Another Season Begins

 Winter does not give up on Digby Neck easily. Winds off the water keep temperatures cool so even sunny days can be unpleasant. But eventually, all bad things must come to an end. The crocuses are croaking and the Great Blue Herons are back. The hummingbirds have reached southern Maine on their annual trek north and the cormorants will soon be basking in the sun at the dock across the street.

So after a tough winter, it's time to open The Artist's Mark.

The sign post will definitely need some repair but inside, things are looking pretty spiffy!

As you can see, we still have a good selection of our premium hand dyed yarn at our cost ($22/skein). Over the winter, we have created a wide selection of jewelry including some awesome copper bangle bracelets for both men and women, Viking Knit chain necklaces in both copper and sterling silver and pendants featuring stones from across the street and around the world. Here's a show stopper we just did in silver.

So if your vacation plans take you to Nova Scotia, come to the best part- Digby (the scallop capital of the world) and Digby Neck, home of the famous Balancing Rock, Whale Watching and, of course, our beautiful little shop.

Since I am a lapidary, I have an awesome rock shop so if you have kids, stop by and we'll give them a free gift and show them how you cut and shape rocks.

We're usually open every day but you can contact us by phone (902) 482-2188 or email ptoceanwaves@gmail.com to make sure.

Hope to see you soon!

We Finally Have a Name.

 After a wonderful decade in paradise, we have finally decided to give this great house a name!

It's actually a little bittersweet because we are thinking it might be time to move into a smaller place closer to our daughter in Dartmouth. Let me tell ya, it ain't gonna be easy!

Something about this old house (and it is OLD- but modernized) just captures your heart and fires the imagination. But we're both well into our 70's and perhaps it's time to slow down a little. But it will be hard to not have these sunrises.

And we're sure gonna miss these views from the deck.

Not many places have a walk on sandy beach just across the street but sadly, since the multiple hip replacements, the walks are few and far between. So, as they say, life does not stand still and neither should you. One door closes and another opens and we're already making plans for our next "excellent adventure"

The house is huge and has two separate art studios as well as its own gift shop (see other blog posts). It has a new roof but needs some repairs and rather than do them ourselves, we're going to let the next owners put their own stamp on it. So if you have a sense of adventure (especially if you are an artist) and like the idea of living in your own slice of paradise with beachcombing and whale watching nearby and St. Mary's Bay across the street, get in touch.

And because of this change almost all items in the store are at least 20% off so come by and get some great deals!

 And no, I'm not crying- I just have something in my eye!

Lots of New Pieces For The Shop

 We'll probably be putting our sign back up and opening the shop soon so we've been really busy creating pieces to fill the empty spaces and I thought I'd catch you up on a few.

I made this set from a large piece of red jasper that a customer sent so the Real Artist could use it for paint pigment. It turned out beautifully- a little too perfectly as it turned out as it sold as soon as I posted it on Instagram!

I wanted to create earrings using a copper filigree bead cap I have and this was the first pair. They also sold as soon as I posted them so I've been making more (pics will follow in the next post). The stone is a beautiful piece of local agate/jasper and I hung it on a very special sterling silver chain. It's still available.

This is another local agate that I set using a perimeter groove so as not to disturb the gorgeous patterning. I used German silver (non-tarnish) wire and hung it on a really nice sterling silver chain.

This (local) piece of plume agate is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever worked with. It seemed to call for brass wire to compliment the colour of the stone so that meant that I had to make a set of brass findings and a neck clasp. Whatever it takes I say.

 

 The patterning and colours are outstanding but again I made the mistake of posting it on Instagram and it also sold!

Next time I'll post a few more including the Boho Earring line I've finished.

Hope to see you at the shop but if you see something you like, we ship!

We're Creating!

 Life has been very busy of late but we were finally able to carve out some time to spend in the studio and I had the privilege of working along side the "Real Artist".

I decided to start the creative period with a real show stopper. The stone is local but quite rare- a mixture of amethyst and white chalcedony. Our local amethyst tends to be pretty light but this piece has beautiful purple colour. A few  small indentations on the side were just in the right place to enable us to create a very unique setting.

I used non tarnish German silver and hung it on a complementary white buna cord that really highlights the white chalcedony and the topper are a couple of cool druzy pockets to add some sparkle.

The "Real Artist" has also been busy. This piece s called "Nor'Easter on Brier Island" and while not large, it has tremendous energy.

Both of these pieces are available in the shop and we also ship. The pendant is $40 and the painting is $80 with shipping extra.

Stay tuned to see more great pieces.

PS: This year I will also be selling cabochons, some drilled and grooved so if you want to create your own pieces, get in touch.

Spring Comes To The Neck??

 There are few things less predictable and constant than our local weather. Case in point- a few days ago it was (for here) very cold, -9C. Then it warmed up and we had a beautiful sunny day with a high of +15C. Yesterday, the wind kicked up from the south and the temperature went from 0 to +12 as the winds increased, eventually topping out over 90 Kilometers per hour. From 2 AM last night to 6 this morning the temperature sank to +1. I know because the wind was howling and the rain was hitting the windows in sheets, making sleep impossible! Then it started to snow. And today this was my view over coffee.

Now the real beauty of this shot is where the sun is rising. In the dead of winter, it would be coming up where the telephone pole to the right is so we're making real progress!

Next thing you know, we will be putting the store sign up and be open for business so starting next week, I'll be full time at the jewelry bench making new (and hopefully interesting) pieces such as these.

Of course, that means I'll be sharing my Norwegian wife's studio so I'm buying us both shirts.

Hope to see you this summer!

Winter Comes To The Neck

 Well, our first big snow storm has finally arrived and it's a doozy. Fortunately (for us) we are getting the least amount of snow in the province but at the other end (Cape Breton) they have drifts 10 feet high and the Halifax area has received over 2 feet! It is "Snowmageddon"!

Here's how things are looking in Cape Breton. (not my pic)

Needless to say there will be no beachcombing today. Fortunately, I have a ton of cabochons to work with.

Now the job is to choose about a dozen to make pieces for the shop. We will probably open sometime in early April and by then the store will be fully stocked.

Here's one of my favourites.

 

We are so fortunate to have such beautiful local gemstone quality agate, jasper, carnelian- you name it we've got it! Digby Neck is such a magical place.

Hope to see you next summer!

 

Temporary Shop Closure

 Some may know  that I have had both hips replaced and last weekend I did something to displace the left one. It's getting better but I  still can't walk very well so we have decided to close for   the baalance of the week.

I will be here and can be reached by phone (902) 482-2188 or by email ptoceanwaves@gmail.com    If you are only here fooor   a few days and really want something from the shop, Vickie will be around and if you call, we'll try our best to open for you

Lots of Tourists

 As the weather finally improves and the smoke clears, more tourists are starting to appear and we've also seen people who come annually as they have summer homes here. I'm being kept busy making new pieces to replace sold items. Here's a real beauty combining a beautiful stone, unique hand fashioned copper setting and a show stopping Viking Knit Chain.

I have to say this is one of the most beautiful stones we have found on the neck. It positively glows!

Once again I have embarked on an ambitious project- finish 100 cabochons through the summer. Honestly, if I didn't have my Cab King with the trim saw attachment, I couldn't do it.

Believe it or not, one of the big problems I have is to be selective. Vickie has found me so much beautiful local rock! Here's a sampling.

This gorgeous piece has spectacular colour and patterning and will make a stunning pendant.

Another amazing piece with several different types of structure. It is photographed wet- hence the highlights.

This stunner has areas of moss agate on the bottom and a great pocket of fortification agate along with rich colour shifts. 

And last but by no means least, we have this show stopping combination of plume agate in an amethyst matrix. And these are just a few of this summer's haul. So if your travels take you to Nova Scotia. Make sure to come to the most interesting part- Digby Neck- and stop by to say hello and see the shop.

Cheers.

Beautiful Hand Dyed Yarn

 Because I'm a rock guy, I sometimes forget that we are famous for our gorgeous hand dyed yarn.

Actually there's a tie in between the yarn and the rocks. When our daughter Lisa, a talented indy dyer visited for the first time she was struck by the beautiful colours of the local rocks and decided to try and capture them in her Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn. That's why all our skeins are named after rocks and minerals. But while the local rock is very hard, our yarn is very, very soft! It is merino wool and comes from a mill in England and we sell it in many weights and blends. Our resident artist and colour expert curates it into complimentary colours to make selection easier but one can buy any skein that strikes their fancy.

In addition to the yarn, we sell accessories and patterns as well as amazing hand knit items- mostly from patterns designed by "The Real Artist" who is usually around to answer questions from her knitting "tribe". And if you visit at the end of July this year, you can meet the dyer herself!

As a non-knitter, I must say a few words about this "unique" group of people. They are all crazy. But crazy in a good way and I love meeting them. I used to be in the golf business and thought golfers were the biggest fanatics in the world. Then I moved to Florida and invested in a sunglass company and started rubbing shoulders with surfers and bass fishermen. I quickly pegged them as being the true fanatics- the hard core of the fanatic universe. But then I met knitters and quickly realized I had found the top of the fanatic mountain- the "ne plus ultra" of the genre. One brief encounter sums it up. A few years back a lady came in from South Carolina and picked out a few skeins. She said that even though she had SABLE, this yarn was too beautiful not to buy. I was unfamiliar with the term SABLE and asked her. She said SABLE was a knitting term and stood for Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. "I'm 75 and have several hundred skeins of yarn. Do the math!" We should all have such a passion in our lives.

So if you are a user of yarn and want to see some absolutely beautiful material in an absolutely beautiful setting, pencil in a visit to Digby Neck. You will NOT be disappointed!

Milestone Reached!

 About 7 years ago, I started the blog to show people this beautiful part of Nova Scotia called Digby Neck and the art we produced here. As an old geezer, I didn't expect many would take the time to read it.

Boy, was I wrong!

This week, it blew through 90,000 (non bot) page views - a number I never thought possible. It has been read all over the world and I get such satisfaction when visitors come into the shop and say we decided to vacation here after reading your blog. Can I get to 100K? Only time will tell but it better happen soon because I ain't getting any younger!

So what have we been up to recently? Well, yesterday I made Vickie a new case for her phone. She couldn't work the power button with her old case so I tried to use the same design I use for my guitar pic pouches and it worked!

Happy wife, happy life!

We also had a visit from our friends who have a place down the Neck but now live in Maine. They share our passion for rocks and lapidary and brought a few things they had collected while here and I cut a couple for them on my Hi-Tech rock saw. There were some very pleasant surprises. This is why I love cutting rock!

This one has beautiful colour and patterning due to areas of plume and fortification agate. The closer you get, the better it looks!

Then there was this spectacular piece (found by the wife- see, I told you I'd give you credit!).

It was so good I cut it in two directions. The patterning is simply amazing and the limonite gives it such beautiful colour. 

So if you love rocks, come to Digby Neck! And stop by my rock shop- The Lap of Lapidary- and show me your treasures!

We're Open For 2023!

 Hi folks.

We'll, if the weather cooperates, we will be open this holiday weekend- April 7-9.

While it is still to cool to fire up the machines in the Lap of Lapidary, we have plenty of new pieces in the shop and while they last, we have a sale section.

So if your travels take you to beautiful Digby Neck, stop by and say hi. You just might leave with a treasure. And don't forget, everyone who stops by can take home a free piece of The Neck- a polished local stone.