New Duckies on the Farm

omg, a few weeks ago I saw a Craigslist add for Swedish Black ducks; somehow, they 

ended up in a pet carrier in the back seat of my truck, lol :)

I seriously could not resist taking them home...

 they really are the cutest things, ever!!  Quwaking & wagging their little tail feathers--way

better than anti-depressants, lol---you cannot watch them out in the yard for more than 5 minutes & be smiling: they are such happy little duckies!

For the most part, they get along quite well with everyone else--although the geese are big meany-heads... they so love to chase the ducks & throw their weight around.... Little do they know: they will be off to "freezer camp" soon.: if they weren't such bullies--I would love to keep them around: but  they insist on being mean: they chase the chickens & ducks away from the foods; just for for the fun of it; they don't actually  eat it...big meany heads..lol

 Everyone  else seems to co-exist quite nicely...

Except for the fact they we have 6 roosters at the moment.  Even though they are little, their crowing contests in the morning are getting a bit old.  The herd will be thinned next week, though when 4 of the little noise-makers join the geese in freezer-camp.

In other bird news: Grey Chicken keeps insisting on beeing broody: besides the fact that we don't need any more little chickens at the moment, it's been so hot that I worry about her sitting in the coop all day....  So, she got dunked in the pool: I have found that cooling them off will usually break the broody cycle. We'll see.

Yes, it's quite the little bird farm around here :)  

I've got some projects to do; nesting boxes for the duckies, improvements to the chicken house, etc.

And working on some designs for chicken/duck/farm garden stakes & signs; soon to be available on my Etsy shop.

 -Amber-

 

Hyde Park Curb A'Faire-Boise's Newest Street Performance Event!

I'm going to be creating the Grande Prize Trophy for Boise's newest street performance event: the Hyde Park Curb A'Faire & I'm so excited!  

We have a shopping trip planned for tomorrow to hunt for treasures to create something amazing for this---Pacific Recycling, the Reuseum, Idaho Power Salvage, & a few other secret location... ; )

Not sure yet what it's going to look like, but I'm really looking forward to creating something whimsical with a bit of a steampunk influence....  We shall see.... I'll update on progress.

If you are a performer interested in this event; contact me for the application---email me at refinerii@yahoo.com & I might even be able to get the fee waived for you ; )  

This is going to be a fun new event for Boise, & I'm really excited to be involved---check out the FB event page at: Hyde Park Curb A'Faire for all the details.  

Hope to see you there!

-Amber-

Boise's World Trade Center Memorial-Progress Update

The sculpture is finished up & ready for installation at Riverside Park next week sometime.  After over a year of planning & talking & thinking--it's finally done!

Pictured here are myself (looking fat--nice pose, lol) & Montry Smith: owner of Blake Trailers & Fabrication; where the pieces was built.  We had a little unveiling today for press & those involved in the project: thanks to everyone who came out to see it :)

We got pretty close to the original design: I'm very happy with the overall look of the piece.  Looking forward to seeing it in place: the courtyard is ready & waiting for the final pieces; including the sculpture & the wall of names.     The finished project will be dedicated on September 11th: I'll be posting more info on times & details as I have them.

The sculpture will be on display all this week in front of Blake Trailers in Star--you will see it as you drive by.  Anyone is welcome to stop in for photos & you can see the vision board in the office.

Working on this project has been surreal from the beginning: & I'm so honored to have been able bring my vision for the beam into reality.  Everyone who has worked on this project has been so generous with time, money, etc--I think we all felt the same: privileged to be a small part of such an important moment in history; & hoping that we have created something serene that pays tribute to all those who were lost.

Amber 

Trophies, Bouquets, Duckies, Installs, & Summer Madness!

Wow! Things have been busy the last few weeks!  I've made trophies, wedding centerpieces, wedding bouquets, worked on public art, proposals, & installed a fountain!  Plus, we somehow ended up taking in 5 adorable little duckies that have been nothing but distracting, lol :)

 

 

Starting with; the fountain--that has kept me busy for weeks!  Commissioned by the Idaho Botanical Garden last fall: this piece took 3 tries to get right (more on that later) It is finally in place & looks beautiful, just like we planned; I'm very happy with the overall look of it; even if it didn't go smooth the first (or second) time, lol ; )

In addition to 8 trophies that shipped to Japan last week, & the 12 that will go to South Carolina on Monday, I finished up this one for a copper mine in Nevada & sent it out.  It stands 22 inches tall; made from steel, aluminum, & copper, with a wood base--one of my best yet :)   This is a perpetual trophy; winners names will be added to the base year after year.  I hope they like it as much as I do ;)

And the new duckies!  OMG: so cute!  I found an add on Craigslist saying that a family had rescued these 5 ducks as babies, but no longer had the room for them: they were very concerned that they go to a good home with lots of room, & I was very happy to take them :)  They are young Sweedish Black ducks, as far as I can guess-4 hens & 1 drake. And so sweet & cute & happy!  I have missed having ducks around the place, & when I saw the add I couldn't resist ; )  I'll post more pics later...

And, the latest crazy alternative wedding bouquet; instead of pearls & flowers she wanted nuts, bolts, & hardware....love it!  One of my favs.   Also this week; shipped one out that will be walking down the aisle at Burning Man, another to Spain, & a whole bunch of tree centerpieces for a wedding in Canada.

Whew!  It's been quite the week!  I was so happy to sleep in a bit today & get caught up: still a few bouquets to make tomorrow & an order of trophies; thankful for the weekend & no one calling ; )

Updates coming; next week is Boise World Trade Center Memorial Week--it will be done & installed: one way or another :)  

Amber