Sun Catchers and Learning

Today's high temperature was:  80 degrees

Today's humidity was: 69%

Sunny--nice breeze, windows open, but a tad humid outside.

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I am sooooooooo excited about the new Royal Baby!!!  I think his parents will stay married forever, so he will have other siblings and quite a nice life.  I have always felt a bit sorry for Prince Charles.  He was so totally in love with Camilla, but forced (some say by his Father and Uncle) to marry a woman who could give him heirs.  He did and neither he or she were ever happy.   Now, everything I read says he and Camilla are very, very happy.  The Queen has seemed to become a bit more modern, but I can certainly understand the way she acted when Diana was killed.  "We don't mourn in public!"  I understand because my family is much the same.  Stoic.  Stiff upper lip.  Get over it and get on with life.And to think---I remember seeing the Queen's Coronation--she was so young!!  She was never suppose to be Queen--her Father, never suppose to be King.  I hope this little boy has as much of a normal life as he can, but being groomed for the Throne and ALL the cameras always in his face, it will be up to his parent's to keep him sane.

I would like his name to be William Spencer something, something, to get his grandma's name in there, but he probably will be named George and called Georgie most of his life.  UGH!

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Now--as for these damn sun catchers, LOL.  More experimentation and I find that you have to use--the same kind of beads.  You cannot use Pony beads and then Sparkly beads.  The Sparkly beads do not melt at the same temp or time as the Pony Beads.  You can however, use Pony beads and the larger translucent beads.

The sun catcher I made for Pearl--I remade today.  She wanted clear, gold and flecks of black.  The flecks of black were Sprakly beads--they did not melt and turned out to be dots of black.   The one I made today, was all Pony beads and the Sprakly black beads, I put inside a dishcloth and smashed to bits and it looked a lot better.  Pearl was happy with it--I gave her both of them because I have no use for them.

Apparently, I didn't take the lesson to heart, because I decided to make a clear, pink and rose big one.  I used clear and rose translucent Pony beads and the Sparkly pink ones and.......................

The Sprakly pink beads did not melt!!

I will give the box of Sprakly beads to Pammie to give to

grand daughter, Elise for making bracelets and whatever.

Jean had a question about the pans.  I said not to use a Teflon coated one.

This is the old cake pan I used for some of the first ones.

As you can see, it discolored it AND left a discoloration

on the sun catchers.

So--when I went to Wal-Mart to get more beads,

I picked this cake pan up and the Texas Size muffin pan.

It is made by Baker's Secret.  I don't know what it is made

of, but the whole pan is the same material and it works

like a dream!!!

This is still my favorite one.  

The first one I made with the larger translucent 

plastic beads --that turned out bumpy.

I haven't been able to replicate it,

but I will try--one more time, then--

that's it for sun catchers!!!

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Well kids--it is time!  I haven't used hot water in a couple of days, so, this morning when I took my shower, I must have drained it, because when the flame came on, I heard such a racket of lime and calcium clumps popping and bouncing around on the burner plate that it scared me!  It isn't that I need to drain and flush the hot water heater, it is now that I HAVE to drain and flush the hot water heater.

Today, I took my old rubber hose out of the hose reel and dragged it up to the front porch.  Tomorrow morning, I will empty my closet, hook up that hose and see what happens.  

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My gardens are fast "going by" as they say.  All I have blooming for the rest of the summer will be Cone Flowers and Rudbeckia.  The lilies are just about gone.  Of course I do have my annuals in the pots and that will help keep it a bit bright--but it is nearly August!  I cannot believe it.  We wait through March--April--watching and looking for some green little sprig of something growing in our gardens.  In May, the spring bulbs are glorious and then the pots and containers are ready to be planted.  Then here are the Peonies and Iris--then the Lilies and then.........................geez!  It seems to go by so fast!!  

Today, I watered, as we didn't get any rain last night--they got quite a bit about 15 miles south of here.  My Grape tomatoes are wonderful, however, my regular tomatoes are small and I don't know if I bought the wrong kind of if they just don't like the location, the dirt, who knows.  My cucumber vine is up and with flowers, but I don't think I will get any cucs before the frost.  I think, next year, I will just throw a whole bunch of wildflower seeds in that planter and see what happens.  I might get a nice bouquet out of it.  Wait--Zinnia's--they would work!!  I use to love Zinnia's.  (Gotta write that down in my garden journal for next year or---next year I will have forgotten.)  The optimism of gardeners and farmers; There is always next year!!!

Next year--none of this nonsense of "we aren't selling Impatiens this year because last year they had a mold disease. (Here, try these, they look the same.  Of course they will die and we won't give you your money back, so here, buy these larger variety--of course, they will get a leaf disease and will not be like you want, but....come back next year.")  

Wal-Mart sold Impatiens and I noticed the ones my neighbors bought are beautiful--so POOH--to the fancy, pricey garden store/nursery across the road. 

Okay--my final say on Sun Catcher!  

I do not like the Pony Beads--yes they are translucent, BUT

they appear to be dull--I would however use them for the

small sun catchers.

If I buy any more--these are the ones I would buy.  

They are also translucent, BUT they appear to be  more faceted

so when melted, they appear to shine much better AND

there are blue beads in this mix.

These are the Sparkle Beads--the ones with the glitter in them

don't want to melt very well.  The ones without the glitter,

were pretty good.