Tis the Season

In the spirit of the season, I was a busy bee working on all sorts of projects for some of the special people in my life. I wish I could have posted these sooner, but at least they were a surprise. Nevertheless, expect these to resurface in the not-too-distant future...

New note cards featuring glimpses of trees in their various stages: root, seed, bud, and bloom. All trees (native to the mid-Atlantic region) were lovingly selected for their captivating characteristics and illustrated in the botanical style by yours truly. These images are taken from lithographic prints produced earlier this year and printed in outstanding detail with crisp black ink on quality embossed ivory stock. Packaged in packs of four different trees with matching envelopes.

Heirloom Icicle and Snowflake Ornaments celebrate the natural wonders of the season in the best of spirit... All ornaments are handmade from recycled and welded coat hangers and vintage chandelier crystals. These very special ornaments represent the importance of minimizing our footprint on the environment by preserving our resources.

New also are my "Natural Fresheners" in Lovely Lavender and Citrus & Spice for those who like to spice it up... naturally! They contain all premium and natural ingredients in a 100% cotton pouch with velvet ribbon and a vintage button. Natural Fresheners smell great and are cute enough to place anywhere (even on a tree)!

PS - I love my new camera!

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Here's a little Christmas image to wish you a very happy holiday. A copper hydraulic die formed ornament given to my mom in 1998; my very first metalsmithing project ever. Here began my annual (mostly) tradition of making ornaments for the special people in my life, not to mention the advent of my desire to learn as much as I could about metal processes. We'll be driving up and down the east coast this week visiting family and spreading cheer (4 states in 4 days!). To you and yours, have a very merry Christmas and happy new year...

Antique Purse of the Week: Hey Sailor!

Above: Small clutch with strap, opaque cream and red glass beads striped with translucent dark gray glass beads, silver cording along front flap, cream colored grograin fabric on sides and interior, snap closure. Country of manufacture: Germany.

This sassy little number reminiscent of the 1940's was made in Germany, a major contributor to the glass bead phenomena that continues to gain momentum today.** I can picture her perfectly; a young woman with bright red lipstick, a short stylish coif, and perhaps a sailor outfit complete with white collar would be proud to carry a bag like this for an evening of dancing out on the town.

** I have some great pre-WWII German glass beads discovered in a warehouse cache many years later that get auctioned off in small quantities a year at a time. The bright opaque colors and flower shapes make sweet little earrings, but more on that another time!

Ginger-Peanut Tuna Salad

A fresh, flavorful meal great for any season and lover of the oh-so-wonderful and versatile ginger root!

• One large can - chunk white tuna (or salmon) packed in water, drained
• Small handful - roasted peanuts, shelled of course
• Almost a tablespoon - fresh ginger root, finely grated
• A couple of tablespoons - chopped spring onions
• Splash (enough to hold mixture together) - Ginger Miso salad dressing, your favorite brand

Mix and serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach with grated carrots and mandarin oranges or clementines with rice cracker rounds on the side.

Serves: 2, Takes: minutes!

I wish I could take a picture, but we already know that story. Trust me, this is a great salad you're sure to love (unless you hate ginger, then you definitely don't want to try it).

Recipe obtained and modified by Monta & Don. Thanks and love you!

Baby It's Cold Outside

So I commandeered Steve's camera for a few moments to capture the icy landscape this afternoon... but only before I enjoyed a nice warm cup of hot chocolate. I hope you're warm and cozy inside and enjoying the season tonight. I'll be getting back to my welded Heirloom Christmas Ornaments... expect images soon. Too bad they wont be in the shop this year, I suppose 2008 will bring the unleashing of some new designs. More soon...

I've Been Tagged!

I've been a little absent as of late... no excuses, but my camera is presently out of comission and things have been very busy. Nevertheless, I've recently been tagged by the lovely Juliet of The Broken Plate and Liz of Liz Mathew's Jewelry Design. Overall, a great excuse to shake out this dusty blog! So without further delay, here are 5 random facts about me...

1. Fortunately, I've never broken a bone (not out of lack of opportunity) or had surgery. I've been a very lucky girl.


2. For the past six years, I've taught rock climbing in addition to other adventure activities that focus on confidence and team building in addition to Leave No Trace principles. It's been a wonderful experience that has truly enriched my life.


3. I hope to one day write and illustrate one or more children's books. I already have the characters and the theme, I'm just waiting for story to hit me... probably while I'm sleeping, showering, or driving (where all good ideas come from).


4. When I was little, I aspired to be a professional roller-skater... or a veterinarian... or a mermaid. What, no professional mermaids?! How cool would it have been to roller-skate through life? Not quite ideal for the studio!


5. Excess packaging drives me wild, I hate shopping bags (and usually bring my own), and I believe that we as consumers have a responsibility to stop buying things that will end up in landfills after a couple of seasons (i.e. holiday lawn decoration for example) in favor of making our own out of, say... found objects or recycled materials! Try DIY projects (great for the kiddos) and trade or gift with family and friends. Buy natural and biodegradable from renewable/sustainable resources and/or handmade to support small businesses, organizations that donate proceeds to charities, and the local economy. Or pass special holiday ornamentation down from generation to generation... the best ones usually are! After all, what holiday traditions are based in plastics anyway? BANG! CRASH! BUMP! Sorry, I think I just fell off my soapbox!

Wow, a lot of people I know have already been tagged. Lets see... I will tag: Rebecca, Beth, Maren, and Ellen!

The Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Mud in Camera = Fewer Blog Posts

I couldn't resist taking some great pictures of the kids while caving this past summer. They just had so much fun (and so did I). This proved to be a poor decision and an overall unfriendly locale for cameras! Duh. I hope to "acquire" new photographic equipment in the couple of weeks. Until then, please be patient with me while I settle for preexisting images and loaner cameras (thanks Steve)! Watch for: recent art and jewelry designs and more antique purses!

Holiday Heap THIS Saturday!

The Charm City Craft Mafia's Holiday Heap craft show is this Saturday, December 1. Get your holiday shopping started early or late (depending!) at this juried alternative craft fair featuring some great Baltimore locals. Check out Beth Pohlman Jewelry, Imogene, Liz Matthews Jewelry, The Broken Plate, and the Towson Metals & Jewelry Club; all jewelry designers, friends, and prior classmates who create some really beautiful work! The show will be held in the gorgeous St. John’s Church, located at 2640 St. Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21218, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. For more information on Holiday Heap, other notable vendors featuring handmade crafts, and the CCCM, go here. Also, don't forget your canned goods to help support the Maryland Food Bank!

YouTube Baby!

On a completely unrelated note, it seems I (or at least my calves) have inadvertently hit the big time! This past August, I volunteered at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and was fortunate enough to work alongside the video production crew, a bunch of very talented professionals who volunteer their time to put on one class act production. The result is high quality imagery for the festival big screens and distribution of DVD's to the performers. Setting up the equipment, opperating a camera for the first time, and watching it all go down inside the mobile TV truck was such a wonderful learning experience. Needless to say I had a blast.

My first camera experience was on Saturday afternoon filming the band Old Springs Pike, a unique and delightfully difficult to categorize folk/rock band based in NYC. As you will see from the clip above, which was filmed by yours truly and others, OSP is an incredibly energetic bunch that truly enjoy performing their music live. They helped make the festival experience, not to mention my time behind the camera a truly enjoyable one. If you look real close, my camera (as well as my legs from the knee down) can be seen stage-right. Later that evening I met Heather, the female singer extraordinaire and was so delighted with how sweet she was. Check out their website and myspace to hear more music! Thanks OSP!

With Rain Comes Autumn

After some much needed rain, it's beginning to get quite chilly up here. In the past few days I've taken to wearing a winter jacket... indoors! We've been working hard to prepare the yard with planting, pruning, weeding, and getting our composter ready. Now it's time to winterize this old farmhouse so we can get moving with the fun projects... in warmth. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy some of the vibrant October colors and rich textures from the past few days.