Throwback Thursday: recycled glass

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

Back in December of 2012 I was into cutting up wine bottles and heating them up to melting in my kiln. I made an ornament from the base of a green bottle, cut a groove in the side with my wet grinder, and wire wrapped it. Using an engraving tool I wrote the first verse from A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement-Clark Moore in a spiral out in tiny lettering.

Photo description: green glass ornament with spiral writing and organza ribbon

As I scroll my photo history, I don’t take every craft project for a throwback post. When I look at a photo, if there aren’t enough words in my head, it doesn’t get picked. There are some projects where I don’t remember what materials I used, or don’t have any in process photos to remind me how I constructed it. So I keep scrolling. Since I’m still picking projects from 13 years ago, I figure I have some leeway.

Thanksgiving cactus

On By CarynIn Garden

This is an update for my long time readers on my Thanksgiving cactus, which in my house blooms from December to March, approximately. It is growing! Since it is up against a north facing window, the growth is to the sides, but the stems touching the window get cold enough to trigger flower buds, then I turn it around so we can see the blooms. By the time it one side is done blooming, the other has new buds so I turn it back around.

Photo description: “Thanksgiving” cactus blooming in February because of window conditions

I water it once a week for a count of three, and occasionally remember to fertilize. No banana for scale, but the window is 35” inches wide.

Perfection

On By CarynIn games

Ok, I’ve reached perfection in the Stardew Valley game, again. I think now I can dial it back to occasional play rather than the obsessed dives I have been doing. I should return to more of my regular programming soon.

Photo description: Stardew Valley screen shot filled with kegs producing ancient fruit wine

The hardest part for me was building the money to get the golden clock. I spent frivolously (looking at you, statue of endless fortune), and somehow turned off Junimo collection at one point, so was wasting time harvesting. (If this happens to you, and your Junimos are wandering your field but not actually picking produce, go to their hut and look in, there is a button on the top right that turns collection on and off, credit to my eldest for the assist.) I did have several massive banks of kegs producing wine, and two large fields producing ancient fruit (the beach hut and house fill up with kegs nicely.) Still, I made it in year 5, which is definitely not a speed record, but faster than I did last round. I did not go for completion, I’m missing the polyculture achievement because I should have planned on growing 15 sweet gem berries from the get go. Oh, and I really suck at the in-game video games.

Sorry to those that this post is complete gibberish. I’ll get back to my regular esoteric vocabulary soon.

Photo description: my character standing on the summit in Stardew Valley after reaching completion, of course I caught the pic mid-blink

Moss ball

On By CarynIn Flora

Wandering the yard I saw a bright green ball amongst the winter browns. Thinking it was trash or an errant tennis ball, I headed over to pick it up and toss it, but what I found was a nearly spherical ball of moss. Hm.

Photo description: bright green oval of moss sitting on dirt and twigs

Although my purchased mosses in my mossarium are doing OK, my native moss did not like the inside environment, so I left this lovely mossy specimen where it was flourishing.

Catio repair

On By CarynIn Cats

The wood I used for the top of the catio access, going from the house window to the enclosed space for the cats, rotted in the rain. I knew I had to address it, but when Thor the gray tabby ended up outside by his lonesome it became more urgent.

Photo description: corner of the catio corridor showing the rotted wood and planks partially removed

It is in my plan to get some clear material to go over the top to keep the rain out, but to make it secure in the meantime I replaced some of the wood then laid poultry wire over to keep the cats in. I had both the wood and wire, so didn’t have to make a trip to the hardware store.

Photo description: repaired corridor corner

The poultry wire is stapled to the wood, and wired to the hardware cloth, so the cats should be secure.