now.

I know it’s been awhile. my baby boy was born in march, so my days have been filled with loving & caring for him & learning all I can about cloth diapering [my new hobby ‘cause I don’t have enough already!] I love washing his diapers & hanging them outside. it slows the pace of life down… [more to come on cloth diapering!]
sometimes when he naps I head for the studio… I mentioned last post that I was addicted to altering playing cards. well, that was yesterday’s project. more cards!!!=) this deck was awesome because the back was already a stellar design, black & hot pink! so here’s a look at my gypsy deck:::






this was the first project using my new paints! which I love!=)

[more colors coming soon!]
I would love to create custom decks [themed] & sell them in my etsy shop. so I’m thinking some fave authors quotes, & band lyrics. I can also include pictures, like little brag books.
I would love to hear your thoughts!=)

patience.

i know i have not been around much lately... i have been struggling with some health issues. just this past tuesday i had my tonsils removed. i haven't been doing much past sleeping. my hubs has been holding this place & the little girls together. 
i'm very frustrated. i want to play with art supplies, but i am barely muddling through this post without my eyes rolling back into my head! there is so much life zooming by or so it seems! so right in this moment, in this day, i am being reminded to have patience with myself & those around me. so, i call upon your patience as well... to wait for the next blog post with pictures included!
before i sign off & head back to bed, i want to tell you about "art abandonment." it is this group of artists on facebook [& all over the world] who make art just to abandon it! we leave little or big bits of artsy goodness wherever we want! i am so excited to be part of this movement! i designed & printed my cards yesterday & can't wait to start abandoning pieces. 

have an excellent weekend.

drawers.

my grandma gave me a set of vintage, card catalog drawers! I am so excited.
this is what the drawers looked like…





they are super sturdy. I wanted a bit of color but didn’t want to alter them completely. yet. so I painted the knobs [after I cut off the rods with a dremel].





i popped the painted knobs back in. what do you think?





& here is the complete set! I think it is an awesome addition to the studio!=)





on a side note, did you know these drawers are large enough to hold a bottle of wine?!? there are so many uses for them! mine will house, hole punches, corner rounders, pens, stamps, etc.


if you have drawers similar or had some of these, what would you use them for?


I’m off to do some yoga. happy monday, everyone! =)

home.

it’s monday & that means we are all at home. our favorite place to relax & just be.

the little girls have a playhouse where they make delicious mud concoctions…

this is where they spend 90% of their time. [what do you think of the paint job?!? =)]

while they were making pies & I was making this birch wood hanging…

brian was serenading us on his guitar.

living creatively is how we roll!=)

hospitality.

I do not think of myself as hospitable. I think of myself as cluttered, bohemian. [is that even a term?!?] I am a full-time mom, full-time teacher, artist, homemaker. I used to do this all with a partner, but now I do it alone. it is the adjustment of taking on all the chores vs. splitting them, of making cleaning fun because we laughed through it – hard.

a few weeks back a close friend said that I had the gift of hospitality. “are you kidding me? I think you’re confusing me with my mom,” I said. “no, no, seriously you have that gift. you always have coffee, biscotti, and an extra stool in the studio.” wow. that warmed my heart.

then just last night, two people dropped by. two of my students, who are grown up now & engaged. we shared a pot of coffee. the girl says, “I love your place. it’s so homey.” through my eyes it is a cluttered abyss of legos, shoes, paper clutter, etc. through her eyes it was homey. she genuinely felt comfortable here.

we are a family of readers which contributes to the clutter. on my coffee table you will always find my big, blue dictionary, and a few gem & mineral resource books, magazines, novels [my escape hatch]… you may also find a stack of art journals with glue sticks, scissors & magazines on the kitchen table.

I recently read something ann voskamp wrote: “homemaking is about making a home, not about making perfection. a perfect home is an authentic, creative, animated space. where Peace and Christ and Beauty are embraced. {perfect does not equate to immaculate.}”

I am learning to be myself & accept who I am. I may be a different sort of homemaker, but I’m okay with that.