I'm always happy when I can find a use for something that I'd normally throw out — it helps somewhat to assuage the guilt of keeping a lot of things around that "someday I might want." Maybe painters can be neat and tidy because their supplies are pretty much limited to paper or canvas and paint, but one of the things I love about mosaic art is that you can use found objects in your work, which feeds my tendency to keep a lot of things that I should just toss, so my workshop shelves are groaning, and there are boxes of tile and buttons and shells and other "stuff" hanging around under the table and stacked along the walls slowly inching their way toward me. It doesn't help that friends are always giving me their leftover tile from home improvement projects — not that I don't appreciate it!
So, when I acquired a new dish drainer, it was a delight to realize that the old one was perfect for storing the large glass pieces that I was using for the Monet project (see last post). It helps me see what I've got, what's getting low in stock, and reminds me of the color palette. Usually I store glass in those clear plastic shoe boxes and stack them on shelves, but this gives me a way to have what I need for the current project at hand. I feel righteous and efficient.
