The day after Christmas. My brother is on his way to San Francisco, my Mom is travelling back home to the Gorge, and Dave is at work.  The house is rather empty, and I am soaking up the quiet. Christmas was wonderful.  We keep it pretty low-key around here, concentrating on spending time together and cooking yummy food,

Oh, it has been a wonderful day.   And the weekend!  I spent the whole weekend with my husband and friends.  Now, my idea of relaxation is not necessarily laying around reading (although that is part of it...), it's more that I can do what I want, when I want, at the pace I want to.  And it has

I am officially in the home stretch.   My last class is in about an hour, and then I have four beautiful weeks off.   Of course, I'll be working and filling my time planning my workshop for the spring, but I will also be able to see friends and family, and relax.  Maybe even read a non-assigned book!  The

For those of you in the Portland, Oregon area, my jewelry will be at the Oregon College of Art and Craft Holiday Sale this weekend!   There will also be LOTS of my Lemongrass Candles for sale, as well!  The sale starts on the evening of Friday, November 25, and runs through Sunday, November 27, 2011.   Please stop by

 Self Portrait in Charcoal & Chalk, progression from left to right. As some of you know, I am currently attending the Oregon College of Art and Craft as a BFA student.  Due to the nature of my Bachelor's degree from Australia, I am not qualified 'as is' to enter into a Master's program in the U.S., so I

 First off, I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who visited my blog, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy Shop, etc., this past week, and definitely to those who made purchases.  THANK YOU!!!  You make creating fun.  I love what I do, I LOVE what I create, and I definitely love sending those creations to new homes. The

I am finding inspiration...and in the strangest place... Rain! I love rain. But living in Portland, I know that in April, after months of incessant rain (last year we had 50+ straight days of rain!), I will hate it.  But for now, in the gorgeous cool of fall, I love it.  It is inspiring me. What inspires you

(Artist talk by Eric Adjetey Anang, Michael DeForest introducing him)  We have a visiting artist here at the Oregon College of Art and Craft this week, and it has been incredible to watch him work.   (Students working with Eric Adjetey Anang) (Michael DeForest sanding the fish coffin) His name is Eric Adjetey Anang, and he is a Fantasy

Today, my husband and I met up with family to have lunch at McMenamin's Edgefield, where I got the yummy Terminator Stout + Chocolate Milkshake above, followed by a little stroll through some antique stores in Troutdale, Oregon.  I found a great shop that had some Native American artifacts, which I adore.   I'm finding myself wanting to explore

It's that time of year, when the leaves start turning, temperatures are dropping, and our thoughts turn to the upcoming holidays (or for some of you down under, leaves are growing and temperatures are rising...lucky ducks!).... And it is the perfect time of year for my  EARLY BIRD SALE!   Friday, October 28th at 12:01 am to Monday, November

 Fall is upon us, and with it come thoughts of the holidays and....gifts!  Gifts for yourself, gifts for your loved ones...gifts for your coworkers, even!   So. Starting this Friday, I will be hosting an EARLY BIRD SALE in my Etsy Shop!  The SALE will run for 10 DAYS.  TEN. DAYS. And, there may even be a giveaway....I'll let

Every year for the past four years, Dave and I have made a trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Sauvie Island, near Portland, Oregon.  I know I went there as a kid, but I don't know if it was an annual thing, and now it's one of the traditions we've built that I love the most.  Yesterday was

We made these gorgeous Lemongrass Candles for our wedding, with the help of a few friends, and I am now listing the rest in my Etsy Shop!  They give off a lovely light, burn nicely, and the scent is lovely.  Plus, they double as insect repellent (perfect for camping or outdoors)!

 Constructing the walls of the box Last week, as some of you may have seen, I created a handmade box for my Book and Box Structures class at OCAC.  This week we will be moving on to book binding practices, but I have to say, I absolutely LOVE making boxes.  The techniques tie in beautifully with my love

What a week it has been!  My days have been FULL!   Full of wonder and beauty, mixed with varying levels of sleep deprivation and creativity. This last weekend, I spent a good amount of time (17+ hours) finishing a box for my mid-term project in my Book and Box Structures class.  It's a fairly simple box, but

I took myself up Mt. Tabor today, on a rambling walk... through the dog park (I wonder if people think I'm crazy, walking through a dog park with no dog)... up trails, across roads, and around the reservoir, all the time stopping here and there, searching. I looked under trees, in grasses, along the paths. I was hunting

I have been sick for the last week.   I am trying to heal, but time doesn't wait for sickness.  I was able to take one day off school last week in order to rest, and now I am healing.  Unfortunately for me, at the end of my colds, things settle into my lungs and my throat gets dry,

Growing up in the soggy, green Northwest, you learn to yearn for two things....sunshine, of course, but also the rain.  After weeks of dry weather, which I don't mind in the least, and an explosion of wildfires, I have spent the last month wishing and hoping for rain.  Just a little.  Just to bring down the smoke, dampen

This coming week, I'll be entering my 4th week of school at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon.  I've been here before, but this time it's different.  I find that people are nicer, more open to making friends, less clique-y.  It's most likely because the last time I started this process, I came into

Just as things began heating up in the Pacific Northwest, the fires came.   Not just one or two, but many.   The smoke surrounds our fair city, blanketing the sky in gold, orange, and purples each night at sunset.  Knowing that these fires are raging to the South and East of us (and a few in Washington, too!), I