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Japan in the Twenties

This amazing 1920's montage of fabrics and patterns create a modern day mix of magic. The detailed brooch has real seed pods, felt and beading which makes the dress organic and modern all at the same time. All the materials used have been previously owned which makes the piece have a very preloved feel to it. Not perfect by any means, but full of tons of timeless marks of distinction.

You have to see this... just lovely, don't miss out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

“Let the beauty you love, be what you do.” -Rumi

My Inspirational Home in North Carolina

This place so inspires me!!!! and yes, I am a country girl at heart. This first photo is a shot of the thick forest that is on part of the twenty acres in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. I spent an entire two weeks in the small cottage on the property, wandering around open artist studios, attending a lecture at Appalachian State University and looking for salamanders. All in all a very relaxing and adventurous time. I should have taken more photos of the amazing studios I visited but I guess I was having to much fun talking to the artist and seeing the great work that is produced in the great North Carolina mountains. The local artist open their studios twice a year, in the beginning of summer and before Christmas, this is the time to buy directly from the artist and not pay the pumped up gallery prices. I loved the work of Kerstin Davis, Stacey Lane and Sylvie Rosenthal. Check out the Penland School of Craft website for amazing work and the school is only 20 minutes from the property. My husband will be taking a class this summer and hopefully I will be taking one in the near future.

1. Benny my furry buddy.

2. Sculpture on the campus at Appalachian State University.

3. One of the many waterfalls on the property.

4. Nick Joerling and Lisa Burns studio

5. Me looking for crawdads and salamanders.

1. Outside shot of one of the pretty studios.

2. Penland post office.

3. Paul working hard running wires so we can have some light.

3. My hubby washing dishes... we don't have running water in the cabin yet.

4. Me putting on my boots for a morning trek and Prezel peeking from under the ladder.

1. Lovely shot of the outside of the cafe at Penland, great food by the way.

2. Me washing dishes...I HAVE LIGHT!!!!! Benny keeping me company.

3. Our loft set up with our new Memory Foam bed. We just couldn't handle one more night on the air mattress that kept on deflating. Wal-Mart has 5 dollar movies, so we would watch them on our handy dandy MAC laptop.

4. Finally found a crawdad, isn't he cute?

5. I set up a board so we can pin up the souvenirs we would collect from our daily adventures. Oh yes and in the bottom of the photo you can see Paul's BBQ dinner.

1. I made SawDust girl from the sawdust Paul would leave on the floor after making the holes for the electrical. I made her so she can watch over the cabin and keep it safe and happy.

2. We discovered a great neighbors/artist Linda Sharpless.

3. The fish is from the Penland gallery, I am sorry but I did not write down the name, love the work.

4. Paul's early Father's Day gift, an Art Deco cedar chest to keep our linens from getting yucky.

5. Outside garden of a ceramic artist.

6. I had to take a photo next of the Bee road sign... bye for now. Hope you enjoyed the photos.

I know it's strange, but...

I swear I am working on some really cool jewelry. As a matter a fact I will be posting one of the projects I have been working on. I will be posting a new brooch in the up coming week, so please check back. But for now here is Mr. Franken Wiener, isn't he cute!!!??? His skeleton is made of a heavy weight wire, built up with polyfill, then felt is sculpted around the form. I used antique fabric for his patches. The scarf is wool and keeps his neck very warm. I had so much fun making him, I saw him come alive with every stitch. He loves complements so don't be shy, send him a one.

New pieces that premiered at the Gallery

Here are all the new pieces I was working on for the "Organic Expressions" show, I hope you like them and send me a comment.

Three Worlds of Tatiana

This earth loving piece has two types of seed pods, glass beads, leather, wool, parts of a palm tree and blue yarn. When you place it around your neck you can hear the seeds that are locked inside the pods. Enjoy being part of nature when you wear this piece.

Seeds of Florida

This piece started with part of a palm tree I found. I thought it was very beautiful and looked like a crown. I added raw wool fiber so it would not lose it's natural look and feel. The bead you see on the bottom right corner, comes from Africa and is made of bone. I used a metal chain and silver wire to make the piece more metropolitan and modern. The mix of natural objects like the shells and the metal chain is how I see my surroundings here in Florida. 

America the Beautiful

The dress was inspired and made from a quilt that is over 100 years old from the mountains of North Carolina. Antique lace, tea dyed embroidered fabric and silk and cotton yarn were brought together to make this "American" dream dress. A rooster, a typical farm animal is depicted on the ivory carved brooch found on the front of the dress. The ivory piece is from Japan and has Japanese writing. I loved using it on this "America the Beautiful" dress, showing that we are a nation of mixed cultures and mixed beauty. Like the streams found in the mountains of North Carolina, the beads and burlap water fall down the side of the dress. The quilted material is free form machine embroidery which creates an unusual texture.

Charlie Parker's Delight

This Dress was inspired by a 1920's dress I had that was falling apart and I just couldn't let it disappear. I took as much material as I could from the antique dress and mixed it with this new amazing fabric that looks like plastic but is far from it. Hanging from the front are two antique velvet flowers. The back is really sexy. The lace is transparent so you can see the skin underneath. Red silk and gold crochet follow the line of the dress in the back. You can also find small ribbons and beaded flowers in the front of the dress on the blue silk fabric the was also machine embroidered.

Homage to Stephen Sprouse

The bracelet has a stiff structure. The structure of the piece is soldered brass and copper and is lined in the interior with black velvet. A mix of green and neon green beads adorn the outside along with a bright pink "flake" like yarn. Nuno felted antique cotton lace is what you see popping out of the felt to create this unique surface, which can not be duplicated. Bits of sari silk also make a bright impression with it's vibrant purple fiber.
These colors and the graphics I used brought to mind the work of Stephen Sprouse. The designer that made neon clothes actually look good.

Wool and Wood necklace

About the wood used: Lignum Vitae, Latin for "wood of life," is a tropical American evergreen tree of the genus Guajacum. The hard, dense, and durable wood, obtained chiefly from G. officinale and G. sanctum, is important for ship construction and other uses requiring strength and hardness. The trees are grown in Florida and California for ornament. They also yield guajacum, a gum resin used in certain drugs. Lignum Vitae is the national flower of Jamaica.

I used raw lama wool and crocheted it into a cocoon like strand using black silk yarn.

You can wear it in a single long strand or wrap it around your neck twice for a fuller look.

Nesting Time for Dylan

This necklace was inspired by the birth of my nephew. My sister was doing the mother nesting thing and is living in Boston. The recycled fox fur gives a warm and feathery look to the piece. The coral stone and glass beads represent me being far from her, here in Florida. Chains, silver wire, and wrapped yarn are the bonds that will always keep us together. Last but not least is Dylan, my beautiful nephew with his big blue eyes. Can you see what piece represents him?