Growing onions

Somebody tweeted a link to this Instructable: Grow Onions from Discarded Onion Bottoms and it looks easy so I'm going to try it.
I've cut and dried a couple of onion bottoms and think they look like 'onion roses'.... pretty.













They'll be planted root-side down in small pots I got from the dollar store and kept in the kitchen. I don't know if they're too dry or not, but it'll be interesting to see what happens!

My jewelry in treasuries

Two of my pieces were recently featured in Etsy treasuries, it was very exciting and they are so beautiful! Thanks to both of the curators :-) Have a look:

"Have a Heart"
curated by CountyByTheBumpkins
featuring my Keyhole Heart Bracelet





















"Necklaces for all occasions"
curated by YellowViolet
featuring my Star Necklace

Let's Get Ready to Garden!

This has been the coldest, snowiest winter since we've lived in Tennessee. I'm enjoying the heck out of it, yet I find myself yearning for the brightness of Spring. And of course, once Spring is here I'll be missing the snow :-) Gah!!
So to tide myself over, I created this garden-y Etsy Treasury full of things that are sure to make you ready to dig in the soil. Enjoy!

Hearts All Around, pt.4

It's here, the day of love! Let's start out with a 'heart' I discovered on my bathroom counter:
My ponytail holder, doesn't it look cute?







Next, some pretty heart-shaped leaves growing amongst moss in the Smokies......







Finally, some tasty Brittania heart biscuits I picked up at the Indian grocery. They're rather like a slightly sweet pretzel.



We're back into the mountains again today, I'll certainly be on the lookout for more hearts.....
Happy Valentine's Day!

Hearts All Around, pt.3

I do a fair amount of cooking and while whipping up a batch of shami kebabs I noticed a bit of red spice shaped *exactly* like a heart stuck on the side of the mixing bowl. How sweet! The rest looks kinda gross this close up.... but it tastes good :-)

Treasury time again

I was surprised to open the Etsy Treasury and see that new slots were opening in just a minute, and I was able to curate one.....

The theme is Water (since we've had so much of it lately in the form of rain and snow)

Hearts All Around, pt.2

Valentine's Day is creeping closer......
Another heart specimen in a dead tree trunk in the Sugarlands area of Great Smoky Mtns Nat'l Park. This one is a sort of country-style, elongated heart.

It was a good day for spotting hearts in the mountains!

Oh deer

Another sign of Spring, the whitetail deer showed up today near dusk, haven't seen them in months:

Spring has sprung

Sorta. We've been having a particularly cold and often snowy winter, but you can tell Spring is in the air. The days are getting longer, I've seen birds checking out last year's nests, and now my tulips and daffodils are starting to break through the soil. We're still in for more cold and snow showers, though....

Hearts All Around, pt.1

Last year I began seeing natural "hearts" in many places prior to Valentine's Day, so this year I kept my eyes peeled again for interesting ones to pop up. Time for this year's installment!
Up first:


A lovely knot hole in the Sugarlands area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

peachy keen peachy green

One of my heart faces has been included in a beautiful Etsy Treasury curated by Monarchdancer:

And the fortune cookie says......

"God will give you everything that you want."

And I've gotten TWO of them!
Maybe I'll start making a list.

Inspiration - Implementation - Issue

Inspiration: One of my favorite pairs of winter shoes are these Skechers. While putting them on one morning, I was inspired to translate the rivet detailing into a jewelry design.


Implementation: Copper heart and tin strip are hand cut and drilled, sitting on the bench block and ready for texturing/joining.



Issue: A heavy metal heart as strong as the love of your Valentine :-)

Available shortly in my Etsy shop!

Wordless Wednesday