Fairy Boots, A garden and the camera....

Last week was a busy week in the studio making lovelies for lots of mothers (including my own mom). I hope everyone here in the US had a great Mother's Day on Sunday. It was the only day without rain here in almost two weeks! I might be a bit tired of all the rain, but flowers love it after two years of drought. I've filled the house with bouquets, and I'm full of inspiration and ideas for new flower pieces in metal.

Spending so much time with my camera photographing jewelry has definitely made it easier to photo the great flowers my garden giving me this year. My white wisteria is just gorgeous for the first time since I planted it two years ago, and it smells completely heavenly. The little buds look just like a pair of fairy boots before they open, don't you think?

I must admit that spring in the garden distracts me a bit from my blogging and computer duties - but I'll be back in full swing as soon as I get everything planted and mulched to protect against the long hot summer.

I still have a lot to do as you can see. Have to get the flower beds weeded, the garden plot turned over and planted, and the big black tubs filled with dirt and planted. I'm using the tubs to outfox the rabbits, cats and the neighbor's male dog. I really need a fence, but until then, I'm just going to use the tubs to keep my lettuce and other greens out of reach. These are cattle feed tubs from my best friend's cattle farm. (Best beef in the world - I haven't bought meat from a store in years!)


I spent Saturday morning doing a bit of the weeding, and while I was out there, had a wonderful time cutting bouquets and photographing the day's best blooms. I think my favorite right now is my yellow floribunda rose that is blooming its heart out right now.

And of course, my little bed of pinks right outside the back door is providing heavenly fragrance - these two look like a little pair of twins. I keep a cupful of these in the house so I can smell them all day.

Also blooming now are the elegant siberian iris and my favorite flower of all time - peonies. I have six bushes, and even though they are only 3 years old, the provide gorgeous bouquets for every room in the house when they are in full bloom. they just started this week, so the house will be filled in a few days! The pink and white single cup peony was the first out, and they look good enough to eat! The other peonies are huge fluffy double pinks, Sara Bernhardt, if I remember correctly, and another semi-double cup peony. I've got to go find my pile of flower tags and figure out what which ones I have.

Well, my coffee's done, and I've got to get busy in the studio. I'm finishing up a dendritic agate custom ring today, working on a custom yin yang pendant, and an 'organic' vining ring shank design now that the rush of Mother's Day orders is finished. Also got some yummy pink tourmalines that I'm making a pinkie ring from for myself, and I'll be listing a bunch of new single stacking rings in the shop this week. Pictures later......really, I promise!