September Journal '26

What I'm making/reading/noticing/trying in September 2026:

1. I've been learning how to make stained glass and as a result I see all kinds of cool stained glass work online now. I've been trying to figure out HOW people are adding detailed full-color images to their stained glass without tools like a kiln. But folks are a little hush hush about their techniques.

Through much googling, I discovered Inkjet waterside decal paper which allows you to print full color images that you can transfer to glass.It's a little finicky, but the results are promising. I found that it looks best on light-colored slightly opaque glass, and looks most polished when the edges of the decal are nicely cut or hidden by the solder lines.

2. The theme of CSU Spur's Second Saturday celebration this month was "made in Colorado". In the makerspace, I invited visitors to explore how fabric is made using weaving tools that were made in Colorado like a 4-shaft loom from local Boulder Company Schacht, and a collection of "backstrap looms" I designed and cut with our laser cutter. Young visitors in particular loved the satisfying tactile feeling of pulling the levers on the loom and were mesmerized by the soothing repetition of weaving on a loom. Rather than asking visitors to create specific patterns with their weaving, I let them freely explore. Inevitably, interesting patterns and textures emerged. When we noticed a pattern, we named them and talked about where we see them in our lives (e.g., the "twill" pattern is present in the denim jeans we wear)

3. I visited the new Anythink "Nature Library" in Thornton, CO. It's a gorgeous biophilic building and worth a visit, especially if you are a CO resident. In Colorado, you can get a library card anywhere in the state, not just in the city you live in! I love a good kit, and this library is full of fun outdoors and nature-themed "Try-it" kits. You can check out things like a set of animal skulls, a street litter clean-up kit, a soil testing probe, bear bags,a bird song kit, and so much more.

4. A pair of Northern Flickers*¹ perched on branches near the South Platter River, spotted during a quick after-lunch walk at work. What a sweet description from All About Birds, "A gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage". If this looks familiar, it's the same photo I transferred to glass in the experiments above.