Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

Last night we made about 90 of these necklaces.  It is really so simple and easy.  Here is my effort at providing a tutorial!

Materials needed:

Glass tile (7/8" x 7/8")  I ordered the tiles, bails, and necklaces from BottleCapSupply and Laguna Craft Supply.

• Paper (scrapbook paper, scraps, photo)
• Dimensional glaze (I used Glossy Accents)
• Bail (what you attach to back to hand chain from)
• 7/8 inch punch is really nice to have – but if not, you can just cut the squares
• Glue (to attach bail – I like 527 glue)
• Modge podge (if you have some already) 

Step 1 - Choose your paper. You can see through punch to decide what design you want. Or you could do any picture or saying.

 
 

Step 2 - Apply a dot of glossy accents on back of the glass tile (the flattest side). Place your piece of paper face down over the glossy accents and rub paper gently around so all of the paper is coated and will adhere to the back. It is best not to use a brush, as you can see the brush strokes. Push down to tightly to remove any air bubbles.

  

Step 3 - Repeat this process to cover the back of the tile, so both sides have a design or writing. For the Relief Society ones, we had the saying “Of Good Report."    This may not be necessary, but I then added a layer modge podge over the paper on the back.   It makes a firmer surface to apply the bail on with the glue.   Apply the bail to the pendant with glue (I like 527)





And there we have it!

Tonight I had

a dinner and planning/work meeting here for our Weekday Relief Society committee.  

I borrowed these cute little tasting dishes from my friend, Dianne.  I don't know what it is about the little glasses that appeal to us, but it must date back to our tea-party days as a little girl. 

Here are the desserts.

Layered Strawberry Shortcake

(pound cake, coconut, whipping cream, strawberries)

You can't really see the "cupcakes in a cup,"

that are under the cake dome.

But they were made with cupcakes (that kind of fell)

cut in half and layered with frosting.

Here is the first course:

Carrot and Celery in ranch dip,

Broccoli salad,

and Frozen Fruit Salad (frozen in muffin tins)

The main course was soup and bread.

We also made 80 necklaces (tutorial tomorrow), and finished most everything for the fashion show, which is next week.   

You would think

we were party animals, or something. 

We've been traveling all over the last few weeks, and this weekend was no exception.  We met in Kanab for a reunion of Gary's Lewis family cousins.  It's been a long time since they've gathered, and it was really fun to visit with them and with Gary's sisters. 

Gary with sisters, Janice, Geniel, and Margie.

 Us

 With all of the inlaws.

Gary and I feel very blessed by the families we were born in to.  Both of us were the youngest in the family, and some may even say we were spoiled.    In this case, I would have to agree.   Being the youngest, when you follow such caring and loving older siblings,  does qualify us for being spoiled.   

As far as being spoiled in other ways, I'll quote what Gary always says to that.  "You're only spoiled if you don't deserve it."  (And of course, he deserved it?)  

"Out of the

mouth of babes."

A couple of days ago we got texts from both Misty and Tiffany. 

Dan won a raffle and got 4 tickets (right behind the dugout) to a Cardinal's baseball game.  It was on Hyrum's birthday, so Misty, Dan, Hyrum, and Harrison got to go.

Misty sent this text: 

"Waiting for game to start and Harrison's getting impatient and says,

"Why do they even have big people baseball?"   

(You have to understand that this boy wants to be part of the action, not just watch adults do it). 

Text from Tiffany: 

"Shopping at Costco with Luci,

and as we go down the aisles she says, to just about everything,

"Grandma has this, grandma has this . . ."  :)    

(Oh, Oh)

Today is

our grandson, Hyrum's, 11th birthday.  Hyrum is such a delight.   When I think of him,  a smile automatically comes to my lips.  He loves CANDY, art supplies, and is an excellent athlete.  I can totally relate to thim with the candy and art supplies, because Hyrum has stashes of both just like I do.   Hyrum is also very kind and thoughtful.  I've often seen him reach out to someone who is having a hard time. 

I love you, Hyrum!

(Misty keeps amazing me with her creative cakes.  When Hyrum told me he wanted a "tank" birthday cake, I couldn't even begin to imagine how Misty would pull that one off.  But she did, and with flying colors!)

Week long

memories.

Gathering in St. George at Charlene and Greg's condo.





enjoying the majestic Grand Canyon.

Charlene, Richard, Tom, Annette, Gary

Siblings with Acrophobia staying back from the trail. 

Brothers Gary and Richard standing in building

they worked in as teenagers more than 55 years ago. 

 Gary (husband) couldn't come until Friday, 

so he wasn't able to come to the Grand Canyon. 

I missed him.

 Zion's Park with the Siblings.

 Zions Park with the outlaws.

 Every time we get together, I always feel so blessed.

I've been

a little AWOL.
  

For a good reason, though. 

Let me just say
that I feel very blessed .

 

Pictures later.

Tutorial on necklace (in last post) later, too.

When Tiffany was here,

 we made a lot of these glass tile necklaces

.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the cute ones Tiffany made. 

But here are some of the 7/8 inch square paper pieces 

I plan to make more necklaces with. 

And of course my favorite,

the cupcake ones.

Gardens

I love the gardens at this time of year.  The maintenance is minimal, but the flowers are still blossoming. 

We went to a wedding of my cousin's daughter that was held in a very amazing and beautiful back yard.  It had so many little spaces in it with beautifully arranged plantings.  I was visiting with my cousins and couldn't figure out where Gary was.  Then I found him hiding out in the gazebo. 

Tonight Natalie went out in our garden to get flowers for our centerpiece. 

 She definitely has artistic talent. 

I wouldn't have been able to put one together like this.

I've been watching

some of the programs commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on our country.  I look at the images now, and it still feels as surreal as it did when it was happening. 

But as I hear the individual stories, it is far from being surreal.  It is far too real for them.   My heart breaks as I listen to the stories of the wives and husbands who were able to have one last conversation with their spouses by cell phone.   There must be such haunting memories for those who were there.   Yet, there are so many stories of courage and kindness.  It seems that the worst actions of mankind can also bring out the very best in mankind      

This morning

I got up and got right into making flower pins for a cousin's wedding.  A few hours later, I turned on the television to watch "Good Things Utah" while I finished them.  I was sure the TV was broken.  Even when I turned the volume up as high as it would go, I could only hear a little noise when I put my ear right up to it.  I tried adjusting the volume with both the remotes and checked to make sure the mute buttons weren't on.   

Finally, I thought to check my ears.  That's when I realized I hadn't put my hearing aids in.  No wonder it was so quiet in the house.  Once I put them in, I heard the TV blasting so loudly that I had to quickly turn it down. 

Can I say how grateful I am for hearing aids?  Hearing the TV is good (and I also love closed captioning), but I'm particularly grateful that I can hear the voices of the people in my life.   

I'm reminded of the

advertisement on television that says something to the effect of,
"A body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest tends to stay at rest."

I'm living proof of that, both in the blogging arena and the physical arena.

What I'm trying to say is that blogging was easier when I did it every day.  When I was "in the groove," so to speak.  I was much more aware of my feelings, surroundings, and activities because I knew I was going to write about them.   And I was committed.

In the physical area, I have exercised only a few times all summer.  And my body feels it and looks it.  I feel sluggish and lazy and have gained weight.  I have only gone to yoga a couple of times this summer, and my joints are letting me know that they miss it.   So, I'm going to try to stay in motion.  I need it both physically and emotionally. 

Tomorrow is another day.

As for the blogging, here goes.

That is what I've been doing this week since we got back from California.

It's ridiculous, really, that it takes me so long to put something like this together.  But the thing I keep reminding myself, as I'm thinking it's silly, is that I really do enjoy the creative process.  I spent time searching for ways of making the "lollies" or pin-folded flowers.  I want to make a banner of them, and I got lots of good ideas.  I've experimented with different fonts and cricut cartridges, many of which didn't work well.   But they are things I've wanted to try.

Here's the front of the invite. 

 When Gary had the car lot (a whole 'nother story) he ordered some cards that said, "An Invitation" on the front. On the inside there was writing inviting the recipient to visit the car showroom.

I've held on to a hundred of those cards that I have no use for. So, it feels good to recycle them in a useful way.  I cut out the silhouettes on my Cricut machine. Then we'll staple the vellum over it and paste our printed invitation over the one that is there.

It feels good to be in motion again.



Wish

you were here . . .

. . . planning in the shade

 

with us!

 

 Enjoying the cool breeze . . .

And watching the sunset, too.