Fused Glass Flower Garden Stake

I loved making this garden stake.  I'm in the process of making more for Christmas gifts - after my trip to Murano, Italy I think they will be appropriate gifts inspired by my trip.  My 10-year-old nephew and I put together the arbor and planted the vine a month ago.  Can't wait for it to fill in across the arbor.

  

Fused Glass Bowl

Loved, loved, loved making this bowl.  It's much easier than I thought.  Check out the photos below for the process.  Can't wait to make more fused glass pieces!

Fused Glass Bowl Phase II

Can't wait to see phase III!!!  Once the design is placed on the glass it is fused in a kiln - here's the after.

Here's my friend Jean's creation!  Awesome!

Fused Glass Garden Dishes

What a FANTASTIC day!!!!  A friend and I attended a fused glass class today and here is the beginning of our creations.  We cut the glass pieces, placed them on a clear glass sheet of glass, they are in the kiln and being heated to fuse the glass pieces to the clear glass.  48 hours later they'll be done!  Can't wait to see the finished project.   

After the class we had an awesome lunch and then were off to the Renaissance Festival in San Luis Obispo - full day and it's only a little after 5:00 - yesterday was a long day - I worked all day on my backyard.  Pictures soon.

Here's my creation.

And, what does tomorrow hold?  The fused glass teacher is having a different class tomorrow - a birdfeeder!!!  Can't wait!

ITALY!!!

I just returned from a two week trip to Italy that I've dreamed of taking for years.  Even though it was beyond HOT and HUMID the trip was absolutely FABULOUS!  From soccer matches, to cooking classes, to the Tuscan hillsides, it was a very memorable trip.  Below are just some of the hundreds of photos I took during the trip.   Ciao!
 

The Roman Forum

Our hotel was right across from The Forum

This was just 'laying around' in The Forum

View from The Forum Hotel terrace - we were only a couple of blocks away from The Colosseum!!!  It made for an interesting night when there was a HUGE soccer match and they partied in the streets for hours!  Tons of Italy flags being held out of car windows and on back of motorcycles!  Such an adventure!

Inside The Colosseum

Looking out of The Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

 Roma!

Cones, just waiting for some gelato!

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

The Pieta inside St. Peter's Basilica - I've been fortunate to have seen this three times in my life - twice in Rome and once in the 1960's at the New York World's Fair

Tr

Rome!!! (and Pisa)

Beautiful!

 Florence Part I

The Arno River

Bikes waiting for their tour participants - not us!  We were off to a wonderful and inspiring cooking class!

Ready, set, cook!  We attended The Food & Wine Academy of Florence - definitely a thumbs up!!!!

We made EVERYTHING by hand (did I mention it was terribly HOT and HUMID during our entire trip?)  I'm whisking up some egg whites for tiramisu

My tiramisu

There were over 20 people in our class - we made a whole mess of ravioli and noodles

Very proud!  My ravioli!

Ravioli with a sage butter sauce

Bruschetta

We also made a bolognese sauce from ingredients we found at the market earlier in the day

Florence

The Basilica in Florence

Florence

View across the Arno River from our hotel

Big soccer game when we were in Florence - such country pride in their team - there were big screen TV's all over town

Florence at night

LOVED, loved, loved gelato in San Gimignano (BTW, the gelato wasn't the only thing I loved about San Gimignano - it was a fabulous, go back to town)

When gelato is this beautiful you just can't settle for one

Ahhhh, yes strawberry gelato

The San Gimignano Piazza

Tuscan countryside taken from the parking lot at San Gimignano

I love architecture!

Back in Florence