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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

So many blessings!

 
Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems. 

 ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Everyday there is a new plant peeking out of the ground, others stretching to new heights, an explosion of colors all around me....oh, how I adore Spring. And March Madness....as in NCAA basketball tournaments. Seriously. Die hard fan of college basketball. Especially the ACC, and specifically the Duke Blue Devils.

Despite the warmer weather calling me outdoors, I do come in for the games I need to watch. Which is most of them! And blessings heaped upon blessings, my Dukie boys are still in the dance!

As if all of that isn't enough, I was also blessed to win Cherie's {Humble Pie Designs} recent giveaway! {check out her She Art she has posted on her blog...next class begins April 11th!}

 

Amy Barickman's scrumptious book she was most generous to donate to the cause...

 
Lots of special little touches in the box as well....

 
It's filled with articles from days gone by...Department of Good Looks makes me smile. When stress has the better of you, it's time to melt into the mattress of the couch. Such timeless wisdom...

Speaking of stress, and the NCAA games, and not being someone who sits still very well....

...I've been reading through this book while watching the games. This little illustration from the book sort of jumped off the pages to me. Sparked an idea to keep my hands busy...inspired me to stitch some little embroidered flower medallions...

 

 

 
....lots of stitching going on during the games...the little flower pieces are stitched to a 100% cotton batting...the quilt squares, if you will, are pieces of vintage wallpaper first glued to a sheet of paper {also did a linen backing version} and then stitched...

 
Okay...and maybe I pop a few of those healthy ALMONDS {covered in sugar and chocolate} into my mouth as well, to relieve stress, of course.

I'm a big fan of cheetos and nacho doritos too but those leave orange fingerprints on handwork...m&m's don't!

Also tucked into the box was this pattern of Amy's...I'm pretty sure I could see myself melting into the couch in a pair of those jammie bottoms...

Good thing all my little ones are old enough to drive themselves to where they need to go these days.  Cuz back in the day when I was the driver to all the practices...

....and my gardening time was interupted to make the next run...

...i can't tell you how many times they'd ask if I was going to change into normal shoes before we left. They'd be asking the same question if I ventured out in these fun jammie bottoms as well....

 
What's wrong with these garden boots?! Why didn't they want their mother to wear them out in public? 

Oh well. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Unless of course, you put a sweet package in their hands like the one I received from Cherie! Cherie who is always such a bundle of warm encouragement and talented little creator of all things artsy! Thank you so much {and Amy too!} for such wonderful gifts.

Xo and many warm blessings, Sue

GO DUKE!

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

Happy Mother's Day

   (my mother taken in the 1940's) 

Mother's Day is one of those days that can stir the emotions like no other day...At different times in my life, those emotions varied. During seven+ years of infertility, or following a miscarriage, the day stirred an emotion of deep longing. But the one consistent theme year after year was a deep sense of love and appreciation for my own mother.

Now at age 87, she is mother to six, grandmother to 18, great-grandmother to 22, and even a couple  of great-great grandchildren! No doubt those numbers will continue to increase as there are still 7 grandchildren {our 3 children and my baby sister's 4 who have yet to either get married and/or start their own families}.

One consistent theme in my mother's life next to having her family visit in person, are the piles of photos she loves to receive and sort through often.

 

She also loves to receive my handmade cards. Despite the fact that my creative muse seems to have taken a long vacation and refuses to return to me, I knew I had to try to come up with something. Recently I stitched the little verse that I blogged about here and decided it would be perfect to use in my card.

{front} 

 

{back}

Starting with an 8.5 x 11" piece of heavy chipboard I covered the front with an old piece of drapery and began layering different elements. The back was covered with a piece of vintage wallpaper with a photo added of my mom from days gone by. It always tickles her to see one of these forgotten photos included in my cards. [the little fragments of green glittered lace on the two corners were from Patty and now shared with my mum...]

 Despite the fact that my mother lives 1200 miles away and I won't be able to share this day in person, I know how blessed I am to still have her. 

Here's wishing all my bloggy friends a most blessed Mother's Day.

 [And huge hugs to the hearts of those for whom this day stirs the sadness emotion for any number of reasons.]   

Pink Saturday!

 

First, I'd like to wish Beverly a speedy recovery on her recent surgery! 

A listing of all this week's participants can be found on her blog, HOW SWEET THE SOUND. I haven't heard that there isn't a list, and knowing Beverly, if humanly possible, it is there waiting. If not, it wasn't humanly possible!

One thing I enjoy doing is making my own cards. If only the other demands of life didn't get in the way, I could have made many more than what I ended up making. But I'll share some photos I snapped along the way.

  Mother's always like to receive a little love note at Valentine's, don't they? 

  

This particular roll of vintage wallpaper was more fragile. In order to give it more stability, I first lined it with muslin. I've found the most economical [but very effective] method of adhering the fabric to the paper is using a glue stick. I buy them in bulk at Sam's Club as I go through a lot of them! 

 
I'm still having problems with Typepad freezing up on me and losing my work. Scream loud. So I'm going to stop while I'm ahead! I'll look forward to hopping around to see as many of you as I can. Due to a winter wonderland hitting the Atlanta area [a very rare event in these parts] a few things on our calendar were cancelled. More JAMMIE TIME...yeah! 

Wishing all you sweet pinkies a very special Valentine's day! 

Ways to Give Back...

If you've been around the creative side of life for any length of time you are probably familiar with Rebecca Sower. I can still remember the first time I stumbled upon her work....way back in my days of scrapbooking. Besides liking her vintage style, there was a deeper attraction that caused me to be a loyal fan through the years. Her depth of character inspires me to be a better person. 

Once again, she is up to her old tricks! Giving. Giving to the people of Haiti. Encouraging others to give to this nation in desperate need of our help. You can read about it here [or click on the Haiti by Hand photo on my sidebar] at her new blog created specifically for this endeavor.

Yesterday I spent a chunk of my day going through my vintage wallpaper stash. Cutting, ironing, and packaging up little bundles to be mailed away. I donated them to the new Etsy shop where 100% of all proceeds will be given to the people of Haiti.

 
I encourage everyone to take a peek at the Etsy shop--and if you feel led, to buy one of the items, or maybe donate a piece of your art, your supplies, etc.

 
And IF on the wild chance you happen to grab one of my wallpaper packs, shoot me a note and when I send your goodies , I'll sweeten your little package with some additional inclusions from my stash.
 

Take the time...

A spot in my old hometown....

For the past week I was up in the Midwest. Back to the place where I was born and raised, but haven't lived for over thirty years. Every time I go back all I notice is change. Buildings that I loved are gone. People whom I loved are gone. The house that my great grandfather built, where my mother grew up, and eventually became one of my childhood  homes, now belongs to someone else.

The majority of my time was spent transitioning my 86 year old mother from her assisted living apartment to a nursing home. The good news is that it was her choice to move to the nursing home. Yet, when the time came to part with many of her belongings, this was a tough emotional hurdle. Thankfully, she has a private room and was able to comfortably keep two chairs and her sofa. But beyond that, storage space was very limited. What was interesting (heartwarming actually), are the things she chose to keep.

One of those things she chose to hang on her extremely limited wall space was this picture I created back when I was probably 11 or 12 years old. For as long as I can remember, its original spot was in her bedroom hanging above the light switch {and it didn't match ANYTHING in the decor of the room!} Like many of you who remember that innate need to create that has lived inside you forever, I too share similar memories.

Granted, this is not a masterpiece, not even by the wildest stretch of imagination. But  after seeing that my mother also reserved a spot in her precious little drawer space to house the handmade cards I've made for her through the years, as well as a spot for the photo album my sister and I put together for my parents 50th wedding anniversary which took place over 10 years ago, it was apparent that handmade items by someone she loved, were highly treasured by her. These were the items she chose to keep {along with photographs} in her now confined living space.

Seeing this firsthand, spoke to my heart. The things I make for others are important despite the fact that some might argue, the time could be "better" spent completing more practical tasks. It is in the knowing of the importance of what a homemade card might mean to someone that spurred me on to make these two cards in the recent days "just because"....

 

 

In a perfect world, I would have liked to have had more time to work with my creations as well as having access to all my supplies still sitting in packed boxes. But in the end, I know, it isn't about the perfectness of a given item, it is about the fact that someone showed they cared by taking the time...

 
  
 Taking the time for the important things in life has become a subject I've given much thought to lately. So much to choose from...and I want to choose wisely.  
 

 

 

 

 

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.