Stories

I'm often asked where the ideas for my art come from. And its true--there is always a story behind each creation. Red Field Poppy History... The red field poppy is an internationally recognized symbol of remembrance for those who have died in war. The VFW conducted its first poppy distribution before Memorial Day in 1922, becoming the first veterans' organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The “Buddy Poppy” was soon adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. The VFW Buddy Poppy program has evolved into a program that provides financial assistance to...

"Celebration" was created for Dance Your Parts Off, an event held in September 2015, to celebrate Upcycle Parts Shop’s first anniversary in business. The "Celebration" original was donated to the auction/fundraiser.  I met Nicole McGee several years ago thru Bad Girl Ventures when she was creating jewelry from the oddest of materials, recycled floor laminates--with Plenty Underfoot. She also created gorgeous floral arrangements from plastic bottles. Those 'Bottle Blossoms' became the signature product when she founded Upcycle Parts Shop. Nicole is a powerhouse of a woman, her spirit and enthusiasm are contagious. So inspired by Nicole's many projects and her vision, I wanted to...

Quite a few years ago, the children, dogs and I moved into a cozy, white ranch house. The backyard had several beautiful, mature trees. First thing the kids wanted was a tire swing. I moved us into that ranch house when I filed for divorce, when I was dismantling the children’s family unit. It should have been a disaster, but it wasn’t. Of course there were difficult moments, but the kids and I, our friends, and family had a wonderful time there. We celebrated birthdays, graduations, dragged Christmas trees home, got a puppy (our dog Grace), had bonfires, Ice Cream...

  A new experience for me... I'll be at the Cleveland Home + Remodeling Expo at Firstmerit Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Avenue E, in lovely downtown Cleveland, Ohio (44114).  The show runs Friday, March 18th thru Sunday, March 20th.  I'll be with Shirley's Loft in Booth 100. Shirley and I have been busy working on new pieces--we're both excited for the opportunity to meet new people and have a look what's coming to home design in 2016.  As for me, I'm also hoping to see Jonathan and Drew Scott, hosts of Property Brothers on HGTV. And the Diedricksen...

This has always been one of my favorite trees. I could have sold it more times than I can count, but I wasn't ready to let it go. In the past three years, it's graced my bedroom, dining room and living room walls. It currently hangs in my office.   The tree is just so FUN; with a variety of materials, colors and textures. Driftwood ranges from pale, silvery gray to deep brown. Metals are shiny and matte silver, weathered brown, with hints of deep orange. The base is two, connected rectangular chunks of metal and the top has funky, twisted metal,...