Pasta and Wine Seneca Wine Trail

Took the weekend off from artistic pursuits to enjoy the Past and Wine Seneca Wine Trail Event.

2 days= 29 wineries and 26 bottles of wine.
I learned

• I can drink and enjoy drier wines if paired with food. Still prefer my sweeter wines.
• Wine always tastes better when you server is knowledgeable and has a great personality.The top three winners for exceptional owners and staff were:Villa Bellangio- Chris and his wife, Matt and their lovely Mom, Catherine Valley winery owner is so gracious as well and the staff at Lakewood that remember us each time we visit.
• The lake views are absolutely gorgeous and I so love when the tasting bar is set up so I can enjoy the scenery while tasting. In winter the empty grapevines against the wintery snow with the blue lake behind all of that is absolutely stunning. With so many of the wineries clinging to the steep sides of Seneca Lake the view is breathtaking.

Now the funny part will be that by experience the wine I purchase at any winery after the first five has been know to disappoint when I open it later as in "what the heck was I thinking" so this time we tried the new to us wineries first and did our usual ones later where I have over the years had multiple bottles from each place. We do find that it will definately depend on the year produced as to the level of sweetness so we have learned to return to a winery and give them a retry through the Polar Pass-35 wineries over 3 months usually equates to a slower wine tasting day 5-6 wineries maximum.

Let the sun shine in the sun shine in

I am glad for the new year to be here.
Last year was one of terrific changes- launching a daughter out of college into a career in a different city, watching a child leave plebe year behind and mature into a young officer, a son return from war, a beloved pet diagnosed with cancer and a father-in-law die. Not all of these changes brought joy but the one constant of life is that change is always happening. I can be at peace with it or I can at times give into grief.
I have found myself needing to do more art. To be creative to make beautiful things to make my life filled with more joy. To use my art to give back to friends and family that support me.

I am so looking forward to our next trip. We are meeting our son, his girlfriend and her parents in Hawaii. Not on Oahu where I lived but on the Big Island. That was the only other island I visited while living there from '69-'72. It was beautiful less populated more open it felt closer to nature.

So here I sat house bound by the big storm of the season-snow piled up outside. Yet I was in a Hawaii State of Mind, I found myself reaching for sea glass, pearls, shells- bright colors that remind me of the sky, ocean and the beautiful orchids I remember.

The first one is a long starfish dangles with shells, pearls and seaglass and ceramic beads which evoke shell broken sand.

The second necklace is a sterling silver turquoise peace with faceted stones, silver buddha's accented with hand made glass beads from the Corning Glass Museum. Luckily I live one town over from a major museum with art studios and an international community of glass artists.

The third piece is a large focal starfish with a starfish clasp and chain nautilus accented with silver-tone disks and shells, more fantastic handmade Corning glass beads and milk-glass beads. It turned out adorable and in fact I ended up dressing for the day so I can wear it out wine-tasting on Seneca Lake. 

The last piece is a carved Jewish star Moonstone sterling silver pendant done with lilac sea glass, pearls and the composite sea&sand beads. I have had this pendant for years but since making my own jewelry it languished on a silver chain in a drawer never seeing the light of day or my neck for that matter. Now I have it made it mine and it will be enjoyed again.

Jewelry Making Morning

It has been a tough few days for our family. My husband's father has been on a respirator and not seeming to get much better. Friday our oldest dog had a seizure and when we took him to the vets he was diagnosed with lymphoma and it had spread throughout his body. We were able to get him on steroids and to buy some time so the girls each could have some time to say goodbye. Add on top of that youngest child was off to Israel and hubby was having to drive to NYC with her.
So the dogs had me up early today and I was not teaching Hebrew school so I had a few hours to myself.
I got out my beading supplies and with no pre-set ideas started to work on some projects.
As you will see there is really no rhyme or reason no theme, just using some of my stash to bring some joy and light into my house and into my soul.

 The hearts are made at the Corning Glass Museum they are normally $20 per class to make one heart, I was lucky at the annual Studio Sale I got them for much less. I usually make very symmetrical necklaces so I enjoyed doing different chain on each side.

The next piece is for Valetines day and is made up of Art-i-cake pendant and head pins. Added crystals and beads to the head pins I love how the queenbee seems to be flying off the flower.

The next pieces is an ICE RESIN bezel with small cut out hearts and an embedded key. It was place on a dark metal chain. It was a fun project I did with 3 girlfriends and my first time using resin I am quite pleased with it.

 This is a sterling silver and stone pendant I had first made years ago with wire wrapping I did not like how the metal had tarnished and did not wear it much. I cut it all apart add some wonderful barrel stones, the ceramic beads are also from the Corning Glass Museum studio sale. I put the clasp on the side it is a large leaf and added some playful metal bird beads. I am thrilled with the piece and know I will start wearing it again.

This is a iolite and peart pendant I have had for years it was special and I was not ready to put it together. Iolite is tricky as it seems blue one moment and purple the next. I got hold of some really nice barrell pearls and decided to just match the white pears and clear crystals. I used 3 sizes of graduated pearls. I just love how it turned out very elegant and one I will keep for years and years to come.

Snow People of Hector

The large snow woman was an ugly $1 doll from the Bargain Bin in Montour Falls. Working in Gail Walker's Studio I deconstructed the jacket and scarf- added a ruffle,  4 Jewish stars free embroidered on the sewing machine to make the scarf into a tallit. I made a flower rosette for the cap-the stamens were re-purposed from the beads that had been her smile. She was missing her nose hence the $1 price tag- so Gail whittled one for me and colored and covered it in orange glitter. Her jacket button is an old military button with an eagle and an anchor.

The three snowmen are made of Crayola paper clay seed beads for eyes and mouth. They sport brass military buttons with eagles. The large one we made a striped stocking hat with a pipe cleaner center so the stocking cap can be positioned. Base was a re-purposed plaque we removed the wire hanger. The bottom of the snowman has heavy glitter and it was added to the base as well. 

The last snowman although the tiniest took the most time to make. He is in a handmade wired cage the base has book print paper and black glitter around the outside. The body is paper clay with pipe cleaner arms and legs, the scarf is wrapping string. His hat is hand made with paper cone fastened with a jewish bard, then glittered. The small tree was mod-podged and glittered. It is amazing the smaller one took as much time as making two of the big snowman.

Wednesday Wild Women of Hector

Gail and I had art play last night. We both worked on seperate projects.
My goal was to cover some very ugly large plastic dreidels with tissue paper paper mache and then glitter them all over.
Gail was working on her snowman and made a black stove top hat with wiring in the brim so she could shape it. We figured out the front of the snow woman Gail had found some wonderful trim in black cord with pearls down the middle and after her snow woman's bariatric surgery she needed a whole new outfit!
The removed skin and stuffing made a small snow person...so was it bariatric surgery or did she just deliver a baby......
Hopefully Gail will post some finished product pictures of the snow people!

Review: We tried Lucy's gluten free pumpkin cookies.....not good no taste, seriously do not buy these. They printed on the box "little spice so the pumpkin taste can come through". Sorry I do not want to eat straight pumpkin I like mine with spice-make me feel like I am having a slice of pumpkin pie......

Hector Art Retreat

I was at the first Hector GOODNESS GRACIOUS Art Retreat this past weekend.

GOODNESS GRACIOUS we had good food, good wine Villa Bellangio's Red Scooter, good apple hard cider and best of all good art making.

Saturday:
Washi tape clothes pins with hand made tags.  The tags could include photo's, hand stamped papers, stamping, sewing, washi tape, metal embellishments. All finished with Mod Podge, metal rivets in matching colors and ribbon hangers. Made for a holiday fair to sell and as personal gifts for family and friends. The trick was to make enough to have some to sell.

A Hanukkah (Chanukah, Hanukah you pick your favorite  English spelling) wall hanging owl- made from a hideous Salvation Army piece-we pulled off the plastic flocked Jewish symbols stitched on a tatted cream piece for the face, made fabric feathers, used a piece for the wings, sculpted with fabric ruffled leg feathers and added black lace talons, placed a felted beak--suddenly an adorable wall hanging was created. This is not for sale instead it is already hanging in my home studio.

We created earrings for sale at the holiday fair.
1 pair-Silver frog with shell body and repurposed metal flowers and heart.
5-pair Day of the Dead earrings made to resemble Frieda Kahlo and Salvatore Dali---some were made with glass skull beads and some with "stone" skulls-all adorable with crystals, metal finding, rosary beads.
6 pairs-Metal owls with bumpy brown beads that look like logs.

Sunday:
What we did not have a lot of  was sleep as we were up creating until 3:30 AM. Seriously we got busy and forgot to watch the clock.

After a restful sleep we took a mini-road trip to Watkins Glen for some house viewing. Savard's excellent breakfast and on the way back stopped for wine tasting at Idol Ridge newly opened winery. Lovely wine and a breathtaking view of Seneca Lake. We left with Traminette and Rieling to enjoy later.
Then back to the studio where art  multi-media magic continued to occur.

I will add  more pictures after the holidays as many of the items created are gifts and no sneak peeks here.

Halloween happening

I had loved the look of a paper-mache pumpkin on the Cloth Paper Scissor facebook page and sent the picture to Gail. She as usual was "yes we can do that"

So up the lake I went for a fabulous snack and a marathon pumpkin session. Now the paper-mache pumpkins were created on the plastic mold then cut off and reassembled. The with paint brush in hand I was off and creating. For handles we formed our own with coated wire and paper bats.

The last one just did not seem like a pumpkin rather a small mischevious bird-eating purple cat came to be. She is looking oh so innocent in her sporting a crepe paper bow-tie collar but that feather in the mouth really tells the whole story!