I will be back to blogging soon...I've been working away from home/office/studio for the past few weeks, but am almost finished!

tile work

This is what I've been working on this week. These tiles were commissioned by a friend to be given as hostess gifts for her daughter's bridal showers and brunch.

I roll the clay out on my slab roller, cut the shapes and stack on pieces of sheet rock.

Then I carve, attach and stamp the design into the clay. They have to dry slowly and completely before going into the kiln for the bisque firing.

I love working with clay. It is a quite, gentle kind of work. The wet terracotta clay looks like chocolate.

Some of the tools of the trade

Now they are glazed and ready to go into the kiln. I love to use Majolica glaze on textured terracotta. White glaze is applied first and then the color. After it's fired, the high places on the tile show through the glaze, though I don't think you can tell it in the pictures.

All done.

These tiles measure about 5"x8" and can hang on the wall or stand on an easel. I will be adding these and other designs to my website and they will sell for $25.00 each.

sunflower and tagged

A bird must have dropped a seed in our yard and look what came up. We've mowed around it for a month and as you can see, it has gotten huge. The stalk is as big around as my arm and the flower is bigger than my head. It's about 7' tall. I hope the birds will come eat the seeds out of it. That's a pretty good deal - one seed for hundreds!

I was tagged (a loooong time ago) by Flower. I got sidetracked, but am now going to do it. It is the mix-up-getting-to-know-you tag:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was homeschooling our two girls, helping with our business and trying to do a little art in between.

What are 5 things on your to-do list?

1. Finish cutting up and freezing the bushel of peaches I picked.

2. Iron tablecloths for a brunch on Friday.

3. Pull the grass out of my flower beds.

4. Go to the lake.

5. Spend time with my daughters before college classes start back up.

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

1. Dark Chocolate

2. Berries

3. Homemade hot sauce and chips

4. Fresh peaches and cream

5. Home grown tomatoes with cottage cheese

List 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire.

1. Rock my porches with flagstone.

2. Hire someone to mow and weed-eat regularly. And pull grass out of the flower beds.

3. Do more for Habitat for Humanity and Life Outreach Internat'l.

4. Share.

5. If there was anything leftover, I might build my own little barn - David's taking up too much room. :)

Places I've lived:

Dimmitt, Tx

Abilene, Tx

Oplin, Tx

I'm tagging bunnytrails, molly b's, blessings and baubles, to fly...with broken wings, and seeing beauty through closed eyes.

I'm sorry this is all run together - I keep going back to make spaces, but when I publish the post, it comes out like this. Does anyone out there know how to solve this problem?

if you love music...

go here for a review of one of the best things to come along! (Post title - Opening Pandora's Box.) I love this!!

lala's legacy (a tidbit)

I treat myself to roses from the grocery store (I think these are the prettiest ever!) when there are not many blooming at home, a habit I picked up from my great-aunt, Lala. She always has roses in her house, either those given to her or bought for herself, usually yellow, her favorite. I learned to appreciate, and indulge in, many of the finer things in life from her. It's the small things that make a big difference. She told me, when I was little, that water tastes better in a pretty glass. She's right. I drink my daily 64 ounces from my favorite pressed-glass goblets. Sometimes, I use my good crystal. An indulgence that costs nothing but an extra minute of hand-washing. As you can imagine, there are no paper goods at Lala's house. Only cabinets full of crystal and china, some she bought, but much that was passed down. (Funny how my cabinets look the same.) Lala is 93 and much has changed since she was my age. We live in such a face-paced world that we can't take the time to make every meal and party special with good china and table linens. But, we can make life prettier for ourselves and those around us with small gestures. Pick up a bunch of flowers with your bread and milk (or better yet, take a trip to the flower market if you have one nearby) and drink from your prettiest glass today. LIFE will taste better. Good advice from Lala.

P.S. Her real name is Claudia, but like most Southern women of her generation, this nickname is what everyone knows her by. The same is true of her sisters, Guga (Gertrude, the one with the house full of antique clocks) and Tooka (my grandmother, Elizabeth). These women and my memories of them are so dear to me and I will forever be trying to live up to and pass along their legacies.

midnight run

I'm back! My husband has been home and off work for a week and we've been busy with projects around here. Blogging has been on the back burner. With that said, let me tell you about one thing we did...

I was in my pajamas, shelling peas, at 10:30 the other night when I noticed that I had a message on my phone. It was my good friend, Linda K., telling me about an old piano that her church had set out by the Dumpster (she knew I might want it for my artwork.) I told my husband and the next thing I knew, he was putting on his boots, getting ready to go get it! I got dressed and we were in the pick-up headed to town by 10:50. Now, remember, we live 30 miles out. So, I am calculating what time we will be back home, how much the gas will cost and how much I think I might can make from the salvaged piano-parts-turned-into-art. (I would have never thought about that before gas prices got so high.) I decided pretty quickly that it would be a good investment. That's what I always decide. There was also the tiny concern about the police being called on us by neighboring residents. There would be a little noise from the diesel pick-up and dump trailer. Oh, well, small details, easily dismissed. (In case I haven't mentioned it before, let me say now, that my husband is extremely supportive of all my crazy ideas and ventures. No matter how many of them fail or how many times I lose interest, he is on the band-wagon every time. It's amazing! And fun!!!) Because of the way the piano was placed (thanks, Scotty, Linda's husband) we were able to, fairly easily, get the piano onto the trailer. Just the two of us. I don't know if you've ever tried to move a piano, but normally two people can't manage it. It was on it's back and the strings were "playing" all the way home. David said it would probably break into "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" at any moment. Don't you know that's been played on it hundreds of times over the years? We were back by midnight, the piano is in the barn and I'm thinking and dreaming...

The inside of an old piano is beautiful.

Ivory keys. "Middle C" is almost always marked with tape.

I think I'd better hang on to him!!!

the gift that keeps on giving

My sweet parents-in-law gave me this beautiful hibiscus last summer. I kept it in the garage through the winter and it is even prettier this year than last. They thought they were just giving me a plant, but it came complete with the added bonus of the hummingbirds it attracts. It is on the back patio right outside my kitchen window where I can watch these tiny little birds feast on the big, pink blooms.

a feast for the eyes

Every now and then, there will be something new in the produce department at the grocery store. Like these red currants. Aren't they beautiful? The color and translucency; they look like rubies. Some would say I should have used them in a recipe, but sometimes looking tastes better. Soul food.

still thinking...

I just finished reading Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. And I can't think about anything else right now. I'm still in that world. It shouldn't be an uncommon story, but, sadly, it is extaordinary. Many of my friends have read or are reading it. If you have not or are not, you must. It was very moving and thought-provoking. I think that's why the statement by O.C. that I posted yesterday was weighing so heavily on my mind. Talk about not being what you were before! Another quote that kept rolling around in my head as I read the book was by Rabbi Heshin (I'm sure I'm misspelling his name - I heard it, I didn't read it). He said, "Some are guilty, but all are responsible." As I read Denver's story of cruelty and unfairness it was obvious who was guilty. And obvious who is responsible. We can make up for/prevent, in whatever way we are able, the damage the guilty cause. If we fail to try, then don't we move from the "responsible" category to the "guilty"? I'm sure I do everyday as I miss opportunities that are placed right before my eyes. Surely, after reading this book, my eyes are opened, my hands and feet more moveable and my will, God's.

Oh...and, another quote by the Rabbi, "Your life is the spelling of the answer." I think that is beautiful and one more thing to think about...

http://www.samekindofdifferentasme.com/

something to think about...

This is what's on my mind today. What could this mean for me? For you?

"Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been." Oswald Chambers

Show me, Lord. But gently. Amen

books and flowers

I went to the library book sale this weekend - 3 bags of books for $18!! - and stopped by the nursery - not so cheap - on my way home. The back of my car was full of books and flowers! Who could ask for more? I wait until the last day of the sale - the fill-a-bag-for-$6 day. No frenzied crowd is snatching up the ones I want - the books written in the '50s and before. There are forgotten treasures out there - uplifting and full of good, honorable characters. Hopefully, I will be adding some of these new, old titles to my "favorite books" list.

studio garden progress

The outside of my studio is taking shape, but we still have a ways to go in the rose garden (I mentioned in an earlier post that my husband, my SWEET husband, is making a rose garden for me in front of my studio). The shrubs and climbers are planted, but we still need to make a border, probably rock, and fill in the whole area with either mulch or gravel. Any suggestions? I'm leaning towards gravel, but am open to other ideas. Will post pictures of the progress. Of course, it won't look great for a couple of years. If only we'd done this two years ago. What is that quote? The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The next best time is right now!

my afternoon snack

Yum. It tasted as good as it looks. Especially in this bowl made by my talented and sweet son-in-law, Austin, the potter (he can do anything!). He and Elizabeth (she does the glazing) have a display of their wares at Monk's coffee shop downtown. (If you haven't been to Monk's, you need to check it out. There is art on the walls, live music sometimes, and good coffee always.) I will post more of their work soon. I'm very proud of them - for lots of reasons. But, now, I think I need another snack.

spring fling

Last Saturday, I had a Spring Fling at It's About Time. Pam, Susan and Terri were so nice to let me show some of my art and jewelry and I had such a good time spending the day with them that I think I'll just move in! I love their beautiful shop - and them!

Here are some pictures:

Handmade terra cotta tiles with Majolica glaze

oil-painted butterflies on antique ivory piano keys

photos and note cards

little pieces of art

Pam, Terri and me - Susan wasn't here for the picture

my two sweet helpers - my daughters, Anna and Elizabeth.

I couldn't have done it without their support, encouragement and errand-running

and last, but never least - my good friend JoCarol without whom I could do nothing!

through the drinking glass...

I was paying bills (yuck) and stopped for a drink of water. As I drank the last drop, I noticed how pretty my Mother's Day flowers looked through the bottom of the glass. Naturally, I ran for my camera and took a bunch of pictures. I'm easily sidetracked. There are just so many more fun things to do than pay bills! Right?

Like take pictures of flowers through a glass.

In all different kinds of light.

From all different angles.

And outside.


Then, I had to post a new blog since it's been a few days. Right? Right!

Well, being without electricity and water WON'T be fun so I'm going back to bill-paying. Right now. Right this very minute.

But, I wonder what else would look pretty through the bottom of a glass...

a rose for your friday

My New Dawn roses are climbing the arbor and looking beautiful. They smell delicious, too.

Imagine this...the Painted Bunting and his wife on this gate with the roses - and I didn't have the right lens on my camera! I will see it in my mind forever, though, and hope you can picture it, too.

earth dog

Terrier means earth dog. Can you tell? Bonnie was helping Anna in the garden yesterday, snorfling in the mud like a little pig. She seems to especially like the pepper patch. No need for a shovel if she is on the job. Just point where a hole is needed and she gets to work - doing what she was born to do.

God's handiwork

Look what's been visiting my feeder! It's a Painted Bunting. We hear him singing all day long and run to the window when he sounds close. There are two males that we know of. They are elusive and getting a good look at them takes persistence and diligence. Last evening, David and I sat on the porch with a camera, two pair of binoculars and iced tea. It has become our entertainment - much better than a movie. We were rewarded with a good show. The male was singing his heart out, hidden, while his mate ate her fill. I suppose he was drawing attention to himself to keep her safe. Then, he had his turn. As soon as the sun set, they were gone, snug in their nest for the night, but back again first thing this morning. Such magnificence in such a tiny package. The handiwork of a creative heavenly Father.

happy friday...

...my favorite day of the week - the whole weekend ahead.

Enjoy yours.

first harvest

My youngest daughter is quite a gardener. What started long ago, as a toddler hunting for ready-radishes like Easter eggs in Grandad's garden and helping Grampy with his tomatoes, has become what appears to be a life-long passion. She has a large garden at our house and we enjoy the fruits of her labor. Actually, since she is in college, we are enjoying the labor! Really. We thought we were 'tending it for her, but find ourselves out there watering in the evenings and enjoying it very much. She told us, this weekend, not to refer to it as HER garden anymore. She thinks we've put in enough time to claim joint ownership. That makes me a little sad. Someday, it will be all ours. No - I think we will keep calling it Anna's Garden...and smile...and water...and weed.