Almost April as a Women Business Owner

For all the new readers & followers 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 moss.  As a lapidary, when I am cutting a stone my design became the feature I find in the natural stone.  Moss on a Lava rock in my backyard garden.  


Expanding the gemstone/rock side of my business.  I sell rocks! Do you know a jewelry designer or small local Jewelry store?  Being a lapidary, I custom cut my own stones into one of a kind cabochons. Retail & wholesale options for you to buy the gems.  Please feel free to contact me if you have a friend with a shop who uses one of a kind gemstones.

Today March 31 is National Equal Pay Day.  
We had a local rally scheduled to bring more visibility to the fact that Minorities & Women are drastically paid less than men.

learn more here:  Pay Equality Coalition
  
Another way to support women is the ERA now ratified by the 38th state.  I a a proud bard member of Rochester NOW 
NOW Rocheter NY




What does it mean to be a Lapidary?  Definition: The art of cutting, polishing & engraving precious stones.  

To the left is a slice of the Unakite I found as a rough rock in St. Lawrence county NY.  It has been sliced into this slab of rough gemstone.  Below is the finished polished cabochon showing the beauty in this stone.  
details of the process here:  
Lapidary process




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.

I will end with a quote from my favorite president, Barak Obama. 

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek".   


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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Happy growing and enjoy your week.  

New Normal and Garden Update

Spring Garden Update

Patience is a virtue .  We are reminded of the importance of this virtue in the month of March . My garden is asking for my patience for my snow peas to sprout.   My bulbs are not waiting for April to show us it is spring. Thanks to the climate crisis the bulbs are earlier every year.  I have mini daffodils opening their blooms in my backyard garden.   Seeing the blooms at the same time as snowdrops lets me know the flowers are confused.

Plan to transplant some of my mustard into the ground next week.  need the ground to dry some before cultivation.



New Normal

This has been a difficult blog to write at this time in our nation .

 With the pandemic taking its toll on the world as well as the huge impact on my state of NY I struggled. Should I share my quandary and show how an artist reacts to this or stay silent?  This was my quandary this week.

common terms this spring new normal, pandemic, stay home flattenthecurve.  Not comfortable with this but surviving with my focus on the positive.  Creating art is not a daily occurrence.  Working to get back to my lapidary creations.    

The upside is the ability to appreciate things we used to take for granted.  A walk along the canal path with my sweetheart earlier this week & I have this beautiful pic of the sky.  we small business owners are hit hard by the changes we have all had to make.


We Artists are creating art - look for it.  Please make an extra effort to buy from local business especially artists to support small biz in your area.

Pond resident, Ferdinan announcing it is spring.  His winter nap is over and he is happy to sun himself in the top of this pot.

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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.

International Womens Day

Yesterday was International Women's Day, how did you celebrate?  I reflected on some fantasict women I admire such as Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Warren, & Kamala Harris.

As we move thru this month, I am beyond excited. It is almost SPRING,  10 MORE DAYS!!! This lettuce from 2017 says it best.



Elizabeth Warren quote,"Choose to fight only righteous fights, because then when things get tough - and they will - you will know that there is only option ahead of you: nevertheless, you must persist "  Her passion is resonating through out these United States of America in the hearts & minds of all of us women. She had the courage to do something some only dream of  run for President of the USA.




As this Mustard in my greenhouse shows, it wants to grow despite the fact it is winter.  The seed was planted last fall and is growing now that it is warm.  I watered it so it can become a full plant &  be large enough for a salad soon.   Followers of this blog know by heart my favorite Susan B quote, " Failure is Impossible "  I feel that here in this green. I did not expect it to have survived the winter but it persisted.

My indoor greens are only sprigs right now.  Three to six weeks  until they can be planted into the veggie garden.  Hopefully the peas can be planted by the end of March like last year.

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Reminder order early for special occasions

Almost Spring

It is early March in my sleepy Rochester outdoor garden.  Inside the tomato & pepper seedling are doing well & the greens have been planted.  In 13 days on March 19 it will be spring.   shortly after that I can start digging int he veggie garden.  I can hardly wait to plant the peas outside.  Looking at photos of the spring blooms from years past reminds me how quickly time seems to fly by.   These are daffodils in my backyard garden from early April.  

Spring is the time of year which reminds us of new growth and opportunity.  I am happy to have been part of six events so far in 2020 with my handmade jewelry.  Kits are now available for the beginner who would like to try their own DIY earrings.  For the curious class are available to teach bracelets, earrings, basic jewelry making or wire wrapping.

This is a commission I have the honor of making. The stone is Garnet from NY set in 14 karat gold filled wire.


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                   Cabochons and Beads

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Remember tomorrow night we need to move our clocks here in the USA.  Spring ahead one hour.

Hope this published Friday as posted.

February Family Memories

I welcome the end of this month because spring is in March.  As many of you know, I am an avid gardener.  Another annual event is remembering my Father & his Mother both of whom have birthdays the end of the month.  They both showed me strong family, love & tolerance for all. This year the month adds another family memory, the passing of my father's middle brother, Russell.  My Uncle Russell passed away & his service was Saturday, 2/22.

My Grandmother loved gardening and her flowers were a show of her dedication to nature.  This was obvious at her home in the NE area is the city of Rochester & the summer home her husband build in the 1000 Islands in St Lawrence county. One of my favorite flowers in her garden was the Peonies.  She had both the pink & the white flowering plants.This is the pink flowering type in my backyard garden.  When they first bloomed here my only thought when I inhaled the intoxicating aroma was of Grandma.



As I enjoy the sprouts of my tomatoes & bell peppers, I think of my family and the fantastic gardens at Grandma & Grandpa's house when I was a child. The Blackberries & Red Raspberries were always harvested by my sister & I.  Amazing that any of the fruits made it into the house by the color of our hands from the harvest of the super juicy berries.This is the view from the dock at the summer place several years ago.  The water lilies are wild there and helped me to have my own backyard pond.  the sound of the water takes me back to the cottage in the 1000 islands and many summer weekends with my father when I was a child.

Habitat for Humanity Women Build 2013

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Garden Design Day 2020 SEASON

My favorite day is the 1st day digging into the garden for the the initial seeds of the season. It is about 2 months away. to prepare for the 2020 Veggie garden, I was working on the design last week. Today, we ordered some seeds of a few varieties we ran out of from last year.

Harvest 2017

Bell pepper seeds will be planted today. Our garden is planted for success.  We use a three year crop rotation to rest the soil and increase production for the Vegetable.  Hoping Mother Natures helps this years by giving a good freeze for the 6 weeks necessary to kill the pests from last year. The yo yo temperatures and wet spring increased disease last year and made it difficult for local farmers to plant crops.


PBS article about the difficulties last spring.  "For farmers, record flooding and a wet spring mean many fields can’t be planted" 2019 Wet Spring PBS Newshour

Looking forward to the seeds sprouting and the growing to begin in my plants. Several inches of snow on the ground now & below freezing temperatures outside.  Yes it is winter in Rochester, NY.

1/19/20 NOW members

Last Month I was able to attend the Womens March in Seneca Falls.  There were three fantastic days of sisterhood in this historic area. This is part of our NOW, National Organization for Women,  group on the 3rd day of the event at the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls.  Yes that is me in the feminist t shirt left of center.

Relatively new style in copper per customer requests for more copper please.  Also have copper bracelets, anklets, necklaces & tiaras.
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Reflections of an Entrepreneur

I am a lady artist in this new century. What a fantastic journey it has been so far.


On this last day of 2019, New Year's Eve I was inspired by the quote below.

This is one of my favorite pieces to have created.  Seeds of Kambaba unites my love of gardening and lapidary with jewelry design.  Maybe it should be part of a series of garden inspired designs?  What to you think? 

The Sam Haskins quote is a fantastic example of what it feels like to be an artist.


As this decade comes to a close we are all reflecting on what this past decade has meant to us.  There have been so many laments and reflections that I have seen recently.  How do we turn off the outside noise aka our technology and enjoy the quality time with family?  Especially this time of year as a lady without a living father this time of year is never easy.









I have become an activist in the past decade as a feminist.  One major reason being  we are still not paid equal pay for equal work as females.  I have been a supporter of the ERA since last centruy.  No it has not passed or been fully ratified yet.  It will be that I am certain.

Want to help? Join NOW            ERA.org

NOW,  National Organization for Women in your area.  I was elected treasurer for my local chapter this year.   It is an honor to be part of this organization.





Want to support this Artist, feminist activist?
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Happy to create for you in precious metals a unique piece of your very own.

April Showers in Spring Garden

We always welcome  April showers in our garden.  It is the time when we see the garden come back to life from the ground. Almost overnight there is so much bright green everywhere. The crocus on the right were sprigs of green right before the flowers appeared.  

Well before these crocus thought of springing out of the ground, the planning began for the Vegetable Garden.  We use crop rotation to keep the group from becoming overwork.  When the snow was still falling,  back in early February, the layout began.  

The first seeds went int the garden in Much.  Thank you peas for being able to withstand the fluctuating temperatures of late March & early April.   

Shortly after the peas were planted the Mustard & Mesclun went into the garden.  These seeds were started in early March. Happy to say the first harvest will be this week for fresh greens from the garden.  Welcome to home grown in April.  The best thing when making a meal is to have fresh from your own backyard garden. 

Why would you want a garden you may ask?  

• Flavor
• Convenience
• Pride / satisfaction of success
• Control of the process
• Non-GMO crops 
• Fragrance
• Beneficial guests in the garden

We welcome input from our readers.  The best way to know exactly what people are looking for is to have them request it. We do our best to accommodate customer requests.  Copper teardrops are one answer to  -  more copper pieces please.  These are a new earring design that is proving to be popular.  Shown in all natural copper, teardrops catch the light as they move & are very lightweight.  They are available in both large and small sizes.  

Happy dance for this design and a few others recently in copper.  More on the new copper pieces in a future blog post.  

Custom cut gemstone cabochons are one of our passions. This plume agate showcases the beauty Mother Nature puts into her work.  We take pride in discovering the beauty inside each stone and showing it to you.  These gemstones are available to be set into a special piece for your gift giving pleasure.  

Another way we share the gems is to sell wholesale to other jewelry designers in the area and worldwide.  

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Note:  Website prices are retail.  Please send PM for wholesale inquiry along with your business credentials.  

Almost Summer - Rain Dance

Welcome to the end of Spring and anticipation of a great Summer here in Western NY.  Thursday is the Summer Solstice and it marks the official beginning of summer.  Try something new, find an event celebrating it and attend.

We would like some rain here in the garden it is dry here and nature give the best soaking water to the flowers and vegetables.  The snow peas are doing well,  even with the extra warmth this month.  Unseasonable 90's for the early part of June so far.




The Snow peas on the over 4 foot tall vines.  Our harvest in the past few days has been enough to know we can freeze some this year.

Happy to say the tomatoes are on track for the early July harvest.  We can hardly wait to enjoy the first salad with fresh homegrown tomatoes.  We grow all our vegetables from seeds.  With the dry here we are hoping for some rain good soaking rain.  Even made plans to dance in the rain when it arrives.  

What is growing in you gardens?  What are you pans for the summer? Are you ready to enjoy the sand between your toes?  We are and making some travel plans. 

Beach glass ring in Sterling Silver from Lake Ontario.  I only use natural glass created by the years and the water washing it over.  Inspired by the beauty and working on new designs.



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Albert Einstein  "The difference between Stupidity and Genius is that genius has it limits."