Category Archives: nature

another girl

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Tropical Storm Hanna came through- we got lots of rain and my sunflowers sort of tipped-

Not so bad, and by Sunday we were having a beautiful day. I went down to the South End Open Market to see friends and do booth research. I will be showing there during the South End Open Studios weekend on Sept. 20 and 21. On  Columbus Day weekend, October 12, I will be part of a Boston Handmade event at the market. I’ve been very busy doing all the little (and mostly annoying) things that need to get done before a show. Today’s big excitement (doesn’t take much) is that I will now be able to take credit cards- I’ve got my very own card imprinter- otherwise known as a knucklebuster.

Last night I spent the evening watching the first four episodes of the first season of Project Runway while I packaged up my magnet sets. That was a great way to get a boring job done. I have to line up all the jobs I can do while watching and then I’ll be able to finish the season- ahhh, inspiration!

Anyway, in between the other stuff, I have been trying to finish up some more dolls. Today I got one done. My brain must be totally fried because I can’t think clearly enough to come up with a name. Maybe later.

The good photo light is gone pretty early these days- mostly due to the angle of the shadows and how they hit my house and yard. I waited late enough to do these photos that I was working in shadows. I did find one place where the sun was still shining- I like the shadow of her hair.

a little rework

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okay, I went back and fixed the tails of the luna moth on the first baby–

Here is the fix I did-

Now the tails are thinner and hopefully more graceful. The new official baby picture-

And this one because I like it-

And now for some garden photos. The sunflowers are starting to open. The bees love them!

And this was what I was hoping for when I planted the tomatoes, 2 months ago-so exciting!

garden update

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remember the tomato plants I put into containers in May? Well, they are amazing! Better then I ever expected. They are growing like crazy-

The “containers” are holding up pretty well although one has a hole in the side. It is not causing any problems as of yet. The plants are covered with green tomatoes.  And, this morning, I pick the first tomato off the cherry tomato plant-

You can ignore the dirty gardening hands…

In the front of the house, the flowers are looking great- crocosmia and poppies- perfect reds.

coreopsis “moonbeam” and a self-seeded lavender-

and the alliums in the garden-

and the ones I’ve been pulling out before they drop any MORE seeds!

trip report 2

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We left Ithaca and we drove to Chicago for another event. 675 miles- 12 plus hours in the car… what a day. But, once I was there, I had a chance to meet up with Jan of Be*mused who has just recently landed in town. What fun that was! We planned to meet at the Bean and so I had my husband come with me to take a photo- I knew we’d one.

He asked me how long I would be with Jan and I said- I’m not sure but I have a feeling we have a LOT in common. We went and saw a show at the Chicago Cultural Center of the work of Tony Fitzpatrick. Amazing work- so inspiring. I could see applications for quilting, embroidery, collage, so much. I had never seen his work before… it has stuck in my brain.

Then we went off to have lunch… Wow- did we talk! For almost 3 hours! And, I can honestly say we hardly scratched the surface. I know I will be back to Chicago. Now I can’t wait. Hopefully Jan will find the perfect new house soon. I am looking forward to a studio visit.

Well, nothing else on the trip really lived up to that visit. I kept thinking (and talking) about all we’d discussed for days afterwards. I think my husband might have been getting a bit tired of my enthusiasm?

Anyway- some other photos.

tomato tutorial- making containers

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I want to grow tomatoes this year. I want to have a LOT of tomatoes instead of a few very precious and expensive ones from the farmers market. Unfortunately I live in an old house with toxic soil around it- not unusual in New England urban and suburban areas. The soil has years of lead paint scrapings, car fumes (more lead) and who knows what. It is not soil anyone would want to grow edibles in. The solution is raised beds or containers. I am going to try to write a tutorial about how I planted my tomatoes based on the excellent suggestions of Bella Dia.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a house full of stuff. That makes me reluctant to go out and buy more stuff- like containers to grow tomatoes in. Here is how I made my own, hopefully biodegradable, containers and got my tomatoes started.

material list-

an old cotton T-shirt, size X-Large

some garden fencing that was stuck up in the rafters of the garage, already starting on the biodegrading part- ie rusty.

compost from my compost pile

commercial potting soil

tomato plant

Step 1: Cut the label out of the shirt since it is probably not cotton and wouldn’t decompose.

Step 2: Make a circle shape out of the wire fencing. Mine is about 16 inches across.

Step 3: Place in the garden and push the wire prongs into the soil.

Step 4: Put the t-shirt into the circle, collar edge down. Stretch the bottom edge of the shirt around the top of the fencing. I didn’t worry about weeds underneath- whatever was there will be dead soon.

Now there is a “pot”!

Step 5: Fill it half way with compost or other clean filler dirt, like all last years window boxes that you are replanting. I used compost from my compost pile. Push and stretch out the sides of the t-shirt as you add dirt.

Step 6: Center the tomato plant on top of the compost. Loosen up the root ball.

Step 7: Use the commercial potting soil to fill in around the plant and up to an inch or so from the top. Yes, you are burying 6 inches of stem and leaves. Trust me, that is a good thing. Water thoroughly.

Step 8: Wait 2 months. Hopefully, tomatoes!

I’ve got 4 done. One more to go.

pond in Woodstock, CT

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these photos are for the family who know where this is-

That’s the roof of the gazebo.   And the island is back to the way it was when I first saw it.  I wonder if the beavers are still in the lodge on the right.
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Pieces of the gazebo are now part of the beaver dam-

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On the other side of the street, the water is really low-

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Lots of water coming through the culvert though- we were surprised the beavers weren’t working on the dam.  We didn’t see any sign of freshly cut wood.

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trees

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I love pollarded trees.   It is something one rarely sees in the US.
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I noticed a lot of these trees in London- they look like they have ornaments hanging from them.

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And here is what I’ve been working on.  Trees on the mind.  I didn’t get much done on my travels.

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This photo is from my walk yesterday.  Chilly flamingos!

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New York trip

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pictures out the train window-

1/14- leaving Boston
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and into Connecticut-

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to New Haven- where there was very little snow.
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and then it was too dark for photos.

I will start with the most fun thing- On Tuesday afternoon, I visited the Etsy Lab– it was great! I was very unsure about the whole expedition, wondering if it was going to be totally weird, but everyone was very nice and welcoming. I guess what I should have done was to take photos of me with all the people that work there… but I didn’t. Instead-

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this is what greets you when you come in the door-

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A wall of artwork from Etsy people. I left an atc to add to the wall.
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Outside the offices, there is a giant poster with everyones avatar… I couldn’t find mine and I did look for a while!

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Other stuff I did- I went to the Museum of Art and Design and saw Pricked, Extreme Embroidery. There were a few pieces that stuck with me- one by Paul Villinski of wings made of gloves. Another by Shizuko Kimura that was sketches done with thread. Also, Andrea Dezso. I have a hard time getting past the fact that this used to be the American Craft Museum and they felt they had to change their name. Please!

Across the street is the American Folk Art Museum– I love that place! They have a permanent collection that I always enjoy. When I visit, I feel like I am seeing old friends. They are having a show that included some amazing papercuts. I’ve been seeing a lot of papercuts in the greater internet world and was primed to really enjoy what was on display.

On Wednesday I went to the Metropolitan Museum– which is totally overwhelmingly huge. I did find the costume show I was looking for, but I think I had to ask 5 different people and it took 20 minutes to get there from when I started out. Wow.

Also, lots of walking, people watching, window shopping, fun, fun fun. Oh, such tired feet!

And then home. This is Penn Station, as we were leaving-

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and out the window of the train again-

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And home again, very late. I think I’ve been catching up on the computer ever since!