"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~ Anton Chekhov

Don't worry I haven't dropped any glass recently, KNOCK ON WOOD NOW!, but I just liked the quote.  This post has tons of glass for you guys! Just to prove that I do more then watch weird European shows and drink away my weekends!

So, in the last few weeks of school we have free production, we were supposed to turn in some sketches of what we wanted to make so the teachers could help us plan and get organized.  I turned in a sketch of a wine glass with a tulip foot and stripes, a BIG bowl with different colors layered in it with a matching big spoon and a design for a water pipe.  I know, typical, but I can't leave school without making one, that would just be weird.  Hopefully they will all work out!

 We are also all still working on some pieces for our end of the semester projects.  I made this big plate remember?  Well, the colors didn't work out too well so I thought it could use some excitement.  Over the weekend I finished cutting out my Escher design and it is finally ready to be sand blasted!  The 

"B"s on it are for black so I would remember where to cut away the tape and where not too!

 And on Friday I blew up my ariel piece!!! It turned out really nice I think:

 It had the 3 firework sort of designs on it, which got a bit distorted but you can still see all the bubbles!

 I will try to find another way to photograph it so that you can see the bubbles better, it was a bit hard in the factory.

It is super thick, but they are supposed to be apparently, but look it even has it's bubbles in the bottom!!!

 These are the pieces we made practicing doing the overlay bubble and trapping air on purpose:

 It was really interesting to see how the bubbles changed and in some places disappeared the more you worked with the piece.

 This bowl turned out really nice, the bubbles are pretty even and straight!

 Here is Vegard's work (which I helped keep warm) with the ariel!

 His actual ariel turned out kind of bad, we couldn't get the bubble over it easily because it was such a long piece but the color turned out really cool and the effect is still quite nice.  I think he might throw it away though...

 Here is the fish & fowl plate after sandblasting!

 Then I pulled all the tape off!  It is almost finished here, but needs a few more details to be done with the engraver.

 Rosanne and I have still been diligently working on her project piece, the tulip vase/plate.  We got pretty close yesterday with this piece:

 They are nearly the same size, tulip shaped and even connected.  So, today we just tried to use some color to make it better.  It did not go well! We didn't get anything accomplished and ended up very grumpy and frustrated.  I told her that tomorrow we have to do something different or I might go insane!

 After lunch I finished up my plate!

 I did the bottom, most detailed fish mostly with engraving, I couldn't get more detailed then the two above him with the sandblasting.  I like him, Grandfather Catfish... ready to suck you down when you go Noodling!

 Also, the birds got eyes, more detailed wings and beaks.

 Here is the super chaotic middle, which is awesome!

I am really pleased with the piece and now just have to finish the bottom properly so it will sit straight and I will be done with one part of the project! I am pleasantly surprised with how happy I am with it!!

Tomorrow we are going to make some wine glasses for the second half of my project and for a change from the stupid tulip catastrophe.  

Also, in other good news:

1.  Justin in back at Steep Forest Farm, where I had been keeping him before I left and getting in shape for when I return and get to ride him everyday!!  Hopefully he is behaving himself ;)

AND

2.  Sam got us a wonderful house to live in this summer! It is owned by a distant relation of his and he wined and dined the owner, won her over with his southern charm and we get to live there this summer! So, good job Sam!! I am so happy and excited for summer, I think it will be a really nice one!!!

"Offfff course I willlllll, I PROMISE!" ~ Me being too agreeable Saturday night

So, the internet is still being weird and lame and is off and on... that is why there hasn't been much posting.  It is hard to do this when it is a hassle, usually its nothing, but once it becomes a pain I am easily distracted.

But! Thursday night we got to ride OUTSIDE!! This is the first time since I started riding here that we have gotten to jump outside!! We had a fun little jumper course set up in the field and this is how light it is at 9:30PM after my lesson! Pretty cool :)

 This is the twirly bubble glass that Micke and Ake showed Vegard and I how to make. Vegard made this one, it is really nice except sadly the foot broke in the annealer.

 Then on Friday I rode Poseidon again, I rode him Thursday too.  Thursday we thought he was being grumpy because the ground is a bit hard outside (it hadn't rained in forever) but he was grumpy again inside.  Weird horse.  We think maybe something scared him in another lesson because now he is even harder to convince to jump! Oh well, I still like him, but I can't wait to see JUSTIN!!!

 Saturday night was the Eurovision contest finale!  This made not one but TWO different parties in Orrefors! It was amazing! I started at Kirsten's with the usual crew of people plus Gitte and Anthony who moved away to Denmark and Kirsten's friend Irene from Norway.  

 

 I was overly excited about the competition, every time a new country came on I would be like "yaaaay Germany!!" and clap my hands... it was a bit embarrassing but I couldn't help it!  They were so weird and absurd!!! This is a competition of bands, each from a different country and the finale had like 30 bands competing!  Norway was already out, Sweden held strong and ended 3rd, Denmark didn't do too hot and I don't remember what happened to Finland... It was a lot of fun and by the end of the night I was convinced I was going to buy a compilation CD of all the songs in the finale... thank god I didn't! But the country that won was Azerbaijan!  Here you can see there acceptance and second rendition of their instant classic:

 It was a huge soccer stadium in Germany made over for the event.

 Very happy people...

 Absurd dancing...

 and of course heartfelt singing!  Next year the finale will be hosted in Azerbaijan... I am not exactly sure where that is... but it is EXCITING!!!

This is Kirsten and her friend Irene who went to the school a while back and next year will be going to Bornholm in Denmark!  I tried to put up some more funny pictures but for some reason it won't let me :(  very sad.  

Sunday Rosanne came over and we had a waffle making party! It was the perfect cure for my hangover and we made blueberry ones, cinnamon ones, plain, vanilla... everything we could think of.  We of course couldn't eat as many as we made so we froze the rest and I have visions of home made frozen waffles for breakfast! Surely it will be better then Eggo Waffles right?!  Hopefully!  We are talking of making a Sunday baking tradition... now that we have one month left!  So, next Sunday it is more Kanelbullar (cinnamon buns)!

Here is the actual video of the song that won if you are reallllllllllllllllly curious:

"A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.” ~ Heraclitus of Ephesus

Sorry about not posting yesterday, the internet was acting weird.  It is again today but I am going to try anyway!  My connection keeps going in and out... tres weird.

This is almost what Rosanne wants, but it is closest we have come all week to getting it:

 She wants two inter-lapping bowls which will either make a plate or vase... it is hard to explain and even harder to understand and EVEN harder to make!  It has been incredibly frustrating for both of us and seems a bit impossible.  It is hard because when we work on this it takes FOREVER so I do a lot of sitting around then sitting around keeping one piece warm and bla bla bla.  It is super boring AND super frustrating.  But, don't tell Rosanne I said that! Haha, I think she knows already and feels a bit bad about it.

 Here we got Micke and Ake to try to make some super fancy wineglasses for us:

 The stem has 4 air bubbles which twirl around in a spiral! Very cool.  Vegard and I are going to try to make those soon :)  It was super hot in the hot shop and we were having a bad day with our wineglasses so it was nice to have a distraction.  I think that they like to play some too, they also tried another technique with a steam stick but it didn't work too well.

 The trees in front of my house are blooming!! It is so nice and fragrant here!! Lots of pollen too, everything is yellow but it is so pretty I don't care!

 Here is my fancy and really truely made encalmo!  I did it without cheating and it turned out pretty damn cool.

 I put the handles on the side to cover up a mistake and they even turned out nice too!  I forgot the matchbook but it is not that good, not that small really.  I like and can't wait to do it again!

 This week in the cold shop I have been working on what to do with that three colored plate which turned out with kind of weirdly all the same colors.  I thought that if I sandblast it the colors might show more and it might be more interesting.  I wanted something that went over the whole plate and have always loved Escher so I am doing his Sky and Water:

It is kind of interesting, some people who are all into being artistic and designing have NO IDEA who Escher is!!! I mean COME ON! He is so famous and his work is so recognizable! I messed up at the bottom so that is why the fish are covered with more tape, I accidentally cut away the wrong part.  I am excited to see how it comes out in the end and I think it should look cool!

I have also worked some of doing cuts in the stem of wineglasses.  You know when your wineglass stem has 6 straight sides?  That is done on the deep cutting wheel! So, I am trying to do that on a few, I think it looks nice and can be used to cover up slight uneven-ness.  Vegard just makes fun of me and says I am ruining a perfectly good stem, but what does he know?!?

Now I am off to bed, I have to get up early tomorrow to blow my ariel!!! 

"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~Robin Williams

Well, after a week of cold the weekend turned out be really nice and warm! Spring is official upon us here in Orrefors, or as many of the people here call it, Summer.  They clearly know nothing about 100F days with humidity... I remember all too well and am trying to enjoy my SPRING as much as possible!

This is the house were some poor kid was killed by a maniac in their tent... its sort of infamous around here.

 The important people house.

 MY HOUSE!

I went riding Thursday and Friday, I am so happy to be back on schedule with that! Who would have thought that after 2 weeks my legs would be SO sore!  Thursday I had a jumping lesson and rode Poseidon, the one who is a bit of a chicken shit.  He was not in the mood for jumping and tried to stop at every jump! The course was super hard and confusing and had really tight turns but it was fun.  At the end of the course was this water jump (which Poseidon HATES) and then a hairpin turn back to an oxer.  He made it over the water but flew the air with such force that I lost my stirrups which doesn't happen often.  I made the turn back to the other jump expecting him to stop at it but at the last second I feel him get ready to take off.  I don't have my stirrups yet and I suddenly decide I can't stop him, that would teach the opposite of what I want so I let him jump.... OHMYGOD! As we lifted off I heard the collective gasp of everyone in the ring and then as we flew through the air, my only contact with the horse being the end of the reins, I think "just land on the horse, just land on the horse!" and I did!! Then as we galloped away there was a collective "heregud! (oh my god)" and laugh from everyone.  Pia goes "you have amazing balance! Do it again."  It was GREAT!! My adrenaline was pumping for about 30 minutes afterwards and I couldn't stop smiling.  Haha, I was never scared and it worked out!!!

Friday's lesson was much more sane, we did dressage outside in the field.  I went back to my relaxed english hack style being outside and instantly got reprimanded and told to make the horse work!  Pia also told me I need to start jogging or something to work up my stamina... uhg.

Saturday I spent some time laying in a field enjoying the super warm sun:

 Then went over to Sigrid and Vegard's for their kid's birthday party.  I got leftover cupcakes :)

Sunday was just relaxing and chilling.  I started doing a workout video called The Tracy Anderson Method, which kicked my ass.  But, I will tell you more about it later.

Here is a cup I made last week with Sigrid when I got tired of plates:

 Monday and today I have worked with Rosanne trying to make this special piece for her year end project.  It is not going well at all.  Today we made something, sort of close... but still pretty bad.  So, I have nothing completed to show you, oh, maybe there is a really bad encalmo.  I will find it later!

But after school today Rosanne and I went to the big lake and sat here drinking coffee and relaxing for a while :)  I am so happy spring is here!!!

"Fame is a fickle food upon a shifting plate." ~ Emily Dickinson

So, last week was the week of plates! I made this plate first with Sigrid:

 It is done with the same technique where you make a cup of white, drop in some blue and then blow a big plate! I really like the colors, I wish the blue was stronger but its pretty cool.  The weird thing is the outie belly button which happened because I put the foot on a too thin bottom so it pushed in :(

 But maybe you can stack carrot sticks around it like a tepee?  haha who knows!

 On Friday Micke made these HUGE square vases that he blew in a mold.  You can see the mold sitting sideways next to the stairs.  On his pipe is one solid gather of glass at this moment.

 He made a post (put air in it), then gathered in black that the factory has.  Ake is using a scoop on it to smooth it and even out the heat.

 Then Micke blew it bigger and longer and then dropped it in the mold.

 And blew and blew and blew and blew down all the piggies houses (haha I crack myself up).

 It is really thick, about an inch and very long with straight sides.

 Here Ake is smoothing out the sides while Micke rolls and allows the piece to cool down some.

 and TAAAA-DAAAaaaaa like magic.  He makes it look so easy!!

 I also made this plate with 3 different colors.  The slightly depressing part is it appears I picked 3 colors that are almost the same!!!

 It is supposed to be red on the outside rim, purple in the middle and blue in the very center of the plate.

 Very nice shape though :)

 Here you can kind of see the colors with the flash... but is really hard in real life!

 But, in real life and not film you can see the red rim which is cool.  I am pleased with the shape and size and everything like that... but displeased by the lack of exciting colors because it was really difficult to do 3 colors!

 Here you can even see how straight I managed to keep them! 

I have talked to the teachers about maybe sandblasting some sort of pattern on it to maybe bring out the colors more... maybe?   We will see, I have no idea what pattern though... I keep thinking of flowers and butterflies since it is spring here but that is so over done... and not very exciting.  We will see what I come up with. But, I should go to bed so I can think of something tomorrow!