Studio clean up begins...

The studio is quite the mess.
It's that time of year when I need to get it whipped into shape to be able to invite people out during the Mountain Maryland Artists Studio Tour that kicks off Nov. 7th! That doesn't leave a lot of time.
Yoki ruffly says, "wanna drop by for some mulled cider and soup?" She's helping out watching that I clean up properly and will be here to greet you all if you decide to come out and take a peak at my studio.


I hope the leaves stay on long enough for you to see it. Doesn't it look lovely nestled in amongst the colors today?! Who is gonna rake those leaves that have just STARTED to drop?


I've even created an area inside the larger studio so everyone can stay out of the cold and be able to shop for Christmas gifts. Of course, I still have lots of cleaning to do because I have three small areas you can step into to see how and where I do what I do. If time and space allows, I even plan on doing a little jewelry demoing. Meanwhile, it's back to cleaning and back to creating new work!

Hiking with the girls!

A few of my favorite artist friends decided to take the day off from our studios and go for a hike in the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland.
For me, it was so refreshing to be out and crunching on all the crispy leaves with Ceil, Dalis and Piver, smelling that wonderful smell that only happens with the changing of summer to fall.

Ceil and Piver decide it is waaaayyy easier to decend the trail, than backtracking up it.

Just look at all the wonderful colors that surrounded us as we talked about our lives, and yes, our art!

What inspiration of color for us to take back to our studios or just the quite peace that allowed us a breather from our busy lives.

We had to gingerly step on mossy slippery stones and decided it was necessary to use sticks because a couple of my friends accidently dipped their feet in the babbling stream!

Ceil, myself and Piver, after stripping ourselves of some layers and saying goodbye to the warm fall day, jumped in the car with Dalis and decended the mountain back to our busy lives. Now, where did I put those pliers?

Gobble Gobble....

Turkey Teaser!
Arts at Canal Place - Featured Artists
November 1, 2009 - November 30, 2009
Check out my "extra" inventory as a teaser of the show to come in December at AaCP. I will have two full cases available for those who want to GOBBLE up unique pieces prior to "The Hard & Soft of It" show in December. Ask anyone working at AaCP where our two cases are and happy shopping!
Hours: 10-6 Daily
Arts at Canal Place, Cumberland, MD
http://www.artsatcanalplace.com/
(301)777-8199

Night time jeweler!

As I was searching for images preparing for the upcoming 2009 Studio Tours, I came across some older photos I had hidden (May 2007). So, I was taking some nice night time images of my studio. After I turned all the lights on and climbed up on to our tall deck, I happened to notice something out of the corn of my eye. I zoomed into the yard and caught this lovely mother raccoon heading for the studio to make some jewelry!!!
Actually, she was going up the humongous oak tree next to my studio to her awaiting babies. She decided I was harmless as she eerily gazed down upon me as I got closer for a picture of her. She later relocated all her babies somewhere deep into the woods on the mountain behind our house and was never seen pounding on metal in my studio again, nor were her off spring. Her babies were so cute though, that I would have taken them in as apprentices.

Western PA....

Those who protected the West. Okayyyy, so no, not really. Instead it was those who make really cool stained & painted boxes and bonnets during the Springs Folk Festival.
We had a new location this year at the festival, right next to the information booth and on the other side, Jim & Robin were our wild, wild neighbors! It must have been all the caffeine from the chocolate they were eatting and feeding us. Maybe instead it was the spiked cider from the festival - okaaayyy, so there wasn't any spiked cider, though there was talk of how to make it. As it was made for the festival, the cider was delish and there was also fragrant and tastebud bursting warm apple butter bread amongst all the wonderful foods served at this years festival.
The weather held out pretty nicely this year and there were plenty of good vendors, lots of demonstrating and a lovely attendance of people. I was busy enough that I couldn't slip away to really catch any cool pics to post and had to grab my farmer man in the suspenders to help out in my booth. I happened to be wearing my Pappap's old clothes! He frequently had on his old chambray blue shirt & very high wasted pants, of which I refuse to show you how NERDY I actually looked under that leather apron. Who wears their pants THAT HIGH?! Instead I'll show you the classic pocket he always had on the side used to hold pliers and old rulers, etc.
And we joked that I was "Eddie" at the festival, since my Pappap always seemed to grab the nearest sharpy and write his name inside his pants. Anyone out there have a family member who thought they needed to identify their pants for fear that someone in school or work would take their PANTS accidentally?!!!