The Pillywiggin Workshop has been in full swing. First getting ready for the Winter Fantasy Art Show, then the holidays. We made ornaments, bottle chimes, gourd snowmen and new this year, fused glass lanterns. As you can see, Mother Nature provided the inspiration for this lantern & it was the first to sell. I shared photos of it on our Pillywiggins Facebook page prior to the show. Our friend Sue saw the post, arrived early & made a beeline for the lantern. Thank you Sue! I love knowing where our creations will live. We have pieces in Maine, Florida, Colorado, Oregon & a few in Germany! But to me, it's extra special when your work belongs in a friend's home.

​The pieces below (shown under construction) are the first 2 plates of what will be a 4 plate series. We made a 10" version for Grandma Pillywiggin and a 7" version for Aunt Junie. We'll be working on spring & summer plates next to complete the series. Mom & Aunt Junie are the official "Beta Testers" for Pillywiggins Garden. LOL Over the winter we'll expand on the theme to create a collection that includes plates, lanterns, wall panels, ornaments & more. Stay tuned!

The weather was perfect for safe holiday traveling. We spent Saturday, December 14th with Grandma & Grandpa Pillywiggin and Alma VFW Post 1454 honoring our Nation's Heroes on Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, volunteers gather to place a wreath on every Veteran's grave in the Veteran's Section of Riverside Cemetery in Alma, MI joining many others across the USA. 

Like most families, we traveled with our "kids" over the holidays visiting family & friends. Our family Christmas is a weekend-long event held at Grandma & Grandpa Pillywiggins farm. From the U.P. on down, everyone gathers at the farm, including the furry members of our family. 

While we were downstate, I made a run to Delphi Art Glass in Lansing to stock up on glass supplies. I found this gorgeous piece of specialty glass that I could not resist. The photos above were one sheet of glass that I had split in half for easier transport. I'm not sure what I will do with it yet. For now, I'm happy just to gaze upon its beauty.

​We spent Christmas Day at home with plenty of entertainment watching our kids open presents from Santa Paws. Jason & I very rarely go out for New Year's Eve but we made an exception this year. We made reservations at the Torch Lake Cafe in Eastport, a very short hop from our house. Dinner was excellent but we were there to see our friend Joan who was performing with her bandmates Yankee Station. It was our first time seeing them live. They were absolutely fabulous!

Now that the excitement of the holidays is over, it's time to enjoy the simple pleasures of winter. Our favorite winter pastimes include....

​It's called a "conk" - Inonotus Obliquus, a mushroom/fungus more commonly known as Chaga. It's a parasite on birch & other trees but apparently it's prized for human consumption for its medicinal qualities. I had no idea. But now that I do, I'll be on the lookout for more.

Lakefront property owners have been dealing with the effects of high lake levels all over Northern Michigan. Now, property owners along the coast of Lake Michigan are experiencing massive shoreline erosion. People are losing frontage, staircases, boat hoists, and more. The photos & video clips below were taken October 22, 2019 just a few miles outside of Eastport, MI. 

Each video clip below is under a minute long but they capture the powerful destruction of Lake Michigan much better than the photos.