LazyTCrochet - Etsy Blogger of the Month

When you visit LazyTCrochet on Etsy, of course, you'll find the traditional items such as handmade dishcloths and pot holders. I do like this set!







When you look a bit farther, you'll also find some very funky and functional finds!















Look at this gorgeous hat! It almost, but I do mean almost, makes me want to be in the throes of winter!

















Look at this awesome cuff! Isn't this a great find? Make sure you visit LazyTcrochet on Etsy and her blog.

My Table Top Garden is Growing

The experiment is on its way!
The fruits of the garden table are beginning to show!
Look at this!
Can you tell it's grown in spite of the cold spring?
Look at all the squash blossoms! It's zucchini!
Look at the small tomatoes! I can hardly wait until they ripen!
The basil is growing and the lavender is blooming!
The Moss Roses are blooming, too!
More to come later!
This is good!

The Perfect Summer Day

It was 73 and sunny outside. Unlike the perfect storm, this was the perfect summer day! Take a look and see what I mean.

Snug as a bug in the run? No, snug as a lot of bugs on several warm rocks.
The tree is full and green. There's lots of wonderful shade!
Spike loves being by his tree!
The newly cut grass is full and fragrant.

The daisies are at their prime!
This sweet rose is open and leaning into the sun.
This rose bush hasn't bloomed since Jenny graduated from high school-- until today!
The hens and chick are henning and chickening!
This was truly the perfect summer day!
Finally!

Chalcedony by Gaffer--I love this glass!

I've been working, much more successfully than the cracked lentil, with Chalcedony glass. I have mostly used stringers I pulled from glass I purchased from Gaffer Glass USA and shards that I purchased from Knattydreadz on Etsy. It doesn't seem to matter. The results are spectacular and easy to achieve. Take a look. If I can do it, anyone can.
I used bases of black, cobalt blue, medium red, and orange. These beads were made using shards and stringers. That reduces the possibility of incompatibility cracks. I am simply overwhelmed by the beauty of this glass! It's amazing! Here's another shot from a different angle.
There's not a bad one or a fugly one in the bunch. Amazing!

There's Incompatibility and then there's Just Plain Ugly

There will be a test. Make sure you read the entire blog! Hmmmmmm!

Although I knew this to be true, I forgot the key to working with glass: Make sure the COE's (coefficient of expansion) are the same. All right, I was tired. I had gotten home the day before from the Bead and Button Show. I still had not yet recovered from the great time I had there. I decided to go back to the torch the next morning. I wanted to use some of my Gaffer Chalcedony glass. I made a core of clear then encased the clear with the Chalcedony. I pressed the glass into a lentil shape, struck the bead for color (heated and cooled), then, immediately put this stunning bead into the kiln to anneal (cool down properly) it. After the bead was cooled, I soaked it in water, then I began to use my Dremel to extract the bead release. What? The bead cracked in half--almost. I thought this was a thermal crack. It wasn't until the next day I realized, this wasn't a thermal crack. It was an issue of incompatibility. I had used a core of transparent clear 104. Chaldedony has a 96 COE. Dang it all! That was a beautiful bead! All right, lesson remembered. There is incompatibility. Watch your glass. Lesson relearned.

Is this the test? No not yet. Stay tuned.

Then there is just plain ugly. I found some glass that I had bought in a box of "shorts" (short rods of glass). I thought I would play with the glass. It wasn't the prettiest color I had seen, but I was hoping that when introduced to the flame, magic would happen. Well, it didn't. There really is just plain ugly! See what I mean.


















There was no magic. That color is just plain ugly. Luckily, I don't remember where I bought these shorts, but I hope not to buy them again. Oh, my.

Was that the test? No, not yet. Almost. So stay tuned.


















These are not incompatible glasses, it's just the colors. I used a bright orange for the lip and handle (What was I thinking?) and Chalcedony for the vessel. It's not a perfect vessel. I was trying to get the little blob of hot glass to strike and I didn't blow the vessel enough. Again, lesson learned. I think this falls in between both categories of incompatible and just plain ugly.

Now, finally, here's the test. Oh, did I forget to mention there will be a give away? Hmmmmmm. All you need to do is to comment on this blog, and I will draw a number to choose a winner. You have until next Sunday, June 21st. I will pick a winner then for this vessel. Please leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you should win. If no one comments, well, I guess I get to keep this little vessel.

Now, that wasn't a hard test, was it? I think it's easy. Let me hear from you!