Be It Ever So Humble

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

This is of one of the two little Buddhas I bought for my studio. Just looking at it makes me feel Zen. I am taking a moment to breathe and be still after the whirl wind of activity that was the weekend. We were finally able to move into the upstairs of the house we rented. Believe me, the feeling of relief I feel over this is immense. It's been an incredibly long three months with packing and moving downstairs, surviving the chaos that went with the previous upstairs tenants (who were supposed to be gone before we even arrived, but were not!) and then finally getting up here. I have never spent so much time cleaning and painting! We have now officially cleaned and painted the interior of an entire house, something I hope to never have to do again. Seriously.

The whole thing was worth it though-we have finally landed and the unpacking is about 80% done. My studio is about 80% unpacked as well and hopefully by the weekend, we will be settled in and can finally relax. I am really loving having a dedicated space to cocoon myself up in and work. I haven't had a chance to dig into anything substantial yet, but after the weekend, I have some serious art to make!

I have actually had the best time unpacking my art stuff. I am rediscovering old treasures and it's like receiving the gift of the art my friends have made for me all over again. It's very happy making and comforting to be surrounded by my special things once again. I am someone who loves order and let me tell you, camping out amongst the boxes was not my idea of fun.

So...a new chapter begins in our lives and I think we will be really happy here. I would not have chosen to move, nor the circumstances that made it necessary, however the Universe has provided this opportunity and even if we had to earn it the hard way, I am grateful. I am also grateful the Internet guy got my service up and running finally-I was offline the entire weekend. Every time he said he was coming, he'd call back later and say he couldn't make it. He finally managed to swing by this morning and deal with it. The only fly in the ointment now is that somehow our cable's gone out and we've only got 3 stations. I called to let him know and hopefully this will get sorted this afternoon. My guys love their tv in the evenings and they are not going to be happy if it's not restored PDQ!

Once I get the studio ship shape, I will have to post some pictures. Okay, time for me to get back to unpacking! Catcha later!

Again With the Moving!

See this mess? You would never guess that this is actually a bedroom and not a storage locker! This is what I have been living with for 3 months now. It began at the old house with the packing, then when we got here and knew we were going to actually end up upstairs, I didn't unpack except for the essentials. We have been camped out amongst the boxes ever since. I can't tell you how much I miss my things and want to get settled. Almost there...

It amazes me how fast and furious the ideas for art come when you have no studio to work in and your supplies are buried. At the beginning of the year, I bought myself a little Moleskine journal to carry with me so I could jot down the various art related things. The journal has proven very useful in helping me remember ideas I had for various projects. When it's full, I will be buying another.

So what's in mine?

-lists: to-do lists, exchange participants list, lists of things on my wish list, supply lists for classes, swaps I am participating in, publications I have submitted to, movies I've seen, books I've read, songs I want to buy for my iPod

-sketches of artful things I want to make

-snippets of information clipped from wherever

-artful bits off of envelopes I received from artist friends

-return address labels off mail from friends

-idea clipped from magazines of things I want to make or buy

-song lyrics I like

and so on. If I think about it, chances are it's in there!

Right now it's turning into a repository of art ideas that I am having while in moving limbo. I cannot wait to get into my studio and WORK!! December 1st, that's where I'll be, plugging away, getting my hands dirty, music cranked, oblivious to the outside world. I keep teasing my guys that they will be slipping notes under the door begging me to come out and feed them and I don't think that's that far off from the truth! Perhaps I should stock up on frozen dinners now. *grins*

Before I sign off, I wanted to wish all my friends south of the border a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you all have a wonderful, laughter filled holiday and if you are travelling to be with family, a safe journey.

Colour Inspiration

Greetings all! We have landed at our new place so phase one of our move is complete. We will be doing phase two, wherein we move upstairs here in about 3 weeks or so. Crazy, I know, but worth it when we consider the space and the fact that I will have a new studio. I can't wait!

Yesterday I took a few brief moments for myself and ran down to the scrapbooking store to pick up some papers for my 12 Days of Xmas exchange gifts. While I was there, serendipity struck and I found the paper pictured above. I was so excited! I have been thinking about which colour to paint my new studio. Initially my first instinct was to paint it vintage aqua, which I love however two things made me decide against it. One is that all my accessories are barn red and I didn't think that particular shade and aqua would work together and the other is that I was afraid it would look too much like a child's nursery colour. Colour is a funny thing-done poorly it can look hideous. I had settled on painting it sage/basil green instead.

Anyway, when I spotted this paper, I was immediately drawn to it. The red in it is the exact shade that my accessories are and it proves that I can have aqua with this shade of red and have it look wonderful. I can also envision a room in this colour being very relaxing and peaceful, which is the feeling I am hoping to evoke in my studio. So I bought this piece of paper (Which is from Bohemia, by the way.) and I am going to take it to the paint store and say "I want this!" I cannot wait! I am also going to buy a small can of the red and paint around the wooden frame of my bulletin board and also a small table to tie everything together. I can already see in my mind's eye how this is going to look.

Getting back to our move, it was exhausting, but I am glad to be done this part. Now I just have to unearth the things I need for Friday's workshop presentation at the BCATA conference. I am looking forward to it. It will be nice to switch gears back to something artistic after 3 solid weeks of packing and cleaning. (Yuck!)

I have set up a temporary workspace. It's quite comical really. I have my teeny desk tucked at the foot of our bed in our bedroom, with just the barest necessities of supplies unpacked and set up there-enough to work towards the deadlines I have going right now. My computer is in another room at the other end of the house, which is a hardship because normally, it's right next to my desk. I play my Itunes through the computer while I work and check on email or generate small bits of things on the printer as needed. For now, I have to zip back and forth if I want or need to do anything. Oh well-more exercise for me! Soon it will all be housed in one dedicated space. I have visions of my guys slipping notes under the studio door, begging me to come out. LOL!

Okay, I'm off to delve into some art! I need a break from the boxes.

Moo, Edition Two

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

So remember those handmade Moos I was making for a swap? Well I got kind of attached to them so I scanned them before I sent them off and made some real Moos out of them. They arrived today and I love them!! I can't wait to hand some out at the conference!

Copyright Alana Holmberg 2007

I also traded one of my first edition Moos a couple weeks ago for this one by Alana Holmberg. She took this photo in Pienza, Italy. When I saw it, I had to trade for it-I have a soft spot for old guys. She does beuatiful photography. Once I get unpacked, perhaps I will share my Moo collection with you. I have some great cards.

I spotted this at the check out the other day and snatched it up. Always one who wants to see how people decorate, I thought this would be interesting. Notice it says "instant art" on the cover. It has some really cool ideas.

I have been mulling over what colour I want to paint my studio and I think I have settled on sage/basil green. I want it to be a calm and soothing place so that when you walk into the room, you exhale and think "Ahhh...." I want my new studio to be an oasis of tranquility where my mind can relax and the ideas and creativity will just present themselves.

Some people like bright colours and lots of visual stimulation in their workspace. I don't. I prefer to have my things organized and tidy and have the things that are meaningful (gifts of art from my friends and my favourite pieces of my own work) around me. I guess my space is kind of nest of sorts. I think sage/basil green will lend itself perfectly to the feeling I want to create.

I have been playing around with the Behr paint workbook to see how the colours might look on the walls. What fun! I have to say, choosing paint colours is the only fun part of moving.

This Is Just To Say...

Well gang, we have had our fill of turkey and are now down to the nitty gritty of packing up and getting out of here. I am having serious art withdrawals with all my art stuff boxed up and ready to go. I will likely be scarce for the remainder of the week while I deal with the chaos, but hopefully I can find little snippets of time where I can visit your blogs and see what you are up to. A girl's gotta stay in the know, ya know!

Just a reminder that a week from this Friday (October 19th) I am presenting a workshop at the BC Art Teacher's Conference, Art2Go 2007 so if you are attending please do come by and say hello! Better yet, come join my workshop! I can't wait.

Catcha on the flip side!

Thanksgiving

Copyright Tattered Edge 2007

Okay so I posted this pic out of sheer desperation-I have no idea which box the camera was packed in and even if I did, I have no idea where the cord for the computer might be. I had planned to post a pic of the beautiful autumn leaves around here but you will have to make do with the cover of this journal I made for a friend last year. The ribbon, purple rhinestones and bookplate on it came from the wonderful Papier Valise, who by the way have a delicious selection of Autumn/Hallowe'en themed goodies on their site. I especially love the black foil pumpkin head men and the orange German glass glitter-utterly magical!

It's been amazing to me how many good ideas have popped into my head since I have packed up all my art supplies. (Murphy's Law!) I have been dutifully jotting them down in my Moleskine for future reference. Once my new studio is all set up, I will have lots of fun things to do!

I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a very happy (and safe, if you are travelling) Thanksgiving. I will be cooking on Monday and our family will be sharing the holiday with my best friend and her husband. They agreed to brave our boxes and chaos and this will be the last holiday celebrated here. Maybe I should make that wonderful banana dish? *evil grin*

In closing, I wanted to re-post this piece. It's amazing how it's as relevant now as it was centuries ago. Wisdom is timeless.

Harvest Prayer

(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

Please be gentle with yourself and others.
We are all children of chance,
And none can say why some fields blossom
While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.
Take hope that your season will come.
Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.
Care for those around you.
Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours,
Their choices in life no more easily made.
And give.
Give in any way you can.
Give in every way you can.
Give whatever you possess.
Give from your heart.
To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither.
Care less for the size of your harvest
than for how it is shared,
And your life will have meaning
And your heart will have peace.

Studio Thoughts

Hi Gang! I am still alive, though barely. I'm still sneezing and stuffed up and just generally miserable with this cold. I am also still packing. I can't believe that once upon a time I had our entire house packed up in 24 hours flat. Those days are gone, let me tell ya! I've been cleaning stuff out as I go-getting rid of the excess and junk and only packing what we want or need. It's amazing how much stuff had gone out of this house already. Some has gone off to friends who will make good use of it, some to charity and some in the garbage. I also bought a paper shredder and let me tell you, it's the greatest thing! I take it into the room I am working in and shred as I go. Makes a huge difference in the volume of paper I am getting rid of and once it's shredded, it can go in the recycler. YAY!

I am still reading through "Organizing Your Craft Space" while I dream about how I will create my new studio space. So far, according to their quiz, I hover between being an Idealist and a Guardian with my decorating style. The Idealist fills her studio with sentimental things and furnishes it with cotton and eclectic furniture. The Guardian creates a sanctuary of her workspace and loves small drawers and an abundance of bookshelves to showcase works that inspire her. Yes, that sounds about right. Then I did the personality assessment and my scores indicated I was a "red". LOL! As if there was every any question of this! Reds are hard workers, solution oriented and their strengths are power and knowledge. Reds are analytical in their organization and will find the most logical place for everything to be stored.

I am trying to decide what colour to paint my studio. I love red but I don't think I can work in a red room, even if the red were only one accent wall. Ditto for vintage aqua. I would like something warm and inviting and am leaning towards a shade of light mocha...any suggestions?

I am also curious to know what things make your work spaces special. Please comment here or point me in the direction of pictures of your space-I would love to see! Don't be shy! Do any of you have a cozy chair in your studio for sitting in to read? I am thinking of getting one for mine. I saw this black leather chair on TV the other day that the seat lifts up and there's storage underneath. While I hate leather (it's not cozy at all!) I wonder if I could find something similar in another material? Of course I have IKEA 5 minutes away so that's a good place to start. I just liked the idea of the clever storage option.

So...not much art happening here at the moment. I know any second now I am going to have withdrawals. Next weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving so I have to try and keep the kitchen as tidy as I can as we're having company. When we planned it, we had no idea we would be preparing to move. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball...but we still have plenty to be thankful for.