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!
So many projects, so little time. Why waste any getting dressed?
I have so many projects going I should add plate spinning to the list. I work on one idea which leads to research and the discovery of other ideas and so on and so on and so on. Here's what I have cooking these days ( and it's rarely DINNER.)
1. Making herbal tea which led to packaging the tea which led to making tea bags. I found these cuties on Bonzai Aprodite. The instructions call for embroidering floss but since my first career as an insurance liability underwriter ( laugh, go ahead) only exacerbated my pre-existing OCD, so I spent hours trying to find food safe thread. There is a company in the UK that makes tea bag thread (of course there is) but since I couldn't figure out where to purchase it, I'm going to dye butcher twine with food coloring.
2. Since I started planting my little succulents I decided to start a small plantation on the back porch. While reading about succulents, I discovered Hypertufa pots. I can never remember the name 'hypertufa' because 'turducken' has claimed some kind of linguistic space in my consciousness and I end up calling it 'turfutti.' Sadly, photo below is from Lowe's not my porch.
Here's my porch.
Here is my succulent nursery, though it is too close to the first day of school for me to know all of their names. I inked the little apothecary jars.
3. As long as I have the concrete to make turfutti pots, why not make these cool concrete pendants from fall for DIY? 
4.Zuzu and I are catching up on my recycling:
And I continue to deconstruct knives into jewelry and now wall hangings,
and figure out how to resin and attach hangers to my alcohol ink projects.
This all explains why it's is almost 4 pm and I am still in my pajamas. Got to go plant the tomato plants I picked up while assembling the hypertufa materials. Then I think I'll brew myself some herbal tea and take a nap.
Back to my roots...
My very first job was potting plants at a commercial greenhouse. I still look back on it as a favorite workplace. A friend gave me a big bag of these tiny apothecary jars, and I dug out a book on terrarium planting that I bought about a year ago. Bliss! Last year I weeded out a container, giving air and light to a universe of moss into which I planted a few sedum babies. They look pretty happy in their new homes! 
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.
my almost perfect gift to John...
In 1995 the Orlando Sentinel called on readers to submit articles on the best advice they had ever received. My husband John doesn't write often, but when he does he is amazing. The article was a huge hit, fostering letters to the editor and quotes on the radio. Here is a link if you would like to read it.
John treasures his grandfather's letters. Some give advice like "Be respectful to your mother. I noticed you spoke sharply to her when you were driving..." or telling John that someday he really could be president of the United States. Charles A. Laesch was a successful bank president. His leadership made his bank one of the few in Michigan that did not fail during the crash of 1929. It is understandable that John patterned his career after this man he continues to revere.
Several years ago, John put on his grandfather's wristwatch and left the house to face the FDIC coming to close the bank where he was working. I wrote a poem for him on that sad and momentous day that you can read here. In the poem I mention John's Aunt Janet, born crippled and mentally disabled, the second of Charles Laesch's children born after his 18 month old son died from swallowing a button/pin, the eye of a doll. Eleven years after Janet, John's mom came into the world, developing Bright's disease as a young girl. Mr. Laesch had more than his share of trials.
For Christmas I gathered a favorite picture of John with his grandfather, a pocket watch awarded to Mr. Laesch after 25 years of service to his bank, and the original letter of advice and visited 'Bill the framer' at Art Systems in Winter Park. Bill has been there for as long as I can remember and knows how to select mats and frames that fit the artwork. We bounced ideas around, then I left the final assembly up to him, knowing his expertise can be trusted. Below is a photo of John's gift. Bill left the crease in the letter, rather than dry mounting it, so that it would retain the nature of personal correspondence. He also cut a hole in the matte on the back side so that we can read the inscription on the other side of the watch. I couldn't have been more pleased and gingerly put the brown paper wrapped treasure on the passenger seat of my van. When I got home and opened the automatic car door, to my horror the package had shifted, now wedged between the seat and the door. I watched as the car door showed no mercy, jamming the frame against the seat, slowly grinding open. The door may have been heartless, but the universe did show mercy, hearing my please of "please no, please no, please no!" There is a small unnoticeable dent in a frame. Thankfully we had chosen a distressed wood that I distressed a teensy bit more.
My two mantras of late: 1. If it's perfect or nothing, you'll always get nothing. 2. Perfectionism is the key to living a life of constant regret.
My DIY Christmas under the sea...
I received some very special gifts this Christmas. James remastered my sixteen year old self singing songs I wrote, including one I wrote for my first boyfriend. It is handy that John has blue eyes, enabling me to sing it to him when we were in college. You can listen to it here if you like. Heather created a beautiful bound book telling the story of her wedding in January of last year, Danielle gave me a print of my favorite photograph in her graduate portfolio, and Natalie made me an assortment of edible delights as well as felt ornaments she created. It was a very special DIY kind of Christmas with all the children home.
For his part, my blue-eyed beau gave me a snorkelling/scuba trip to the keys. It is out of our comfort zones, a scary adventure to anticipate together. I was thinking about coral reefs when I made this tile using my new passion, alcohol inks, and imagining what it will be like to paint after seeing the real thing.
Busch Gardens recycled bottle tree video...
Here's a little promo video about the recycled plastic Busch Garden's tree!
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
Biggest tree ever~
My work was literally 'cut out' for me by hundreds of Hillsborough County students. Thirty-six schools each delivered 400 cut and painted bottles for a 15 foot tree that will be unveiled at Busch Gardens Wednesday night. Here's a sneak peek! 
Knife blade dangle earrings...
I bought an ebay lot of pocket knives to make necklaces. The collection included loose blades and many unusable knives. They looked like they had spent years submerged in a tackle box full of water. After a bit of percolating, here's the happy solution, just in time for Halloween. I dulled the blade, not a small task, but they are to be worn at your own risk!
Yummy honey and rose...
I'm enjoying moving through some more neutral colors. I am especially pleased with this necklace. For more information visit my 
My dad's uniform...
My god-brother from Baltimore is coming to visit today. His wife was very fond of my dad, calling him 'Pops.' I saved several pins from his Navy uniform to make jewelry for relatives. This one is for Nicole.
Fight cancer necklace...
For months I've been wanting to design a 'fight cancer' necklace. Pink ribbons are nice, but sometimes a girl just needs a knife.
Last day visitors, nesting bottles, and reentry.
I've been home since Sunday and am still aglow from my incredible experience at ArtPrize. Above is an image from MLive's top 10 photos of Day 8. It pretty much sums up how I feel. On my last day, Chris and I brought folding chairs to soak in the project for a few more hours. My tools were packed, leaving us nothing to demonstrate to the visitors. It was Sunday and it was the a-ha kind of Sabbath I described in an earlier post. We rested and enjoyed what we had made.
My installation is visible from several streets, luring the public to satisfy their curiosity about what the panels are made of. "Ribbons?" "Paper?" "Glass?" then, "Oh, it's just plastic bottles!" I am growing to love the word 'just.' Its use is a testament to the simplicity of the process and the ordinary nature of the material. When Chris and I worked on my 2011 ArtPrize installation, she used the word 'elegance' to describe it.
Faces lit up with delight as visitors explored the panel. Most reached out and touched the plastic, then posed for photographs. I thought of their hands brushing the work made by so many other hands. The reaching is significant, the project inviting the viewer to let down their guard and allow themselves a little dose of wonder. Chris and I were touched when a young man with a group of college friends circled back to thank us, his gaze lingering in appreciation. There were hundreds of little moments like this.
Now,
I am in what I call 'reentry mode' or maybe 'post ecstatic stress.' In an effort to ease myself into a new direction, I decided to catch up on all the bottles still at the house, but like Lucille Ball at the candy factory, they keep coming! I intend to continue making panels, so I devised a storage method. I am stringing the bottles on cord and plan to hang them on the wall of my studio. Mainly, I love stacking the bottles together. Maybe I should treat myself to some Fisher Price.
I took a bazillion photos before I left. I will close with those since I am out of words, except one: thanks.
Bling one, bling 2 and a little bounce in your step...
Yesterday afternoon I placed our blingy additions and 'fluffed', which is what we call opening the blossoms either by hand or with the heat gun. Apparently, earlier in the day two busloads of school children visited and had their pictures taken (or 'pictures made' if you are from the south) in front of the panel. I am guessing they were from Evergreen school who contributed to the project and I hope they found their gorgeous highly saturated painted blooms.
I took occasional breaks to show visitors how to cut unpainted bottles or gave away some extras I had tucked in my tool box. Families, business women on their lunch breaks, and two groups of adults with disabilities stopped by, walking away with magical crystal clear blossoms and spirals that bounced in rhythm with each step. One teenage young woman in a Pikechou hat visited with me. "I have had a hard life" she explained when I asked her why she was so far from where she called 'home.' She parted with a handshake, a spiral, and I wished her a better future. God spoke creation into being. Jesus spoke "go and sin no more" and I have wondered if he was speaking creation into our futures. Maybe, by the grace of the Holy Spirit our words can make things too.
the aesthetics of rest and perfectionism...
Monday, we stopped by to tame some of the larger bottles with the heat gun and fuss over details. As Chris snipped the ends off of zip-ties, and I double and triple checked for gaps, a gentleman exited the building, then exclaimed cheerfully, "You've gift-wrapped the courthouse!" Practically on his heels, a woman sighed, "Doesn't it look like a giant birthday ribbon." Their comments remind me of what a gift creating this installation continues to be, and how many people I have to thank for enabling me to give voice to a crazy song of colors that can't stop singing.
After a literally mesmerizing trip to Michael's, Chris and I spent yesterday making extra special blooms to hide in the panel. Taking into consideration the 10,000 precedents, she hesitated to suggest it, but Chris thought it would be fun to add individual pieces from our hands, inspired by the many other contributors to the project. We had an inspiring afternoon playing with new materials and will add the blossoms today, the official opening day of ArtPrize.
It was nice to be able to spend time creating the bottles, a switch from my previous production mode. I think Chris might have had an an ulterior motive, divert Dale from incessant tweaking, and it worked. I rail against perfectionism like a wanna-be former smoker rails against cigarettes. "Can't I have just one puff?" I recently posted on my FB page, 'perfectionism is a sure way to live your life in constant regret.'
And as I wrestle with the perfectionism, I recollect creation; God at the end of the work of spinning out every wonder we enjoy. At the end of the work, in community with the earth and the heavens, there was rest. "A-ha" is what they call it in aesthetics, when you give your work an 'it is finished' and feel a satisfaction you hope to pass on to those who see what you have made. When I teach art, I believe displaying the finished works as a celebration of the Sabbath. I thought a little deeper too, about Jesus breathing His last words, the last word from the one who called himself the Word, "It is finished." Oh do I strive in life, trying to perform, produce, and perfect. I imagined myself walking bent over with a burden that only truly exists in my imagination. If the last word is 'it is finished', I'm going correct my posture and step, light on my feet, into the 'a-ha' my faith invites me to dwell in. I might even dance on joy's horizon.
John, Chris, and Dale at the venue.