For all the Minnesotans out there, I'm showing once again at the St.Paul Art Crawl! I'm in a different building than I was this spring, and I have a great feeling about what I can accomplish here!

The dates are the second weekend in October (just under two weeks!): October 9, 10, and 11. On Friday the 9th, hours run from 6pm to 10pm. On the 10th, the Tilsner runs extended hours from noon until 10pm. And on the 11th, hours are from noon until 5pm. I am planning to stay later on Sunday if anyone needs or wants to coordinate item delivery.

My new location is the Tilsner Building in lowertown: one of the artist co-op buildings that anchors the event. I'm ecstatic about the space, and I will be showing just outside the elevator on Third Floor!

As with this spring, I'll be showing my paintings and coffee sleeves, but with such a great space I'm also bringing a few of my new furniture pieces. Hopefully, I'll be able to show at least one other reclaimed piece.

After several months of sketches, contemplations, failed plans (22" bolts don't like to go through trees), and new tools, I've finished my tree trunk pedestal table.

Last summer, we had one of our pine trees die. In cutting it down, I knew I didn't want the larger pieces of wood to go to waste. There are plenty of branhes that I can use to make coasters and other small accessories, but I had ideas for the trunk. I knew I wanted this young white pine to remain the central pillar in a feature piece, so I started drawing concepts for pedestal tables. We have a decent stash of old wood, and once I started getting larger cable spools, I knew I had everything I needed for a spectacular piece.

My initial design used the cable spool bolts as well as the top, but I soon realized drilling 10" holes at a 32 degree angle through an irregular surface without crossing any holes would be beyond my capabilities. Although there is one bolt through the trunk, I did have to shift gears and assess the top differently. I used spool wood slats to create minimalist brackets in the top of the trunk. By attaching the top with bolts through the cable spool grommets, the top can be removed for ease in transit, and these hide well underneath the top.

The X base was made from a salvaged deck post that my parents used in their first house. This is pressure treated pine that been in the garage for over a decade. I was really glad to put one of these to use. I pulled out my new saw, and made cuts that included the angle cuts on the ends. I cut a notch in each board so these could fit together and be attached to the trunk. These fit together perfectly.

The top was already bery weathered, but I used a weathered oak stain on the top to tie it in with the raw wood and deep tones in the X base. After several coats of poly, I'm able to call it complete. The final dimensions are perfect for a standard round dining table: 37" diameter around the top, 30" in height, and a 26" base.

This spool table was built with the integrity of its original form in mind. This was the spool that I first found and inspired me to work with this medium. Because it was the first, it wasn't with the group that I broke down. It was perfect for this little raw spool table.

It did have some problems: because it was on the side of the road instead of from a construction site, it was in rough shape. The top was gray and a little mossy, and the bottom was very weather-beaten and swollen from rain water. After drying for over a year, it was fresh enough to be used. I buffed, cleaned, and sanded all of surfaces before I started making my additions.

To make the bookcase feature, I added six dowels between the top and bottom. These were drilled in upward from the bottom to ensure they were secured and inserted into recessed holes in the top. To make this as functional as possible, I added swivel casters to the bottom. One of these has a locking wheel to prevent any runaway table problems.

To finish it off, I sanded once more to ensure a smooth finish. I stained the entire piece, and sealed it with several coats of polyurethane.

This week, I've been feverishly working on a charity project that is near and dear to my heart. Through Instagram and user @LittleBeesBooth, I found that the NICU at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital was hosting a fundraiser featuring a silent auction. The call for handmade items went out, and I felt compelled to answer. As a fellow NICU Mom, I am passionate for helping these families.

The needs were for adult items, so I sent a couple different things in three auctionable sets: I made a custom hat and mitten set, and I sent two coffee sets that both included a pair of coffee sleeves and a pound of coffee.

The hat and mitten set was a new design for me, since I was experimenting with doing these in crochet. One of the biggest differences if these were made top-down instead of bottom-up. It was a different way to work, but it came to a great result.

The coffee sleeves included a floral option and a more flat knit. The coffee beans are from a local Minnesota chain: Caribou Coffee. I'm so happy to have been allowed to provide these to such a great cause!

I've been rather hesitant about jumping into the fan-art market since I truly enjoy creating designs that are completely unique. So, when I started thinking about these, I realized that on some level a lot of what I make is fan art: be it fanatical toward underwater life, different flowers, or even our home states.

I started working to bring a little more Star Wars art into the world. I started with Yoda, since I had recently made an entire infant set. That really gave me a good idea of where to start with my design.

I know several people who have an affinity for Boba Fett, so for my second sleeve this also felt like a natural progression. The color accents and detailing that wasn't in the Yoda sleeve also gave me another challenge.

In all of my furniture creations, though it has been a long time, I have tried to focus on reclaimed products. In the past I've refinished existing pieces and built a few items from spare materials. Now, I'm shifting my focus to using reclaimed materials to create something completely new. Currently, I'm reimagining discarded cable spools.

When I began constructing this particular ottoman, I was struck by the beauty in the nicks and imperfections found in the wood of these cable spool pieces. I began making my decisions for this piece within the Wabi Sabi concept of Japanese design: I focused on simplicity in construction and an acceptance of its imperfections.

After disassembly (which included many of these spools) I started with cleaning the two discs and sanding the shelf piece. Some spots started to splinter, so these were lightly filled to stabilize these spots. Most of these were minor and I wanted to keep these intact. I stained and sealed the shelf, and I cushioned and upholstered the other disc for the top.

The legs were all chosen from my spool centers, and I picked boards that had similar imperfections, distressed marks, and unmilled strips. I assembled all the pieces, and proceeded to add all finishes. I kept the screws attaching the legs to the disks exposed in keeping with the Wabi Sabi concept.

This ottoman has industrial roots that will not be forgotten in its new use. The soft top with the hard geometric lines make it a great utility piece.

The next two paintings in my flower series play more on layers. These layers show in the textures by using gel mediums and in the overlays with the colors.

Often when I paint, I focus on highlights first, and I gradually darken and add deep values to my canvas. The blue crocuses were done much in reverse, and I started with deep colors and darn grays first. This really brought out the highlights in the crocus petals.

In the orchids, I went back to the Grisaille tehnique that I used a few years ago in my reef painting. I thought first about the image entirely in black and white, then I went back and added glazes over the harsh values to soften the distinction between values, add cohesion to the petals, and add color where necessary.