Wimmins Work

Really what I mean is taking care of a household.
Since December I have been working on a stained glass piece. This is the first one I have ever done and just like me I didn't pick a simple pattern. The glass I chose to learn to cut is thick and textured on both sides and doesn't cut or break easily. (just like me?) I feel like it took me a long time and I got frustrated with it over and over again. Many pieces had to be re-done because the cuts were wrong or they broke. Some pieces I gave up on and let their imperfections be part of the work. Now that it is almost done I am beginning to feel a sense of accomplishment. I still have to smooth out the lines and apply zinc to the outside (which I still need to learn how to do). It occurred to me that keeping house was much like making art. It does take some skill, some creativity, some willingness to make mistakes and learn. You have to be willing to work with the mistakes and blemishes. It takes time. Yes, women's work is a lot like art. I pour myself into it and ultimately hope there will be a masterpiece.

This is a project I did a while back for my mom as a housewarming gift. An old piece of wood became the inspiration for a welcoming sign. I added a hanger to the back and used a wood burning tool (around 10 bucks at Hobby Lobby or Michael's)to burn the design. At first I was annoyed because the wood grain was rough and so the tool didn't always go exactly the way I wanted it to. But after it was done the roughness of it made it look really good. It was easy and fun especially when the wood caught fire and I had to blow it out! Whew! Good times!