walkin' on, walkin on', broken glass

...With apologies to Annie Lennox.... (I love that song!!!!) I'm not exactly walking on broken glass....but unfortunately some glass broke on the third panel during transport to Pioneer Place (one branch and two leaves.) I picked up the mirror today and will repair it over the weekend.

It should be a quick fix....... and I'll have a chance to reinforce one of the old hinges with a little wood glue.

I'll be singing a new song soon!

Tamir the Apprentice

"AFTER"

"BEFORE"

TAMIR MAY BE THE YOUNGEST ARTIST IN THIS YEAR'S CHAIR AFFAIR. AT AGE 13 AND WITH ONLY A BRIEF SET OF LESSONS, HE STEPPED UP AND CRAFTED A BEAUTIFUL WORK OF ART. 

I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD!

IT'S DONE !!!!!!!

"PUT A BIRD ON IT"

PHOTOGRAPHING ANYTHING WITH A MIRROR IS A CHALLENGE! 

My mirrors reflect only a few of the many fabulous artistic donations that have filled the containment area of Community Warehouse!

So what's next? There will be a preview night on the First Thursday of March: the 7th at Pioneer Place!  Come on downtown and peruse all the furniture, dishware, and art. 

I am pleased my efforts and hope that this dresser will find a new home. What was once destined for the trash heap has regained new life. All the drawers are clean and lined, the glass sparkles, and you know you're in Portland....because it has a BIRD on it!

Come to the auction March 21st and be a top bidder....take home a piece of furniture or a set of dishes and know that your donation will help families throughout the metro area. Your money couldn't be better spent!

It's Almost Done!

Top Panels Installed

I'm pleased with the glass choice and the patterning.

SO WHAT'S LEFT? 

        Mirrors!!!!!!!! and drawer liners!

Bird & Mirror

 Making Progress! 

                                          

This is the third mirror panel  and it is nearly finished. Panels 1 & 2 should be done soon and then installed! It feels good to see the vision becoming a reality!

Painting with Nail Polish

I was spotted this afternoon at a local Target store, perusing the cosmetic isles! Yes....that was me!

I was looking for cheap nail polish. For those who know me...this is funny! 

Although my nails would probably benefit from more care and attention than I give them, the nail polish is for the chair affair project- not my nails!

I am sealing the silvering on the mirrors. The silver nail polish was on clearance so....I bought it! It sparkles!

No one will ever see the nail polish, but if it does it's job there shouldn't be any more de-silvering beyond the damage that age and abuse brought to these mirrors.  

A few more pieces of glass need to be cut, wrapped and soldered...just another 2 hours of work and the mirrors should done.

Mirror, Mirror on the Rug....

The mirrors have been removed from the backings and each mirror has been wrapped in copper foil.  The bird is assembled from about 20 pieces of hand-cut glass. Decorative soldering and copper foil holds it together and when the rest of the stained glass elements are completed, I will attach them all to the three mirrors.

Tomorrow I'll paint the wood frames for the mirrors and finish the stained glass work. It's been awhile since I've done stained glass and I find I'm really enjoying the different rhythm of this work.

Finished projects by other artists are starting to come in to the warehouse. It's exciting to see what has been crafted for this wonderful event. The end of my project is just a couple of days away...I'm looking forward to calling it done!

Glass tops!

I just love this glass! 

I successfully cut all the counter tops for this dresser and now they are in the kiln to get a fire polished edge.

The tops will be permanently placed on the dresser Tuesday!

The mirrors will be completed and attached to their frames on Wednesday.....!

I could paint a house faster!

There have been many reincarnations of this project. The burgundy paint didn't adhere well in spots so I have had to lay down many coats. The stripes I painted looked nice while wet, but not so much dry.

I believe today I successfully applied the last coat of burgundy and the last coat of blue (although I may need to touch up the blue later?)

The picture doesn't do this piece much justice...but believe me....it's an improvement! 

Frankly, I probably could have painted a house by hand in the time it took to paint this!.....But I like it and hopefully so will someone else!

It's All in the Rustic Details

The stripes are almost done!

The paint job is a little more rustic than I would like....and not quite done. The look is supposed to be rustic...just not this much!

Sunday morning I'll solder the glass to the mirror frames, go to to the warehouse for more painting and attaching, then...hopefully attach the mirrors!  The last stage should be complete on Monday when I attach the glass counter tops.

PUT A BIRD ON IT!

Stained Glass Mirror Adornment

CHAIR AFFAIR 2013 Project Update

Here's a little preview of the stained glass I will be mounting on the mirror. It's been quite some time since I've worked with Stained glass but I am giddy about the new glass and ecstatic that I can now work to complete the dresser. 

I shopped the Bullseye sale and waited for the right glass to call my name. The first piece of glass to call me was a solitary piece....and I need 2 full sheets! (You'll see why next week!) 

This beautiful blue with burgundy was screaming at me just across the isle....and I listened!

 Just in case you don't remember what the dresser looks like (yes, it's been awhile).... here it is!

"BEFORE"

I couldn't be more proud!

Piecing it all together

This is my young apprentice, Tamir!

He's completing his first complex project involving about 100 pieces of hand cut glass in the construction of a table top for an end table. This is his donation to Portland's Community Warehouse fund Raiser "Chair Affair+."

I can't begin to count the number of hours he has put into this....but he has done it all with a smile!

I'll post a picture of the actual "before" piece of furniture soon. I will continue to document his progress over the next couple of weeks.

My project resumes Wednesday!