My Weblog

Where Bloggers Create, Part II

 

I warned ya'll that there might be a few follow-ups to the original tour...was having voo-coo computer issues on my first attempt. Most of my computer issues tend to fall within the realm of  "not the brightest bulb when it comes to technical stuff"...{{{sigh}}}

Not sure about you, but I am in blog heaven bouncing around the list on Karen's blog visiting as many places as I can squeeze in here and there. Going down the list from A-Z was getting boring so in order to mix it up, I copied and pasted the list to a Word document and printed a hard copy. As I visit each blog I place a little check beside the name. It's also a great way to make notes to myself so that I can easily go back and find some of the inspiration I would like to follow up on at a later time!

But over and over again, I am struck by how many creative souls there are scattered throughout this huge world. So many unique expressions of who we are...

   a variety of styles

a wide assortment of creative pursuits

more hoarders {{{ha ha}}} than I dare to count

There's a growing list of blogs I'm adding to my google reader. Not sure how long, if ever it would have taken me to stumble upon them on my own. I even enjoy following blogs of people who create or pursue interests I might not necessarily ever pursue. But I appreciate the beauty of what they create, or the warmth, or humor, or wisdom that oozes from their posts.

 But the one common thread I see over and over again, are the kind hearts living out there in blogland. Hearts that love, nurture, and cherish their family and friends. Hearts that have an instinctive need to express and exercise their creativity in a multitude of ways. I like to think of them as the treasured souls who add color, music, depth, and more sunshine to this world!  

Before I head out as my MUST DO LIST {think: once on to do list but got ignored} is demanding attention, I wanted to mention the paint color on my studio walls as I've had quite a few requests asking for the color. It is a Behr paint {carried by Home Depot} and the color name is Valley Mist 460E-2...mine is in the eggshell finish. Had never worked with this brand of paint before but was very happy with it's quality. 

Looking forward to meeting more of you through your blogs as well as continue to see what other bloggie friends I've been following for some time are up to these days.

Xo, Sue

New Finds Second Time Around...

Part of the fun of trying to organize my creative workspace is finding stuff that's been packed away and rediscovering them all over again. Aren't these old cigarette giveaways awesome? They are filled with creative potential as well as being something you could create using your own stash of old photos.

 I believe I read somewhere that these date back to the late 1800's. These particular ones are about the size of a nickel.

There is no such concept as having too many buttons...just thought I would try to affirm all you button collectors of your deepest beliefs when it comes to buttons...

Same holds true for this nearly 30 inch long vintage French fish poacher. Wish I did have a collection of these...I'm always on the lookout for more but the prices are often ridiculously high. I only paid $5 for mine {which I know was a steal}...

Do you see the "RANCE" that should be FRANCE stamped on the bottom? Wonder if I should send this to Mr. Magpie and have him fix it?

 Or maybe I would do better wondering about WHY I'm on the computer when I need to be packing to head to the mountains to catch up with the crew that's already up there. Youngest child had a tournament and I stayed behind to escort him and a friend up later this afternoon.

But before I go, this technologically-challenged blogger [after I won't tell you how many attempts!] finally added the buttons on my sidebar to two upcoming events. Check them out as it's not too late to join in the fun!

I don't know what it is like where you live, but stepping outside in my neck of the woods is like getting hit with a blast of furnace air saturated with intense humidity. Nasty. Some cooler mountain air will be a welcome relief...

Blessings to all...

xo, Sue

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.