the tesserae through our ebay shop.  It's easy to access, just click here:  ebay

Fused Glass

What a fabulous day, today! Had a lovely morning with my ladies (though we missed you, Sue!) and we polished off all my lentil and parsnip soup. Sorry I forgot the bread, though!

Then had a beautiful drive over to Whaley Bridge to meet a group at Project eARTh. What a fabulous group! 

My ideas for a glass fusing course went down well and I just had to dig out this photo of the Ying and Yang design, recycled glass dish which my son made for my sister a couple of years ago.

Hmm, the fused glass course idea went down so well, I'm going to have to deliver it at the studio.

The Smalti is also here!  

BAMM members and my students get 10% discount. 

Just £3.10 (ANTIQUE DYNASTY SMALTI) and £4.05 (MODERN OPAQUE DYNASTY SMALTI) per 100g.

Will get in on my new online shop, soon!

I have started unpacking it and taking photos:

Winter Sun

Another Wednesday morning Mosaic Club session.  Cauliflower and potato soup today with a lovely wholemeal roll from Brassington's Bakery.

The ladies were so quiet for a while today - everyone concentrating so hard.  The work is paying off though, I am so impressed with the mosaic mirror, picture and door number plate that are being produced!

We have just 5 places available so if you want to come and join us, ring now for further information!

01625 574 005

Launch

The community mosaic mural presentation last night went very well. Nothing signed or sealed as yet so fingers crossed the funding is available.

The studio launch is Saturday 12th March - 11.00am - 4.00pm and I am just working on the details. Lots of lovely special offers!

Now I have worked out how to operate the 'add image' there should more images coming on future blogs.

I am waiting for some fittings to arrive to get my mosaics up on the wall so next time I have a photo taken at my desk, you will not see my blu-tac'd reminders up there!

The photo of the studio shows how much lovely light I get here but also how much more organising I have to do before the learners come!

Internet down...

so despite falling flat on my back after slipping on a wet leaf (yes, really!) and hobbling on a sprained ankle, I have managed to get the studio looking like an organised room! Oh yes! It is coming together now. I just have to work out which classes to put on. I'm struggling to get life models, though!

Laters

:-)