The LinkedIn blue bubble incident

You know that blue circle which keeps popping up on your page... the one demanding that you "finish your profile"... well, I finally got sick and tired of it, and I thought, Okay... let me get rid of it.  I took a look as to what its demands are, and, of course,  the demand ends up being "ask for recommendations."  I don't particularly like doing this, and it's why I still have not done it, but I thought, if it will help me not see that darn blue bubble, I will do it.

I clicked on the link and ALL of my LinkedIn connections popped up on the screen! Overwhelming much? YES!  I thought... well, that is a lot of work... Okay, I will simply say "please recommend me, and if we have not worked on a project together, here's a link to my work"

Sounded like a great idea at the time, but... let me give you a heads up, don't ever do this!
Apparently people whom I know thought it was spam because I said "if I don't know you", and the people with whom I have not done a project thought it was spam because I said "please recommend me." LOL

The Moral Of The Story:

Leave the blue bubble alone,
even if it's driving you crazy!





Ps.
I have 1 recommendation from Sandra Prater (thank you for taking the time Sandra:)
a bunch of "Izabela, is this spam?" letters
and One Blue Bubble, which just won't go away:)

My trip to Rohde's Green Sense

This year I decided to start an organic garden... and to go with an above ground one!
Laimis purchased a whole lot of organic dirt from the store across the street from the Dallas Arboretum.

They said that the soil had 3 different kinds of things inside it, for organic gardening, but when the truck arrived home I looked at it and had to squint... it looked more like mulch than something I'd picture vegetables growing in... but, I thought... what do I know... I just remember gardening from Poland and the dirt might be different.

Well... I guess I knew something after all, because after spending a whole lot of money on seeds and plugging in a few tomato plants, nothing grew past the 1 or 2 original inches of growth.

I finally talked to a neighbor who told me to take a trip to Rohde's!  ...and so I did!

Turns out, all those pieces of wood inside the so called "garden soil" ate out all the oxygen and so the poor plants were basically suffocating! I picked up some organic fertilizer, which would put a whole lot of nitrogen inside the dirt and hopefully by next year I'd have a garden:)

I didn't remove any of the original plants because I wanted to see what would happen, and in no time what so ever, my tiny cucumber plant started turning into a large cucumber vine!  The other ones were not so lucky!

But,! and this is the reason I was most impressed by Rohde's, I did see sorrel plants at the store and was just blown away!  The last time I saw sorrel growing anywhere was in Europe!  I picked up one (I didn't want to throw money out the window if the fertilizer was't going to help) and planted it in the newly doctored soil.  It's growing!!

So, back to the sorrel!  I know that in Europe it's the most common spring green laying around the kitchen, but why is it that no one seems to eat it here?  I've never seen it at the grocery store.  It has a lovely citrusy bite and it's excellent in a sorrel soup, or paired with fish or chicken.

You should always cook it in aluminum, otherwise you'll end up with an ugly color because of the oxalic acid in the plant.  If you don't care about the color, cook it however you'd like... it's still going to have a great taste!

These are not my recipes, but here are a few:

Salmon in Sorrel Sauce

Butter-Braised Radishes with Sorrel

Cauliflower and Sorrel Soup

Have Fun!

Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art

Several years ago I got an invitation from Ken Marquis, the founder of Landfillart Project to participate in an international effort encompassing one-thousand-forty-one (1,041) artists to claim a piece of rusted metal garbage and create fine art. The pieces of trash were made up of old automobile hub caps from the 1930's through the 1970's and mine arrived in a large box just a few days after our initial conversation. It was an old chrome Chevrolet piece, rusted in places and most definitely mistreated by the time it had spent in the landfills; using it as a canvas was not an option for me; this piece was begging to reveal the beauty hidden beneath the patina of time. I decided to strip the piece to its core, finding the gold underneath the silver; jackpot! The freshly unearthed metal looked as if the piece had been molded just that day... I decided to distress the piece and apply a dark patina to the surface, lightly taking off the high areas, and slowly, but surely, creating art. I loved it so much that I really didn't want to send it back. After a few days of enjoying the piece at my home, it was finally time to pack it up and ship it back to Landfillart.org, where it could do some good for our precious earth.

Today I have been informed that a bunch of the pieces were chosen to be displayed at the MSV in Virginia!  Here are a few other pieces which will be on display:

ABOUT THE MSV EXHIBITION

The exhibition of environmentally inspired contemporary art, Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art will present the works of 287 artists from every US state and 35 other countries from Sunday, September 7, 2014 and run through March 1, 2015.

In support of the opening of Second Time Around, the MSV will concurrently present WASTE NOT, a version of the exhibition Green Revolution which is made available by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service based on an exhibition originally created by the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, and its Black Creativity Council.

To top the cake with a cherry, my piece is being displayed on the front page of Landfillart.org; how fun is that!

Wrought Iron Branch Gate

My latest design is a wrought iron branch gate with a few lonely leaves, still hanging on, and a little bitty bird sitting on one of the branches.

I think that wrought iron doesn't only have to be traditional, it's beautiful in the hands of an artist, who can tell stories in the material.  I also absolutely love the organic look which can be achieved in the hand forging of the metal.

visit me at IzabelaWojcik.com

The Art of Venetian Plaster

I have always been fascinated by Venetian plaster, and those who love the look, consider the finish ultimate in elegance. The richness of the lustrous colors in Venetian plaster truly make the room.  Used in Italy for hundreds of years, the plaster was used to repair or even replace damaged marble.  On top of the fact that it is durable, this classic finish, made up of marble dust, lime and pigments, actually feels amazing to the touch.

There are lots of great things about this plaster, like the fact that it can be smoothed out to feel like glass, but the most fascinating thing about it in my opinion, is that for some reason those of us who might go with a more subtle pallet of paint choices for our home really can go wild with Venetian plaster and it always looks spectacular!

In theory, the finish should be an easy task, but I have experimented with it for a project at my home, and let me tell you... not as easy as one might think.  It takes an artist to truly bring the Venetian plaster to life.  Tom Soltys, with whom I always seem to cross paths, is one of those rare people who can make any crazy color look out of this world, even black!  He was showing me the other day a finish he did for on of his clients, and I was just blown away.  The black Venetian plaster, contrasting the white travertine floors... I automatically pictured classic contemporary furniture, wall accessories and lighting, which would further contrast the finish.

Here's one home we crossed paths on... it was an amazing project by the talented team of Carl Wesley Lowery and Cody Wayne Glover from Wesley-Wayne Interiors.  If you are looking for an interior designer, they should be in on your list of potential interviews.  I asked Tom if I could use his photos for my blog, and he agreed, so of course I asked him if he would like it if I'd add his phone number... "Of course," he said.  So, here it is: 214.677.6254.  I think that everyone, home owner or interior designer, should get to know Tom for sure.

Luk, the garden tornado...

Luk, the tomato gardener is a difficult character to deal with.  I planted all sorts of goodies in my planter boxes, and he decided that he'll be super helpful... by digging up every single little bush of blueberries, blackberries, rosemary, and the list just goes on.  Thank goodness he's not interested in smaller pots... he's only a level 10 tornado in areas he can fit into.

Believe it or not, I grew these out of a single heirloom, organic, purple tomato.

They've been growing in the flower pot for a while now, but I think it might be time to place them in the garden... it's getting quite warm outside, and they are at the point when more room will be required quite soon.

The roses are looking gorgeous already, and there are still so many little buds on the rosebush... in a few more days all you'll see is the rich color of the flowers... can't wait!

I took this photo when the peach tree started blooming, and darn! I forgot to snap another one when it was absolutely overflowing with pink... next year...

In any case, the smaller peach is overflowing with baby peaches... hoping they won't drop off like they did last year.

So what's better then a pretty pear? A pear which smells and tastes like a real fruit should.  I got these from Natural Grocers... they were so juicy that I pretty much had to stand back when taking a bite... yummy...

From coffee tables to Gothic chandeliers: my new wrought iron designs

I've not been blogging for quite some time, so I decided to show off a few of my recent designs....

It's a mix of custom light fixtures, coffee tables, and exterior gates.  Some are wrought iron, some are more modern and nickel plated, and all of them can be made for your home, in a custom size, a finish you desire, and what ever the configuration your home requires.  Let me know what your favorites are, and click HERE to get a hold of me.  Here we go...

This is one of my favorites, a hanging branch fixture... some might consider it a hanging branch sconce, and others a hanging branch chandelier... what ever works for you.  It's the perfect piece for a transitional or contemporary home.  A great finish for this fabulous fixture would be a brushed nickel or a polished chrome, but it can also fit in a more traditional home as well, with a gold or silver or even a natural wrought iron look.

Going toward a more traditional design, this four candle chandelier is a great piece for anyone with a smaller dining room table.  It provides plenty of WOW factor, without taking up the space of a larger, more traditional designs.  The scrolls are beautifully textured, and I think that this finish is just perfect for the design.

A simple candelabra goes a long way... In this case it will be all about the textures and finishes.... Maybe a mix of dark pewter with a touch of antiqued copper or brass.

The large quatrefoil design is just the thing for this simple, yet effective red coffee table design.  The vibe of this piece changes entirely by changing the finish to a soft nickel plating or even a warm black finish.

For those of you with large homes and a whole lot of ceiling space, a three tier gothic chandelier is just the thing.  The entire fixture is spectacular, but the bottom tier is where the magic really happens.  I've alternated lights with gorgeous, hand forged floral details.

Quatrefoils are, in my opinion, one of the most gorgeous designs ever made by the old masters.  I just can't get enough of them.  Here is a gate design, which incorporates two types of quatrefoils, which makes for a very impressive piece of functional art.