If I had turkeys I would have painted them for my November display window but alas, I only had my favorite bird, the CROW! These are all shiny and jet black and ready to go.I also zinged them up with a deep melon felt on their bases so no scratches from them. I still have two more to paint but these babies get heavy. They are concrete!






A mess of drawings! All my most recent drawings and paintings stacked together before being slid into the portfolio to await eventual picture framing. I love the way all the colors and patterns look layered up and facing in different directions. It's a painting unto itself!



The new table that I have finished painting for the shop with Jacob smiling through its middle. I had wooden letters that spelled out " BEADS " so I painted them and added them down the side. A three dimensional effect plus if a customer should forget they are in the bead shop; it is a subtle reminder! HAHA!

The Halloween Photo Collection

Halloween has come and gone and I think it was the first time in decades that I had even a smidge of interest in the day. It makes me miss my Grandpop, my mother's dad. He used to gather and collect things all year long to decorate his enormous front porch. There were lights, pumpkins, life sized scary figures, corn stalks, headless horseman, ghosts and much more. He was very creative and became a big kid again. He served, dressed in a costume, hotdogs and sauerkraut along with candy treats and to the adults, hot coffee and donuts. Halloween in Doylestown was not Halloween with out a stop at " Jim's ". After you passed the ancient cemetery in front of the old Presbyterian church you came upon Grandpop's house. You entered the property by the stone pump house, pass the castle block wall, around the semicircular driveway, under the giant pine and horse chestnut trees ringing the drive. What an extravaganza and only now do I realize just how much work he put into it and what it meant for my community.My face is smiling at the memory but my heart aches mightily for missing him.


Phil's pumpkin. Jacob was too sick to carve and had lost all interest in Halloween so Phil created this work of art. He was quite proud because he asked me to take a picture several times. He ( the pumpkin, surely not Phil ) is a right jolly guy!


The very fabulous Gina in her shrunken skeleton and skull necklace made by yours truly. She looks Mahvelous! Just malevolently mahvelous!

The jolly green, eyes on top of my head, can I get this camera to work Kathy. She was an excellent shade of ghoulie green!

The Crecca Family who came into the building calling very eerily, " Looois...Loooo-is Looooois ". Zombie Joe!

This is Sherman doing his special pet trick as he hopes for another dog bone while his mom shops the bead store. I think he is one of the finest looking customers I have. What a sweet boy!



This is Sherman shopping with his mom at the bead shop.

It is a blissfully quiet morning around the house as I get ready to head into the shop. I though on the is Halloween Eve Eve' I would leave you with some still life photos of my kitchen. Have a great day out there in whatever world you revolve in!

Birds, I love them. To me they are like the beads of the animal world. Tiny jeweled treasures that decorate both sky and earth and sing to embrace the heart. This is a close up of the newest bird in my home,one of the songbirds in my new piece of artwork. I draw birds often and still need to work at capturing them onto paper. Oh, I can make it look like a bird but the life, the song is missing.




This is a full view of the new iron screen that we bought from Gunter Remnitz at his studio during October's open studio weekend in Port Townsend. Even though I would like to have gone to other studios; it just makes me feel so on the spot. I have no idea why I feel this way. Certainly not in my own studio which is my refuge in a harried, crazy, sometimes maddening world. I always march to my own drummer so I guess if my studio became a part of the big open studio weekend... I would feel compromised. Anyhow, it was as always more than terrific to see Gunter's new work and naturally, I forgot my camera. I have shown some of his pieces of crows, owls and roosters on the blog before but this piece is new and is songbirds. He is also working on little 3D songbirds. I love this piece and even though it was a big splurge in the slow economic times; it is a pleaseure to support an artist whose work brings me such joy.

Our new ferry being built at Todd Shipyards in Seattle and due to arrive late ( better late than never ) this summer has a name! It is Chetzemoka, the S'Kallam indian chief that welcomed the white settlers to Port Townsend. It's nice that a bit of history will be attached to the new, much anticipated and needed ferry. We had another boat with the same name before the state began running the ferries perhaps back in the 30's so this is a nice return.

The weather man has said that there is a 100% chance of all day rain tomorrow .... great beading weather. Good night!

Anyone will tell you that I am not much into sports at all but when it comes to my original hometown team; I am a sucker for them! If I did watch sports, baseball would be my favorite because I grew up hearing games all the time in my parent's home and I can still be lulled and lured into a baseball game on TV! Go Phillies!!!