Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a very restful holiday season. I haven’t posted any new projects in a while because I have some really big ones in progress but nothing new completed. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my travels and the stunning visuals… Read More »Iceland
Do you ever get the feeling that everything’s already been made? That nothing is really new or original, and our culture has been saturated by nearly every conceivable image or utterance? Even more so with the surge in AI, computers are flooding the internet with rearrangements of stolen images so… Read More »2023 Summer Gardening Season Recap
A vacation dedicated to recharging the creative-batteries. It is very difficult, if not impossible to continue to create things without occasionally “refilling the well,” as they say. Creative people more than most benefit from boredom, from unstructured time, from opportunities to wander. These opportunities for aimlessness become more rare with… Read More »Long Weekend in the Northern Berkshires
The garden is expanding!! After two summers and two winters supporting our local farms by buying farm-shares, trying tons of new vegetables, learning the growing seasons and what thrives in our area, we have decided that next year, we will try to grow a much larger percentage of our own food. Farm… Read More »Vegetables in the Front Yard
This is a post about shopping for wedding decorations, because I can’t make everything. Especially not the organic items; I need farmers and tanners for that bit. Starting in the spring of 2021 I started my long and particular hunt for the more elaborate wedding decoration elements. The ones that… Read More »Sourcing Wedding Décor
Here it is! The big reveal: complete wedding looks and a preview of professional wedding photography by Red Letter Photography. My fall jewel-toned color scheme came together just as I envisioned (and carefully planned) it. It can be a challenge to plan a collection of looks when the focal point,… Read More »What We Wore: Professional Wedding Photography Sneak Peak
We did it! The vows are renewed, the wedding is celebrated with friends and family. The day has past. I have not even begun to process the day and all its details. Events moved so fast it seems that every moment deserves dissection, but we’ve barely slowed down enough to… Read More »We Had a Party!
Last week I learned of the passing of everyone’s favorite professor and mentor at the University of Hartford Art School, Dennis Nolan. Before he went, his daughter secretly organized one last assignment to his former students and colleagues, which was to draw and submit a small ear. Dennis was very… Read More »Legacy Ear
I want to share some more photos with you from our shoot at Purgatory Chasm because I am so in love with them all. Today I have a small presentation of the black and white images from the collection. Black and white photos change the way I experience time. Personally,… Read More »Quiet Photographs
Happy Winter Solstice. The changing of the year is a wonderful time for reflection. Especially useful in this prolonged time of great uncertainty, change, and fear. I’ve been reading a lot more than I’ve been making, and that’s been a part of my personal reflection. Spending time with topics that… Read More »Purgatory Chasm
Small, local, outdoors; our second Renaissance faire of 2021. Still deeply impacted by the pandemic, but fun and comforting nonetheless. Garb made by me, but nothing specifically made for this event. It was a hot one. I don’t know why more fair don’t run in November…beat the snow, but pass… Read More »Massachusetts Renaissance Faire 2021
Those of you that follow this blog regularly may have noticed that I’ve been taking a break from posting. I’m taking some time to reconnect with myself while the pandemic slowly loosens its grip (on the US anyway), and society prepares for a monumental shift. I’ve mostly been spending my… Read More »Late Spring Check-in, 2021
In the past my workplace has hosted departmental gingerbread house decorating contests around the holidays, but this year, no one has been in the office in several months. So instead they sent the gingerbread kits home to us. The rules stipulate that anyone in our households could help, but only… Read More »Gingerbread Cottage
Surprise, we got married! In a terrible year of pain and loss, we took back space for a joyful event and made our commitment official. Unlike other couples who saw their wedding dreams dashed by covid, our wedding happened as it did because of covid. When Jake proposed over Labor… Read More »Eloping in 2020
I have conquered quarantine level: make your own alcohol. My home-brew mead turned out fantastic; way tastier than the cough-syrup served at commercial renaissance fairs. For months of backstory, you can read all these posts: A Mead-Making Journey Home-Brew Mead Round 2 Even More Mead! With Maple! Otherwise, we’re going to jump… Read More »Home-brew Mead Recipe and Results
It’s here! It’s here! The post on Family Plague Fair 2020. I know you’ve all been waiting anxiously for weeks for the inside scoop on this pandemic renaissance festival. As many of you who follow this blog already know, devastated by the cancellation of the 2020 renaissance fair season, my… Read More »FAMILY PLAGUE FAIR 2020
With much good fortune I scored a limited-edition black Khadija set from Moresca’s Labor Day Sale. Fair season, and therefore most vendors’ income, has been cancelled this year, leading some vendors to hold never-before-seen online sales. I’ve been waiting for a Khadija belt and cuffs for a few years, but… Read More »Black Moresca Khadija Set
One month ago, Jake and I got engaged (huzzah!). I’ve sewn myself a special mask to signify my new status: white with lace, very bridal. It’s certainly the most polished mask I’ve made; no surged edges here! I was aiming for something that felt formal. While I was at it,… Read More »A Mask of Some Importance and Her Spookie Sister
Mead-making round 2 is going great. My first batch has been “racked” over to a new jar for further fermenting and I’ve assembled two more half-gallon ferments. This time, we’re making a second batch of blueberry mead, but with cranberries for tannin instead of lime pith, and a mint, cranberry,… Read More »Home-Brew Mead Round 2
Who needs another hobby? Not me. But here we are. I’m micro-brewing mead. Blueberry mead, to be specific. You can make mead at home with just water (distilled), honey, and yeast (which naturally occurs in raw honey). It’s one of the oldest alcohols invented, and apparently, hopefully, it’s very difficult to mess… Read More »A Mead-Making Journey
Another of Jake’s hardscaping project on the books, which I will post for the benefit of this blog because I did help a lot. Before we bought the house there was once an asphalt path that wound around the garage. Somewhere in the construction of the new house, that path was… Read More »Summer Hardscaping: Garden Path
The brevity of this post diminishes the enormity of the physical labor involved in this project. While Jake has been on furlough this summer he is going all out with the home-improvement. Several of the projects on his list have involved hardscaping for the yard, and this post features our… Read More »Summer Hardscaping: Rain Rock Garden
After months deciding what color we wanted the front door to be forever, we settled on the best, safest, darkest choice: black. I ordered myself a jar of Art Deco exterior metal door paint and waited for a dry 65 degree day when we would be home all day (oh,… Read More »Finally Painted The Front Door
Furthering my exploration of neutrals for spring, and practical sewing for the home, I’ve made a cloth storage basket. Because we have a dog, we are frequently in and out of the front door. Because that dog needs various leashes and collars to go out, we tend to leave that… Read More »Cloth Storage Basket
Posts are out-of-date as soon as they’re published these days….Though still healthy at the time of this writing, I haven’t had much capacity to be creative in all this change and madness. I’m too busy bouncing from one news update to the next, and trying to stay distracted when the… Read More »Washable Cloth Face Masks
Happy Ostara, or Spring equinox to all readers of the Northern Hemisphere! And a belated Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all those still recovering. St Patrick’s day falls close to Ostara; closer than usual this year, so it is fitting that I have photos to share from a Celtic-themed dance… Read More »Bonus Post: Ostara 2020 and Celtic Belly Dance Show Photos
Once again this year the household took a summer vacation to beautiful Round Island, a private island in the middle of Long Lake, NY, on the edge of absolute wilderness. I did not touch my phone while I was there; I even bought myself a cheap watch ahead of time… Read More »Sketches of Long Lake, New York 2019
My best friend Kelley is finishing her Masters in Art Education in order to continue being the wonderful and patient art teacher that she is. Her primary artistic body of work for this degree is a collection of clothing that features and embodies runic symbols to empower the wearer and… Read More »I am a Magical Sea Nymph!
Winter has finally arrived in the North East. With temperatures barely climbing above 0 degrees Fahrenheit today, I would like to look back on warmer times. Below is a collection of back yard improvements undertaken in the spring of 2018 and my thoughts on further improvement for the spring of… Read More »More Backyard Projects from Last Year
This is the first spring in our new house, and the yard has a lot of existing flora but hasn’t been maintained in many years. It’s been fun seeing what pops out of the ground, but very time-consuming to clean things up. Early spring brought the nice surprise of crocuses,… Read More »What’s Up in the Backyard
World, meet Tovi. Our beautiful Belgian Malinois, German Sheppard, Chow-Chow, mix puppy. Mixed with what else? Sight-hound, Sporting, Companion, Terrier, and Asian genetic groups. A real mutt! Tovi has changed my life because now my life revolves around her—or at least it has for the past thee-and-a-half months. Finally she… Read More »Tovi
Broke my camera out of the block of ice in which winter has encased it to capture a small sprig of spring. In this very rare moment to myself—no dog, no other people; just me, my car, and the woods, I tried to get a little lost in the empty… Read More »A Rare Day Alone
I’m back! It’s been a long time since my last post because life has been very busy happening. Those of you who have checked in before might know that Jake and I bought a house at the end of last year. It was a very scary and joyful experience and… Read More »We Do A Lot of Dreaming
Goodness, I’ve been so busy lately with absolutely no time to post because we just bought a house!!! Finally, the process is done, and the house is ours. We’ve been trying to close on this thing for the better part of a season, but as anyone who’s ever bought a… Read More »Get Ready for the DIY Home Improvement Posts
It’s everyone’s favorite season; faires, fires, skulls, and sweaters. Below is a visual diary of my romantic autumnal adventures. Scroll over the images to see a caption. Connect with me on social media for more pretty photos of mushrooms and folk-wear. Facebook Instagram Twitter
Happy Yule, everyone! I’m feeling a little sick this Solstice, but I wanted to wish everyone else well on the shortest day of the year. I have some Holiday posts coming up in just a few days; commissions and crafts that should be seen in person on the 25th before… Read More »Yule Tidings
Last month for my birthday Jake completely surprised me with this jewelry cabinet that he built himself. I knew for weeks that he was in the basement building something, but I never would have guessed how intricate, large, or useful it would be! Because this cabinet is a handmade, artistic… Read More »Birthday Jewelry Cabinet Handmade by Jake
How was your Valentine’s weekend? Mine was amazing. It was freezing cold here in the northeast, with wind-chill temperatures reaching as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Not a weekend for putting on a dress and going to dinner after dark. Instead of going out, my boyfriend Jake and I opted… Read More »Painting Zombicide Figurines
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Let me fail to access my emotions for a minute here, and talk about what this fresh internet start means to me, or at least, what my intentions for it are. I’ve always been kind an over-publisher when it comes to designing websites. There’s a battle and… Read More »What This Fresh Start Means To Me
I am now registered with the Mass Board of Library Commissioner’s Performers List! Some of you may know that I teach “How to Draw Manga” Workshops at Libraries and Community centers across the state of Massachusetts. I started teaching these workshops back in 2003 (yikes) and began by cold-calling libraries… Read More »Libraries of the World, Here I Come! (How to Draw Manga Workshop)
I can’t believe its almost Christmas!! Where did this month go? Where are all the months going!? I blame the lack of blog updates on my job and blossoming social life. It’s been a great year, but I certainly don’t have as much free-time to craft as I used to.… Read More »Crafty Christmas Wrap and Handmade Cards
Did you know that I have a Facebook page? Maybe you assumed so; but maybe you also assumed that I post the same content to my Facebook page as I do my blog. Well that simply isn’t true! I post lots of updates to my Facebook page and Twitter feed… Read More »Get Different, More Frequent Updates Through Facebook!
Backyard Music Series – Bruce Marshall Group Thursday, June 27 – 6 PM to 8 PM FREE Admission This Thursday I am scheduled to set up a vendor table at the Tsongus Center in Lowell, MA for their summer Backyard Music Series. Several Thursday nights this summer the Tsongus center… Read More »The Tsongus Center Backyard Music Series
Why hello there, blog. Long-time-no-see! I have been meaning to post here for a while; I have certainly been slacking somewhat when it comes to keeping up the blog. That’s because the past two months have been full of changes for me. All good changes, but changes that have a… Read More »Change in the Seasons
This Saturday, April 6th, I will be opening my Studio to the Public for another Open House. Come check out the Western Avenue Studios, a complex of buildings filled with over 100 working artists. Work ranges from textiles, to printmaking, to metallurgy, and prices can range from cheap trinkets and… Read More »Studio Open House April 6th
Easter has never been a huge affair in my house, but I love Holidays of any shape or size. Therefore this year I decided to get a little festive with my table settings and make bunnies out of dinner napkins! I got the idea while ironing a table-cloth for the… Read More »Bunny Dinner Napkins
I would like to thank everyone at Milestones, Inc for inviting me to host two How to Draw Manga workshops today. Milestones is a therapeutic school for children with any disorder that interferes with their ability to learn in a traditional school setting including autism, anxiety disorders, non verbal learning… Read More »Manga Workshops At Milestones, Inc.
For the entire month of February some of my recent work will be hanging at the Burlington Public Library. My work can be found on the first floor to the left of the reception desk, and next to the children’s play area on two separate walls. You may stop by… Read More »Solo Showing at the Burlington Public Library (MA)
Last Thursday night I was invited to teach a How to Draw Manga Workshop at the Groton Public Library. The local news stopped by to film some of the class, as well as interview me and some of the students after the workshop. I am very pleased with how the… Read More »Hey Look, I’m on TV. How to Draw Manga at Groton Public Library
This weekend was awesome. Besides a wonderful annual caricature gig on Saturday afternoon (I love being paid to draw children), my best friend Kelley came up to my studio in Lowell for the weekend to have a super craft marathon. In a day and a half we got a solid… Read More »Super Craft Weekend Recap