My Favorite Things - Places - Sandhills Horticultural Gardens

I captured the photos here at one of my favorite places in North Carolina, Sandhills Horticultural Gardens.  All were taken during two separate Springtime visits.  The first group were taken this year while visiting with one of my Besties from Pennsylvania, Mary.  The second group was taken last year during an Easter visit with my sister-Janet, my niece-Kate, and my nephew-Ben.

Inspirational garden art and sculpture is everywhere!

Individual gardens within the gardens provide surprises at every turn.

Our native Longleaf Pines are ever present.

How could we resist a respite in the Adirondack chairs?!?!?

Even the trees take on sculptural forms in the Spring.

  

"The Thinker" aka Ben

Family Love!

Stone Stacking is a favorite pastime when we're together.  Seeking Balance!

The Gardens are a place for all four seasons.  To just spend time there is pure bliss, and they also offer various educational programs, plant sales, and other special events too.

(For those who will be visiting the area during our ReMe Retreat - The Sandhills in October, you can look forward to blooming Fortunes Osmanthus, Holly Osmanthus, Loquat, Sasanqua Camellia, Thorny Elaeagnus, and Encore Azaleas.)

My Latest Greatest Tool Find

Recently I had the good fortune of discovering the Troy Antique Mall in Troy, NC, and I was charmed by the hospitality extended to me by the store's owners, Sibyl and Marty Williams.  They were friendly without going overboard, attentive without hovering, and oh so accommodating of my requests to open display after display so that I could drool over the treasures hidden within.

It's my very own World War II Era Metal Stamping Kit

During my visit, I managed to collect quite a few post cards, a vintage tin with textured graphics, and a dime dispenser for Ken.  Then, on my final walk-through, I spotted this beauty in "Case #6".  I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.  I knew that I had to make it mine.

An Outside View

When I first took the mallet out of the case, my reflex was to test the weight and balance in my hand with a mock striking motion.  I didn't even realize that I'd done it until I'd replaced it, and Sibyl said, "It looks like you've done this before!" 

I hope to become a regular visitor at  The Antique Mall.  I can't imagine passing through Troy again without stopping.  And as for this set, it's found a new home and place of honor in my studio. I'll treasure it for a lifetime, and I've already begun to dream about a new jewelry collection inspired by its history. 



This kit includes individual stamps of the full alphabet,
a mallet, the case, and a specialized anvil.

 

One side of the anvil was used for
marking spoons, forks, and knives
from the mess kits.

The other side of the anvil was used
for marking meat cans. 
After WWI, dog tags were
no longer hand stamped as the
process was automated.

The letters and random words stamped into the wood
add to the appeal of these tools for me.

The first three letters stamped with my new set.
A nod to my Dad who enlisted in the army
during World War II when he was 17 years old.

Memories of Ocracoke and Books to Be Red

The porch at Books To Be Red is a warm and welcoming sight.

In November, before Mom came home to us, Ken and I were able to sneak away for a few glorious days in The Outer Banks.  We ferried from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke, and we visited a few of our favorite people and places on the way to the Hatteras Ferry. 

Books to Be Red, and our friends there, are always at the top of our list, and it was an added treat to see the work of some of our other artist-friends featured there.  A few of their creations are shown below; but somehow I forget to take a photo of my own collection.  :-) If you haven't visited Books to Be Red, you're missing an a treasure!  An Independent Bookseller... with the friendliest folks you can imagine... AND fabulous artsy finds.  In my book it doesn't get much better than that. 
 

A School of Mary's Funky Fish



Flying Pig Pottery by Suzanne Rehbock

  

Hoo created those amazing owls?!?!  Jodi Ohl, of course. 

 

Flour sack tea towels....love! Love! LOVE!!!

  

Coastal themed tea towels and the chicks shown above
made a perfect Christmas gift from Ken!

As always, the time passed too quickly, and we're hoping for a much longer visit in 2013.

Recapturing My Life and My Free Time Since Artist Alley

Since closing Artist Alley at the end of August, friends have been asking, "What have you been doing with all of your free time?!?!?" To be honest, I haven't had that much of it yet. As someone who genuinely likes to be busy, this is a good thing, indeed!

In the past few months, I've been cleaning and organizing my home, my studio, and my storage space. This is a work in process, and I expect that it will continue for quite some time. I have so many treasures and so many great ideas dancing in my head. Now I'm working to ensure that my digs are conducive to fully exploring each and every one of them.

I've spent time with family and friends. For me right now, this translates into more time at home with the ones I love. I savored an evening with friends and a First Friday Opening in Southern Pines...as a guest! Ken and I traveled to Greenville, NC for a weekend wedding, and we dilly-dallied through The State Fair and Vollis Simpson's whirligig farm along the way. I enjoyed a lively meeting with The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild, a gallery-hopping day trip with mixed media artist Amy Smith and her kiddos, and a play date in the envy-inducing studio of of the talented Jeanne Rhea. (I've been posting photos of all of these adventures on my Facebook Page, and I hope to share more details here soon too.)

I've also been creating like a madwoman; I've been volunteering two days each month at Artist Gallery of Southern Pines; and I've joined The Carolina Artists' Colony in Sanford. And in the midst of all of this, I'm working to increase the inventory of my creations at the galleries who represent my work. This task often fell to the bottom of my to-do list during my days at Artist Alley, and I'm making slow and steady progress toward rectifying the situation. I'm ever so grateful for the nurturing women who own these galleries. They have been oh so patient with me, and my future blog posts will provide more details about each and every one of their creative spaces and the manner in which they support their fellow artists.

In the past month, I've been up and down the road bound for shows in Norcross, Georgia; Holden Beach; North Carolina; and Atlanta; Georgia. This weekend brings a trip to Savannah for a show at Telfair Art Museum, and I'm so looking forward to it! Each show has been an absolute treat, and in Holden Beach I had the privilege of spending time in the company of one of my favorite artists, Mary Neligan and her family. Mary and her husband Richard create the funky fish that adorn the walls of my home, and her family welcomed me into their home with open arms.

(This photos shows Mary's first-ever funky fish

as it's displayed outside of her sister's front door.)

During this time, I'm also rediscovering something that's been missing in my life...moments of solitude, grace, and gratitude. I'm listening to music again, and I've caught myself singing along. I'm pausing to be in the moment, and I'm taking photos along the way. I've shed a few tears at the sheer beauty that surrounds me, and I've found myself smiling for no reason at all. Dare I say it? Amidst the chaos, a bit of peace is creeping back into my life, and I'm ever so grateful for it.

It's a lovely way to spend my free time.