Inspiration: Moss & More

My house and studio are designed in such a way that I almost never use my front door. Honestly, the only time I walk on my porch is when I get packages or the mailman can’t squish something in the mailbox so he brings it up to the porch for me. Really can’t remember why I was out there earlier this week; but glad I was. (Wonder if my not being able to remember my reason for roaming is problematic or just a sign of old-age? Stay tuned…as you age you will find yourself asking the same question!) Either way I am glad that I was forced out there; had I not I might have missed how pretty the morning sunlight was playing with the moss. I know, who really looks at moss? Me! I have learned that Mother Nature is about as good of an artist as one can be; and all of this moss is just another perfect example of the wonder of it all.

As I kid I really didn’t like the color green in my clothes. Wait, I’m going to go check my closet right now…be right back. As I expected…I have very few green items of clothing. In fact, I think I can count them on one hand. But it's a whole different story when it comes to my jewelry – both in my collection from other designers and in the designs that come out of my own studio. As an official rockhound, I love all green gemstones. In fact a long-running joke I have with a jewelry design and manufacturing pal centers around my longing for a fourteen carat tsavorite, not unlike the specimen that lives in the Smithsonian! But until I win the lottery…twice, I’ll work with the plethora of outstanding green stones that are available. And, no, I am not just settling for something with all of the green stones I work with – I love them as much as I love tsavorite and, as you can see, I love mixing them in somewhat unexpected combinations. After all, it works for Mother Nature, right? And, remember green is a neutral -- just look around you it's everywhere tossed with every color imaginable.

On a bit of a side note – look closely at the pix in the bottom left corner of the moss collage above. Yes, in the background there are mighty fine hunks of petrified wood, a variety of Oregon jasper and rose quartz. No, I didn’t place them there. When I first looked at this little house, one of the first things I noticed was all of the rocks placed around the property – front and back. Seems the previous owner was a rockhound and collected all of the rocks in various parts of Oregon. Kismet! I immediately knew this was where I would call home. (I am still working toward reaching a point where I love the c. 1964 avocado green appliances and plumbing fixtures in the place! Just taking a bit of time!) One of these days I will do a blog entry highlighting all of her finds; but until then I hope you enjoy ogling at the jewelry. There’s a lot more of it over on my site/shop so hop on over for a little peek at the green.