copy and paste this link to see all of my new pieces for the xen show :O)
carrot ginger dressing
i made this dressing last night for our salad..it could be my new favorite beating out the peanut butter asian dressing. here it is:
5-6 carrots
a 3-4 inch by 1 inch piece of ginger, remove skin
2 T of tahini
a splash of olive oil
5 T of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste.
puree in a blender or food processor. you an add more lemon juice or olive oil to adjust the tang to your liking and to thin it a bit for easier tossing potential. i would definitely recommend tossing the salad with the dressing before serving in bowls to get maximum coverage. this dressing is slighty sweet and refreshing from the carrot ginger combo with a bit of creaminess from the tahini and tang from the lemon juice.....
salad details:
red leaf, mesculin, simpson lettuce from our garden
sliced fresh mushrooms
walnuts
dried cranberries
faux parmasian...just toss and eat..oh so yummy!!
the pale yellow bowl was made by our good friend charity davis woodard.
the mini small salt and pepper pinch bowls were made by my hubby, chris.
"tea"
so this is the raw herbs that our chinese medicine doctor prescribed chris. i let it sit in water for an hour. then, boiled it for 10 minutes and drained the liquid. she advised us to do it a second time combining the second batch of liquid with the first. chris had to drink all of the tea that day. he had to repeat this for 4 more days but was suppose to drink each round of liquid over the course of 2 days instead of all within the same day. yikes, this stuff made the house smell like dirt, the woods!! which essentially, i guess it was just that..except maybe not the dirt part.....me being curiouso about all things natural, i dug thru it to see what was in there: cross sections of roots, dried leaves, twiggy type things, furry pods, tiny seeds, mushroomy cube pieces. the earth works. with all if it's funky glory that "tea" did the trick. he was definitely feeling much better and on the mend the next day. kudos to chris for being able to drink that stuff, diem said she doesn't typically prescribe the raw version because not that many people can get it down, but because of it being in liquid form vs. the powder it's a stronger version with quicker healing capabilities.
orange napa valley tote bag
this was my super score at the blue hanger. plasticky type tote bag in orange of all colors. my favorite!!! this was the bag i used to make the orange pillow earrings. these were a favorite of my mom's..........i really want to make a necklace with the floating pillow idea. it's on the list. :O)
child's cribsheet
here's a picture of the child's cribsheet i used to make the white pillow choker. i love the little lambies on this....those i will save for another project.
white pillow choker & orange pillow earrings
here is a picture of a couple of my pieces at the xen show. the white pillow choker piece is made of sterling silver, plastic from a childs cribsheet, polyfil, thread and glass beads. the orange pillow earrings were made with sterling silver, plastic from a napa valley tote bag, polyfil, and thread.
unfortunately my husband chris and i didn't make our flight the thursday morning before the show. from wednesday nite to thursday morning chris' cold progressed rapidly. he was suffering with an extreme case of allergy/flu/whatever is going around down here. i was so worried about him that i didn't go either. i called our chinese medicine doctor/acupuncturist/neighbor. i went to get his herbal prescription from the white crane pharmacy here in austin and made this "tea" for him to drink, then went and rented a stack of movies. we were just slugs together.....we made the couch into the fold out bed so we could watch movies and just rest....by the next morning chris was feeling markedly better. YIPPY!!!
i was really looking forward to the opening, seeing friends and family and my brand spankin' new work on display......i guess i will catch you all next time around. thanks to all who went to the opening. my mom went in my place (all my family is from the st. louis area....that is where i grew up). thanks, ma!! we're going to see the show and my family at the end of feburary after i get back from my show in miami.
strawberry tier pillow bracelet
here is a peak at what my new work is like. this bracelet was made of a poncho and estee lauder bag i got at my favorite thrift store here in austin. it's called the blue hanger. it's a goodwill, but for some reason it goes by blue hanger. i was totally "busted" that day while shopping there. even though i love this place, i have only been there a few times...well, because you have to play good defense when you go there. it is always crazy busy and super noisy. the way this place operates is this: you go in and typically all the carts are taken. i usually can find a plastic crate and random ribbon and tie the ribbon to the crate....viola, "shopping cart". i am up and down the aisles which consist of rows of large wooden bins used to dump all manner of things. this place is categorized into two groups, clothes and misc. i walk into an aisle because i spot these pale blue squares that from afar appear to be plastic-y. when i get closer and i can check out the blue squares, deciding whether i think they have "jewelry potential" one of the workers hollers out to get my attention and starts shaking his head at me.......and says "not yet, no, not yet" and then i realize that there are 25-ish people standing at the end of these bins waiting to get in on the action. apparently while the bins are being stocked with the goods it is not permitted to shop that area until they blow the horn. well, i had heard this horn theory about the blue hanger, but at that point was in way over my head so i just played the dumb card. if looks could kill, i would have been a goner, 25 times over, with all the evil eyes i got from the people that were patiently lined up. the funny thing is that the blue squares were stacks of "wee wee pads" that can be used to potty train your puppy......yep, they are gross...don't ask me why there is a market for them. BUT, the point is nobody else would have wanted those things but me. as a matter of fact when the horn did blow and everyone raced into grab, dig, push and scavenge for their treasure of interest, the woman next to me took the time to hand me a stack of wee wee pads that were next to her. it took me three attempts to get out of that aisle and remove myself from the pandemonium.
all and all, my trip to the blue hanger was a success story. i came away with a rain poncho, an estee lauder bag, an orange napa valley tote bag, a garment bag in black, a frog floatee, an adult raft in neon transparent yellow and a few other random things. this hectic trip made the strawberry tier pillow bracelet a reality. there is nothing like finding the right material to make me dive into the studio head first.
if you want to see more of my newest cushion.pillow pieces go to
http://www.xengallery.com/fisher.htm
new work at the xen gallery.....opening friday nite
january 18th, 2007 from 5:30p - 8p. hope you can swing by and see my new work. the newest cushion pieces which evolved from the "sewing circles" project are made of recycled things such as rain poncho's, infant cribsheets, random tote bags, garmet bags or other finds made with plastic material. i even bought a child's turtle floatee that will become a variety of assorted shapes and sizes of sewn pillows for a necklace or other wearable goodness.
breakfast yummi
1/2 cup of water 1/4 cup of rice milk
healthy spoonful of peanut butter
1 ripe banana
2 T flax seed
blend all ingredients in a blender til smooth. this drink makes me think of elvis and monkeys, not "the monkeys", but the animal type.....yep, i may need therapy for that one!! anywho, i got this recipe from my friends jade and robert. it's my new favorite breakfast...it's worth getting out of bed for :O)
"ornament as art"
this could be the best gift i've ever received. chris (my husband) gave it to me for christmas. if you are a metalsmith, jewelry collector, art book collector or just a lover of the unusual, beautiful and truly artistic, you will want to own this book. the title is "ornament as art, avante garde jewelry from the helen williams drutt collection, the museum of fine arts, houston". i was very excited to see the work of wendy ramshaw featured. i took a two week workshop with her when i went to haystack school of arts in crafts in maine in the summer of 2000. also, eleanor moty whom i took a workshop with at SIUE while in school. i have just had time to briefly look thru it but can't wait to get a hot cup of tea, my couch "wobbie" and settle into it for an evening.
kombucha
out of studio interest: no i have not captured squid to keep in my kitchen. this is my kombucha. kombucha is a fermented tea that dates back to 400-500B.C. in china. it takes about 7-14 days for the first fermentation and the second fermentation occurs after it is bottled. the white/tan floating disc shapes you see in the jars is called the scoby (aka: mother, baby, zooglea), short for "symbiosis culture of bacteria & yeast". i have "grown/fermented" 2 batches already and am learning more about it as i go. to learn more or if your interested in making it yourself do your homework first by going to www.getkombucha.com and sign up for the 7 day free course. also the www.happyherbalist.com and go to "how to make kombucha" is a good informative site too. for the curious: kombucha tastes like a tart acidic barely sweet bubbly drink.....it's said to be an acquired taste. i love it like crazy!!
sewing circles
i have been wanting to incorporate fabric in my work for some time now. i am using my upcoming show at the xen gallery in st. louis, mo (beginning january 18, 2008) as a deadline to make at least a few pieces with my new "fabric" vision. if all goes well, i will have a few of my newest fabric pieces in the show. the photo is of my sewing station and the many circles i have sewn.....now to stuff them, finish the sewing and play. most of the fabric i'm using is either from older clothes of mine or some fabric from a couple girlfriends' studios.
funky bunny hat
my funky new hat made by my friend chia. i love these hats. believe it or not, some people think it's my real hair. check out the fun! www.chiahats.comnot your average peanut butter oatmeal cookies
ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3 T ground flax seed…….if you don’t have flax seed you can add an additional 1/4 cup of canola oil (i always put flax seed in baked goods, on salads, and in dips…..it’s a super good source of fiber and promotes a healthy heart and gut…..so “they” say)
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rice or soy milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
preheat oven to 350 F. lightly grease cookie sheets.
toss together the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. in separate bowl mix together the oil, flax seed, peanut butter, sugars, milk, and vanilla.
add dry ingredients to the wet, and mix. the dough will be firm and moist. spoon onto cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until slightly golden.
bowl by meredith brickell
she is one of my favorite potters. :O)