Local News!

Well, I guess you could say I've been a bit neglectful with my blog posts!

But, now I've got something exciting to share! A fellow blogger (and a girl from my neighborhood) is opening a brick and mortar shop on November 29!

An exciting new place called Urban Farmgirl will feature vintage goods & pretty things including painted furniture, artisan jewelry, handmade soaps and other lovelies...just in time for the holidays!

If you're out and about, stop in and say hello to Mary...please tell her Mona sent you!

Sanctuary Redux

American Pickers, eat your hearts out!

Back in April, my husband and I were on our way home when I spotted this beauty, sitting on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up by whomever had the where-with-all to do so! I screamed at him to pull over, as I HAD to have it! He drove right past it, of course, reminding me the whole while that I was nuts. "Well," I said, "we've known that for quite sometime...just get back there!" After only a little begging, we did, only to realize that we couldn't get it into my vehicle. We had to locate a truck...and fast!

We managed to borrow a truck and get back to it before some other person with great vision grabbed it up (a dozen people probably tried but realized this behemoth weighed a ton!), and get it to the garage where it sat until September...

Got the kids back to school, then got busy! Scrubbed it up a little, changed out the glass in the doors and... (did I mention that I had to pay a couple of really nice guys to move it up and into the studio?)

TAH DAH!! What do you think?

The Best Gift!

I have a sweet girlfriend (and a sweet daughter). She's a fellow jewelry artist. She does great work. She sends me presents...we send each other things that no one else understands. Here's her latest gift to me...


A lovely gift that arrived in yesterdays mail...found copper wire to use in some of my creations. Not too many would understand the delight in receiving such a gift!
(Heart, compliments of my daughter--she couldn't help but to shape the coated wire and leave it in the pile for me to find.) Simply lovely...it's the small things...

If you have a chance, go see my friend's work at http://www.michelesartjewelry.etsy.com

Permission or Validation?!

I recently purchased the latest copy of a book by Mary Randolph Carter entitled
A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life. I adore the book! I've been a fan of Ms. Carter's books for years (American Junk, Kitchen Junk, Garden Junk, Big City Junk) but have never before felt compelled to paint their titles on my doors!

In this case, I simply couldn't help myself!!

An Ode to Coral

Thanks so much to Kelli Hunter at House of JoLeigh for featuring one of my bracelets, as well as beautiful items from many etsy artisans and other sources in her blog post entitled "Coral-Spiration." Simply beautiful! Please visit her lovely blog...

http://houseofjoleigh.blogspot.com/2010/08/coral-spiration.html

An Abundance of Pieces: Miranda's Inspiration

A Place to Create

My 16-year-old daughter, Miranda, recently wrote this poem for a poetry reading at her school, just before school let out for the summer. I was out of town, unable to attend the reading. In retrospect, it's probably a good thing....It touched me so...I can't imagine how I would have been able to hold back my tears in public. And now, I can't help myself but to share it with all of you.


A Place to Create

An abundance of pieces
Parts of lives once lived
Inspirations of hope and love
Memories and reminders of times to come
Years of collection have led to this
To give new life to old

Shiny, soft, scratchy, smooth
These remnants of the past
They whisper amongst the creaks and hums
One day, they say, we will live and love again