A little group of us just closed our shop in Ellicott City that we had for two years after having to leave Historic Oella Mill where we had the perfect set-up. We were trying to recreate Oella in a mini version which is not realistic. My main focus was to keep as many of us together as possible, I just couldn't let go of those relationships. Thanks to Linda from Wild Goose Chase, over the years, we've had several opportunitites to work together but it's the day to day that you can't keep. Our shop was right next to PJ's Antiques who are our dear friends so we are all having withdrawl from each other as well as from Paul and Julie. I haven't even dared to steer anywhere near the banks of denial river.
Soooooooooooooooo, having to move out, remove, move, reorganize, organize with a deadline (deadlines make great motivators) plus a one~day show right in the middle (see post before last), I really needed to incorporate my workroom into the process. I had been spending months trying to organize (read: making the room to tip toe over things to get around), then last week hitting it hard, then yesterday morning I woke up with a scary determination (truthfully I had been itching to do a post on the room) to complete the clean up before breakfast. And here are the results, they will last approximately 32 seconds.
My father-in-law made this desk a long time ago. I forced them to let me bring it home from Vermont where it had been stored for years. It was already great but now that it has recently turned pink, it's perfect! Can you believe those cubbies? My ballet dancing Madame Alexander doll is sooooooooooooooo happy there.
This is a little angle overview. As you can see there is no Anna Corba~esk studio going on here. No fab tidy, well-organized bins with a big clean work table in the middle. And no horse-swinging contests can go on here, but I am so very blessed to have a little space dedicated to just me and my art.
I did a little map valance border at the ceiling all around and, if you can see it, there's a chalk drawing of me that Justin did in the third grade.
Another angle...
Above is the single most important invention known to modern man. The ribbon holder! I got this bad boy on eBay then told Amy of Inspire Co. and she got one too. It's genius. It's just one of many ribbon holders I have, a proper lady does not have too much ribbon.
These are no wannabees, they are alreadies. But they are gonnabees. They are my sweeties who are waiting for me to create individual homes for them in which they can be adopted in the form of my 3 dementional collage shadow boxes. I give them lots of attention and they give me endless inspiration.
This wonderful old desk chair was one that I rescued from abandonment when Oella Mill closed. It's a cool mid-century, swivel that I reupholstered in a chocolate brown background paisley print then donned with an Anthropologie seat cushion, and topped off with a pillow which is the first needlepoint (my first art love) piece I did when I was about 10.
Here's one of many pieces I have framed of Hope's (Wallace~Paper Relics) artwork along with an ATC (sorry, I don't recall the artist's name) perched on an antique toy wooden park bench.
This is a new valance I made for the window. I made it from a map that my dad's cousin, Carol, gave me. It had belonged to their Uncle Roland and is of Paris in the 50's. I modge podged it to craft paper then sewed a scalloppy ruffle to it, pinned on some black and whites of my parents' travels through Europe, and, voila!!!
Justin made this shelf for me in shop class in middle school. It's filled with some of my faves.
I bought this snail lamp at our church thrift shop many years ago for a song. Last year it got a little makeover with a fab new lampshade from
the cottage and a sweet posie.
This is my Nurse Nancy outfit from childhood, one must be an RN if you're going to have lots of dolls. You know how clumsy Barbie can be. I don't know if you can see it well, but on top is the requisite engraved metal Texas toy pistol. Hey, not all Barbie's weddings were "shotgun". In case you haven't caught on, I love heirlooms and memorabilia from my childhood. I don't believe in sticking anything in drawers or closets; I like things out where I can enjoy seeing and remembering...
What's a room without a piece or nine of Judie Bomberger's art to brighten it? You may notice Jonah sits atop my desk by the ribbon holder. This one girl with her baby are traveling using an old black and white of my mom and dad at a cafe in Paris as a guide through Europe.
Emporium Antiques in Frederick, Maryland is where you can find sweet little lamps such as this one plus tons of other wonderful antiques and collectibles. How could anyone be grumpy with all these sweet, smiling faces surrounding me while I create?~you can't!
Speaking of not being grumpy, don't let this picture of Gustaf fool you, he gets jiggy with it all the time. This is a classic Becky Christian of Bees*In*My*Bonnet. In case you can't read it, it says, "Gustaf's B and B", and, "Gustaf's sunny disposition put his humble little Bed and Breakfast on the map...". I've had it for years and it never fails to lift me up and make me laugh. And, being from a family with 3 generations of innkeepers from the Monterey Peninsula, it has extra special meaning for me.
Okay, that's it for now. Rest up 'cause I'm putting together a post of an epic tour of Nene's (Janine~No.5) home~a real treat...
Warning to customers past, present, and future: You snooze, you loose~I win!!!! So sorry but I'm gonna gloat a little (what's "little" mean again?) here. I am so happy with my new put-together that I have to share.
