Su-su-STUDIO!

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One of my favorite shops has closed and been sold. No longer The Picket Fence, this incredible 100+ year old house is being renovated into an art gallery. Welcome to Malvern, Gallery 222!

The best thing about this amazing pro-artist space is that the four bedrooms on the second floor are all being converted into private art studios. Guess who got the first one?

Mine will be in the room that would have been a nursery way back in the day and was used in the last 20ish years as a beautiful dressing room. With the closet add-ins removed, I can finally see the bones of this space that will be my official creating space. It needs a lot of work, but these pics are from the first demo day! It's already off to a great start.

I am so excited and cannot wait for the floors to get buffed, the walls to be painted, the lights put in, and the key in my hands! Plus, I'll have a fabulous view of the backyard garden, which is going to be an awesome relaxing hang-out spot this summer.

You'll be able to stop by and check out my latest jewelry, mixed media and traditional art, origami flower balls, and more. As always, special orders are my favorites and I love meeting new customers and sharing the process with other artists!

Let's get making things!

Flailing Helplessly Due to History

I'm a history geek for most things, but some things make me shriek and dance and punch me in the feels more than others.

This is one of those things that reignites the Indiana Jess persona deep inside.

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This is a horn carved into a cup, circa 1760 (since that's what's carved into it and has been verified to be from that area), most likely from the Philadelphia area since it was purchased here for a mere $50some by a dude I know who then found out it was legit.

It has freemason symbols carved all over it and it's amazing and I GOT TO HOLD IT SO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITING THIS IS.

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It's museum-worthy. It's a piece of history. It's handmade and full of mystery.

AND IT'S IN MY HANDS.

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All I can do is wonder who carved this? Who owned it? What was their story and where exactly did they live? Were they way out in Chester County or in the city of Philadelphia and this cup somehow ended up out here?

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If the original owner was in fact a mason, how far up was in he in the order? Why did he carve the symbols on there? Was this used in ritual or was it just for his own amusement? Why these symbols and what did they mean to him?

The "CHF" inside that ladder-like carving could be a person's initials, a code, a motto, a chapter designation, or something else. What is the story?

I just love things like this. The fact that I actually get to hold this beautiful museum piece in my own hands instead of staring at it through glass is pretty much the coolest thing about this. I am connected to someone who lived 255 years ago. I am touching something they touched and carved and put thought into. They have become a piece of me and I am now a piece of them.

History. Is. Amazing.