SUMMER BEGINS WITH FATHER'S DAY FABULOUSNESS

They're here!  Summer and Father's Day.  We're ready to roll with a full tank on the BBQ and the table all pretty.  I surprised my husband, Vincent, today with his Father's Day table setting which includes his favorite tea set; a Clarice Cliff reproduction by the Modern Museum of Art (NYC).   He loved the surprise and was struck by the tall cobalt blue champagne flutes, Holiday Gem by Lenox.  "Where did you get those?" he asks.  "For pennies on eBay, I respond"  He knows it wasn't "pennies"😂

The plates are Mikasa MIKADO, the SP flatware was my Grandmother's, Yourex, Lady Washington.  In the middle of the table is an Imari Japanese bowl (unknown).  Hand-painted water (red wine) goblets and cobalt blue wine flutes (unknown).    I made the orange berry napkin rings.  Since it's Father's day, I set out one of his pipes in a stone ashtray.  He no longer smokes a pipe, but as you can see by the wooden cigar boxes, he enjoys a smoke after a good meal.

The only food request so far is my heavenly coconut cake.  We'll figure out the rest of the menu as time goes by.

One quick note.  I purposely set a third place setting in honor of our Dad's, and I'll remember my father with these words:   

Although you can't be here with me

We're truly not apart,

Until the final breath I take,

You're living in my heart.

LIFE IS A JOURNEY

Merrily we roll along!  My latest journey has led me to a new artistic endeavor: Glassware Painting.

Albeit, I'm not a VanGogh, Picasso, or Georgia O'Keefe, I often engage in all sorts of artistic media, and today, it's painting on wine glasses.  

How did that happen you ask?  I'm putting together a dining experience for Father's day, and I want glassware to coordinate with the table setting.  In my previous blog, SHHHH, IT'S A SURPRISE, I posted a storyboard and you can see a strong palette emerge of orange, blue, green, and yellow on a white ground.  The upper right is a Clarice Cliff tea set that my husband loves, and on the lower left are dinner plates, Mikasa MIKADO (Japanese).  Since that post, I discovered a pair of 16th-century Wucai Chinese urns on Pinterest.  Upon following the link to 1st Dibs, I found the urns for $16,550, so I'll just enjoy the pics.  As an homage to the beautiful urns, a similar motif could be painted on wine glasses, and that, my friends, is how it happened.

Louis XVI Dore Bronze Mount Covered Wucai Chinese Urn (1st Dibs)

I stocked up on the glassware and paint, watched how-to videos, and ordered a few new paintbrushes.   

Stage One: Begin by painting two glasses, each a different pattern.

Stage Two: Paint two more glasses matching the first pair.

Stage Three:  Put the finishing touches on all four glasses.   The tie that binds them is the motif, palette, and a repetitive gold pattern below the rim and where the bowl meets the stem on all four glasses which is inspired by the urn's bronze acorn finial and mount (added at a later date in France) and bears representation.

Stage Four:  Cure the paint on the glasses by heating in the oven, and say a prayer🙏.

Stage One: Initial designs (not complete)

Stage Four:  The glasses have been cured successfully. Whew!

Finished Project:  Wucai Urn inspired wine glasses

There is a waiting period of 72 hours after curing the paint before using the glasses.  

How to cure hand-painted glass:  Wait 24 hours after painting before curing.  Place the glasses on a baking tray lined with foil or Silpat, then put the tray of glasses in an unheated oven and close the door.  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Do not open oven during this process.  Bake glassware for 30 minutes after reaching 350.  After 30 minutes turn off oven and leave glasses inside...do not open oven door.   Let oven and glasses cool down naturally.  After 2 hours, crack open oven door and wait 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, open door all the way and wait 1/2 hour.   If the tray has cooled enough to safely handle, place it on a counter or table with something heatproof underneath it until glasses have completely cooled off and are room temperature.   As stated above, wait 72 hours before using glassware after the curing process.

Painted glassware generally should be hand washed gently after use.  I've read where it can withstand the top rack of the dishwasher if the paint has been cured, but I wouldn't chance it.  I hand wash most of my stems anyway.

Happy trails, everyone💓

SHHHHHH! IT'S A SURPRISE

Father's Day is around the corner, and I've been imagining how my husband, Vincent, would like to see our dining room.  It dawned on me that he loves a tea set we purchased from the Modern Museum of Art many years ago.  It's a Clarice Cliff reproduction, Red Autumn, and its vibrant palette of colors will be fun for his Father's Day table.   

Clarice Cliff Teaset (Reproduction MMA), Red Autumn
Mikasa Dishware, MIKADO Cordon Bleu

Short Bio:  Clarice Cliff