HOHOHUH???

OK, what happened to 2009? And wasn't it Thanksgiving just last week???

Good grief, I didn't get much done for Christmas this year! I got something for the kidos but beyond that....well just say I'll be making up for the lack of Christmas gifts for a few months.

That being said, it was a GREAT Christmas. My family was all healthy & happy and I got an afternoon nap in. Now that my friends is the mark of a great day!

Now we're in the middle of Carnival here on the island. Village is open and the big parade is next Saturday. We will be wrapping up this holiday season early this year, the first Friday & Saturday of the new year falls on the 1 & 2 so Carnival is early!

2010 is going to be a GREAT year!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Caramel Trinket

This is the cutest bracelet on! I love it!

New Stuff

Retro Rope - don't you just love this color combination.



Retro Flirt - This bracelet is just too cute!


Another View...

Caramel Trinkets - Love these colors...reminds me of candy...yes, I love chocolate & caramels

Caramel Rope - Long rope of chocolate caramel.....yum...now I'm hungry!

Wedding Cake

Don't you love wedding cake???? It's even better than cupcakes! What could be better than a big slice of wedding cake & a glass of champagne???? Wedding cake with no calories, that's what!

Here it is.....Wedding Cake that will stay on your wrist and never go to your hips!!!

BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

Big Bold Statement Jewelry

Love, love, love big bold statement jewelry. Working on some new pieces. Stay tuned!

Just Flippin' Cute!

It's just flippin' cute! A big tumble of handmade glass beads, pearls, crystals & crystal quartz. Definitely an attention grabber!

BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

Got Eggs!

The girls of Chickville are laying eggs! Cute little eggs! Good little eggs!

Water, water, everywhere....

Dropped Mr. Fix-it at the airport and before he could get through customs, I was back at the house ready to get some things done, i.e. throw away some crap while he wasn't looking.

I put on a load of clothes and got busy tossing stuff. I buzz back into the kitchen to grab a diet Coke and find an inch of water! There was water all the way to the front door. The man still hasn't gotten off the ground and here I stand wondering where the crap all this water came from. I mean the fact that it came from the washer was pretty obvious, but how did it get out of the washer?

It's about this time that I realized that the ice maker was off. I love that ice machine! Civilized life in the Caribbean requires ice! I caught the cord and followed it down to the power strip sitting underwater on the floor. Yep, it's going to be a long week without Mr. Fix-it.

I start to formulate a plan. I figure that I can drag the wet dripping clothes out of the washer and throw them in the pool to rinse them, then hang them on the furniture to dry. Most of the clothes are Mr. Fix-it's so I have a week to get them dry, but the ice maker. Now that's a problem and it has to be solved and solved fast!

First things first, forget the water, forget the clothes, see if the ice maker still works! Everyone in the Caribbean has several of those big heavy duty orange extension cords, so I went and got one of mine, a nice long one with a three prong plug on it. I checked the electric panel and saw that there was a breaker thrown and since I was standing in an inch of water I didn't try to reset it. Instead I dried off the plug to the ice maker plugged it into the cord and ran the cord into the living room and plugged it in. Nothing arched or popped, so far so good. I went back into the kitchen and holding my breath, pushed the button on the ice maker. I got light! I hang the cord carefully on the door knob, across the bar, over the bar stool and drape it over a chair in the dining room to keep it up out of the way and out of the water.

With things looking up, I prop open the front door and the door out to the pool and grab the broom. Now there is a floor drain right in front of the washer but since it's not lower than the rest of the floor, like a drain should be, it is pretty close to useless. About the only thing that it does well is to dry out so that sewer gas can leak back up into the kitchen, which is always a real pleasure. Nothing like smelling stink in the kitchen!


So...I bypass the drain and start sweeping the water out the doors. There is a lot of water. I finally start to make a little progress and with the ice maker's little green light smiling at me, life is looking a lot better, who cares about wet clothes.

It's about this time that I see what I think is a bag of dog food sitting on the pantry floor. I grab it thinking that dog food bags are nice & think and I might have gotten to it before the water soaked through. Wrong! I picked it up, the bottom falls out and I realize that it is cat litter, which doesn't come in a nice strong bag. I just stand there and watch as the big pile of cat litter turns into a big gunky pile of cat litter. That was it. I just leaned the broom against the wall grabbed a beer instead of the diet Coke I originally came into the kitchen for, turned the ceiling fan on high and walked out.

With the ice machine running, time was my friend when it came to the rest of the mess. Thank God for tile floors!

New Stuff!

Something new in the studio!

Time for Lime Leopard

Lime-n-time! If I make pink leopard and pink zebra....why not lime leopard???? That was the question and all I could say was "why not?"

So....lime leopard was born in the flame of the torch. I love it! Lime Leopard..what could be better?

Nothing says spring like green!

BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

Fire Ball in the Night

This is one of the coolest things I've ever seen! This big metal ball was a buoy that ended up on the land after a hurricane. Where an artist & his cutting torch turned it into a fire pit/ball. It is just awesome to see!


We went to a slow dinner at the organic farm up in the rainforest last night. The food was amazing! Slow dinners were started to combat fast food back in the 80's by an Italian named Carlo Petrini. Slow food is everything that fast food is not! It's locally grown, organic if possible, prepared slowly, served slowly, eaten slowly at big shared tables. It is just a wonderful way to spend an evening!


I would have never looked at a menu and ordered cucumber sorbet on my own for dessert and that is such a shame because it was some of the best stuff I ever ate!!! And I'm a dessert person! I KNOW chocolate! It is my friend!!!!


And fried squash blossoms! OMG!!! Fried squash blossoms with fresh green beans and a sorrel drizzle.....I thought I had died and gone to heaven! And those were just 2 of the 6 courses!!! It was SO good!!!


And when it all came to an end and the last bite of cucumber sorbet was scrapped off the banana leaf.....they lit the fireball! Just awesome!


If you have a chance to go to a slow dinner....go!!!! You can find out more about slow food and where you can enjoy it at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/


Thatching Update: There is a thatched roof in the future here on the ridge! Thatching is so much easier than it looks! I'm thinking that a thatched roof on the patio outside the studio would be just perfect!


BE BOLD, EAT SORBET, WEAR ART!!!

ISLAND STYLIN'

Got to get my gloves and sharpen my machete! Yes, I own a machete...several in fact. Everybody in the islands has at least one! Why people in the states haven't realized that they NEED a machete is beyond me. They're are the best gardening tool you'll ever own and walk down a street carrying one and believe me, people give you room! Get yourself a nice weathered machete with a nice shinny edge (indicating that it is sharp as a razor) and walk down the meanest streets of any city and trust me, people would leave you alone! Crazy person carrying a machete...oh yeah, no one wants any of that!

But....back to why I'm even thinking about a machete. Going up to the farm in the rainforest tomorrow to learn how to thatch a roof. I love thatched roofs!!! And I'm going to learn how it's done! I can't wait!

Seriously though, no matter where you live.......you NEED a machete!

BE BOLD, OWN A MACHETE, WEAR ART!!!

Stella

Here is a better pic of Stella and what makes Stella, Stella.

Isn't she cute? Love that do!

Stella & the girls

Stella is the chicken right in the middle of the group. The mostly black chick with the white edged wings and the poofy feathers on her head. It is those poofy feathers that makes Stella, Stella!Still no crowing......so maybe chickville is all girls.


If the rain holds off, chickville should have nest boxes along the side wall by the end of the day. It's looking pretty sketchy on the rain holding off thing though.

I've got to finish some jewelry and the clock from totally recycled materials for the local environmental association auction at the end of the month.

I have a bunch of diet Coke cans all glued & taped together with some cardboard, paper & old foam core board. It is going to be a princess throne for a little girl's room. It has curved arms and a curved back. I was working on it yesterday and ran out of hot glue sticks...so I went to lunch down at my favorite beach bar......and got back about 5:00pm. It was just one of those things...I kept thinking I needed to go into town and get glue sticks and weighing that against sitting there enjoying the sound of the waves....the waves & beer won.


Well the best part of today is that is is someone very very special's birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!


Get out there and have a great day everyone!


BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

POSTAL!

How many of you have a friend that happily answers to the name "Postal"?

Well if you don't know a Postal, you've missed something special in life. And if you've missed "our" Postal, you've missed knowing a truly unique individual!

Not many people are comfortable enough, whether alcohol/drug induced or not, within their own skin to happily answer to Postal.

Our Postal Sande is one of a kind. The attached picture is from a shirt for her going away party. She's leaving the island. Will it be for good or will it turn out to be a mere vacation to the real world?? Only time will tell. Most islanders can't leave for good, just like a Bic that won't write, they just seem to keep showing back up regardless of how many times they are tossed...or in an islander's case, regardless of how many times they climb on a plane to leave this place. They just seem to show back up..... and we take them back like they were never gone. Kind of like living in "LOST" this island keeps calling you home.

Our Postal is a character! A crazy, loving, one of a kind that is fun & scary and always there for her friends.

How did she get her name??? Well she has spent many years working for the good ole' USPS.....and she is crazy as a stomped ant! Take your pick of how she got her name. One thing is for sure, she is loved by all that know her on this island.

Now, she is off to the real world and we wish her the best and if being in the real world is what's best for her, then not having her around is what we want. If she goes away and decides that the island is calling her home, then we will welcome her back and her bar stool will be waiting for her.

Saturday is the beach party to honor Sande and a large time will be had by all.

Postal we love you!!!!

CRAZY CAT!

Moving slowly this morning because Raul the Wonder Cat decided at 3:00 this morning that I needed to get up.

He was parked at the bedroom door yowling! He makes this loud noise whenever he wants me to "come DO something". He will come to where I am and makes this noise then run to where he wants me to go, so I'll follow him whenever he thinks there isn't enough food in his bowl or when the dog food bowl is empty and he wants a dog food snack. He's always eaten the dog's food but since we changed food about a month ago he has decided that it's his food too and he watches the level in the bowl and pitches a big fit if it gets low.

This cat is relentless, so I stumbled out of bed to go see what he wanted. He has me trained, I know that he will just keep coming back yowling until he wears me down & nothing will make him give up, not throwing things at him, not yelling at him....nothing phases him when he is on a "make her get in here mission".

So I stumbled through the doorway and he jumped up (he had been just sitting there making the horrible noise) and loped into the living room, tail straight up. I went toward the kitchen to check his bowl and the dog's bowl. It's just easier to do what he wants. He yowled at me as I passed him then darted past me and loped into the kitchen ahead of me.

His bowl was full & the dog's bowl was about half full. OK...sometimes he will throw a fit if the bowls aren't as full as he thinks they should be. I really think he thinks that he lives with idiots that might just up and leave at any time and he figures he should keep his bowls as full as possible just in case. I topped off the dog's bowl just to humor him and not have to come back and do it later if it wasn't up to his idea of "enough" dog food in the bowl.

I stumbled back to bed. I hadn't gotten comfortable before he was back at the doorway yowling again. I called him several names but got back up and started back to the door to see what else he could be upset about.

When he saw me coming he loped half way across the living room, stopped yowled and loped over to the sliding door that I keep open just enough for him to come & go at night so that I don't have to get up 10 times to let him in & out. (close the door and he will stand there inside or out and just yawl even he doesn't want to come in or out, he just wants it open!!!!)

I start over to the door. It looked like it should, but what do I know? He was just standing there looking at it and yowling to high heaven.

When I got to the door, I saw what he was all bent out of shape about. If the screen doors aren't lined up just right with the opening in the sliding door the fat little fuzzy wiener dog can't get through the opening to go out at night. Obviously she had tried to go out to poop sometime during the night and couldn't get through and Raul was highly insulted that he had to walk past dog poo to get in!!!

He just sat there looking at the poo yowling until I went to get something to clean it up with. As soon as I got it up, he walked over, hopped into his favorite chair & curled up.

Great, the cat can sleep now!!!!

I watched TV until about 5:00am.

RECYCLED TIME & A GLITTER CANNON

It's been a productive day here on the ridge even if it was Sunday.


Yesterday someone asked me about a clock. I told them that I had made a few clocks in the past.....so the wheels started turning in my head.

Clocks, Caribbean, beach, island.....OK....then I started thinking about recycled art. Recycled art clocks! And what else could you call clocks made from recycled materials but "Recycled Time"!


So.....here's the first clock out of completely recycled materials. The clock works is the only thing that is new. Not even the hands are new, they're hammered copper wire. The rest of the clock is made out of slats from broken shutters.


More clocks to come!


While I was busy with the clocks, Mr. Invent It was working on an air cannon to shoot glitter & confetti. Why do we need an air cannon to shoot glitter & confetti you ask?????


Well.......we were afraid that if we built a potato gun to shoot glitter & confetti that the hairspray might set the paper towel wadding on fire and then we'd be shooting a flaming hunk of paper along with the glitter & confetti, which might not be a good thing, especially when you are dealing with a street full of drunken idiots.

Why do we want to shoot glitter & confetti??? Well doesn't everyone????

Norma from the Domino Club (home of the world famous beer drinking pigs) has a float in the annual St. Patrick's Parade and it needs to shoot glitter & confetti into the crowd! (without setting anyone on fire!)

So Mr. Invent It has been working on his air cannon all afternoon. He has a friggin' brass valve in that thing! With a big leaver handle!!! Brass, I tell you!!!

Finally just after dark he was ready to test it. He hooked it to the compressor and pumped it up. (have to watch the gauge so as not to explode the PVC pipe by putting too much air in) Stuffed in a couple of damp paper towels and with a flick of that handle on that damn brass valve, he launched paper towels into the darkness! The test firing was a success!!!

I ran in and got some red glitter, another damp paper towel and the big flashlight. By the time I got back to the front door with the glitter he had brought the thing inside. We started to recharge the cannon & realized that we needed to take it back outside before we loaded it with the glitter. We would have never gotten the red glitter out of the kitchen if it had accidentally fired!

We took it back out, he recharged it, stuffed in another damp paper towel and I poured in the glitter, aimed the light in the same direction that he had the cannon aimed and......poof!

The paper towel blew by the top of the palm tree, trailing red glitter! You could see it falling through the light, like some kind of weird red snow storm! It was GREAT!!!!

We will be tracking red glitter into the house for months!!!

Recycled art & glitter launching air cannons.....it was a good day!

BE BOLD, SHOOT GLITTER, WEAR ART!!!

Color Me Zebra!

What do you get when you mix color with zebra print?

A crazy bracelet, that's what! I love this bracelet. Zebra print gone wild.

I've been on a color tear! Nothing is safe around here. The sun is bright, the sky is clear and I'm putting color in, on, around anything that crosses my path.

What's next??? Well I have some visions of copper rattling around in my head....copper with colorful beads...for yard art? I'm working on it. I think a copper garden gate with colorful beads next to a little painted stick fence would be awesome!

Or maybe a copper pot rack for the kitchen....a few beads wrapped here and there on copper wire. I can see it!

There just aren't enough hours in the day!!! So many projects....so little time!

BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

A LITTLE CRUCIAN CONFUSION

Crucian confusion.... what is crucian confusion you ask?

Well.....there are several answers to that question. People who live here on the island of St Croix are called Crucians. (God deliver us from the debate over who is and who is not a Crucian!) So when things get crazy it is often referred to as Crucian Confusion, so you could say that it is a state of being.

But you can't stop there. It is also a strong local rum drink that will certainly result in confusion when too much is consumed.

And then there is this necklace. A jumble of colorful tropical inspired trinkets that tumble from big Sterling Silver chain links, creating a confusion of tropical color...and a whole lot of fun!

The original piece had trinkets dangling from links all the way around, this is a smaller version with trinkets only in the front. Either way, it's bright & fun & happy!

And that is the point. Jewelry should make you feel good.

Happiness, fun, smiles, sunshine, feeling special.....that's what my jewelry is all about.

BE BOLD, EAT CAKE, WEAR ART!!!

MASKS

I love masks. I love making masks...and I really love the boys!

I love the middle one's expression. He looks like he doesn't take any crap off of anyone.

Painted sticks, Chickville, the masks...there is a whole lot of color going on here on the hill!

BE BOLD, EAT FUDGE, WEAR ART!!!

Painted Sticks & Bottle Tree

Painted sticks & a bottle tree.

I think the bottle tree needs a paint job like the sticks! Boy, I wish they made a beer that came in pink bottles.

I got started painting the sticks and haven't decided what to do with them yet.

I have to get to work on painting that bottle tree....it looks so plain next to the sticks!

Chickville

Welcome to Chickville!

This is home to 8 chickens that I got for Christmas. The chicks still don't have names because I can't tell if they are hens or roosters so I'm waiting for them to get old enough to either crow or not...then I will name them. Although coming up with 8 good names might be hard.

Starfish

How about a starfish to put a little Caribbean in your winter?

Starfish were yesterday afternoon's project. Just a simple starfish on knotted cord....I like it!

Today....it's a little gardening and a little work on Chickville. And what is Chickville you say???? I really should let the pictures explain it. I'll shot some photos when I'm done today and post them. Chickville rocks!

Skinny Heart!

Here's another long heart out of the studio this week.

Heart on a String

Wear your heart on a string....or in this case a tiny leather cord!

The deep red heart has a kind of minimalist look as it almost floats there on the tiny black cord. The long sleek heart is approximately an inch & a half long. Not too big, not too small.

It's another in my new trinkets series. The trinkets are designed to give you that one of a kind art to wear look for not a lot of $$$. Just because the media is determine to make us all believe that the sky is falling, it doesn't mean that we can't still stand out in this mass produced world! In fact, I think it becomes more important to have fun things to brighten up your day, your outfit, your life!

And we have to have great little "trinkets" to give to our friends! Wonderful little bits of zip to add fun to their day...that 3 people in the WalMart checkout line won't be wearing!!!!!

How shocking is it to see something that you thought was "pretty cool" on someone not cool at all? You know what I mean, the over-aged, over-bleached haired woman in the over-stuffed T-shirt with Classy Mama in rhinestones across the front, smoking, chewing gum & yelling at a cell phone....brrrrr! Well, that's what can happen when you buy mass produced!!! So as I always say....stand out in this mass produced world BE BOLD, EAT CHOCOLATE, WEAR ART!!!

I may have to add.......BE BOLD, FEED A STARVING ARTIST, BUY ART!!!

Think Hearts!

I've been making hearts, hearts and more hearts this week. I have a pile of new ones along with some old favorites. If you want hearts get them ordered! Valentine's Day is right around the corner.

This is a new fun design that combines rustic hemp cord with a long sleek handmade glass heart. Love it, love it, love it!

RED HOT CORAL

I just love this new bracelet, there is a matching necklace. It's what you get when you take basic black & white handmade glass beads are combined them with slices of red coral and a little Sterling Silver. The bracelet is even prettier than the photo, the red is just stunning with the black & white!

It's one of those pieces that just makes me happy when I look at it. And that's what I strive to do, make pieces that just make me happy. I think that jewelry should make a person feel special. It should make us smile, laugh, attract a little attention. And with all the "sky is falling" talk about the economy, it's even more important to have a little "fun" in your life.

A simple black tee shirt & a pair of jeans can become an awesome outfit with a splash of wild colorful jewelry! This bracelet could take that simple outfit straight to Wow!

BE BOLD, EAT CHOCOLATE IN BED, WEAR ART!

I'm Back!!!!

2009 is going to be an incredible year!!!

I got back on island 3 days before Christmas, just in time to decorate the tree and get my Ho-Ho-Ho on!

I'll explain about the left brain adventure that I went on for the last 3 months of 2008 later.

The studio is back up and running and new designs are beginning to come together! I have a fun new design called Crucian Confussion. Bright, fun....will chase away the winter blues.

It is so good to be home! It was getting COLD in the states!!! I don't do cold well!