Patty Lakinsmith

For this New Year

2012-01-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hope your 2012 is off to a great start. I just wanted to share an excellent TED talk with you from Brene Brown, a self-proclaimed "Researcher / Storyteller". I would like to watch this each and every day this year. Brene is an incredible thinker and speaker, and her message is life changing.

thank you. just, thank you.

2011-12-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

As the days remaining in this very long,

very challenging year draw to a close

I want to thank you.

Humbly.

Honestly.

Deeply.

Thank you for nourishing my artistic growth,

helping me reach for my dreams,

and believing in me.

Thank you for being there

when I have needed a shoulder

(more often than I care to admit),

or a laugh

(always seeking this),

or a helping hand

(learning to accept this with grace),

or some good advice

(even if I don't always follow it),

or a reminder of my inner strength.

I need to be better about

giving back more of the healing energy

that I have received in such kindness.

and as I go forward into 2012 that is my goal.

***

We'd never know how high we are
till we are called to rise;
and then, if we are true to plan,
our statures touch the sky.

- Emily Dickinson

***

I wish you the peace and wonder

of a star-filled night sky,

love it all its purity,

courage to climb your mountains,

and health to carry you through.

I hope you enjoy some precious time

with those that you love.

I love you.

- Patty

Sacramento Arts Festival Update!

2011-11-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Oh my God! What has happened to my brain? How could I forget...one of the most beautiful moments during the show was when I met 11 year old glassblowing phenom Theoren Hanks! His mom reached me on Facebook and said he wanted to meet me, and fortunately this show was in their area. What an amazing young man, and how wonderful it is that his parents are helping to encourage his artistic development. Though I believe he's more smitten with glassblowing than lampwork, I hope to have a chance to sit next to him at the torch some day.

* * *

I just wanted to let you know how awesome the Sacramento Arts Festival was (again) this year, and share a few images. Our booths were rearranged a bit as we were in a different hall than usual, so I got to meet some new neighbors. Cerri from Crow's Feet Folk Art dressed the part every day, and her personality was as awesome as her art.

Thank you for loaning me your wire cutters, Cerri!

Brad Henry pottery was my other neighbor and I got to look at his awesome surfboard shaped platters all day long for three days. His work was fresh and fun.

See that terra cotta and green one, fourth from the left? One day I hope to own it.

I was lucky to be situated on the end of a row, probably about 15 yards from some of the best Gyros ever, and was fairly close to the stage. The bad news was that I was so busy during the show I seldom had a chance to eat, and occasionally GG Amos played so loud that I couldn't talk to my customers very easily. But I loved seeing them perform, and I loved how Warren booked back to back entertainment for all three days. It's not just a show, it's a partay.

GG was dressed to kill on Saturday.

I found out just before the show that one of my new favorite artists, Kathy Frey was going to be in the show as well. Woot! I enjoyed several conversations with her, and told her that she had inspired by latest booth makeover. She has moved on from the woodsy theme that inspired me to a clean look that suits her work very well. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of her in her very smart looking booth.

It was lovely seeing some of my customers from prior years return, as well as friends and extended family in the area. It was also nice to see fellow flameworkers Rita Forman, Adi Braeman, and Harlan Simon again this year, even if I didn't have much time to visit. It's people like this that made the 3 days on my feet worthwhile. Next time I need to remember: a chef's mat to stand on (my two layers of carpeting didn't cut it, and I gave my rubber interlocking floor tiles to my customers outside the booth). Visit the Love My Art Jewelry blog on Tuesday for an entire post on booth flooring.

My tabletop makeover worked pretty well, but I could have used more lighting. I was really happy with the way my necklace busts turned out, as well as the bamboo runners, and LED lighted branches.

See you next year, Sacramento! Thank you for supporting the arts, and thank you for a wonderful time.

How would you like to get your hands on THIS?

2011-11-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

If this makes you giddy, then you simply must get over to the Love My Art Jewelry blog immediately, to learn the details about our latest mega-giveaway. Tout de suite!

And more...

2011-11-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here are two more pieces coming to the show this weekend:

Another long necklace in lampwork beads in warm tones, African Carnelian, faceted Whiskey Quartz cubes (have you tried it with pomegranate juice?), handmade copper bead caps, and antiqued brass, that can be doubled up for a fuller look. Two different clasp points provide versatility.

Another mixed media piece with lampwork pods, viney tendrils, feathers, and handmade felt on Viking Knit in antiqued brass.

New work

2011-11-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the completion part is new, but this piece has been on my table for months and months. It's been a while since I made one of my larger pieces on a Viking Knit base, and I've been dreaming about something like this for some time. I made the end cones from glass using a cone mandrel, and incorporated handmade felt leftover from the Convergence II project I did with Cyndie Smith, and lots of little berries and balls made from silvered glass. I so love working off the end of the mandrel!

My indoor photography skills are rusty!

I'm thinking it would look nice with a gown like this (maybe with a happier princess wearing it):

Or even nicer would be this one:

Bonsoir!

Necklace bust makeover: Complete

2011-11-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

and I'm so glad I didn't throw out all of that handmade paper. Looks pretty good on these. The tissue paper was way too thin and actually looked a little creepy on the busts, even after several coats (cobwebs? Blame it on Halloween...).

Thank you, Mod Podge, and thank you to the dusty corners of my creative grey matter for remembering this option.

Some of the handmade paper was tinted with spices from my cupboard, and some included dried flowers from my garden.

I think this new piece (SOLD) would have faded into dark oblivion on a black bust.

They're all ready to head to the Sacramento Arts Festival this weekend. I'll be posting one or two more shots of new work before I head to the show. I hope to see you there! Show info is here.

Revamped necklace displays

2011-11-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

This garden statue made a great photo op for this necklace, but it's very heavy to lug around. I may still use it though, as it's really stunning (when she's not face down in the garden, poor girl, knocked over by an emerging gopher).

It's showtime again for me, and once again I'm spending almost as much time on my props and display ideas as I am on my jewelry. It's such a fun challenge to create a physical storefront that's cohesive with your jewelry brand, yet easy to carry around and set up / break down, and not too hard on the budget. I like challenges like this, but unfortunately it's meant a lot of changes as I move forward from show to show.

Sights like this fascinate me when I walk in the woods.

Anyway, this time I'm moving toward more natural displays. I was inspired by Kathy Frey's similar journey, and realized that most of my pieces also reflect the natural surroundings in which I create, so why not display them among the natural objects that inspire them? Wood, water, moss and stone are the things that tend to capture my eye when hiking, and I think my jewelry looks right at home among those elements.

The first thing I had to fix was my necklace busts. They're functional, but oh so common, and oh so boring. These things can be expensive, so I decided to just give mine a facelift. I've got a mix of natural fiber (with water stains) and black leatherette busts and both need some work. I decided to take a decoupage approach with the fiber busts, and threw all care to the wind and got out my Mod Podge and tissue paper. I figured they couldn't look worse than they already did, so why not? These photos show the busts with only 1 or 2 layers of tissue - I've only gotten started and more layers will be added. I kind of like the look of the fabric texture showing through the tissue paper, but I can still make out some stains so I'll add another layer or two, and then a sealer when I'm done.

Original vinyl bust on the left, fabric covered bust on the right with a couple of layers of decoupage.

Need some more layers on this one.

I've hated the black leatherette (let's just get it out there - they're VINYL: eeew) busts for some time now. When I first started out I used mostly black display props, but now I'm convinced that lighter is better with my jewelry, especially as I use more antiqued brass versus silver. For this bust I first did a few layers of crinkled tissue paper mache, and let it dry overnight. This gave the spray on coating a little something to cling to, a primer. Then I took some of the spray-on faux stone paint and gave it a few coats as well. I think this is going to look just great among the other elements.

Faux stone spray paint. Brilliant.

I'll be doing the Sacramento Arts Festival this weekend, November 4, 5, and 6 at the Convention Center, so if you're in the area, please do stop on by and check out my new displays. Just give them my name and they'll put you on my guest list, and you can enter for no charge. I'll post pictures next week of how it all comes together. There's lots more changes afoot and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Are you a cluttered creative?

2011-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this mirror of my Tuesday post for the Love My Art Jewelry blog, and have yourself a wonderful, harmonious day.

My name is Patty and I am a cluttered creative. It's gotten to the point where I need to have a few grown up words with this demon. My creative space, my office, my bedroom closet, my garage - where to start? There are so many targets of opportunity. Don't get me wrong - you won't be seeing me on an episode of "Hoarders" any time soon (probably never), but the ratio of stuff to space has just become a little overwhelming in our small space. My ability to create is hampered by my inability to find things on my crowded workbench, and there is no free space to start new projects. I have purchased special storage containers, and have even started using some of them, but I fall down in the regular upkeep. I am weighed down by a feeling of overwhelm.

The key, I'm told, is that once you purge your life of clutter, you make room for new things, new joy, and new experiences. Since my mantra for this year is "Release", I plan to interpret it literally and make some hard decisions. Release materials I know deep inside that I'll never use. Release clothing I should have never bought, or no longer wear. Release my mind from old ways of thinking to embrace the new. Right. Easier said than done.

And then I found Jennifer Hofmann over at the inspiredhomeoffice.com blog, and I am hopeful. Her site is aimed at creative people, and she has a ton of great, gentle advice. I clicked on the cloud tag "clutter", and found this great set of posts. I was hooked the minute I read this "Manifesto for Cluttered Creatives", and it starts like this...

I have the right to express myself

to live my life as I see fit

to say no and mean it

to say yes with my whole being to what I love

I have the right to my own creative space

to draw a real or imaginary line around my domain and claim it for myself

to a door that closes

to absolute silence when I need it

I have the right to spread out

to interact with my ideas

to see them

to touch them

and doodle in the margins

until the ideas seep into my bones and become mine

I have a right to a sacred space

that is free from intrusions

that is free from guilt

that completely supports my spirit

that is truly sacred space

powerful as an ancient circle of standing stones...

for the rest of this wonderfully inspiring manifesto visit the inspiredhomeoffice website.

Invigorated by what I read, I attacked my closet last weekend, and I won. A small closet, and as such, a small victory, but a monumental boost for my morale. Does anyone need any hangers? Not the wire ones from the dry cleaners - those are all bundled up ready to return. I actually have free plastic, metal, and wooden hangars, and free cubby space in the closet. And floor space. And room to move hangers about on the rod. Hot damn. I've got a carload of items for Goodwill and a small pile of decent things that can actually go to the wonderful Career Closet. Yay. Baby steps, right?

My attention next turned to the guest room I use as a temporary office, and I made some headway. Two bags of shredded paper, and dwindling piles. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I need to go face the hydra in my studio...

and this is only one fraction of the space...

Are you like me, or have you already found the secret to avoiding this kind of disaster? Do tell...I'm with you either way in this never ending quest for simplicity, harmony, and opportunity.

Idyllic Fall Weekend

2011-10-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

I have finally assimilated into Northern California Living. On Saturday I helped a friend to harvest her wine grapes, and it was an awesome way to fill an afternoon. My only regret is that I was too camera shy to capture more images of the people and sights when we celebrated afterwards...the lovely late autumn light in the hilltop barn among the vines, the spiny lobster sizzling on the grill, children playing among the wine making equipment, face after satisfied face around the long table we dined on. My very first ever glimpse of a monkeytail (honestly, I had no idea this was going on. I am the last person on earth to notice facial hair trends. Truly.). But I did get a few shots of our work time.

Not a great year for Santa Cruz Mountain grapes, but the vineyard yielded an occasional pocket of goodness.

I learned the 2 bucket trick quickly - one to sit on, one to fill. My back thanked me hours later. Most of the grapes were below waist level on the vine.

Bob and the gang sorted, de-stemmed, and generally did all of the hard winemaking work.

The destemming machine was amazing.

Stems be gone!

Soon this will be delicious pinot noir.

Ken and his son came in this awesome amphicar, and it looks just like this one - can you believe it? He apparently built it from a kit. In addition to the license plate required for terrestrial use it bore CF registration numbers required for aquatic use. How cool is that?

It's a car. It's a boat. It's an amphicar!

The lifejacket in the back seat was the finishing touch.

And we did get some shots with the girls, but unfortunately most of them make me look like the Crazy Chicken Lady, or the Crazy Bead Lady, or maybe just a Crazy Lady, but the chicken photo shoot mission was accomplished. The shorter days have been mirrored in no uncertain ways with our girls - with the Princess has stopped laying altogether it seems, and eggs from Chica are becoming rare. Lucille, our star layer, is still aiming for one a day, but misses every now and then. I put a light inside the coop to perhaps coax a little more from them this winter, but we'll see how that is received.

Princess Lay-A, who probably needs a new last name now that the days are shorter, as she's slacking off her duties. Wait until she finds out about that "earning her keep" deal...I bet she comes around then. If not, I guess we wheel the Weber down there, as some friends suggested (no! just kidding Miss Princess!).

Lucille has been the best layer ever, continuing to outshine her "sisters" into the early fall. She was taken with the beads in my necklace, but not so much that she didn't enjoy a nice waddle fondling. Who wouldn't?

Finally, I paid a visit to my friend Rachel during Santa Cruz Open Studios this weekend, and she was radiant in her new short haircut. I loved her hair before, but I must admit that her new do keeps pace with her cutting edge artistic flair. I just love visiting her studio, where inspiration is found in every glance. Her space there among a number of talented artists there in the 17th Avenue Studios was animated, with lots of visitors.

The eye candy in Rachel's space is un. frigging. believable.

Sea Star Bangle, by Rachel Nelson-Smith. If you want to see her amazing c.v., it's here.

Yes, I did get back into my own studio, but it was not terribly satisfying, as it was hard for me to pick up on some of my more challenging projects after my long hiatus. I think I need to start with some of the more straightforward ones, instead of the experiments in progress I put on the shelf a while back.

So, that's it in a rather large nutshell. I hope the early fall is being uber-kind to you.

Yeah, this one's for you.

2011-10-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Bursting heart necklace by Artesserae, on Etsy. This San Francisco-based artist does some really cool work - check out her pomegranate pieces.

My heart is just bursting with love. I have been in a cave of self-imposed exile for some time now, mostly disconnected from all of my normal social feeds, not writing like I normally do, just trying to figure out this crazy train ride called "life", and my space has been rather empty and echo-ey. I had a birthday yesterday and much to my surprise it was just amazing, filled with all kinds of love that caught me by surprise, since it was a regular work day (a full one, at that) and my husband was out of town. Four different people or groups sang happy birthday to me, and tons of wonderful peeps from all over the world sent greetings through Facebook (the birthday feature is amazingly one of the best things about that site), email, and the phone, and more than one card I received brought tears to my eyes. Much to my delight, friends I had not heard from in years reached out, and ones I see more often left me small gifts on my doorstep. It was unbelievably sweet from the moment I opened my eyes until they fell shut late last night.

Mother nature reached out too, by presenting me with the biggest, most perfect harvest moon ever, an owl silhouetted on a wire, spectacular morning fog blankets in the seaside farm fields, and a quick glimpse of a fleeing coyote or mountain lion just outside the range of my headlights as I drove on our road last night. The moon caught me by surprise in a big way, and I actually heard myself say "Thank you, God" when I saw it. Yes, this Pastafarian said that, and I was more surprised than anyone. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one happening again, but I found it very interesting.

So, thank you, friends, for the love that you show in so many wonderful ways. I am looking forward to some long overdue studio time this weekend, and to more birthday celebrations with my fellow Librans. And possibly a photo shoot with chickens. What could be better than that?

Hugs and kisses ring from California artist SmilingSilverSmith, on Etsy.

Happy Birthday, October

2011-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how many people I hold dear to my heart were born in this glorious month. I can't think of a better month to enter this world, can you? How can you beat warm hands held on cool nights, colorful leaves, and cider? Or the homecoming parade, football games, or soups and stews made to stock the freezer for the winter ahead? Or the discovery of last year's most recently purchased sweaters, not worn enough to be tiresome, waiting to keep you toasty? Or flannel sheets?

Gift bag by handmadewithlove13, on Etsy.

Happy Birthday my friends. I hope your celebration is as special as you are.

Big Projects

2011-09-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

We all have them, but some are particularly noteworthy. Chica Loca continues to amaze and astound us with her laying prowess, and just the other day sacrificed more than we will ever know to bring her own secret project to completion.

Standing tall at 3.08" (1.78" in diameter), and 95 grams, this is amazingly not a record setting egg. (Sigh). We were sure upon discovering it that we'd be quitting our day jobs and moving to Hollywood, but alas, it appears that the record was set by a little feathered gal up at Petaluma Egg Farm (egg laying capital of the world, you know) this past 4th of July. Hers was 156.7gms, 2.3 inches in diameter, and 3.25 inch long.

Chica laid this monster egg yesterday, shown here beside the rest of the XL eggs she and her sisters lay. I told her to take the rest of the weekend off but she insisted on going back to work today.

Chica, you are still a star in our book.

I hope all of your Big Projects are producing great results. Ours definitely are.

Salud

2011-09-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future...but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

-- Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Nascence

2011-09-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” — Henry Miller

Happy: Digging for buried treasure

2011-08-23T05:03:00.000-07:00

This might be of interest to those of you who work with clay, whether metal, polymer or ceramic. I'm exploring some new organic shapes to complement some of my floral-styled disc beads, and made these in Precious Metal Clay (fine silver) the other day. Here they are after patina and tumbling overnight. I swear, opening the tumbler and picking out the goodies is almost as fun as digging for potatoes.

These are destined for some very special pieces.

I used some new tools from Green Girl Studios for some of the texture with these, and it's working wonderfully for me. Here's the swirly tool:

The possibilities with this tool for any kind of clay are endless, and I found that the shape worked very well for my organic forms. There's also some great detail on the bottom end of the tool. There are several variants of these available on the Green Girl Studios site, but I got mine in person from Andrew when they were at the Best Bead Show.

I also used some dried poppy seed pods for texture - see this image (courtesy of Auntie P on Flickr). Look at that pattern! Wonderful stuff!

Anyway, not much from me here today, but thought you might like to know about this wonderful tool.

Chicken update!

2011-08-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

There's been a few things happening on the farm lately. Some of them make us feel smarter, but many of them make us feel just plain stupid.

First, I just wanted to offer tangible proof that the old wive's tale about the spot of blood on an egg yolk being the "rooster's calling card" is just plain wrong. We got one for the first time the other day, and we simply have no roosters. Guess that puts that one to bed.

As we expected, we're getting 3 eggs a day, most days, from our three hens. We saved some up this week to combine with some of my hunter-gatherer's delicious smoked salmon and some zucchini from the garden for a yummy frittata.

It seems that we are periodically and often reminded of our noob-ness as chicken farmers. The other day I went out to check for eggs and found Princess making a sound I'd never heard before, kind of like a high pitched cough, not too unlike whooping cough. She was sticking her neck out and making this sound over and over. Crap, I thought to myself. She's sick. My poor girl has a cold or something. So I retreated to the house to consult The Oracle (Google), and it said that perhaps it could be gapeworms, a disgusting, horrible condition where worms invade your chickens insides and they cough and shake their head trying to get them out of their throats. Ack. I never considered one day having to deal with ill birds.

I went out a bit later to check on her and she was no longer making the noise. Nor was she hours later. Then I recalled that the first time I went out there the neighbor's miniature doberman (all of 10" tall) was standing near the run, looking at the girls. Was Princess telling him to get lost? I mean, if a cat on YouTube can bark at a dog outside the window, certainly my hen could too, right? She wasn't even facing him or approaching him in any way, but maybe... So once again, I consult The Oracle, using the phrase "barking chicken". Aside from a rather spectacular sexual reference in the Urban Dictionary I found some other references to pet chickens that bark - one in particular was a hen who barks at her mistress when she tries to take an egg while she's brooding. Miss Lay-A is now under periodic surveillance for this behavior, but seems not to want to perform for me any more. I'm thinking she's just a gifted vocalist now.

But this is not the end of our education. Note the following conversation between my husband and I, as we sat in the run with the girls the other day.

Him: Whoah. Look at Princess! She has a big lump on her chest.
Me: What? (picks her up and palpates). Oh crap. She does. It must be related to the barking.
Him: And it looks like Lucille has it too.
Me: Damn! It's something contagious then. I wonder if our vet will see them, and how do I get them to their office? Cat carrier? Yikes. I hope Chica doesn't get it. Feel her chest - does she have it too?
Him: Not really. Boy, they really are large, huh? No wonder she's been barking.
Me: I'm going to open her mouth and look inside her throat for worms. I read that you can sometimes see them that way. (grabs poor Princess and attempts to open her beak to peer inside, unsuccessfully).
Me: (Getting up to go in the house) Well, that just bites. I'm totally bummed out now. I'm going inside to consult The Oracle. (Huge sigh).
Me: (returning to the run about 5 minutes later with a sheepish grin). I think they're going to be all right.
Him: What is it?
Me: It's their crop. It's an organ in their neck/chest that fills up with food that they digest later. It's biggest at night just before bed, and is almost gone in the morning. They're fine.
Me: We're pretty clueless, huh?
Him: Yep.

Testing Gaffer's G-198 Royal Purple

2011-08-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had some play time and tried out the new Royal Purple (G-198) glass from Gaffer, and I loved it. I worked it with a minor burner and an L-5 oxygen concentrator. This glass is very soft, and if you work close to your torch or work hot you're going to have some trouble. All of these were made about 9" from my minor's torch head, and even then, the glass is quite soft. Even one little moment of inattention while working this far out resulted in a drip of glass onto my work surface (which thankfully is metal now). But unlike some other Gaffer colors I've used, it's not terribly shocky, which was nice. I occasionally saw a little bit of devitrification, but nothing that a reapplication of heat couldn't dismiss.

Here are my results. I tried a number of techniques to see how the glass behaved. The beads on the first three mandrels from the left only used Royal Purple - no other colors were added. Please forgive the crappy iPhone pictures.

In order from the far left: simple spacer, heated and cooled as I do with Gaffer's Chalcedony glasses. Next I made five small spacers on the same mandrel. This allows the beads made earlier to cool quite a bit as I work the newer ones. For reference, I make these from left to right on the mandrel. You can see that the one I made last did not bloom with color as the earlier ones did, because it didn't have as many in-and-outs in the flame. But even that color is nice on its own.

The third from the left is an egg shaped bead that was formed using a Zoozi's lentil press (these are brass), to see how brass tooling affects the color. This bead was heated and cooled repeatedly during the shaping process, and the tooling seems to have encouraged some light blues to emerge with the magenta. It's actually a very stunning effect.

The third mandrel down from the top is the egg shaped bead that produced the incredible webbing effect.

Fourth from the left is another attempt at an egg shaped bead, with tiny dots of rubino. It was shaped just like the last bead, but the addition of the rubino didn't produce the light blue webbing effect the last bead had.

The fifth bead from the left was shaped with a large lentil press (so again, some brass tooling), and I added some Gaffer Turquoise and Chartreuse dots. Nice reactions with the turquoise, as expected. I squished it with a brass kalera-style masher, which made it mostly light blue, and then used heating and cooling to try and bring back more of the magenta color.

The sixth from the left was a spacer bead with a twistie made from light turquoise and EDP. Nice reactions from the turquoise, but hardly any webbing with blue and magenta.

The seventh mandrel from the left was a large bicone on which I applied light ivory (Effetre) scrollwork. The silver in the G-198 instantly darkened the ivory.

The eighth mandrel from the left was a large bicone on which I applied some murrini made from R-108 rod and black. I got some nice striations in the background coloration (again, all G-198), which seemed to swallow the murrini (expected for an opaque color). This bead was shaped with graphite tools, except for the murrini which were pressed lightly with a brass tool.

The bead on the last mandrel (far right) was a gravity bead using striped cane from R-108 and black (like murrini above). This bead was subject to the most heat of all of these (especially around the center, where the glass was moving around the mandrel), and it's evident from the brilliant magenta in that area. The bead was shaped with graphite tools. It was harder than usual to get much color from the R-108 in these beads. Next time I'll try some G-1095 for the cane instead.

So there you have it! I love the vibrance in this glass, and will definitely be getting some. It reminds me of some wonderful tie dyed clothing. Next I'm going to try the G-199 Purple Rose.

I Heart Macro Sunday: Wild

2011-08-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Wallflowers are so easy, so pretty.

This last plant grows abundantly where I live, spreading its seeds via spring-loaded pods that are eager to burst. After some research I finally learned it's name: Impatiens Balfourii. I just call it "wild impatiens". It brings such cheer to the shadier spots of my garden, and if you receive any plant gift from me you will likely find one of these sprouting in the pot as well.

I hope you have an abundant day, and don't forget to head over to see Lori at Studio Waterstone and check out the other macro treats!

August Break: I is for...

2011-08-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

"Abundance". These were vegetables on display at the Iowa State Fair a couple of summers ago.

When fragments make a whole

2011-08-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa.
Gerhard Rudolph Johnson.
You were the son of Swedish immigrants,
born in the "U.P.", gifted carpenter, high school shop teacher, and storyteller.

You would meet a beautiful young woman named Merle Dix (front and center),
from the Stout Institute,
where you both pursued occupations based on sensible, useful skills,
like woodworking, and home economics,
and you would marry her,
and in love create my mother
your one and only.

You bought this modest vacation cottage on Houghton Lake with your hard earned savings,
and you had a heart attack digging a basement for it.
You loved this place so much you built a home across the street.
Do you know that mom and I just refinished the loveseat you built for it?
It looks beautiful, and your hands were there,
in our hands
as we worked and shared memories of you.

I am searching for this place right now with mom,
because I need to connect with these blurry images in my mind.
We have no address,
only a couple of faded polaroids and these memories,
intuition fueled by Google maps,
and the address for the county records building.

I looked forward to spending summers there with you,
eating sweet cherries until I burst,
raking seaweed up from the beach in the mornings,
wading out as far as I dared into the clear, shallow lake,
worried that some unseen creature would bite my feet.

Did you know I used to sneak over to the RV sales lot nearby,
to peek into the open models
and imagine what it would be like to travel to exotic places in them
everything stored neatly in its own perfect place.

I begged you and Grandma to take me to the touristy Indian gift shop,
where I could eat the fried bread,
and covet the trinkets, and all of the colorful little beads,
who knew?
Do you know I still have the tiny little blown glass deer,
a doe and two fawns that
I bought with my allowance
despite your sound advice that
"A fool and his money are soon parted".

I loved wading out to the neighbor's pontoon boat
to sunbathe and dream...
it seemed so peaceful, and far away.
Did you know I had my first kiss there?

I remember the after dinner drives
in the countryside
to look for deer
so elusive, so special to see.

I let you call me Patrick
just for fun.

The winters likely proved too hard for you there
and you sold both places to move back to Wisconsin,
near Grandma's family, and we visited many times
but it wasn't as fun as being on the big lake.

We cooked bratwurst in beer and onions on a burner in the garage,
watched you turn wood into thousands of ribbons on your lathe,
and helped you get large things done,
and your supply of off color jokes was never ending.
We laughed often, and heartily.

You took us fishing at the trout farm,
where the catching was easy,
and children never bored.

You told us stories of the disrespectful boys you taught in shop class.
You were a tireless practical joker.
You pretended you lost a finger at the table saw,
and when my dad first courted my mom,
you chilled his drink with the resin ice cube with the fly in it,
and gave him the dribble glass.
You distracted me and stole uneaten food from my plate.
Now I know that cows don't come to the window,
and I won't be fooled by that one again.

I spent time with Grandma in the basement at her sewing table,
standing nervously still while straight pins
were used to fit my plaid jumpers for school.
Do you know I still have her table,
with the same contact paper on top?

I slept in the breezeway in the summer,
on a roll away bed,
and listened to the birds in the morning
wondering if the "other" lake would finally clear of algae so we could swim.
It never did.

Do you remember giving me this tool?
You carried it on your key chain, always, just in case.
I keep it close, for the same reason.

I helped Grandma divide her irises
and pick raspberries,
and helped you dig potatoes.
You and Grandma were there for my mom, and for us,
when Dad passed away,
so young,
and you never knew that
I would name my one and only child after you.

You might smile to know that Patrick built a workbench
all by herself
and dug potatoes
and picked blackberries
and yelled at the deer to get the hell out of her garden
and thought of you.

The Great Potato Experiment

2011-08-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to try growing potatoes again. I've not had great luck in the past, for a number of reasons. Improper soil and planting technique, too little sun, etc. were all to blame. This year I planted small variety red and buttercream potatoes in two types of containers to see if there was a way to succeed. One was a buttercream and the other was a red French Fingerling, both Cinacia brand and purchased in the produce section of Whole Foods.

The other day I showed what I was able to grow in a #15 size nursery pot on the deck, and today I harvested the tower of potatoes I grew in a landscape fabric cylinder containing potting soil, and supported by a heavy wire cage. The tower took about 8 cubic feet of potting soil, and when the potatoes quit growing they were as tall as I am. The dirt in the 2' diameter "container" was about 3' high.

First I knocked the cage over and opened it up so I could get at the landscape fabric bag inside easily. I didn't want to damage my crop using a shovel or pitchfork, so I just rolled the bag around on the ground to loosen the plants and discover the tubers.

I had high hopes this one would yield a ton of potatoes, but I was wrong. The soil was great, slightly moist in spots, but overall quite dry, which may have been part of the problem. Or maybe the potato variety itself wasn't a high yielder. Or maybe both. In any event, I got proportionally more potatoes (by far) from the plastic container on the deck. Maybe it just got watered more frequently because it was more accessible to me and the hose.

My Golden Gate Gardening book suggests that we can plant three crops each year in this area, and I'm definitely going to try another one this month.

Here's a helpful "how to" site for growing potatoes in containers.

Drinking it in

2011-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each"

- Henry David Thoreau

Potatoes from my Tower O' Potatoes, today's crop of strawberries and blackberries (with more every day), and fresh eggs. Life is sweet indeed.

I desperately need some cucumber recipes. These are my Turkish cucumbers from a pot on the deck, and we've been getting regular ones in our CSA box.

Summer's abundance is upon us, and I cannot ever recall such bounty. We got a third egg (thank you, Lucille) just after I took this photo. The Great Potato Experiment is now concluded, and I will post results shortly.

I Heart Macro Sunday: Late Bloomer

2011-08-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Although the weather suggests that summer has just gotten underway here, if I pay close attention I can see the signs that it's well along. The rudbeckia are blooming now, and I'm so grateful for their cheer when the earlier bloomers are fading.

My heart goes out to those of you who are continuing to suffer with the oppressive heat. I hope you can find a cool, shady spot to sip some lemonade or tea today.

"And hate the bright stillness of the noon
without wind, without motion.
the only other living thing
a hawk, hungry for prey, suspended
in the blinding, sunlit blue.

And yet how gentle it seems to someone
raised in a landscape short of rain—
the skyline of a hill broken by no more
trees than one can count, the grass,
the empty sky, the wish for water."

- Dana Gioia, California Hills in August

I hope you have a wonderful day, and don't forget to head over to see Lori at Studio Waterstone and check out the other macro treats!

Our little flock: An update

2011-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have great news to share! As of a few days ago, all three of our hens are laying. And by a happy stroke of luck, we managed to pick breeds that each lay a different color egg. We now have light blue-green (Chica, and Ameraucana), white (Princess Lay-A, a Danish Brown Leghorn), and brown (Lucille, a New Hampshire Red). Now that we know who is producing what, it's easier to keep track of things.

So far my money is on Chica for best producer. Her eggs are just plain huge (2.2 oz), compared to Princess's (1.1 oz) and Lucille's early ones (1.4 oz). Yes, I actually weighed the eggs. She also wins the prize for laying double-yolked eggs every single time so far.

Now here's an even more amusing bit of information. I hadn't mentioned it, but ever since Chica L. has been laying, she's changed from the freaky, fearful girl into the amorous girl. I do believe she views both my husband and I as potential suitors. Whereas she used to run away from us whenever we tried to pick her up or pet her, she now stops in her tracks, extends her shoulders out and squats. When we start petting her down her back she raises her ladyquarters up in the air as if she wants to be mounted! It's the craziest thing, and I have to admit that when I first figured it out I felt kind of icky.

At first she seemed to only do it with my husband, and wanted nothing to do with me still. But now she will do it no matter who tries to reach for her. It's quite a change from her usual fleeing response. When we finish petting her she fluffs up her feathers, stands up and shakes, which I understand is how the rooster and hen mating ritual normally ends after, well, when business has been concluded. Not knowing much at all about all of this chicken stuff I've spent a few minutes getting up to speed on the YouTube, where they've got video of every fowl detail, I kid you not. Now that the other two are laying as well, they've both started exhibiting this flirty behavior too, which I can only conclude means that their tiny biological clocks are doing what nature intended to survive, although their chances of doing that with humans as suitors is probably not what was intended.

What's really hilarious is when I'm sitting in the chicken run, and petting Chica, and Princess jumps onboard and pecks Chica because she wants all of that pseudo-mating for herself. They're downright competing for our affection, and it cracks me up. Never a dull moment.

Coolest Dog in the World

2011-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Prepare to smile...

The coolest dog in the world !

Welcome to the fold, Princess Lay-A!

2011-08-01T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that two of our three girls are now laying! Just yesterday Princess Lay-A (on the left) joined Club Ovulation and gave us her first little gift, so tiny and perfect. This morning I found another, this time properly laid in the nest as opposed to on the coop floor.

Lucille (right) studies Princess Lay-A's first two masterpieces, and contemplates the big task ahead of her.

In comparison Chica's ginormous egg is on the bottom, at least twice the size of Princess's first two attempts. Her physical size suggested this might be expected, although I'm hoping maybe now that the machinery is humming they might increase in size.

Chica continues to lay beautiful large double-yolked eggs for us, almost one a day. Now the only one not producing is Lucille, shown on the right. She's always been the smallest, so we're not surprised, and I'm wondering if this explains why she's the only one still trying to sleep on the roof at night. Too much estrogen in the coop for her, perhaps?

I'm thinking that with the recent potato harvest it might be time to make a frittata. I just rescued some potted chives near death in a corner of the vegetable garden, and hope they might flourish for future use. But the tarragon needs thinning...

Gratitude...

2011-07-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for my sweet girlfriend and the chance to while away a day with her on a fun road trip to Berkeley.

I am grateful that we were treated to this view not once, but twice as our chatting caused us to miss our exit (yes, we missed it both coming and going).

I am grateful that we got into the estate sale before the sparkly treasure I was destined to have was gone, and that we only waited in line for an hour, versus more.

I am grateful this was not a real baby.

I am grateful we found Cafe Gratitude, and were able to share a delicious lunch and dinner together.

I heart macro Sunday: Tasty, tubular, and prickly

2011-07-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

There is lots of goodness in the garden these days, and some of it is good enough to eat.

Like the native plums...

And my best crop of strawberries ever...

And this, whose name I forget, and whose salmon colored variant used to be on my Must Have list.
Now I'll never find it.

Even the weeds around here can be incredible in the dew and late day light.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and don't forget to head over to see Lori at Studio Waterstone and check out the other macro treats!

Bountilicious

2011-07-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

With summer weather finally here, it seems that Mother Nature is gardening up a storm, and she intends to feed a crowd. The trees are laden with california native plums, which I've found to be a real treat for the chickens, and for myself as well. Every walk is an opportunity to grab a snack, and just the other day I was treated to the first of the ripe blackberries.

I've been enjoying some domestic fruits of my own labor recently, with the first picking of Turkish cucumbers, and more strawberries than I've ever been able to produce before. I've finally found the right sunny nook and last year transplanted about six plants to a deep raised planting box in the new spot. Now I need a basket to harvest what used to only require a small pocket, or a quick slight of hand to the mouth on the way back from watering.

Hardly any seeds in these cute little 4" long Turkish cucumbers.

My impatience paid off when I decided it was time to harvest one of my potato containers. Sometime in mid-April I planted some buttercream varieties in a #15 black plastic nursery pot and also in a landscape fabric sewn tube supported by a wire cage, with potting soil added as the plants grew taller. They're in two different locations. I've tried the potato tower before but without the landscape fabric and using garden soil, and it was a flop. This time I was encouraged by how fast and lushly the plants grew.

I swear, these things grew at least an inch a day.

Without ever blooming the tops of the plants in the nursery container had recently started to yellow and die off, so I figured it was time to see if I had a success or a failure on my hands. Ready or not, I needed that container for a tomato plant that had outgrown its own pot.

Score!

Sweet success! I emptied the pot into a wheelbarrow and discovered not gazillions, but quite a few decent spuds, with quite a range of sizes. Some were much larger than I expected, about 4" across. Totally cool, and definitely worth the small effort required to plant, water, and feed them (using a low-nitrogen fertilizer and worm castings). I can't wait to see how the big TOP (Tower O Potatoes) turns out - shouldn't be too much longer on that one. I also read that around here you can get two plantings each year, so I'm going to turn some of these right around into starts for the next batch.

Here's the pot the potatoes grew in, with the tomato in its new home already, and my bountiful harvest.

Next time I'm going to use a larger pot, or at least rig up a cover around the base of the pot. This one seemed to get quite hot from the afternoon, and I half expected to be digging up baked potatoes.

The snow peas preceded the cucumbers in the pot on the deck. When the plants started to die off with the warmer weather I planted the cucumber seeds at their bases.

Chica has been laying almost every day now, and each time we find an egg it's a celebration.

These are only the things grown in the "hers" garden, which also includes mint (love those summer Mojitos), basil, citrus, chives, parsley, French tarragon, and figs. I've been gardening in containers on the deck and in another spot that I know to have at least 6 hours of sun each day. My tenacious husband continues to garden in raised beds in the increasingly shady fenced-in vegetable garden, and is tending zucchini, corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and basil. Is it a competition? Perhaps. OK, yeah, so it is.

What's growing in your garden right now? Are you overrun with anything? Have you left a zucchini on anyone's doorstep yet, or stashed one in their car?

Sweet, sustainable serindipity

2011-07-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

Ever since I read Joan Gussow Dye's This Organic Life a number of years ago I have been inspired to find a way to eat food that has not been carted halfway around the world by fossil fuel sucking airplanes. While we do enjoy a mango or a pineapple from time to time, I think it's foolish for our long term survival on this planet to fully base our diet on things that are grown in far away places. Michael Pollan, another of my heroes, had this to say about Joan, regarded as the mother of the sustainable food movement: “Once in a while, I think I’ve had an original thought, then I look and read around and realize Joan said it first.”

The documentary Food Inc. encouraged me to move away from the usual handful of meat suppliers and seek grass-fed or free-range organic beef and chicken. This led me to Whole ~~Foods~~ Wallet (expensive), and Trader Joe's (too much packaging, no local food) in search of alternatives for produce. I was incensed the day I started looking at the labels on Trader Joe's produce, and virtually everything they had came from Mexico. How are we supposed to lead the world if we can't manage to produce anything in this country, not even our own food? I'll probably keep going back there for those addictive chocolate peanut butter cups, but my basket will not contain any produce. I love going to Farmers' Markets, but have not managed to find one that I can make it to regularly. I searched for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups that had pickups in my area to no avail.

And now, by sweet chance, I have found a local CSA and signed up for their weekly produce box. I'm watering plants for a neighbor the next couple of weeks, and he offered that I could pick up his box while he was gone. I'm so glad I did! Abounding Harvest Mountain Farm, in partnership with Old House Farm, have started Neighbor Farms CSA. Daniel and Nancy are friends and neighbors with some of our own friends who live near them, and have turned an unusual and incredible piece of property into a food producing machine. I can even walk to the weekly pick up location, and their selection of organic fruits and vegetables complements the few that we are able to grow in our increasingly shady yard.

This week the box contained some beautiful beets, zucchini, kale, heirloom tomatoes, basil, salad greens, cucumbers and more. I'll get a picture of next week's box. Their mountain property has a great Southwestern exposure that's hospitable to all kinds of fruit trees as well, and I can't wait until the pomegranates come in the fall.

I can't tell you how amazing this discovery makes me feel, the fact that friends are growing our food, that little fossil fuels were required to grow it and bring it to my house, and that we're using our food money to help a local, responsible business operate. And with the eggs we're now starting to get from our hens, we're on our way to independence.

If you live in the Felton, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, or the surrounding mountains like I do, check them out and sign up.

Still basking...

2011-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Come on in!

I'm just reaching room temperature after basking in a glow of wonderfulness from my show weekend at Bargetto Winery. Not only did my last minute jewelry making efforts meet with pleasing results, I managed to get myself and my booth together without incident. As it always is, the days at the show are just dreamy, and I love catching up with my artist friends and seeing what they've been up to.

The impish grin reveals his playful nature.

I was fortunate to have a booth next to Jim Kachler and his lady Debbie, who kept things lively. Jim, a self-proclaimed psychoceramacist, makes some mighty amazing functional pottery, and he had the nerve to hang a particularly exceptionally engineered birdbath just a few feet from my booth, and before the show was done I had staked my claim. It's exquisitely fine craftsmanship, and I know my birdies are going to prefer it to the old lasagna pan.

Jim's incredible birdbath. The one I bought has a sky blue glaze on the inside, perfect for luring birds and reflecting the sky. Can you believe the work he did on the hanging mechanism? It's all copper, and built to last.

I was also blessed that Kate McKinnon came by for a visit while on her recent trip to Monterey, and she brought friends along. I finally got to meet Ann Wasserman, a beautiful and gifted local glass and jewelry artist whose name I had seen on the Santa Cruz Open Studio tour. We're hoping to get together one day for some studio fun, or maybe a visit to see her friend Wayne Robbins. I would love that! Kate wrote about her wonderful weekend getaway here - it sounds like a very relaxing time.

I was happy to see some other local glassy friends at the show as well - Heather Richman and Sally Wood from the Crafty Fox Glass Studio, who had a knockout booth filled with amazing work. Heather's colorful fused plates were very tempting at the front of her booth. I'd link to their site but it appears to be horribly broken. It was also very nice to see Alena Byrnes again, whose work is almost too beautiful too behold, and Jerry and Fran, and Carolyn Woodward with her very wearable tie dye. Despite having just flown across country returning from a business trip, my husband made the drive down and we had dinner one night with Jerry and Fran. Who knew Watsonville had a decent Chinese restaurant?

My latest booth layout. It's an evolving work in progress.

On my list of things to do before my next outdoor show is to add a few slivers of fabric to my @#$% canopy walls. Seems when you buy these at Costco they are just a little too short to go all the way around, causing much cursing and gnashing of teeth when it's time to button up the booth. I've known this ever since I bought the canopy years ago, but it didn't fully dawn on me that I had the power (a machine that sews!) to fix this. And fix I will, along with the velcro that's ripping off, and the torn zippers.

I was lucky to get the truck for the set-up trip, but had to fit everything in my Prius for the ride home. There was no rom to spare.

So, it's back to work for me. I hope your weekend was fun.

I Heart Macro Sunday: Getting Down to BZZZZZZness

2011-07-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

There's quite a lot going on in the garden these days! The number of bees I'm seeing is staggering. Sometimes they even linger to have their picture taken.

Have a wonderful day, and don't forget to head over to see Lori at Studio Waterstone and check out the other macro treats! And if you're in the Santa Cruz area, head on over to Bargetto Winery for the Fine Art Festival, and visit my booth to say hi. Enjoy your day!

Another Sneak Peek

2011-07-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

My Earthy Orbs bead set in a pair of earrings with handmade fine silver earring findings, and a comfy, earthy stretch bracelet.

Time is critical today so I'm going to have to post and run, but thought I'd share some more new work with you that I'll be showing this weekend at Bargetto Winery in Soquel. I've been working with my Earthy Orbs mix, and love how it's melding with both silver and antiqued brass findings.

My own lampwork and hammered silver rings, czech glass leaves, and Pacific Silverworks handmade leaf charms. More is less, right?

My Earthy Orbs bead set plays nicely with antiqued brass findings.

In case you missed it, here's a link to the show information.

I'm off to load the truck and set up my canopy. Hope to see you in Soquel!

Come see me at Bargetto Winery this weekend!

2011-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Got weekend plans? If you're in town, it would be lovely to see you at my show this weekend - Bargetto Winery's Fine Art Festival. I can't think of a more delightful location, in the dappled shade of a gurgling brook, with a glass of their delicious wine, live music making your hips sway, and some mighty fine local art.

My friends Jerry and Fran will be there, and I can't wait to see their newest jewelry. They have a way with metal and gemstones that few can rival, and their work is truly exquisite. I'm sure I'll be telling them how my experiments in metal are coming along (although I suspect we'll talk a bit about chickens), and I hope to have some time to chat about tools as well.

Here's a sneak peek of one of the pieces I'll be bringing with me to Bargetto...I'll post more tomorrow.

Stay cool, wherever you are.

We're on a roll here

2011-07-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

There's just nonstop excitement around the chicken coop these days. Chica is apparently taking this job very seriously, and produced another egg for us today, on Day 2 of her laying career. It was slightly longer than yesterday's, and she wanted the world to know all about it.

Being new to all of this still I once again rushed out to be by her side when I heard the characteristic call, which you can hear in these little videos. I opened the servants' entrance to the coop and had a good view of the closer nesting box, where she was sitting.

Her sisters were there for moral support, which I thought was very kind given the recent kerfuffles they've been having. She was quiet for a while and nothing seemed to be happening, so I went back inside.

A few minutes later I heard the call again and went out to check, and sure enough, she had done it again! I made sure to tell her how proud we were, and she seemed pretty excited about it too.

Looks like we won't have to divide that first special egg in too many parts after all. Life is good here on the farm.

Yes! We Have an Egg!

2011-07-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

We're a little stunned but overjoyed around here - at only 4 1/2 months of age Chica Loca has laid her first egg! Sound the horns and break out the champagne! This morning as I got out of the shower I heard her squawking in a way I'd not heard before, so I threw on my robe and checked the nest boxes. She wasn't in there, but had taken the messy pile of straw I'd stuffed in there a couple of weeks ago (somehow I must have known) and woven it into a beautiful nest. "It's time, it's time!", I shouted to my husband, much like the woman going into labor screams to her man.

First she started with the box on the right, and then she went out for a stroll in the run and returned to do the same with the box on the left. We were preparing to drive a ways to attend a lovely brunch with friends (a delightful mix of art and science and baseball and I'll tell you all about it soon), and as we left she was sitting in the nest but no egg. I've been thinking about her the whole time we were away, and literally raced from the car to the coop when we got home.

When I opened the nest box there it was. Her very first egg, and much bigger than I expected - I was told that first eggs can be quite small but this was as big as the small to medium eggs from the store. It's rather oblong and very light blue - Chica is the Ameraucana and those are known for their colorful blue and green eggs. She was out roaming around the coop and didn't seem any worse for the wear, and what impressed me the most was the way she just knew what to do.

We're so proud around here we could just burst! I'm thinking maybe, just maybe this has something to do with the odd sleeping behavior lately, but who knows. All I know is I need to get some of the laying feed now - the plan was to transition them to it in about a month, but clearly the time is now.

It's HAPPENING!

2011-07-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Guess who's about to become a mom?

Well, sort of.

A certain member of our flock is in the nesting box this very instant, and we expect our first egg very soon...

I'm so excited I can't contain myself.

I Heart Macro Sunday: The best dates always start with earplugs and liability waivers

2011-07-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Beauty in unexpected places. Who knew the bottom of a trash barrel would reveal this?

Last weekend I did something that I never thought I would do. I went shooting with my husband and another couple at a local sporting clays range (bear with me - a macro treat waits for you at the end of this post). My husband hunts birds and is quite comfortable around his shotgun, but outside of our potato gun and my wristrocket, I've always been pretty leery of weapons. I don't like the noise, and I don't like what they can do.

The first time we went to the range it was me and my husband and our teenage son, and despite my husband's prodding that I should try it, I just couldn't. I couldn't even touch the gun, let alone participate, so I busied myself as the videographer. Perhaps it was the ginormous SUVs with the Bush / Cheney stickers in the parking lot, perhaps it was the noise, but I was shocked at the visceral nature of my reaction. Mind you, this is not killing, this is target practice with little clay frisbees that a machine hurls into the air. Hardly a blood sport.

The second time I went because another couple came along, and the other woman actually had her own little shotgun, and I hoped that maybe some of her courage would rub off on me. I took some instruction from the guys, who are both seasoned hunters, and actually tried it, and didn't at all care for how hard the 12 gauge bucked into my body, even when braced. But Jill let me try her weapon and it was much easier. I gave it a try on several of the stations and did OK, but not great. I had no burning desire to go back. But give me some PVC pipe, Aquanet hairspray and a 5lb sack of spuds and I'm a happy camper.

Then on a gorgeous day last weekend my husband made plans to go shooting with some of our friends. Adele was keen to shoot and once again I found myself hoping to absorb some enthusiasm for this sport. We rented a pretty little Browning 20 gauge gun and Adele and I shared it on the course. One time I got both targets the first two shots, but other times I just gave up. It was a beautiful day and I just loved being out with my sweetie in the gorgeous countryside and besides, I knew that there would be some kind of great lunch afterwards - Nili and Adele are foodies and can always find the best eats, even if it's just a local taqueria.

Adele through a knothole in the fence behind the shooting station.

And here's the macro goodness I wanted to share with you:

Who knew such unexpected beauty would be found on a Browning 20 gauge shotgun? I think this is very cool. Next time I'll have to take my molding compound...

Now toodle on over to see Lori at Studio Waterstone and check out the other macro treats!

Another kind of sleepover

2011-07-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Guess who's got a pretty little comb and some wattles? Princess Lay-a is growing up, sniff sniff.

With maturation comes the age old struggle for independence, and we're all about the teenage drama around here now. Every time I look out to their run it seems someone is having an issue with someone else and feathers are flying. Does anyone want any chicken feathers? Seriously, they're starting to accumulate. And also some of our girls have been having unauthorized sleepovers, and I have some concerns. What will the neighbors think? What if uninvited guests come over?

As you may recall, here's what their coop looks like - it's about 5' tall and is completely enclosed by a repurposed chain link dog run.

Lately we've been leaving the sliding wooden door to their coop open at night, so they can put themselves to bed and night and get up when they damned well please in the am. Classic teenage stuff, right? The other night I went out to check on them just after sunset and was alarmed when I only counted 2 heads inside on their roost. It took me a little while to figure out that the missing girl was on the roof.

This wouldn't bother me if I thought it was safe, but the roof is only a few inches below the chain link, and any predator that could get up on top of the enclosure (e.g. a raccoon) could reach through the link and put an ugly end to the party.

I'm not sure why this behavior is happening. I read on the chicken forums (yes, there are several of these) that ripples through the pecking order can sometimes make one or more hens decide to seek higher places to roost (which implies social status), and once this happens others ~~may~~ will follow suit. It always seems to be Princess Lay-a and Lucille, which I never would have predicted as the Alpha Chicks since Chica Loca is the one who boldly rushes toward our dog when we approach the run.

For now I'm heading out just after sunset and plucking their sweetly sleepy bodies off the roof and shutting them inside the coop. Yes, there's some complaining, but I always used to make some noise too when someone's mom put an end to my sleepover fun. Chickens get really slow and goofy at night - it's kind of sweet. They don't run from you, and they're even a little snuggly. Still, they make sure to let me know that they're not happy about the change in sleeping arrangements, but the struggling is minimal.

Some changes will need to be made so we don't have to perform this ritual every night, and so our girls live long enough to have the satisfaction of providing our breakfast. I think the best option will be to put some screening on top of the roof to prevent them from getting up there in the first place. Should be easily enough done.

It's so sad when they grow out of the cute and cuddly stage. Next thing you know they're probably going to want the keys to the car.

Music in the Park

2011-07-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of Neon Trees, they're playing a free concert in the park in downtown San Jose tonight! If I wasn't up to my eyeballs in stuff I'd totally be there.

Got Passion?

2011-07-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Man oh man, makes me want to go out and grab a cello. Or a mandrel. Or go sing some Glee karaoke in the closet.

Check it out, and go for it!

Need a Spark for Your Art?

2011-07-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Then hop on over to the Love My Art Jewelry blog and check out Izzy's Art Spark challenge theme for July. I'll give you a hint...if you like the outdoors, it will be easy!

I Heart Macro Sunday

2011-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Now please go check out the other fabulous macros with Lori over at Studio Waterstone!

I Heart Macro Sunday

2011-07-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hope you're having a wonderful, relaxing Sunday on this long holiday weekend. My mom is visiting us from the Midwest, and we're having a ball. Today is a major BBQ event at a friend's home, and we're taking a little rest from our projects.

Enjoy these macro images from some of my recent lampwork glass beads.

Lessons in Marital Harmony

2011-07-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

In case you are not paying rapt attention to my blog list, you may have missed the fact that there are a few new blogs. The Bloggess was called to my attention the other day with this post about a giant metal chicken (also about shopping for towels), after which I was smitten. Her writing is superb, and superbly funny. Read that post and the ones after that, and you'll probably be laughing as hard as I was. I would so love a giant metal chicken to stand guard over our girls, or even a wild pig with wings. I'm not picky that way.

Giddy

2011-06-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

As I write this my mom is within a few hours of arriving for a summer visit, and I can't contain myself! The house is as clean as it's going to be, her bed is made and little bouquets of freshly cut flowers from the garden are scattered about, and the fountain in the front yard is gurgling again. I'm so grateful for her energy, her loving friendship, and her willingness to travel, and I really enjoy preparing for her visits, anticipating our time together, and making things pretty. She's excited to escape the awful Memphis heat, to meet her new grand-chickens and kiss her grand-dog, and find out what's in store for her week in the mountains.

What's in bloom in my garden: lacecap hydrangea, feverfew, Shasta daisies, my favorite old shrub rose, and the most precious peachy-lavender wallflower you've ever seen.

Some time ago she suggested that we tackle a project together when she comes, kind of like her own parents used to do when they visited. In the last couple of years we've accomplished two of these - removing the wallpaper and painting in our bedroom, and converting some curtains into a table skirt for my bead shows. Of course, we always manage to fit in some fun as well, like hiking, sightseeing, or dinner with friends.

Guest soap from Renee, in one of her own dishes.

She doesn't know it yet, but this summer's project is to refinish a loveseat and coffee table that her father built for a lake cottage they used to have in Northern Michigan. It's seen far too much weather without proper protection, and needs some TLC. I've found some cushions to replace the makeshift ones I made from an old futon, and have some weatherproof stain. I wanted to paint the wood but my husband lobbied heavily for stain, so we'll give it a go. It's just pine, so it probably doesn't matter. I wish that Lowe's had a bigger selection of fabric for their cushions, but the price wasn't bad.

The Project.

I'll keep you posted as the project progresses! I'm off to fluff more pillows, and to resist the temptation to wash windows. She would understand, don't you think?

I heart macro

2011-06-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

I just discovered i heart macro (yeah, I know, a bit late) and want to play! The post says it's still open but maybe not as it's Tuesday. I'll give it a shot and will do another come Sunday.

How I made this bead

2011-06-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

Since I've been getting inquiries about how I made this bead, I thought I'd share the process with you. Not exactly a tutorial, but you'll get the idea. What I love about it is how I was able to combine techniques I've learned in classes with Jennifer Geldard (catch her next year in the Bead and Button Master's Class), and Trey Cornette. When I look at this bead I'm fondly reminded of them both. The encasing technique (described later) is one I learned with Jennifer. The surface application of twisted raku cane is something I've done for years, but learned more about in Trey's class. I highly recommend taking classes from both of these masters - the techniques I learned from them were invaluable and I draw on them still, years later.

Photograph by David Orr.

Just a word about my description first - I'm not trying to be cagey about some of the colors. I rarely make notes and it's hard for me to recall exactly what I used for a particular bead. I've used raku for years in various forms - the 1 kilo mondo rods you have to break up and pull yourself, the 5-6mm pulled stuff, frit, etc., and I've also used the chalcedony (blue and "regular") from Gaffer Glass, and find that they work very similarly. I've got lots of twisted cane using both on my bench, and I honestly can't recall which I used for this bead. But one thing's for sure, you have to be patient with it, and eventually you'll get some very nice color. This post by Mike Hengler on the Gaffer Girls' blog is very helpful for working with chalcedony. Thanks to Deb Batten for calling my attention to it.

This 46mm long bead was made in 3 separate layers, and took me quite a long time to make. I started with a long tapered bicone that was green in the middle and blue on the ends. I shaped it carefully as if it were the final shaping. Then I used the strip casing method to encase the whole thing with clear, possibly using a transparent blue on the ends (it's been a while) to intensify the blue underneath. I like that method because it results in a thin layer of clear on the bead.

Once the whole encased bead was nicely shaped, I applied twisted cane (twisties) that I made using raku and black or blue chalcedony and black, one side at a time, near the ends of the bead. As in Trey's class, intense, focused heat and gravity is applied to the twistie to get it to flow toward the center of the bead, elongating the stripes. A lot of reshaping is necessary after doing this as the mass of glass gets very distorted. When I'm done with this the stripes have essentially met in the center of the bead. Then I spent some time playing with heat and O2 to get the raku or chalcedony to "bloom". I applied a goldstone stringer (this is also encased) around the center of the bead.

Then I used a clear glass stringer to twist around the center of the bead in five different spots. On top of each twisted spot I applied a dot of silvered glass (likely Triton or Psyche), poked it with my tungsten pick, and put a dot of clear on top.

The final task was to apply dots of reduction stringer (likely iris gold) on the ends of the bead. That's it! Easy peasy and only an hour to do.

New goodies in my Etsy shop

2011-06-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Been fusing and hammering away...

Crystal clear.

Smoky grey.

This lovely little Meanie brooch can also be worn as a clip in your hair. I just love having options like that.

Reflections of a pretty girl

2011-06-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

At Kate's suggestion I put a mirror out in the girls' run, and as she predicted they were drawn to it. One in particular, Princess Laya.

Here she is, standing proud and pretty.

She is just fascinated with herself!

Chica Loca couldn't be bothered.

Here she is practicing her runway walk.

She's very enamoured with that girl in the mirror!

And this, this made me smile. There is more to that bird brain than you'd think.

Happy Wednesday! Stay cool... We're hot and I'm loving it.

Baja Sand and Sky

2011-06-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to go to Baja this year as we normally do. Too many schedule conflicts. But in these last (hopefully) throes of winter (yes, it's true, it is like WINTER here still with a fierce winter-style storm due to hit tonight) I'm dreaming even more of the soft Sea of Cortez breezes, the incredible water, and the starkly beautiful coast.

I captured my dreams in this special piece, an asymmetric, convertible necklace featuring my own handmade lampwork beads, hand-forged and antiqued brass findings, and some snakeskin jasper that will knock your socks off. The greener stones in my gemstone strand went toward my last piece, but the ones dipped in a beautiful Sea of Cortez hue were saved for this one.

It's here, in my Etsy shop. This is how it looks with two strands in front (see last photo for another way to wear it).

The etched ivory spacers in my beaded links reflect the many dichotomies we find in our desert paradise.

I really love making these brass components, and have fallen in love with the rich look they have after patina.

Memories captured in bubbles.

Here's another way it can be worn, with 3 strands in the front. I think a girl should have a choice about things like this, yes?

Green is Happening

2011-06-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Shades of Green necklace, in my Etsy shop now.
38" worn singly, and makes a delightful 19" double strand piece.

The rain is working her magic with the earth, which is feeding the bazillion shades of green wowing our temperate rainforest world right now. I walk these forests daily, and I do believe it's soaking from my eyes into my brain, and emerging from my hands as I work.

Oh Yeah.

2011-06-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Want to see a picture of a happy woman?

Here's another:

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Delicious Agony

2011-05-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

It's hard to complain about the eternal cold and rain we're having when it creates such breathless beauty. I hope you enjoy a bit of the magic it made for me today. Looks like the magic will continue for another week. Click the photos to see the full sized versions from my Flickr account, along with a few notes about the plants.

Facelift...Complete!

2011-05-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, unless you count some minor remaining details like figuring out where to hang my flaming clock, I'm calling this one DONE! It's been so long in the making, and such an extended project that I thought I would never finish. An out of town dual-birthday party for my two elderly in-laws this weekend didn't stop me from finishing the plumbing, securing the metal workbench sides, and getting the rest of the extras finished. It's not my dream studio by any means*, but it's good enough to get me where I'm headed in the meantime, and was fairly easy on the budget. I've already started unloading some of the things I won't be using in my new studio on Freecycle.

Let's start with the "before". It was hastily thrown together what, 8 years ago, using a hand me down adjustable height table, a piece of concrete backer board I spray painted black, and some fabric quickly stapled to the bare studs to make my corner of my garage studio a little less..."garagey". It's not like I wasn't able to transport myself away from those drab surroundings and dream my glassy little dreams out there, but I really wasn't excited about having people visit. I hated how sometimes things went pop and I didn't know where they went. I was also increasingly frustrated with my pile-o-tools on the table to my right. There was never enough room for them, and I was always struggling to disentangle them mid-bead.

You saw what I did to my glass storage in a prior post, and that was only the beginning. I have this habit of dragging out the power tools when my husband goes on business trips, and our recent chicken coop building project only whet my appetite for building. I built a near 8' long workbench using 2 x 4s for framing and attached it to the wall, leveling it in two directions all by myself using a bit of spit, a level, and my torching chair. That was hard. I attached a bit of a ledger board on the wall first, and leveled it. My brother gave me a great tip about clamping the 2x4's for the legs (instead of cutting them first and hoping for level) while I figured out exactly how long each leg should be. This bench is secured to the wall on two sides and has three free standing legs. This is my first time building anything with 2x4s, and due to ignorance and haste I think I used the cheapest type meant for using as studs inside a wall, but I made sure they were straight when I bought them, and I have to admit it was kind of fun using something so strong for the first time. Just kidding about the spit.

I topped the framework with MDF and then fire resistant gypsum, adding a backsplash of sorts on the back and two sides. A local roofing metal company did a great job making my inexpensive galvanized top despite a couple of measurement errors on my part. I debated surface materials, and finally settled on this relatively lightweight and clean looking metal, even though I'm not much for the industrial look. At least it will keep any dust down. This bench is solid! I can even stand on it with no perceptible movement at all. The 2x4s for the two legs on the left side extend up quite a ways to provide an attachment point for my lights, and give me a frame on which I can mount the pegboard for the tools on the left torching station.

The exposed studs had me scratching my head for a good while, trying to figure out how to disguise them without just putting up drywall. In a moment of inspiration at OSH I found these reed roll-up blinds and they were just the thing to make the dingy walls disappear. I have a little inspirational mixed-media art piece in mind for the walls to replace my bead images.

Finally...a place for everything.

My ventilation has always been a range hood I found on eBay for a song, although the shipping costs were more like a box set. It did an OK job, but not great - it was way too high above my table, and needed a lower hood enclosure to be effective. Inspired by Andrea Guarino's ventilation tutorial I was determined to enhance the suckability of my setup by using ductwork, but was only able to find the flexible corrugated stuff at Lowe's. It has tremendously improved the performance of my 400 cfm hood, but I need to find the smooth flexible ducting, and ideally a ready-made "Y" joint to replace my sketchy one. It's all a bit of overkill for a garage studio where one wall can be raised at will, but in the colder months I don't usually open it all the way, so the ventilation upgrade is a good idea.

I also plumbed the gas from outside using this great tutorial from LE, and moved my flashback arrestor so it's inline in my hose instead of at the tank outside. Found a few leaks today when I finally tested it, but was able to tighten everything up.

I had some wine boxes from the local wine distributor and converted one into a little shelving unit next to my torch to hold my presses and other flotsam. I've been able to repurpose almost all of the concrete backer board I used to have on my torch table.

Still need a skirt for my old voter's registration table (free from the county years ago) where I dip mandrels, to hide the storage underneath. The (free) metal cabinet under my new glass storage holds extra supplies and equipment.

The guest torching station will have a pegboard for tools like I do, but on a smaller scale. I plan to start teaching private and 2-person classes soon, and when I do I'll move the kiln to a cart to make a little more elbow room at the bench.

Just for fun I'm going to try finding some old vertical blinds on Freecycle, to use as a kinetic skirt on my mandrel dipping table. I'll probably jazz them up somehow first, though.

I've already started using my tumbler on my new bench, as well as some electroforming. Finishing projects started months, even years ago is high on my list right now, as few other accomplishments rejuvenate me quite as much. I've been creating some new jewelry as well, and will photograph and list several new pieces this week, so keep your eyes on my Etsy shop.

*My dream studio will be in it's own building, and will include torching stations for eight, a kitchen, great room with fireplace, and individual lodging rooms as well. If you're thinking it sounds like a Bead & Breakfast, you're right! That's my dream.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

A Rapturous Day

2011-05-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

The spring garden is unfolding in splendiforous ways.

I don't know about you, but I had a perfect day yesterday, despite a small delay in the completion of my studio makeover. My Rapture playlist started with a delicious big breakfast, followed by a phone call from a friend inviting me to visit a couple of Open Studio sites. The weather was finally perfect, and it was delightful to get out and see some incredible painting, ceramics, jewelry and fiber art in some great local gardens. Our friend Lois's booth looked amazing. I had to restrain myself from purchasing more of her incredible knitwear - she has a way with color and fiber that rocks.

Not only that, but when I got home from Open Studios I learned that we just got tickets to see The Civil Wars at our favorite local venue - suhweet!

Irises that haven't bloomed in a long time are suddenly calling attention to themselves.

So dull to regard most of the year, the rhodies are reminding me why I brought them home to live with us.

I spent some happy hours making some new bronze components, and finished a new necklace. In my Etsy shop now. The moss green and turquoise blend is exquisite.

More in this vein is on the way...

Today started in the same wonderful way with my husband returning with two nice salmon after only a few hours on the water early this morning, and we enjoyed a fresh swiss chard, red potato and tarragon frittata for brunch. The weekend is barely half over and already I need to pinch myself.

A metamorphosis is happening

2011-05-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet inspiration inside a hollow bead.

I've been busy lately creating a studio metamorphosis, and I'm bursting at the seams with excitement. I've had the same torching setup in our detached garage since I started about 6 years ago, and was ready for some changes to make it more functional, more efficient, and a more attractive place to be for me and my guests to create. I'll reveal the complete makeover in an upcoming post, but for now I thought I'd share a couple of takes on D'Arsie's "Container" theme for this month's Love My Art Jewelry Art Spark challenge. The first is the pendant above that I created with a message inside. It's a hollow glass bead with PMC bead caps.

The second take on the "container" theme is my glass rod storage. My raw materials are glass rods, cut to around 12 inches long. For the last 6 years I'd been storing them in short cuts of PVC pipe, stacked into a box that I had affixed to the wall. It became apparent to me over a year ago that there were not enough cubbies in this arrangement for all of my glass, and the unit began to show signs of structural failure from all of the weight. Glass is heavy! Not only that, but the mice treated it as a condominium, storing rice that they had found elsewhere in the garage (we don't keep rice out there any more, and the rodents are now gone) in the sections of pipe. Not good.

Original glass rod storage system, in the beginning.

As you may recall, I found some ranch fencing and cut it up to create new, square cubbies for my glass, and found an appropriately sized and priced stereo cabinet (no back, no front) for sale on Craig's List to contain it all. It sits on top of a metal cabinet with wheels, so I can move it any where I want. I cut some MDF for the back and painted it black to match. Then I built a frame for the door on the front and covered it with some clear corrugated polycarbonate roofing material, threw on some hinges, a magnetic catch and a knob, and it's done!

New glass storage cabinet.

No more rice showers when I take a rod of glass out, and my glass stays clean and safe too. Plus it's nice to see all the colors beaming out at me from behind the clear plastic.

I look forward to sharing the rest of my studio makeover with you soon! It's almost complete, and I'm very excited.

Some of my favorite vintage pieces

2011-04-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

And wonderfully, the each have a special story. With all the talk about vintage lately, I thought I'd share a couple of my dearest ones. I'd say "a few" but I'm having trouble locating one particularly cherished piece.

Isn't this one grand? Purchased when I was a grad student living happily on $5K per year, it was and is a treasure to me even though it was not expensive. Judging from the underlying structure and the materials, it's clearly handmade, but for some reason I loved it then and still do now.

Now this next set of beads is truly special. They were my maternal grandmother's, and I don't know much about them except that one day when she was still alive, she went through her jewelry box and picked out some special pieces for me to have. I adored her, and it meant the world to me, even though some of the pieces would never probably leave my jewelry box, but they were there, reminding me of her each time I opened it.

They're obviously encased lampwork beads speckled with goldstone, probably imported (from where?), but I'm not sure of the vintage. There's a large seed bead in between each of them and the beads have brass filigree bead caps. I loved the multi-colored look, and the gradation in bead size. I have worn this necklace many times, and cherish it. I can't help but wonder about the occasion when she got them, whether grandpa gave them to her or she picked them out herself, and what she wore them with.

The piece I wish I could find is a brooch my Grandma wore when I was an infant, consisting of a proud Michigan slice of cherry wood (tastefully done in plastic) with a vibrant cluster of lucite or glass cherries protruding from it. When she held me in her arms as a baby I reportedly played with it. I know I have it, I just need to find it.

Are you sentimentally attached to some vintage pieces of your own? Do they have a special story to tell?

New reptilian slide in my Etsy shop

2011-04-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

The beautiful spring light is drawing me outside to photograph jewelry again.

See this new slide in my Etsy Shop (SOLD).

This one is made from kyanite, one of my new reptilian beads in brown, eggplant, and a touch of silvered glass, and my own oxidized silver finding with a long chain. I am slowly parting with my cherished stash of delicious blue kyanite, and it's hard. But I couldn't resist as it matched the silvered blue glass in this bead perfectly.

Even the Lady of the Garden wanted to try it on for size.

Gittin er Done

2011-04-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm making some progress here! Now that the girls are all settled into their own quarters I'm beginning to see some progress in other tasks on my list, even with a steady stream of weekend guests for the last three weekends. I've finished a custom bead order, shipping tomorrow, and finished this lovely Meanie ring as a belated Christmas gift for a friend. I wish Meanies grew on bushes - how fun it would be to go outside and gather a bunch!

Cyndie does such wonderful work with this ring setting, don't you think? I just love it, and it's super comfortable to wear too.

I've also finished a little repair job on some friend's earrings (soldering a very tiny catch), and am very pleased that I didn't melt them into a blob. The catch even works pretty well now.

I'm also trying to get some order in my torching area, and glass storage is a big issue. When I first started torching I used far less glass, and the system of 2" PVC pipes I used to organize it just isn't large enough any more. I really liked the system that Lori Greenberg described in this blog post, but until recently had not been able to identify any local sources for what I learned is called "ribbed rail fencing". Until last week. I found a source and bought 2-16' lengths, and cut them down into 12" lengths. While the sections aren't the same size, I think it will work just fine as there are some colors I like to keep more of than others. Now I'm on the hunt at freecycle.org and Craigslist to find a cabinet with doors (ideally glass) to hold these sections - I want my glass to stay free of dust and rodentia.

The spring garden is also coming along, with pruning and clean up of gopher snack remnants (they love the roots of bronze sedge, BTW), first batch of potatoes planted, along with radishes, cucumbers, onions, basil and beets. After a little web research I'm leaning more toward a potato bag than a potato tower, but I'm hedging my bets and putting some in big black pots too. Now if the sun would just do her part and make herself a more regular part of our days up here I'd be happier.

It's a small start, and I'm hoping for more torch time in the next few weeks. It's been too long.

She's my little blue coop...

2011-04-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

It's done! Totally done. OK, maybe not totally, but we just have to actually attach the roof, but we've decided to make it a removable roof so we're going to crank it down using turnbuckles. Someday we'll figure out why we thought this was such a great idea, but today we're just going with our intuition. But the SunTop and drip edge are finished on the roof.

So here it is, our completed home for our three Lakinsmith Laying Squad Ladies:

VIP entrance. Note the stylish staircase, courtesy of yours truly, made from recycled OSB siding and some odd wood I found lying around.

Servant's entrance.

You can see the new nipple watering system I'm trying out just inside the door. I'm thrilled to report that within 30 minutes of hanging a test bottle with the nipple (thank you, Schweppes) on it, all three girls were using it! I wasn't sure how to hang it, so I cut a small hole in the toe of some old pantyhose and Bob's your uncle, it was done. If this works out I have a larger scale design ready to go using 4" PVC pipe. Won't be using pantyhose for that one, I'm afraid.

The girls have fared well this week for 3 nights on their own in the coop. It was cold, but we've got a light in there at night and it's working out ok. At least I haven't found them frozen solid to their perch in the morning.

They seem a little scared to be out there, however, and want to stay inside most of the time. I visit a few times a day and they come out, and I'm putting their food and regular waterer out there during the day as a lure to get them out for some fresh air.

Food just tastes better outside, don't you think?

I have learned that a good way to get them to pose for a picture is to make a strange sound. That war cry that Xena, Warrior Princess used to do is what got me this great shot.

Anyway, the weekend is here, friends are coming, the weather is getting nicer and nicer, and we're off to the flea market tomorrow to get into some trouble.

Ladies' Night Out!

2011-04-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Inside of the girls' new coop. Fortunately it met with their immediate approval. I'm sure glad I ran those paint swatches by them first.

The coop is almost complete - just need to install the drip edge on the 3/4" plywood roof, then attach the PVC framework that the Suntop (wavy PVC) roof will attach to, and attach the roof to the coop, and then the Suntop. Latches were installed on the Housekeeper's entrance and the chain and hooks are ready to be installed on the hinged ventilation window up front. Painting is complete, perches are installed, and when that roof is done we're calling it a day.

Today I got a very inexpensive 24" piece of 4" PVC that I plan to make into a nipple-style hanging waterer, using gerbil waterer-type nipples I found on eBay. A test run with an empty laundry soap jug showed that the nipples work well, and we should be able to fit about a gallon of water in there. I got a couple of nipples, and plan to rig up something else for outside in the run, like an even larger container with PVC pipe coming out the bottom, and nipples attached to that.

Tonight is the girls' first night out in their coop, and I'm a nervous mom. I was so ready for them to graduate, and so very tired of the dust they make in the house. Then there was the poop. It's going to be 40 out there tonight, but I've got a light for heat and the roof is temporarily in place, and presumably they are more or less fully feathered out at about 5 weeks. They are safe, behind chain link and hardware cloth, but I do worry about the cold. Hopefully they'll snuggle together under the light and keep each other's little chicken spirits up by telling happy stories about the time they spent in our kitchen.

Meanwhile (to get my mind off this), it seems that there are a lot of hidden benefits to keeping laying hens. There's the health aspects, particularly those that show that the eggs raised this way are astonishingly more healthy for you than those you get from the store. 4-6 times more Vitamin D? 1/3 less cholesterol? I'm sold. And then there are the esoteric benefits, the "feel good factor" that comes from interacting with animals, and being closer to the earth, and spending more time outdoors.

But there are other benefits, I've learned. Like the fact that chicken feathers (the ones that fall out) can be used to make all kinds of useful things like circuit boards and petroleum-free plastic. The girls have largely been retaining their newly grown plumage so far, but as they grow I'm sure there will be some falling out. While in all seriousness this is not a perk for our small home operation, imagine what this might mean for larger ones? Being able to sell the waste products from your production operation is a huge deal.

Now here's a rough financial breakdown. The bottom line up front is that this is not likely to save much grocery money!
It will "only" take us 2 years to break even on our investment in the girls and their new condo once they start laying. Assuming eggs are about $3 a dozen, and assuming that our modest flock of 3 will produce 2.5 eggs per day. And their laying days are another 5 months or so away, which is another heap o' chicken food I didn't factor into the mix. It's a good thing we recycled lots of scrap lumber from around home, or we'd be in for a lot more in this adventure.

Tomorrow I'll share a picture of the cuuuutest little ramp I built today. It was hardly necessary for practical reasons since the coop is only about a foot off the ground, but totally necessary for the aesthetic. Wait until you see it.

A taste of freedom

2011-04-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

I installed the hardware cloth on the lower part of the inside of the chain link dog run we're converting for the girls today, and my career potential as a hand model is over. Kim, I don't know how you wrangle that steel wire, girl. Wow. I'll spare you the wound shots, but dang, I should have worn gloves. The first thing I promptly did was to use my (rusty) tin snips to create a small ravine in the flesh of my palm, which would later fill with dirt as I slithered about the ground wiring galvanized mesh to the chain link. I'm thinking I need to research my medical records for the date I last received a tetanus shot. Ahh, my fine feathered girlfriends, I hope that one day you will consider the enormity of my sacrifice as you soon devote your life to producing our breakfast.

I got about half of the 50 running feet completely done (anchored top, middle and bottom), after anchoring the rest at the top I needed some reward. I fetched the chicks in their brooder and gave them their first taste of what will ultimately become their world.

Wanting to introduce them in the gentlest way possible, I set the brooder down inside the closed run, and opened the small hatch we use to coax them out for playtime. I left the run and stayed just outside to observe. Lucille, the New Hampshire Red (at least that's my name for her so far) showed no hesitation and hopped out to begin exploring her new digs. The others, not so much. Somehow it was not the celebratory dancing around and wing raising to the heavens that I had anticipated.

It took a few minutes for them to realize that they were indeed free to roam (a bit), and eventually all three were outside. But they were not at ease, and stuck close together as they pecked around at something that was, for the first time, not a painting drop cloth under their feet. It was real earth, and gravel, and tree flotsam, and lots of interesting things to peck.

It kept them busy for a few minutes, but very soon I noted that psycho chicken (not her given name at this point, but certainly a strong contender, and OMG check out that great Talking Heads cover video from the 80's!) had hopped back into the brooder cage. Soon to follow was Lucille, and finally my dear Princess (see prior disclaimer about names), and before I knew it, they had all called it a day and were ready to go back in the house.

Before they retreated I got a nice glam shot of my favorite princess, perched on yours truly, her favorite landing spot. Isn't her little comb just adorable? It's all fun and good until someone is covered in poop.

Well. I guess this Outdoors thing is going to have to go in stages if I hope to not completely destroy their tiny avian psyches. But I'm not dragging this out too long, as the LandLady is weary.

But on a bright note, I've been wondering if Psycho Chicken is one of the Easter Egger mutts, but I'm seeing signs of the pea comb and cheek tufts that would indicate she's a true Ameraucana instead. Cool! I'm not really concerned either way, and have always made room in my heart for mutts, but that does not excuse the general psychotic ranting and raving she's been doing. It's really starting to drive every creature in this house a bit mad.

How Glorious a Greeting the Sun Gives the Mountains!

2011-04-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to John Muir for a most fitting quote. It has been just beautiful around here, and the sprigs of green and wafts of pollen in the air have convinced me that spring is here to stay. It's a fortunate thing, because while I'm getting more and more fond of the little flock encamped in our kitchen, I'm getting more than a little weary of their messes. I'm weary of sweeping the pine shavings and chick down from our floor and changing water bowls multiple times a day, and dealing with poop. I'm ready for them to move to their own house.

"I am weary of chickens. How they look up at us with their small eyes as though we were unimportant." - Pablo Naruda

"Well they do. And we are. It's just hard to take it from a damn chicken!" - Greg Brown

The girls get outside almost every day now, and seem to really love it. I spied them popping up and down in their box yesterday and it looked just like a little chicken puppet show, with a wandering dog extra in the background.

They're getting big and I'm sure feel a bit crowded in their little brooder, so the great coop race is on, and we're hoping to have their permanent digs ready for occupancy this weekend. The coop is largely constructed, save for the parts that must be added once the walls are assembled onto the base. This plan is a bit odd in that details like doors, ventilation, supporting beams are added to the OSB walls before they are erected.

Friends were visiting over the weekend for the opening of salmon season, and the Lovely Miss Heidi helped me with the painting. It will be tight quarters in there once it's all put together and will be tough to access. I would have loved to buy some wonderfully colorful paint for the coop and trim, but instead settled for re-purposing some leftover blue paint we had in the garage, so, for now, until the house is repainted, the coop will match.

We are reinforcing the chain link enclosed run with some hardware cloth near the bottom because I've read some horror stories about raccoons grabbing chickens through the chain link and pulling them through. The roof of the run is nearly enclosed with chain link as well. It may not be required as the hen entrance won't be more than about a foot off the ground, but I will build a special little ramp for them.

Details like automatic feeding and watering are being worked out, and we may even be close to having some names for our girls. On my shopping list is roofing, more hardware cloth, PVC for a water reservoir, and ramp materials. How exciting that their Independence Day is almost here!

Flashback Friday

2011-04-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since we spent a New Year's holiday camping and crabbing on Tomales Bay. I miss that place.

Bite Me in the morning mist.

Treasures in the tidepools, and lush vegetation everywhere.

Studio Warmth

2011-03-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

I had the best little break from coop building last weekend when I attended my friend Rachel's studio warming party. She's in a new, more spacious space among other artists and had a party to warm her new digs on her birthday. In her own amazing style she transformed the gallery area into a tiny nightclub, complete with little tables bedecked in lime green and black (with orchids!), lime green punch (her signature color), tons of delicious Chinese food, a three piece jazz combo, and some really great people. I hope I get to see her mother again because I really enjoyed meeting her. Now I see where Rachel gets her ambition and her wonderful personality.

I was delighted to finally hear Rachel sing! What gifts she has.

What an exciting time for her! Not only has her first book been a smashing success, but her second one, aptly titled "Bead Riffs" is nearly done too and can be pre-ordered. She's such an inspiration to me.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that california trip
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Our water-inspired two year old collaboration piece sold to one of the party guests.

"Confluence", a collaboration with beadwork by Rachel Nelson-Smith, and lampwork glass beads by myself.

She's off very shortly to Chicago, where she'll be teaching. Lucky students!

New Beads are in the House!

2011-03-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

With all of the chicken kerfuffle around here I neglected to let you know that I've been listing some of my new work in my Etsy shop. This week it's bead sets, but perhaps not by coincidence, most of them feature egg shaped beads. Here are a few of my new additions:

SOLD. More to be listed in a day or two.

Neutral grey egg shaped beads with encased black spacers incorporating fine silver wire dots.

I have lots of beads that aren't in the shop yet, and I'll try to be listing them a bit each day.

Shop Talk Wednesday

2011-03-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been going on this week at our house. The sawdust has been flying!

Recycled lumber.

People door.

Chicken door.

Vintage drill took one for the team. RIP.

Vinyl remnant. I wanted something more dramatic (e.g. black and white squares), but the price was unbeatable on this.

Cut by cut, screw by screw, it's coming together. We've re-purposed some old 2x4s we found underneath the shop outside, and some redwood stakes given to us by a friend, and the modular home-style construction job is almost done. It's somewhat over-specified for the inhabitants, and may even be standing after our own home has fallen down, but it's going to be secure from predators and will look good. My jobs included sanding, screwing structural 2x4s to the siding, framing openings, and putting the doors together. My husband tackled the trickier bits of building the nesting box assembly and interpreting the "architect's" intent in the sometimes vague plans.

Next step are details like wire-mesh guarded ventilation holes and interior paint, and we'll be almost ready to erect the walls on site. We still need to buy roofing material and a few bits of hardware, and build the chicken ramp, along with finish enclosing the dog run where the coop will go.

It won't be long before the girls move out of the dining room and into their new digs outside. We'll all be thrilled, especially our dog, who has definitely been neglected during our building frenzy.

Hopefully, it will turn out as nicely as this:

What a Find!

2011-03-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okaaaaay, putting that last morbid post behind me, here's one that could have fit Andrew's theme - my find from the furniture consignment store.

I've been casually looking for a piece of furniture for a few years now, to replace a makeshift one we were using that wasn't very grown up. I guess the name of such a piece would be a sideboard, or console of sorts. It's to hold a small wine rack and cookbooks, all of which I wanted closed up behind doors, to minimize visual clutter. It fits beneath a window that has a crank opener that sticks out, so it had to be below a certain height, and the width was also constrained to allow it to fit in a certain spot.

Cabinet "as found", with ill-fitting "faux slate" top. Slate is cheap - why would anyone want to make "fake" slate? I'd like to replace or transform the doors somehow, someday.

I finally found one that's at least an upgrade from what we had, and the price tag was too good to be true - $49. It had a faux slate inlaid top, but it wasn't glued in so it could be replaced. And a drawer inside. And casters. And while not solid oak, it's solidly constructed and in very good shape. How cool to be able to just roll it aside to clean underneath and behind! I had Sterling (my local favorite stone guy) cut up a scrap of green quartz from his yard to fit the top, for only $40. He and his small crew do great work with leftover stone from larger jobs, and the cost can't be beat. This whole piece cost less than $90, and if I want to change the stone at some point I could easily go on a treasure hunt in Sterling's scrapyard and still be ahead of the game.

Cabinet with new top.

Unfortunately this flash photo fails to convey the loveliness of the green quartz top. Sterling did a great job beveling the edges, and the fit is perfect.

The new piece didn't hold as much as the former one, so I was happy to find a taker for several years' worth of Kitchen Gardener and Fine Gardening magazines through my local Freecycle group.

Let the spring decluttering begin! Any spring spruce-ups on your plate? This weekend we begin the coop construction. Ideally we'll knock it out in a couple of days, but we'll see how it goes. I can't wait to pick out the linoleum remnant for the inside! The girls are growing like weeds and look like geeky adolescents as their feathers push the baby down out. I think some portraits are in order for this weekend.

Word of the Week is "Find", aka CSI: Santa Cruz Mountains

2011-03-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

The word this week on Andrew Thornton's blog is "Find". My take on the challenge is a bit out there, so those of you with weak stomachs and an aversion to grisly or morbid things should probably just move smartly on along to the next post. 'Nuttin to see here...

Scene of the crime.

For over a year now we've been hiking a steep section of the redwood forest in the coastal mountains near Santa Cruz. Teeming with life all year 'round, there is lots to marvel at and photograph. But occasionally what starts out as mere exercise turns into an episode of Crime Scene Investigation. Death is evident, and clues are found, and my mind goes into overtime imagining what went down.

Parts of the abdomen and spine were found next to the mossy tree trunk.

Rumor has it that either a mountain lion or a large bobcat took down this young deer last year sometime. There's not much but clean bones left, and even some of those are missing. How horrifying for that deer, and for the mother that lost it. I think about it every now and then when I walk these woods, but I usually end up feeling very peaceful, that everything is as it should be. While a young animal died, another was allowed to avoid starvation and live. It's likely that more than one type of animal was able to feed off of this carcass. The forest was fed with the decomposing leftovers (what few there were), and somehow it seemed kind of...right, and as the Bigger Plan had intended. Nature is efficient, and wastes very little, and everything returns to the circle of life eventually. Nature does not need to go to the landfill.

I'm glad that we don't see things like this frequently, or I'd probably look for another place to walk. But it does give me something to think about on those long uphill stretches of the hike. How are human animals recycled, if at all? What meaning is left behind, after we're gone? How does the world become physically enriched if we're all neatly tucked into some kind of indestructible container buried deep underground? And most importantly, when my time comes, how will my presence here on earth give something back, and what shall be my legacy be? As an organ donor I'm hopeful that when my time comes others will have a chance at life or better health because of my gifts. And I'd like that the remainder be able to physically fertilize the earth of some places I've found dear.

You can be sure that Baba Yaga had this all figured out.

Here is a haiku for this moment:

She hungry, he too
stronger captures weak, survives.
life force is passed on.

Weekend Update: Rain, waves, wind, and something sweet in the mail

2011-03-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Rain is in our daily diet for the foreseeable future.

Weeelll, didn't quite make it to the PaddleFest, but I read that most events were canceled due to the horrible wind and wave conditions, but that's never been known to stop my intrepid friend, who went out on the water anyway. Apparently it's the worst conditions they've seen in 20 years for this event.

But progress has been made in other areas. First, I'm proud to say that I'm within a stone's throw of being done with my tax preparation. Woot! Every year around this time it's hair pulling, frustration and vows of more regular attention to paperwork, but it doesn't seem to change very much. There's been a little progress from year to year, but you know what I hate the most? Keeping track of my (ever-growing) inventory of "parts" - headpins, ear wires, wire, gemstone beads, pearls, sterling silver beads, copper components, fiber, and on and on. It just drives me NUTS. If anyone has a good system they use (be it procedural, software tools, etc.), I'm all ears. I've read this web page with some interest, and am definitely going to try the "IN/OUT" card method with my wire. Seems easy enough, right? Anyway, do share your secrets if you have them, or feel free to bitch and moan along with me if I'm not alone in this yearly meltdown.

We had a great time with our friends in Half Moon Bay, and as expected, the storm was in full force while we were there. There was tasty, beautiful food, lively conversation, and even singing and dancing! From my dinner chair I watched their ocean-facing window bow in and out with the rainy gusts, and we thought we heard thunder a couple of times. We were just getting into some swing dancing in the living room, singing along with the iPhone Glee karaoke app and listening to Patricia sing and play her guitar when we heard another loud noise, but this one kind of shook the house. However, it wasn't thunder, it was a very large tree limb crashing down on their tile roof, and it unfortunately took out quite a few tiles when it hit.

Ouch. Gonna be some work to repair this.

And guess what came in the mail the other day? All the way from Japan, no less, where the ISGB Perspectives exhibit had a stop. My bead entitled "Beacon" was fortunate to have been chosen for this exhibit.

How exciting to see this in our mailbox!

What wonderful company I keep! One day, both my first and last names
will be spelled correctly in the same place. One day... :-)

Have yourself a knockout start to the week.

Oh Yeah.

2011-03-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

What's on your Must Do list this weekend? I need to finish tax prep (yeah, yeah, yeah), continue with the decluttering, and am totally looking forward to seeing some friends who moved up to Half Moon Bay to live in an incredible house that they designed and built themselves. Bodie will get some playtime with two poodles - what lab could ask for more? But if there's time, if my tax man gives me a kitchen pass, I'd sure like to see a little of the Santa Cruz PaddleFest kayaking competition going on this weekend. We're having stormy weather this weekend and the ocean is crazy, so the waves should make it challenging.

Some friends are pulling safety and rescue boat duty (no easy feat given that the Santa Cruz Harbor has been closed for salvage operations since the tsunami) or else the PaddleFest might not have appeared on my radar. Isn't it a great trailer? I am the ultimate armchair aficionado of extreme sports - I could watch Warren Miller films for hours and am energized by their fearlessness and the great soundtracks. I love how they took this video using a helmet cam. Suhweet!

I'm sure that Sion Milosky will be on everyone's mind. What a tragedy. Rest in peace, Sion. The local waters have taken far too many.

3 Hot Chicks

2011-03-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

We've had these girls for about 4 days now, and it's just fascinating, they're growing so fast. I had no idea I'd become so interested in birds. I know it's going to totally blow me away when they start laying eggs. Little downey fluff is changing into feathers on their wings and cute little rumps, and their behavior is changing too. While at first only the biggest/1 week older one would perch, it looks like she's taught them all. I put the perch in the second day we had them, and she jumped right up, but the others were hesitant so I put it in at a slant, hoping to ease their transition. Now all three of them seem to easily be able to get up there.

I changed out the hot white lights for a slightly cooler red light, as I read that the white lights can stress them out and make them peck excessively. It makes for some weird photos, but if it helps keep the peace I'm all for it. It's a small space and I don't want any more feathers flying than necessary. I'm still obsessing a bit over the temperature, hoping not to get them too hot, but I'm less concerned as their feathers come in.

"It's all about balance, see. Better get it right because someday we're
going to have to sleep like this."

Every now and then a little chaos breaks out and one of them tries to fly across the cage. Occasionally one will just launch herself, feet first at another, and try to land on their back. Not very polite.

Another day in the life of the Lakinsmith Laying Squad
(one day), taken on Wednesday.

They love taking little dust baths in the pine shavings, and look like total freaks digging in them and sending it flying everywhere. When I gave the littlest one a red wiggler worm on the first day she attacked it immediately, but now none of them seem very interested.

Tell me if you have ever seen anything more endearing.
Thanks to Sherry Bellamy for pointing out on Facebook that this is now a fowl neck sweater.

We've been trying to handle the chicks each day to make them friendlier and easier to deal with later on, and they seem to be getting used to it. This sweetie wanted to sleep in my collar. We learned on Monday that they're best taken out one at a time - when we each took one out and left one alone in there she peeped her concerns very loudly.

Get Lucky on Etsy for St. Patty's Day

2011-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of this holiday I'm having a little sale in my Etsy shop. Take 30% off any purchase in my shop, and it doesn't even have to be green. Sale is on now through Friday. Use coupon code GETLUCKY11 when you check out to receive your discount. Eiriin Go Brach! Click here to be magically transported to my Etsy shop.

I hope there's some corned beef or thick fermented beverage in your future today. Due to scheduling conflicts we had ours Monday and it was kil-LER. Me and my crock pot make a mean corned beef, and I've got an awesome way with Irish Whiskey glazed carrots. I love assuming the identify of another culture through food, if even for a day, and if only as experienced through my taste buds. It's like traveling without all the germs.

This is our neighbor Don, demonstrating his impeccable absinthe technique.

The plans for the chicken coop have been ordered and hopefully soon will arrive so we can begin buying materials and building. I've got two kinds of Asian greens planted, along with spring onions and snow peas, so the springtime gardening has begun too. How exciting! I hope your spring is at the very least showing signs of arriving, if not already there.

I'll just leave you with this shot of a little St. Patty's Day cleavage. If you can guess what Irish expression is represented in this photo, you win a free pair of hollow beads. I'll do a drawing if there's more than one person with the right answer, and winner will be announced on Saturday.

DeLightful DeCoster!

2011-03-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Marcia DeCoster

Last evening was just...wonderful. I attended my first Northern California Bead Society meeting where Marcia DeCoster was the featured speaker, and she gave a wonderful talk. She had just wrapped up the new and enormously popular Beading by the Bay retreat in San Francisco, and BSNC was able to book her for the talk.

In addition to providing an entertaining timeline of her beading career, she spoke very comfortably and casually about developing core skills in beadweaving, how to structure your environment to foster creativity, the importance of reusable components, where to find inspiration and influences for your work, the notion of exploration, and capturing ideas as they are born.

A collaboration between Marcia DeCoster and Heather Trimlett

Some of the beaded eye candy Marcia brought.

As a newbie to the seed beading world it was fascinating to me to see her work in person (it is both richly complex and beautiful), and I can hardly imagine how some of her weaving patterns come to be. Having at least dipped my toes a little into the sead beady sea I was able to understand some of the terms she used, but many are still Greek to me. I was grateful to have done the little bit I have done, or I'm sure I would have been completely lost, yet still awed.

Amazing!

Keep your eyes on her website this fall, when registration for 48 lucky beaders opens for next year's Beading by the Bay retreat, featuring instructors Sherry Serafini, Rachel Nelson-Smith, and Marcia.

Marcia, Little Hoot, and Rachel.
Visit Marcia's blog to read the story about Little Hoot.

Coming soon...more pictures of the 3 hot chicks in my kitchen.

Looking for the positive in the wake of disaster

2011-03-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a blog post about the events in Japan that I found very enlightening. The author is an ex-Pat living over there running a software business, and he's got a closer perspective on the situation. In short, there is a lot to be thankful for in the wake of the disaster, and a lot of credit is due the Japanese people for their level of preparedness. That's takeaway message #1. Had it happened elsewhere it would have been hugely worse.

The second message is that the mainstream media in the U.S. is spreading hyperbole, and the fringe media, well, they're even worse. They report sensational headlines in large font and all caps, without substantiation and with speculation replacing facts. I don't go near Fox for any kind of information at all (for entertainment I do, however), but even found that what I was seeing on CNN or even MSNBC was grossly different from what more informed organizations are putting out on the disaster.

My remedy? I'm seeking out alternative information streams that hopefully have less to do with making money and getting ratings and more to do with passing along factual information. Seeing my immediate concern when CNN first started reporting the nuclear situation late Friday night my husband found this great site that has a number of news links. One of them is the IAEA, and they also have a Facebook page where there is lots of discussion on the reports coming out.

My heart is aching for those affected by this horrible trifecta of disasters. I wish that all of the news media would work harder to try and find some small bits of good news, like the story of the man that was rescued clinging to his roof 9 miles out in the ocean. Or the stories I just watched on UStream about people being reunited with lost family members. It gives me hope.

This also gives me hope...today's update from the nest, newly cleaned:

They clearly like frolicking in the pine shavings, and it's much cleaner in there now that I've raised the brooder up off the catch basin.

Patty Lakinsmith

For this New Year

thank you. just, thank you.

Sacramento Arts Festival *Update!*

How would you like to get your hands on THIS?

And more...

New work

Necklace bust makeover: Complete

Revamped necklace displays

Are you a cluttered creative?

Idyllic Fall Weekend

Yeah, this one's for you.

Happy Birthday, October

Big Projects

Salud

Nascence

Happy: Digging for buried treasure

Chicken update!

Testing Gaffer's G-198 Royal Purple

I Heart Macro Sunday: Wild

August Break: I is for...

When fragments make a whole

The Great Potato Experiment

Drinking it in

I Heart Macro Sunday: Late Bloomer

Our little flock: An update

Coolest Dog in the World

Welcome to the fold, Princess Lay-A!

Gratitude...

I heart macro Sunday: Tasty, tubular, and prickly

Bountilicious

Sweet, sustainable serindipity

Still basking...

I Heart Macro Sunday: Getting Down to BZZZZZZness

Another Sneak Peek

Come see me at Bargetto Winery this weekend!

We're on a roll here

Yes! We Have an Egg!

It's HAPPENING!

I Heart Macro Sunday: The best dates always start with earplugs and liability waivers

Another kind of sleepover

Music in the Park

Got Passion?

Need a Spark for Your Art?

I Heart Macro Sunday

I Heart Macro Sunday

Lessons in Marital Harmony

Giddy

I heart macro

How I made this bead

New goodies in my Etsy shop

Reflections of a pretty girl

Baja Sand and Sky

Green is Happening

Oh Yeah.

Delicious Agony

Facelift...Complete!

Wordless Wednesday

A Rapturous Day

A metamorphosis is happening

Some of my favorite vintage pieces

New reptilian slide in my Etsy shop

Gittin er Done

She's my little blue coop...

Ladies' Night Out!

A taste of freedom

How Glorious a Greeting the Sun Gives the Mountains!

Flashback Friday

Studio Warmth

New Beads are in the House!

Shop Talk Wednesday

What a Find!

Word of the Week is "Find", aka CSI: Santa Cruz Mountains

Weekend Update: Rain, waves, wind, and something sweet in the mail

Oh Yeah.

3 Hot Chicks

Get Lucky on Etsy for St. Patty's Day

DeLightful DeCoster!

Looking for the positive in the wake of disaster

Sacramento Arts Festival Update!