Runs with scissors...

Holy Freakin' Cow! The effort one must put out to find a few minutes on a computer in this town! (Cows are holy by the way, it is OK to say that.) My computer has, it seems, fallen into the vast nothingness that is the office of the only Mac guy in town. I sent it by way of sneaky-like-spy through a friend of a friend who he owes a favour to and it STILL has taken weeks and weeks! Not a very big favour obviously. So frustrating!

I keep seeing things during my wanderings (like this...



...and this...)

Christmas tree made from coat hangers and snow of crushed glass...

that make me want to run to the nearest USB cable and download, but it just doesn't work that way in such a town as Nelson. I have even resorted to cleaning my house to keep my mind off blogging! Did I mention the cow? The holy one? Yes, like that.

I will have to continue this the next time I can steal time on a machine. It has taken so long to download these photos and whatnot that I must now depart. Ack! So soon! I have barely written anything and I have so many things to chat about! I hope you are all out there feasting your wallets on craft faires and markets! Indie and handmade are our mantras this season (as should be every season) and I will be bringing you some lovely ideas from my deeply camoflauged Martha streak soon enough! This year I combined a bit of Domino with a dash of Martha and taught myself how to make stained glass gingerbread. YUM! Pictures soon, I promise! Let's all keep our fingers and toes crossed that I get my little metal friend back asap! Till the next time, here's to more rum in your nog!

Bigg Treasures, Little Boxes

I was stopped in my tracks a bit ago by the stunning works of Nicole Bigg being shown in the window of one of our local galleries, the Craft Connection. This wonderful space is an artist owned and operated cooperative that has recently been moved into new digs. The interior of the old stone building has been lovingly re-created to showcase a constantly updated and beautifully curated collection of pieces from a variety of local talent- textile artists, painters, metal-smiths, potters and others.

Nicole's sophisticated pieces are uniquely styled using images of natural elements etched into metal tags that are then layered onto wooden boxes. In a town where the artists reign supreme, it can sometimes be difficult to find something new, especially when it is home to such an established art school. It becomes rather like treasure hunting to find the best gem in the spoils. As well as being visually enchanting, these pieces have a tactile quality that draws you in to investigate and her tiny bugs and birds give the piece an instant personality that is a slightly dark version of pretty.

Not that I doubt my eye for style ;) but if I needed proof, the next chance I got to take my camera into the shop was less than a week later and all but three of the pieces were sold. I unfortunately am unable to show you the piece de resistance that got me all excited to begin with, but these little guys will give you a good idea of what I am talking about. Especially the darling asian inspired shadow box. If only my camera had done a better job! No doubt I will be able to show you more in the future as I am sure her success with these pieces will inspire her to continue with them. In the meantime, if you are interested in adorning yourself with a smaller but no less stunning array of her work, you can find her jewelry creations here on her website.