G is for Garden ~ The A to Z of one word mosaic messages

I spent my day with my students, who were so excited to be out and about in the gardens at my school. March was cold.

I came home a bit tired, but was excited to see how Margaret had finished off the background on what looked like this not so long ago when it left my studio ~

The client who ordered this chose the colors based on a welcome sign we had done in the past. Well, if you know us you know we love orange, and we surely love orange in our garden. So, who were we to refuse. Does the one word message, "Garden" take you to special place?

Here are orange scenes from gardens past ~

zinnia by Wayne Stratz

Midas the orange cat with orange zinnias
by Wayne Stratz

Flower arrangement
by Wayne Stratz

Lantana going well with a
mosaic bowling ball (created by Margaret Almon)

Marigold by Wayne Stratz

F is for Faithfulness ~ The A to Z of One Word Messages

Mirror Image of the beginning
of our Fruits of the Spirit Project

I am humbled by the faith that occurs when a client contacts us to create a piece of art. If it is their one word message, they have asked us to create something intimate. What about nine one word messages?  What if they were inspired to celebrate the fruits of the spirit. 

No matter the size of a project, before we can begin, colors must be chosen. When our friends commissioned the fruits of the spirit, we had them over for pizza. Then we headed into our studios. Orange was good. Green was less favored. Then they left, but trusting us to take their hope for beautiful words, the colors they dig, and the faith that humbles us ~

The Fruits of the Spirit
words by Wayne Stratz
Backgrounds by Maragret Almon
Borders by Suzanne Halstead

E is for Endless e's ~ The A to Z of One Word Messages

a word with many e's
by Wayne Stratz and Margaret Almon

Having been cutting out many a glass letter, I have decided that I do not dig e's.  But the font above is a nicer font for an e than the usual one we use.  And e's show up in so many words.  It is strange how creating signs has made us more intimate with the shapes of letters.  Oh, and yes, Margaret does not dig the tiny space I leave in each of the e's.

Ok, that is as much of a rant as you will see in this A to Z.  But maybe it goes back to elementary school when I could have been a straight A student if only I didn't get low grades for my handwriting.  Ironic that now I am known for finely crafted signs.

"g" by Wayne
background and innerground by Margaret

and what about this ~  Well, it has been a rare thing, but a lowercase "g" was quite the adventure.  Just don't ask Margaret about filling in two spaces within one letter.  ;')  But just look at her name.  There is a g, 2 a's and of course an e.

D is for Dreaming Doodlin Dude ~ The A to Z of One Word Messages

My Fit is orange and overflowing with jazz

Maybe it is time for a Dream mosaic.  Sounds much more my style than a Goal mosaic.  So what is my dream.  Well that would be the day I am retired from teaching and can focus on transforming my doodles to glass art. 

For now, I am glad that my classroom tends to be joyful and is far from a nightmare.

Here is a doodle from the dreaming dude.  I created this for a mandala drawing contest at my school ~

Doodle in the round by Wayne Stratz

The A to Z of one word messages ~ C is for Call my name

My Name
MyStudio

Mosaic Woman tried a variety of art forms on her way to mosaics and this sign came to be when she made ceramic art tiles. 

Wayne. What captures our attention more than hearing the one word message of our name? In high school there was only one other Wayne. In 26 years of teaching there has only been one student named Wayne.  99% of the times I hear it, I am being called.

More recently we were asked to celebrate the birth of a child named Parker. Here is a video showing the mosaic coming into being.

Twice I have been asked to honor the life of a loved one in glass.

Designed and created by
Wayne Stratz

Designed and created by
Wayne Stratz

Wayne means, "one who makes wagons."  I have not lived up to that yet.  Anyone need a stained glass wagon?

The A to Z of one word messages ~ The B's are Believe, Bloom, and Breathe

Believe sign by Nutmeg Designs
Wayne Stratz on the lettering and large blueness
Margaret Almon on the background and filling in the oval blues

 Sometimes your last hope is to believe all things are possible. That healing can happen. And then celebrate. Our first believe came from that place. The in-laws gifted this to a woman who emerged to health after months of illness. Believe!

Bloom sign by Nutmeg Designs
Wayne Stratz on the lettering and large greens and Red Rose
Margaret Almon on the background of the letters

This was our choice. I love flowers, as I said yesterday, they Awe me. But it is about the emergence. When watched the bloom. The plant shows an inkling to do something special. Watch it closely. We too have that inkling. Bloom!

Breathe sign by Nutmeg Designs
Wayne Stratz on the lettering
Margaret Almon on the vibrant background

Another commission here. Breathe. How many times has our client at Windward Farms Garden Retreat whispered that message during her yoga sessions. Breathe. And I who have taught for 26 years, how many students cope by doing this simple thing? Be calm. Breathe.

Do these words resonate with you? Any other B messages?  Maybe this one is in our future.  Be. Margaret went to Bethlehem

The A to Z of one word messages ~ A is for Awed

word in progress today:
April 1, 2013

At Nutmeg Designs we specialize in one word signs, and even though we have done more than one word those occasions have been rare. This month I am going to focus on words we have made and words I hope to make.

Over on Flickr I sometimes leave a simple one word comment and often it is "Awed."

What do I mean? I hope the photographer understands that I mean I am overwhelmed by beauty, by talent, by colors, by shapes, by emotions, and by the generosity to take the time to share it all for my eyes to see. To be awed is truly splendid. To show you what I mean I made a gallery featuring one photograph from 16 of my favorite Flick friends.

I am awed by flowers, jazz, friends, scientific discoveries, art, glass, birds, and love. I am awed by a God who is involved in all of this.

And finally I am awed by Arlee Bird, who came up with the idea of a to z and has created quite the phenomenon.

So what are you awed by?

Mosaic Woman is going places on her A to Z and today she celebrated a piece of Canada... Alberta