Pieter Stockmans

a wonderful treat for you today. one of my all time favorite ceramic artists ... pieter stockmans.  incredible simplicity and sheer brilliance. wafer thin porcelain in the most beautifully refreshing shades of blue and white. go to his site and wander --you won't regret it....enjoy my friends!

goodnight bp... and same to you monsanto

Originally uploaded by Greenpeace UK

june vintage

i guess it's safe to say summer is just around the corner. i've had the windows open the past few days and the sun is back after a cool and gray month of may. the flowers are out and the leaves are so bright green and happy-- it feels good to be wearing one layer less, and sandals --yay for wiggling toes in the cool breeze .. and i've been enjoying a few days of photographing and listing some new vintage finds for 5gardenias vintage . ... the shop looks bright and airy and cheerful-- if you get a chance to stop in there-- let me know what you think... :)
 1. 60s passion pink pillbox hat
2. sweet antique linen drawstring embroidered bag ( listing soon)
3. depression era patterned glass sugar & creamer set
4. mod aluminum tumbler set
5. funky flower clip on earrings ( from west germany )
6. tomato red bakelite and bone white bangles
7.  folding wooden carpenter's ruler
8. glass striped pitcher ( listing soon )

big oil -- big responsibility

i know i'm not adhering to the idea of an aesthetically pleasing blog at the moment-- but i think that certain incidents call for attention and are indeed wake-up calls. there are too many wake-up calls really--and we all get overwhelmed. however... this one is a no brainer-- if you agree that you don't want to foot the bill for british petroleum's irresponsible and disastrous oil spill that continues to gush at a rate of 50,000-80,000 barrels of oil/day --then please click on the link at the end of the following paragraphs.. it is possible to have some effect--if enough voices are heard. this won't help stop this disaster --but it will certainly help give voice to our dissent!

 this is a petition that any one of you can sign to help send a message to congress. take a stand PLEASE. this incredible disaster in the gulf and the massive damage this spill will cause in our oceans is unprecedented.  don't let these irresponsible oil barons rip us off while robbing us blind while ruining our ocean waters and killing off sea life at the same time. next time you go to the gas pump--take a look. the price of gas has been rising again. and these companies can' t be bothered to take safety precautions??? or have a plan and solution in place in case of a disaster like this. this is outrageous!

Subject: No Bailouts for Big Oil


The damages from this spill will be massive. And get this--under current
law, taxpayers are stuck with most of the bill. That's right. After
Exxon Valdez, Congress passed a law limiting the oil industry's
liability for oil spill damages to a paltry $75 million.

I signed a petition urging Congress to end the oil spill bailouts
for Big Oil. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/bigoilbailouts/?r_by=20550-10081125-t_zoUXx&rc=comment_paste

playing

 i've been playing just a little... i get tired of the hardness of metal sometimes-- so lately i've been enjoying some downtime with a needle and thread... i'm not sure what will come of this piece-- i'm entertaining the idea of a high collar.  i've been trying to create a sense of lace-- but of modern lace... trying to keep it lightly rococco...

extraordinary deczka

i come across so many amazing artists on flickr-- and this artist designer/group of collaborators  has all but blown me away-- some info about the process of some of these designs is described in further detail on this web link called the t-shirt issue.

dandelion

dandelions pop up everywhere this time of years.  people try to pull them up, poison them, mow them down--but come on--you have to appreciate their tenacity! here's a pendant i made-  ( now available  in my etsy shop ) honoring the feisty flowering weed. a domed and pierced sterling pod pendant with an under layer of bright dandelion yellow enamel....

dora

dora looking just a tad bit devilish-- wants in!! don't worry-- she isn't stuck-- she slides in through the gate all the time-- only this time the glass door is shut and she's just going to have to wait until i get a few more pictures snapped.





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home

home--  i love our home. it's filled with every element of family personality... from artwork to the colors of the walls and floors-- the things that hang together are the expression of soul and daily life.  we don't live in a normal house with an upstairs and a downstairs--but rather a grouping of rooms that open and flow... we go and look at other houses sometimes when we think we might like to get off of our city lot and find some quiet--but nothing ever seems quite right...

any how-- i just got my camera back from the shop to have the sensor cleaned ( ahhh no more black blobs to edit out!-) and i bought a fresh pack of re-chargeable batteries. i was using my adapter which made mobility an issue. so chord free i can now roam my home and take some snaps..

above is view of one of my husband's large scale paintings-- and one of my hanging recycled paper piles in the
background ... that's how i store packaging...

below are some test tiles hanging on the wall-- just a few of them!--  from a summer of working on a research grant on glazes for ceramics--and one of my early pod sculptures leaning in the corner. a painting by a friend-- and a few shots of my favorite way to cover cat clawed furniture-- granny quilts. i collect them like a fiend. ..and of course the decor would not be complete without henry's bionicles spilled out on the floor!
the little wood people were a present -- they're made by yep-- that's right -littlewoodpeople on etsy .

the paper mache dragon standing on a pile of books  (above ) was made by my oldest son when he was about 7 years old...he's 22 now.... wow...-- and the sculpture on the wall is a piece i made about 8 years ago... it's ceramic and wood and mixed media. the balloon painting is by a young woman named kara daving...

thanks to Before The Big Day

i've been very fortunate to have some of my jewelry featured on some lovely blogs. i'm always grateful for the support -- when i can i like to give thanks back and let you in on a blog you might not already know about. georgia from Before the Big Day has a beautiful blog all about weddings ( featured in the UK)-- if you go for a visit and take in all the fabulous treats in the posts--scroll down just a bit ... now i ask you-- isn't the wedding featuring the elephant sensational? well if i were going to have a wedding i know i would want at least to have my cats there....
and maybe an elephant or two.. :)

here's the ring of mine that was featured in Before the Big Day's jewelry section-- what fun!

may vintage

some colorful and funky finds for may- new in my 5gardenias vintage shop
1  industrial strength metal sign--
2  spouted brandy snifter
3  summer straw tumblers
4  minty melamine lunch set

bellflower charm rings...

come spring i get bloom happy... here are some more bell flowers, this time made for fingers. .. soon to be listed in my etsy shop. ( some neck pieces will likely arrive in the not too distant future )... with all of the flowering fruit trees, lilac, magnolia, forsythia, azaleas, dogwood--well everything... i felt the need for color again in my work,  these enameled bell flowers are free wheeling and tumble around on the fingers-- mini moving sculptures, with a bright flash of color  --- they'll be available as one of a kinds in the enameled color versions, and in a number of simple finishes in silver, made to fit.... keep an eye out for listings..