Once in a while I am gifted by the universe with mystical and haunting images that alter my world, even for a few moments.
This is a sunset view taken from my island home. Can you see the dragon in the sky? It’s head is turned, looking back at it’s lair,
but it could also be interpreted as the battle have been victorious. The dragon has unleashed its power and in this destruction,
there will be redemption.
Now that summer nears an end, I can only look back and say, it was hellish! In all aspects of it. The redemption of autumn, hopefully
will be more rewarding  with new projects in the works and new venues. Sometimes all that is needed is a micro shift in the wheel to
alter the flow. Like a stone thrown into the river and like the dragon’s breath of fire, the actions are the same but produce different
outcomes…

Wow, can it get any hotter in the city?

I was in Phoenix early in July and it was a different kind of hot there. It’s  sizzling dry heat, and it’s no joke. I suffered a mild case of sun stroke from walking 2 blocks (their blocks are long, unlike ours here)!!! Needless to say, I came back with a great tan LOL!

Aside from Antique jewelry shopping in Phoenix, I also kept up with the World Cup Semi-Finals and Final. I had the feeling earlier on that team Espana
were the next World Cup champs, though I was also hoping team USA would have made it into the Semi-Finals at least. They are going to come back even stronger in 4 years, and who knows….

This month, I went back to Artists and Fleas market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Amy and Ronen were most welcoming and I have to say those two have created a great marketplace for designers and artists. I love their new spaces, and they showcase the most talented local vendors all around. Thank you Amy and Ronen!
Here is a link from their website featuring yours truly, the comeback. I will most likely be vending there for the rest of the summer and perhaps towards the fall season. So come by…

http://artistsandfleas.com/2010/07/whats-new-from-who-july-24-25.html

Spring is here! My favorite time of year…The city comes alive with bright faces and smiles. No more heavy coats, no more snow boots, no more pilled hat and scarves, and hoping Winter has gone to bed!

The streets are peppered with tulips and crocus flowers. The cherry blossom trees in the island are budding, and about a week from now, pink and white petals stamp Spring into our trails. I love the giant tulips around Park Avenue, and the wildflowers of the Jefferson Library Garden.

And so, my season has also arrived. I start my fairs and markets officially tomorrow March 21st, the Spring Equinox. I will be at several shows in the West Village and the East Village, the BBC and Bleecker Arts, and the St. Mark’s Church Fair. This year, I am hoping to travel outside New York City to sell my work, particularly in the Carolinas.

FLORA in Bloom is the new collection named after my daughter’s great grandmother who is of Scottish and Chilean descent. In her earlier years, she had flaming red hair, bright blue eyes and lavender lips. She is 99 years old and has recently experienced the 8.8 magnitude quake this month.What a tough cookie!

The floral components are juxtaposed with glass beads and slices of gemstones. Handpainted leather flowers float and dangle in vintage chains. The colors I chose are very much like the poster designs of Alphonse Mucha of the Art Nouveau period. Soft and muted pastel color combinations that aren’t quite the usual mix and yet it is aesthetically just right.

Be well, come and see me at the fairs and Happy Spring!

This is the one and only Flora MacDonald…

The Crocus trail…

In my home recycling is key to keeping my business spend less on office supplies. I recycle inserted envelopes to pay bills and to send other correspondence, padded envelopes gets covered up to send jewelry orders, paper printed on one side gets reused for new printing on the other side, and old boxes make their way once again out there in the mail space.

Here are some fragments of jewelry that have been repurposed into wearable pendants. I like the patinas and oxidations that usually happens with old brass, bronze or silver. I also like the rosey gold tones of vintage gold filled pieces from the 30’s particularly Krementz and Weiss jewelry. The mother of pearl pendants are from old charm bracelets that had pieces fall apart, and so the others have been reborn. Last image is a collection of Sternocera Aequisignata (Jewel Bettle wings from Thailand). I made them look like flower buds using milk glass drops and black pearls. When I told one woman what they were, she shrieked in delight, and consequently decided she had to have it.
I hope you can come by the Union Square Holiday Market starting in November 25th till December 24th. I will have a booth there. This year’s theme is “The Vintage Garden”…

Another long hot summer in Arizona. The dry heat sizzles and peaks at 4pm. The pavement can definitely fry some eggs.
We went on a hike at the Grand Canyon’s South Kaibab Trail, among the many trails, this one was about a two hour trek down and a bit longer going back up. There were more experienced hikers venturing all the way down, but we stopped at the first base as we were unprepared. The trail was narrow and winding, and I experienced a few flashes of vertigo. The most important thing to do when this sets in is not to look down, and focus on the trail. Upon reaching the first base, we sat there snapping away, and a mountain squirrel came up, posed in front of Alex’s camera while he focused on the darkness blanketting parts of the canyon. It didn’t rain while we hiked, but a few minutes later in the car, a quick heavy storm descended upon us, and we decided the canyon hikes are done.

There were several donkeys along the trail, and they had come from way below, carrying sacks of cement, and tools for the canyon workers. I liked those donkeys! Next year, we will venture on the longer trails, backpacks and jugs of water in tow. Monument Valley and a camping trip in the Coconino Forest is already on my list.

Nobody sees a flower- really- it is so small it takes time-we haven’t time-and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. –Georgia O’Keefe

This month I had the opportunity to sell at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene and Dumbo. It was a good introduction to a new kind of market that emphasizes on eco-consumerism and a sustainable workforce. Many of the vendors are young entrepreneurs and groups of families who are all quite friendly and exude the great spirit of community and friendship. It’s a very different experience from a gigantic street fair run by money driven organizers, something I won’t ever be involved in.

At the Fort Greene market one Saturday, I met these five friends. They stayed a while, trying on earrings and necklaces, and got a sense of the deep friendship they all have for each other in their encouragements and compliments, in their honesty and grace. One of them is about to get married, and I added that when one folds, the others follow like dominoes, and they laughed!  The four girls were from out of town, and perhaps were celebrating her big day.  They are all wearing earrings and necklaces they bought that day, and I love this beautiful snap shot of them. They have a true spirit of friendship, one that will carry them throughout their lives.

I meet many types of friends at the markets, sometimes it is a set of sisters who share a great friendship, and what better friend to have than a sister?   Sometimes it is married couples who like to hear the stories of where and how I find my parts to create a one-of-a-kind piece, and there is a mutual respect and honesty in the conversations. These are worth more than gold to me…

June was an intense month. The rain kept the city drenched and saturated, thunder and lightning bolts lit up the night skyline, quick, brilliant and illuminating…The fairs were all well attended despite, and it’s all good. Thank you all for stopping by.

Here are some visual interpretations of June 2009…

got sun?

hearts to sri k. pattabhi jois, antah shaucha…

cotton candy clouds

esteban kremen’s cityscapes
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if cyclists ruled the city streets…make it so, ride your bike everywhere.

the piercing sun after the rain, after yoga…

twilight sky

the foggy 59

miss eleven

behind the scenes

Currently reading Yoga Mala by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, delving deep into the yoga practice with the guidance of fluid and inspiring teachers at Yogaworks. I am listening to a lot of The Innocence Mission, love this song Bright As Yellow and A Wave is Rolling. My little one is teaching herself to play “Let It Be” on the piano, and has taught me to play “Firefly”. Looking forward to all the fairs in June.
Some visuals below.
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Now that Spring is officially in bloom, I am forging ahead with the idea of an herbs garden in my dwelling. There is a nice herb farmer at Union Square and I will most likely get the staples,Thai basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and parsley.

Speaking of gardening, The Vintage Garden is a small collection of horticultural interpretations in vintage brass, oxidized bronze, bone, mother of pearl and painted wood. There are enameled, painted, carved, etched vintage pieces dating back to the late 50’s to early 80’s. I take time to compose each piece of jewelry with the careful balance of color and motif, and much like tending to a garden, it takes time to nourish a vision…

Happy Spring!

Did you ever grow a tree from seed? My home has at least three types of trees: Chirimoya ( a South American fruit), Lychee (mostly grown in China) and avocado ( the ones from Haas) all grown from seeds. There are 3 Chirimoya trees all growing in one pot, as well as three avocado trees in separate pots, and one lychee. Recently, my daughter has ventured into her own botanical journey. She has grown 8 “tickle me” plants (native to the Philippines) but most likely thriving in most rainforest regions. This type of weed humored childhood treks, interestingly enough, she found it at Urban Outfitters at the marked down section, and decided to grow it for several weeks. It took that long for the first set of leaves to sprout, and it is these leaves that produce this
tickle me” effect. By brushing or touching the leaves, they then close like venus fly traps, only faster and not as voracious. The leaves open up again in a few minutes, making them organic toys to play with everyday. Yet another childhood memory springing back to life, now so close but that home is so far away.

homegrown “tickle me” plant

9 is the great number of change

shadows in the first state

virginia’s sunset