I love this snowman. I almost want it to snow so that I can make one just like him.  No, just kidding. I don't want to shovel my driveway yet, so 'snow, snow stay away'. When we have the right kind of snow and if I do make a snow guy this year I will snap a shot and share, that is if I have the strength after all the shoveling and snowman building.

I am trying out a larger piece of glass in order to display more of the foilage.  Here is a fern sprig from a beautiful fiddlehead fern which was found in the woods amongst the many ferns which are scattered throughout the brush near our home. I recently read that a Fern symbolizes sincerity towards others. It can also be a symbol of magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie or a secret bond of love.  I'm going to pick sincerity towards others as its meaning.

I love most everything from the garden. So, this Fall I gathered a bit of yarrow, pressed it, let it dry, and adhered it to handmade paper before placing it behind the glass.

Then  I googled yarrow lore.  Apparently yarrow was sometimes consulted where love matters were concerned. One famous love charm required that a handful of Yarrow be sewn into a flannel square and put under your pillow. Then you should recite a poem and wait for your future husband or wife to appear in a dream.
In addition, yarrow , possibly because of it's strong odor, was sometimes called the Devil's Plaything and associated with witchcraft and evil.
Another perspective asserts that yarrow could protect one against that very witchcraft. It  was strewn across the threshold of a house to keep out evil influences and was worn to guard against evil spells. Some people tied sprigs of it to a baby's cradle to protect the infant from witches who might try to steal away its soul.  Essentially it's a pretty little trinket whatever the lore is.

This is Peppermint, a kitten from a book that I had as a kid.  Her mom, Candy, had four kittens, Lollipop, Chocolate Drop, Caramel, and Peppermint.  Soon, all the kittens, but Peppermint, were sold to the children who came to Mr. Dobby's candy shop.  The runt of the litter, dirty gray, because she was shy and hid in all the dusty corners of Mr Dobby's candy shop, Peppermint felt unloved and unwanted.  Finally, after days of sadness at not being chosen, Peppermint was thrilled that a little girl named Barbara came and took her home.  Peppermint had a home and a family at last!  I loved this book.  And of course the surprise ending where Pepperimint is accidentally dyed a beautiful blue and wins first prize at the School Cat Show is a charming end to a sweet story.

Beware the deadly nightshade!  I found this image in an aging informational book on plants and animals and it brought back memories of a younger me diligently yanking this plant from my gardens to protect my children from the toxic weed.  My lovely and wise English neighbor informed me that a single green berry from the plant would kill an adult male, and I took her at her word, thus much energy was wrought into ridding the world of nightshade.  I am now in another yard where no neighbors are close enough to see the plant, my children still at home are old enough to moniter what goes into their mouths, and I kind of like the idea of a man-killing plant lurking in the garden.

Well, an altered art pendant this is, which means that I took an existing image and changed it.  In this case I took a portion of an old falling apart Mother Goose book and I cut it and adhered it with Diamond Glaze to the back of a 1" glass tile, then let it dry for a few hours. Next I put a simple design on the back and sealed the pendant with Diamond Glaze and waited yet a few more hours.  The bail came next.  It was attached to the center backing with E6000, a very strong glue.  Wait some more, add a chain and voila a lovely necklace is born!
What I think is fun is that each of my pendants are unique in that I don't copy any images. I figure that there are enough images to use without having to copy them and make the same pendant over and over (not that I am adverse to that). Some of my pendants may be alike if I find a desirable wallpaper with a repeat pattern or if I have a couple copies of the same book.  My goal here is to make a reasonably priced piece of jewelry that is simple, fun, and unique. They are not works of art (I suppose I shouldn't say that), but they are made with care and the intent to be worn and enjoyed.