Malia is, by her own admission, a “screen-ager,” meaning that she has a tendency to focus on the tiny little handheld screen that seems to have become everyone’s non-optional high-tech appendage. We have parental controls in place and all that, which she only rails against on occasion, so for the most part, her screen time is spent mainly communicating with her social circle via text, phone call, Facetime, etc. But she does like to spend some time on other apps, like YouTube, the keeper of all music videos, crafting tutorials, etc. And every once in a while, she discovers something interesting.
Earlier this month, she discovered a nearby stained-glass studio that offers a beginners make and take class for those who want to dip a toe into making stained glass. She was instantly intrigued and asked (repeatedly) about the possibility of signing up for one of the classes. I thought it sounded super fun as well so after some consultation with all the interested parties, Rachael, Kate, Malia, and I found a date that worked for all of us, and we signed up to learn a new skill.
This evening was our class, and it was so fun! It was definitely designed for beginners as all the glass was cut and prepped prior to our arrival. We simply chose our preferred design and colors and then our teacher walked us through the process of applying the copper tape and soldering our design together. While there are definitely some tips and tricks that lead to a nicer finished product, the assembly process was simpler than I expected and very satisfying! I think we were all pleased with how our pieces turned out, and as for me, I find myself considering the idea of delving a bit deeper into making stained glass.
I suspect the cutting and prepping of the glass is a much more difficult skill to acquire, and the whole thing could possibly be quite pricey, so I’m still just pondering. Plus, it’s not like I have time right now anyway. Daniel’s wedding is in less than three weeks, I’m deeply involved in figuring out how to feed Matthew once he gets to Arkansas, I’m half of a co-parenting team that is working to motivate Malia to do enough to pass her summer class, and trying at the same time to give my body a break so I don’t lose three full days in a row to migraine like I did last week. All those things mean that my interest in starting a new hobby is going to remain hypothetical right now, but it might be something I come back to later on. We’ll see. In the meantime, it makes me ridiculously happy to stare at my little glass creation as the sun streams through the window!
