Mi Corazon

I <3 my dog.

Napoleon P. Oodle is a bit blurry in this snapshot - but I kinda like him that way.
In this glamorous photo he's licking his nose, he's gifted.


Another pair of wool felt fingerless gloves.

I had to wait until now to share them with you - because it wasn't until today that I finally got to gift them. I love this pair.

A Sublte Stripe

I cannot tell you how much fun I am having making these stinkin' fingerless gloves.

My big dining room table is a happy, beautiful explosion of wool bits and sewing crap.

Fingerless Gloves Galore

It's a bird, It's a painting - no it's a pair of fingerless gloves.


I bought so many sad, forgotten wool sweaters at garages sales this summer.
Who wants wool in August?
Me, that's who. Because now, in December, I have the most amazing stash of felt to make fingerless gloves with.

Christmas gifts?
I'm making fingerless gloves for all the babes in my life.

Sunday Citrus

One of the best things about Christmas is big bowls of citrus just hanging around and smelling wonderful. Oranges, grapefruits, limes, lemons, clementines, kumquats...



Citrus stripey fingerless gloves.

These juicy gloves were made from a recycled sweater. I don't know about you - but I get a naughty little thrill each time I throw a wool sweater into the washer and then pop it into the dryer. Making felt is too much fun.

I swear every time my husband finds a thick, tiny sweater in a basket of clean laundry he thinks I've made a hideous mistake. "No, hon, don't fret I'm just making more felt."

Seed Pod Earrings - 2

New earrings - one of about 60 new pairs that have come and gone this season.

Lampwork beads, labradorite rondels, tiny opals & cornflake freshwater pearls.


Queen Anne's lace seed heads.

Etsy Sale!

I think I will start the after Christmas festivities early by marking down just about everything in my Curious Old Things Etsy Shoppe.

Let it Snow - Somewhere Else

'O the weather outside is frightful...'

We drove to pick up my daughter from college yesterday, a trip into the heart of central New York state. It was nice enough here, in Rochester, when we left. I called her and she said it was fine in Alfred - who knew that for miles in between it was literally a blizzard?

It was a nightmare, some of the worst driving I have ever managed. We're talking upside down tractor trailers in the median bad driving. A pitch black night, squalls & drifting snow - a real white knuckle experience. Miss Margaret took this photo from the backseat at some point. Dansville, maybe? Frankly, we were all scared and are feeling very lucky that we got home (eventually) in one piece.

I hate winter.

Personal Holiday Decorations

Holiday spirit?

I am getting there.

Holiday jewelry - not my thing.

Generally I would say that I prefer fruitcake to holiday jewelry.

Nevertheless, this grinchly old bat likes this pair of red, white and green earrings and is wearing them this holiday season.

A spiral core of copper green glass with a white glass flower overlay, a garnet for each end and some cornflake pearls as bead caps.

Bracelets Galore

I have made a lot of bracelets this season - and love every one of them.

Giverny Bracelet (detail)


Giverny Bracelet - handpressed and raked lentils with lots of metallic luster glass.


Raku Beans - black with raku & my handmade murrini. (sold)

My favorite style has a string of 6 or 7 matching handpressed lentils and a chain with a bauble on the end. The chain makes them perfect for any size wrist - so a gift the buyer can be confident that is will absolutely fit.

Encased Silver Foil

Ooo - sparkles

These beads are fun to make - it's a simple technique that has infinite variations.

Each one started with a small barrel core of black glass which has a postage stamp sized piece of fine silver foil wrapped around it. Then the foil is encased in a colorful transparent glass and shaped. The trick is to not burn off the silver - which you can do by never letting the flame touch the foil while you're encasing it. Just let the molten glass flow down onto the bead which you keep under the flame.

They're great just made with clear and you can change up the core colors and encasing colors to make nearly endless beautiful beady combination. Just keep your transparent encasing colors pale or you can't see the silver that well.

Here's a bracelet made with light blue, green, grass green and aqua.

Hint: be sure that you use silver foil and not silver leaf, silver leaf is too fragile and won't give you the same watery sparkle.

Nom de Guerre

Everyone needs a pseudonym.
They're very useful when you're doing something you ought not to be doing.



"Eunice" oil on board 8" x 10" (sold)


"The All Seeing Strawberry" oil on canvas 4" x 6" (sold)

Dark Pods Necklace

Morticia Addams would love this necklace.

"...creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're all together ooky..."

With big iridescent oil slick black glass beads, stacks peacock cornflake pearls used as bead caps and glowing labradorite rondelles all wired together with black steel wire.

This is the one of the two pieces that I hope does not sell this holiday season.
I love this necklace and want it for my own.

It's so subtle that I don't think anyone has even noticed it yet, it's just coyly hanging on the wall at More Fire waiting for me to bring it home at the end of the party.

Art to Go

Hey! I am in this exhibition and it opens tomorrow night.

All the ART pieces in the show are reasonably priced and can be plucked right off the wall and taken home. Just pay at the counter, you can even have your new ART wrapped in complimentary gift wrapping by the friendly Record Archive staff before you take it home right then and there.

The big ART TO GO opening Party is December 4th 6-9pm - the exhibited works will be for sale through the holidays with more ART being added to the wall as pieces sell like holiday hotcakes.