Happy New Year!

We are well into the new year and I think it is going to be a creative and successful one, full of new ideas and improved quality of my pieces. February will mark one year since I started making my stone creations. It's not something I ever envisioned myself doing, but the great thing about life is that you never know what it is going to throw at you or what will result from the changes. I feel very lucky to have discovered this side of myself and and to have found something that I feel passionate about.

Today I'm posting photos of some new pieces. The lamp is made with river rock as the base and birch tree twigs, tied with hemp cord. The necklaces are made with some handmade beads I got from Thornburg Bead Studio--the artist mixes pure silver with the glass and the result is a beautiful "stardust" bead. The other necklace is slate over beach glass.

Holiday shows coming up!

Likely my last two shows of the year--this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. I've been playing around with holiday themed pieces and small items that would make nice gifts--magnets, ornaments and small stone plaques.

I'm also going to have a few new lamps, two very different from any others I've made. The one shown here is made of stones from the Taconic Mountains in Copake, NY. The top stone has a lot of iron in it; in fact, in the late 19th century, Copake was home to Copake Iron Works, the country's main supply of iron products. Between the iron and colorful quartz swirls, these stones make for some very interesting pieces.

So, Saturday I'll be at the Durham Craft Market Holiday Show and Sunday at the Big Barn in the Daniel Boone shopping center. It should be a great end to a fun, creative and productive year.

Fountains and lamps

I have 3 fountains and 3 lamps ready for this weekend's show at Hillsborough Elementary School. I will be sad to part with them, but will have fun making more.

Fountains!

I went to Market Imports near the Farmers Market yesterday and found a beautiful copper bowl. As soon as I saw it my mind said "Fountain"! So here is what I came up with. One with river rocks and the other with slate. I love the sound they make.

Posting a photos of some of my new items that I'll have at this weekend's craft show (Durham Armory on Stadium Drive). The last batch of slate I used has lots of orange and gold--a nice complement to fall decor and fall flowers. I also had fun making the river rock vase with the copper wire wrap. I used my grinder to make a groove for the wire to sit in. Very pretty with fall mums.

Last weekend, I went to a bead show and found some really cool accent pieces for my necklaces. Here are a few photos. They will be available at the Kiefer Landscaping Fruity Fall Festival this weekend. My favorite is the beach glass--what a great way to reuse and recycle!

Looking forward to this weekend's events--Hillsborough Last Friday and the Creative Hearts Marketplace. I've been working a lot with slate and have many vases, candle holders and business card holders. I have also made some photo holders made out of river and beach stone. Come one, come all!!!!!