If you think you are really "open minded" read this.>>> http://ow.ly/aTGSK

Turquoise, & Arugula. A Winning Combination

Opening Day at the Alleghany Farmers Market in Sparta.

Today's season opening was a rousing success. I was half asleep at the 7am set-up but the chilly temperature served as an eye-opener. By 8 o'clock cars were filling the parking lot and people were streaming in. So was the sunshine.

The stars of the day were the farm vendors. There with loads of fresh salad greens, vegetable plants, and eggs, along with flowering baskets, jams, and jellies. Crowds gathered as representatives from the Extension Service and Master Gardeners answered questions and advised on planting and soil conservation.

My jewelry booth was busy all morning. There were a few last minute Mother's Day gift purchases, and several buyers adding to their personal collections. I also had a few conversations about custom design projects. Very exciting. This is going to be a fun summer!

Looking forward to a busy week, replenishing the inventory and cooking up a special for next weekend's market. I'll keep you posted.  

To Market I Go!

Next weekend opens the 2012 season of the Alleghany Farmers Market. The market has a new location adjacent to Crouse Park on Whitehead Street & Highway 18, in downtown Sparta, NC. Come for the locally grown, farm products, and stay around to visit my tableful of tasty jewelry items!
Saturday, May 12, 8am to 1pm. 

At the Market: I'll have a whole new batch of bracelets and necklaces, all designed to accent the new spring and summer wardrobe colors. I'm working mainly in glass, wood, and semi-precious stones, and all pieces are priced to be easy on your budget.

Here are two of my latest necklaces. Love these pastels. Perfect for summer dresses!

A Little Arm Candy

Here's a sample of what's showing at Perfect Image Salon in Sparta. Ask Annette to let you sift through the big bowl of bracelets on display!

 

Big selection. Over 25 bracelets to choose from!

I've Been a Busy Beaver

...creating new designs for spring & summer.

Natural materials mixed with stone, copper, and silver plate accents. Perfect with jeans,casual wear, and neutral prints.

 

I plan to exhibit my work at the local market beginning in May. Details to come. Always eager to hear your comments.

Grand Opening at the Farmers' Market!

Here are some of the stretch bracelets I'll have on display this Friday, 3-7pm, during the Bayside Farmers' Market Grand Opening.

 
 
 

We're living on the boat so making this batch of bracelets was a real challenge. Space is at a premium and I had to do some serious thinking before I brought the beads onboard. At the house I can spread things out on my work counter and extend the drop-leaf table to fit the project. On the boat I have to put EVERYTHING away EVERY NIGHT. I get a corner of the dining table as a work space, or, if I want to work in the cockpit, I bring up one of the door panels and balance it on my knees while I work.

Plaster cliffs along Island Pt. off Boularderie peninsula.

There’s no television to amuse me as I work, just the natural beauty of our outdoor setting . . . water whooshing against the sides of the boat, a bird swooping here and there looking for food. On the bad weather days at anchor I put in an audio book and listen while I work. Right now it’s R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones, Book 2.” I’ve never been one for fantasy, preferring the reality of here and now as a setting. But, ever since the Game of Thrones Book 1 ran on HBO, I’m a big fan. As a writer I’m amazed at the degree of imagination involved . . . a fictional land, a variety of peoples, each with their own history and laced with enough real world history to make it all plausible. 

A "Levelheaded" Kind of Cool

We’ve officially moved onboard for the summer. It took almost a week to haul gear, clothes, food, and linens for the transition, yet it took only one weekend on the water to create a new list of things I “just had to have.” Funny how the apple corer, a certain spice blend, and a favorite pair of bedroom slippers can make a place more like home.

The life of sailing we originally dreamed of so many years ago has undergone some major alteration. Instead of our plan to spend every sailing season doing an offshore cruise, (like Newfoundland, PEI, or the Saint Lawrence Seaway) we’ve had abbreviated seasons of sailing without going outside the Bras D’Or Lakes. There have even been a few seasons of no sailing at all.  Life, and weather, and mechanical difficulty kept getting in the way. 

When we first learned to sail in the mid 90s, we went out no matter what the weather. Everything else on the schedule was set aside. We were so excited about learning to sail, it took priority. We never thought about the weather and looked on rough seas as part of the challenge. Now we're happy to hole-up in a cove waiting for the skies to clear instead of pushing out into a blow just to make a few more miles. And if the forecast shows strong winds, or winds coming from the wrong direction, we’ll stay put instead of risk a pounding.  We’ve morphed into “fair weather sailors.” It’s not that the thrill is gone. More like the extra risk isn’t worth the outcome. We’re now more content with the journey and less concerned with the destination.

It’s a cool change for us. Not a “hip” or “fashionable” kind of cool, but more the “serene,” “calm” and “levelheaded” kind of cool.