Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Good friends called to say they were going to travel to Kenya and Tanzania.   They knew that Peter and I had gone a few years ago and wondered if we had any advice.   Of course we do!   I told them I would look through my journals and send things that might be interesting. What fun I had going through my journals!   We spent 10 days on a tour mostly in Tanzania with http://www.africa-adventure.com/ .   The best part was having our own guide, Firozdin Rafiq . We could stop and take photos and watch wildlife anywhere we wanted and he was extremely knowledgeable about birds to elephants and inbetween.  (He has a fb page).    I think I came home with over 700 really good photos not counting the ones I trashed.   We were interested in everything! Because we were going in a small plane between Kenya and Tanzania, we were allowed a total of 35 pounds each.   That included the camera, lenses, binoculars and clothes.     I came across...

I love the ocean…any ocean.   I love to watch the waves roll in and out bringing seashells and ocean creatures.   The patterns of the sand can hold my attention for hours.   I love the wind on my face even when it is cold although I prefer a warm breeze.   I love old driftwood and birds at the water’s edge. I love watching whales blowing water and dolphins playing and sea otters floating on their backs. The variety of color and shapes of seashells amaze me.   Yes, I have collected many and right now they are in a pile on the guest bath counter waiting for glass shelves.   I have several small pieces of coral in various colors that were given to me by my father who also loved them.   We lived in Missouri so ocean things were always a novelty.   I keep them in a box and once in a while take them out and think about the ocean and its treasures.   The other evening I wanted to make something unusual and thought about the lovely piece of branch ...

Walks in nature   Birds                  Flowers                                        Combination of Colors Feeling all kinds of textures Fabrics Art Music Farmer’s Markets   with all the sights, shapes, and noise Store Displays – Windows that draw me in Old Buildings with all their details Architecture – past and present History –connections and stories Historical Costumes – how they were made and why Books – all kinds, sizes, shapes, and content Watching and listening to the Ocean Light changing on the mountains Watching the sunrise and sunset Sounds of the night 

When you look at my etsy stores you see Mojave Stone jewelry .  In the 1970's, my father and two brothers mined a stone in the Mojave Desert in the middle of nowhere California!  Actually, the mine was somewhat but not very close to Desert Center.  It had been a gold/silver mine before they staked their claim and began mining stone.  My family lived in Missouri and the stone had to be trucked from the desert after strip mining it.  I was married and away from home so I got to hear the stories of making a road, fighting off bees, surviving the heat, being careful of the critters and all the other 'Wild West' excitement.  And I did not have to rough it! Dad was going to retire (some day) and make and sell the polished cabochons (a stone cut and polished usually with a flat back and a convex top) for jewelry.  In the meantime, he had some distributors sell it, some metal smiths create pieces, and he trademarked it as 'Mojave Royal Blue' and 'Mojave ...

Once in a while a client becomes a very good friend.   We share experiences, backgrounds, thoughts, and are very honest with each other.   So when that person comes to visit my home, they discover many things.   I am not a great housekeeper.    I have too much stuff and everything has a story.   I have many projects going on at any given time depending on my current interests. A Few of the Stories: The tall glass pitcher was given to my mother by an American Indian man who took care of my brother and I while Mom finished college at age 44.    I learned the meaning of sharing and giving of oneself.   The pitcher was his mother’s, his treasured possession and he wanted us to have it to remember him.   After Mom and Dad died, I integrated many of their possessions into my home.   My mother’s paintings hang on my walls. I remember watching her and listening to her as she created them.   Dad’s collection of red glass admonishes m...

I love going to the market and seeing all the colors and shapes of vegetables and flowers and people.  Usually I take my camera and capture whatever catches my eye.  But today I decided to just enjoy everything with my friend and buy some tomatoes and and flowers.  Of course I took a large bag and before my trip was over I had 3 bags full.  I knew that would happen didn't you?  As I turned a corner and went up another aisle, I was stopped by a cabbage with the largest ruffliest leaves I have ever seen.  I said, 'I want that!  I want to take a picture of it.'  Remember, I had no camera!  The lady in the stall offered to take off the big outer leaves so I would have a normal size cabbage.  I almost grabbed it out of her hands!  'No!! Those leaves are why I want it!"  So she carefully handed my the cabbage and I got it into a plastic bag.   We left soon after that with my ba...