7/365

7/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

You know when you find the perfect pair of jeans...they feel like they were made just for you? These are mine.

6/365

6/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

An all too common sign that's posted on the beaches near my house. Storm runoff and sewage spills are to blame for most of these closures. Unfortunately, the signs are small and far apart. I've seen tourists with their children playing in the surf completely unaware of the dangers from the polluted water, and have had to tell them. Yuck!

5/365

5/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

I have a wall in my yard filled with these little bursts of color...they remind me of fireworks, with little pineapples...which makes me think of summer and warm days with my toes in the sand. Ahhhh...I miss summer!

4/365

Been a long day...Lucy and I will enjoy a quiet night by candlelight.

3/365

Looking out my window wondering when this rain will stop...

2/365

Crazy busy day at work, too tired to cook so I decided to grab some grub on the way home for us.  While waiting at Pick Up Stix I used my camera phone to take a few shots for today. The colored ceiling lights caught my eye, took some pics of those first. Then I noticed the reflection of the lights on the table so Mr. and Mrs. Kikoman became my models. Fortune cookie say tomorrow is going to be a 5 star day :)

1/365

Day 1...started my New Year with a run, breakfast then a beach clean-up with my friend Debbie.  The sunglasses and striped cushion were found just as they are and I couldn't pass up this shot. Look for the sunglasses in a future beach trash mosaic.

My Ocean Awareness Project...A river of trash

The design for my mosaic began with the idea of how all of this trash travels to the ocean. 

I grouped the plastics into color groups first and then into a flowing river pattern.  Trash can travel hundreds of miles from inland cities.  This is something that I think most people don't even think about as they toss something into the gutter.

I had originally used white at the end of my river, but as you can see in the next photo I left it out. I'm saving the white plastics along with any others I gather for future mosaics.

My favorite part of the river is the broken sunglasses. By using my "signature eyes" behind the lenses I think it adds a bit of whimsy...which if you know me...I love!

The background will be filled with various shades of blue tessarae to make up my ocean. I'm currently waiting for a custom ceramic piece to arrive for the "Save Our Oceans".  I can't wait to get back to work on it!

Breaking Free...the finished piece

"Breaking Free" is my own personal mosaic that I made during the summer as my life took a major turn.  Each piece of tessarae has a story behind it and the "marriage" of all the broken bits join together to become one piece of art that now hangs in my studio. As a mosaic artist I'm used to putting things together in a new way...so  now I will work on putting the broken pieces of my life back together and like mosaic art I hope it will be beautiful :)

My Ocean Awareness Project...Where Does All This Plastic Come From?

When you live near the beach I think it's only natural that you take an interest in keeping it clean. I always deposit my trash , and will even pick up trash around me that was left by others.  But in the last few years I've begun to notice a larger amount of trash on the beach. Where does all this trash come from? There can't be that many litterbugs out there?

Last January after a intense week of rainstorms in Southern California I took a walk with my 12 year-old son down to Doheny Beach to check out the damage. We were amazed at how much trash ended up on the sand. Gigantic piles of wood....a big mess to deal with I'm sure but it's a natural element.

 We enjoyed the creative souls that had came before us and left their masterpieces.

 As we looked closer into the wood piles we saw bright and colorful things....plastic toys, sunglasses, balls.
I noticed some broken yellow sunglasses and picked them up. This is when I had the idea to use this trash to create a mosaic. We spent the rest of our time collecting brightly colored plastic to use as my tessarae. I think most people who live inland don't realize how far trash can travel and how much damage it can do to our oceans sea life.  I'm hoping that my finished project will open eyes to this problem.  I'll be updating my blog as I create my mosaic.

Vintage finds

While trolling for plates I often come across some really cool vintage things that I can't pass up.  These fun, funky finds are now offered in my Etsy shop, enjoy!

Vintage Green Mushroom Salt and Pepper Shakers

Vintage Brass Candlesticks

Vintage Yellow Tulip Art on Wood Block

Vintage Mkiasa Coffee Mugs