Project from ....!

Have you ever started a project thinking, "Oh, this will be easy, no prob, piece of cake..."? I know you have. So you will understand the title of this blog post.

I have a sweet piece of furniture I brought back with me from Germany years ago. It's funky, I love it, but I wanted to give it a face lift so I had the brilliant idea to tile the surface and transform it into a bar for my dinning room. I was gifted these tiles, wonderful, right?  They are glass, they are Italian and they are beautiful, what a great idea. Not wanting to sound ungrateful, the tiles had been stored in a garage so they were...ah, dusty, that's New Mexico dust, one month of which is equal to three years of Michigan dust. They were also "paper-backed"... easier to keep them spaced and ready to apply to a kitchen wall, etc.. This would be great if they had not sat in a garage in New Mexico for years baking in the heat, but the paper was crumbling, tearing, let's just say, I had tiles EVERYWHERE! I decided to remove  all the dusty paper but it had literally been baked onto the face of the tiles. What a mess. It took myself and cosmic daughter Heather three days to scrub the paper from each small tile. Then I panicked, worried about maintaining the tile's original spacing, so I had the brilliant idea of taping them together on their "wrong" side with blue painter's tape...mistake!

In the end I had to remove every tile individually from all the tape and paper.  Blue tape misstep...arrggh!

Moving forward, I painted the back of the top cupboard a lovely teal blue. It is subtle and so much nicer than the previous wood color. Note the surface though; it is a black, strange paper-like, bumpy substance attached to the top. I decided I could not tile directly onto this strange surface. What to do? At first I thought I would use a new product that adheres the tiles without mortar to a sponge-like surface that you then grout. After many consultations with my smart husband, I rejected that idea because of my fear of too much movement under the tiles, and returned the product to the big box store.

Frustrated, I was just about ready to toss the whole project when, thankfully, my husband Michael had an idea to create mounting boards, that are then adhered to the top one at a time, then grouted together. But first, I had to lay out every tile...because the tiles, now removed from their paper and changed from the color-blocked design, had to be placed one-by-one to create a pleasing but mixed design. Also, my color palette was limited as were the number to total tiles available. I just had to test the design. Okay, now after months and months of fooling around with this. Finally, I am making progress!

 Testing the design

I am adhering the tiles by back-buttering with liquid nail. I found it easier to control tile placement and mess using this method. The board on the right is fixed, the one of the left...I am working on as you read this! Once I get all the tiles fixed on the boards I will liquid nail the board to the surface of the German ....what? Credenza? Schrunk? (that's the German word)...and then grout the entire surface. At least this is the plan!
So, stay tuned for the reveal. Hopefully by the beginning of next week, fingers crossed please.
...and, um..if you need me, you know where I'll be this weekend! Cheers!

What's Missing?

I have taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging. The summer has been joyfully busy, beginning with three lovely days in Siena, Italy, followed by teaching watercolor to a stand out group of fun and talented students at our wonderful Sketchbooktours Umbria Italy Retreat. Then on to a spontaneous and luxuriously long visit to San Francisco to reunite with brothers, nephews and a precious cosmic daughter. When at home, I have been immersed in loads of domestic and artistic projects.

I enjoyed taking a break from posting and considered, for a brief moment, retiring my blog. I asked myself some hard questions about why I blog at all. During this time away I have come to realize that daily reflection is a very important part of my life and my personal happiness. Composing on Sixteencakes; pausing to reflect on the positive events, people and joys in my life ultimately cultivates gratitude and a deep appreciation for my many blessings.

It is fitting then that I begin again with the beauty I experience every day in my garden. I am grateful to my dear husband Michael for doing all of the heavy lifting that turns our dry desert environment into my secret garden. Join me on a walk-around....it's nice to be back!

 Third blooming of sages this summer!! Second bloom of butterfly bush!

We Xeriscaped our front yard by creating a berm and landscaping with native desert plants. Water needs are low and just look at the showy flowers!

Desert "Texas Sage" in full bloom.

"Reclaimed" cement birdbath filled to the brim with Purslane.

 I am way into succulents and have started to landscape with them...this is just the beginning!

I am creating a succulent rock garden by the pool; low water, no maintenance and very little mess in the pool!

 Pool landscaping with Purslane..we'll see how they weather this winter.

 The ever blooming hardy Perennial, Lantana in our Xeriscaped backyard. Love it!

 Potted Purslane, I love the multicolored blooms.

 Native winner Desert Verbena

Finally...I harvested all my rainbow chard...and like magic, it has come back! I don't know about you, but the miracle and excitement of growing my own food (especially in the desert) never wears thin.
Have a beautiful day! 

The Colors of Umbria ~ Retreat 2012

This photo was taken by our good friend, fellow traveler, and professional photographer Rick Allred from Santa Fe, New Mexico. We were so fortunate to have him with us as a student this year. Rick brings his professionalism, his enthusiasm and his sense of humor to every situation. Thank you Rick!

This year's color fest. Enjoy!

 

Just a few poppies blooming in late summer. Still, enough to swoon over.

I am putting my Retreat postings on pause while I play in the city by the bay! San Francisco for a week. Yay! Wish me sun! Cheers! Victoria