The seasons are changing again. Fall is in the air, at least here in the mountains of New Mexico! This morning I had to wear a sweater during my morning walk…I’d forgot that August here in the mountains can be on the cool side.

I wanted to share with you this bouquet of wildflowers I picked. Normally I just let the flowers alone, admiring them and knowing they (or possibly some different ones) will be blooming tomorrow. But there is an unusual one called a “Mexican Hat” that I wanted to show my husband.

Since there was an entire patch of these whimsical blooms, I plucked one. Then I told myself it would be so much prettier with some other ones surrounding it. So I ended up with a whole little bunch, one of each kind I encountered. And aren’t they a pretty little bouquet? (The Mexican hat is the one with the tall part in sticking up in the middle, surrounded at the base by some pretty crimson petals.)

Along with the changing seasons, I’ve decided to make some new designs! It makes me so happy to “create something out of nothing.” What is just a blob of clay becomes a sweet ferret with angel wings. Or a cuddly looking grizzly bear. (Remember my last blog post about the grizzly cub that lost his mama? Well, they were reunited. And I created a line of grizzly bears in little Pepper the cub’s honor!)

I’m so inspired by both our animal companions and the wildlife around us. Animals are so beautiful and so much fun for me to recreate. I love to honor them as a piece of jewelry that any animal lover can proudly wear.

I really do have the best job!

I always smile inwardly when a customer comes up to me at a show and tells me she thinks I’ve covered the entire animal kingdom with my jewelry. That is quite a compliment since (according to my Google info) there are 1-2 million animal species!

Looking at it that way, I’ve only just dipped my toe in the water.

You’ll see my new designs pretty soon. I promise to let you know once they are cast and complete. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep on creating.

And now I have a question for you. What is your favorite animal? You can be very specific as to breed or species. It’s not that I run out of ideas, but I really do want to know!

Thanks for being an animal lover. We need more people like you in the world.

Your Animal Loving Artist,

Merry