Noblesville Garden Tour show!

So thanks a zillion to Greg Knipe, aka Retrogee, for sending me an invite to this show, because it was flippin' awesome! First of all, the weather actually behaved for us, which is amazing considering the crazy weather we've had here in Indiana the past weeks.

My day started at 5:30am, with me running around the house in a frantic mess(this is not unusual haha!). But being that I didn't get but maybe 1 hour of sleep the night before, my brain wasn't doing what I was telling it to, so I was a real M E S S. Tore up my studio looking for some last minute things to pack up and that one thing I was SURE I would forget, but didn't exactly know what it was yet-fun stuff.

We finally arrived at our beautiful Garden to set up, after being lost for an hour(ahem, in my defense, my hubby was holding the map-not at fault here!). And after I setup my table so nice and perty, I attempted to help Adam put up the Shade Canopy-that was a sight I'm sure! Every friggin' time we got one pole in the right hole, another one popped out. Arghh! It was SO frustrating! Then I look at the box again and it reads "E-Z up Canopy"...........Yeah RIGHT! There was nothing E-Z up about that thing! So after struggling for close to 30 minutes, our neighbor vendor gave us a hand. With us 3 and a lot of duct tape we finally got it up!!! And boy was it nice-couldn't imagine setting up with out it!

Our garden was the 9th and last on the Tour, so I think a lot of people were just kinda ready to go by the time they got to our section. We didn't have a ton of traffic, if I had to guess, I'd say maybe roughly 100 people came by? And maybe 1/3 of them didn't even walk by my booth(I was on the very right end). So given that, I still did quite well. I made a lot of contacts, handed out lot's of business cards, made some decent sales, got some custom orders from some wonderful ladies, and I was also invited to setup at a Holiday Bazaar this November. So all in all, I am very happy I did this show-definitely a success! I will certainly be doing this one again next year!

Me and my booth at the Noblesville Garden Tour show

Indiana Flood of 2008

This past week we have endured some of the scariest weather I have ever personally seen in my life! Luckily, there have been no fatalities reported, but many families have lost their homes and belongings. Words cannot express how they must feel right now, other than lucky to be alive. Our house wasn't damaged, although the water crept into our backyard, covered our streets, and damaged many surrounding homes, parks, and businesses. This was very sad to watch :( I am posting pictures of the local damage we saw.

Visit me at the Noblesville Tour of the Gardens Sat. June 14th!

I will be doing my first show of the year (thanks to retrogee.etsy.com for the invite!)this coming Saturday, June 14th at the Noblesville Tour of the Gardens! There will be food and music, as well as lots of talented artists-I mean come on, what more could you ask for?!


Here is some info copied from the website, http://www.noblesvillepreservation.com/

Event:	2008 Noblesville Tour of Gardens
When:	Jun 14 2008 10:00 AM to Jun 14 2008 5:00 PM
Where:	Northern Noblesville Noblesville, IN
	The 3rd annual Noblesville Tour of Gardens is Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (rain or shine), and will take visitors “beyond the garden gate” into eight of Noblesville’s most beautiful gardens. (Descriptions appear below.) This year’s tour ranges from an intimate shade garden to an 8-acre pastoral spread. Tucked among the blooms and fronds will be artwork, live music and gardening presentations. In addition, one Noblesville home will open up its restored bicycle and tractor collections to visitors, and serve up grilled brats and refreshments. Tickets Ticket price is $12 (children ages 12 and under are free). Advance tickets are available at the following locations: Marsh Supermarket Noblesville stores 17901 River Avenue 14450 Mundy Drive 1930 East Conner Street Noble Coffee and Tea Company 933 Logan Street A Corner Cottage 895 Connor Street Harbour Trees Golf Club 333 Regents Park Lane (tour start) Buy tickets, pick up a tour map, learn more about the Noblesville Preservation Alliance and visit with vendors. Restrooms available. Featured Gardens Michael and Jennifer Wiese 111 Harbour Trees Lane Wend along this gated garden’s stone paths among raised beds in square and geometric patterns. This garden is created to stimulate all five senses, with an Italian cherub fountain as its centerpiece, a nearby Victorian-style potting shed and a variety of perennials, herbs, vegetables and wildflowers. Mel and Norma Minion 219 Cheshire Circle On an inlet of Morse Lake, this home features a hidden shade garden in the back and a mix of perennials and annuals in the front plantings. Enjoy geraniums, Japanese iris, sweet bay magnolia, coreopsis, lady’s mantle and oak leaf hydrangea. Ken and Brenda Erickson 507 Wexford Court Thick with mature trees, this garden adjacent to Morse Lake accommodates filtered light and shade with hydrangeas, hostas, dogwoods, vinca and ferns. Carl and Inge Reichwein 548 Banbury Road This well-established lakefront garden features a variety of annuals and perennials including rose bushes, lilies and much more. Tom and Kay Alford 2101 North Harbour Drive More than 40 rose plants, most of them tea roses, are the highlight of this home. In addition are a butterfly garden with flowering perennials, hydrangeas, hostas and hanging plants to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Charlie and Ann Kesmodel 7002 Oakbay Circle Three Beeches, named for the trio of stately old trees that anchor the gardens, is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, providing the four basic habitat elements for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to raise young. A perennial garden, kitchen garden, woodland garden and two water features add to the enjoyment. Drew and Charlene Davis 7004 Oakbay Circle Find a collection of verdant hostas, twisting ivy, towering trees and a variety of colorful annuals at this beautiful garden. Glen and Patricia Schwartz 21989 Schulley Road Our most unique garden, this 8.5-acre estate includes flora and many other attractions. Marvel at arbavida animal topiaries (some as tall as 6 feet), vegetable gardens, an orchard, dozens of hanging baskets and a variety of beautiful flowers. Enjoy artists, sculptors, face painting, grilled bratwurst and drinks. See restored automobiles, tractors and bicycles, and a putting green. Restrooms available.

I will be offering 10% off your purchase just for visiting me at this event AND online, but you must mention my blog :) Thanks!

Ambers Secret Window

My Secret Window-how I created it!

So I have just finished making a necklace I named "Secret Window." It all began when I awoke in the middle of the night last Monday. I had a very odd dream about one of my favorite childhood books called "The Secret Door". The illustrations in this book are just amazing and vivid, with these surreal creatures and this nasty "monster", and in the book, the girl stumbled upon this secret door that led to this secret world with these creatures. Well in my dream, it was like I was walking through this "secret forest", trying to get away from these creatures, like I was desperately trying to find something. This was one of those dreams that felt very real. So I was hurrying through this creepy forest, and I came upon a house-old and decrepit, large and very ornamental with moldings and sconces and statues and a fountain. I quietly crept up to the house, slowly, a little worried of what I might find inside. I approached a window-all moss and vine covered, barely even visible-and peeked inside. And what I saw inside was so beautiful it left me speechless and struck. Lush green vines grew up the walls onto the ceilings. The floor wasn't a floor-it was a bed of flowers that glistened with sweet dew. Purples and Pinks, light blues and deep greens. A whole thriving wonderland of flowers. But then I saw the most amazing thing-little fairies and dragonflies-flittering about the room! Like they were talking to eachother!Hundreds of them, just flitting about, in this world inside this room! I couldn't believe my eyes! And all of this seemed so utterly real, I cannot explain how true this dream felt!

Sooooooo, sometime after discovering this room in this house through this secret little window, I woke up. It was about 2am, and I could not fall back asleep. I had this vivid surreal picture of me peering inside that window and all of the gorgeous glistening colors and little faery friends and dragonflies living about. So I started forming my own window from Sterling Silver, and coiled-coiled-coiled, strung some sparkly stones, and before I knew it I had my own little Secret Window! I didn't even really think about what I was making, it just kinda happened! I couldn't be happier with the end result. Then I had to get online and google that book so I could purchase it again and have it forever!