There is nothing like going a little bananas over the weekend is there?? Check this out you guys. The ABOVE image is of my banana tree taken today and below is around September LAST year. Wow did this tree grow a ton this season!
Considering the banana trees are cut to the ground every November this is an incredible feat of botanical magic. I do help it along with some awesome Bat Guano and bone meal…the same as what I feed the cannas which will bloom in a few weeks or so
You may have noticed some underlined text in the blog this time….well they are not just your average link!! These little morsels of trivia and interesting factoids I insert with a new program I installed to make my fact finding easier and more fun for you all! Don’t miss the great garden video about growing cold hardy bananas which I inserted at the bottom of the banana trees link (above).
BELOW IS A SCREEN SHOT EXAMPLE OF THE LITTLE WINDOW THAT POPS UP WHEN YOU CLICK ON UNDERLINED LINKS
Note you can resize this window, drag it around the screen and if you click the question mark in the lower left you can set your preferences on how the windows behave. You can even make the windows pop up when you hover over the links but I have the defaut set to CLICK to enable the links. Customize the way you want and the system will remember it next time you visit.
Clicking on any of the links will keep you at the blog and pop up a little window like the one on this screenshot, with all sorts of my hand chosen links and reference videos to expand your universe!!!
The main link in the window most times will have other goodies which I inserted in a row at the bottom. All open up in the popup so you never need to navigate away from the blog.
WAY FUN HUH???? This will be perfect for when I want to put up travel facts etc.
TO VIEW THE LITTLE WINDOWS LARGER THEY CAN BE RESIZED BY DRAGGING THE LOWER LEFT CORNER
SEE THESE PHOTOS BELOW IN THEIR HUGEST AND GREENEST GLORY BY CLICKING HERE
Above are some photos I took today on our 60 degree morning walk in a local park full of mosses and lichens. It’s kind of a boggy area and in the summer the mosses are quite dry…….but in winter they are an emerald vision!
And I’m sure you noticed by now the new banner at the blog homepage and the shopping cart icon!! I just installed a new website directly in GRAFFITI GOSSIP and on my FACEBOOK page as well. Click on SHOP JEWELRY at the top of the page in the tabs to bring you to my store front! It’s still being worked on but there are couple of gorgeous new sea inspired pieces in there already and my blog readers the first to see them!!
CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO GO DIRECTLY TO ‘RIPPLE IN TIME”
Let me know how the new site is working for you and I will have much more on the way. I’m just getting all the categories into place now will announce more in my MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Have a wonderful week my friends and I hope you have a wonderful week!!
IN MY MOM’S MINNESOTA GARDEN, JUNE 2010
Wow, where does the time go?? I have been so busy making jewelry and gardening, not to mention playing with Gracie and the girls, that the blog posts got a bit neglected. One thing that is nice about the Facebook widget in the right hand column though…..you can see my quickie updates which I post almost daily in there.
Right now I am running a FREE PENDANT DRAWING at my SANDRA MILLER STUDIO Facebook page
If you would like to come on over and join the fun CLICK HERE or the logo above, and go to the post on the wall that starts with WIN A PENDANT
SEE MORE OF MY MOM’S GARDEN FROM MY JUNE VISIT IN THE SLIDESHOW BELOW
Hopefully you all got the newly designed newsletter I sent a little over a week ago, but if you didn’t, I would like to invite you to take a read HERE and sign up so you don’t miss a single bit of news. This edition contains a wonderful preorder pendant deal and a coupon
THE MOST CURRENT NEWSLETTER CAN BE ACCESSED IN THE UPPER RIGHT BLOG COLUMN UNDER THE SIGNUP BUTTON
And a very special pendant in 3 different color choices has just been listed on the website last night.
SEE THE VIDEO BELOW WITH AUDIO……CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE AND PURCHASE
AND WHAT IS A BLOG POST WITHOUT A GRACIE CAMEO??? HASN’T SHE GOTTEN SO BIG AND STILL GROWING LIKE A WEED!
I hope you all are having an incredible summer and keeping cool!! We have had a wonderful break the past few days with highs in the upper 70′s and sunny. PERFECT gardening weather!!! In my next blog post I will have some travel updates…YES we are starting to plan our next adventure!!!
I LEAVE YOU WITH A BIT OF MY OWN GARDEN FILMED AND EDITED WITH MUSIC… ENTIRELY ON MY NEW IPHONE4!!!
Can you believe this???? We have lived in Portland for 12 years now as transplants from Minnesota and I am still having a hard time getting used to flowers blooming in late January!!! The first of the Hellebores have started to produce blooms with dozens more varieties in my garden on the way soon.
Here is one absolutely covered with buds
A grainy goldfinch photo through my studio window
The snowdrops will be blooming in a week or two
The varigated English Ivy absolutely plasters my fence now
And Lillian and her mommy Megawatt are apparently feeling the shift in seasons with this 50 degree day
Look at that silver chin on my old lady. I love Meg so much!!!
A pretty Mother/Daughter shot
Lillian was in rare form today acting like a puppy
Chubby old Meg runs like a water buffalo and her daughter flys circles around her like the wind
And last but not least…above is a new piece of artwork I created inspired by some photos I took at a recent dog show in Portland!! This will be available on Zazzle and my Imagekind gallery this week.
Have a fantabulous Sunday my friends. I will update about some new additions to the trip itinerary on Monday . I’m getting so excited to go I can hardly contain myself!!!
Leah…I have been intending to blog about you and your glass work for the longest time but never had the camera at the right moment or you were not at the Portland Saturday Market when we were passing through on our weekend walks. FINALLY I had the chance today to visit Leah Pellegrini of LEAH GLASS and we had such a wonderful time catching up!
Leah and I met a number of years ago when I took a short glass working class at a studio she was working at in downtown Portland. We hit it off right away and discovered we both have a crazy passion for color and movement. Leah’s mobiles are inspired in part by Alexender Calder’s work who we discovered we have a shared passion for as well. My house has always been full of mobiles that move with the slighest breeze from a passing dog ….and of course my head bonking into them all the time in the garden!
I also took a class from Leah on creating components with the torch for adding to my fused glass pendants. I adore Leahs lampworking and wish my eyes would let me experiment more……… but this blind woman, with a loaded torch, NOT the best idea….lol. Too many close calls gave me a healthy respect for you bead artists out there!!
Bryan and I met up with his friend Jenna at the market and they shopped while Leah and I caught up on this first day of the market remodel. OMG it’s so beautiful , perched right on the waterfront now instead of under the bridge. A stunning fountain serves as a “living room” of sorts RIGHT IN FRONT of Leah’s booth.
ABOVE: BRYANS FRIEND JENNA
Her location is absolute perfection and her booth is an instant draw with it’s brilliant colors, tastefully suspended under a stark white tent. The shadows play on the white and colors reflect all over the display
Leah and I were discussing that this piece above would convert well into a “rain chain” I want to be the first to buy one Leah!!! I have just the place for it in front of my studio window with water piped to the top, dripping down in my raised pond. It will be backlit too!!
This is Leahs earring display. Just as I was photographing the little cuties, another litte cutie stepped into the reflection of the mirror..HI LEAH!!! Love this shot!!!
Here the earrings are in focus. Very cute and lightweight too. The black ear wires really add to them!
You can see why mobiles look as good outside as they do indoors. I love the play of light
I have never met anyone with a smile like Leah has!! It is electric and so open and kind!!! This photo will always be a fave of mine!!
This was a HUGE mobile in red and black. I need one of these too… to hang under my pergola!!! This photo shows off the shadows so nicely
I need, I want, I need I want!!!
ABOVE: BRYAN ,LEAH AND AND JENNA CHATTING…BRY’S FIANCE KATE WAS THERE TOO IN A WAY..ON THE PHONE
Leah…thank you for taking the time to chat and catch up. I know your days at the market are busy ones and you have no idea how nice it was to see you again. I need to come down to the market more often!!! Your work, as always is a CLASS ACT!!!! Thank you for the continued inspiration Leah…… through your art , artistry and friendship!! Check out Leahs website at http://leahglass.com
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And below click the arrow on the video to see the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (PDX TOP 10 Destinations) as Bryan and I saw it on Thursday. It was a picture perfect day and we had such a relaxing time. I noticed in the video all the kids playing with the ducks were little boys with their mothers……it seemed so appropriate since this is the last visit my son will have with his mom before he is married. sniff
See the photo of his wedding band below. Bry had a custom band made with a rare mahogony type of wood and an inlaid core of a fine metal (can’t remember what it was offhand)
Day at the Rhodie Garden, Portland Oregon 8/20/09 from Sandra Miller on Vimeo.
BRYAN TOOK THESE TWO IMAGES WITH MY CAMERA
The figs are figging and just in time for my son Bryan to come visit!! Woo Hoo I hope you like figs Bry because they are ripe and don’t keep well!!! LOL!
ABOVE: MY SONS FIANCE KATE ON LEFT, MY DAUGHTER LIZ AND SON BRYAN
I stole this off of my kids Facebook page but it’ was too awesome to not share!! Wish Liz’s hunny , Andy was in the shot too!!
Bryan and his beautiful fiance Kate will be getting married in Minneapolis in just a little over a month and I’m getting so excited !! He decided to take a short break from all the engagement hoopla while he had a bit of time to spare to come visit his mom!!!! In a few weeks after he leaves we will be following right behind him and heading to Minnesota for the wedding….then off to Egypt from there!!!
For sure we will be shopping for a few last minute wedding attire details while he is here, and of course the coast is a MUST DO!!!
So back to the figs!!! After 3 days of a solid downpour which we needed desperately which followed record breaking 106 temps, these little Mediterranean blobs of candy sweeT goodness in a slightly obscene looking wrapper, are all ripening at once!!!
OMG…they are falling off the tree they are so heavy!!! The sign of a perfectly ripe fig is they drip sugar from the bottom and this batch was literally covered in little sappy jewels on their undersides!
ABOVE: ONE OF THE SMALLER FIG LEAVES OFF MY TREE
So below is a simple recipe I’m going to try this weekend with all these very ripe figs. I’ll take pix and let you know how this turns out!! Now I need to go to the store and get some Brie and a baguette to spread the preserves on. Fig Newtons move over!!! These fresh babies don’t even resemble those dried out cookies
QUICK AND EASY FIG PRESERVES
Mrs. A. C. Kast Fredericksburg Cookbook
- 3 cups figs, cut up
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 box strawberry or blackberry gelatin
Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into jelly glasses.
If you get a chance drop by the GRAFFITI JEWELRY WEBSITE! I posted some new chow pendants there that are just gorgeous!!!!
ABOVE: ME AND MY TORSO AND MY LILLIAN!!!
FIG UPDATE
Habanero-Raspberry-Fig glaze for Lamb Kebobs!! Will let you know how they turn out!
