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I have a contact on Flickr that makes the most beautiful photo collages. I am flattered that she frequently uses one of my photos in her work. For pure visual inspiration, check out her work HERE, and then follow the links to see each of the artists…warning: you could be here all day!
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This time of year my bright blue Hydrangeas start to turn a blue-green color, that I think I like even more…it’s softer, and goes with my interior colors a bit better. I went out this morning and cut about 3 dozen blooms…
and filled 4 vases full…
It won’t be long before they are gone, and I will quit boring you with flower pictures…just thought they were too pretty not to share!
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I’ve been sick for a week. Cold, cough, fever, flu, yuck. Stayed in bed for 3 days! Haven’t been able to taste a thing, and ALL I have been able to think about was lemonade and sugar cookies. I thought…as soon as I feel better, and am able to breathe and taste again, I want lemonade and sugar cookies. I have no idea why I was craving that, but I was. I’m usually a chocolate girl! As you can tell from the photo, I am back to the land of the living…even if they are only slice-and-bake cookies, and Minute Maid diet lemonade…they sure tasted good! Still haven’t visited any of the blogs on the studio tour last weekend, or answered my emails…hope to catch up this weekend! Stay healthy!!!
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Welcome friends! Thanks for stopping by for a little peek at my studio. My creative space is in the basement of my home, along with my office. I had the space remodeled several years ago and installed a bead board ceiling, crown molding and recessed lighting. I’ve kept the walls and carpet very neutral to make the most of the light.
When you walk through the French doors from my office, to the right is a large work table (6 ft), that I don’t actually work at! I am not a “sit down” person, so I do all my work at a large commercial drafting table in the middle of the room. I keep the table level and have stools on each side, so the kids can work with me if they want to, or I can move from side to side, working on multiple projects. I usually keep a sewing machine set up on one side of the table. The work table is handy for piling stuff on, and the burlap table skirt hides 12x12 plastic bins filled with paper…
Above the table is my inspiration board that I made out of a twin headboard…
On the side of the table is an old doll crib that I use to “corral” my vintage wallpaper rolls.
This doll crib was given to me by a dear friend, and it was hers as a child…she is over 70, so I guess this classifies as vintage!
In front of my drafting table, in the middle of the room, is a bench that my uncle made for me a few years ago. I found a twin bed at the thrift store, and explained to him that I wanted to make it into a bench, and he said “no problem”!
Under the bench I keep some old locker baskets filled with vintage fabrics and linens.
My drafting table has a green top, so I usually keep it covered with an old white linen tablecloth. I don’t like to work on a colored surface-I just like to see colors against white! Current work in progress:
making a paper garland, and more crochet necklaces…
Hydrangeas are in every room, even the studio…
My grandmothers sewing machine, and beyond that…
an old lingerie chest that holds millinery flowers and vintage papers, cabinet cards and journals…
next to that is a china cabinet that was my Great Aunts.
I painted it white and it is filled with ribbon and trims…
I keep the shutters open to let in light, and so I can enjoy the yard. I also have a door that leads out to a stone patio.
On the opposite wall are 3 bookcases crammed with stuff…
You name it, I’ve probably got it…
next to that is one more bookcase…smaller and old…
through the French doors…
is my {RED} office…
That’s where I have my computer (it’s where I’m sitting now). But that’s a whole different post…that’s “where bloggers blog!”
Thank you so much for visiting my space…can’t wait to see all the other great spaces! A huge THANK YOU to Karen Valentine for organizing this fun event!
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You know how I like to take photographs…close-up, zoom-in…I’m all about the details…
Today I tried to get some “over all” photos of my studio, and I didn’t like them…you couldn’t see details. So I just wanted to share a few shots with you today, some of my favorite…details! This blue doll trunk used for storage, with 2 big fat roses stuck in the handle.
Stacks of old jewelry boxes filled with vintage jewels and buttons and treasures!
My very first sewing box from when I was a little girl, filled with pincushions…
Lots more to show you on Saturday!
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These measuring spoons are my new favorite thing in the kitchen…
A little Mother’s Day present from my girl & Anthropologie!
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I tend to be a very practical organizer…go to Target or Wal-Mart and buy a bunch of plastic containers with lids, and sort. One for thread, one for lace, one for paper…you get the picture. For years my studio has been a practical, and yes, a bit boring space. But I knew where the pipe cleaners were. They were in the bin marked pipe cleaners! For the past few years I have tried to make the space a little cuter, while still being practical. For example: I bought this cute little chippy drawer at the flea market last month and knew it could be useful in the studio. The problem was, what to put in it? It has been sitting empty for a month because the options were limitless. This morning I decided on rick rack. Just pink and cream rick rack. {All other rick rack colors are in the plastic bin!}
True confession: I sweat the small stuff. That’s why it takes forever to finish anything. Is there a support group for this? Oh yeah, it’s called blogging! Thanks for being my support group!!
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Well, I bit the bullet, and just signed my name to the list of participants in the second “Where Bloggers Create” blog event. Karen of My Desert Cottage is the lovely hostess and it looks like it will be a lot of fun. I’ve invited my Goddaughter Caroline to bring some friends over for a craft day {and cupcakes} next week, so a good cleaning is in order…now I have double motivation! If you would like to join in, it’s not too late…you can find all the details HERE!
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In Kansas last month, Beth had the AWESOME idea to use the folders that cabinet cards or old photos come in, to make a journal. Why didn’t I think of that? (I usually throw those away) Luckily, Beth shared her idea {and supplies} so that I could make one too! Here’s how: Start with a plain photo folder, and cut 2 pieces of watercolor paper (or any sturdy paper) slightly smaller than the (opened up) folder size.
Fold the 2 pieces of paper in half to make a seam, and open them up and stitch the paper to the folder down the seam. Your folder will now be a “journal” with 8 pages front & back!
I glued a cabinet card to the front, and I will say, this is not a card I would usually purchase because it had been folded…
and someone had written the girl’s names on the front with a blue ink pen…
But I sewed on some crochet trim and glued on a button, and it hid the writing!
I added some vintage papers to the inside front cover to hide my sewing…
and tied a bow out of a gorgeous vintage silk ribbon that Beth gave me {love}…
This project took no time at all, and was really inspiring. It made me look twice at less that perfect items that I might normally throw away, or pass over at a flea market. Thanks Beth for your inspiration and generosity! Hope this inspires you too!
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Several weeks ago, on the night before I was leaving to fly to Kansas to see my friend Karla, I had this wild idea that I needed a journal to record the weekends events. Now the thought of a journal isn’t crazy in itself, it’s that it was 11:00pm and I had to be up at 5:00am, and well…I still hadn’t finished packing :) So of course, I made a journal. A really easy journal. Here’s how I made it, using what was on hand:
I used one piece of watercolor paper that was 12”x18” from a notebook…
I cut the sheet into 3 strips, each 12” x 6”. I folded all 3 pieces in half to make a 6” x 6” journal with 6 pages (12 pages front and back). I really quickly painted a watercolor design on the front and back of each page-stripes, dots…really simple. You could then sew the spine, but I punched 2 holes and tied my journal with some seam binding.
I decorated the front with a few vintage items and a crepe paper ruffle to hide the rough edge where I tore the paper from the book (you can see the edge on the left front page below)…
When I travel, I save business cards from shops and restaurants (and the cardboard holder from my coffee in the airport) and tie them in with a bit of ribbon. Once a scrapbooker, always a scrapbooker!
I took the journal, a few pens, a glue stick,a small pair of scissors, a few bits of ribbon and paper, and put everything in a cigar box and carried it in my purse. That’s all you really need.
I left blank pages for photos and more journaling.
here’s the center of the book, so you can see the punched holes and ribbon…
my place card from lunch at Carol's…
I finished most of my journaling while waiting in the airport for my flight back home, while everything was fresh in my mind, and before it was back to reality!
the last 2 pages are for more photos…
This is a small journal, but perfect for a long weekend or a little trip. If I had more time, I would have tried to make it more complicated, but you know..it worked just fine being simple! The only thing I would change is that I should have had everyone sign it…guess I’ll have to go back again one day!!! Tomorrow I’ll show you another easy journal that Beth showed me how to make!
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