articulations

As Promised...

 

Here's one of my new pieces for the Washington Island Show over the 4th of July!!

 

 

"Journey"

 

 

After I finished this canvas, I knew I wanted to frame it a little differently than what I usually do. I knew that I wanted it to look like an old drawer, and was hoping Andy would "get it." I'm not the best at explaining things, he always wants to know very specific details, like how wide should the wood be? how deep is the frame...etc...I never measure anything, so I normally squeeze my fingers together and say, " I don't know, about that big." He then proceeds to whip out the tape measure and start taking measurements of my fingers. Usually we have a breakdown somewhere between my brain and his shop and things don't turn out exactly as I had imagined. Don't get me wrong, I'd never have a piece of work framed without him, and I am so grateful he is willing to help me out. This time I am happy to say, either our communication skills are improving after 16 years, or he is getting better at reading my mind. He got it exactly right, down to the crusty drawer pull I requested and the old, weathered wood color. So thanks hubby! I couldn't have done it without you.

 

And lastly tonight, a quick picture of a new jewelry piece...antique key, handmade copper "earth" tag, charms, and several beautiful pieces of turquoise..."Peaceful Planet" will be listed on Etsy later tonight.

light and love-amanda

Just wanted to share...

I took these pictures a few weeks ago, when our lilacs were in full bloom. this cute little guy or gal visited with us daily...

 

this little friend was with us for some time too. she loved to flutter about the lilacs and landed briefly so i could snap a photo...

 

last picture of the morning, not the best one, but a new necklace I had worked on...

 

this is the second elephant inspired piece I've made this year. my grandmother loved elephants and collected them for as long as i can remember. when she passed away, I was lucky enough to receive a few of her pieces. I've got them tucked in little spots around my house and studio...I found this beautifully carved Jasper elephant on-line, and knew I wanted to make another piece. the little copper tag reads "Family" I made this piece for my show, but I've worn it several times, and am not sure I want to give it up. It's extra long so you can wear it at full length, or double wrap it around your neck. I hope to get at least one more post in this afternoon. my husband has been working on some framing for a few collages that I've got done for the show. One in particular, I'd like to share with you...so check back later...

PPS...Happy Anniversary Andy!! It was our 15th yesterday...we didn't get to do much celebrating, but I hope to do something special with him this week-end. Even if it's just a nice supper at home. He's my rock, and he's always there when I feel like I've just got too much on my plate. We all need a voice of reason, he's mine!! I love you

Have a great day-light and love-amanda

What's New?

 

Ok, I know I haven't posted in ages, but I've been really busy...

I've got a trunk show coming up on the Fourth of July, in Washington Island, WI. You know how you always think you are prepared, and then the last week or so, panic sets in...well I'm at that point right now. Panic or not, I'd like to invite you all up to Washington Island for the week-end of the Fourth. I will be doing a dual show with my friend Jeanne Shay. She is a fantastic fiber artist and we will be opening our trunk show on July 3rd from 5:00 to 7:00pm, and Saturday from 9:00am until close. The Red Cup Coffee House will be hosting us for the event.The Red Cup has been a huge supporter to both of us, and I am so excited to go!!

Here's a picture of our postcards...let me know if you'd like to get one in the mail!!! sorry the picture is so blurry..

 

Here's a quick shot of the studio this morning...yes I know it's a horrible mess...

 

I plan on bringing a ton of new jewelry to the trunk show, as well as some collages, assemblages, and a few shrines. 

If you are headed up to Door County, please hop over to my friend Sue's blog to read the details of her fantastic show. Last Friday Off the Wheel Pottery  in Egg Harbor, hosted an opening of Sue's artwork. Her work will be for sale at the gallery through the summer. There were so many gorgeous pieces there. Sue's work has an amazing depth, that will make you wonder how she does it!!  Hope you are having a wonderful summer, and I promise to get some more posts in before I leave on my trip to Washington Island. light and love-amanda

Busy, Busy, Busy...

 

Just popping in so everyone doesn't think I've fallen off the face of the earth. I've been working a lot in the studio these last few weeks, this week in particular. The above "Tweets" are my new obsession. Hand sculpted, antiqued and sealed, they are fun to make, and I think fun to design with. I've received some really lovely focal components in the mail these last two weeks...(pics coming soon) but there is something very satisfying about creating your own. Here's what they are turning into:

 

This "Tweet" available now in my Etsy Shop...

and

 

Lots more in the studio, waiting to become jewelry. My sister and her family are here from the Twin Cities, so I probably won't get back to post until next week...I'll be headed up to Door County for a fun family picnic!!  I just wanted to give you a little sneak peak at some fun new stuff...hope you are all enjoying your summers-light and love-amanda

One more thing...

   

Just hopped outside to snap a few more photos for Etsy, and got a whiff of this....

 

I hope wherever you may find yourself this week-end, the lilacs are blooming...light and love-amanda

Just a quick hello...

 

Red Red Robin Necklace available now on Etsy... (SOLD)

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday week-end. I know I'm looking forward to playing outside in the garden, and at least a few good cook-outs...I'm running a few specials in my etsy shop right now. I've recently marked a lot of my pieces down, and some are marked way down...so hurry on over there, the sale is for a limited time...light and love-amanda

Ahh...Rabbit Season is upon us

  

(Crab Apple Tree on our farm)

Yes, tis the season for little bunnies to come a nibblin. We have lived here for over 12 years, and have never had a problem with rabbits. Even when I had a huge vegetable garden (many moons ago) I never worried about the bunnies eating all of my plants. When we raised Bantam chickens, they were more destructive than anything else. We have always had rabbits, enough to see them on a fairly regular basis, but this year they are becoming a little bothersome. On Mother's Day, Hannah and I went out to my folks house to visit, and do a little plant shopping with my mom. I knew that I couldn't spend a lot of money on plants this year, so I was pretty selective about what I bought. My prize for the day was a male and female hardy Kiwi plant.  They are supposed to grow like crazy, and I was hopeful that they would cover one of my garden structures. The following week-end a friend stopped by and fell in love with them, so they went to live at her house...this past week-end my folks came out to our place so we could take care of their pooches for the week-end. My mom and dad brought me some more Kiwi plants.. (thanks mom and dad) and I promptly planted them.  Now it seems the bunnies have found my lovely plants too. I went out yesterday morning to get my daughter off to school, and was shocked to see one of the plants mowed down to nubbins. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. It was like the devastation didn't register...you have to understand we have more stray cats living here than a crazy cat lady, and I can't believe a bunny would be so brazen as to trod on their territory...so now I have to think of a clever way to keep those little critters off of my plants...I can now sympathize with all of you who deal with the battle of the bunnies every year....I'll keep you posted on this one.

 

Maribel Caves and Park

On Sunday, my wise hubby once again kidnapped me to take a hike at the Maribel Caves. This is one of my favorite spots on the planet...There are huge cliffs (with caves), loads of easy hiking trails, and a beautiful stream that runs alongside the trails.  Right now is a particularly beautiful time to go there. The bugs aren't out, and all of the fresh greenery makes the place look like a fairy land. We've hiked there dozens of times, but this time we were lucky enough that they caves were open and they were giving tours. What a wonderful experience. Our guide was a volunteer that works in the caves a few times a month. He gave us all kinds of information, and was just a fantastic, passionate guy...Even my husband commented on how enthusiastic and passionate he was about the caves. I had to laugh because there was another couple who was near the entrance when we started our tour. The woman asked if it was muddy, when the tour guide said yes, she declined their invitation for the tour. Wow, I can't imagine giving up an experience like that just because of a little bit of mud. Andy and I are both a bit claustrophobic, but neither of us were going to let that stop us...we even got to see two different types of bats---cool..

 

Some more pictures from the trails. We saw a few natural oddities, and some gorgeous plant life.

 

 

 

This next one is amazing. The "thing" that Andy and Hannah are standing by is actually a vine...yeah, I know it looks like a tree, but it was an ancient vine winding it's way into the tree tops, and back down again...I've never seen anything like it in my life.

 

And just so you don't think I've been goofing off for the last few weeks, here's a glimpse of what's been happening in the studio...

 

 

Hope you are all enjoying the weather! It's supposed to be 80 here today!! light and love-amanda

A few more shots from the garden...

 

Wow, I know two posts in one day, couldn't help but share some photos from the garden this morning. I usually wait outside on the porch every morning while my daughter waits for the bus...I know she's old enough to be out there, but it's kind of our little morning ritual. We say our goodbyes for the day, our I love you's, and I feed all of the feral cats. I brought my camera out this morning and snapped a few photos...

 

(I've had this little critter water jug for a few years,( a gift from my mom,) but I did spy some at The Flying Pig in Algoma if you might need one. What a great gift for mom! I've seen birds, chipmunks and cats all drinking out of it.)

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great Monday...light and love-amanda

Week-End Adventure and the Tiny Turtle

 

Well I've been bugging my husband to do something fun for the last few week-ends. I had planned on working all day Saturday, but the weather was gorgeous, and he was far wiser than I, decided to kid-nap his wife and daughter for a road trip to Sturgeon Bay. We spent the day just bumming around, stopping at some of our favorite shops and junk stores, and then at a park on the way home. The Anaphee trail stretches for some 30 miles in this area of the state, and we stopped to look at a small dam. We hadn't been there for since our daughter was a toddler.

 

It was beautiful. We didn't wander too far into the woods, but I could have spent the entire day wandering the forests.

 

Found these wood-pecker holes on this old tree, but I thought it was unusual that the holes were so far down on the trunk...anyone else ever see holes this low?

 

While waiting for my daughter to use the facilities, I spotted what I thought was a plastic toy turtle...until it moved.

 

(those crusty hands are my hubby's, but mine are equally as dirty-lol)

 

Mother Nature's pretty amazing. This little guy was so perfect,  I thought he was a child's toy. I have no idea how old he was, my guess is that he hatched out pretty recently. He was about the size of a quarter. Don't worry, we left him at the park, and sanitized our hands.

On the way home we stopped in at the Flying Pig. My husband and daughter hadn't seen my new display, so we had a cup of coffee, and a look around. They have gotten in some amazing new art, and I am definitely counting my pennies in hopes I can take a piece of it home with me soon. The plants are arriving, and the gardens already look amazing. My husband really enjoyed himself, and commented on how inspiring the whole garden and gallery was. Can't wait to go back. Hope you all had a great week-end, light and love-amanda

Back from the show, and I even stayed within my budget...

 

Well Sue, Gary and I survived the bead show without losing our homes. They arrived there before me, and I was off driving around in a residential area looking for the new location. I never said I had any sense of direction. I may need to look into buying one of those GPS devices. The show was great, and I even stayed within my budget, something I rarely do at this event. Those gorgeous beads above are turquoise. I eyed them up the entire time we were there, going back to them time and again. I am not sure what their future holds, but after the initial totaling of my bill, I realized I still had enough cash to buy them. For now, they will keep me company in the studio. My pictures definitely don't do the beads justice, but the light is fading in my studio, and I wanted to post a few....

 

 

I was able to find some really interesting shapes this time around, which is what I was hoping to find. And those bright blue beads-Peruvian Blue Opal... one of my  favorites, and very hard to find. The thing that is great about this show, is there is something for everyone. I saw people checking out with just a few strands, totaling less than $50.00. and those that were checking out with thousands of dollars worth. The staff at this event is always helpful, kind and courteous, and the same goes for their on-line shop. If you haven't ordered from Rings-&-Things  yet, I'd encourage you to give them a try. If you haven't been to their Bead Tour, definitely mark it on your calendar, they'll be back this fall. Well I am off now to go marvel at my spoils. Don't forget to check out Sue's Blog too, I am sure she will be posting about our bead adventure, and maybe you'll get a sneak peak at what she bought. light and love-amanda