Mamma Said Sew

I went to a fabulous little shop in Fort Collins, CO called Mama Said Sew. If you're in the area -- I encourage you to stop by. I was looking for a birthday gift for my friend C. Found some cute fabric, a matching button and a book on how to creatively use fat quarters!


Happy Birthday C & Welcome to CO!

currently working on: Design for Upcoming Russian Art Exhibition at FCMOA

Jewelry for the Invitational Art Sale at FCMOA

Haven't posted in a few days since I've been so busy making jewelry for an upcoming sale at the Fort Collins Museum of Art. If you're in the area, I hope you stop by to see my stuff! Here is a sneak preview of some:


vintage key from Florence, CO on opera length silver chain
(among various silver earrings)

Pumpkin Time

fall 2010 pumpkins from White's Mill, Athens, Ohio

Thanks Tickette & Indie Fixx!!!

I took part in a fun contest on one of my favorite blogs --
Indie Fixx and I won!

I was SO excited and everyday since I have been checking the mail eagerly awaiting the package.
Yesterday -- it arrived!
I received a delightful silver doodle necklace made by the talented Tal & Ellia of Tickette from Israel. It was perfectly packaged in a little paper envelope with all sorts of pink accents, a cute little notepad addition and helpful jewelry care directions.


I LOVE IT! Thank you T&E and Jen!

Rosemary Lemon Cookies & Pesto

Preparing for the day frost takes away my garden ... I am drying herbs, cooking, freezing... I've made delicious Rosemary Lemon Cookies. Through a friend I found the recipe here, but made my own tweaks to add more rosemary since I have so much of it.

Then I made a ton of pesto, freezing the batches in ice cube trays so I have individual servings for future easy dinners.

next: lavender & thyme

Vintage Finds

I am so happy with my finds from a local Salvation Army -- great enameled metal dishes from Yugoslavia, and a little glass container. My boyfriend found and bought me the fun yellow bracelet.

bottom of dishes

One of my first ebay purchases: a hard-to-find Joan Baez LP. My mom and I listened to this album (on tape) on our Ohio trip. When I got home and itunes didn't have it -- I went on a search and yesterday got this in the mail. So lovely listening to it while making jewelry for an upcoming sale.

Castor Beans

I grew up with castor bean plants -- my mom planted them in our garden for many years. Sure they're poisonous, but they're also amazing, beautiful, useful plants. I remember how tall they would grow. As a kid I thought they were majestic, tropical and a little scary.

1985

seeds on my 2010 plant

Castor beans have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000 B.C., and the oil was used thousands of years ago in wick lamps.
The toxicity of raw castor beans is due to the presence of ricin. The lethal dose in adults is about 4 to 8 seeds, but reports of actual poisoning are rare. "According to the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, this plant is the most poisonous in the world."

I waited until too late in the spring to plant mine,
so it didn't grow very tall.

baby castor bean

Sunny Nasturtium and Recent Garden Bounty

Nasturtium

I am hoping for warm weather for as long as I can get it here... I will miss my sweet garden when cold weather comes.

My Trip to Ohio: Part 4

Our last day in Ohio -- we said goodbye to L&G and Lucy. (Many thanks for the red raspberries, the espresso, the delicious homemade granola and bread, and your generous hospitality.)

Lucy

We quickly drove west and then south to Portsmouth where we walked around town desperate to find a good cup o' joe. We regretted not stopping on our way out of town at the Village Bakery one more time for a great scone and coffee... From Portsmouth we took highway 52 and then down to Lexington, KY before heading back to Nashville, TN.

small back courtyard behind a chocolate shop in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

colorful windows in an empty building in Portsmouth

so many beautiful old buildings ...

a ubiquitous Mail Pouch Tobacco barn along Hwy 52 in OH

tree in Manchester, OH

as we drove to Tennessee, we spotted a castle in Kentucky -- apparently you can stay the night or have your wedding there, etc...

one more stop before we get back, a walk around 'historic' Bloomfield, KY

fin

My Trip to Ohio: Part 3

Found a walking stick on our car while visiting Dow Lake. We got it onto a real stick - so it could do it's thing. As we put it in a woodsy spot, we spotted a garter snake.

I enjoyed a quick walk around the campus at Ohio University.
This is a favorite quiet spot of mine outside the library, with a bench made of fossils!


The view from my old studio in Seigfred Hall (S.O.A.), Ohio University.


Lithograph printmaking studio in Seigfred Hall...
one of them used to be my block.


Kitty at White's Mill in Athens, OH