Driia's Dreams » thoughts

Valentines Date Night

carrie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:48:03 +0000

This year in lieu of chocolates, flowers or silly stuffed animals….. my very favorite person (who also happens to be my husband), bought us tickets to a “date night” at the The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton , VA. This involved Ballroom dancing, snacks and a bar….. plus the good part… a 2 hour couples Glass Class which allowed us to choose either fused glass or torch work glass.

Decisions – decisions…. I’ve had a couple of fusing classes and I use my own kiln to make fused glass jewelry, however I also know how to make lamp work beads using a hot head torch and map gas. After a brief bit of pondering I chose torch work glass as this was an opportunity to see how torch work was done on a Carlisle mini cc surface mix bench burner.

Using a two part fuel source (propane and oxygen) is a little different than using map gas. You have to remember the correct order to turn on and off the two gases. POOP is how you remember that…. you start by turning on the Propane (and lighting it with a match or striker) set your flame and then add in the Oxygen. Now reset your flame for thickness and candle height; melt glass – until you are tired or done for a while. Turn off your burner by shutting down your Oxygen before you turn the Propane off. POOP = (Propane on, Oxygen on & Oxygen off, Propane off) nice and simple.

I had a chance to talk to Rick Sherbert (the glass center’s director), got the pricing for use of open torch time. They also had a nice kiln room and cold working room. He however did the kiln class. Our instructor was Lisa St. Martin and while she does teach bead work classes – this class was using boro rods and free form sculpting. I’ll post pictures of some of my pieces soon. I didn’t really get the glass to where I wanted most of the time – but I had fun, learned a little bit…. and have a couple of pieces I may be able to turn into jewelry.

All in all I can highly recommend this type of activity for couples – especially if one or both of you is into the artsy stuff. Craig got to play with fire and ask technical questions, an I got to make stuff. So I’m happy, and I know my husband still loves me – because he does things like this with me. Hope you all had as much fun as I did on V-day!

Big Dreams of Trains to Nowhere and Everywhere

carrie — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:23:34 +0000

My inspiration of the month….

With thanks to Craig who sent me the following link:

http://weburbanist.com/2009/10/29/all-aboard-clever-recycled-train-car-homes-offices-hotels/

It involves the clever reuse of train cars. Now what I find so inspiring about this … well in college my friends and I found a couple of old wooden cabooses…sitting on abandoned tracks a short walk from our dorms. The tracks had become a cut through or back way to get to a local shopping center. Since none of us had a car it was our preferred path and I saw them frequently over 4 years. I even thought of “stealing” the abandoned cars – but where would I put them? They are an enchanted part of my past – and involve one of my fondest fantasy: re-using them for a private retreat, or art studio. To this day it makes me sad to think of the neglect, and the vandalism. People had started fires in them and spray painted the interiors – it was so needless.

In an ideal (for me) world I would have a property that I could put a train car or two on – I’d be able to find the legal owners of the abandoned cars and buy them for myself and get them moved. I want to restore them and make an office / writing studio in one. In the other I would want to make a painting studio. For obscene amounts of space / time / money I’d have about 5 or 6 more cars and create for myself a village of train cottage work rooms for my various needs. Such as:

jewelers bench and studio
sanding, grinding woodworking (dust filled and messy)
painting / finishing studio for varnishing, glazing, glazes
kiln room for various kilns (jewelry fusing, slumping, etc)
fabric arts, quilting, costuming, weaving, spinning
an extra long car for raw material storage

In reality – I already have a nice little studio, and access to a garage fro all my woodworking needs. I just like to dream big and impossible things – after all who knows – maybe I’ll be fortunate one day and some more of my big dream will come true too. After all I never thought I’d have the chance to stay home and work on my art and jewelery.

It may even be possible to one day have my village. But if I do it will more than likely be made of small and large work sheds – and in the center – my one lone train car to serve as my inspirational retreat and office.

Hey – I even forgot my photography studio and the clay shop! Do I have too many interests?

You betchya!…and counting…..

*fingers crossed* Wish me luck and I wish the same for your own Big Dreams.

New firing in the works

carrie — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:33:28 +0000

Well – right now I’m waiting for a kiln firing to cool down. It’s actually a fire polishing, but I also have a completed set for a first firing. This is good, I need more pieces to work with.

It’s been a long time coming but I’m actually making progress. I also have a number of pieces to post here that I’ve gotten photographed. All good things, now – to go shopping for more findings.

Couple hours later :
Just fished wire wrapping a couple of pieces, and the wire decided to be obstinate. I really hate when that happens – however I am pleased with the final results. The set of glass for a first firing is in cool down phase. They look pretty good too…makes me happy.

Below are a bunch of my glass cabs – sorted after firing into the type of jewelry I plan to make. I generally sort by fancy wire wrap, wire wrap with edge groove, bail with glue pad, earrings, and the ever popular not sure yet pile.

Some glass cabs from recent firings.

Firing up the kiln with a friend

carrie — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:59:17 +0000

Fridays have turning into kiln firing days. And finding a co-conspirator in my creative endeavors is a bonus!

They look like festive candies. Here’s some of the fused glass pieces that were done with the kiln:

kiln results - mostly good cabs

The past couple of Fridays I’ve had company for jewelry making. My friend DL came over to get a few jewelry making lessons. This has been great fun – and productive too.

She now has beginner knowledge of:

glass cutting

pre-firing assembly of glass pieces for pendants

Operating a small Quickfire kiln for glass fusing

The importance of annealing and cooling glass properly

Use and techniques of a glass grinder to shape fired pieces

Creating a simple wire wrap

Making a proper loop in wire – useful for finishing and chaining pieces together

Now she has 4 pendants and a pair of beaded earrings. Well, I think her mom claimed one of her pendants – but that’s how it goes. She’ll just need to borrow it back occasionally. Pictures to follow.

I have about a dozen finished pendants…. which will be for sale once I finish pricing and photography.
I also have a pair of earrings planned and several more pendants in the works.

On the subject of change

carrie — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:09:08 +0000

I’ve been contemplating change a bit recently – well okay – a lot.

“Change is BAD, I hate change – I’m not good with change, I don’t like change – BUT it IS important.” – Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson – The Closer – 3rd season premier – Episode – Homewrecker.

I rather agree with this quote – I fight change ALL the time – I’m always wanting something NEW – but I don’t want to change – or have things or people around me change. That is a short sighted way to live.

Things change. It is important to who we are that we strive to change ourselves and the things around us. Or else there would be no great writings, or inventions or thoughts. We could still all be living raw and simple – with no achievement except existance and procreation.

Adapt or Die

Same context – different quote. I don’t know who to give the credit for this quote – it’s been used all over the world – for many purposes – for a very long time. This very simple – brief phrase is both over used and under utilized. I too must adapt. To my own strugles in my own life, as others must do in theirs.

I suppose the choice isn’t really about adapting – but about how we adapt…
willingly – with eager curiosity
fighting – kicking and screaming against the tide

What do you choose?

What is freedom?

carrie — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:06:37 +0000

I often hear people talk about our freedom…. and feel most strongly that fear and the need to “conform” in as many ways as possible eats at that very freedom.

I was reading a post by Lelia Thomas about freedom. And while the ideas are not new, they are well worth the re-telling. She writes quite eloquently. And her thoughts in this particular post resonate within me.

Truly Freedom is a choice one must actively make at times and all too often the masses fail to make the choice…believing either that they already have their freedom, or that because they are “just” they will never have that freedom taken from them.

Sadly freedom is seldom taken away from us outright…all too often it is whittled away, and erroded one small bit at a time. And in an effort to point this out to others… those who can see or feel it happening are ridiculed.

The reason I use the term sadly is because people are so much more willing to fight for it if they feel the threat. When they don’t feel the threat – they say there is nothing to fear. This behavior works against people in so many ways…. one of which is un-reasonable amounts of fear over things that were always a threat but because they were suddenly hyped in the media – are now feeling scary to them so they want action taken. That action then takes away one more layer of freedom.

So what is freedom? I think freedom may just very well be like an onion. It consists of many layers, that when pealed away one at a time reveal nothing at the center – maybe just a seed of a thought. All together it is tangible – solid – something to hold onto. It can make us cry when we cut into it. The aroma is strong and very recognizable. Once chopped up you can taste it – but it is often hidden. The pieces are still there adding flavor and a reminder of the whole. The best we can do is sow new seeds and try to bring forth a new onion.

Today I shall work on my website for my artwork and ponder the choices I have made for my own freedom – however small. And offer you some of my precious seeds to plant in your own life.

Thank you Lelia for sharing your seeds of freedom with me. You truly have a gift for writing.

Happy Happy Daddy-o!

carrie — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 02:00:45 +0000

Well – today was going to be the “official” launch of the website…however my tech support has to work late. Such is life. However I do expect this to be live any day now. I was pushing for today to honor a birthday… and a source of strength in my life. Maybe I’ll be able to go live in the next week. (fingers crossed)

I still have a lot of things to prepare and enter on the site…so while the last minute stuff is being addressed – I’ll be spending time on the mundane tasks of data entry.

Mistakes or Experience?

carrie — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 23:45:03 +0000

Just trying to keep in mind:

“Mistakes are just the road to experience…. some roads are bumpier than others.” — C. S. Hafer 1/8/2007

I’ve been experiencing lots of “mistakes” as I’m working on my Wordpress theme… so I’m feeling like it’s a very bumpy road at the moment. And then I came across the following quote as I was thinking about my own observation.

“Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. “

— F. P. Jones

Excitement!

carrie — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 18:07:56 +0000

It would appear that Santa’s workshop is gradually moving to my studio – one power tool at a time!

I now have a nifty new 16″ variable scroll saw with stand…. waaay cool.

Now I just have to make room for it. I already have loads of ideas. And I just spent a few minutes flipping through two of my jewelry sketchbooks….. yay – many nifty ideas to try.

I’m sure that the first round of pieces I make with the new toy will be fairly tame…but eventually I hope to do some fairly intricate things with it.

finding time….

carrie — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:18:39 +0000

Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘ I don’t want to.’

~ Lao Tzu

I like to use this quote as the banner on the top of my “to do” list occasionally – usually when I’m feeling frustrated by all the things I haven’t gotten to – yet.

It prompts me to ask – do I want to do this? Do I need to? Will it get me further along to something I want? Are my tasks taking me in the direction I want to go?