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 #2008-0005

This was made for my friend Hilary to announce the birth of her daughter Maddie. Hil is very different from Casey (who the previous item was made for) and I got the idea for hers when I was at a yard sale and bought a cutting board in perfect condition for a buck. Hil is a little more country and Casey is a little more rock 'n roll, so their custom art is very different. The white fencing I literally had for 3 years and found a use for! My enviro-ethics make it hard for me to throw things out that could be used later - oh well, it is good to have strong enviro-ethics even if your drawers are overflowing with things you will use someday.

Item #2008-0003

This a lamp that I literally made from a piece of firewood from our first camping trip of the summer this year at Tobyhanna State Park here in PA. There was some really cool wood in there, and some awesome bark (only I think bark is awesome ;) I was looking at this log and I said "This would make an awesome lamp!" Within a week it was a lamp!

Most of the materials were free - I got a lamp kit for a buck at a yard sale that weekend, and the base was made out of four heavy wood feet that came off of a sofa that I got rid of - it was their heaviness that inspired the name "Solid Foundations" - it is unusual for me to name my art because I don't want to come up with silly names for everything I make - thus item numbers instead.

The awesome thing about this lamp is that whenever people come over they say "You made that???" I will have and love this lamp forever.