moving forward

Good morning!  Yesterday I dropped off a small batch of these cups and had a really interesting talk with Diane of Diane's Art Gift and Home in Midtown Memphis.  She is such a creative, generous person- I'm grateful to have her retailing my work- for that matter, I'm grateful to have good working relationships with all of my retailers- they encourage me to look beyond what I'm currently making and into what's possible.  Sometimes it's a bit of a stretch, but stretching is good.  We're working on some things with a little more whimsy- more birds, more color.  We'll see what comes of it!  She was excited about these little cups- as am I.  I'm just crazy about drawing these bees. 

I was browsing around early this morning and came across this blog.  I was looking for something having to do with refinishing a built-in-butler's pantry, but this honeycomb platter caught my eye.  She uses self-hardening clay for this project, but I am definitely going to adapt her use of a plastic bee-keeper's honeycomb foundation to create some texture and pattern in my bee pieces.  I'm thinking that I'm going to set aside a portion of my bee sales to financemy own hive next spring.  This website is full of good information on top-bar beekeeping, a low-impact practice that is good for urban areas. 

One last bit- I am holding my annual Spring/Summer sale on July 15 and 16.  Let me know if you want on my mailing list (please email me your address).  I know it will be warm, but I'll have lemonade and cooling snacks for you.

Have a nice weekend!