Studio Mice Stealing Hearts

January went by faster than a startled cat!  It was a month of studio changes, refocus, and wake up calls- but more on that later.  Today is a light and fluffy kind of return to my blogging side.  Today is a day to introduce the studio mice of 2014. 

The new studio mice are made of up-cycled wool and cashmere.

They are simple critters with big hearts.

 

Though they are quiet and relatively unobtrusive, they do tend to multiply quickly.



To see more studio mice, check out where they dwell on Early Work Mercantile,  Etsy, and Hendley Market.

 

LOVE & STUDIO MICE

 





Show Prep Truths

My first art show is now under my proverbial belt and I am now hopelessly addicted to show life.  The merriment, customers and artist camaraderie are my new drugs of choice (in addition to Starbucks, vintage wool, and thrifting).

 

 Amongst the lessons I learned about timing, planning, and budgeting while prepping for an art show, many truths revealed themselves.  I wrote these down to save my sanity for the next show prep.

1. No one is going to take over your chores.  Buy a biohazard suit because that crap is going to pile up!

2. Kitchen counters make better worktables than studio tables.

3. The dogs will eat at least three creations carelessly left out during emergency Hobby Lobby runs.

4. One creation will meet its end by iron scorching in the final step.

5. My laptop and I will live in a constant antagonistic battle for domination.

6. For every imperfection I see in my work, every one else sees only perfection.

7. I can live on a diet of bananas, Triscuits and Starbucks.

8. One teaspoon of glitter can create weeks worth of sparkle cheeks.

9. Laughter is the best side effect of exhaustion.

10. I have the best family and friends in the world~ who believed in me every step of the way. 

LOVE &  TRUTHS

Show Prep!

Snip, stitch, stuff, paint, latte...... repeat.
My wee hands are busy with preparations for the Artifacts Show November 30th, in Galveston.  This is my first official show, coming on the heels of many firsts for me this year- and I have no idea what to expect, or how much to create. So I am in turbo studio mode, just in case.

My studio runneth over! Stuffing is flung from one corner of my house to the other. My kitchen counters are full of painted figures in a variety of coat progressions. Cinnamon and vanilla wafts from the oven as prim figures are baked to grungy perfection.  Coffee tables topple with half stuffed rodents and my dining room table has become stocking central as the washing machine spins old sweaters into felted wool.  If ever I've made a strong case for an out of home studio, it would be this past month.

 

Ten days to go until show time! I will be in good company alongside fellow artists Robert Dampier, Rachel Montemayor, and many others taking part in Galveston's Art Walk.  It will be a festive evening of art, wine, and good cheer.  Stop in at Hendley Market on the Strand, November 30th, between 6-9 pm, to meet the artists! If you're not local to the Houston-Galveston area, check your local art scene for similar Holiday events and support your community by shopping local.

 

LOVE  &  ART WALK

October's Story

Holy crow where have I been???! (and thanks to all who've inquired to be certain I haven't vanished 3 miles east of Deliverance on a country explore!)

 

October was one wild crazy ride of a month with mixed blessings, fresh opportunities, and "pinch me" moments, but I have emerged unscathed and thankful.  Very appropriate for the most thankful month of the year.  So exactly WHAT have I been up to?

 

In early October I was approached by a publication for a feature story on my artwork.  If you follow me on Instagram then you already know the magazine... but for the rest of the world, mum is the word for now.  Though they fell in love with my autumn pumpkins, the story will run in December. 

 

No worries they said- just bring your holiday items to the shoot in a few weeks.

 

Cool.  I got this.  Go home check stock.. There's a good healthy start.  Enter Etsy and that anomaly all artists pray for: someone loves the inventory shown and buys it all.  Really??  All of it???  But I neeeeeeeed it!!

 

Rut Roh Raggy.... Houston, we have a problem.

 

 Confidence turned to panic as I said farewell to the existing inventory. Out came bin after bin of fabric.  Snip snip snip! My sewing machine remained on turbo stitch day and night. Any moment not filled with my day to day responsibilities was consumed in conjuring a reasonable holiday stash. 

What does enough look like? How much more can I create in the time I have?

How can the cat possibly be so calm in times like these???

Before I knew it, Halloween arrived and it was GO time.  The photo shoot would take place at Hendley Market in the worst of circumstances:  the Lone Star Biker Rally had the Galveston Strand completely impassable.  I would have to park 5 blocks away.  And then adding insult- it was pouring that kind of windy rain rendering umbrellas useless. Avoiding puddles was a futile effort.  Rolling up my jeans, I tossed my shoes in to my bag and hoofed it barefoot through ankle-deep water. Hair that was styled just so was straggling in my eyes. So much for the well-coiffed look.

Weeks of nervous worry melted away when the photographer arrived, equally frustrated by the weather and traffic situation.  She put me at ease and I knew my work was in the right hands.

I found my first photo shoot to be much like that first school picture day so many years ago with my daughter.  Dressing, prepping, making sure she is comfortable and the smiles aren't too posed.  Looking on with careful caution. Relaxing when the final shots are taken and knowing all has gone well. 

Alongside my own inventory build-up, I've been working closely with Hendley Market and getting invaluable insight at what goes into prepping for a major holiday show.  After two months of supply packing, pricing, and prop planning, Hendley is on the move to setup at Houston's Nutcracker Market.  In the next week we will recreate the store inside Reliant Stadium for one of the biggest holiday shows Houston offers.  All of this knowledge I will employ in my first official show November 30th during Galveston's Art Walk and Hendley's Artifact Show. 

It's a good thing us Hendley folk know how to blow off all that steam!!

Here's to an amazing October and an awesome November unfolding!

LOVE  &  CREATIVITY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Crowded Workbasket

It's that time of year again! My fingers are dye-stained and stitches are flying as I create to keep up with demand.  Studio work reigns supreme and my writing cravings simply have to wait.  But I am not complaining! 

 The baskets are full of critters in all sorts of unfinished stages!  Friendly basket banter can be overheard as Halloween peeps face off with Holiday mice and snowmen.

The mice are natural wisecrackers, hiding behind innocent smiles.

Those creations without mouths wait patiently, contemplating future retorts.



This fall I have the privilege of selling my goods at Hendley Market and this batch of pumpkins is excited to join the store shenanigans! It won't be long before the rest of their workbasket buddies join them in Galveston!

LOVE & STICHING MARATHONS!

 

Proper Dress Required

My friend told me this morning that it was 58 degrees in her part of New York.  I looked at my weather app and confirmed what I already knew at 7 a.m. Texas time. Yep. Hotter than hell with 100% chance of humidity hair. Why bother showering in the summer? I leave my house looking like a cover model (yes, that's my opinion!) and by time I get to my car I look like I look like I've hiked up the wrong side of a volcano.  In thinking this, I immediately took pity on this gal in an 1883 fashion catalog I stumbled across yesterday at Hendley Market.

July fashions????  Seriously??  These poor gals must've stunk something awful by the end of the day!  Even on the coldest day in Galveston, this amount of proper fabric would stifle the good senses of the modern woman.  Galveston dress code today is free and easy.  Most people are wandering in off the beach, shopping the Strand, or a combination of the two.  Recently, while working at Hendley, I was coerced into modeling the island fabulous shirts we sell.  Very coastal chic and I even threw on a hat to hide my humidity hair.

But even with three summer layers: a silk wrap, linen tee, and feather weight cotton island shirt, I was roasting!!!  And as with all things Hendley, even the most serious of photo missions (sell those shirts!!) turns into a festival of goofing off. 

One good goof leads to merry mischief as the props come into play!

Seriously though, those island shirts sure are comfy!  I wonder what liberation Miss July 1883 would've felt if she could have traded in that huge hat and sturdy skirt for a boho chic island shirt?

 

LOVE  &  SUMMER DRESS

 

 

 

 

Lunch At Hendley

There are few places like Hendley Market in Galveston, Texas.  On the historic Strand, visitors are welcomed in with or without dogs and shoes. An eclectic mix of local artists, antiques, vintage, fine art, witty books and penny candy canisters filled with delights for wee folk.  It is a store for all ages and the chronically young at heart.

Housed in one of the oldest buildings in town, I think some past residents were messing with my camera because very few shots came out with any clarity.  Did I mention the fully charged camera battery died off as well?  It was as if the ghosts wanted to keep Hendley's delights under wraps.  I was hoping the trade off would be a spectral figure in my photos- but no such luck.  Just grainy pics at best.

It is an honor to become part of the Hendley vibe.  Today I was invited in for a light lunch and conversation.  Amongst the fine cheeses, asparagus and taffy, I learned the ladies of the shop share my taste in music and my off beat sense of humor. Exactly the camaraderie I needed as Hubby's extended work trip has prolonged the silence in the house.

My Lydia sure is comfy in her new home, tending shop and handing out strawberries!

There is no greater feeling than becoming a part of the community in which one lives.  I have moved so often that this art of assimilation should be second nature, but I am shy at heart.  Hendley feels like a new home with old friends.  Every guest is well known and as one guest said, "Hendley is just so cool.  It's a place we all come to just hang out."

With spring leaving shop doors wide open to welcome breezes across America it is time to get out and taste the local flavors.  Artists have been working the winter away and are ready to share a story while showing off their wares.  So treat yourself to fresh stroll in a familiar place.  Support local business and increase your hometown identity. Be amazed by the many talents who share your zipcode.

 

 

 LOVE  &  SHOP LOCAL

 

 

The Simple Rabbit

Some times life calls for something simple; a slow down, a yield sign, a gentle rain on fresh spring flowers.  My studio cycles much the same.  The complicated doll dresses, the microscopic turns of linen starfish, and busy wool applique patterns give way to a yearn for prim minimalism.

Robyn Pandolph's leaping bunny is my primitive spring go-to pattern when I want to play with fabric but not be bogged down in my own designs. 

 These bunnies are quick!  They multiply fast!  And it gives the fabric a chance to really pop! Simple rabbits also help to keep my scrap piles dwindling to a manageable chaos.

Popping up everywhere, you can see the finished guys available for purchase in the Early Work Mercantile, my Etsy shop, or swing by Hendley Market on The Strand in Galveston.

LOVE  &  APRIL SHOWERS!

 

Inspirational Tweets Headed To Hendley

So many peeps chilling in the trees these spring mornings!  Nesting activities abound as the quiet winter skies give way to warmer days and green leaves.  In celebration of the season, new Inspirational Tweets have emerged from the studio ready to take flight to Hendley Market!

 

 

There were days when getting goodes ready for market was a fretful plague of anxiety, self-doubt and the certainty that Hand of Bela Peck goodes wouldn't match up to my fellow Galveston artists.  After the first basket was delivered I was shocked to see my Russian Mice collection grace the front table and doors! After the second basket, I fell into a welcome routine of artsy chat and friendship.  Now, several baskets later, the Hendley trip is a welcome break- a chance to share in recent finds and girlish banter on daily things.  In my Hendley journey, and over the past year, I've come to realize that all artists doubt their work.  I've found a new community of friends who try to balance the struggle for creativity with the challenges of everyday life.  Most importantly, in the vast anonymity south of Houston, I found a place where I belong.

 

Though timely for spring, this delivery of Inspirational Tweets reflects the feelings and undercurrents brought on by my involvement with the fab peeps of Hendley Market!  If you find yourself in the Galveston area- swing on in!  Hendley Market is located on The Strand and is open Thursday-Sunday. 

 

LOVE  &  SPRING TWEETS!