a nature save ~

sometimes, having lots of project ideas is a good thing... and sometimes, it is not - like when your brain is in overdrive and you cannot settle it down to begin... 


so i went for a walk by the river... and was gifted big time! 'make way for ducklings' was one of my favorite books as a child.... i look for the babies every spring, so when i saw these little fuzzies i was elated -

mama stared me down hard - but i understood and moved along...


also came upon some lily of the valley -

which inspired me to create these... i did best today trying to keep things simple and use what i already had... like a bag with etched copper pieces... lampwork glass by marie at bleuverre... 

return to happiness

'in nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.

trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways,

and they're still beautiful.'

~ alice walker

then there were the little buds slowly outgrowing their outer shell... lampwork glass by mika at pinocean... 

tiny buds

it's funny, i have a couple of books that i really love... especially the ones on metalworking and smithing... i will carry one around for a while, absorbing what i can but knowing that there are things i am not ready for... it will then get put away... weeks/months later i return to it and find that i understand and can apply things that i couldn't before... it's a nice feeling... not rushing or forcing the learning, but really trying to internalize it all... 


i am having a giveaway if you missed the last post - just leave your name and tell me how your life has changed from blogging... last day to enter is friday - winner will be announced on monday... 


now if only my eyes would stop burning from the oak pollen - it ends up looking like we have  tumbleweeds here in spring!

new blogger & zombie walk update -

'there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.

one is roots; the other, wings.'

-hodding carter

my daughter emily has started her own blog - she is a free spirited creative writer with an inherited tendency toward the sarcastic... and, as tamekah once commented on a post here, kids see the world through a fresh lens... it's thought provoking, refreshing, sweet and challenging... everything they are supposed to be! she is also a cinema & literary fiend... a child i am very proud to be able to call my own... 

also, nj zombie walk is estimating at upwards of 1500 participants in the lurch through asbury... we are already psyched for next year! oh, & i thought you would probably appreciate this, while watching 'zombieland' i was figuring out how to make woody harrelson's turquoise necklace - geek!!

remember - it's all fake ! :0)

'the job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.'

- sir francis bacon 

mission accomplished!

so as i mentioned yesterday, the nj zombie walk was held in asbury park... a city very near and dear to my heart that is experiencing a cultural revival...

base camp was in the old carousel house where at the city's lowest point the full sized horses were auctioned off...  early in the day they had tony mandile, a professional demonstration & brian keene who writes for marvel and dc... this is what emily wants to do for a living - prosthetic make up... so she was there for all of it... i brought the little one around 3 (yes, the little one, because as anyone knows the little ones worship the big ones) to get his makeup done... i paid for professional make up so i could see it for myself and duplicate at halloween... 

the artists were full out ready and each represented their interpretation of what a zombie looks like...

 

 

i am not a horror movie person, i did my time with that as a teen and early twenty something... for emily i have seen 'sweeney todd' because we love tim burton and the actors he works with and 'zombieland' ... i was wondering yesterday how many people went to the movies that night in costume!

 

this is the old casino where at 5pm the zombies all gathered...

these are my zombies!

 

 

they guess-timated that there were 1000 participants...

my 'celebrity' moment - these guys are one the front page of the website... 

i was so excited - they look so real, don't they?

the zombies walked down the boardwalk and then

out into the town... 

 

tired zombies! and hungry - but not for brains! :0)

october is my favorite month, halloween my favorite holiday - there are no expectations except to  have fun... and so it begins ~

zombies

the new jersey zombie walk will take place today in asbury park... my daughter wants to be a prosthetic make up artist & so she is already there, watching a professional create undead effects... they are at the old carousel house... the 11-yr-old is going later... and to kick off the weekend, she and i saw 'zombieland' last night... if you can stand zombie effects, it really is funny...

i am going to take lots of pics later - but the plan is, at 5pm, the legions will gather in the old casino and spill out onto the boardwalk... dragging around town together during the city's first saturday night monthly celebration... this is the asbury park of bruce springsteen where madame marie's booth still stands - though she has passed - & the stone pony... where the morro castle beached, where rum runners came ashore...


this town is a bit like a phoenix... presidents went on holiday here in its heyday... and i grew up on these boards... for almost 2 decades the decline was severe... but it's coming back... with a real artistic edge... artists of all sorts... writers in the stephen crane house, visual art, theatrical... i have mentioned in the past that my daughter interned at a glass blowing studio on the boardwalk here this summer ... & while the rides are gone, there is a cultural center that is rich and creates excitement... i admire the dedication of those working so hard to make this happen... and so we participate however we can...

so if you are in nj - you may want to drop in... but watch out for zombies!

here, there & everywhere ~

'don't walk in front of me; i may not follow.

don't walk behind me; i may not lead.

just walk beside me &  be my friend.'

- albert camus

and to friends i am always most grateful!

'magic lives in curves, not angles.'

- mason cooley

was able to make some earrings with the etched charms i posted about... 'where magic resides' features copper wirework & antique looking czech glass...

when my daughter was little, we called dandelions gone to seed 'blowies'... and they have always brought us such delight... what other flower can offer you a wish each time you pick it? i decided to wrap a link with ivory embroidery floss because seed parachutes always look so silky to me...  & i am going to work on fraying them a bit more... the copper links are handmade by cindy at cindy's art & soul... she does beautiful copper work...

 some beautiful beads arrived from mika at pinocean today and the teal was perfect for another pair of awareness earrings... our local kaleidoscope of hope walk is on the 26th and it is always such a meaningful day... survivors, family members, friends & remembrances of those who died are all present - the energy is palpable... i guess that is inevitable with the level of emotion and commitment that is present there...

 and finally a more controlled study into etching... vintaj will etch, but loses its finish... it also did not seem to oxidize in los... the difference in copper (18 ga) discs between about 1.5 hours and 2 hours has to do with deeper relief and sharper edges... a pretty significant amount of metal comes off in that 1/2 hour... i tried writing on one with a sharpie marker... that was fun... and it opens up the door to so many opportunities - another way to get words into my work!

and so it is friday ~ enjoy!

adrift

'not all those who wander are lost'
the fellowship of the ring
j.r.r. tolkien

we go walking in a park where a stream runs through... there is even a wooden bridge that crosses it which makes me think of the one that christopher robin and company stand on to play pooh-sticks... trees filled with their warm weather garb form a canopy... your view of the bright blue cloudless sky is filtered through the branches and the leaves... when you look into the water, you see that same view reflected back on the shimmering water...
and then a soft breeze blows, rustling the leaves... some of the small dead ones from the forest floor are swept up and drop into the water, and they are adrift... swirling along with the water as it moves around branches and rocks... gliding along with the stream's curving path...
'not all those who wander are lost'...
we all need time to wander, to free ourselves from the over scheduled, task-oriented lifestyle we often find ourselves caught up in... wandering can be physical - going to the beach, a park, or on a walk - and we find ourselves rejuvenated by nature... but really, more important than where you are is your mindset while you are there... did you free yourself? or did you think about how long you can stay so you can go on to your next task? you can be in the midst of your office or home and as long as you can shut off the head static and let your mind go, you are wandering... go for it...
the metallic blue lentil beads with raku finish from blue seraphim make me think of leaves floating on water... and only mak's raku beads could compliment them... thank you both... and to jenn at blue seraphim, you have my apologies for not mentioning you in my first blog... i'm a newbie but getting better!