Which party favor?
I am designing little party favors for my mother, who at 88 years old, still has big parties in her home!
Here are her choices:
1.Raffia and bird
2. Leather, chain links, key ring and bird...
4. Just raffia...
5. Leather, chain links with keyring, no bird...
Which is your favorite? I am getting tickled thinking about "Portlandia" 's episode where the shop keepers "Put a bird on it!"
And my kids tease me about this one: She's Making Jewelry Now.
A sneak peek at holiday ornaments...
I'm working up a few items for Christmas gifts. Above are some alcohol ink decorated ceramic balls. I decided to hand dye silk ribbons to match. I love the difference that little detail makes.
I love these tear drop glass terrarium ornaments. I sprinkled sparkly gold metallic glass in the bottom, jazzed it up with a chain tassel, and added a tillandsia. What could be better than a plant that lives on and hangs in mid-air? 
Rosebuds, seedlings, and my succulent baby book...
Th
is morning I visited my friend Harriett Lake, who not only supports my artwork, but collects water bottles for me. She is not able to get out as much as she used, so I brought along a bit of the outdoors. I put together a hanging vase blinged out with a vintage pin.
To my mind, there isn't anything more hopeful than seedlings and flower buds. (Don't mind the onion my photograph. Van gogh found onions to symbols of hope as well as flower bulbs so he painted both.)
I included a stem of sedum that was bursting with babies like this:
After a little visit, I left with a box of bottles and a heart full of inspiration. Harriett is so kind and uplifting. I think I might have grown a few inches taller, or maybe I just started looking up.
This afternoon in an effort to be thrifty, I took a trip to the library. Not only did I not remember the library is closed on Friday, I didn't remember today is Friday. Not to be undone, I journeyed to a couple of nurseries to expand my succulent collection.
Natalie gave me cute succulent notecards for Christmas, and last spring Danielle sent me a succulent wall garden. I guess they planted the seed for my being smitten with them.
I especially enjoy seeing the babies arrive. I will close with a succulent baby book from my plant collection. 
The plant pictured above is called something like flapjack or fry pan, but with those babies underneath, I think it should be called a penguin plant. While we are on the subject of names, the clerk thought the one in the photo to the right is called "Drunken Cactus" because the shoots look like bottles. I'm wondering about that. Maybe it's called Drunken Cactus because you would have to be a little tipsy to think these claw like shapes look like bottles.
These little guys pop out from the side of a larger cluster. And look Twins! 
Topsy turvy tomatoes...
I planted my tomatoes yesterday. Full sun is our front yard and the planters are not a thing of beauty. They remind me of Japanese beetle traps or some kind of treatment bag for sick trees so here's my solution: 
It might even work to scare the squirrels away!
From here to eterni-tea
Our friends Barry and Jill came for a visit a few weeks ago. It ended up being more of a rescue mission since John and I are both having slow recoveries from surgery. When I offered Jill a cup of tea, we discovered we both have a penchant for black licorice, so I brewed us each a cup of Yogi Licorice Mint tea. Yogi is a little pricey, especially since I am a baby and require two tea bags to get enough oomph in my cup.
Jill asked, "Have you ever had that Aveda spa tea that they serve in their salons?" That was all it took. I must have massive amounts of this tea, even though I have never tasted it. "Our tea shop makes a knock off and it's $50 a pound!" Why does this make me want it more?
I figured if the tea shop can make something similar, than surely I could as well, even though I have yet to put my lips to a hot steaming cup of the mystery tea.
I went to my favorite resources: the internet, and amazon. While I won't pay $50 a pound, I will spend $62 on massive quantities of peppermint leaves, licorice root, and fennel. I am frugal, so I used the Basil I have in the pantry. Today I set to making spa tea!
Here are my supplies. Don't packets look like astronaut food? I figure I have enough to prepare for tea-Armageddon. All the Brits will be lining up to my fallout shelter.
My inclination is to use it all and make a gigantic batch. "Why, I'll start a tea company, " says I , but my 'inner grown-up' (bless her, she doesn't show up often) advised making one batch to see how it tasted first.
Here's h
ow it went down: 1/8 C Basil, 1/8 C Fennel (I have 2 pounds), 1 C Peppermint (2 pounds), 1 1/4 C Licorice Root (ditto). Mixed them all together and stashed the tea into a jar painted with trees: a Teatree jar! It must be worth at least a million bucks! I'm so rich, who needs to start a tea company!
Now for the brew. My friend Gena gave me this beautiful orange tea infuser. I poured more than two tea bags worth (I'm rich!) into the stainless steel insert and counted the seconds until it was ready to taste.
Delish! Jill sent me a sample of her spa tea. I think this version has a bit more licorice flavor to it, so I might reduce the licorice on my next batch, or add Lavender! I'm off to brew some more. Stop by and have a cup. I have plenty.
More play with alcohol inks...
I love how the inks create mini-landscapes. Was excited
to discover layering today. The jar below isn't finished yet but I am liking the look it is taking on. Don't you think the ornament resembles batik?
Busch Gardens tree unveiled & alcohol ink addiction...
I f
orgot to post a photo of the completed tree at Busch Gardens where we celebrated an unveiling. Many of the teachers involved attended and were excited to see the name of their schools listed on the tree's base, along with a little write up about the project. It is so gratifying to hear how much the students enjoyed working with the plastic. Many of the schools are using the techniques for other projects. Below is a tree topper I mailed as a final touch. I was tickled to think of adding clear unpainted bottles for some sparkle. I built it on an old lampshade topped with a light-up acrylic ball. I love using stuff up that I have around the house! 
My latest obsession, another adventure in color :alcohol inks! They behave very much like liquid watercolor, but can be applied to all different kinds of surfaces. Here are some ornaments I made along with a ceramic jar I found on clearance at the craft store. I think the colors will be enhanced once I apply the sealant. It's like getting to make my own granite! I wish I could have a counter top in these colors
Frame you art! jewlery...
Some ideas are years in the percolating. I finally figured out how to frame necklaces so they can be hung on a wall. If you are going to own art jewelry, or give it as a gift, shouldn't you be able to hang it on the wall? So tickled! Just listed it on my etsy shop.
Repurposing with a purpose...form and function.
It's that time of year again, when the consequences of the holidays bring on the compulsion to purge and organize. After searching for a rack of some sort to tidy up my collection of wire and chain, I remembered a corner shelf I had stored in a back closet. Turned on its side, it offers shelves, graduated in size and slots from which I can hang unspooled lengths. For wire off of the roll, I used inexpensive shower curtain hooks which were also handy for tiny clasps to hold short scraps of chain. I'm pretty pleased with the look, the function, and the price: free!
Merry Christmas to my bride-to-be...
Heather is getting married January 11th. Since I am very behind with Christmas decorating, I decided on an all white tree. I added carved bone seahorses. They symbolize family.
The latest addition to Dale Wayne design...
I put together sets of the seahorses I hung on my chandelier for a local shop to try out. Fun, fun, fun!
Purse party preview....
I picked up these little Altoid tins (or if you prefer: Smaltoids.) They are so irresistible I turned them into party favors for my upcoming MYSTERY HOSTESS PARTY . Hope you can come. I'm making Dale Wayne purse charms for everyone so be sure to RSVP.
New for June...Vive la France!
Here are two of the new June Miche covers. The denim cover with the bow fits the demi base bag and the one in the foreground fits the classic. I love the Provencal looking yellow scarf that comes with the bag, giving you the option of changing the bow. Natalie said that makes it a bag you can change that you can change. You'll be ready for a star spangled 4th of July, or France's Independence day (Bastille Day) on July 14th. Rock that red white and blue or take yourself to the south of France with the gold and navy, but be sure to slip on those espadrilles, Mademoiselle. The new shells are selling out quickly, so you might want to snag one on my Miche page ASAP or should I say "Tout de suite?" This collection is called Americanna (zut!) and it is available in the petite and prima sizes.
In the summer everything slows. Days are longer, friends linger, and no one is in a hurry, making it a perfect time to break out the lawn chairs and champagne and have yourself a purse party! June - July 14th (do I hear La Marseillaise?) Miche is offering double hostess rewards, twice the free stuff and twice the half off shells for hostesses, and mystery gifts for guests. Contact me and I'll book you a party quicker than you can say Vive la France!
Birthday blessings...
I'm working on a theory that people close to God know what perfection tastes, smells, looks, and sounds like. My sweet friend Gena, an artist and counsellor, has walked me through shadowy days and sat for hours with me in waiting rooms. On my birthday she brought by a gigantic gift bag full of a collection of presents, each wrapped in a different highly saturated color of tissue paper. The next day I decided to make myself a proper tea with her birthday surprise. It's as if Mary Poppins stepped in to make it for me: A beautiful rich blue tea cup infuser that holds a perfectly generous amount of water, fragrant lavender chamomile tea with vanilla sugar, dark and milk chocolate covered cranberries and raisins, and a chai shortbread. I greedily wanted it to last forever so I topped off the tea with extra water and my cup overflowed. How appropriate.
My new potato family and email signature ...
Is this a sweet potato family or what? I bought a big box of sweet potatoes at Costco and I don't want to eat them, especially not now. They started sprouting so I put them in some random drinking glasses and a theme emerged. I'm wondering why the dad is yelling. I think it might be because of what his youngest daughter did to her face. Is that a handbag the mom is hiding behind her back?
How do you like my new signature? I met with my upline Miche rep and am so excited. As an art teacher I remember feeling like ET until I went to an art teacher's conference. I had a similar feeling, it's just that the Miche folks are obsessed with PURSES! It brought to mind a time with Natalie was 5 or 6 and I was on a purse shopping binge (before my beloved Miche) and she said "Here, Mommy, here's another purse for your purse collection."
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Men in ships...
There is a wonderful passage from the Psalms that is inscribed on the Fisherman's Memorial Statue in Gloucester Massachusetts. Susan Meyer did this gorgeous hand-painted version on her penworked porcelain.
"They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep."
Party at Dale's all day Thursday, May 9th 10am-9pm
My friend artist Susan Meyer is bringing her whimsical wares to show at my Mother's Day jewelry party. Trinket dishes, bowls, platters, trays and cakes stands will be available for purchase or to special order. She personalizes!
As for me, oooo-la-la! Lots of new summery designs! Watery crystal clear colors combined with my oh-so-fun seahorse pendants. (Too-many-hyphens.)
Hope-you-can-come!
Here is a link to the invite.
(Lavender martinis happy hour)