Lucy being cute

We have this dog, Lucy, and anyone that knows her will tell you she is a little bit (or a lot) crazy. She is awesome with us, but pretty neurotic with strangers. Even I have to get down on her level for her to come to me sometimes! She isn't a pup either, we got her when she was a few months old, and know she is almost 8. Anyways, we love her to death regardless of her insanity and she is so stinkin' cute and photogenic. I end up with lots of pictures of her, and not so many of Malta, my old dog, because Malta hates the camera. Here is Lucy being cute and posing for me. If she weren't so weird she could have been a model. Oh, and ps., in case you are wondering, she is half Dalmation and half Rat Terrier. No wonder she is crazy!

Finished Landscape

I shared a landscape plan that I had designed recently. Well, we installed the plants on Monday, and here is how the beds look now. The plants should fill in nicely this summer. I especially like the front berm with the agave.

Today in the garden

Colorful pot on the porch

Black Hollyhock-It's tall!
Cornflower-grown from seed.

Nasturtiums, I wish these would last all summer!

I took advantage of the overcast cool(ish) morning to get some close up shots of my plants in bloom. I have to be somewhere this morning, so I can't work in the garden like I wanted to, but I'm hoping to get out there this evening to do some much needed weeding and trimming.

Cactus Flower

Cardoon in bloom

Orange Coneflower-One of my favorites!

Desert Willow Flower, another fav!

Plastic Fantastic Jewelry

I just finished a batch of new work made with plexiglass cut outs. I am really like the coral design, and plan to offer earrings as well as three sizes of pendants. Next step is refining my drawing, and then I'm going to have the pieces laser cut. I'm super excited about this as it will save me tons of time that I spent cutting and polishing these guys. I am also on the hunt for lots more color choices. Stay tuned, as the large Coral pendant pictured at top will be available in a giveaway soon!

A day of adventure with Mom

This poor little guy had lost an eye and ear to a bobcat!

A couple of weeks ago mom and I spent a day together having and adventure. We brainstormed several choices, and chose a visit to a local lavender farm. Mom suggested that the season was shorter there, and we should go before the flowers were gone. The farm is called Lavender Ridge Farm and it is in Gainesville, Texas. The farm was really lovely, they have a field of Lavender, obviously, as well as strawberries for picking. They also have a herd of super cute pygmy goats, two donkeys and three horses. It was nice to be surrounded by nature, and I had forgotten how much I loved the smell of horses. We picked a bunch of lavender to share, and I got a lavender bath bomb for a friend's birthday.

After the farm we headed into Gainesville's downtown square to visit Paige Davidson and her awesome shop. Paige is an talented painter, handbag maker, and all around awesome lady. Her eye for design is abundantly clear in her artful shop displays. Paige and her mom collaborate on a line of handbags made of vintage fabrics called Cahoots Handbags. They are all gorgeous, and I am a big fan of her paintings as well, especially the Airstream series.

A few of the Airstream paintings on display.

Inspiration

I'm interested in how those of you that have a clearly defined 'style' or signature style came to it? What inspired you to that signature style?

This has always been a difficult question for me to answer. I do think that I have a theme, or style running through my work. If not intentionally, then just as my personal aesthetic and taste working their way into my jewelry. There are several things that are very important to my design process and philosophy, color, contrast and clean, simple, modern lines.

Color
I have always loved color. I took watercolor painting lessons in high school and I think that playing with color through painting really had a big influence on me. My mom said she was surprised when I chose jewelry because of this fact. However, my jewelry professor, Harlan Butt, is an enamelist, and the facilities for enameling at UNT are great. I loved working with enamels in school, and though I haven't used them since I bring color into my work via several materials. I use gemstones, pebbles, and more recently polymer clay to add color to my work. In my pebble and collage series I really enjoy the color combinations that I create by mixing my materials. My design process often includes playing around with stone combinations until I find groupings that please me.


Contrast
I adore bringing contrast into my work. The contrast of the dull pebbles and shiny, luminescent gemstones. The contrast between pillowy and colorful polymer clay and hard edged oxidized silver. Or simply colorful and multi colored groupings of gemstones surrounded by flat and darkened silver. All of these contrasts are important to me.



Clean, Simple, Modern
I am definitely attracted to clean, simple and modern lines. Whether in Architecture, Furniture, Fashion, Landscaping, or Art. My preference for simplicity definitely comes through in my jewelry designs. Generally my work is not representational, rather it is about the materials and process. My metalwork is a simple frame work that supports and accentuates whatever materials I have chosen to incorporate. I enjoy coming up with new connections, and creating a work of art that is out of the ordinary.





To read more stories of inspiration, read these blogs, whose authors are posting on the topic for 6/5/09:
http://cynthiadelgiudice.blogspot.com/
http://andescruz.ganoksin.com/blogs
http://andescruz.wordpress.com
http://daniellemillerjewelry.blogspot.com/
http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com/
http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
http://etsymetal.blogspot.com/
http://tangerinetreehouse.blogspot.com
http://ninagibsondesigns.blogspot.com/

My other life as a landscaper

I spent several beautiful mornings last week cleaning up and planting annuals in my friend Robin's yard. Frank and I designed and planted these beds over the last several years and they have grown up really nicely. I love plant shopping whether it is for myself or someone else's yard. The weather was perfect for working outside, and the plantings turned out great. I will get more pictures when the annuals are full and blooming this summer. I did the shady side of the yard too but didn't get photos of that.

The fountain is one of my favorite features.

This back courtyard is my favorite space.