Amanitas and Puffballs and Witch's Hats, oh my...

Today marks a full Day 3 of nonstop rain here in the Virginia Mountains. And rain in the fall = mushroom hunting! No, not these kinds of mushrooms pictured below (unless you're so inclined). There are plenty of delectable culinary and medicinal mushrooms pushing their fruit bodies out of the earth and decomposing trees this time of year. Our dear friends Zoe & Matt just brought us a whopping Maitake that we sauteed with butter, onions, garlic, and thyme.

image courtesy of curthendrix.wordpress.com

image courtesy of montezumabeach.com

image courtesy of wikipedia.org

Matt (on right) offering us a Maitake

To honor our fungi allies, here is my latest beaded piece. Now go take a walk in the woods.

For more views & info for Amanita Cuff in crimson, please visit my Etsy page.

Newest Work in Shades of Gold

I really don't have much to say in this post. I just wanted to document the piece I finished today. I had a moment of frustration when, after completing it, I discovered the magnetic clasp I used was not magnet-y enough. Grrr. So off it came and another, stronger one got sewn in its place. Ah well. Lesson (?) learned.

See more images of Botanical Cuff in gold on my Etsy site.

Ancient ~> Modern

I've been inspired lately by ancient life. Fossils, civilizations, tools, technology. I actually had a recent momentary infuriation at my ancestors (I'm talking 10,000 years ago ancestors) for neglecting the ritual of passing down vital information from generation to generation. Granted, it is how we still download a lot of our current knowledge, by way of passing along history, legends, recipes, skills. From memorizing a great-great-aunt's lasagna recipe to a three-year-old being able to figure out an iPhone; these are the skills and information that get passed down these days.

Before we became "civilized," though, (especially in the western world) there were certain other skills and information that got passed down. Where the good springs were; the importance of family, extended family, and elders; how to make our own "clothing" and shelter; and, basically, how to live in accordance with the earth, instead of constantly at war with it.

I'm upset. I'm mad I don't know how to not live in a bubble of poorly designed vinyl siding calling itself a house. I hate being a slave to oil. I'm frustrated I don't know how to identify enough wild edibles in my landscape to live off of. I'm scared and too emotional to hunt or fish. I'm sad I live eleven hours away from my immediate family.

My husband and I try to incorporate as many wild edibles, fresh spring water, barefooting, hiking, natural materials, and homegrown goodies as we realistically can. But these are passions and hobbies that I'm sad to say we have to go out of our way to achieve. They didn't come naturally to us, and it is not the norm for most of the western world. Living just the same as all the other inhabitants of this earth got lost somewhere in the craziness of civilization.

Can you think of a way you can live with a slightly lighter footprint? Try. Try bringing in one new zero-waste habit that our ancient ancestors might have done. I'm just trying to get those thinking gears going...

Here are my latest creations:

More info on both Charmer Necklaces available on my Etsy site.

Stocking Up

I'm officially in creating mode. Everything I make, I'm doing at least two of at a time. Some will go to the Front Royal Women's Resource Center's upcoming silent auction at their Fall Breakfast, some will go to the Loft Gallery in Culpeper, VA, and the rest will stay here with me at gathered. Right now my focus is earrings; next, it'll be more beaded leaf hair clips; then, bead-embroidered cuffs. I'd better have all this done in just a couple weeks, though-- the holidays they are a-coming!

Old Becoming New

I was so excited to finally use these beads I've been hanging onto. They contain real, actual fossils. The maybe-I-should-have-been-a-scientist in me has been hoarding these, waiting for what?

But I wanted to make a new piece to have in my shop, as well as test-drive it as part of my bridesmaid ensemble at my sister-in-law's upcoming wedding.

If you look closely, you might notice that the design as a whole is an enlarged replica of one of the tiny fossils within the stone. The colors are sort of art nouveau meets ancient Egypt.

See more images and info on Traces Necklace on my Etsy site or my full website.

Working on new earrings...

For some reason the jewelry I wear is very minimalist-- the same few simple rings/earrings everyday with a few go-to statement pieces in circulation. Yet I feel the jewelry I make are stand-alone pieces, bold accessories to revolve the rest of the day around. I wonder why this is?

And a Necklace to Match

I don't often create matching or coordinating pieces, but I had a recent request for a necklace inspired by one of my cuff designs. You may remember Pepe the Peacock, who inspired the King Pepe cuff. Well, here it is, in its necklace incarnation:

What do you think about the chain resolution? I tried something new and used a combination of delicate chain and sheer ribbon. Too much? Should I have just used one or the other? I like the idea of just using sheer ribbon, it would give the pendant a floating effect. But I really liked this particular chain so I went for the both of them. I'd love feedback!

See more photos and info about King Pepe Necklace on my Etsy site or my full website.

New Work

I just completed this collar necklace to add to my collection on Etsy and here at my shop, gathered. This is actually a design I came up with years ago, and have been wanting to recreate it ever since.

Shaded Path collar

Come stop by gathered and see it in person!

This Is Summer

Summer is crazy. The days are longer, but somehow they go by so much faster than the rest of the year. The shop is going great, and I am infinitely grateful for every single person who wanders in. Here's a glimpse of what's been going on when I'm not at gathered, or doing something for gathered from various remote locations...

I took a much-needed road trip down to Georgia to visit family. First stopped in Athens to visit my sister. We went thrift hunting.

We ate. A lot.

Then we caravanned down to Savannah to spend a few days with our folks. Where we made and ate food. A lot.

At a frozen yogurt joint. In case you can't read the flavors they're recommending you Mix, it's Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet with Coffee Yogurt.

My dad and I tried for a long time to try to i.d. this beautiful moth. It was about the size of my hand and looked as cuddly as a teddy bear. Look at that punham!

Neighborhood pool. Note to self: playing Name That Tune underwater is still pure hilarity.

Best friends in Savannah! And patriots? Red = me, White = Orea, Blue = Christy. Unplanned.

Back on the mountain, Drew and I harvested a pound and a half of wild wineberries in about an hour.

Good friends Brenda & Carson had us over for a garden dinner. Look at those cuties!

Surprise visit from Savannah friend, Kirsten at my shop! So good to catch each other up on our lives since our Terra Cotta days 6+ years ago. 

Had the entire band of Circle Takes The Square stay with us for another week right before leaving for European Tour numero dos. Mostly work...

... and some play. This was right after we all jumped into a freezing cold waterfall-fed swimming hole.

Drew's band is still in Europe, getting back August 10. It's hard having him gone, but I get to pretend I'm there by looking on YouTube to see which thoughtful audience member has recorded their set. Here's a good one from their first show in the Netherlands:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynaODIQU1f4

And last but not least, I got a Subaru! Hopefully no more worrying about winter drives up our mountain! Hooray! Although it's hard to think about winter right now...

Whew! And this was just July.

Small Improvements with Happy Results

Drew and I have been busier than usual lately (how is that possible), and somehow we decided it was time to do a few fixes around the house. Things we've been meaning to do for about 3 1/2 years now.

Thing #1:

before 

I finally painted the vanity cabinet! I have a ton of leftover paint from our upstairs bathroom bead board, and it ended up being perfect for our windowless cave bathroom in the basement. It really makes the room feel bigger and brighter. And I had all but forgotten about these knobs I got at Anthropologie about two years ago for this exact project, until Drew unearthed them while cleaning out the garage. That's right. He cleaned out the garage! What a husband. Also: paint primer, where have you been all my life? I found a yet-to-be-used gallon in our basement and let me tell you, I am priming everything I paint from now on. One sloppy coat of primer + one coat of paint = one very happy painter.

Total $$ spent on this project: $2.25 for masking tape.

after

Thing #2:

I found this beautifully simple empty unfinished wood frame on sale for 1/2 off (!!) at Hobby Lobby (yeah, yeah, I know... but their sales!). I frantically called Drew ("Can you stop what you're doing and go downstairs and measure the mirror frame real quick?") and found what I thought to be the right size frame for our existing mirror.

I wish I had taken a before picture of what had been hanging here since we moved in four years ago, but let me try to paint you a picture. I'm not sure how the previous mahogany particle board (stolen from a hotel?) frame was staying together, because each side seemed to have separated from each other and wood glue was visible from multiple angles.

Somehow the universe was on my side that day when I got home with the new frame, as it was pretty much the perfect size for the mirror. Again, I dragged Drew from his current project and demanded he show me ("real quick") how to use the caulking gun for gluing. I slipped my fingernail between the mirror and old frame and it popped off with terrifying ease. I was able to repurpose not only the mirror but even the picture wire and hooks on the back of the old frame to re-hang it on the wall.

Total $$ spent on this project: $15 for frame.

Thing #3:

My parents had given us this floating IKEA shelf they no longer needed about 2 years ago, and after I finished painting the cabinet, it was Drew who said, "Let's hang that shelf above the washer and dryer! Let's get it done!" So I was his helpless helper as we found two studs and screwed in drywall anchors in the stud-less holes. Voila! Somewhere other than the floor to keep our detergents and extra toilet paper!

Total $$ spent on this project: $free

Thing #4:

Lastly, I had been accumulating creepy/pretty pictures from thrift stores that I was propping up on the back of the toilet for way too long. I didn't want to hang them until the bathroom was painted! Four years later, it was finally time to hang them on our unpainted walls.

Total $$ spent on this project: $4 (spent over the course of seven years)