Pond Friends Swap Sent Out!

These are the things I made and sent to BronzFrog in the Pond Friends Swap. The carving is actually very special to me, I made it in my wood carving class in India, but I know that BronzFrog is the right recipient for it.

I made the frog stuffie from the free frog pattern at Purl Bee. When I stuffed it I added lavender and rosemary from my garden.

The bottom of this bag is actually supposed to be a lily pad. It looks more like one from a diferent angle, but if I took the picture that way you wouldn't see the little froggie on the side.

I Carved A Lotus Flower!

With the help of my teacher Shaji at Vijanana Kala Vedi Cultural Center in Kerala, India, I carved this lovely lotus flower for my Dad in the span of a week. It looks harder to do than it is. The wood was actually very soft, and the formula was simple. Of course, having an attentive and helpful teacher makes a HUGE diference when attempting a new craft for the first time, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. I loved carving on the little porch outside the woodcarving shop and chatting with my teacher and the other students. It was such a peaceful-feeling thing to do. I did not know how I would feel about woodcarving, having never done it before, and I was pleased to find out that I like it alot. I hope I will get the chance to apply and practice what I learned in India atleast once during the upcoming summer.

I Rocked A Drill

I am not merely a poser.
Originally uploaded by Probiotica.

Last week I attended 2 two-day workshops at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA so I could empower myself to BUILD. We were introduced to power tools in the workshop you see here, the Women's Carpentry Primer, and we made beautiful picnic tables. In the second workshop, Women's Carpentry: Advanced Project, we constructed a post and pier foundation for a Colorado Yurt! Very Exciting! (and grueling....)

To see tons more pictures of women with power tools, click on my pic and check out my flickr account.