Tumblr /Etsy Update, Zen and the Art of Not Expecting

Jester Papier Mache Sculpted Jewelry Box

I am now enjoying Tumblr, which is pretty easy after all. No need to be intimidated, just make an account and have fun with it. I'm finding it great just as a place to keep images and quotes that I like, nothing too ambitious so far.

Squared Zen Nest Papier Mache Sculpted Box

In Etsy news, I'm now on the Vast Team--only for art that hangs on the wall, but I have a lot of that! I have kicked off a "Holiday Gifting" sale on all giclee prints, laser prints and original mixed media collages in my shop.

Round Zen Nest Papier Mache Sculpted Bowl

And I have more papier maché boxes and bowls, for keeping one's go-to jewelry safe and cosy on your dresser or shelf. For those pieces of jewelry that you wear all the time--or, for special pieces you just want to pamper! They are made from kozo paper from Thailand, 1900's glossy newpapers from France and modern maps. They also get drawn on, and glazed with various light washes of color. They're enjoyable to make and always turn out a little differently than I think they will. This is good, as it keeps me from getting attached to a result. Layering the paper is not unlike hand building a pot or ceramics piece. I remember my frustration in college when my pieces would come out of the kiln unrecognizable due to the glaze yielding unpredictible results. If only I'd adjusted my expectations! I should probably try ceramics now and see if my midlife wisdom protects me from disappointment. Ha ha!

Weekend Finds Continued

I saved the best for last--a very old typewriter from the local pharmacy used
to type the labels for prescriptions...

This isn't from a garage sale, it was one of my favorite beach finds in Martha's Vineyard! I think it came from a private island west of MV belonging to the Forbes family.

Not especially exciting, but these wooden things will certainly come in handy at some point--isn't that the whole reason we do this, besides the thrill of the chase? Finding a pair of old gilt frames is unusual, though. And old yardsticks are always cool.

This is a hot plate from a chemistry lab that goes up to 600 degrees F.
Ready for some mad science?

Weekend Finds

Already at home in their new place, the 70's globe bookends.

Various useful and not so useful things. The brush on the right is like a great one I already have that I absolutely adore for painting trim! The black thing in the middle is a portable music notebook full of music on paper. Old cards are always handy, one must polish one's jewelry, metal bits and bobs are indispensable. Oh, and shouldn't everyone own red and white mushrooms on a twist tie from the 70's?

An old milk crate with some various metal delights. The ancient license plates were dug up on the guy's land which used to be a dump for old cars. They found lots of old bottles too. I don't understand why our land didn't have (m)any treasures as we have definitely dug around everywhere.

Rust Reconsidered

The deafening silence greeting a certain recent post as well as the convenient appearance of some really interesting rust (not shown here, don't worry) in my life started me to thinking.

(Notice my pictures of rust all seem to be nautical-comes from our sailing days
when an unkept boat was a "rustbucket"--but I'm over it!)

I may well be recanting my beliefs about rust. Say I found a few deliciously rusty pieces I want to cobble together to make something, and I want to put some kind of finish coat on them so they don't get dust (remember, that's the part I don't like) on people's lovely furnishings. What would you rust lovers use to keep the rust beautifully matte but still un-dusty? I've used rust primer on outdoor stuff that was getting painted and it makes a horribly shiny finish. Anyone who works with rusty textures, please leave me a comment with your suggestions!

A Walk Around Lower Manhattan

I went on this stroll a month ago, on a perfect late September day.

Please admire the way they've fit the buildings together.

No idea what this is, there was not a sign in sight but isn't it cool?

The required dose of texture.

Not really how I had pictured the bull...


Wall Street is a good location for this store.

More Beach Goodness

We spent a few days last week in Martha's Vineyard, working hard. So--I finally have some new raw material to play with!

At one beach, I decided to make a collection of fishing net and ropes--pretty amazing, all the colors that exist.

I even salvaged the seams from a ratty life jacket that I found.

We cleaned up the beaches and brought home pieces of lobster trap, lots of interesting wood, a bit of shells and other flotsam and jetsam (just love saying that).

On our way back to the parking lot, we passed some fishermen who asked us if we had left anything on the beach. Good little scavengers...

This is wampum in its natural state. The tribes who still live in the area make their beautiful beads and jewelry from it. It's absolutely gorgeous when it's all polished up.

No Bicycles Please

Provincetown MA

I know I've been a bad blogger lately, running off without a word, but I promise you, there will be posts aplenty in the future. After a much needed ten days away, I’m ready to start afresh and show you some things I saw in the rainy Northeast, mainly New York City and Martha’s Vineyard. But that will be for another post, so please come back soon...