A tree grows in Brighton.....that's right, NOT Brooklyn.

I love folk art and have collected

both antique pieces and various artists work

over the years. In my efforts to design

and create new and interesting pieces of Tramp Art

that are unique and original I am working

on a Bird Tree.

This particular Bird Tree is an anniversary present

for my husband. Once the tree has a

proper base or vintage box to attach itself to

I will be making new and different

Tramp Art clip-on birds to attache to the tree

for special occasions or just because.

The first bird is a Raven.

He holds two vintage German acorns in his beak.

They symbolize us as a couple and

that we will keep growing older, wiser and stronger

as the years go by.

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It is a gray and rainy day today!

As I walked through the garden the other morning

I took a few photos of nature that

caught my eye and thought I would share them

with you...

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At the moment, I am working on

weaving some miniature and full size Shaker Baskets.

Many, many years ago I took a class

from Martha Wetherbee. She is the foremost

authority on Shaker baskets and through

her studies and hard work she revived the art of

the Shaker Basket!

Here are some of the baskets I have made

along with a few of Martha's. I also make and collect

1 inch scale miniatures so I made the miniature

Shaker Alphabet Board based on a piece that had been

in the "Shaker Design" exhibit many years ago.

Lol, you may notice I like Ravens and Crows...

I will also be attempting to make a

1 inch scale violin case based on this exception

antique piece I saw from an antique shop.

I will be tweeting the case a bit but this was my first prototype.

As with my Tramp Art, I don't employ the use

of any power tools so this is all being done by hand

with an x-acto knife. I will be making a handful

of these cases and will be painting them to match the original.

A good friend and miniature artist has been most

generous and is sending me the hinges for at least on case.

Wish me luck!

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I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, I invite you to

take a look through my website and my Etsy Shop.

Feel free to spread the word about my work.

I thank you for your time, your friendship and your support.

Blessings.