Irene, What Have You Done?

It has taken me a week to get to the point where I could write this.  It's been hard to focus for any length of time--my head has been spinning.
 
One week ago tonight Richard and I were sitting in the dark, due to a power outage caused by Hurricane Irene turned Tropical Storm Irene.  We knew in advance that we would get the storm.  We knew that Vermont would be just to the west of the eye of the storm, which meant that we would get more rain than wind.  We expected to lose power.  What we didn't expect was the incredible devastation to huge portions of the state of Vermont.  After all, it was only a tropical storm and it should have lost much of it's strength as it traveled so far inland.  We certainly didn't expect flooding.  For Heaven's sake, we live on a mountain.

As you can tell from my last blog entry, I was expecting our area to be inconvenienced with heavy rain and brief power outages and I was ready.  Boy, was I wrong!

Richard and I spent the day reading the Sunday newspapers, watching TV, working on our computers, and shaking our heads at how heavy the rain was...but we've seen full days of heavy rain here before.  The power went out a few times during the day, but came back within a couple of minutes each time.  The news said it was a "non-event" in New York City, so we thought that by the time it hit here, it would be very weak.  We were thinking that we've had snowstorms much worse than this.

Around 3:30 that afternoon we spoke to our friend, Vito, who gave us shocking news.  The house down the road from us, about 1/4 mile away, had been washed away.  WHAT????  We thought we had misunderstood him.  No, we hadn't.  In fact, Route 4 in front of that house-now-gone was also washed away for about 200 yards.  Route 4 is the major East-West highway in Vermont.  You've heard the old Yankee expression, "You can't get there from here?"  Well, we're living it now.




This is the house that was washed away.  I believe it was the oldest house in Killington, VT.  This photo comes from my friend Regina's Facebook page and was taken a couple of hours before I got there.  Notice the water rushing all around the house.  It's coming from the right of the house.  The only good thing I can say about this is that the house was for sale and unoccupied.

 

We lost our power for good at about 4 PM.  At about 4:30 Richard and I got into the car and drove down Route 4 to see for ourselves what had happened, because we just couldn't visualize it.  What I saw was almost beyond description.  There were cars parked all over the road, but it didn't matter where you parked because there was no traffic flow to block.  What used to be a house with a tiny mountain stream behind it was now an empty lot engulfed by a raging 30-foot wide river.  There wasn't even a foundation.  We couldn't see where the remains of the house had gone.  Amazingly, the church across the street was still there, untouched by the raging water.  In fact, the visibility was too bad to see what was down the road in front of us in the area called Sherburne Flats.  There should have been a couple of houses, the Kokopelli Inn, Goodro's Lumber, The Water Wheel General Store, Hemingway's Restaurant, and The Pasta Pot.  We didn't know if any of them were still there.  The "river" was rushing from the right of the road, from behind where the house used to be.  It seemed to be roaring down from a high cliff behind the house.  It crossed the road-that-was-no-more and turned the corner onto River Road, taking that road with it, too.  We couldn't see the rest of River Road either, but we heard that other houses were gone.  It was too dangerous to get any closer.





I took this photo with my cell phone.  I didn't have my glasses with me, so I couldn't see what I was doing.  Route 4 is in front of the woman.  River Road intersects with it on the left.  What you can't see here is the water roaring down from what appeared to be a high cliff behind the missing house.  Richard said it looked like the Colorado River.



We drove home and sat in the dark, with candles lit, absolutely stunned.  We wondered if there were other houses and roads washed away.  We had no power, no phone, no internet, no cable, and Richard's cell phone was acting up.  My cell phone was working, but we wanted to save the battery in case things got worse.  We did try to reach Paulette and Richie in Pittsfield, but couldn't get through to them.  We found out later that they lost 15 feet from their back yard, but their house was OK and they were safe.  Our neighbor, Kay, stopped in for a while and we had sandwiches for dinner.  We went to bed early because it was too dark to read.

The next morning we got up to a beautiful, sunny day.  Still no power.  Richard is an early riser, so he had already driven up the hill and found that nothing was open...not the markets, or the bakery, or any restaurants.  He said the roads he saw were kind of chewed up and undermined along the edges in places, but nothing was as bad as what we had seen on Route 4.  Vito and Susan made coffee for him on their camping stove.  After I got up we drove down to Route 4 again to get a better look.  This time I brought my glasses and a real camera.





This is the lot of land in Killington where the house used to be.  You can see the "For Sale" sign still standing and the rocks, boulders, and tree parts that were washed down from the mountain.  It almost looks like a beaver dam, but it isn't.  What you can't see is the water, which is still flowing very strongly behind the debris.  It was running across and under the heaved-up asphalt where both roads used to be.

The first thing that I noticed was that there was no cliff behind where the house used to be.  It must have been the sheer power of the water that made it appear that it was coming from a high cliff on Sunday.  We could now see that the businesses below us were still standing, but we had no way of knowing what condition they were in.  The water was still flowing heavily down River Road and under the first house.




You can't get a good look at the water in this photo, but you can see the eroded yard on the right.  Believe me when I tell you, the water was rushing onto this property where the yard used to be and underneath the house.  It's amazing that this house survived.  It isn't possible to tell from the road what kind of internal damage occurred. What you see on the left side of the photo is what remained of  River Road, which is paved underneath the rocks and dirt.  River Road is very important because the Killington Town Hall, Library, Recreation Center, and Transfer Station are there.

 



This is the view of the intersection of River Road and Route 4 on Monday morning.  You can see that the water is still flowing freely down the highway.  You can also see the edge of the road where it's washed away.  The pavement was nothing more than an overhang for a couple of feet along the edge , so it was dangerous to get too close.  The building in the background is The Kokopelli Inn, which is still standing, but took a lot of damage.




In this photo you can get a better look at the boulders and trees that were washed down the mountain along with the water.  The two-layered white sign on the left of the photo says that it is River Road and points to the Killington Town Offices.  The building you see in the background is Goodro's Lumber, which is on Route 4.

We found out on Monday that Route 4 in Mendon was also washed out, as was Route 100 toward Pittsfield.  Those are the only roads out of Killington, so we were prisoners in our own town.  The rumors were flying, and there was a good possibility that we could be stuck in town for weeks with no power.

On Monday afternoon, Craig Mosher of Mosher Excavation, brought his heavy equipment and workers up from the Sherburne Flats, where his business is located.  They began diverting the flowing water back to its natural path, which is beside Route 4.  I won't go into the details, but it took an amazing amount of work.   They also began moving the broken pavement out of the way; they filled in the gulf where the road was washed away by using the boulders and dirt that had washed down the mountain.  By the next day the road was safe for emergency vehicles.  That's astounding!




It's amazing how much progress had already been made by Monday afternoon.  The buckled asphalt was pushed out of the way and the top of River Road was filled in with boulders and dirt.  Notice the River Road sign in the center.  It's the same sign you see in the photo just above this one.



CVPS, our power company, sent ATV's from Rutland through the woods of Mendon and into Killington to restore power around 1 PM on Monday to the part of town where the markets and most of the restaurants are located.  We were amazed that they had done it so quickly.  Our friends, Peter and Kathy, live in the neighborhood with restored power and invited us to shower and have hot dinners at their house.  With communications restored, we began to realize that there were other places in Vermont that were even more devastated than Killington. 

By Wednesday morning Route 4 toward Bridgewater and Woodstock was patched up enough to allow the tourists to leave, along with any locals who wanted to get out of town.  The catch was that there was no way to return.

We finally got our power back on Thursday around 5 PM and cable/internet/phone service was restored on Friday afternoon.  Richard and I feel very blessed because we had no real damage to our house or property and we had good friends helping us out when we had no power.

We now know that our neighboring Pittsfield lost several houses.  Our friends, Richie and Paulette, took in a dog that was rescued from a mobile home that had been washed away.  Two men literally had to swim to reach the home.  The dog's owner had gone to the next town during the storm and couldn't get back home.

We live in the mountains.  Nobody has flood insurance here.  It's just heartbreaking to hear about the damage and loss of property.

Tonight we are having thunderstorms and it is expected to rain for the next few days, with predictions of flash floods. Our ground is already saturated and our rivers still swollen. I pray that there is no more damage from this new weather.



OTHER PHOTOS:

This link is to a website that has photos taken from the ground and the air, starting from Waitsfield, VT, which is near the Sugarbush and Mad Riven Glen ski areas, then into Stockbridge, Pittsfield, Killington, and Bridgewater.  There are also photos of Mendon where Route 4 washed away:  http://www.mansfieldheliflight.com/flood/

Here is another link to a site with photos taken from a Piper Cub.  All of the photos are labeled:
http://www.wingsoververmont.com/

This link is to videos taken by the staff of the Rutland Herald, our daily newspaper:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1958258645087#!/photo.php?v=1959164467732&set=vb.58365611478&type=2&permPage=1


UPDATE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:

Last night we had very heavy rain all night long, but as far as we know, this rain didn't cause any other destruction.  We're still looking at more rain and flash-flood warnings for the next couple of days.


UPDATE ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:

It rained off and on all day yesterday, but it was just ordinary showers.  Overnight the rain got very heavy again, but we haven't heard of any further damage to the roads or people's property.  The best news is that the flash-flood warnings are over, at least for now.  We even saw the sun peak through for a little while today, although we expect more showers later today.  They say rain all day tomorrow.  I guess rain is heavier than showers.  The forecast for Thursday is light rain all day.


UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7:

It's been raining steadily since last night and much of the time it has been very heavy.  We're still not hearing about any new problems, which is wonderful.  I saw a bunch of National Guardsmen outside the Killington Deli this afternoon.  It was about 55 degrees and raining and the poor guys were sitting at the covered picnic bench eating lunch. 


UPDATE ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8:

This is the 11th day since the storm.  I can't believe so much time has gone by already.  The rain finally stopped so for now, we don't have to worry about more damage.



KILLINGTON INFORMATION: 

For the latest updates on road conditions, transportation, food and supplies, prescriptions, and lots of other information, go to:
http://www.killingtontown.com/

Good Night, Irene

We were supposed to go to Cape Cod for five days over this weekend.  I spent days writing up my packing list and then putting it all together.  I had everything ready by Wednesday afternoon.  I was totally ready to leave first thing last Thursday morning, but Wednesday night we realized that the Cape was going to get a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, so we cancelled our trip.

I've lived in Vermont full-time for the past five years and didn't think that hurricanes could come this far inland--but Irene is coming straight for us here.  My sister told me that this hurricane is almost as big as Europe!

They say we should expect to lose our power, which is no surprise because we lose power here in the mountains on a regular basis.  So over the past three days I've been getting ready.  I brought out the candles.  I filled 10 gallon-sized bottles with tap water so that we can flush the toilet, brush our teeth, and wash our hands and faces--and put the bottles in the bathtub.  I bought plenty of spring water for drinking.  I baked several loaves of bread and cooked up a few pounds of chicken so we can have sandwiches if we can't cook.  My cellphone is fully charged and I have a book to read during the daylight hours.  I've also fully charged my MP3 player, so I can listen to a book after dark.

So, we're as ready as we're going to be.  Good night, Irene.  We hope we'll be ready when you show up tomorrow!

Part II: How to Paint Lettering on Clear Glass

Painting lettering on glassware is similar to painting lettering on wood.  You need to start by choosing a font and a font size as described in Part I.  Of course, the lettering is likely to be much smaller on a wine glass than on a wooden sign.

Once you've printed your letters onto plain white paper, the steps are a bit different from lettering on wood.  A biggest difference is that there's no sealing or basecoating required on glass and there's no need to trace the letters onto the surface of the glass before painting! 

On the other hand there are some unique requirements for painting on glass.  Regular acrylic paint will quickly chip, peel, and wash off of the glass.  There are a variety of paints that were created to stand up to the wear and tear that glassware receives.  I've used a few of them and they all have their good points.  My favorite is FolkArt Enamel, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those paints are the best.  Whatever I write about here is based on my experience with FolkArt Enamel paints.  They are water-based, so the paint is easy to clean up with soap and water before it is cured.

FOOD CONTACT:
Another thing to consider is that, although most glass paint is classified as non-toxic, it isn't necessarily classified as food-safe.  Therefore, there should be about an inch at the top of a drinking glass that is left free of paint.  This also protects the design because acids from food, lipstick, and saliva can damage the paint over time.  If you want to paint on a clear glass plate to be used for food, you should paint the underside of the plate, so that food does not touch the paint.


GLASS PREPARATION: 
When you paint on glassware, you need to wash the item throroughly with warm soapy water and let it dry completely.  Just before you begin painting, wipe down the surface with alcohol.  Be VERY careful that you don't touch the surface where the paint will go after that or you'll leave fingerprints or oils from your skin that will interfere with the adhesion of the paint to the glass.  This can happen no matter how clean you think your hands are.


PAINT A FLAT-SIDED DRINKING GLASS:  Placing the lettering on a cylinder-shaped glass is fairly easy because the glass is the same width from top to bottom.

1. Print the letters onto plain white paper.
2. Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart.  If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters.
3. Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
4. Place a rubber band at the top of the glass, about an inch down from the top.  Try to make the distance between the rubber band and the top of the glass somewhat even, but it doesn't need to be perfect.  Just eyeball it.  This is simply a guideline that will keep you from painting on the area where your lips will touch.
5. Tape the paper onto the inside of the glass, below the rubber band, with the letters facing out.
6. Paint the letters.  You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats.  If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine.

PAINT A CURVED-SIDED DRINKING GLASS:  Placing the lettering on a curved drinking glass, or one that is not the same width from top to bottom can be a litttle more challenging.

• Steps 1 through 5 are the same as for a flat-sided drinking glass above.
• If the paper with the lettering doesn't conform to the curve of the glass, you can cut slits into the paper (don't cut into the letters themselves) so that the paper can move and spread, so that it will fit better.  Add more tape if necessary.
• Paint the letters.  You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats.  If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine. 
• These instructions would also work for a curved glass bowl.

PAINT A FLAT GLASS PLATE:  The paint must be applied to the underneath surface of the plate so that it doesn't make contact with food

1. Print the letters onto plain white paper and turn the paper over. 
2. Retrace the letters with your Ultra Fine Sharpie on the back of the paper--those letters will be in "mirror image."  If you have a hard time seeing the already-traced letters on the front of the paper, just put your paper on a window with light behind it.  Put the already-traced letters against the glass while you retrace.
3. Cut away most of the excess paper around the outside of the lettering, but I don't recommend cutting the letters apart.  If you do that, you'll have to spend a lot of time lining up the letters. 
4. Clean the glass and wipe it down with alcohol.
5. Tape the paper onto the TOP of the plate, on the eating surface, with the normal letters facing UP.  As you look at the tracing paper from the underneath surface of the plate, you will see the mirror image of the letters.  After you paint the letters, when you look at them from the top of the plate they will be normal.
6. Paint the letters onto the underneath surface of the plate.  You'll be looking through the plate at the letters from above when you're finished.
7. You'll most likely need to paint 2 or 3 THIN coats. If you don't let paint dry between coats it will lift—about 15 to 20 minutes between coats should be fine. 

TIPS:

• Remember that you don't want to transfer fingerprints or oil from your skin onto the surface to be painted.  
• Sometimes  you can fit your non-painting hand inside the glass to hold it.  Other times you can hold the glass by its stem or by the top edge above the rubber band.
• Wearing a disposable latex glove on your non-dominant hand will allow you to hold the glass without transferring fingerprints or oil.  Be careful not to smudge wet paint with the glove.  I can almost guarantee that you won't like wearing a glove on the hand you paint with.
• Remember when you're painting around the side of a drinking glass that you have to be careful not to smudge wet paint as you move around.  You can't lay the glass on it's side and roll it along as you paint, or you'll be rolling the paint onto your table and smudging the paint all over the glass.  Ask me how I know this!
• One of the nicest things about painting on glass is that you can fix mistakes and smudges pretty easily before the paint has cured.  A cotton swab dipped in alcohol can often be used to remove a mistake.  There are also tools that look like paintbrushes with  the brush part replaced by rubber tips of various shapes.  They can be used to remove mistakes and smudges, but they work best when the paint is very wet. 
• If the paint has dried, but is not yet cured, you can scrape off small mistakes with a toothpick or craft stick.  I don't recommend using a razor blade or craft knife because it can scratch the glass.
• For more specific information on FolkArt Enamel paints, see these FAQs:  http://www.plaidonline.com/eduPDF/FolkArt%20Enamels%20FAQs.pdf
• Even though the company says it's OK to put your painted items in the dishwasher, I prefer not to.  I definitely will not put a stem glass in the dishwasher.

CURING THE PAINT:

FolkArt Enamel paints must be cured so that they are permanent.  This can either be accomplished by air-drying them for 21 days or by baking them in your oven.  Some people swear that the paint is more durable if you bake it, but the manufacturer says that it's the same either way.  If you air-dry, that means you can't use or wash the item for 21 days.  Here are the instructions for baking:

1. Let the paint dry for several hours.  If you bake it too soon, some of the paint can spread slightly and make clouds around your design.  I usually like to wait at least 8 hours.
2. Remove the rubber bands!
3. Put a cookie sheet into a COLD oven on a shelf that leaves enough room for your glassware.  You'll want to keep the glassware away from the heating element.
4. Put the glassware on the cookie sheet in the still cold oven.  Don't let the painted areas touch the cookie sheet.  With most stemware, I like to turn the glasses upside down so that the top is against the cookie sheet.  This is just for stability.
5. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees. 
6. When the oven temperature reaches 350 degrees, set your timer for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes turn off the oven.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.
8. Let the glassware cool completely in the oven before you open the oven door.  I like to do my baking at night and leave the glass to cool overnight. 
9. In the morning I remove the cooled and fully-cured glassware, one glass at a time.  If you try to remove the cookie sheet and all the glassware at once you're courting disaster.

If you open the oven door while the glass is still hot, cool air can hit the hot glass and crack or break it.  I'm told that the thinner the glass, the more likely it is to crack or break.  Some people say that even if you do everything right, you might lose a glass here or there because of flaws in the glass itself.  So far, I've never lost a glass to baking.

© Copyright 2011 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Part I: How to Paint Lettering on Wood

I just realized that I've never posted anything about decorative painting on this blog!  I guess that's because I've been so focused on jewelry lately.

Recently I was hired to paint a plaque that is going to be given as a present to a man who will hang it on his deck.  He jokingly refers to his deck as "The Martini Deck," so that's what the plaque needs to say.  Of course, there is other embellishment as well—after all, this is "decorative" painting.

The person who hired me gave me a few ideas that she had for the plaque and asked me to think about it.  A few days later we talked and we had very similar ideas about the design.  We quickly came to an agreement and I painted a sample for her to check out.  She liked it, so I got to work.
   



This is the photo I sent to my customer for approval before I begin varnishing.  I don't like the way the yellow "t" in martini looks and she agreed with me.  I'm going to re-paint it the same deep pink as the glass at the top.





Here's the finished sign with a pink "t" and some minor adjustments in the design of the glasses.


The first thing I needed to do was to design the lettering and that is the main focus of what I'm going to talk about here.  An important thing to consider is that lettering can be tricky to paint, so you don't want it to be too fussy—Victorian serifs would drive me crazy—but it does need to be interesting.

For simplicity, let's say that I'm going to paint a sign that says Linda's Art Barn.  Before I start the lettering, I would have already decided on the size of the sign and have a pretty good idea of the placement of the words.  These are the steps that I follow:

I open a word-processing file and type Linda's Art Barn.  I personally use Microsoft Word, but there are other sources of lettering on your computer that you might prefer.

1. I enlarge the text to a size that looks like it might work.  If necessary, I change the layout of my page to Landscape or even change the size of my page so that I can make it wider to fit the words.  Of course, how you do these things will vary depending on the software you're using.
2. Sometimes when I want really big lettering, I put each word on a separate line.  I've even split a single word onto more than one line when I wanted extra big letters.
3. Next, I Select my text and browse through my fonts until I see one that I think will work.  Then I change the font of the selected text.  At that point, I might decide to readjust the font size.
4. Now, I'm probably going to want to test out a bunch of different fonts before I make a decision and I want to be able to compare them.  So I type Linda's Art Barn several more times.  Then I change each occurrence to a different font.  I always make a note below the text that says which font and font size it is.  That way, I don't have to depend on my memory when I make a final decision.
5. When I've made my font decision, I finalize the font size.  Then I change the lettering to Outline.  This is because I don't want to waste all that printer ink/toner by printing solid letters.
6. Finally, I print the lettering onto plain, white paper.

Now that I've printed my letters, I'm ready to transfer them to tracing paper and then trace them onto the plaque/sign.

My husband cuts the wood for my signs.  Then I sand, seal, and basecoat the cut wood.  It's important to let the sealer dry completely before basecoating and then to let the basecoat paint dry totally before continuing.

My next step is to trace the lettering onto the basecoated sign.  Decorative painters usually know how to do this, but for anyone who doesn't, it's fairly simple:

1. Trace the letters from the printout onto tracing paper with an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie.  If you don't mind the price, tracing vellum is wonderful.  It's stronger than regular tracing paper so it stands up to repeated usage.  It's also easier to manage than regular tracing paper.
2. Now tape the tracing paper/vellum onto the prepared wood.  Make sure it's exactly where you want it before you tape it down.  Use Scotch Magic Tape because you can remove it without damaging the paint.
3. Slide a piece of graphite paper or Chaco Paper between the tracing paper/vellum and the basecoated wood.  Be sure that you've done this with the colored side of the graphite or Chaco Paper face down.
4. Using a fine stylus, empty ball-point pen, or other device, trace the lettering.  This will transfer the design onto your wood.  Don't press too hard or you'll dig into the wood and make dents.  You will probably also rip your tracing paper.
5. Now you're ready to paint.

Graphite paper comes in gray or white and is inexpensive.  If you have a dark background, use the white; if you have a light background, use the gray.  I have pretty much stopped using gray graphite paper for several reasons.  First, new graphite paper leaves very dark lines. Second, even the light gray lines of older graphite paper can be difficult to remove after you're painted over them.  It can be a real bear to clean this up because some colors of paint are just too transparent to hide those lines.  Even worse is that while you're resting the palm or side of one hand as you're tracing with the other, you can leave a messy smudge.  I don't find it to be as much of a problem with the white graphite paper.

Instead, I prefer Blue or White Chaco Paper, depending on my background color.  It's more expensive, but SO much nicer than graphite.  What makes it so wonderful is that most of it will disappear when you paint on it with acrylic paint.  If there are some marks left after your paint has dried, you can remove them with a damp cloth.  Be sure your paint is fully dry before you do that.

You do need to be careful of moisture while using Chaco Paper.  If you're in a humid environment, you might find your transfer disappearing before you've completed your painting!  It's not a huge problem; you can just retrace the design.  Be careful that your Chaco Paper doesn't get damp or wet because the transfer color can disappear from the Chaco Paper itself.  You should store it in the paper folder and plastic bag that it's sold in.  It wouldn't hurt to seal it up in a zipper bag, too.

Another tip I'd like to pass on is to tape a piece of waxed paper over your tracing paper before you begin transferring the design onto your wood.  First, it helps your stylus or pen to glide over the design as you trace.  Second, you'll scratch the outline of the design into the waxed paper as you trace, so you can always tell what part of the design has already been transferred and what part has not!

I don't recommend using a pencil to do any of your tracing because you can get black marks on your hands and smudges on your project.  A ball-point pen that still has ink in it can also make a mess.  My preference is a stylus.

I almost forgot to say that if you don't find a font on your computer program that you like, you can search the internet for free fonts and download them to your computer.

Don't forget that your finished, painted-wood project needs several coats of water-based varnish, especially if it's going to be hung outside.  Also, be sure that if holes are drilled into the wood for screw-eyes or other hardware for hanging a sign, you need to go back and seal those holes so that moisture doesn't enter that way.  If there is even a single spot for moisture to enter the wood, the moisture will keep collecting until it touches the paint from the inside and makes the paint peel off.

If you plan to hang your sign/plaque, the hardware needs to be stainless steel, aluminum, or something else that won't rust or develop a patina that will run onto the sign and stain it.

Although there are other ways to do some of these things and there are people who have other preferences,  what I've shared here are my opinions and my favorite methods.

© Copyright 2011 Linda's Art Barn. All rights reserved.

Gold & Silver Prices August 2, 2011

My husband was just watching one of the business channels on TV and they were talking about what a great day it is for metals--their words, not mine.  Apparently the debt ceiling upset had caused precious metal prices to drop for a few days, but as of yesterday, they're back up again.  From their perspective, if the prices are rising, then investors are doing well.  For those of us who make jewelry, it's just more bad news.

Ending prices on August 2, 2011:

• Gold closed at $1664 per ounce, the highest price yet in 2011
• Silver closed at $40.09 per ounce
• Copper...I can't find the closing price of Copper from yesterday, but I did find a site that quotes Copper currently at $4.33 a pound, which is about $ .27 per ounce.  That's almost no change from the $ .25 per ounce that I told you  about in my blog last August 14, almost exactly a year ago.

On May 5 of this year I blogged about the new (at the time) Silver-Filled wire.  I included links to a couple of companies that sell Silver-Filled wire.  I've just learned of two other companies that have added Silver-Filled wire to their inventory: 

• http://www.wire-sculpture.com/silver-filled-wire-1.html
• http://www.bluemud.com/Findings-C6209.aspx

Blue Mud.com sells Silver-Filled findings, beads, and clasps, too.  I imagine that means that other companies are selling Silver-Filled findings as well.

I've also heard of local bead stores that are now carrying Silver-Filled wire and findings.

August 2011 Jewelry Classes at Michaels

This is the schedule of classes that I'm scheduled to teach at the Rutland, Vermont Michaels store during August 2011:

- Tuesday, August 9.....Fundamentals of Wire Wrapping
         6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Wednesday, August 10.....Kid's Friendship Bracelet
        10 AM to Noon
- Monday, August 22.....Bead Night
        6:00 to 8:00 PM
- Monday, August 29.....Fundamentals of Wire Crochet
        6:00 to 8:00 PM



UPDATE, JULY 9, 2012:  If you live in the area, I'd love to see you in one of my classes.

For class details and photos of the projects, go to my website:
http://www.lindasartbarn.com/jewelryclassesatmichaels.htm

Upcoming class schedules are here:
http://www.lindasartbarn.com/apps/calendar/

Online Friendships

I retired five years ago and now I'm able to work on the art that I never had time for when I had a real job.  I also spend a good amount of time on the computer each day, reading email messages and newsletters and looking at endless websites and blogs with information on decorative painting, polymer clay, and jewelry-making.  It's so easy to get lost for hours when those sites have links to other sites--it's like being on a treasure hunt!  My husband thinks I'm just wasting time, but I've learned so much from all those places I visit.  It's sort of like going to art school where I get to determine my own curriculum!
 
I've also joined several decorative painting, jewelry, and polymer clay groups, forums, and blogs.  I'm amazed at how many friends I've made in those groups--people I will probably never meet because they live in places that it's doubtful I will visit at this point in my life...although you never know.  They're all so generous with their help and information. 
 
One of my friends is Bonnie from Arizona.  She has a fabulous blog and she posts there frequently with all the gorgeous new polymer clay beads and jewelry that she makes.  I'm amazed at how much she gets done on a daily basis!  She also has a wonderful, dry sense of humor.
 
A couple of weeks ago Bonnie was helping me with some information I needed and she informed me that she was going to send me a pair of earrings that she had made.  A few days later the mail arrived and there were two, not one, but two pairs of earrings!  They are both beautiful and I love how they sparkle.  What makes them even more special is that Bonnie designed them herself.  She is one very talented woman.
  

These are the earrings that Bonnie sent to me. Aren't they beautiful?

The light green ones go with my favorite summer dress.  The irridescent blue/black ones go with almost anything because they pick up so many colors.  They work really well with the Manhattan Skyline bracelet that I made, which is great because I didn't have earrings that looked right with that bracelet. 

Thank you, Bonnie, my friend.
 
Check out Bonnie's blog at and plan to spend some time there!
 
http://bleekreations.blogspot.com/2011/07/celebrating-200-and-oh-my-its-resin.html