Eggs, Eggs, Eggs!

The incredibly warm February weather we are enjoying in the mid-section of the country is a gift beyond measure. Pussy willow catkins are plump and silver. Warm southern winds are waking daffodils from winter’s cold hold on them. Moss is greening and the forsythia buds are swelling.

Neighbors are out and about, months before the traditional break from hibernation. Best of all, my cats are spending less time underfoot and more time chasing squirrels from their territory.

For me, ‘tis the season of eggs, eggs, eggs. Blowing them, carving them, selling them! This year I have finally found a reliable source for the rare and exquisite Tinamou eggs I’ve sought for so long. The eggs come from a breeder in Chile, where these once wild birds are now being raised domestically. Their shells have a striking glass like shine. Elegant-crested Tinamous lay a deep green egg while another member of the species, the Chilean Brushland Tinamou, lays a purple/brown/black egg.

I started to carve them the day they arrived!

My work is featured this spring in two national publications.

You’ll spot my hand-carved Victorian Lace eggs in the Favorite Things section of the March/April issue of Victoria Magazine and on the front and back covers of the Guidepost publication, Angels in America.

I’m grateful for such publicity, but it means busy days and late nights ahead. 

It’s a good thing I love my work; there is plenty of it right now! 

Maple Leaf Roses Are Easy-peasy To Make!

The golden days of Autumn are almost here in Bishop Hill. For me, that means it's time to make some maple leaf roses.

Click here for a step-by-step pictorial how-to.

Mother Nature has finally caught up with me. Just weeks ago I had to rely on dye to tint my dried materials the fiery shades of fall. The crispness of autumn is approaching to the delight of all. Just as the maples that dot my grounds start to lose the lush green of summer, I gather the brightest, most vivid of the falling leaves and turn them into roses for a beautiful fall display.

It is a wonderful way to enjoy the day with family and friends or as a solitary exercise in communing with Nature.