What's New?

 Since I didn't sell much at my craft fair I have quite a number of new mosaics in my shop and I thought I would share them in my post today. 

Like most online sellers I am always trying to figure out what people want in the way of design, colors and overall appeal.  My new pieces are a variety of all of these and I plan to continue making more for the upcoming Christmas season.

I am happy to say that this one has sold!



I call this one" Caribbean Contemporary" because of the blue and yellow wavy pattern of the dish tiles I used.



An adorable little plant stand



Another contemporary I call "Cafe Latte" due to the rich brown colored brown tiles and the  creamy beige glass gems in this one



This one isn't mine.  My husband made this mask from a palm frond leaf from our yard

My daughter made this funky fun photo frame

Sort of an abstract that my husband says looks like a man with a yo-yo.

Mosaic cross wall hanging

Our Pineapple Bush Still Going Strong

Shortly after we bought this pineapple bush, over a year ago, it produced the sweetest, juiciest pineapple I have ever eaten.  It was about the size of a small melon, but was just right for the two of us.

Since that time our yard has suffered a severe set back from the extreme cold temperatures this past winter and we were afraid it may have killed our little bush.  But, as you can see it is growing strong even though the leaves are damaged and brown the little fruit is hearty. 

It grows very slowly but I am hopeful that in another month or so we will have a great treat.

Pineapple Anyone?

My husband and I bought this cute little pineapple plant last year and really enjoyed eating the fruit.

Once we picked the (one and only) pineapple it just sat dormant for the longest time. I wasn't sure if it was ever going to do anything. Then we had the freezes this year that destroyed so much of our gorgeous foliage around the entire state that I was sure this poor little guy had very little chance of making it. You can see where the leaves have been cut back removing all the dead parts from the frost.

Well, my husband was out there last week and noticed a little bud coming up from the center and sure enough, it looks like it's going to make it after all.

John and Mabel Barnum's Sarasota Mansion

The grounds that this mansion sits upon are lush with foliage of all kinds. There are rose gardens and statues all around for you to view. Mrs. Barnum even kept a "secret garden" which was started from the various plants her friends would bring her as a gift. I have no idea why this is called a secret garden, but it is the only real garden on the premises other than her rose garden.

This impressive home was designed and built by New York architect Dwight James Baum in 1924 and was completed in 1926. Mrs Barnum was involved in every detail and even though it was called Ca' d' Zan (House of John) her name was on all the paperwork and she was the contact for any changes made.

This is a little closer view of their home.

The character of the architecture was truly something. Such rich detail in everything, from the stained glass window insets to the lovely zigzag design created with the two different colors of brick.

This is the formal living room of the home and displayed all the modern comforts of their time.

I took this photo of the ceiling in the living room looking up to the 2nd floor where the bedrooms and bathrooms were located. The craftsmanship is astounding.

Here is my husband, Ralph standing at the corner of the outside veranda. This is the view the Barnums had in the back of their home. Mr. Barnum's yacht was generally tied to the dock so that he could take his friends and family out on the water at whim.

This is a picture of the back of the home. The doors would open up and gave a free flowing affect for their guests at the many parties held here.

I was amazed by the flooring of this deck and caught a shot of it. All inlaid marble. Even the path around the decking to the dock was done in this gorgeous marble.

This is the Historic Asolo Theatre that is also a part of this museum tour. This is a small, but cozy place that was originally built in 1798 in Asolo, Italy to honor the 15th century Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro. In the 1930's the panels were removed and in the 1950's were purchased by the Ringling's director for the Museum.

The portrait shown in one of the panels is of the Queen herself. Each panel was painstakingly restored and then reset in the pavilion just inside the Ca' d' Zan Gatehouse.

There were over 890 ornamental details, 85 percent are still original. Collaborative teams cast molds for missing panels and pieces and matched materials and colors to historic accuracy.

This theatre is still used for theatre, music, dance, film and lectures.

These unusual gnarly trees are known as Banyan Trees that grow all along the estate.

Garden Harvest Mosaic Mirror

This is one of my newest mosaics that I call "Garden Harvest". I just loved the saying on the plaque and had been waiting for some time to use it. Deciding to keep to the garden theme I chose all the colors you might find in a garden starting with the rich brown tiles that represent the soil. The green and brown beads are my version of seeds and I liked the added texture.

This piece took me twice as long to complete as any other mosaic I have done, and I honestly don't know why, except that "things" just weren't coming together. Added to that was probably this crazy virus I picked up that kept my mind in a haze. One rule I try to live by is "Never push the creative juices" as they come when and if they want to.

I love to add whimsey to my pieces so I chose the tiny ceramic straw hat and cute little knob just for fun.

My next mosaic will be a tribute to the state of Florida and one of the birds we are famous for: the flamingo. I plan to show you step by step how I work and hope you will journey with me through my creative process. Any comments will be much appreciated so don't be shy.