My Weblog

Full Tilt Boogie

 
Whew! Where does the time go when the warm breezes of summer invade the atmosphere? So far behind in blogging due to a long stretch of hanging out in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Always such a privilege to soak in the beauty and charm of this special place.

But I hope to set aside some time in the next few days to catch up with all my bloggy friends. I don't think I've ever gone this long without inspecting my google reader.

I have to admit, on my drive back from the cabin all I could think about was getting my paws on my art supplies! You see, Mary Ann's newest online class Full Tilt Boogie debuted in my absence. As usual, her video instruction is superb and full of inspiration. Not to mention Mary Ann's adorable sense of humor...so add the word entertaining to the previous sentence as well.  

 
Although the instructions in this class are focused on altering an old Victorian photo album, any type of book will work. The real empahsis is on bookbinding methods.

For my first journal {she will be teaching several different types of binding} I chose the open back binding. Isn't that fun? Another girl in class posted a photo of her completed journal where she used the baker's twine and I was sold! 

 
The "book" I altered wasn't really a book at all! I repurposed the thick cardboard backing on one of my watercolor pads and made my own book covers! In order to give the covers more of an authentic look of an old victorian album, I first padded them with several layers of cotton batting {a slight brushing of mod podge to hold the layers in place}.

 

Before wrapping the covers in some upholstery fabric, I sewed different embellishments to the front cover using irish waxed linen thread.

The beautiful old velvet violet millinery flower was a gift from my friend, Patty. So fun to find a special place for this much loved little gem!

 

 
 One of my splurges for this class was buying a Japanese Screw Punch. I've wanted one for a long time since I have gobs of uses for this little beauty. It even punches through thick leather with extreme ease. For this particular class, it drilled all the holes for binding my book together.

 
My plans will be to add my own photos I've taken, as well as add lots more tape-in sections, pieces of ephemera, a little paint, rubber stamps, and of course, some journaling.

So much for that housework getting done....!

And by the way, I'm pretty sure you can still sign up for Full Tilt Boogie if this is your cup of tea! It's a delicious cup for sure and the best part? The class never closes...meaning, you will have full access to all of the videos forever and ever. I love that about Mary Ann's classes!

{no, i am not a paid blogger! i post this raving review of the class of my own free will!}

Hope you're finding some time to live in your sweet spot too!

xo, Sue

One Thousand Gifts

 
When I saw the package from Amazon, I tore into the thing thinking for sure it was one of the photography books I just ordered.

Instead, it was this book.

A book I didn't even remember ordering.

For a moment, I got a sick feeling thinking I just ripped open the neighbor's mail. And then just as quickly hoping it wasn't the same neighbor...you know, the one whose package I accidentally opened at Christmastime.  

Looking at the order sheet it definitely had my name on it. Whew. In fact, I preordered this book back on November 13th. No wonder.

Oh my.

Go get this book.

"A book destined to become a classic; the sort of book you dog-ear and re-read for the sheer joy of cherishing the words and experiencing the depth of the heart that wrote it." ----Mary DeMuth, author of Thin Places: A Memoir

I'm only a few chapters in and I wholeheartedly agree with Mary. And I don't even know Mary...never heard of her. But she's right. I have underlined so many passages...

...here's one I put to some photos I snapped yesterday.

It begins: "...I wonder too...if the rent in the canvas of our life backdrop, the losses that puncture our world, our own emptiness, might actually become places to see. To see through to God."

 
 

 
 

My dream job{{s}}...

Through the years I've worn a lot of different "work hats"...everything from retail to waitressing to elementary school teacher to corporate business woman to you name it...and I must say I've enjoyed all the varied experiences each had to offer. Some more than others...

But right now, on this given day, if I could pick my dream job{{s}}...

I would work at the altered book factory! There are no "bosses" and virtually no rules to speak of other than JUST HAVE FUN!  

Despite the fact that there's lots of sewing involved, no previous experience is necessary. In fact, the lady who teaches you the ropes for this job refers to her type of sewing as guerilla warfare sewing {or something close to that concept}...

But she ain't like one of these.....Sorry if that offends any blondes...I thought it was hysterical myself and I'm legally blonde. But I do pay a pretty penny to my hairdresser to perk it up a bit. Grin.

  If you enjoy whimsical...or the chance to join papers with fabric and any other type of material you can sew, glue, clip, staple, stamp, or nail down...

I think you would love Mary Ann's online class: REMAINS OF THE DAY!

Once you're finished with your journal and its all been binded together, your imagination is the only limit as to how you might use your new little book.

Personally speaking, I've already dreamed up in my head about 6 different books I want to make....One for garden notes, another for my favorite inspirational quotes, travel journals, for gifts, and on and on...

And as soon as I finished my shift at the altered journal factory, I would head to my next full-time job...

...that being, Kim Klassen's CAFE.................oh my. More on that tomorrow, or the next day, or the next....depends when I get my next day off! That is one of the down sides to these dream jobs, you never want to go home!!!!

Where Bloggers Create Party

Don't ya just git giddy when something you've wished for, waited on, dreamed of, but mostly

WORKED HARD FOR, !!!finally!!! happens?

For most of my "creative life" which now spans decades, my creative space and supplies were scattered throughout our home in closets, bins, tucked under beds, and so forth. The dining room often became command central. And upon walking by such headquarters one would immediately receive the distinct impression that command central had been heavily bombed! Chaos reigned supreme.....
 

 But when I read that Karen, at My Desert Cottage was hosting her second annual WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY I knew this was the motivational spark I needed to get busy.

I inherited the bonus room above our garage several years ago, but as life goes, for a number of out-of-my-control-bumpy-mountains-in-the-road-of-life reasons, the room never got put together.

Until now....still have a little ways to go, but the hardest parts are behind me. NOTHIN' like company coming to set a body in motion, is there?!

I worked like a mad woman. Or perhaps madder than normal would be more appropriate...what is normal anyway, does anybody know? Stay on task Sue...

Jewels got sorted...

...dolls got hats...

...and with each little accomplishment I could feel the cobwebs that had taken my creative spirit hostage begin to release their sticky grip...speak nothing of the physical cobwebs in the actual room...

My rusty imagination began to awaken...it was all I could do not to stop what I was doing to follow the latest inspirational muse...but untrue to my given nature, I kept plowing through box after box, bin after bin, sorting, tossing, organizing...

Why, even fresh flowers were lovingly gathered from my garden and scattered throughout the room...they are such happy little creatures, aren't they? Not to mention that nothing, save a warm hug, says welcome friends more than fresh flowers.

Despite the fact that I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful place to now work on a variety of creative pursuits, one major flaw in this room is the lighting. Although there are five windows, each is housed in an alcove which can be a real issue...especially at night. One thing I have invested in to counteract this challenge are Ott lamps. JoAnn's, Michael's, Wal-Mart, among others carry this brand and routinely put them on sale at 40% off.

The majority of my furnishings are hand-me-downs that were used previously in our homes through the years. Several pieces came from thrift stores and one piece was stolen. Yep. You heard it right. Theft. That would be the bin housing my stash of vintage wallpaper. It's original purpose was to house goober pairs of golf and other sporting shoes in our garage. The idea being that my family members would dutifully and joyfully place their shoes in the tidy little cubbies......NOT.

 

A year or so ago this vintage dress form came up for auction on Ebay. It is about three times the size of my other dress form I'll show in the next photo. She has been the perfect 3-D inspirational board, if you will, and I continue to pin new items to her daily.  And BTW, I was the only bidder and shipping cost me more than the dress form. Felt badly for the seller, but happy for me!

I've taken way too many pictures of my newly organized space...excitement about my new room and working with crummy lighting conditions most likely influenced my excessive photo snapping...

 

Here's an oversized spice rack I picked up at Goodwill for maybe $5 or so. I love making, giving, and receiving mail {handwritten letters....ahhhhhh....love 'em}. I used to be so much better at sending these personal greetings. Hence, I am hoping that having this little rack hanging on my studio wall will be a visual reminder to improve upon sending more snail mail to brighten someone's day.

 

Not withstanding the fact that I've rambled long enough, Typepad or my computer has chosen this point in time to go into total rebellion. Consequently, on both accounts, I'll bid my farewell and continue this tour in another post {or two+!} in the coming days.

Thank you for your visit and I'm anxious to head out to see all the other creative work spaces. But before I go, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Karen for what has had to be a monumental undertaking to keep an event of this size so well organized.

Warm wishes to all,

xo, Sue

Giveaway Winner and Where Women {collect} Want to Create

I'm still plugging away in "my room" which is the bonus room over our garage. Dragging boxes from the basement and sorting through my stuff. As someone who has collected and crafted for over two decades the stash I've accumulated is.......I can't think of the right word.

Ridiculous?

Awesome?

Hideous?

A Royal Mess?

Oozing with Creative Potential?

Perhaps a mixture of all of the above! All I know is that right now, my work area looks more like where a woman collects and wants to create as opposed to my goal of where a woman actually does create...but I am making steady progress.

 
However, as I rediscover stuff that has been packed away, hidden from sight, my mind begins to fill with ideas. Organizing Angel and the We-Love-Chaos-Demon begin to do battle. It takes every ounce of willpower not to stop the sifting, sorting, pitching and organizing in exchange for running off to chase the latest creative muse.

But I have a huge incentive....On June 19th, Karen, at My Desert Cottage is hosting her second WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE party! As of this writing there are 390 signed up to showcase their creative work areas! How fun! Everyone is invited. You can read all about it by clicking on the link to her name.

I can only imagine all the eye candy and inspiration that will be showcased during that awesome tour of work spaces!

Are you loving that little pink metal doll case? Maybe a year ago [or more!] I bought it from Janna who is now involved in a HUGE antique shop up in North Carolina that I am itching to go and check out. It wouldn't be a bad drive from where I live...it's on my wish list. Janna is a great junker, with a fun blog if you love old, rusty, and antique items. The name of her blog, Artsy Fartsy Finds gives a little glimpse into her witty, and fun humor as well!

Before I ramble any further, let me announce the winner of the book WHERE WOMAN CREATE....

Counting down the comment list, that would be Anne! Congratulations and I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed it!

xo, Sue
 

Party, Celebrate, and a Giveaway!

There's a two year birthday celebration going on in the land of Pink Saturday!

In fact, our dear hostess of this event, Beverly, was recently interviewed and a feature article on Pink Saturday appeared in the latest issue of ARTFUL BLOGGING. Squeals and clapping could be heard throughout the land of Pink Saturday participants. It is always fun to see wonderful things happen to nice people!

In honor of this big day, I made the digital card above combining a photo of flowers from my garden, several layers of digital onlays, a favorite old photograph, and a little bit of digital manipulation.

In addition, I've come to this birthday celebration with a present in hand and will be sending it to someone!

 
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered in the drawing for this giveaway gift. Pink Saturday gals {and the occasional gent} are a very inclusive group, therefore, you need not be a participant of Pink Saturday to throw your name in for the drawing. All comments rec'd before 11 PM, EST, on Wed., June 2nd will be entered in the drawing.

I love this book! Jo Packham and Jenny Doh did an amazing job...beautiful photography...a more personal glimpse into the lives {and studios!} of many artists I have long admired...and so much more!

A complete listing of all today's participants can be found on Beverly's blog. I'm looking forward to visiting as many as possible over the next few days to see how the rest of you will be celebrating this joyous occasion!

p.s. Wanted to mention an online class I spotted in learning the basics of Photoshop Elements for anyone who might want to check it out. Gail has a short video clip you can watch which gives a highlight of how she will be teaching. There's also a description listed here and she's offering a huge discount but the offer ends May 31st. It looks very interesting. I'm tempted....!  

Ready or not, here we go!

 
There are lists, and more lists, piles gathering here and there of what to bring, the washing machine is going, last minute errands, and my head is spinning. Someone must be getting ready to go on vacation! 

But since one of my dreams in life would be to live on a beach, I'll put up with the spinning head..................... 

....because I love the white sugar sand, the skies that stretch to the heavens....

 
 ...the constant wind and roar of the sea that seem to carry away and drown out the cares of the world......................

....and some of my favorite antique stores just happen to be in this area! In January, here are a few of the goodies I snagged at my favorite haunts......

Some old books printed in the 19th century...

When my eyes spotted these adorable french pencils my heart rate hit the danger zone. Practically squealing, I showed them to Mr. Fun who said, "Why don't you get one?"

One? JUST ONE? Is he kidding?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The whole drive home I was kicking myself for not having bought them all. Maybe they'll still be there? And maybe a flying donkey will drive me back to the store.....

 
 
  The last two photos are of two adorable little linen rompers that cost $6 each.

 There were more great finds, but the clock is ticking and I best keep focused on the packing. Mr. Fun, who was traveling today to see a client called me as he was driving down a mountain somewhere in the state of West Virginia and his day was not going well. So if I hope to buy more than ONE PENCIL on this trip, Little Red Hen better be ready to travel. Smile.....