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.

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Sago Palm

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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

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August How did this happen?

It is August and the summer is nearing the final hurrah.  Enjoy every moment.   The garden is tenacious because of all our compost it had received over the years.  We are happy to have a decent harvest at this point of the summer. Our experience and well enriched soil are why we have a successful garden.


Our harvest so far from the backyard garden:  beefsteak tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, tomatillo, kale, swiss chard, celery, thyme, oregano, sage, chives & fennel.  Several of them in this pic at right.  Green salsa = tomatillo salsa have been put away for later this year. One delicious way to use the salsa, is as a marinade. 

Went to the 2017 Flour City Brew Fest at the Rochester Public Market this past weekend.  It is a great way to enjoy the many unique and interesting creations by the talented brewers in my area. Certainly on the list of not to miss events for 2018.  A fantastic band, Grass is Dead was the headliner at the fest which made the event delightful.

Sterling silver or 14ktgf - which is my favorite metal to create with? This piece is Sterling & dichroic glass from a glass class from several years ago. 

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Enjoy your journey creating memories with your family through this beautiful season. 

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

April Garden Installed

April is rapidly coming to a close.  The vegetable garden is installed or planted and the growing season has begun. We are happy to have a few greens harvested and enjoyed so far this month. As my regular readers know I am an avid gardener.  My inspiration for my jewelry designs come from nature.

 






Planted in the ground so far are lettuce, mesclun, kale, broccoli, parsnips, leeks, & snow peas.  We have seedlings waiting to be installed:  tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, celery, kale, broccoli, & lettuce.

These lovely garden pics were taken this morning between the rain showers. A beautiful spring day here in Rochester, NY,





With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I have
a few orders to finish and deliver. Jubilant customers and soon to be happy Mothers.

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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. 

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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:

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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.