Showing posts with label New Brunswick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Brunswick. Show all posts

Friday, November 16, 2018

Living in The Studio


A shot of the end of our kitchen.. we use it more like a studio, being as the house is so small... Everything is stacked up to the ceiling.   Brought one of the kerosene lamps out just in case the power goes out... I want to be ready... but right now I am enjoying the light being reflected off the snow.. altho I am not crazy about snow, by any means.


We had our first fire of the season back on Oct. 11. felt really good too.. had a little fire on most every day since.
 It has become cold very early this year... feels like we are going into our next Ice Age right before our eyes. 


Had the 2 cds. of firewood stacked outside and drying since early summer.. this is the wood for next year. mostly maple... we have this years wood already dried and stored inside.. we always dry our wood a year ahead if we possibly can... That is the woodshed John built last summer... sure is nice to have a real woodshed now instead of the Hobbit hut we had the first year here. that year it was stacked outside with snow piled all around it and John had to dig down to it every time we needed some.. looked like he was crawling into a igloo to get it on his hands and knees.. was not fun... good exercise tho, if one wanted to look at it in a positive way.


This stack of 2 cds was put away in the woodshed at the end of October.. that is late for us but it was not an especially good drying year. but John had it covered with two old sheets of tin roofing which let the air thru and kept it pretty well dry... all in now!!


Been playing around in my sketchbook this year during our sabbatical.


Oatmeal Brown Bread with raisins, sunflower seeds and flax... Love having time to make bread for us all.. it has been so many years since I have bought bread from a store, I can't remember. I always make 2 batches at a time and divide each batch in 2.. makes it easier to store and keeps it fresh as I put the other 3 in the freezer and then I don't have to make bread for a few days.


in the side field the milkweed is gently spreading its seeds... little parachutes flying everywhere.


Planted the garlic on Oct.22... later than last year.. was waiting for the ground to dry up a bit as it was a rainy Oct.  ...managed to plant over 100 cloves, double what I put in last year .. had to sacrifice them from the crop I grew this year.. sure hope they grow. 


to finish up I covered them with a thick layer of straw.  


I store them in a net bag I crocheted last winter.. this type is called Music and they are the best tasting garlic I ever had.. got the original bulbs from a garlic farmer not far outside Fredericton.


The birds are liking the sunflower seeds in the feeder outside my studio window.  We used another old piece of tin roofing to make a roof for the feeder, to give the birds a little shelter while they treat us with their beauty.. usually a big fat gray squirrel is sitting in there.. 


The snow is coming down out there right now and amounting to quite a bit. 


Still making a few earrings or posting some designs that have come to light after searching around in the backs of the jewelry storage cabinet... 


These sold in minutes on our FaceBook page soon after I posted them.


"Square Spiral" earrings, solid copper, antiqued with sterling shepherd  earwire... approx 7/8" across and 1 1/4" long. $25. pr.




"A little Medieval"... hammered shaped Sterling with African Turquoise... approx. 2" long .. handmade at Desideratum studio. $25. pr. 


If interested in any of our earrings please send us a message on our right sidebar. 

Well looks like winter has come early.. Hope everyone has a cozy place to curl up and stay warm.. till next time, Cheers, Gwen at Desideratum Art and Jewelry



Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Such a Busy Year... Almost Time For Dancing



Dancing Men... $25.

Cranberries and Icicles... $30.

African Copper... $25.


Funky Fold Forming... $25.

Crystal Spirit... $35.

Jasper Spiral... $30.

Little Cats... $25.

Leaves... $18.

Music Crystals... $30.

3 sizes Copper Hoops... $18. , $25., $30.

Muses 2... $25.


Sterling and Peridot... $30.

Inspired by Cave drawings... $35. 

Scarlet Cheer... $30.


Just a tiny sampling created in our Desideratum studio this year...
Love one another and Keep smiling, 
Gwen and John

Monday, July 03, 2017

It's Green... and Summer is Here..... at long last



The land has its' green finery on.  Wow I love this time of year!
 Everything feels fresh and new.  


We took a walk down the road and had a gaze across a section of the Saint John River valley stretching west.


 ...on the way there, we went through this green glade.



I never tire of the floral gifts that nature offers.


Hosta just new for this year from a root from my younger sister.. such a hardy plant.


oh so excited!!!  Lots of new perennials for the new little old house, to be set into the garden ... can't wait to see them become their full selves.


an invitation to have tea under the oak that is hard to resist.


 chives.. they have a medieval charm to me


and the precious old fashioned bleeding hearts and bachelor's buttons.


so pretty... Lupins appearing anywhere they want


I don't know this flower that was growing by the roadside




wild grapes above and fragrant yellow lilies below


Giant Ichneumon Wasp, he's a good guy.. sat on this leaf for several hours resting


check that tail piece out! part of it's reproduction apparatus.


Yellow Spotted Salamander, he's a good guy too. He can live to be 20-30 years old can you believe it!

 he was about 4-5" long.. so gentle and quiet.. hardly moved at all....
 found him in the garden and took him back to be my garden helper.. he likes slugs..
 that is a good friend to have!!


 ...kind of has a little seal face, don't you think?


Now take a deep breath and make a wish... have a fabulous summer.. 
Time for me to plant flowers and make more jewelry . 
cheerio!!