Wrist Warmers/Fingerless Gloves

 What do you call them?  Fingerless gloves, wrist warmers, arm warmers, gloves, or bohos? 

 Names seem to  vary by region.  I call them One Leaf Tree, though another leaf snuck onto this pair!

 Here are some spankin' new designs that I've posted in my Aly The Red etsy shop, to make your winter a little warmer and give giving season a little brighter. 

 Keep your hands happy and warm while driving, playing music, typing, reading in bed...
Guaranteed to give you greater confidence and comfort on your way to the big job interview, while at the dentist, and taking tests.  Loved by teens and grandmas alike.  Yes, I do have solid colors and men's sizes. 

Snuggle Season

Toli loves having a little brother.  They hang out, wrestle, fetch, eat, and doze off together.  They love walks and dog park visits, though Jackson really cuts loose when he's in the "small dog park" section, with others of his size.

Jackson has such short hair, he's happy to wear a coat indoors and out.  The kids and I have had fun making custom dog coats out of old sweater sleeves and this polar fleece one. 

Secret November Garden

 

What is going on in the garden? 

 Did some Halloween ghoul spill it's secret potion on it's hop over the fence?  On this first rainy and quite cold morning, the camera and I went to explore a mysterious explosion of greens and colors in the corner of the garden..........

 I planted these here a few years back, to accompany the beans up the trellis.  The spicy, peppery, edible flowers sport a variety of color.  In the gloom, they lit me up like a LED.

 I've never seen leaves this large.  Bigger than my hand.

 The jewel of a water drop, seems to be making a face at me.

Who else has been under here?

 Still blooming in November.........

 I put Dad's chair in the garden this summer, when I could keep his blanket on it for comfy sitting. I like the idea of it over-looking the gardens, and keeping an eye on the fairies.  I hope the rains don't take it apart too soon. 

 Why don't you have a close up look at your garden in November?  You never know what you will find.............

Make your own Washi Tape

 Make your own Washi tape.  Washi tape is Japanese paper tape that's decorated.  All the rage for art journals, art projects, scrap booking.  But what about making your own?  We used different types of tape, sticking them on plastic sheets until use. Above is my collection. 

I took a class with Jill Cardinal at Oregon Art Supply in Eugene.  We had a great deal of fun, painting our own tape and stamping with hand made stamps.

 Medical tape is see-through but also easy to tear and hard to remove from the plastic sheet.  Here's a few samples put in my tiny art journal.

Hand made stamps are my favorite.  I quickly carved this eye stamp in class.  The feather stamps, I made previously.  

I am always on the look out for good abstract design stamps and tend to over-think it.  Jill and I were playing with "random designs" and she showed me her best trick.  In her box of carving material scraps, there are many discarded designs and broken, or cut-off pieces.  They make GREAT random stamps!  Cut off a few edges and try lining them up in various ways to make repeating patterns.  Many of my "fancy" washi tape designs were made with these so called scraps. 

We played a game: on person cuts lines into a stamp section and hands it to the next person, who cuts out a piece that looks fun to stamp with.  We tried lining up the prints every which way.  See more examples on the bottom photo.

 This morning, I applied the random designs to my colored envelopes.

(The little tree stamp was made by my kids- part of a set they made for me with mushrooms and a gnome.)

Open Studio Party!

The transition from retail to wholesale has been wonderful for me.  I've been so busy getting set up shop, and filling orders, I haven't seen many friends recently, so it's time for a little open house.  Drop by the studio and say hi after school (parents) and after work, 4-7 this Thursday.  Wine and chocolate and free raffles.

 My nature themed pendants and earrings will be available at great prices.  Pre-holidays sale.  But really just come say hi, I'm inviting neighbors and friends.  xo Alysse Hennessey

Great Tidings- New Newsie News

Wearing "Lucky Rabbit" earrings by Nettles Jewelry

 

 

 

 

 

@ Sydney Harbor Bridge

June 1, 2012 and you are looking at the new owner of Nettles Jewelry, wholesale company. 

 I have bought this established jewelry company from Kristi, as she moves onto a career in herbalism, and healing.  She's already written her first book, Brew Your Own Medicine.

Nettles Jewelry is line of pendants and earrings, featuring nature based collage, hand made of salvaged glass, upcyled mirror, vintage candy tin, and vintage beads.  I sell to museums, galleries, zoos, bird centers, and boutiques across the country.

"Raven Thistle" reversible pendant, carded and ready to display

The new website is being built now- I can't wait to show you.  I'll be inviting all the local friends to an open-house studio event later this summer, so you can see all the pretties for yourself. 

Please join me as I re-launch the Nettles Jewelry facebook page. 

Australia- the chapter on cousins

 We went on this grand trip primarily to see family.  Roddy is Australian and we haven't been a-visiting since before the kids were born.  We've brought Grandma June here to Oregon twice when the kids were little.  I felt like we were due. 

The cousins were eager to meet each other and a little nervous too.  It turns out that they all fit on a hill side together, and had a blast through all our sleep overs, gatherings, swimmings, and outings.

 Here is a proud Grandma June surrounded by her four kids and the five grand-fellas in the back.  It's the first photo of all her kids together as adults, since Roddy has been here in the states most of his grown up years and last time we visited, some of the sibs were living in London.  She was just beaming.

 Turns out that all the cousins like playing lego, nerf AND going to play at the park all together....

 ...all the cousins like eating sushi, even baby Luke does.

 

  In Australia, you can go to the awesome Brisbane water park with ALL your cousins.....check THAT out!  

 

 ...you can lego with your cousin....

.....ride the tram at the Australia Zoo (hello Steve Irwin!!!) and eat vegemite rice cakes at the same time with your cousin.....

 

.... swim with your cousins at your own cottage pool....

 ..... you can visit the crazy town of Nimbin with your cousin.

You can even feed the animals with your cousin, like a mob of kangaroos....

 

...or baby Butcher Birds and baby Magpies at your auntie's back door.

And there are a few cousins you can pick up.  Baby Luke was so sweet and cute, everyone wanted to give him a cuddle.  

 

Finn went to school with a cousin one morning.  I wish I had photos of that.  It was a beautiful school on a hillside covered in gorgeous eucalyptus trees and tropical flowers.  All Aussie school kids wear uniforms and hats with brims.  The kids had lots of questions for Finn and the girls repeatedly asked him to say things like, "grahss" (grass), and "No-vem-ba" (november) then they'd giggle.  He had a pretty fun time.  :-)

Cousins are good, especially super fun, and super special down-under cousins that look a bit like you.  And we grown ups had a nice time all together too.  We stay in touch via calls and email, but that's not the same as face to face, is it?  I need to get set up on Skype. 

Cheers, Mate!