Slow Down

Summer is a great time to remember to slow down, relax and laugh a lot. We recently got to do this when we stayed at The Blue Lake RV resort in Northern Idaho on our way home from our annual road trip. We have never stayed there before and were pleasantly surprised by the welcoming and cozy woodsy atmosphere. The owners had several quaint sitting and game areas set up for guests along with kayaks and paddle boats to rent. The beautiful glacier carved lake was a welcome retreat after being on the road for awhile. My husband enjoyed a refreshing swim while our dog, Jules, and I enjoyed sitting on the dock watching the turtles and fish swim up to us. We relaxed and laughed a lot!

I made my "Slow Down" pine needle basket using Longleaf pine needles, sweetgrass, brown artificial sinew, green sea glass square beads, green sea glass "laugh" pendant, and a three dimensional green turtle pottery base. This basket measures 5-1/2" round by 2-1/2" tall.

ENJOY!

Glamping

We just got back from our annual camping road trip, which I like to refer to as our glamping trailer trip. We spent many years camping in tents, but now our backs can't take it, so we invested in a camping trailer about 10 years ago. This allows us to take great trips and enjoy the beautiful outdoors with all the comforts of home. Our dog, Jules, loves the adventure of these trips, too.

We have discovered some great places to stay that are near or in national parks and several places in beautiful wilderness areas. Some of our favorite glamping sites include Bend/Sisters Garden RV Park near Sisters, Oregon, Umpqua Lighthouse State Park in Winchester, Oregon, Patricks Point State Park in Trinidad, California, West Glacier KOA in Glacier, Montana, Ellensburg KOA on the Yakima river in Ellensburg, Washington, The Nugget RV Park in St. Regis, Montana, Mazama Campground in Crater Lake National Park and Blue Lake RV Resort in Naples, Idaho. All of these places are located in amazing outdoor recreational and wilderness areas. We always come home relaxed and grateful that we have had the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors.  It always refreshes our souls and inspires my basket making, too. ENJOY!

I made my "Glamping" pine needle basket using dyed green Longleaf pine needles, sweetgrass, dark green artificial sinew, a camping trailer pottery connector bead and a green trees pottery base.

 This basket measures 6" round by 2-1/2" tall.

Antarctica

Visiting Antarctica has left a special place in my heart and continues to influence my basket making. I keep trying to remember the colors and the feelings of this special and peaceful place and am trying to capture them in my baskets. I still have a hard time coming up with words to describe this amazing place and the pictures can only reveal and express so much. However, I found the following quote that sums it up pretty well.

"If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it."

Andrew Denton

I made my "Antarctica" basket with dyed dark blue Longleaf pine needles, dark blue sinew, rectangle white quartz druzy beads and a crystallized blue, white and brown agate with a small touch of pink.

The beads represent the tabular icebergs, snow and ice. I was thrilled to find an agate that captured many of the colors and details of Antarctica, including the water, ice, cliffs and sand. The touch of pink in the agate was an added bonus. When I first went on shore to see the penguins I wondered why the snow was pink. The penguins eat krill, so you can figure that one that for yourself! Enjoy!

Polar Reflections

In December my husband, son and I traveled to Antarctica. This all came about last year when my son, who works for an expedition travel company, won the big prize at his office Christmas party...A CRUISE TO ANTARCTICA!! My son was kind enough to invite us and for the next year I planned and kept asking myself "Who goes to Antarctica"? I was nervous about crossing the Drake Passage and flying so far from home since I get motion sickness from just riding in a car. Also, I had never been to Argentina and don't speak Spanish. However, I knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and had to overcome all of my fears. I felt a little like Walter Mitty (played by Ben Stiller) in the latest version of the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"! I feel very grateful that I got to go and experience one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth. It was an AMAZING journey and an experience that will live with me for a lifetime!

There were so many things on this trip that made an impression on me, but one of the biggest was the icebergs and the different kinds of ice. The shapes, colors and sizes were gorgeous and awe inspiring and helped to inspire this basket.

I made this basket using two tones of dyed blue Longleaf pine needles, dark blue artificial sinew, blue sea glass beads and a gorgeous blue and teal crystallized agate base. Enjoy!

Happy New Year

May 2016 be filled
with peaceful places
that will inspire
all of us
for a lifetime!

Hopi House

 

One of the highlights for me at the Grand Canyon was the Hopi House. I could have spent and entire afternoon exploring everything in this building, however we only had a day to explore the park. The artwork and crafts made by the Southwest Native Americans were beautiful and unique. Of course, I gravitated to the baskets first! I came away inspired by many of the patterns not only in the baskets that I saw, but the Navajo rugs and tapestries and the gorgeous pottery. The funny thing is that I didn't know that I missed the best view of this building until I got home and looked on the Grand Canyon website. If I would have only turned around, looked up and walked another five feet I would have seen the real beauty of the Hopi House! Oh well, another thing to save for the next visit. Enjoy!