my current seasonal collection of crowns found it's way to the ark on 4th street in berkeley today. such a wonderful feeling of having a creative outlet in which to let all my skills collide. but home feels empty upon return without them . my crowns are like little cheerleaders egging me on to study harder and try new things and when they leave....it is a mixture of relief and boredom and aggitation that feels so unsettling at my center.

repurposed wool sweater flowers, dyed cultured pearls, vintage fabrics, hand dyed textiles, needle felted birds and mushrooms, handmade copper and bronze charms and buttons, beaded dangly things, 40 angora pom poms, plantable paper...all found their way into this summer's collection of 66 pieces. While unsettled at my center i am feeling also so grateful for the opportunity to share my creative work in this way for the last 10 years. 1905 crowns and counting : )

my upcoming summer collection delivery to the ark toys will include this new adornment. it has been inspired by one of my daughter's sweet creations. tiny acorn pouches with a few personally designed and handcast fairy coins of copper and/or bronze tucked inside. there is a bit more room to tuck in a few more tiny treasures or a message perhaps? they are just the tiny scale and detail i love to work with. i have only assembled 10 for my summer collection (with a few different fabrics) and depending on how successful they are i may do another 10 for my winter collection. enjoy!

the blue portion of the cotton candy-like fluffy was completed in time for a birthday celebration extraordinair at the happiest place on earth.

pink portion... still at large.

having a lots of trouble with my materials order to dreamspun kids at the etsy site previously mentioned. creativity is a challenging place for me to find patience and understanding. i am always overly eager to see the alchemy of inspirations into physical form : )

plantable papers are my newest favorite exploration in the world of paper. using a heavy weight one in my paper tags for my summer collection so that the paper tags can be composted or planted instead of discarded. tiny sproutlets pop right out of the paper if kept well watered and in the light.

check out san diego based, greenfield paper's other treeless papers too. super neat. hoping to explore more of their earth friendly offerings in collections to come : ) http://www.greenfieldpaper.com/asccustompages/products.asp?categoryid=11