Welcome Bloggers Who Create and Stampington. I'm so pleased you dropped by!
I have been anxiously awaiting the third annual party so I can see what you are all working on, and where you bring all your great ideas together. One of the ways I am always inspired to be more creative is by the wonderful work of other artists. So in my studio, you'll see some of the work of artists I admire ~ from talented quilt artists, to potters, sculptors, and woodworking artists.
Come on in, get comfortable, and look around a bit.
This is what I see when I go up the stairs to my studio. I've got a little reading nook tucked away under one of the dormers in the upstairs loft of our house. With a comfy old leather chair, a few good books, and a couple of vintage quilts, I can dream away the afternoon. It's a little like being in my own private treehouse. Heaven.
I love to think about how many hours a talented quilter put into these vintage quilts. What was she dreaming of while she worked? What was her life like? The stitches are tiny and the patterns detailed. I have a feeling they were all made with love.
The old rocking horse was hand carved, and hand painted 26 years ago by a wood working artist in San Francisco. My kids have long outgrown it, but I have such good memories from their childhoods I could never part with it.
I also stash a crate of new canvases next to the chair ~ to remind me not to get too lazy!
And more canvases on my drawing table next to some finished work. Oh my ~ Could this be hoarding?
I also admire the Navajo pottery we've collected over the years so I keep it where I can always see it. An art form centuries old that is being carried on by tradition today.
I am in awe of the sculptors who can capture the movement of a horse so perfectly, then take their work from clay to bronze.
And the spur makers who so carefully take a piece of steel, mold it into the shape they envision, add detailed hand engraved silver work, and create a working pair of spurs for a real cowboy.
I have one side of my old work table covered with paint, brushes, and sketches ready for what I want to create next. Sometimes the sketches and notes come together (sometimes not). And, I'm not sure why, but I've always kept my brushes in coffee cans. My paint is in old Coke crates.
Not fancy, but it works for me.
I like the little plaque hanging on the bulletin board ~ "I can deal with anything if I have the right shoes". A friend gave it to me a few years ago after I found myself in several situations where I was wearing silly (but cute) shoes totally not appropriate for what the day turned into.
On another part of my work table is a pile of starfish and rolls of burlap ribbon. I'm thinking maybe I'll make a couple of small wreaths. Or, maybe not ~ we'll see.
And these piles of quilt squares are calling out to have something done with them. I have grudgingly accepted I am not ever going to be a great seamstress, but I am determined to at least be able to sew a little something! I'll keep trying.
This is probably the most organized corner of my studio. A basket full of sketch books, wholesale catalogues for my store, and a few of my Stampington magazines. And I always seem to have a bunch of sunflowers around ~ just because they make me smile!
When I noticed this photo had an issue of Where Women Create in it I knew I had to include it.
And, my desk area. This was interesting to me because when I began taking the photos I realized how personal all of our desks become. I guess I had never given it much thought before.
I keep some of my finished drawings and watercolors where I can see them. Depending on what day it is, I either consider it "inspiration", or "a kick in the backside". A flower pot full of highlighters, pens and whiteboard markers is handy. The little frame has a four leaf clover I found a few years ago (a girl can always use some good luck).
The mug is a favorite of mine ~ "If you do a foolish thing do it like you mean it". I don't usually buy mugs with sayings on them, but when I saw this one at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame Museum I couldn't resist. I finally figured out I am always going to do foolish things, so why not do them with style?
The Tin Woodsman pewter measuring spoons are for one of the summer give-aways on
The Old White Barn
(scroll down to the 7/14/2011 post).
I included this because - this blog is also Where I Create!
So there you have it. A little bit of my world.
I am so glad you stopped by ~ I hope to see more of you!
Thank you, Karen from My Desert Cottage, and Stampington ~ this was fun!
