Gardening Ain't My Gig

OK, I am going to admit it - I can't keep a plant alive for the life of me.

Phew! There said it.

I know many of you thrive in your gardens, love the soil beneath your toes and eat your own home grown fruits and veggies.

Not me. 

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to. But Can't. 

Living where I do I have no access to a yard - no soil to plant my seeds in and watch grow. In my home it is kinda dark, not a whole lot of natural light.

I have killed every plant I have brought into this home. 

Bamboo - dead

Basil plant - wilted to oblivion

fresh cut flowers - one day max life span

Do I wish I were like many of you ? With a garden of my own to grow cherry tomatoes like my grandma did and roses like my grandpa - you betcha I do! But until I get my hands on my own plot of earth, to grow my wildest dreams this little planter box will have to be my crowning achievement in gardening :

PLANTER BOX - Flora Collection - Ring Size 8.25

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34255662

Not to be outdone with the fanfare for my Planter Box ring, I have one more goodie to share with you all :-)

This one perhaps more simple, but more dear to my heart.  I spent many nights in the back yard at my cabin gazing at the stars. It was soo dark ( no street lights) so quiet, so peaceful. Those were the happy moments I will always remember - like seeing my first shooting star ( Do you remember the first time you saw one ??)

A way to wear your wishes upon a shooting star :

CONSTELLATION Ring Size 7

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34255153

Toodles till next time!

LEST WE FORGET

In memory to all those who have fallen.

In memory of my Grandpa who wouldn't speak of the horrors of WWII.

In memory of those who survived the horrors of Nazi Camps - and those who didn't.

In memory of all the women who went to work in the mills and factories at a time when a woman's place was the homestead to keep the country a float while the men were off at war.

In memory of all the wives and children who grew up without fathers because WWI and WWII claimed them.

In memory of all the families torn apart by hatred - from wars past, and present. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

WILDERNESS

As a child I spent plenty of my time exploring through wilderness that surrounded my parents summer cabin. We were the only house for blocks went we first built there, which gave plenty of landscape for my brother and I to use our imagination. We were always on some trek, building fort cities,hopping fallen trees and climbing up big boulders - we spent endless hours outside. 

(My Brother and I draining the pool in our dirt backyard. Dad cleared us a space so we could put the pool there, and mom put out a tarp red carpet so we wouldn't drag our muddy feet into the house. Notice the Seesaw/Teeter Totter - My dad made it from a slice of a giant log - we played on that thing for years until rot got to it.)

It is amazing what grows in the wilderness, all on its own, with no one to plant the seeds and bulbs. Tiny mosses and buds and little teeny flowers - things you may only notice as a child.

Wilderness Necklace reminds me of those times. I have fabricated it around a stunning flat top orby Ocean Jasper. Around it are tiny leaves and buds, growing just like they did around the boulders in my wilderness. At the top I have flush set a 3mm Swiss Blue Topaz, blue like the reflection of the sky in a puddle. The entire piece is fabricated from sterling and fine silver, and I have intricately cut out sporadic petals and leaves. At the bottom of the piece a small ferns curls around the stone - just like in my wilderness.

WILDERNESS - Flora Collection Necklace

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34132427

:-)

Newies :-)

Hello everyone - I am pleased to introduce you Freddy Fawn. He is a gentle little guy with a big heart!

FREDDY FAWN - Flora Collection Brooch

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33870529

Along with Freddy, this gem joined my shop today :

GEMMY DREAMS - Rococo Collection - Ring Size 7.25

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33867592

Kiddo, you take after your old man...

That's what Dad said to me this past weekend when we had lunch :-) 

My Dad can make anything he puts his mind to, and I just don't say that cause he's my Dad ( aka hero). 

( Dad and I, I am about 3 here, and as usual Dad has me in a fit of giggles)

When I was a kid, Dad always had a project on the go, and nothing was ever done "OK". We would tease him, call him a perfectionist, a fusspot, anal retentive - things were always finished perfectly. Dad is a measure twice cut once kinda guy.

I would say, "Dad, I'm wanting ( insert random object of my affection here)..." and before I had finished my sentence, Dad was drawing it up and measuring it out ( lord knows I did not get my math abilities [err inabilities] from Dad, I wish!) 

Growing up, it was perfectly normal for our garage to be filled with car and motorbike skeletons, Dad would rebuild them, air paint them and sell them - I always wondered how he could part with them with all that work involved ( besides the motorbikes - a bad accident when my parents were dating led my mom to ban motorcycle riding) Often a car would stick around for a while, one of us would drive it, then it would be gone. On to a new project.

When Jason ( my brother ) and I wanted a tree house... well we were the only kids I knew who had a a two level tree house, complete with balcony and ladder leading to the second floor (*giggle - who has two floors in a tree house?) 

(My first project with Dad - a snowman - I am a little shy of 18 months here. Nice hat Frosty!)

 But it wasn't just tree forts - dad built our summer home ( soon to be my parents retirement home) from the ground up. 

Not too shabby huh ?

Attention to detail, finishing and not stopping till 100% satisfied are all traits I got from Dad. Good things come to those who work hard for them. Just like Dad, when I think of a project in mind, I think of the WHOLE process, not just the finished product. I think about the techniques I want to use, or learn, the tools I will use, the finish i will give it - each step methodically. I enjoy every minute of the process. 

I have always been crafty, enjoyed making pretty things. Like Dad I have always thought to myself, " I bet if I try I could make it" - who would have thought as an adult that would have taken me to enjoying Sunday shopping with Dad for tools ? Discussing techniques and materials and thoughts on building things. Little masterpieces, whether from sterling and stone, or steel and wooden beams. 

I take after my old man ? I'm thinking that's a pretty darn kick ass compliment :-)

Running a business all on my own, being a go-getter & learning skills that don't involve crafting something with my hands - well that's all Mom, but that's another blog post all together ;-) 

PS - I'm pretty sure the feisty in me comes from Mom too - thanks Mom