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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Keeping Warm when it's Cold Outside

Let's see, we could bake cookies, make soup or perhaps fire the kiln up to 1300 degrees.  Yes, it's time to make glass snowflakes again.  Here are some from past years.


For me, the hardest part is drawing a diamond grid.  Yes, I do have a jig that I could set up to cut the glass in strips and then diamonds but it would take a little longer to do it that way and I'm all about the shortcuts.  So, the grid goes under the glass, I cut along the lines, break the glass and end up with lots of diamond shapes.

Here's a batch arranged on the kiln shelf ready to be fired. 



No, the blobs in the middle didn't change color, this was an earlier batch after being fused.

A bit simpler than those of previous years but I like that they look a bit like flowers. 


Still a bit chilly?  This surprise from my eldest sister certainly added to the warmth in the outlaw household.  (She's actually made me many blankets and quilts that I'll feature in future posts as several are garden-themed.  When I opened the box, the first thing I noticed was the cool ornament quilting pattern.

It was thoughtful of her to send this before the earthquake.

 My eldest sister decorates for every holiday, season, day of the week...and finds it difficult to believe that some years I do and some years I don't deck the halls.  This year she made sure that there would be a tree in the house by sending this one.  (An artificial tree in it's box in the basement doesn't count in her book - some people...)

Wishing you  a weekend filled with warmth, light, and love. 

25 comments:

  1. Firing the kiln up to 1300 degrees would definitely warm up the house; how fortunate that Christmas and ornament-making happens in winter. You have a very talented and crafty family with lots of patience.
    Forgive my ignorance, but do the ornaments melt just enough to fuze together? Will they turn into glass puddles if kept in the kiln too long?

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    1. Good question! Glass starts to move at about 1200 degrees and tack fuses (just enough to stay together) at about 1300. A full fuse where everything melts together, happens at about 1475. Like with most baking, you can achieve similar results by either going up to a certain temperature fairly quickly or by sitting at a slightly lower temperature longer. Yes, it they were kept in too long or got too hot, they'd become glass puddles.

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    2. Almost forgot - Happy Chanukka!

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  2. I really like the simplicity of this year's snowflake design. Your quilt-making sister is very talented, that ornament-themed quilt is clever. I sew, but quilting is not a thing I've ever mastered. I've been concerned about your sister needing to replace her china now, just before Christmas.

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    1. Oh, I think a few of Santa's helpers are making sure that there'll be enough china for the holiday.

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  3. Replies
    1. You know how it is when you grow up in a cold winter climate - gotta find something to do inside.

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  4. I love the simplicity of this year's snowflake. I can also appreciate the periodic reticence about holiday decorating, although it would shock my humbug husband to hear that - regardless of my feelings in any particular year, I have to keep up appearances in order to maintain the balance in our household.

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    1. I liked the simplicity of only cutting one sized shape and putting them together without using a pattern. Good thing you keep up appearances as two grinches in one household might not be a good thing.

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  5. You scored on the sister scale! Those are beautiful quilts. And your stained-glass pieces are lovely, as always. Thanks for sharing some of your techniques--it's hard for me to imagine working with glass like that, so learning some of the inside secrets is helpful to understanding the process.

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    1. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful family! As my glass guru says, "the only difficult thing is the thing you haven't yet learned how to do." Like anything else, practice makes it easier.

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  6. Talent runs in the family - both your and your sister's hobbies reflect that. Snowflakes and quilt are beautiful!

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    1. Growing up in small towns with very cold winters, one finds things to do inside - it's either drinking or crafts...

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  7. No two snowflakes are alike. Your snowflakes this year are lovely. I like the blue dots in the middle. I am amazed they didn't melt. That is one warm oven, I mean kiln. Your sister is a sweetie. She is going to make sure you are warm this winter, especially over the holidays, and you will be decorated! Big sisters are like that. Have a great weekend creating snow around your house.

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    1. Glad you like this year's snowflakes. If they were heated a hundred degrees higher, the dots in the middle would have melted but keeping them at 1375 for a short time allows them to stick together without loosing their shape.

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  8. Both of these crafts are wonderful. You and your sister are both experts.

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  9. what a talented family you are!Love the new snowflake and the quilts, you will keep warm this Christmas.

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  10. So much wonderful talent in your family.

    Love your snowflakes. I love glass! Have several stained glass pieces and other bits of colored glass here at Plum Cottage.

    Happy Christmas holidays ~ FlowerLady

    P.S. Thank you dear Peter for your kind and encouraging comment on my latest post.

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    1. It's always a joy to read your posts. Merry Christmas, FlowerLady. Wishing you great flower power in the new year!

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  11. Have a lovely crafty Christmas,Peter. In the absence of real snow round here you see a lot of cotton wool. What you do is a lot more creative - and fun.

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    1. We rarely get snow here even in the winter. Having always experienced Christmas in the cold season, it would be interesting to see how it's done in the other hemisphere.

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  12. You are talented beyond gardening, and so is your sister. The ornament stitching sewn into the quilt is very cool, as are your stars. You both use your indoor time wisely.

    Did any of your family experience that earthquake? My sister in Anchorage had to dive under the dining room table with a hysterical dog while her partner held on to a sloshing aquarium so it wouldn't crash, but no damage to the house.

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  13. I love your ornament design this year, well, every year, but this one especially.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.