Anthology

The sun is shining, the trees are budding and Green Cricket Salvage can now be found at Anthology here in Madison.

If you have not been, Anthology is one of those stores that you plan a special trip to State Street just to check out. Filled with handmade cards, journals, garlands and now my Fisher Price necklaces...Anthology is a true Madison original.

tip toe

Tulips. They are a sure sign of spring. Reds, pinks, yellows...their colors bring instant happiness. But, there is nothing worse than bringing home a bunch from the market to only find them a day or two later drooping and ready for the compost. Well- your floral problems are solved.

When I brought these home last week from the farmer's market, before I even put them in water, my mom told me to take a small straight pin and poke a hole thru the stem (right at the base). She said it would make them stand up straight. Huh? She has never failed me before so I gave it a whirl.

Well, this is what they looked like this morning, over a week later. Amazing. I am sure it helps that I am keeping them on our cooler porch, but I was blown away on how well that worked. After further research I found that the holes let air escape to expedite the water flow.

So pick up a bunch with confidence on your next market trip. In fact, why not pick up some extra for your wonderful Mom.

just desserts

With the premiere market of Confectionique tomorrow, I felt it fitting to share some yummy, candy coated treats....all under $20.

A pair of blueberry wall hangings

A lavender swirled sconce

Lucky paprika roosters

& whimsical, old world lime plaques

Find these and all kinds of other sweet treasures tomorrow at the Moray airport in Middleton 10-4.

happy earth day

Enjoy this day, the sun, the fresh air and the beautiful, green trees.

image found here

Confectionique's sweet debut

Have you heard about this sweet, monthy market coming to town?

Confectionique is a wonderland of home decor, accessories, art work and loads of unexpected found objects transformed into treasures. The brain child of crafting sisters, Anastasia and Jessica, Confectionique brings the concept of a French Country market to Madison, well, actually Middleton.

The first market is this Saturday April 24th from 10-4 at the Morey Airport in Middleton, inside the building. You will not want to miss it. Unique finds, flea market prices, plenty of parking and I heard maybe even some treats from the the new Bloom bakehouse in town.

I am thrilled to be part of this inaugural market along with my new pal Molly. Come check it out this Saturday and mark your calendars for the next dates.

May 8th

May 22

June 19

July 11 (Sunday market)

For more details on Confectionique and their markets...check out their site or find them on Facebook.....a toute a l'heure !

to market, to market

This weekend was just chock full of good stuff, starting with a early morning trip to the first farmers market of the year. Arugula, mustard greens, goat cheese and these lovely tulips were part of the bounty...and it just got better from there.

This vintage find at a local thrift store....hello gorgeous.

my Spring Fling chair being featured on Etsy's front page.

....and meeting with Confectionique here in Madison to find out all about their cool monthly markets...more about this later. What fabulous things did your weekend have in store ?

Gallery night- going to to the dogs

Very exciting news!!! Green Cricket Salvage will be Bad Dog Frida 's featured artist for the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's, Gallery Night this spring.

The semi-annual event is Friday May 7th from 5-9 pm with 65 venues participating. A very diverse range of artists, food & drink and even live music are just a few of the draws that make wandering thru these local business's such a fun night out. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be asked to do this.

Besides the lovely Sally (pictured above), from my end, you can expect to find upcycled clocks made out of vintage children's books, rustic leash hooks fashioned from salvaged parts and even some original works of art.... all with a dog (or cat) theme of course. I am sure I will be sharing more images on the goods once the event gets closer, but for now... save the date, it will be a wonderful evening.

For a list of all this years participants and a map, check out this link from the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

Dream desk - reveal

So after many months of planning and hours and hours of working, I turned in my desk this week for the Emerson School's Dream Desk Project.

Here is how the bucket desk started...

and the completed transformation.

Myself and 12 other local artists needed to use the theme of 'dreams' in our work, and I used it in a pretty organic way. Bloom...your dreams have roots.

Here is how I described my desk for the for the auction event-

Much like the deep roots of a beautiful flower, when your dreams are nurtured, anything is possible. Multiple layers of the earth are represented by the gravel, coffee grounds (to keep you grounded) and deep, twining roots lead to the blooming, chalkboard top that is perfect for documenting your own dreams. A recycled bath towel provides a comfy woodland seat, while the inside hides a mossy, magical world.

Staying true to its school house roots- left over chalkboard paint from this project.

For the seat, I was thinking moss, but since I wanted it to be sat in, I picked an even greener option...an old bath towel.

Besides being a great, lush color, I really liked the textured element that the napped towel gave. Like sitting on a woodland mushroom.

To simulate layers of the earth.... gravel, paint, scrap burlap, mosses and coffee grounds cover the base. For those deep, twirly roots wrapping down to the base...rustic twine.

The inside is where the moss came into play...sheets and sheets of floral moss. To accent the woodland scene, I placed a sweet caterpillar and thrift store insects to roam. Oh, and they glow in the dark..perfect for peeking under the hood now and then.

To top it all off .... 2 big bunches of faux peonies flowers and leaves that were clipped and secured onto the perimeter of the desk giving it her crowning glory of blooms.

My desk is displayed at the MATC library thru mid May and will be auctioned off May 18th with proceeds going to the school. Read more about the project here and support YOUR local school system.