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

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

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.....

Too full of love...

A few years back I spotted this old book published in 1896 in an antique store. Five dollars. Sold. To me.

 

It is filled with poetry, prose, and quotes scatttered here and there. Some are touching, others a bit too lovesick for my taste, if you know what I mean. But yesterday I

spotted this quote:

 

 

This spoke volumes.

That's what I need. That's what the world needs.

"too full of love..."
 

Having recently purchased some felted wool I grabbed

a needle and thread

and started stitching...

 

Not sure how I'll incorporate this into something bigger.

After I finish the stitching, of course...

But eventually it will find its place. 

 

And

speakin' of full of love...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

Here's a little Valentine I've scanned in and want to share his cuteness for anyone to use for their own personal use. I've also extracted just him, but for some reason Typepad or my computer are not cooperating right now.

 

Snippets of a Studio...

 

Don't be shy, come on in! But do be careful. There are piles of junk everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Yet, to me it is a glorious mess. A mess, well...because it is a mess. But glorious BECAUSE there are lots of wonderful goodies in some of those messy piles.

As I continue to unpack boxes and begin the long, tedious task of organizing a functional studio I often wonder HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE? The thought has occurred to me more than once, that an incentive to keep going might be in order. And what better motivation is there to hustling your stump along** than having some accountability? You know. Like posting it on your blog. [**I read these words in a novel from the turn of the century...they made me laugh!]

My studio is a large bonus room above our garage. There are five windows all housed in little alcoves that jut from the main rectangler shape of the room. While one would assume that with so many windows, natural lighting would be wonderful... unfortunately, that isn't the case. The alcoves, while adding some character, completely diminish the effectiveness of light being able to flood into the room. However, I've almost received final authorization from headquarters [that would be my DH] to have some additional cans added to the ceiling. 

Speaking of lighting, another wonderful way to bring natural lighting into an area is by using Ott lighting. I have two of their lamps and absolutely love them. Swear by them. They are available at Michael's, JoAnn's, WalMart, etc. Never pay full price as they are always on sale for 40% off at each of these locations. Trust me, once you've used one, you won't want to read or work on your artsy pursuits without one. 

However, getting back on track, what I thought I would do going forward over the course of multiple posts is to share some photos from my studio. Snippets of this and peeks at that...

I have an incurable disease that requires me to add, as often as possible, another roll of vintage wallpaper to my stash. I'm trying to hurry and reach some posting milestone, or find another good excuse to do a giveaway that will include some vintage wallpaper.  

One of my current projects in my art room, using my vintage wallpaper is to cover the drawer fronts of these storage units. Two done, 49 more drawers to go! Then of course, I'm thinking I might want to add some vintage knobs to each drawer. Oh-oh, I'm smelling another trail to pursue, a collection of wonderful vintage knobs. Maybe glass ones? Perhaps I could hang something creative off the knob that would indicate what lives in each drawer? Okay. Add that to the list too.

 

 

 

 

As I sign off for today, I wanted to share a photo of what I see when I look out one of the rooms of my studio...a pink crepe myrtle smiling back at me.