tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78215379724347818702008-11-14T12:43:20.328-05:00Crafting a Creative LifeThe Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-6015401748523484522008-11-14T10:59:00.002-05:002008-11-14T12:43:20.379-05:00

Here's a special opportunity for all of you online shoppers who want to save gas and shop from your keyboard instead. Check out It's a Wonderful Sale this holiday season when you shop the BBEST Limited Time Sale and find handmade and vintage treasures for everyone on your list, quickly, easily, and at remarkable values. So pull up a chair, get comfy and find the joy that the BBEST (Boomers and

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-24315585196858604652008-09-07T23:17:00.025-04:002008-09-08T19:13:43.016-04:00

The end of summer comes faster each year it seems, and with it comes the bittersweet flood of freshly harvested garden vegetables. Though I adore the taste of sweet yellow pear tomatoes straight from the vine and the crisp crunch of home-grown cucumbers, this last mad influx of produce means that the long winter and a time of fallow fields is not far behind. Already the squash vines are

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-53879932820564395732008-09-07T20:33:00.010-04:002008-09-08T02:15:38.321-04:00

Some days start off the same old way, and then a few start off with very pleasant surprises. This morning I was greeted with a little bit of blog love in the form of a nomination for the award pictured here, "Brillante Weblog-Primo 2008". My wonderful BBEST (Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team) team mate and fellow blogger Pamela of Magdalene Jewels has included my blog in her list of seven

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-5014991327721987052008-08-10T13:58:00.036-04:002008-08-11T11:43:22.086-04:00

In yesterday's post I reminisced about the creative passions of my youth that I am now revisiting as an adult. I asked friends in my Etsy BBEST team (Boomer and Beyond Etsy Street Team) to look back at what arts and crafts they were drawn to as children. Their insightful and interesting answers are posted below. The Questions: What arts and crafts did you do as a child? Did these interests

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-14817996365525472092008-08-10T10:31:00.027-04:002008-08-10T13:47:19.225-04:00

Coming into midlife has been challenging for me. I struggle with relinquishing who I was as a young adult, and I balk at moving into a future that is frighteningly wide open. I am emerging from my middle age metamorphic cocoon still not knowing what type of butterfly I am. What do I want to do with my life – the second half? The excitement of being able to reinvent myself is counterbalanced by

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-63724514110651473552008-07-26T11:56:00.024-04:002008-09-08T22:33:00.963-04:00

Daily cooking tasks always seem more pleasant and interesting in the summer when fresh, local produce is arriving in great abundance. It is no surprise that my culinary creativity peaks from July through September. In addition to the herbs, fruits and vegetables growing in my own small garden, we have been reaping the edible benefits of our purchased share in a local CSA called Rabbit's Dance

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-7425705787712444432008-07-23T14:09:00.002-04:002008-07-23T14:21:49.580-04:00

Writing has always been one of my favorite pastimes, but my inspiration for it comes in waves, and I don't produce a steady stream of written works all year long. I tend to focus my energies on different projects in different seasons. I haven’t been attending to my writing during the past few months because I have been researching, planning, and nurturing my incipient garden, which is promising

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-39880234818398255792008-07-22T12:08:00.010-04:002008-07-22T21:43:37.882-04:00

...great things grow. I am gradually learning to let go of my natural tendency to fuss over things, like my garden. Planning is necessary, of course, to get the plantings established, and I do put some effort into arranging the vegetables and herbs so that they are next to companions that they like. However, once the plants are in the ground, the more I worry and tend to them, the more they are

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-60635635075127530932008-07-01T13:10:00.037-04:002008-07-02T00:55:31.400-04:00

Since I took a short workshop on making knotted jewelry with silk yarn a few months ago, I have had the urge to create more knotted pieces. There is something very satisfying about the feel of working with thread and cord; I imagine it must be the same meditative groove that knitters and crochet enthusiasts slip into when they are deeply occupied with their craft. Manipulating yarns and threads

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-13043401124530385332008-06-29T00:40:00.014-04:002008-06-29T12:58:15.880-04:00

Recently I took a little side trip away from making jewelry into the wonderful world of paper and fiber by taking an online class called Journal Making for the Fiber Artist. During the 5-week class, students learned techniques to make five different types of blank journals that have fiber covers and stitched-in paper sections known as “signatures.” Although I have only completed the first lesson

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-29699193036644488572008-06-02T10:28:00.009-04:002008-07-24T01:51:43.757-04:00

We all associate long, dry spells with the middle of a hot summer. Well I have been in a crafting dry spell in the middle of a beautiful spring this year. I haven't made much in the last month. It seems my creative muse has left for vacation without so much as a note or a fond farewell. I think she became scared and took off when I reorganized my crafting space; all that neatness and those nicely

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-54245871347734656002008-05-05T23:42:00.023-04:002008-05-06T21:10:42.955-04:00

Monday morning, when I checked my email as usual, I received a pleasant surprise from Google Alerts. My online Etsy shop, The Filigree Garden, had been featured in the blog of KimberlyHanson, proprietor of The Wild Hare. Kimberly's post was lovely and very detailed. I am very grateful and flattered to have had my handmade wares presented in such a wonderful way. Many thanks to Kimberly! For a

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-41432254600222060372008-05-03T02:29:00.005-04:002008-06-02T12:22:34.622-04:00

bouncing baby…no, not girl, not boy…it’s a LOOM! I am not sure what color balloon I am supposed to hang on my mailbox announcing the happy arrival of something that is 36 inches wide, weighs 155 pounds, and is made of metal and wood. Yet here he - or she, sits in the middle of my family room floor begging for attention like any new family member. Not-so-little Leclerc, model name Nilus to be

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7821537972434781870.post-38734677572336755402008-04-30T01:58:00.013-04:002008-05-01T01:29:05.931-04:00

How I Muddled My Way Here Everybody’s doing it these days, and I am thinking about doing it too. For every generation, the phrase “everybody’s doing it” meant something different and sometimes something illicit or something your parents didn’t want you to do. My mother used say, “Just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t mean you have to. If everybody jumped off bridges, would you do that too?”

The Filigree Gardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01469002234781845068noreply@blogger.com12