Tribal Poetry.

The creation of Tribal Poetry slowly unfolded over the course of eight months. I started the piece while vacationing with family in the Adirondacks. I found the 18 gauge copper wire in a unique “everything under the sun” store called Old Forge Hardware. When I returned to our cabin, I was inspired by the mountainous landscape and created the focal piece. It sat in my “to create” bin, until recently. While working on some other pieces of jewelry, a strand of teal mother of pearl caught my eye as the perfect compliment. It reminded me of the ocean waves of Cape Cod, where my husband and I vacationed the year before. This necklace is a story about visiting unique places and the beauty of spending time with family. 

I am very honored to have Tribal Poetry featured in the September 2011 issue of  Bead Style magazine! It is in their  "Designs we love" section on page 17. The issue hits news stands on August 2, 2011.

Humblebeads Awesome Giveaway.

Heather Powers of Humblebeads creates some of the most beautiful polymer clay beads I have ever seen. Their detail is amazing. She is giving away some of her gorgeous hand crafted beads. Check it out...

Humblebeads Giveaway

A Golden Opportunity.

Having a wooded area behind our house, we frequently get a variety of visitors from the animal world. Owls, deer, squirrels, bunnies and a variety of birds seem to enjoy our yard. This gold finch landed on the black eyed susans in our back yard Sunday morning! The golden color in the bird and the flowers pop against the green grass in the background.

This image, while quite literal, is my interpretation of Andrew Thornton's weekly word-Golden. There are so many ways to explore this word, both creatively and literally. My interpretation isn't about the color as much as it is about the golden opportunity to capture such a beautiful aspect of nature, right in my own back yard!

Time for an Adirondack Adventure!

Each summer, we head to the towns of Old Forge and Inlet for our annual family vacation in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a beautiful, peaceful, inspiring and exhilarating place to be. I spend most of my time capturing the beauty of the landscape with my camera, going on hikes, creating jewelry and relaxing on the floating dock. It is pure bliss!

I am most inspired by nature, and my creativity is always sparked as I take in the natural beauty of the landscape. The textures and colors of the trees, plants and rocks influence a lot of my autumn season designs. The subtle ripple of the water in the lake, so clear you can actually see the bottom, influences my summer designs. Everywhere I look their is inspiration brought on by this breathtaking place!

To really understand the natural beauty of the landscape, you must be willing to hike across or up it! My husband, his mother and I like to challenge ourselves at least once a year by hiking a difficult/somewhat difficult mountain. Last year, my mother-in-law and I hiked up Mount Jo near Lake Placid. We made it almost to the top, when a thunderstorm and pouring rain forced us to turn around and head back down the mountain. So close! This year, the three of us and our dog hiked Mount Jo again, making it all the way to the top. What a spectacular view, worth every step!

At the top of the mountain, there was a garnet vein running through the rock.

While I didn't carve any garnet out of the rock (disrupting the mountain face is discouraged) it did inspire me to work on a garnet collection for the winter season!

We also spent some time exploring a small marsh island in 7th Lake. We collected some drift wood that I intend to use as part of my jewelry displays for craft shows.

My husband and our dog Twila-she loves to run through the water!

I decided to cool off in the crystal clear water. The water is a bit deeper than it looks!

7th Lake. Wish I was still there!

Fiber Artistry Inspiration

Lindsay, my sister-in-law, showed me how to make felted beads. We had fun rolling the wool into ball shaped beads until our palms were raw! Taking inspiration from the natural beauty of the trees and pink hued sunsets in the Adirondack Mountains, I designed a necklace. I used the beads I created, along with square jasper beads, and added in a polka dotted bead that Lindsay made. I submitted it to Bead Trends magazine, who published it in the January 2011 issue! I named the piece Dutch Hollow after Lindsay's farm, Dutch Hollow Acres.

This week, Lindsay is going to teach me how to crochet. Only I plan to use 26 and 28 gauge wire instead of yarn! I can't wait to learn as I have been wanting to create bracelets and necklaces by crocheting wire! I might add in some fibers as well. I will post my creation, assuming it actually resembles a bracelet or necklace!