Falling in Love ... Sort of ...

I never heard of (author) Simona Hill, wasn't aware of a company called Lorenz Books, but someone at work gave me a catalog of upcoming titles, and that gift gave me a totally new craft to enjoy.

Let me begin by saying I never had much interest in the mosaic arts. In fact, having cut myself way too many times on broken glass in childhood, I considered myself wise to stay away from this kind of product. (I am very good at breaking things, by the say. My friends won't go to gift and china shops with me.)

But then I found The Practical Guide to Crafting With Mosaics, Ceramics & Glassware and I was hooked -- without even seeing the book. I had my local bookstore order it for me, and when it arrived, I discovered way more than I thought existed on this subject. Okay, let's be truthful. I never gave it a thought at all before I saw the cover of this tome.)

Of course, I'm not one to start with the basics so I jumped right into the whole of mosaics. I discovered a we had a glass shop in town, well hidden and not exactly teeming with foot traffic, but I paid them a visit. I didn't really want to buy glass but ... There in the corner, for about $12, were some nice size plastic containers of broken glass, bits and pieces left over from projects, from whole pieces specially cut for customers and shards of glass that accidentally met its maker.

Hey, this is about recycling, isn't it?

I bought a container and carried it home.

It took weeks before I found a dented old copper bird bath that had seen better days. Instead of aging gracefully with patina, this sucker was growing new life! (I won't say exactly where I found it; it's kind of embarassing.)

I took it home, soaked it in a tub of bleach, scrubbed it with an abrasive pad, and immediately knew what I was going to do with it.

I have no skills here, although I am fairly good at primitive drawing so designed this abstract sunflower (There seemed to be enough glass for the leaves.) and plunged right in.
There you have it ... a project of recycled copper birdbaths and recycled glass.

I found a certain Zen when doing this project. I was absorbed enough to realize--later of course--that I hadn't given thought to any of the bad traffic driving through my life. It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without a clue what it was going to look like.

I think this birdbath turned out quite well based on community opinion. At least two people have asked me to make one for them. We'll see what the next attempt looks like. And there will be a next project.

You should try mosaics. They are as calming as meditation.