Category Archives: handmade gift items

Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves, Coasters for the Season

Though these were inspired for a summer event, it was really autumn I had in mind. I’d always loved the white patina on terra cotta clay pieces and my little experiment in reproducing that look in polymer clay worked better than I’d hoped. Using real leaves from four principal trees found on the trail impressed […]

Decorative Wooden Trays With Autumn Wildflowers

Just a few decorative trays with autumn wildflower photos from the Panhandle Trail help to celebrate autumn. The larger tray is 10 x 14 and the smaller tray is 8 x 12, and made of lightweight unfinished wood. I paint the outside and inside, then adhere a print of the image on my high quality […]

A Pantherish Cabochon

Giuseppe is a housepanther, but he does have a rather real pantherish profile. This small pendant is made with a print of a detail of my photo “Watching the World” . We all love my studio window, a big, old, battered metal-framed casement about 4′ x 4′ on the second floor looking out at the […]

Are You An Ailurobibliophile?

I’m working out a design I’ve had in mind for a while—since just about a year ago to be exact! This was to be September 2017’s new introduction, starting with a tote bag then possibly moving to other things, and the concept would lead to a line of items with this design and others, using […]

Decorate Your Autumn Table With a Tortie Tablecloth

Handmade of unbleached cotton muslin, this little accent tablecloth is 36″ x 36″ and has the same image, “The Roundest Eyes”, printed and hand-tinted four times, one on each corner. It is signed and dated below the design and has my handwritten “label” reading “handmade, hand-printed, hand-painted” and the year. Washing instructions are included on […]

Trees of the Trail Coasters

“Trees of the Trail” coasters are made from terra cotta polymer clay with the imprint of a real leaf that’s from some of the more populous tree species growing on the trail: sycamore, oak, maple and beech. In fact, the sycamore leaf is from the sycamore tree I sketched in “Sycamore Moon” and the maple […]

Hot Off the Worktable: Trees of the Trail Coasters

“Trees of the Trail” coasters, terra cotta polymer clay with the imprint of a real leaf that’s from one of the trees growing on the trail—in fact, the sycamore leaf is from the sycamore tree I sketched in “Sycamore Moon” and the maple leaf is from the tree that holds “The Rope Swing“. I roll […]

Wildflowers and Butterflies of the Trail Cabochon Pendants

Cabochon Pendants made with photos of wildflowers and butterflies from the trail.

A few cabochon pendants featuring wildflowers and a butterfly from the Panhandle Trail—daisy, chicory, woodland sunflower, aster and a great spangled fritillary butterfly on milkweed. I made these pendants with the last batch just before my open house in July, knowing I also had my Panhandle Trail exhibit coming up, so they’re not really “hot […]

Hot Off the Worktable: Decorative Wooden Trays With Trail Art & Photos

Just a few decorative trays with art and photos from the Panhandle Trail for my exhibit this weekend, another idea I’ve had in mind for the past few shows. The larger trays are 10 x 14 and the smaller tray is 8 x 12, and made of lightweight unfinished wood. I used a wash of […]

Hot Off the Worktable: Set of Seven Keepsakes Inspired By Nature

Wildflowers, butterflies, seasonal art, muddy spring days, hot summer afternoons, crisp autumn mornings and quiet winter dusks, a set of seven cube-shaped keepsake boxes. Nature is so full of color and beauty I hardly know where to start or finish. Each box has five images, one on the top and each side, and is trimmed […]