Spring Fever!!!!!

I give up. The ground has been white everyday of 2010. I no longer love snow. Yes, I'll forget this come November (if I am lucky), when I see the first snow fall of the season but right now, I'm ending the love affair. I want color outside. I want flowers and birds singing. I want to put away my big bulky boots and coat for something more fashionable. I am tired of being in a bad mood because I have to shovel the driveway to get out. I feel bad for the poor dog who can't go out into the yard because the snow is too high. I don't want to have to worry about my husband shoveling the roof so we don't have water coming into the house. I have been a good sport. I put up with not having heat on two different occasions for a total of fourteen days. I endured (the family motto thanks to ancestor Sir Ernest Shackleton) but enough is enough. Mother Nature could you please jump ahead to more spring like weather? Pretty please....

The Tendril

I often have people ask me about my avatar/logo - the tendril. A lot of people think you should show your wares in your avatar so that helps promote them. I view my avatar more as a logo - something that doesn't change and can be easily recognized as me.

I came upon the tendril for several reasons. First of all, it reminds me of wire wrapping, something I enjoy to do in my work. Secondly, it looks like a c which is what my name starts with. And lastly, it has to deal with gardening. I love how tiny tendrils of the sweet pea will latch on to the trellis I have in my kitchen garden. They look so delicate but are so strong. So there you have it, the mystery of the avatar solved.

Cleveland Handmade Giveway

Follow the directions to win a beautiful straw flower madala from Playnature.
http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/2010/02/straw-flower-mandala-print-by-playnature/

Libby

Rose Garden-Late June
Originally uploaded by simpleelementsdesign

I lost a dear friend the other day. Her death was like a punch in the gut. It is hard to imagine the world without her.

She was a friend of my mother's. I grew up thinking she was the most elegant woman I had ever seen. I wanted to be her when I grew up. When I grew up, I still wanted to be her. She was a joyful person. She loved tending her gardens and her business. Her family was everything to her and it included people that weren't related by blood. She was an incredible hostess, chef, and gardner and would have put Martha Stewart to shame.

When I became an adult, our friendship really began. I was married in the herb garden of her home. When we moved away, I would return to her business to buy plants for my gardens. I loved having a bit of her here. She came to visit several years ago. She was in awe of the gardens and work we had done to fix up our old house. She wandered about commenting that my mother would have loved this place. That was something else about her, she would often mention my mother who had died while in her fifties. Those comments were gifts to me. A way to keep her alive to me. It saddens me to know I have lost that.

A year and a half ago, I sent her an email telling her I had finally started my own jewelry business and sent her the web address. Her reply back floored me. She invited me to participate in her yearly Herb Fair as a vendor. The event was three weeks away. The fair averages around 3,000 visitors. I didn't have the inventory but didn't want to tell her no. So, I jumped off the cliff and said yes. I worked constantly making items for it. A friend helped me with my display and we headed off to the fair. She was there to greet me and show me my spot. She approved of the display, especially the chairs that we had put outside the tent so people could sit and enjoy the gardens and ponder their jewelry purchases. She would stop in from time to time to check up on me always with a big grin on her face. At the end of the day, I was amazed at how well I had done. For just starting out, it was a bit overwhelming to realize that people did like my work. When I went to say goodbye and thank you to her, I got choked up. I told her that her faith and support in me was such a gift. She just chuckled and gave me a hug and told me to remember she was my biggest cheerleader.

She was an extraordinary woman who had such an impact on my life. I am grateful that come spring and summer, I can gaze upon the gardens filled with plants from her and remember the woman who was such a huge influence on me. I was so blessed to have Libby in my life.

The Worst Winter Weather in the Nation

I can proudly say I live in the area that was recently anointed "The Worst Winter Weather City in the Nation". Thanks to our proximity to the beautiful lake known as Erie, we get more snow than anyone. That according to Forbes magazine is a bad thing. I like to think otherwise.

Just this past weekend, a large portion of the nation was hit by a huge snowstorm. The grocery stores were out of bread and milk. Cities came to a stand still. The national news covered it as their lead story. Those of us who reside in the Snow Belt chuckled as we watched these people freak out over their situation. To us, that is any given day when the snow flies.

Living with the worst winter in the nation affords us the opportunity to nest. We hunker down in our homes and recharge our batteries after the chaotic holiday season. We tend to projects inside the house because we know once spring comes, we will be outside. We dream of plans for the gardens or read that book we have been dying to pick up. For those of us with artistic abilities, we create. Living in a snow globe has its benefits. Any kid who learns they have a snow day will verify that.