Is He Helping?

   Mr. Bat and I arise well before dawn.  He is usually the first to come out of dreamland and, then, he nudges me until I, too, am fully awake.  As a cat, his motive is food.  He wants breakfast!  My motive is to cede to his wishes and open a can of cat food then head to the kitchen to brew a pot of strong coffee. Since the sun does not rise at this hour, I try to find projects to fill the next two hours.  Things have to stay quiet as the menfolk here are still asleep.  Art projects are usually my go-to entertainment.  Bat?  He usually goes back to sleep leaving me to my own accord.  

  This morning, I had a whim to create something utilizing an old glass tabletop from a dilapidated outdoor set.  The idea was to do some reverse glass painting on the bottom then hang the piece in the window so it appeared to be a stained glass piece.  First on the agenda was to make a paper pattern which would make the art work far easier than free-handing it on the glass itself.  Drawing on paper is the way to go, folks!  Anyway...as usual...my work was started on the floor.  The tabletop was set, paper was fitted in the top and the artwork was to begin!  Mr. Bat had other ideas...

  As with any cat, curiosity got the best of him.  Then...as with any cat, he decided that the piece was there for his pure enjoyment.  My artwork came to a halt as the cat sat on the paper then decided a nap was in order.  Well, so much for getting anything accomplished this morning!  Everyone knows that you NEVER disturb a cat that has chosen a special napping spot. Oh, if I was not so fond of this little buddy, I would get so much more done!  Then, again, maybe he thought he was helping.

The "Art of Fakery" or Dream Weavers!

   A few years ago, I did a faux stained glass look on the French doors for one of the Clue Hunts on the Bayou.  I merely used a spritz bottle of water to adhere pieces of cellophane to the glass.  It was all cheaply done since I figured it only had to last for a month.  I used cellophane from DollarTree thinking it would hold up for that month.  It did!  The door provided the perfect clue and looked mighty pretty at the same time!  Win!

  Well, sad to say, I became "attached" to my faux stained glass door and left the stuff in place.  Last year, I added a few more colors and then Darling Daughter brought over some actual window clings that had a prism look.  Wow!  That was amazing!  Now I had color but also had rainbows shooting around the room when the sun hit the glass!  I fell in love with the doors again. 

  With all of the rain keeping me indoors, home projects are a must just to keep me from going stir crazy.  As I was doing touchup painting on windows and doors, something had to be done with those window panes.  Yep, I "refreshed" the French doors.  The faded cellophane was removed and new was added.  The old came down so easily since the glue was nothing but water!  Now, my doors are back to their faux glory!  I am getting good at this "Art of Fakery"!  

  Actually, I have always been fascinated by stained glass windows of any sort.  Three of my great aunts (actually some sort of cousins but we called them "aunts") lived in a large old house several towns over.  I remember going there only three times as a child but those three times were enough for me to be enthralled by the place.  Just off of the kitchen, the huge old manor had a narrow, winding staircase leading up to the a tiny bedroom that supposedly was for the maid when the house was built.  These old ladies did not have a maid so the room sat empty other than being used as sort of an attic space. Aunt Pansy, Aunt Verbena (Verby) and Aunt Glad (Gladiola) did pretty much everything themselves even when they were in their 80s.  (Yes, they were all named after flowers which added to my fascination.) The room at the top of the stairs had one small stained glass window and THAT started my love for the style.  I could have easily stayed forever in the tiny room and been happy.  To this day, I dream of having a place like theirs.  The Little Bayou House could never compare to the grandeur of that Victorian manor so I have to slip in tiny bits and pieces so I can dream.  My faux stained glass windows are dream weavers and take me to far away places and long ago times.