And so it begins...

After an evening of setting up my supplies and figuring out the best placement for everything, I've started cutting! You can go ahead and call me impatient because I really should have waited for the background glass to get here, which doesn't come until Thursday. I'm sure I can draw templates around the leaves I've finished so far.

I added a sweet little bird to the drawing since I first planned it. I think he's begging to be bright blue, so blue he shall be. Thank you, Oh Mighty Internet, for free scrapbooking templates because I think he's perfect.

It's hard to really see the color of the leaves because the glass is so dark green, so here's a little more accurate representation of the color:

Spectrum Dark Green

Not all the leaves are going to be this dark. I also have Spectrum Medium Green (not a whole lot different though, really) and I have some "unknown" greens coming in a glass pack on Thursday.

This is a close-up of the bottom-left leaf. I don't think it's too bad considering I've been away from doing any glass since November. Later on in the process the solder will stick to the copper foil to produce the seams.

Close-up of bottom leaf

There's a bit of a learning curve right now, mostly getting used to my equipment. My grinder has been "chewing off" the top and bottom edges of the glass, but fortunately the foil seems to cover it enough that you can't tell. I've been searching all over the internet and so far have boiled it down to having a new bit that's a little tough on the glass until it's broken in. I don't have the bit down too far, there's plenty of water, I'm grinding in the direction of the spin, I'm gentle... and I'm frustrated. Just in case my bit is too rough, I've ordered a finer grit bit.

At some point in the very near future my family will notice the dishes aren't done as often. They can thank the glass. :)