With such a beautiful garden… it always seemed like the perfect place for one of my soda-fired totem poles. It has been neatly tucked into their garden for a few years now. I love seeing it every time I go down for a visit. Quite the honor to be “featured” in their award-winning garden!!!

As you go down the terraces, and turn a few corners, the path begins to reveal the totem pole.

Perched on the side of the slope, surrounded by ferns & hosts.

My friends Gerry & Rosene not only have a wonderful garden… but they also have some wonderful collections. And, we have very similar tastes. When we’re together at a flea market it’s a race to see who can sang that cool piece of rust the fastest!!! Luckily there’s always plenty of rust to go around!!! Well here’s one of their collections hanging on a long arbor with climbing hydrangea plants. Beautiful.

It’s always such a pleasure to hang out in a beautiful garden with good friends. Even better to get away from the City for a quick weekend getaway with my cousin Kim. We’re both working too hard and have six million things to do. So it was extra special this weekend to put “everything on hold” and just go away for a road trip! My talented friends Gerry & Rosene live on Central Illinois near Peoria. They were my very first at fair friends several years ago. I was just starting out at MY VERY FIRST art fair… okay, holiday craft show... and they were across the aisle. The were the seasoned veterans. I was the newbie providing “naive entertainment’ for them. They have since “retired” from crafting… and now they spend all their time creating & caring for the most wonderful garden ever. Such a treasure. Not only are the layered terraces & plants pretty amazing. But the creative whimsy and rusty metal accents still harken back to their crafting days. And who doesn’t like some well-utilized rust?!!!

So there it is… a quick tour of their award-winning garden. So many things to find & discover. So many incredible colors & textures. So many plants to tend to. As I’ve always said…. so much fun to have Talented Friends!!! And even more fun that they are so generous that they can be credited with helping my own gardens look pretty special too. The majority of my garden plants have traveled home from Peoria to take up residence in Chicago. Thank you Rosene & Gerry!!!

Today was a fun day down at the 57th Street Art Fair. I think it’s always fun to visit some of “My Talented Friends” at their art fairs on weekends when I’m free. Great art to see, and a fun time to show your support. We all know how long those art fair days can be… and a few minutes of “fun friend diversion” can make all the difference. So today I pedaled my bike down to Hyde Park for the fair. The tailwind getting there was fantastic… the return ride home wasn’t quite so much fun. A better workout though.

Sarah Chapman made her return to Chicago in style with her beautiful jewelry designs… and a fancy new award ribbon for her collection. Now based in Minneapolis, my friend Sarah has quite the following of loyal customers here in Chicago all seeking out her beautiful jewelry. Some of “us” have quite the collection of her work… and by “us” I mean ME.

Roberta Polfus was there with her beautiful “mini” carved vases, vessels and pods. All with such wonderful textures and glaze effects… and some really sweet flowers from her garden!

Metalsmith Amy Taylor specialized in sterling silver jewelry that incorporates hinges!!! Beautiful metal work and stunning stones come together for some pretty wonderful jewelry.

Delores Fortuna comes in from Galena for the show – along with her beautiful porcelain pottery.

And Nancy Gardner with her whimsically painted pieces with such a rich & wonderful color palette.

Today was a wonderful day. So much fun seeing all of my friends… and hanging out with Sarah & Jules. Nice weather too… but the prediction for tomorrow is not so good. The art fair organizers actually offered up an option to the artists to stay late on Saturday, and then pack-up early to avoid the storms. Unheard of. We’ll see what tomorrow brings… and how many of them decide to stick it out and how many decide to go home tonight?! Glad I went down there today…

My Talented Friend Barb Duro was one of my “connections” to the cute little town of Sandwich, Illinois. Besides my other Talented Friends whimsical paper-clay artist Cory McCrory, and the now-moved-to-Missouri potter Steven Hill. Barb used to run a wonderful store on Main Street called “Moon & Star.” It is there that I first learned about the beauty of beads and so many other things. I’ve now known Barb for several years, always a dear friend & caring soul. She has since moved to Arizona and has just launched her jewelry website. It’s full of beautiful, handcrafted beaded necklaces, earrings & bracelets. Each with their own personality & story.

Click here to go to her new website!
Even the names of her product lines are wonderful & thoughtful…
Spiritus In Materia : Soulful offerings for an inspired life.

Conscious Treasures :
Unique creations re-purposed & re-imagined from past items & artifacts.

Invitation to Intention : Personal prayer and meditation tools.

Here are some more of her handcrafted beauties.
Each made with a wonderful collection of materials, colors and textures.
Each one-of-a-kind… handmade with loving attention & top-quality materials.

One of her more touching product lines…
Essentia : Memorable, personal art respectfully holding loved one’s cremains.
Fused glass pendants that are lovingly handcrafted to honor & remember.

Click here to go to Barb’s new jewelry website.
Click here to go to Barb’s ETSY shop.

One quick story first…
which will tell you a LOT about Barb and her personality...

During one of my holiday visits to “Moon & Stone” as a featured guest artist, Barb had made me a Christmas Gift. A couple necklaces that hosted a small, hollow African glass bead that she inserted a piece of muslin into. The idea is you add some scented essential oil to the muslin before you wear it. And then the heat of your body warms it up and releases the scent. Great idea, right? Well, anyway, she told me I should choose my favorite scent from her huge assortment of oils she was selling in the store. So throughout the course of the day, I continued to sniff scents and narrow down my choices in between customers during her Holiday Open House. There were a lot of bottles to smell. And it get’s to be a little nasal overload after awhile. So I did it in small groups. Eventually narrowing it down to 10… then five… then three… and finally the one!!! Keep in mind that Barb was busy running her store & chatting with customers… unaware of my sniffing & choosing. But when I had that final one chosen, as I turned around to approach the counter, she told me what scent I had chosen. What?! Yes, without even seeing the bottle, smelling the scent, or in any other way cheating, Barb told me that I had chosen Bergamot. And she was right!!! Little freaky. Especially since I had never even heard of Bergamot?!!! She said she had guessed that I would choose that one even before I got there. And then she pulled out a “personality traits by scents” book and had me read the description of Bergamot… and it was ME!!! The personality description seemed to fit me perfectly. Even parts of me that I keep inside and don’t share much. Fears, dreams, desires. All there. On paper. In the book. Who knew that my scent would be Bergamot?… well, Barb Duro apparently!!!

And it’s with that kind of love, caring & compassion that she lives her life.
And each piece of jewelry she makes has a piece of her in it.

So what was in the boxes?… you may be wondering???
Although I’m pretty sure you have figured it out by now…

Well, I met Steven Hill a few years ago and began doing some freelance graphic design for him. We worked together on several projects while he was here in Illinois starting up Center Street Clay. Our plan was always that we would “trade” services… my graphic design for some of his incredible pottery. A couple years have passed… Steven has moved back to Missouri. He’s still making beautiful pots and very busy with his workshop schedule. And I had pretty much written off any chance of getting my pottery “payment.” What I did get was a good friend to chat with… to mock, mimic & give a hard time to about his missing “dinnerware fulfillment” every time I see him. Okay, I must admit that it’s been fun to continually drop “hints” about my dinnerware over the past few years in person and on Facebook!!!

Well… much to my surprise…
the two large boxes contained my Steven Hill Pottery “payment.”
A wonderful surprise. Incredible pottery. Thoughtful & very generous of Steven Hill.
I had pretty much written it off… he is apparently good on his word. Slow, but good.

Thank you Steven!!!

Ta-da!!!… another beautiful Steven Hill pitcher. Fresh on the wheel during a workshop.
You can almost see the onlookers gasping…

Enough about Steven and his workshops…
Sure, he’s a great potter. Sure, he does groovy slip decorations.
Sure, he has beautiful glazes. Sure, he puts on a fantastic workshop.
Sure, his work is coveted by so many all over the place. Sure, he’s “famous.”
Sure, he’s the face or Skutt Wheels in all of the ceramics magazines. Sure… I get it.

But back to me…
Here’s a little glimpse of my new Steven Hill dinnerware set… it’s wonderful!!!

A huge Thank You to Steven.
His work is beautiful… and my Care Packages were filled with his incredible pottery!!!
Such a wonderful gift to unexpectedly receive in the mail.

Steven, I can’t wait to see you at the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour
in May to thank you in person!!! You rocked it!!!

Not wanting the excitement to pass too quickly… I slowly started to open the boxes.
You’ve got to love surprise Care Packages… and the great friends who send them!!!

And it started with LOTS of styrofoam peanuts… which tumbled out everywhere!!!

And then there were more boxes “floated” inside the bigger box…

Lots of bubble wrap… lots of peanuts… lots of shrinkwrap… all incredibly well-packed…

Soon enough, some of the pottery began to reveal itself…

Last night I received two large cardboard boxes at the studio. I knew I hadn’t ordered anything lately so I was pretty intrigued. A close look at the return address, and I had a pretty good idea that a LOT of beautiful things were waiting inside…

We made it up to the Fifth Floor of the Bridgeport Art Center last night during their “Third Fridays” Open Studio Night. It was great to see all of the beautiful works up there of our friend Jay Strommen lining the hallways. He’s one of those “crazy” masterminds who creates incredible pieces… nothing that you would EVER expect. These wonderful wall pieces started as a “deconstruction” of the ceramic process using conventional materials in unconventional ways. They are wood fired with recycled glass accents.

This triptych is literally three kiln shelves layered with ceramic materials and then fired. You’ve got to love the layers, textures & details that literally “suck you in” to piece. The closer you look, the cooler it gets!

Another wood-fired tablet that looks kinda like a slab of Jasper stone.

A smaller, square tablet with layers of “clay” materials and a wonderfully shallow puddle of recycled glass… and a couple of drips along the way!

Each one more precious than the next… layers, textures, colors, glass…

And then there’s THIS masterpiece!!!
A large grouping of pieces lining the hallway. Each one spectacular. And the whole lot of them FANTASTIC!!! With carved circles, layered ceramic materials and incredible pools of turquoise glass. The cracking & fracturing of the glass is incredible as the light bounces around “inside” the piece.

So there’s a quick overview of Jay’s amazing work. For more information
about Jay’s work, he’s represented by Perimeter Gallery in Chicago.

While we were there, we also got a quick tour of his living space. The Bridgeport Art Center was recently rezoned as a “live/work” facility. So he & Gina are renovating a space in the Bridgeport Art Center as their living quarters. Complete with illuminated “floating” floor areas and a beautiful view of the Chicago River.

Jay then took us on a quick tour of the Fifth Floor space that is going to become the new Bridgeport Clay Center. It’s a beautiful lofted space with with a lot of history. Jay walked us through and showed us where the walls, the wheels, the wedging tables and everything else will be. The kiln room is just off to the side… under construction with two kilns already inside!!! It’s going to be a wonderful adventure & opportunity as another Clay Center comes to fruition under the watchful eyes of clay-genius Jay Strommen!

Today’s the Day. My second Holiday Home Show : MUD & METAL.
My dining room table is covered with wonderful beauties by my friend Amy Taylor… surrounded by shelves full of my pottery in every room of my condo. You’ve still got plenty of time to swing by this afternoon for some MUD & METAL. Did I mention cookies & brownies too?

We’re open until 6:00pm this evening… and there’s plenty for everyone!!!
Plenty of cookies too…