Item #2008-0040

This is a clock that I made for myself with an original acrylic painting by me.

Item #2008-0038

Assemblage art nativity created as a gift for a friend. Made of ceramic and river rock.

Item #2008-0031

This is so beautiful I wanted to keep it for myself! It is a Kuan Yin devotional, in which the owner can place a flower or flowers, or a devotional such as water, rice or sunflower seeds in the ceramic vase in honor of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. There is also a red onyx candle stick holder. This item is for sale on commission at Heaven and Nature in Harrisburg http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/

Item #2008-0027

Now, this piece is VERY special to me. I made it for my friend Diana, whom I call Lady Di. I have given her some of my jewelry in the past and she told me she didn't have a jewelry box. I always intended to get her one - but instead I made one with jewels on it befitting a princess! Love you Lady Di!

It is also special because I used some of my grandmother's costume jewelry and some of my own on it. Can you believe that I made that box out of this? It was a kid's box that held a microscope - my wife nabbed it at Goodwill for me.

Item #2008-0026

I actually made this for myself. The three roses are from my mother's funeral in 2003. I coated them in clear ceramic glass with multiple layers to preserve them when they were dried out. I then used a box I got as a gift from a friend, and of course rocks! My mom collected rocks and loved butterflies - so it all fits together so perfectly.

This is a great idea for preserving flowers from special events - especially weddings, and they can be highly customized to match individual tastes.

Item #2008-0025

This is actually an urn that I made for a friend who had some of the ashes of a loved one who was cremated. She wanted the urn to really reflect the earthy natural beauty of her loved one, so I made this custom urn for her.

I used a box and a piece of handmade stoneware pottery (the best kind!) from a flea market and decorated it with beautiful asian fabric and a strand of gemstone flakes that I already had. This piece is very special and unique and my friend loved it.

Item #2008-0024

This is another item that I made for myself with one of the Buddhas from my collection. I also collect amethyst crystals because that is my favorite gemstone. I glued together a stoneware plate, an awesome wood bowl with bark on it (it is upside down of course) and then a lotus shaped plate, along with the glass votive holder that I filled with small amethyst chips. As I get more amethysts, they will just add to this collection and it will be covered in purple beauty.

Item #2008-0021

This was made for my kitchen remodel. I didn't like the kitty cat paper towel holder, so I remade it to fit into the new color scheme and earthy theme.

Item #2008-0018

Item #2008-0016

Item #2008-0015

Item #2008-0010

This hangs in my entryway, and I have to say how much I love it - I LOVE IT! I customized it for K and I, so I put a buddha of mine on it and a wolf of hers. This item cost me ZERO dollars to make, because I had all of the materials. The bark is from firewood we had, and the pine cone pieces came from mother nature too.

The drawers are actually from a desk my dad used when he was a kid in the 50's to use his ham radio. I found the drawers up in the attic at my grandparent's house and made one of these for my dad. I had made one for us, but it had fake flowers in it, and didn't really represent us like this one does.

Item #2008-0008

Buddha and Kuan Yin Devotional
Made with a wood slice from Goodwill (50 cents), 3 birch pillars from a yard sale ($1) and a piece of pottery from Salvation Army (99 cents). The Buddhas and Kuan Yins I purchased at Heaven and Nature (http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/).I call it a devotional because I put water in the cup as an offering of devotion.

The funny thing is that now my cats show their devotion by drinking from the cup! Kuan Yin is often depicted with an upturned vase with water flowing from it. I guess my kitties are meditating about Kuan Yin when they drink from the cup. "I must have more compassion, I must not shred the recliner!

Item #2008-0007

I got the idea for this when I was at SA and found old wood napkin rings for 99 cents. When glued together they make a great stand for a tealight holder! You'll be able to see in this piece, and most of the art I have done after this, that I love river rocks, and I love gluing them all over the place. The rocks are so beautiful and yet cheap, so they make the best kind of art!

The buddha is from Thailand and it is one from my collection - I am starting to transform my collection of buddhas into art and am really enjoying it.

Item #2007-0006

I made this out of a shadow box frame that I got for free on Freecycle. I wanted to frame some buddhist pendants that I had because they were pretty fragile. I printed the picture of Kuan Yin, and then I glued coins of the chinese zodiac to it. The coins represent the women in my life on my mom's side - from Karin and I, to my mom, to my grandmother and then my great grandmother because we all share in the legacy of having struggled with mental health conditions. This piece is very meaningful to me because it also represents that over time it has become easier to deal with mental illness because of advanced treatments, so I was lucky enough not to face what my forebears went through.

Item #2007-0005

This was something I originally made for my father in a high school art class when I was 17 back in 1988. My teacher handed me a branch and said "make something." I was pretty damn proud of it. When my father was getting rid of stuff so he could sell his house he asked me if I wanted it. YES! Unfortunately, the cabin fell into disrepair - so I "renovated" my cabin in the woods. I absolutely love it! Be sure to click on the photo for a larger version, so you can see the little toilet paper roll in the outhouse :)

This is what it looked like when I got it back from my dad 19 years after I originally made it:

Item #2007-0002

This item was also a gift for Karin. The frame is a solid walnut frame that I got for free because it was really messed up - so I just sanded it to make it look more earthy. I got the driftwood while we were in Vermont for our civil union five years ago (8/29/03). I made her walk the shore of Lake Champlain with me carrying a trash bag while I picked up a bunch of driftwood. Unfortunately, when we moved to PA in 2004 I got rid of it - but man I wish I had moved those sticks with me! I could add them to my huge box of twigs!