Black History Month 2021

We need to listen and be ready to stand with them.We have a local Black Lives Matter group in our city.  Free the People ROC is the group.  the FB page of the group Free the People ROC

Black Lives Matter in ROC

The Group in my city is Free The People ROC

 I invite everyone to stand up, listen to others, be kind and speak up. 

#blacklivesmatter

#standup

#speakup

#listen  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Facts Matter.

 

Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she published the novel The Color Purple, for which she won the National Book Award for hardcover fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Black History Resource

As Covid contines I know many are having trouble.  there is help outstare.  remember if you know someone who sounds different reach out have another friend reach out.  Send a letter, snail mail is very uplifting.  

NSP link

Help NSP

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Why should we all shop small?  For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.

this is Biggs jasper I hand cut into this beautiful gemstone.  I am happy to help with Valentine's month gifts.  

New Year 2021

 YES we made it through 2020.  It was a difficult year for many reasons. We have all learned what we value this year.  One sentiment I support is Kindness Matters.  

Enjoying another long weekend  this week to start the new year 2021.  

Positive reflections (Wins) for 2020

• Love Wins
• Kindness Matters
• Importance of Family - especially time together 
• BLACK Lives Matter - speak out and help educate the public
• It is good to Speak up - use my voice as a women & business owner via this blog & social media
• Co - Facilitator or The August Group Early Birds - 5 months now
• Artists' Chat - launched my own online chat group - weekly for 9 months now because I saw an unfulfilled need
• Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs
• Learned Zoom & now comfortable with video chats 
• Online networking works as well as in person
• Attended Sussn B Anthony Birthday celebration with my sisters in NOW (National Organization of Women

We have 16 days until the historic new administration , Joe Biden & Kamala Harris take the oath of office. Yes in about 2 weeks Madam Vice President takes office. The significance of this in the Centennial  year of the 19th Amendment is tremendous.  The Birthday Celebration for Susan B celebrated what we have accomplished as well as what we need to continue to do as women.  

Yes there have been some significant losses for 2020.  I have lost family during this pandemic and not been able to be with them before they passed away.  Zoom & FB live funerals made closure difficult.  Cancer has impacted several people in my family this year.  As an artist & creative person it is not easy to be inspired in a positive way with all the loss around me.  

    

As a small business owner I know how difficult it is at this time in NY state and around the US.  As a women owner business it is more difficult to generate the income necessary to keep the business going.  We are counting on the local community to remember to support all local business.  For every $100 you spend at a local business $68 stay in the community.  We are in this together.

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For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 

and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I am speaking up.  Please join me.

Christmas 2020 is Lonely

They Holiday Season is Very Different.  This has been a difficult post to put up this holiday season.  There are many memes out there if you want to look for them.  My words for how many of us feel .....Isolated, alone, sad, stuck, lonely, angry, disappointed, joy, happy, fear, afraid, scared,  & melencholy 

The rollercoaster of 2020 we have been riding will end soon.  In 26 day we have new Federal leadership to  put our country back on track and to help us rebuild & recover.  Recover from the damage caused not  only by the pandemic but by 4 years of an administration that focused on pulling our country apart.  America is a  great nation because of our diversity. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER

I have said it many time this year and it needs repeating.  Search the below terms

 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter 
and read from fact checked news sources.  . 

I look to the women I have admired and been inspired by over my lifetime.  Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Suana B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, are a few of these women.  the quotes below are ones I belie are great to mediate on.  I believe they will help us move forward in a positive way.  

Harriet Tubman

Every Dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. 

I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty,  having no experience of it. 

 

RBG   Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that leads others to join you.  

Women belong in all the places where decisions are being made.  It shouldn't be that women are the exception.   

 

  

 

Susan B   Susan B. Anthony   

Failure is Impossible

 

No man is good enough to govern and woman without her consent. 

 Hoping my Christmas wish for all will help a few of you to be able to keep the faith.  

 

As a woman and small business owner in New York state, I believe we can come together as a nation and learn from the past.  There is strength from our Foremothers and knowledge we should heed.   

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

 

Calico Hammers Women Build

I miss my time with my Women build team helping Habitat for Humanity build homes.  This pic is a few years old and is at the end of the day.  The group is a fun bunch of ladies to work with.   I am in the red shirt & purple hard hat on the right side of this pic. 

Flower City Habitat for Humanity (FCHH) is our local Habatat.

Want to know how easy it is to help build with us?  A little goes a long way.  

You can donate to help here:

Kim's Page

Calico Hammer will be back as a team in 2021.  We are helping in many ways this year as individuals.  

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For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak up.  Please join me. 

 Black Lives Matter!  Flatten the curve. Wear A Mask. Stay Safe. Practice social distancing.

Jewelry Safety and Precious Metals

Since February 2009 the Federal government in the USA has required manufactures to have their products for sale to children tested for lead. 

I am often asked why I use gemstones and precious metals in my work.  Why not go the the local craft store and by the cheap stuff on sale?  I use precious metals gemstones in the creations of the jewelry because I make a quality product.  I want my work to last, not be disposable & throw out after wearing once or twice.   Precious metals do not need certification at this point.  The materials used to create them are known.  For complete safety I do not sell or market my work as children's jewelry. 

For more information about safety in Jewelry and there hazards in our home. Made Safe. 

their blog on jewelry jewelry blog

I have often written about my process and the materials I use.  My precious metals blog Metals 101

Honesty and discourse of what someone is buying is a integral part of my business.  the earring have have surgical steel earwires; as the copper patinas(turns green), your ears do not. I always tell people jewelry is a body decoration and do not swim or sleep in it.  

For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak up.  Please join me. 

Just finished reading this last week &  I am humbled.

when they call you a terrorist

a black lives matter memoir

Black Lives Still Matter!

Seeds of Kambaba in Sterling silver below.  One of my gavotte gemstones to cut.  

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For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  

We are in this together. Wear a Mask, Stay home, Stay safe, Flatten the curve, Fasts Matter.  

Garden Sauna

My garden has turned into a virtual sauna with the rolling heat waves of the late spring & early summer.  It seems fitting to share some of my drought tolerant plants whom love the HEAT. This is an outdoor hardy cactus  called an opuntia .  We have them in both a pink as well as this yellow blooming variety. We recently gave them more sun by removing a few evergreens that were growing between them.  As these pictures show they are quite happy with the change.  

Another of our summer lovers is the Sago Palm below.  This pic is of the new fronds it is growing this season.  the plant is over 20 years old.  In out climate it come indoors in the winter.  The fellow gardener in my house collects cacti & succulents.  We have them outside in the summer and several hundred of them move indoors for the winter.

For Education  Search 
 I Can't Breathe
Black Lives Matter
and read from fact checked news sources.  As a supporter I need to speak

Sago Palm

up.  Please join me.

remember Stay home Wear A Mask Stay Safe Flatten the Curve

I am thankful for dear friends & family at this time to help keep us on track during this pandemic.  I have a weekly artist chat on zoom I host to allow a safe space for us to speak & share how we are coping.  Some weeks there is new art to look at while other weeks we are happy to have the group to discuss important topics.  Yes I am told there are FB groups but this is so remote and distant to me. this more personal and helpful to  us artists.  Keeping my schedule as regular as possible in the new world we live in has bolstered my creativity and I am now able to make some new pieces.  They will be added to my website and will be featured on Instagram first. 

Larimar in Sterling Silver

For every $100 you spend at a local business,  $68 stay in the community.  We are in this together.

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Memorial Day 2020

Happy Memorial Day 2020.  Harvested kale from my backyard garden for breakfast today.  Kale & farm fresh eggs were fantastic.  Today is a somber holiday as we reflect on our freedoms in the USA.  I have family whom served my Father, Uncles, & cousins, as many of you reading this have.  We do not need a huge gathering to remember and honor those whom have served this country.  Take a few hours today and teach your family what this holiday represents.  If you do not have children read history and remember why we have this holiday.

As an avid gardener, I did not know very much when I started my own gardens. 20 years ago.  We learned from my Grandmother as well my other half's parents.  To Further our knowledge we used tv and books.   Below are two of our favorites.

My favorite book is by Barbara Damrosch Garden Primer.Garden Primer  It is where I found the idea for a three year crop rotation which I use and helps keep my plants thriving.  Even in years of extreme drought, I have an edible harvest.  We also use companion plants and soaker hoses to water.  it is a great way to reduce the water wasted by sprinklers in a garden.  Many this year and starting plants because they have extra time & are home to see them blossom & grow.  Good luck with your new garden & remember to water daily for new plants and not in the hottest part of the day.

Our favorite show was The Victory Garden with Roger Swain, hom spoke about the origin of the term Victory Garden  Wiki defines. He described his memories and why he loves gardening and digging in the dirt.Trial & error as well as our lessons learned from others mistakes helped teach us to be better gardeners.  Failure is Impossible on one of my favorite quotes from Susan B Anthony.  I believe when we work toward a goal in is a journey; whether long or short enjoy your journey. 

Roger Swain Quote I love.



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We are all dealing with this time in our own way  Remember to be kind., flatten the curve, stay home and stay safe.
Honor this Memorial Day and always.

 In NY OMH Emotional Support Helpline: 1-844-863-9314

  help:https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/covid-19-resources.html

Yes it is Spring

As an avid gardener my spring plants for the veggie garden do not wait for the frost to go away.  They are large enough for transplant but my muddy garden is not ready for them.  There are both plus and minus to  homegrown plants.   My tomatoes are six inches tall right now & they smell fantastic.   We may try to remove & dry some of the soil to help them.


My giveback at this time is hosting an artist chat once a week.  Started last week.  Sure feels good to connect with like minded creatives right now.  Hard to be in isolation as an artist. Making a few new wearable works of wire art.

Working on adding more of my gemstones & finished jewelry to the website.  Time consuming to edit all the pics need to show the detail in the pieces.  Please take a look and let me know what you like.  Have some quarts points on FB and a few pewter beads for you to do your own DIY jewelry.  There are kits from $10 each for earrings.

Find memories of sisterhood from the trip to DC & our Womens' March on Washington 1/21/17.  Met some great ladies and felt a sense of sisterhood and love from the gathering.

Womens' March on Washington 2017

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Please remember to be kind.  We will get through this difficult time as long as we are together.  PM if interested in the Artist chats.Stay safe & show your love to others via face time, zoom or other social distancing choices.

Spring Arrives Yipee

Happy  for the arrival of spring this week.  3/19 is the first day of spring.  Late last week the snipes were planted.  the wait for their sprouts has begun.  The veggie garden for 2020 has been started.  Happy dance over here.

The beautiful sweet "fruit" to the right is what we will harvest from the garden later in spring.  Nothing is tastier than fresh picked snipes.  The first ones never even make it inside the house - they are subject to finger blight by me.  

We are practicing safety here in the workshop, garden and life.  Use common sense always.  Injury is never easy to avoid.  Safety glasses are always used when I create my work.Finger Blight : the condition used to describe the picking of fruits or vegetables before they are done.  also used to describe the theft of same fruits or vegetables.





One copper bangle and the copper earrings which are so popular right now.  Feel free to PM or reach out if you need one for your very own.  Custom color matching is always available.  Lapidary here so freeform cabochons are always ready to be set into the metal of your choice.





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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Reminder order early for special occasions like Passover, Easter, Mother's Day.

2018 Vegetable Inspiration

Good day and welcome to mid-spring in Western NY.  Inspired by my vegetables each year.   Veggie garden layout was finished over a moth ago when we still had freezing temperatures.  The   Snow Peas, Mustard, Kale, Collards, Broccoli, Romain lettuce are all in the dirt. 

One of the best things about this season, is investigating the changes the winter has brought to my garden.  Last year my Oregano survived but it was not growing quickly until a new oregano was planted. Still investigating how the perennials and annuals are doing.

 

It is the first of May today and happy to have one third of the vegetables in the ground and growing. As an organic designer, I am inspired by the way the leaves curl in the garden.  Also the angles of the light & shadows around the plants and ornamentation in the gardens.  

Above is the finished Flower I made several years ago in a glass class in Corning, NY at the CMOG.  It was a hot glass class and the surprise part was the actual color of the finished piece.  Inspiration to try another media is a great way to grow as an artist.  I have tried to work in galss several times but my passion is as a lapidary working in wire.

This Sterling silver piece is Seeds of Kambaba, a stunning custom cut Cabochon for this Statement Piece.

Reminder Mother's Day is 12 days from today.    May you be inspired by your passion the way I am.  Take the other turn toady and see when it takes you.   Buy Local, shop small & support the  Artists / Artisans  where you live.

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Welcome to May

Welcome to May starting off cool and wet here in Rochester, NY. Busy working on a wedding order and Mother's day gifts here in the studio.


Happy to have the spring greens in the ground & they are enjoying all the rain we have had.  Rain, rain go away is often overheard around here.  We have had way too much rain recently after a sever drought last fall.  A rough start to the growing season here.

What are you plans for the upcoming Mother's Day weekend?

I am proud to be participating in the Second annual Right to Run 19K / 5K  in Seneca Falls NY Saturday.  It was fabulous last year and I know it will be amazing this year.  join us and see for yourself.

Join us  Right To Run & bring you Mom or kids.

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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Enjoy the rest if this week and celebrate your family in a special way.

Hello SPRING 2017

Hello and welcome to Spring 2017.  It is the 3rd day of this beautiful season

We see the signs of the season.   Robins are here, Crocus are up, & temperatures are warming.  Yes the snow is still melting from Blizzard Stella that dropped about 24" snow here a week ago.  Here in Rochester, NY we are so ready for spring. 



 

Summer plans ans our Garden?  Seeds are planted, design is done,& seedlings are up.  I had the first of the Mustard in an Omelet several days ago.  Stop back for the detail on the garden Vegetable progress thru the rest of the spring.  pics as soon as they go outside.  Panda Wear jewelry update - there are new designs in process.  Please comment or message to be added to the class schedule newsletter.

Happy growing and designing. 

Below you may find my work and follow me  
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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Leaping toward SPRING

Hi Everyone and best wishes for February 29, aka Leap Day. We all got to enjoy an extra day this year! Hello March 1st.  I feel the winter coming to an end and spring is in the air.  Here are a few photos from last years garden. 

The seed catalogs arrived about a month ago so throughout February I’ve been reading and planning my vegetable garden design for 2016.  Decisions had to be made on which vegetables to plant, how much space they needed and which ones to put aside for another time….the BIG question every year.  Some years it’s an easy decision however this year there were several new things which would be great to grow, but space is always a big consideration.  

Only 20 days until the FIRST day of SPRING.  The seeds have now been planted and the waiting begins.  I’m counting down the days until the seedlings are big enough to go outside. We started the lettuce and cooking greens so they can be enjoyed earlier this year on the table.    
 It’s so exciting to look forward to a fantastic 2016 growing season, I just wish the garden was larger.  Happy to report the first seeds are sprouted today, March 1st.

One of my custom cut free form stones set in Sterling silver.  The wire and design accent the best parts of the stone and compliment the new owner of this piece. To find my work:

My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Supplies

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 For all the new readers of this blog,  I am an avid gardener and lapidary.  Most of my inspiration comes from nature as can be seen in my work.  Whether it is the arch of a branch, the stem of a bush or the pattern of a flower... I picture designs I make with wire and gemstones.  As a lapidary, when I am cutting a stone my design can take shape based on what I see in the natural stone. Roses and snapdragons from the garden.   

Happy growing and enjoy your day.