My apologies to any and all at the workshop that I may have given my cold to. If it is any consolation my voice completely disappeared the next day. Now it alternates between a really good Bea Arthur imitation and a high pitched squeak that makes my neighbor's dogs bark.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Neil Patterson Workshop
My apologies to any and all at the workshop that I may have given my cold to. If it is any consolation my voice completely disappeared the next day. Now it alternates between a really good Bea Arthur imitation and a high pitched squeak that makes my neighbor's dogs bark.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Ring around the blackberry brandy
Time for more sleep. And possibly more brandy. :)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Nancy Ryan




Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A look at the past...

The above photo is such a beautiful shot from the 1940s of a clothesline. The composition is perfect with the silhouetted grape leaves running across the top.
This photo below shows a group peeling potatoes. I love the way the older woman on the left is watching intently as the children try to get involved.



Sunday, March 23, 2008
Just say no to the Easter bunny...
Over the past 16 years I have had the privilege of sharing my home with four different rabbits. Corduroy, Salinger, Petey and Laurel. None of them ever lived outside, all were litter box trained, my sweet girl Salinger lived to be 10 years old, Petey and Laurel were both adopted from the House Rabbit Society. Rabbits are the most forgiving, loving animals who know better than any how to enjoy life. They are happy and funny and smart. They play and dance (seriously!) and frolic and bring constant joy to those lucky enough to be around them. The point of this mushy rant is this: On this Easter holiday please consider the life of a rabbit to be something special, something worth honoring and respecting. Do not buy your child a cute fuzzy bunny that they will lose interest in in just a few days. Do not then place this rabbit in a cage in the back yard to live a lonely life and suffer a premature death. If you must buy a rabbit this Easter (or anytime) please educate yourself and consider adopting one of the many former Easter rabbits that have been abandoned or neglected. And please, consider keeping your rabbit in your house just as you would a cat or a dog. For more information please see the House Rabbit Society's website.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Multiple personalities
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Happy
I am thrilled with the glaze job! I have never used this combination of glazes before so I really had no idea what it would look like. It didn't do what I thought it would, but I am totally happy nonetheless. Now I will line them up on my mantle and stare at them for a while. :)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Ed Levin
Two of the photos above are of pages from Marbeth Schon's wonderful book, Modernist Jewelry 1930-1960: The Wearable Art Movement. This book is a must have for anyone interested in jewelry history, modernist design, or simply those looking to be inspired. You need this, trust me. :)
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Industrial-ish-ness
I am pretty fond of this pair of necklaces. I love the combination of the glossy green glaze and the matte black oxide stain. Note to self: use black oxide stain more often!
Both of these pieces can be found in my Etsy shop. :)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Jewelry and cabbages...
However, it was great to be back in that environment. I love to be surrounded by fresh fruit and vegetables, not to mention the other marvelous things that can be found there: handmade soap, fresh spices, plants, local honey, local cheese, local wine, organic meats, fresh bread and baked goodies (pie!) and let's not forget the freshly made hot donuts! Today I actually brought my favorite cookbook with me and sat there planning meals and buying ingredients. And since it is nearly St. Pat's Day (Syracuse is a big Irish town - everyone was in green for the big parade) there was cabbage everywhere, so of course I had to get some to make sauerkraut (not so Irish but oh so yummy!). It is nearly impossible to be surrounded by fresh produce and not try even a little to eat healthier and more creatively.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Stocked and fully loaded...
If you look closely in the photo below you will see my little tiny pieces scattered around the bigger things. I wish I had glazed more. We only fire the gas kiln around once a month (the electric kilns are going nearly every day) so I try to have as much glazed as possible but this time I ran out of time.
I sprung ahead and stepped behind
Today will be a day in the studio. First I have to reglaze these bottles (below). I should have stopped with the first two layers but in my glazing frenzy I decided to add the paper circles with a third glaze. As soon as I did it I knew it was too much and that if fired these four lovelies would be melted to the kiln shelf (and I would have a lot of grinding to do). So last night I washed them off and today I will start over. I am still determined to use the same three glazes - I will just have to apply them differently. Two steps forward, one step back...
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
New Old Directions
For me the creating process is often one of holding back due to the fact that I simply have too many ideas coming at me all at once. It can be overwhelming and intimidating, especially when there is a chance that a design will not work. Jewelry, at its best, is wearable art - which means not only does it have to function from an aesthetic angle but it also has to be comfortable to the wearer. These two requirements are not always happily married.
As I sat in the empty studio that New Year's Day I forced myself to abandon the worries, to forget about logistics and simply create for the sake of creating. Soon enough the old ideas materialized and new ones started to formulate.
Not every design I made that day works as a piece of jewelry. Some are just too odd or cumbersome, some are too weak and just ugly. But they all served a purpose that day. They gave me that "it's a new year, time for new ideas and new inspirations" kind of feeling. And they cleared my mind for the next round of inspiration.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Refreshing a necklace display
Again, not wanting to spend any money, I looked around my house to see what I could use and I found a stack of brown paper grocery bags. Perfect! I tore little pieces with ragged edges and began gluing (Mod Podge) them in a pleasing pattern all over the form. The result is earthy and natural and, most importantly, will provide a neutral backdrop for my jewelry. Only 14 more to go...
Of course this project could be done in any number of variations. With the amount of gorgeous papers available today you could really create a masterpiece, or you could even use fabric with frayed edges, book pages, comic books, candy wrappers - the sky's the limit!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Spring-time is for birds and bunnies!
And here is a cool little tid-bit: this little bunny to the left was the inspiration for the bunny necklace worn by the Welcome Winter Blythe doll. How cool is that?
Visit my Etsy shop for more Spring and Easter goodies!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Fasting Update - All Done!

Well, almost. Yesterday was the tenth and last day of my fast. Unfortunately I can't do a swan dive into a tub of sour cream right away (oh, how I want to...) - I need to ease myself back into eating. So today it will be fruit juice. Tomorrow it will be salads and vegetable soup (I already have my simple recipe picked out!). I have received some questions about this fast: Why do it? Do you lose any weight? Are you completely out of your mind? All good questions and most of the answers can be found here.
Speaking personally I will say that I do it for several reasons. Primarily I view this fast as a way to start fresh with better eating habits. Over the past few years my diet has really gone down hill and I want to be in more control over what I put in my body instead of giving in to every unhealthy craving. There is a weight loss benefit if you need to lose weight. If you are carrying around a few extra pounds (my Winter weight, as I call it) they will come off but you will need to maintain that loss with your diet after the fast. A few years ago my mother fasted and didn't loose any weight at all (she's a twig), so if you are already at your healthy weight there is no real danger of losing any more.
Aside from the physical benefits there are many psychological ones as well. A clear body also means a clear mind. As the detoxing progresses it is amazing how the mind becomes sharper and the energy level goes up. Overall the fast, for me, is a time to reprogram myself both in regards to diet and where I am at mentally.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Saturday again...
This is the fourth Saturday in a row that I have missed selling at the Syracuse Farmer's Market due to the forecasted weather. And this is the fourth Saturday in a row that the forecast has been way off. It is difficult to make the call at 4 in the morning as to whether or not the hour and a half drive will be safe (and worth it) so we have opted out each time only to be frustrated by the rising sun and clear roads a few hours later. Today is all about the wintry mix: rain + snow = slush and possible flooding. I am watching the Susquehanna River, which is right in front of my house, rise and get dangerously close to the bank. I guess I should make the most of this "free" day.
On to a different topic. Yesterday was spent with my friend Nancy. She is a phenomenal artist, primarily a printmaker, who is interested in getting an Etsy shop up and running. I spent the day with her showing her the ins and outs of the site and looking at how others market their work. She had never heard of ACEOs and got quite excited about idea of making little prints that people could collect. I have a feeling that at this very moment she is busy in her studio working away on tiny masterpieces. As a thank you for helping her out she told me could I have any print or drawing I wanted. This is like offering a drug addict their choice of narcotics and I had to really control myself as I poured over her hundreds of works. I ended up choosing the drawing above - a beautiful figure study full of gestural lines and quiet solitude.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Don't be fooled...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
You have to smell it to believe it!

The aftershave: Sweet Pipe Tobacco aftershave has the most amazing scent ever! In the whole history of aftershaves never has there been such a perfect scent for the man who was born 100 years too late (Paul is a true Edwardian at heart). It has the subtle sweet aroma of fine pipe tobacco without being overpowering. On more than one occasion I have found myself standing the bathroom holding the bottle and just inhaling. Yes, I am an aftershave addict. I admit it.

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