Nicho Complete-O! :)

A while back, I mentioned that I was working on the living room nicho. This is my round about way of dealing with the wall color--which I detest--but can't do anything about for the time being. Get me on a ladder, more than about 5 feet off the floor, and I start crying like a baby (on the inside, anyway). So, until I can get someone to paint the upper part of the living room walls, I'm stuck with this gawd-awful color, which I unaffectionately refer to as "pastey pink."


So I decided to exercise my powers of semi-control by decorating the nicho. It's been in this "before" state (above) for quite some time. The bright yellow was a way of defining it, if only temporarily, until I could get around to my real plan: creating a mosaic.


Above is the work in progress. I used mirrors, cut glass, and glass beads. These are (mostly) left-over materials from Madam Chair : http://www.robinhernandez.com/chair.html


I wanted to use a combination of precisely cut pieces, and random shapes. The entire project took longer than I anticipated. I figured, "small space, done in a short time." Actually, I learned that working in such a cramped space actually takes more time, because I had to piece things together, without having them stick out into space. The nicho measures 19" H x 10" W x 8" D.


Once I got the inside fully covered, I deciced to frame it with a combination of glass beads and small round mirrors. I think this last, finishing touch was the culmination of a couple of influences--a book on feng shui (mirrors reflect back the good luck), and a book called The Caliph's House, by Tahir Shah, where he talks about (among other things) the renovations of his home in Casablanca. That's a great book, by the way! Thanks, Mom, for sending it to me! :)

624 Days Until George W. Bush Leaves Office!
625 Days Until the BIG PARTY!!!!
Woo-hoo!!!!