A Recycled Project - "Pop Can Trio"

"Pop Can Trio" - recycled aluminum cans, waxed cotton

I'm starting a "deep clean" of my studio and came across these aluminum "vessels" I made a while back.  If you're in a book store you can pick up a copy of the book "500 Metal Vessels" and find them published on page 154.

{the book you can find them in!}

I named my little group "Pop Can Trio" because at the time I was living in a house near kid's baseball fields. I'd pass them twice a week on my walks to the post office and became obsessed (as in digging in the trash cans!) with picking up and redeeming all the soda cans always lying around. 

When a call for entries for this book came out, I just had to use soda cans!

I saved my favorite cans for this little project (the tallest "vessel" is only 5 inches high!). The one complex shape is based on a project for a structural column I did in Architecture School with my friend Christine. She's still a good friend!

I hope you enjoyed this little creative project dug out of my past. I'm having fun going through lots of stuff. 

Loretta

p.s. Funny reading that word "Pop"! When I was in school in Buffalo, New York that's what soda was called, and I also thought the vessels looked a bit like Pop Art.

A Before Irene and After Irene

I finally found the battery charger for my camera, so now I can take a good picture of what our creek normally looks like.

{our backyard!}

So, here it was during Tropical Storm Irene.

..and here it is normally! You can see the water in the creek is still a little muddy.

The mosquitos have been fierce here after all this rain. Even in the middle of a sunny day a little swarm attacks you!

Loretta

Kindergarten!

{getting on the bus!}

Big Day here- my youngest, Son H is off to Kindergarten! That smile is for real - he's so happy to step out on his own. This independent one has never had one bit of separation anxiety!

Me? From 9:00am to 3:00pm my day is now free. I have the time now to pursue things I haven't had time for in the last 11 years I've been raising my little munchkins. It does feel like a new leaf turned. I plan on doing a lot more designing, a lot more connecting with friends and peers, and a lot more daydreaming...

Loretta

Hang On Summer - Kayce Hughes Sale

It's raining today, Labor Day is past and Fall is just around the corner. A few red leaves have even hit our driveway.

But if you want to catch a bit more Summer, head to KayceHughes.com and stock up during her latest Sale.

{Sleeveless Nantucket Dress in White Twill with Red}

The clothes Kayce designs are modern with vintage flair. A smart cropped cardigan could carry this dress into Fall. (I'll take the wallpaper, as well!)

{Sleeveless Party Top with Blue and White Flower Bouquet}

Kayce's Bears and Pears children's clothes are adorable. (She has seven children, so she's quite child-savvy - read her story in this online Summer 2011 issue of House of Fifty.)

{Vintage Knit Sun Set - Pink and White Stripe with Green Scotty}

..and Summer baby clothes as on sale as well! So sweet! Here's hoping for a bit of Indian Summer for everyone this month.

Loretta

(This is not a sponsored post - I just admire these clothes and am so happy to share them with you!)

Our Backyard Flooded From Irene

{not so charming}

I think everyone in New Jersey, New York and Vermont is rethinking why they bought a property adjacent to a "charming" creek after Irene.  Here's a photo of our backyard during the storm. It looked like a small pond, with a fast flowing stream running through it.

{The Dowerskill Creek on a better day}

I can't find my camera's battery charger to charge the battery and take a picture of the creek at normal levels, but here's an earlier winter photo. 

What was scary about this storm was we had about 5" of rain, but what would happen if we got 11" like Vermont, or 13" like the Catskills? Would my cute little creek breech the culvert under the road downstream and have to flow over the road? Then I hate to imagine how much water would fill our lower level.

Loretta

p.s. We had a little water flowing in our basement, not from the creek, but seeping in from the ground. The dehumidifiers are still going before I clean it out.

Waiting Out Irene

{lunch today}

Husband and I just got back from a three-day getaway in Vermont to celebrate our fifteen wedding anniversary. We had the most marvelous time! Husband's parents graciously took the kids, and right now I'm waiting while he picks them up.  I've made a quick meal of what we brought home from Vermont - blueberries, bread, goat cheese, veggies... We ate lunch like this the whole trip - just stopping at roadside stands and general stores and grabbing what looked tasty.

{paying by the honor system, roadside in Putney, Vermont}

Hurricane Irene's heading our way and we'll feel the effects tonight.  How lucky we were to have good weather for our anniversary trip! In the Albany, N.Y. area we are on a Tropical Storm warning, and don't expect to get hit as hard as the areas to our south and east. I'm thinking of of those who are in a more dangerous path of this storm and my thoughts go out for a safe weekend to all.

Loretta

Polishing Jewelry Earwires

I thought you'd like to see a bit of the process of making jewelry - the little spheres, ovals and pins in my hand are stainless steel shot.

The "shot" is used to polish metal. Add the shot and a few drops detergent to a tumbler along with the metal to be polished. Here I'm polishing some sterling silver earwires I made!

Loretta