I was down visting my Mom in the metro Detroit area and we hit this amazing garage sale. I picked up a bag full of vintage scarves that look to be from the 40’s right through the 70’s. Plus I picked up some great vintage jewelry, both the bracelet and the necklace. I’m pondering removing one of the strands of beads from the necklace to fashion matching earrings from, but I’ve never done anything like that so I’m kind of... Read more

I was down visting my Mom in the metro Detroit area and we hit this amazing garage sale. I picked up a bag full of vintage scarves that look to be from the 40’s right through the 70’s. Plus I picked up some great vintage jewelry, both the bracelet and the necklace. I’m pondering removing one of the strands of beads from the necklace to fashion matching earrings from, but I’ve never done anything like that so I’m kind of... Read more

I’m so excited, I sold my first painting on my etsy shop. I have another I’m planning on posting Saturday, and a friend is ordering block printed christmas cards from me. Things are going really well. The only slight bummer is that I’m going to miss my painting. I like it, but now I find that I’m inspired to try again! I’m still fascinated by powerlines and what they symbolize for us. They’re such a ubiquitous part of our lives.... Read more

I just got photoshop elements and I’ve been experimenting with it combining my photos with old pictures from my family. It’s a lot of fun, and I like knowing that I’m using my own work and my own images rather than taking someone else’s work. The top one isn’t really finished yet, I wanted to find something to frame Nellie, but I haven’t found it yet. Read more

This is the month that in many European cultures, the beloved dead come to visit the living. In the tradition of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, I’m exploring Ancestors, both mine and the people who came before me here in Michigan. I’ve been feeling the need to connect with my past, thinking a lot about where we’ve come from and how we’ve arrived at this particular place and time. These are photos from a recent visit to a local... Read more

It’s that time, when the flowers die and the tomatoes come to their end. I got some nice pictures of it though. Summer may have come to its end, but we are left with the beauty of Autumn. I’m not alone in thinking that Fall is the best season to be in Michigan. We may be living in the end times of the Michigan car industry, we may have some of the highest unemployment in the US and have earned... Read more

I could have cropped my toes out of the pics, but I thought they were kind of funny. Read more

So the other day I went to Van Atta’s Greenhouses and found the cutest little plant that made me want to make terrariums. So I picked it up and found it some mossy ferny friends and they sat for a while in a tray of water. Eventually I made a terrarium with polished rocks from my father-in-law and it was fun. I still had more moss and fern and odd orange fruiting something-or-other, so I made more. I have decided... Read more

I used thistle silk I collected on the side of the road this fall. It’s surprisingly soft. It’s like the thistles are making up for being so thorny with this hidden soft side. I stuffed my daughter’s hat full of the stuff, since that was the only container I could find in the car. I’m hoping to try my hand at making paper from it later this winter. I liked the picture of the boy, grubby but happy. I’d like... Read more

I wanted to share a little project I did a while back. I took a bunch of found objects, wire beads, and other junk and fashioned these little magnets out of them. It was a bundle of fun. I’ve been saving all the boxes from game expansions as we get them. These were made from a Carcassonne game expansion. The boxes make a wonderful base for shrines, magnets, anything really. They’re very sturdy and hold up to paint and glue... Read more