On a Stool in a Pea Patch

To this day I am a person who likes to get immersed in my surroundings, somewhat lost in space and time while involved in activities. The same little girl who sat in the pea patch efficiently picking peas in Dry Fork, admiring the morning glories with dew on their delicate and colorful leaves, is the same woman who loves a business day totally immersed in the moment while working at meaningful endeavors.

What can you remember about yourself as a child that still comes shining through about you in your adult life?

Jewelry by Gina Tackett

(photos courtesy of Gina Tackett taken by dogfaceboy)

I had a chance a couple years ago to hang out in Baltimore and soak up the rampant art scene in that locale. The quality and accessibility of fine artists abound in this rough-funky burg. One of the artists I met was jewelry designer Gina Tackett. Take a look at her work below.

In her own words: "I guess I am a sculptural jeweler---sticks and stones are my latest passion. I have some photos on flickr.com under dogfaceboy. She is my photographer, and you can see some of my current work there. I work in Sterling Silver, Gold and unusual alloys of palladium and platinum."



Gina Tackett can be reached by e-mail at ginatackett@gmail.com or phone 410-235-7784

Grace Puts Shoes in the Oven

photo courtesy of ABC Carpets & Home


Domino magazine this month has an ad of a lovely woman named 'Grace' who loves shopping so much that she turned her tiny kitchen into a closet, thus removing the ability to do any cooking. After all, Grace loves fashion more than food. I suppose, since as she says she lives in a large city, she can always get takeout. So she won't starve.

This ad reminded me that the lovely Grace, while being extremely beautiful and well-heeled will be missing one of life's pleasures. Tuning in to your and your family's need for sustenance and nutrition and the art of cooking coupled with the deliciousness of eating and sharing food are fundamentals of life. Not to wax too wacky on the subject, it just struck me as supporting the usual life imbalance that we all can experience.

Object Conversation

Object conversation is the concept that we put objects in relationship to one another and they 'talk' to each other and to us. That is, They are in some sort of relationship that provides a context or a story within their space about which we consciously or unconsciously have some level of awareness. Some people create object conversation purposefully, others are more organic and it simply occurs.

Take a look around your house. What are the objects saying?

From One Home to the Next

A living room in a Paris apartment


In a recent conversation with my mother-in-law I was able to hear about the joy and recognition of the important life change that comes when it is time to select a new home for a new life stage. In her case, she and her husband are selling the neighborhood family homestead and opting for a chic condo overlooking trees and water. This move gives them ample fodder for choosing what goes and what stays as well as what is newly desired or needed. This method of paying homage to an ever changing life is invigorating and challenging.

Even though the actions it takes to make these life changes seems almost perfunctory and matter of fact, it may be important to perceive a bit of the sacred in such a change time.

What's the Focal Point?

Spaces in our homes often center or focus around design themes of some sort. Sometimes the focus is accidental and sometimes over-engineered. But when it is 'just right', the focal point is a referencing agent that centers the senses and stimulates internal responses that make people feel 'at home'.

The same thing goes for our lives. What is your focal point?

Spatial Relationships

This month's Washington Woman Magazine kindly published one of my articles that focuses on how we use home design to demonstrate our accomplishments in life, among other aspects to living well in the home. Check it out at www.WashingtonWoman.com

Here is an exerpt:

Increasingly the American public is tuning into the ways we can harness our homes to support and improve the way in which we feel and live. Over the last twenty years methodologies for architecture, interior design, redo and organizing have aggressively expanded to incorporate Green applications, Feng-Shui and a myriad of other perspectives. The psychological component of living in space has been a part of home design from the beginning. But these days it is taking on a more significant role as people search for ways to care for themselves and their families. These methods are more human spirit centered and less reliant on products or prescriptions.