Sunday at the Lauritzen Gardens . . .

What a wonderful day out at the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha. I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of Poinsettia, miniature to curly and all colors between pale cream and deep crimson. The displays are spectacular and I do want them all.

My friend Sue and I always try to hit the Lauritzen couple of times every year, especially at the change of seasons when it just gives you that tickle in the pit of your tummy to see all of the things that are new for the season. During their Christmas Open House, they feature their scaled down version of the Omaha of old, complete with old buildings in miniature and scale model trains and trolleys that weave in and out of the buildings. This year they have built a trestle bridge that grazes your head and the train goes completely through the tall, lit Christmas Tree!

It's a fun day out and I always feel so inspired to start garden planning and digging when I get home. Well, at this time of year, it's planning.

Oh yeah . . .

And a handful of 'scrappy' charm necklaces.

Now I'm done. For today.

I may take up knitting full time . . .

Yikes. Seriously, yikes.

The price of sterling silver is quickly approaching $30 per troy ounce which is about double what I last bought it at last summer and it makes a craftperson like me wonder how much longer she can afford to continue creating without having to restock a slowly dwindling supply of sterling silver. Yikes is right.

So while mulling this over standing at my bench and working to replenish the galleries for the Holidays, I

hit upon a stopgap solution and I feel like I'm doing some small part (in 'upcycle-speak') by creating without having to purchase more and more and more.

Sort of a 'duh' moment, I know, but I started digging into my scrap bucket which, at this point usually gets packaged up and returned to the place from whence it came to be reconstituted (or whatever happens to it) at the foundry (or whatever that place is called) so it can be rendered (or whatever the end result is) into flat silver sheet and wire once again.

As I'm digging around I come across little bits that can be made into odd-shaped bead caps and pieces that used to be something else that can now be - aha! - charms!

I dug and mixed and hammered and melted and didn't even TRY to match anything. What I ended up with was a cool collection of scrappy little silver charms that I switched and rearranged until I had a handful of earrings and charm necklaces that were far better than anything I could have planned.

All of them made

from scrap silver and orphan pieces of chalcedony and jade. I feel good. Not bad for a day.

Yeah, I'm a genius. Well, at least I feel a bit better about solving a problem with a little creativity.

1950 Dodge Pickup Truck . . .

My husband does bring me the coolest stuff!

This time it's a 1950 Dodge Pickup that has been sitting in a scrapyard in Beatrice, Nebraska, for who knows how many years. It's rusted and it's so cool I can't stand it.

As a couple of old hotrod people, Ed and I have been watching for an old pickup truck for a long time, something I could drive every single day that will haul bags of mulch, spring shrubs, groceries, my art show set up, absolutely everything - and now we have it. Of course, it's going to take a little work but, by and large, this is how it will look when it's up and running with the exception of a little chrome here and there. And a cool interior.

I have this 'thing' for patinaed vehicles - not really a rat rod but not quite a hot rod, either. I love the layers of paint and a little rust here and there. And if I know Ed, this gem will have a smokin' hot, super fast, can't catch me, engine when it gets going.

Oh yeah, I'm in love.