Creating Space

My mother came to visit recently, and upon looking at some wasted space next to my deck, she asked "why don't you do something with that?" What a wonderful question! I had carved out a garden when I lived on the other side of this warehouse complex -- but that was space with actual earth. This was a corner of a paved parking lot.

So, following Mom's great idea, I have transformed this:


Into this:


31 planters full of 57 plants. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers -- you name it! The only drawback is that I have been spending so much time in my new 'garden space' that I haven't been inside to work on any jewelry!

Heat Zone 2

I took a remarkable class this weekend, and feel energized and inspired to get back to work at the bench. It was a class on advanced torch soldering techniques and tips -- and while 16 hours of lecture and demos on soldering may not sound appealing to most folks, it was actually a fantastic way to spend a weekend.

Out of the Blue

There was an envelope waiting by my door Saturday that contained a lovely surprise. It seems that Hi-Fructose magazine had a giveaway for active subscribers, and I was one of the lucky few.

“And The Choir Sings Quiet” by Brandi Milne.
Giclee print on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching paper, hand signed.
8" x 10"

From the artist's site:
"95 prints from the edition of 100 will be inserted randomly in subscriber copies of Vol. 11 of Hi Fructose [or apparently mailed separately - PCH] for lucky followers of the magazine to find and award new homes to. That issue will also have me in a featured article/layout.
The final 5 of the edition of 100 will be part of a special contest held on HiFructose.com (details to follow soon)"

I got print number 95 out of the 95 given away. It's just a delightful image and I feel lucky to have received it.