I had a beautiful experience visiting the Giants Forest at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest over the weekend with Al. We meet two young girls visiting with their Grandmother. We visited as we walked toward the Giants trail. Al and I got a bit ahead of them as we crossed the bridge to see […]

I once had a friend trained in Feng Shui that introduced to me to the saying, “A New Broom Sweeps Clean”…..she didn’t tell me the rest of the quote….”but an old broom knows the corners”. Often my Feng is in the Shui….in other words…we can get in our own way. Fall is a reflective time […]

I began learning to knit almost two years ago and have continued to take more classes along the way. I just completed a sock knitting class! I have one complete and vow not to get “second sock syndrome”….when you don’t finish the second sock! I find knitting so much fun….it’s a process just like mosaics….one […]

I graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1981. I was living in Park City, Kentucky and took a job at a denim sewing factory in Cave City for the summer until my teaching job started in the fall. These ladies at the factory would tape their fingers to keep the denim from wearing blisters as […]

As a former visual arts instructor with Metro Nashville Public Schools, I am conditioned to find ways to stretch a budget for materials. When I see a use for something beyond its intended purpose, I find it hard to discard. Folks would leave broken dishes and other items on my front porch when I lived […]

I hope we are beyond the 90 degree high temp days here in middle Tennessee.   My work outside this summer has been limited by the extremely hot temperatures.  It wouldn’t hurt the materials to work in this heat but it’s just not fun for me and I am a warm weather gal!  So I […]

I had some guests scheduled to visit the BBMH this past week.  We’d texted several times to coordinate and set it up.  Then, the message, there had been a death in the family and we would have to reschedule.  This had me reflecting once again on the Joseph Campbell quote over the door here at […]

The quote above the front door at the Bell Buckle Mosaic House from Joseph Campbell is: “We cannot cure the world of sorrow, But we can choose to live in Joy.” Twenty years ago I was carving styrofoam (working in a process taught by Sherri Warner Hunter) to create my on forms on which to […]

The mission of the Bell Buckle Mosaic House is to Build Community Through Creativity.  How do we do that?  We believe art can connect us to our common humanity and ourselves.  Creative participation can nurture a sense of togetherness.  Creative challenges can build intercultural and inter-generational connections.  We want to elevate the artist community and […]

How do you know if you can use a material in an outdoor mosaic?  Well….that depends on where you live. Here in Tennessee, the material has to withstand the freeze/thaw cycle. One such material that will is Fiesta dinnerware.  And…its comes in great colors! Many years ago (20), I would frequent the Nashville Flea Market.  […]