Making progress

It doesn't look like I'll have time to paint this shaker box for quite a while so I figured I's use it as storage in the meantime. The lid is perfect to round up my rubber stamps so they're handy when I need them and none of them get lost and using the box itself for my bottle paints to keep them from rolling around the worktable.

Having everything in containers will make it easier to transfer things back and forth from the table when I need to work on other projects.

I got a bit more of that potholder done and am ready to take a break from that to go back to sanding and painting wooden dala horses. My friends have been so great about bringing me horses that I don't
like to keep them waiting for results.

There are so many other projects that I want to work on too. As I always say "my hobbies have hobbies"

Wildflower Revival

While cleaning the studio I came across these scraps of pink papers and some stickers and couldn't resist taking some time to combine them and turn them into a card.

It's nice to see last summer's drawing find new life and keep brightening up my mail.

Back at the worktable

We found the key we were looking for and labeled some of the others before clearing them away and getting back to work.

I just finished sanding this and am ready to start painting. This one will be another attempt at a nice valentine's heart design. There's just one change I plan to make with it this time, the small heart below the saddle area on the first one seemed to throw the balance off so I plan to eliminate that and enhance the design of the larger heart. I'll add more  pictures as I go.

There's no need to use an expensive paint because these are going to be used as decorations for a Birthday Party next month so I'm using Apple Barrel Gloss Acrylic Pint by Plaid in a 2 oz bottle. It costs around a dollar at Wal-mart and the color I'm starting with is #20631 Pink blush.

Base Coat with pink blush and after it drys, sand anything that needs it and repaint it.

Photos of the Clutter Monster

I finally "found" the camera and yes, there is a worktable under here... somewhere

Now that you've seen it I think it's pretty easy to understand why I've just been wading in around the edges instead of diving right in to the mess.

It's surprising how fast things pile up, isn't it?

Project update

it's good to be back to work at the table:

DRAWING- Most of the drawings have been on peoples letters so I haven't bothered to scan them

CROCHETING- I just finished a hat and have gone back to making scarves

SEWING- I'm sorting fabrics and deciding what I want to work on next

EMBROIDERY- I'm still finishing the outside pieces for a tote bag that I'm making

It helped to clear off the table for a while and get everything sorted and organized. There are fewer projects on the table now but I'm getting a lot more done.

Christmas sales were disappointing so I've gone back to reading "Affirmations for artists by Eric Maisil" it was encouraging to  be reminded that "Artists...do work that is difficult and often fails,they compete in a marketplace that provides few of them a living wage" it's not just me.

The next description reminds me a bit of myself and makes me smile, I hope you enjoy it too.
"The artist at her best-wild,passionate, rebellious and humane-is often too large and truthful a creature for society's taste. The artist at her most outlandish-profane, eccentric, even a little mad-is at least as disquieting a figure. In neither case can she walk the streets with impunity: her grandeur and her strangeness make her a target. Her task is to become a successful eccentric, a strange but wise duck able to venture out of solitary confinement and mingle among society"

Now that I'm back to the studio it may be a while before I venture out in the real world again but right now I'm thinking that's a good thing.

No photos but lots of interesting things

I'll bet you've been wondering what's going on around here the last few days. I'm at that interesting point between projects. The painted horses were well received and and I've been busy trying to teach myself how to teach bulldogs for a mailbox I'll be doing for a family member. Somehow in all of the decades I've been painting I've never really gotten around to doing animals so this will be quite a challenge. I'm starting with some internet research and looking at pictures so there's not anything on paper or canvas to show you yet.
There's also a lot of cleaning, sorting and rearranging going on around here to make way for this next project. There's one bag waiting to be donated to the thrift store this week and there will probably be more before I get back to drawing and painting.
Along with this as always I'm still designing a lot of products with previous artwork on them. My current favorite thing to do is make matching cards,postage stamps and stickers to allow everyone to send out great mail. I'm hoping to make the world happier a card at a time.
Yes, I realize how crazy that sounds but it's lots of fun and makes a lot of us smile through the hard times. That's enough to make me happy whether they sell or not.

Sorting and organizing

I "found" the table, Now what? I'd take a picture but I packed my camera in the bin to take to painting group and that's under 2 other bins right now. Do you ever have days like that?
I often feel that the harder I try yo get things cleaned up, the worse things get. Things would have been finished sooner but I "discovered" 3 letters in different stages that I'd started but lost in the shuffle. A truly organized person would have had a special place to put them but I just sat there and finished them so that I didn't keep people waiting any longer than I had to and they'd go right out in the mail.
In my defense I will remind you that my bins are all current projects and the items in them keep changing as I work..
Everyone has to find what works from them. It's not about buying the perfect system and investing in a lot of things you may never use.
The most important thing to remember is that you need to organize your thoughts before you can organize your house.
It's about knowing what you need and want and being able to get to it.
Don't give up! We're all in this together so feel free to leave comments, questions and tips.

Between Projects Again

I won't be sure about that last painting until I try the image on a few different sorts of products. You never quite know what will work when you resize it or use it in different ways.

As I look around my work area I'm not sure whether to start another painting (maybe acrylics this time) or get back to work on one of my wood projects (dala horses, furniture, boxes).

By the time I do a little sorting and cleaning in my studio area (the dining room table) I'm sure I'll be drawn to one project or another, you never quite know where the ideas will come from.

Rainy Wednesday

I spent the morning designing products with yesterday's watercolor and then made a bit of lunch before heading over to the thrift store to drop off a couple of bags of things I don't need around here. Of course I went into the store as well to see if I could find anything I needed and was pleased to find a full length dress in classic navy with tiny white dots. It was new with the tags still on it, the original price was 29.99 and I got it for 4.00.

Well, that was the excitement in my day. I'm off to the front garden to pick a few more flowers to do some watercolors with.

Recycling Denim

Once I'd cleared some space on my work table I figured that I might as well sort through the pile of old jeans a friend brought in and see what I could do with them.
Most of the time because they're so hard on my scissors and sewing machine I stick to tote bags and small throws that can be used as rugs or quilts.
Today I'm not quite sure so I'll be thinking about that as I cut out the best parts of the fabric and get some of the rest of it out of my way.
What's your favorite thing to do with them?

Warm and Breezy

It's warm and breezy today. We went out in the yard for coffee and I trimmed the blooms off my hosta. (Those beds are full enough that I really don't need the plants expending a lot of energy in flowers or setting seed)

In the house I'm reorganizing the studio space as I decide which project to start on next.

I spent last night printing photos to capture my whole garden along with the paintings and drawings that came from it. There's not much need for it now but I think we'll really enjoy seeing it when winter sets in.

As long as I had photos  out it seemed to be a good idea to sort out some of the old pictures and recycle one of the albums for the garden project. Considering the price of printer ink and photo paper any savings were welcome...

Organizing the studio/multi purpose space

 Most of the room is still a mess but I seem to have this corner sorted out and working well. The various cabinets and storage boxes run all the way to the ceiling!

So far this space is a dining room, sewing room, craft space and art studio...and it's less than 12 ft. square!

Rainy days and indoor projects

I'm cleaning and organizing the dining room that serves as my studio these days. When I get ready to take a break from that I'll start drawing and painting the flowers and herbs that I brought in yesterday.
I've also been sharpening my photography skills doing group photos at a local senior center.
We're too lazy to cook breakfast this morning so I think we'll grab a piece of pie with our coffee. Lemon meringue would make nice kitchen art but I'd much rather eat it than draw it, wouldn't you?

Easy Craft Clean Up

Mess Containment: Cleaning up after art and craft projects is in the bag
1. plastic shopping bag

 2. hold it open and roll it down as far as you need to so that it spreads out on your table and the rolled portion stands up enough to contain any wood shavings or other mess from your project.

 3. finish working on your project.

4.unroll the bag.
5.tie bag closed
6. dispose of it.