Tuesday's Treasures: Some Favorite Etsians

I've had my shop on Etsy for almost 18 months now, and during that time I've discovered some wonderful artists, jewelers, sellers, and friends. So I thought that today I would share a few of these with you.

I simply love this artist who has two shops, one vintage and one jewelry. Her photography for her vintage items is just beautiful and truly showcases the treasures that she's found. As 5gardenias...

And her handmade jewelry shop, kathiroussel, is just stunning as well... a mix of sterling silver and enameled work.

Littlebugjewelry creates fabulous jewelry as well, and I especially like her stacking rings.

Then there is the lovely copper work of RoughMagicCreations, whose jewelry is very earthy and always unique. And she's such a great Etsian too... very helpful and supportive!

This Etsy artist, phofun, creates really cool items such as small journals and photo albums, and I love her designs.

LBArtworks makes the most beautiful bags, and of course they appeal to me because of the nature and bird themes that she uses. So so gorgeous!

And the last one I'll share today... pumphousestudios who works in ceramics... see why I like this artist?


Stay tuned... I'll show you more of my favorites as the summer moves along. And remember, buy handmade, shop Etsy!

Good Things Grow in Gardens

This morning I took my camera and my coffee out to the yard to enjoy the morning air and birdsong and to take some photographs of what is happening in our colorful little garden plots. I'm sorry to say that the photographs just can't truly capture the beauty of the morning with the breeze blowing through the zillions of trees surrounding our home and the song of the Wood Thrush cheering me along, the pale blue morning sky and the sheer peace of it all. It simply made me sigh with a deep contentment not often known for far too many people in this world, and I felt truly blessed and at one with myself, my creator, and my little piece of the world.

Here's what I found in the flower garden, which has a few fruit and veggie plants mixed in.

Hydrangeas, which I planted shortly after we moved here, so they went in the ground about 5 years ago... and finally, finally, they are blooming and filling this space with glorious bursts of color. If there was nothing else, these beauties would be enough.




And she isn't much, but this little volunteer marigold is dressed in such beautiful rich jewel tones...


Next... the veggies...

A new star in the garden...

And the tomato forest... we went a bit overboard, but we had visions of salsa, fresh tomato sauce, canned tomatoes with garlic and onions and peppers, and of course, tomato sandwiches... a summertime favorite! At the far end of this forest are the pepper plants, and we're looking forward to several varieties including Poblanos which I use for Beer-battered Stuffed Peppers (with cheese only or occasionally with corn too)... scrumptious!

And these babes in the woods... I don't know what variety they are since we planted several kinds.

Purple Cherokees on their way... if you haven't had this kind of tomato, seek it out... they are the best!

And our Beanie Babies, newly planted from seeds just last week, alongside the remaining romaine lettuce.

On the deck, we have two volunteer yellow squash plants, and we also have some baby squash in the garden, a few of which took a beating when we had a pretty harsh rainstorm come through.

And blueberries galore on our two bushes next to my studio... they won't be ready for another month or 5 weeks, but when they are... oh my goodness, fresh blueberries with yogurt, blueberry streusel, blueberry muffins, pie, jelly, and several bags frozen to enjoy throughout the year. There are even blueberries on the bushes we planted for Bruschi just a couple months ago. I was sure they wouldn't produce this year, but I think the spirit world is looking out for dear Bruschi!


So anyone for dinner?

Birdsong & Blooms

Tonight is opening night! The paintings have been hung and I am ready. My solo exhibit will officially begin this evening at 7:00 as part of the First Friday Gallery Hop in downtown Winston-Salem, and I'm pretty excited about it! Fifteen pieces are in the show and are for sale... all small works, many 12 x 12s, some 8 x 10s and a couple 6 x 12s. And as the show's name suggests, each painting features a bird or flowers, as is appropriate for the dusky aqua blue walls of Imagine Flowers, a gorgeous little flower shop filled with fragrance, lovely vases, and all things pretty, related to flowers, of course. These pieces will hang for the month of June, and with luck, I'll make a sale or two; at least I sure am hoping so... fingers crossed.




Here's to a good show and to a sale or two... or more! Stay tuned!