Artifacts et Cetera

Explore my unique, earthy, handcrafted jewelry, paintings, and et cetera with some behind-the-scenes glimpses into my techniques, what inspires me, and who I am as a person and an artist.

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My new #eartheater finally decided to hold still for a second so I could get a photo. Not sure which species... anyone know? It's only about 3.5 inches total length right now. #geophagus #southamericancichlids

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It's a far cry from the setups I had back on the day, but mostly it's just a matter of waiting for the plants to get settled in and the younger fish to mature (at least 1 is 8 years old, but it's not a noticeable one). The #electricblueacara and #geophagus you can kind of see here should be particularly spectacular someday. #plantedtank #freshwateraquarium #southamericancichlids #fishkeeping #fishtank #aquarium (at Economy Borough)

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We set the tree up in the *only*spot there was room... in the corner of the entryway. It looks so happy and festive, all doodled up for the holidays! #yuletree #christmastree #shinythings (at Economy Borough)

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One year... and it has finally all come together. #oldhouse #searshouse #homemuseum #blacktrim (at Economy Borough)

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Eight years after I found it on the attic stairs of a rented house in Cleveland, my pigeon (or mourning dove?) exhibit is finally mounted and properly displayed. So. Freaking. Cool. #birdskeleton #taxidermy #myhouseisamuseum #naturalhistory (at Economy, Baden, Pennsylvania)

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Through the kitchen window this morning... Thomas and Henrietta. The screen mangled the photo a bit, but you get the idea. #turkey #pawildlife #wildturkey #tomturkey (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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The house looked so darned cute this morning, I had to take a photo! Please don't mind the propane bottle (the gas company "promises" to get the line in before winter) or the lack of landscaping. One step at a time. It was very difficult for me yo accept all the help I got from my family on this project, but I am forever grateful for and humbled by it. #homesweethome #searshouse #oldhouse #homerestoration (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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Meet my new friend, an electric blue acara! I haven't named it yet, and yes, it is tiny... about the same size as that gold barb (but to be fair, it's a big barb). I can't wait to add a few more "Stars" to the tank and watch them grow up! #fish #fishkeeping #acara #electricblueacara #cichlid

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I started "collecting" as a young child and continued, completely undaunted by the cumbersome bulk of my belongings, into my early 30's . I was a hoarder of interesting, beautiful, and downright strange items... found, bought, gifted, and handed-down. Now that I have a permanent home and am starting to drag them all out of storage, it has come to my attention that it will not all fit... and that I am ready to let go of some things (which was unthinkable in the past). However, I still haven't decided how. Here is a small sampling of a couple boxes (out of many) that I opened today. Feel free to let me know if you collect anything in particular... especially if it is odd... I'll see if I have anything you might need! PS: Harvey is the tall one. He stays. #homemuseum #macabre #collection #antique #eccentric (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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Halfway through the first week in the new house and Mauf (whute cat) catches this little fellow in the basement, carries him upstairs, and deposits him under the kitchen table. Mousie promptly tries to escape and Mauf pursues. I toss a colander over Mousie (the closest mouse-catching device at hand) and call Joe out of bed to help me get it from beneath the colander and into something I can use to transport Mousie somewhere less-in-my-house. So here is a photo of a juvenile mouse (remarkably unharmed) in a biscuit jar. The moral of this story is: old house + near woods + cats = be wary of eating biscuits at my house. #mouse (at Economy Borough)

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We had a guest at the house today! #prayingmantis #saycheese #pawildlife (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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The "master" bedroom... almost too small to photograph, but here it is. Still needs finishing touches, but it's finally coming together! #searshouse #bedroom #oldhouse (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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Lots of details yet to go... light fixtures, toe kicks, baseboards, faucets, appliances, etc but it's really shaping up now! Squeee! #searshouse #oldhouse #homerenovation #diy (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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Sneak peek at the trim and what has gone into reusing the original pieces. I carefully removed each piece (6 pieces for each window, 7 for each doorway), pulled more nails than I care to recall, scraped latex paint off of the underlying oil based paint, sanded the oil paint to remove the sheen (Joe helped), primed each piece, then dad worked some kind of voodoo magic to make them fit the new spaces... then caulking, filling, taping, and finally painting. (at Economy, Pennsylvania)

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This stamp is on the back of a piece of trim selveged from a 1920s era Sears cottage kit house. Since I'm about to prime the board so it can be reused in the house, I took a photo to save this information for posterity. #searshouse #restoration #historynerd

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The boys'room room: first coat! Loving the color! You'll just have to imagine it with trim and a floor for now... lol. #homerenovation #searshouse #oldhouse #freshpaint #greenroom #behrpaint #agaveplant

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The boys'room: a blank slate. #homerenovation #diy #searshouse #oldhouse