We are under Construction!

Yesterday, I spent the entire day working on a Website for Shelly's Design Studio. To this date, we haven't had one. I have had the privilege  of working with some wonderful people through referrals. The projects have varied from element to element in a room setting.

Some want to focus on paint colors, some want to focus on soft furnishings, others want new furniture and others want full service interior design. I am greatly touched and moved by many of the things they have to say about working with me.

The experience they have with me and the finished results are rewarding for all. I am looking to get this across in my website.

I don't want a website that has a gallery of finished work.. there are a lot of people out there doing some beautiful things. And the interiors all start to look the same. I do NOT want to do the SAME thing.

I rely on my clients personality to provide the key element for the transformation of their home. It is their needs, likes and dislikes that shape the basis for my design concept. This forces me to think out of the box. It keeps the work from becoming trendy. I am a style maker not a trend follower.

Working with current materials and products does give an updated and 'trendy' feel to the project, many times however, I am integrating treasured pieces of the family, parts of their past.  Even the house itself lends cue's as to proportion and certain elements of style to be repeated or pronounced.

A site that conveys the personality of my clients is what I want.. I want to work with people that enjoy working with me. I am pretty easy to get along with, many have said I am fun (I like to think so, I want to have fun at what I am doing).

As an interior designer, I develop, communicate and hold the vision for the project. If the client were able to do this, they would not have called me in. The contractor knows construction, they are experienced in this. Design is my realm. I take the function and partner it with an aesthetic that works for the client and the house... and my expertise. At this point in my career, I cannot knowingly allow myself to let something by that is going to look odd. I do very detailed and calculated research to know in advance if something is going to be in MY tolerance range. If it is out of my comfort zone, I do not endorse it.

 Let me just say, I am fearless when it comes to creativity. I am willing to put things together that have not been paired before. I am confident in my understanding of the design elements and assess each of them before moving forward with the unorthodox pairing. Color being a prime example of this. I like to put colors together that would not ordinarily be playmates. It is all in the proportion in making these oddities work. Resulting in individualized spaces that reflect personality, invitation and warmth.

My hope is that by next monday's post there will be a link for all of you to Shellysdesignstudio.com
(not active yet).. I will activate links when it goes live..

This is a big step for me, a commitment to my passion of design and the willingness to share a something that is sacred to me with the WORLD.

Thank you all for reading and being my ears as I process this communication beyond my own inner critics.

It is a sewing/project day today... so, friday we'll have pictures... see you then..

Inspired into Action!

Yes, I know, its thursday and I wasn't going to post until friday and then, only a brief one... BUT I happened upon this book. It is one of the most inspiring books to me that I have seen in a very long time! I was perusing at B& N last evening and after putting away the books I was looking at.. this one just said, check me out. I walked past it and there were others in another location. Again, it said, you have to at least look at this!

A New book of INSPIRATION!

 So, upon opening the cover, I knew I was in for a treat!

If you can't judge a book by its cover, you can often tell a lot by its signature page!

 Here is a sampling of what I found between signature pages.... lovely, yummy, colorful pictures!

I had to capture the photo of the toilet... no just kidding! I love LOVE LOVE the wall painting!

Here, the warm golds and cool turquoise are so dreamy together

 I was delighted to find photos of her studio! I love studio photos. I find it intriguing and inspiring to see the spaces that people create in. Of course, these are staged for photos, but to see the colors, textures and available lighting people work in, as well as how the space is laid out.. very inspiring. It makes me want to go downstairs to the studio and get everything UNPACKED! (which is what my plan for the day has changed to) My morning appointment has been postponed until next week.

Studio photo # 1 featured in the book- same 'roll carts' as mine, only mine are black and have nice scratches on the top from moving! 

Studio photo#2 My dream studio!

I love that her studio has beautiful LARGE open shelves for the yards of fabric.. Very neatly folded and displayed... like a nicely organized toolbox. The other thing is a bed.. for designing bedding ensembles! Brilliant! And it could most likely serve as a guest bedroom space... hmmmm..
A dress form for apron design and a sofa for relaxing and inspiration, as well as photos!

After looking through this book last evening I am inspired to paint, to draw, to sew and to dive into my stash. I am soo glad that I have opted to keep the entire stash here and not send out to storage those things that I think I will not be sewing.. some of those pieces, I finally have an idea what to do with them!

I hope you have enjoyed the surprise post today, look through the book, you won't be disappointed! It is bursting with colorful photos and features 20 projects and an original stencil. The Painted Home by Dena I just want to add, the photography is gorgeous in this book! The photographer John Ellis has done a fabulous job of capturing the beauty of these rooms!

I plan to dive into some fun stuff today, so maybe a sneak peak tomorrow as to what I have been up to and then MORE DRAPERY MATH on monday!

A great organization tool for Creative thinkers

I have found the greatest tool for the vast amount of information swirling around in my head. Many people may have heard of mind mapping before. But I just discovered it for myself.

Lists work to a certain degree for me, but I find after a period of time goes by, I recreate the same old list over and over again. I find that a list doesn't necessarily help me to put things into perspective, even if I number/prioritize. It is just too linear for me.

Mind mapping is a term that I have been hearing from time to time as other people have mentioned it. Although, I have never taken the time to investigate it.

A psychologist, Tony Buzan, has been the man accredited with coining the phrase in the '70's. Honestly, I have done this in creativity classes at university and it worked for brainstorming ideas and getting a quick idea of relationships. I, however, have confused myself in the use as, I place a bubble in the wrong place or end up with a very visually chaotic view of what is going on in my head. (Which, is the problem in the first place)

My friend P. mentioned it to me the other day and sent me a link to a website she had found a few weeks back. After meeting with her and E. on Saturday, the topic came up again and I realized, now is the time to check this out.. it could help me get organized to determine what I want next for my life.

Wow! I spent the morning researching different software available and there are a great many out there. Tony Buzan also has a website and software available from free to paid versions. www.thinkbuzan.com/

I finally chose Freemind as the download to use. There are a handful of others as well, Xmind, Mindmeister, and websites that compare them all...

I spent the day yesterday, just organizing all the things in my life that are important to me and building branches, getting more and more detailed. The concept is like that of a tree. So, for my first mind map, I am the center. (I am, of course, the center of MY universe, the one that I create for myself- as you are of yours!) We all create our own experiences and choose how we will respond to them. The key is realizing each situation is a DIFFERENT ONE! So responding or reacting as most people do in the same old way... is not a choice... it is auto pilot and this is when life passes you by... you become present to nothing but the same old thing, blah... blah... blah...

So, when I finished what I could yesterday of my personal mind map... I realized it is really the ROOTS of the tree..the things I have listed are all things that nourish and give me the experience of being ME... not someone else!

I feel liberated.. this morning I did a couple of other mind maps.. I mapped out my wardrobe and I mapped out my current sewing projects.. the process is right there for me, easy for me to follow and maximize my creativity, while minimizing overwhelm. When I get to that point, I just need to go and look at my map and VOILA! I see it all in perspective, I see clearly the area that will have the most impact in forwarding my experience of being ME!

I haven't figured out how to get a sample graphic on here to show you but this is the greatest discovery I have made in a while... what a fabulous tool for creatives especially.. and I am just starting...

All of the projects that I want to do can be documented and the information specified. I can see, that looking at my map for a particular area of my life or a specific project will help to re-ignite inspiration for taking action.. the timing is sometimes off and you have to tend to something else first or there are skill sets that need to be learned, perspectives to be acknowledged and paradigms to be shifted!

Check out the mind mapping for yourself... let me know what uses you are planning to get from it?
This is just the beginning!

My Vintage Cottage Kitchen and the Farmers Market

Saturday Morning at the Farmers Market

Saturday was a busy day. We started off at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. We hadn't been there much all summer. The reds were abundant this weekend...There were tomatoes and peppers everywhere!

A portion of purchases... Basil, Tomatoes and Red Bell Peppers

A beautiful red pepper and my basil in a mixing bowl

 The basil was a most likely the last of the season, so I purchased a great deal of it and plan to make pesto with it. I have already froze a small batch in a container, I will check to see how that froze up. It may be a great way to have fresh basil for maybe Basil fried rice this fall and winter.

The perfect partnership, basil and heirloom tomato

The heirloom tomatoes were available as well, not as readily as roma and some other varieties, but I LOVE the flavors of an heirloom tomato!

Three tomatoes

 And when we happened upon bunches of concord grapes, I had to have them. They are tricky to find form year to year. Not all get a good harvest. I remember about six or seven years ago, they were everywhere! All of the local co-ops had them.. since then, I have only seen them at the farmers market. I think one year, one of the local co-ops had a small crop in... If you have ever had a fresh concord grape, they taste like NO OTHER! Seeds only slow down consumption so you can revel the taste.

Delicious and Beautiful Concord Grapes... yes there are seeds, but they make you savor the flavor of the grape, smells like grape bubble gum- YUM!

Our Kitchen table... 

After the farmers market, it was on to a local lumber yard showroom to listen to a talk by Sarah Susanka. I had seen her speak before and have several of her books. My House mate, however, has been fascinated by my books and wanted to go as well. I was interested in what her latest was.. so off we went after returning home from the farmers market.

The open pantry door... not much counter top space

 Returning from the showroom event, it was quickly load up the car with items to bring back out to mom and dad's. I haven't the room for it and needed to peel off the attachment. Things to get by with.. and return dad's totes.. he wants to get ready for fall hunting and realized, he had no totes.. he lent them all to me for moving..

The cooking and clean up section of the kitchen

 Sunday was the day to go through final boxes of kitchen items and get things put away. The pesto hasn't been made yet, however, we were able to actually eat dinner at our kitchen table. It is cozy, but nice.
Today I make the pesto and other goodies for stocking my pantry.. I think I am going to dehydrate the peppers with olive oil and smoked sea salt for flavor, they will be great in pita sandwiches... and whatever else I dream up.

Depending on how it goes, I may work on the basement again... at least an hour. I wonder what I can get done in an hour?  I want to get those draperies sewn.. this week.. the cutting mat has been retrieved along with my plants and my boxes of photos... Oddly, we brought out a carload of stuff to mom and dad's and returned with another carload!

Great Idea for draperies for the Front Bedroom Window

Yesterday, as I was moving things around, I found the fabric I had been looking for. It is a mid-weight brown solid. It will match the wall brown in the front bedroom nicely.

The same hardware treatment needs to be used as it is inexpensive, blends in with the woodwork and requires NO holes in the walls or the wood work.

I will need to order the custom pieces this afternoon and maybe they will be ready for pick up tomorrow afternoon.

This morning I had a great insight of how to use grommets and leather shoe string for making the pleats. The idea is still formulating in my head, but I found my grommet setter yesterday in the mess of boxes.

The boxes are getting unpacked, not necessarily organized. I need to assess inventory of supplies and materials and plan accordingly. I will use my books as a roadmap. What books are on my bookshelves, what tools do I own that are for each of those tasks and set up drawers for each thing. My drawers are all on wheels, so I can move them to wherever I am working on a project. Except I don't have an elevator, so it will have to be contained to downstairs! -UNLESS- I put them in a drawer that is removable! Some things will just go in my rolly-carts from Ikea, for stuff to work on the work table down there. Portable things can go in the smaller drawers and bins that are available.

Good, well, on with the day.. no photos now, there were plenty yesterday... maybe later today as I make progress...

Oh, By the Way- 5 page views away from reaching 3000!!!!!
What do you think of a facebook page for Vibrant Threads? Would it be easier to share with others? There would be a 'Like' button......hmmm?????

The Slow Pace of Homemaking

The Little Cottage by the River, as I am now affectionately calling home, until July1 of next year at least, is becoming HOME.

A whole new routine of life is slowly emerging as boxes get unpacked and repacked, daily routines fall into place. Things that I am more concerned with now that I have a housemate that didn't even come to mind before are starting to take shape in my daily structure and routine. Expectations and boundaries are also coming into play.

The books are unpacked, my room is slowly taking shape. I am seriously considering bringing my antique walnut twin bed here for in my room. Why not? I got rid of the mattress and box spring I had at the other house. I think it smelled of that terrible rancid moldy smell. I got rid of the headboard as well.

Apparently many people that assisted with the moving were of the camp of 'hate it.' I designed it and had it made for a Spring Home and Garden show that I did many years ago. It was a french bedroom of lime and fuchsia. I loved it. The accents were white and black. People either loved it or 'hated it'. Funny thing about Home and Garden shows, people had NO PROBLEM sharing their like or DISLIKE of something directly to you. It was a great experience in not taking one's work too seriously.

So, it seems that chapter of my life has ended. I am to the core of who I am again and purging the rest of the debris. Creativity is everywhere and I am inspired and not so overwhelmed by it all.

While I do have a great deal of fabric, when it is all in one room, it isn't as overwhelming as I had anticipated. OK! I will go and take some before photos of the basement. I haven't really dug into the boxes and setting up the work stations, that is the task for this afternoon... ok... I will go take pictures... be back in a flash.. well... my iPhone flash maybe... 

Vintage Draperies to be Refashioned into NEW Draperies!

This morning I have rearranged the Living room. The bookcases are almost full. Some of the books will go downstairs in the studio. 

It has been a busy last five days. Painting the basement walls and floor was a great chore. We vacuumed all of the corners, cracks and crevices, filled a concrete hole and washed all of the windows, inside and out. Very grungy work. But it is almost sparkling down there. We then proceeded to bring all of my fabric totes and miscellaneous boxed up studio stuff. The basement is pretty full, hopefully I will be able to purge a great deal of paperwork and other non-desirables and have a neat and open space to work in.

This morning I reviewed my preliminary plan for the living room and there was a chair that I did not place. I had it originally downstairs. It hasn't made it down there and is a very comfortable chair, so I think it is staying in the Living room.

The two channel back barrel chairs from most likely the early 50's maybe late 40's made it in from the garage. My friend dropped them off last week. The fabric is a bit darkened, but in good condition. I think I will have them professionally cleaned and leave them as is. The fabric isn't worn at all, just a bit discolored... I hope it comes out..

There is one large tote left in the garage of my fabric. It is a clear tote from Ikea. On the top of all of my wool plaids were two vintage drapery panels from about the same era as the chairs. I think this fabric will be perfect for the front window drapery.

Vintage drapery panel draped over chair

Detail of floral motif 

This is incentive to get the studio up and running, at least the sewing set up. The hands on stuff. That is what I am missing. I do a lot of creative planning, coordinating and coaching for others. I don't do nearly enough creative activity for myself. These draperies will be great in here.. I will create a special pleat just for the window.

The brown/tan stitched roman shades on the other wall

There are tan/brown colored stitched roman shades on the two windows on the adjacent wall. The acanthus is shadowed with a similar brown on the vintage fabric. There are deep burgundy flowers which match my grandpa's chair (the one staying upstairs) And the peach integrates nicely with the oils of Paris which flank the right side of the window. I have a little blue metal lamp that reminds me of a neoclassical style that I have painted with an iridescent blue to sit on the corner table. The large lamp is in front of the large window, not centered. It looks more interesting that way and is much more functional. The furniture fits this way and the lamp will not be in front of the wands for opening and closing the draperies.

Fabric selection was easy for this window. I have been on the lookout as fabric has been moving downstairs.. I know exactly where my lining is as well. The fabric is a good weight and will drape nicely, holding its pleats well. I do not plan on adding any crinoline or buckram to the header. I want them to have a casual look. Not what would have been there. In reality, I am sure there were traversing draperies on the wall that cleared the glass. I am not putting any hardware up. I am using a custom brass tension rod to mount inside the window casing. The brass will blend into the woodwork better than a standard white which is readily available. Because the rings will traverse, I would not paint the rod.

Well, I better finish that bookcase and start downstairs... I will emerge for another post another day.

Progress report

Happy Tuesday to everyone. Labor day weekend came and went.. much like the summer.

Living room and front door

We have made some progress, not nearly as quickly as I and my HM would like. The basement painting is FINALLY completed. A lot of work for 10 months stay. BUT, if I am to be spending my creative time down there.. it needed to be done. It was definitely an upgrade from the basement before, it still had its issues. At least the surfaces (except the treads of the steps for now) are all done.

Since painting and being down there, the spiders and house centipedes have not been out and about.

Many of the bookcases have been placed. HM has unexpectedly gotten the day off due to scheduling goofiness, so that is a good thing. Unpacking and sorting can continue with a friend. I really dread doing all of it myself, I feel guilty that it is mostly my stuff.

I have gotten rid of 2 trash bags of clothes, my headboard (yes, the pink silk one that was featured in a Home and Garden show room) some lamps, tables and dishes. Also a great deal of bathroom products that were never going to see the light of day again.. It is funny when you pack in a hurry, you pack EVERYTHING! I need to just get rid of the things that I know I will never use or bring me joy any more...

I managed to get all of my clothes in the closet. I can purge a bit more and the chest of drawers is still empty with large, heaping, overflowing laundry baskets to be purged and put away.

Hallway-After (bedroom before purging)

Hallway- Before

Baseement before

Basement After-furniture not placed yet

I am ok with spending creative time in the basement. Basement's symbolize the subconscious, perhaps I will tap into my deepest creative ideas and bring them forth into the world. I can already see a pattern emerging of the creativity expressed happening here. I have several classes on my calendar that I am planning to take and new creative friendships are emerging. I hope to fully develop and expand my creative presence in the world, positioning myself in the next 10 months. 

Color and Technology Musings

Close up of a rose in sunlight (not photo enhanced)

I have just been taking a moment to see what is newly posted on Pinterest. As I am scrolling down the pages, my eyes are stimulated by the vibrant color. The contrast and lighting is so beyond what is normally seen. pinterest.com/mermaidslair/ (a link to my boards) I am new to Pinterest... and find very inspiring images.. (remember I LOVE pictures!)

Luscious moss in the forest (not photo enhanced)

Thinking to myself, I wonder how many of these have been color enhanced? Then, it has me wondering what impact will all of this have on the way we perceive color in our 3-dimensional world? Will we automatically detect color in our surroundings as more brilliant? Will we want more brilliant color in our home environments? Is the color we see enhanced on our computer screens creating a demand for more brilliant color in our textiles and print? Is this one of the factors of the popularity of the brighter colors in recent years?

Physiologically, will our ability to detect color change due to the enhancements available to us? My recent trip this summer, studying color, has me thinking if we spend more time on our computer than we do out in nature, we will definitely require more brilliant color in our homes and apparel. If however, we maintain our connection to nature, how will we perceive the green leaves and brilliant sunsets? Will our minds create the color enhancement for us? Will we evolve into seeing color more brilliantly, needing less light to detect the luminosity?

A serene sunset at Lake Harriet (not photo enhanced)

How does technology impact the way we see color? Recently Leatrice Eiseman posted on the neutrals, beige and taupe and the popularity they gained in the 1920's and specifically, Elsie de Wolfe's impact.  Did the acceptance of these tones coincide with the availability of film and entertainment? After all, more and more people were able to experience 'moving' pictures.. with color not being first seen until 1939 by mass audiences. (The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind) People spent their free time and escape from reality going to movies.. how many of us use the computer to escape and/or break from reality.. Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs, etc.? While a great way to stay connected, would you pick up the phone and call someone every five minutes to tell them where you are for dinner? There is staying connected and distraction.. would you pick up the phone every 5-minutes to share with people where you are for dinner? Doesn't it rather detract from the experience you ARE having, if you remove yourself from the presence of your experience to comment on it at the time you are having it?

Just a curios thought that came to mind, how our world is changing and how conscious are we of directing those changes.. any comments? What do you think? 

Creative inspiration in the News

This morning I had two new things in my inbox... that are dear to me, albeit, tucked away on a very packed shelf at the moment.

Remembering my trip to Bainbridge Island and color training with Leatrice Eisememan, a color connection of shared passion and knowledge.

Here is a link to the story about Leatrice Eiseman's home http://www.seattlemet.com/home-and-garden/articles/a-color-drenched-farmhouse-on-bainbridge-september-2012. Enjoy reading about her charming farmhouse and her passion for color... she is an inspiration to me and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to participate in her training week on the island.. a truly inspiring business model for me..

The other passion I am chomping at the bit to gain practice at is the following story of Spoonflower. http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/26/2292834/fabric-printing-company-a-cut.html
I also had the opportunity to learn with Steven Fraser, co-founder of Spoonflower earlier this spring. The result of that was the ever patient cherry fabric for the vintage apron... soon, I will get back to that!

I am committed to completing the apron before the end of september. There isn't much left on it, a few hours at best. It is just setting up the sewing space right now. There is a great deal of painting to be done in the basement studio for it to be a comfortable place to work. I am less than crazy to share it with the many legged creatures that lurk around down there in the whatever hours of the day they decide to stroll around ... EEK! And they are BIG ONES!! -Nope, not going to gross any one out with a picture of them.  I wouldn't want anyone having nightmares!

As you probably can tell, there is no shortage of inspiration for me and the greatest challenge is knowing where to put my time and energy. The distractions of life seem to get in the way... This week is about unpacking... next week, is another focus... TBD! -Oh, and those curtains are a must.. by the end of September as well... I seem to have lost my tape measure... :(

It may have fallen in a box... they are everywhere! (not tape measures- boxes. Hmm, I used to have lots of tape measures (4 or 5)... I wonder where they have all gone?

How do project inspirations occur for you? How do you choose which ones to pursue? Do you schedule time for them, or do you do them -oh, whenever.... ? At what point do they become work for you? or do they always remain an enjoyment, a respite from daily life and life surprises?

New Curtains in Order, determining Criteria and Design options.

Good morning, it is Thursday morning and I am exhausted, the sky is gray and the traffic is busy outside my windows.

All of my windows in my little house have woven wood blinds on them. I like woven woods, although, they are dark and not necessarily the first choice for myself, I appreciate that they have style and texture and match the natural woodwork quite well.

Woven woods in my bedroom

There are some milk chocolate colored hobbled roman shades in the Living room on the side windows, the problem is the two front big windows have NOTHING on them. So when my housemate, buses and cars get going in the morning often before me (about 4AM) I feel a bit like I am in a fish bowl!

http://www.illustratorworld.com/artwork/5873/

There are many things to take into consideration when designing window treatments.
The first question to ask is: Will these need to function or will the window dressing be purely functional?

In this case: I need them to function, they must provide privacy.

Will they stay permanently closed?
No, I want to be able to open and close them.

Where will I put the hardware?
The wood window trim is ALWAYS the LAST OPTION if there is no place else to mount the hardware! These windows have beautiful original woodwork and I am renting this house, most likely the walls are plaster, so if I don't need to go into the walls either that is preferred.

The hardware will be inside mounted. Because the woodwork is natural and the house was built in 1926, I will use a brass rod with tension mount ends, a very classic material and the brass will be less of a contrast with the wood than white would be.

The green arrows indicate where the drapery will go.

Because I need the treatment to open and close, ROD POCKETS are NOT an option. Many people choose rod pockets because they are easy and often times available ready made. With my background in window treatments and design, ready made does not find its way into my house. So that option is out as well. Another post will sing the praises of custom window treatments and compare them to other options... there are some I would consider... but that IS another post.

Rod pockets are for stationary panels only. For the pocket to fit snugly around a pole and look like a permanent part of the decor of a room, the drapery do NOT easily slide across the pole. If the pocket is made looser, the panels do not stay in place in the open position, they creep to the center and flatten out. Rod pockets in a situation like that tend to look home-made, cheap and easy.

So, what else is available? Rings, pleated drapery on rings. I will do an specialty pleat on small brass rings on a brass rod.

A quick 5 minute sketch of a possible concept.

 A 3/8" brass rod is classic. Because the rod will be inside mounted and temporary for the time we are here, I will use a 3/8" brass rod, with spring tension ends. The rod will need to be custom made, however, they are not terribly expensive and will be perfect for the windows in the Living room and the Bedroom. I will also do a small cafe curtain for the kitchen nook. The window faces east and sometimes bright morning sunlight may need to be filtered.

I may scallop the tops. There will be something different and decorative about each of them, however, they will be consistent in look from the street view.

Because they are inside mount, they will be sill length. This will also require the least amount of fabric.

Now I am excited to start going through fabric... purge and play... get rid of one-third,  one-third for projects in the next 10 months  and the last one-third is stash.
The one-third to keep are projects that I have everything I need to get them completed in the next ten months. The stash needs to be accessible for filler if I run into something I need to substitute, but no new fabric can enter my possession for 10 months. This new rule does not include muslin for fitting, draping or structural requirements. Notions are only allowed on an as needed basis.. oops sorry, getting ahead of myself..

Just one of the many totes filled with fabric, these are silk, most likely not going use  silk, maybe a nice linen....or linen blend.

I will post some fabric options from the stash in a future post. I want these curtains done and hung up no later than the end of September. This is a tentative date and I will need to schedule my plan... next post on this topic will be measure the windows and specify the hardware.

As always, you can count on the process being documented here... often times creativity is born out of necessity...

A day of New Friends...

Yesterday, I allowed myself to meet with some new friends. Others, who share my passion for sewing and Fabric!

My friend, P.D. who will soon have a blog of her own, may become a recurring character in my blog world cast of characters... she has already played a part, see the link after THIS post to go to THAT post. (there must be an easier way to do that, I just haven't figured it out yet)

Anyway, back to the day yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and J. H. presented a lovely Swedish style lunch of open faced sandwiches, a beautiful vegetable salad and refreshing summer wine, as well as a Swedish Zoft (I believe that is what she called it) made with currants.

We sat out on the patio under the umbrella all afternoon and talked sewing, buttons, inspirations, challenges, opportunities, fears, challenges, it was a glorious afternoon!

It is the type of community that I exactly want to create with this blog!

We all left the day feeling inspired, validated, refreshed and excited to have new delightful group of people to share sewing and creativity with.

I wish I would have gotten permission to photograph the beautiful day and the presentation of the delicious lunch to share with you all. You will just have to take my word for it.

Think green, sunshine, birds, chipmunks and a cat. Add vintage buttons, fabric swatches, photocopies of pattern envelopes, laughter and a great collaboration of ideas! EG shared her challenges and triumphs, what a wealth of fabulous ideas and innovation that woman has! I am fortunate to have found such talented souls to play with! That is what the day consisted of.

These are not JH's sandwiches, but her's were very similar..

The summer wine... very refreshing indeed

We have all agreed that once a month is a great opportunity to meet, share ideas and progress!
Now, I have a garage full of boxes I need to get out and sort!

Have a beautiful August afternoon... wherever you are... seek out like-minded people and you will believe in things that you never dreamed possible.. especially yourself! It is the most empowering thing you can do for YOU!

Halves, and Halves NOT!!

I am in the new house and ALL of my things arrived on Sunday!

Furniture made it into the house, well, some it and some of it will go right back out! There was very little time to clean and get the painting done... that will be done before the end of the month, BEFORE any new projects are started.

Living room- red side, wall repair was finished days before move in-painting is definitely necessary! The wall color will become much more neutral. I prefer a calming living room for relaxing, reading, quiet conversation or a movie. The room is much too small for the intensity of this red!

Sunday night was melt down night.. it was not pretty... !! I feel better today. My side of the garage is packed almost solid with boxes. I am not committing to, however, I am planning to downsize my possessions by 1/3 in the next 10 months. So, be on the look out for some cool things that I will be sending off... future posts will have details as to what will be happening to it all and how.. I will most likely commit, but I have to let go of the fear and frustration first.

There are some shelves out there that need to be dewebbed and cleaned to go into the basement, for right now, I think I will set them up in the back yard for sorting boxes. They just cam off the truck and into the garage...

My bedroom is HALF the size of my old one! I loved the size of that bedroom. This one is tiny. 11 x 9
I don't think I ever had a bedroom that small, well, maybe my first apartment in college and that was a short amount of time.

With the bedroom being HALF the size, my closet is also, HALF the size and the other one was nothing to be excited about. So, the clothes need to be gone through. My dad said on saturday as he was loading up the Denali to bring the things I had at their house, "You have more clothes than I do!"

My 10 year old niece was staying at their house too, so she brought them all into my room. She said,
"Wow, you have a lot of clothes!" followed by a huge smile and "a girl can NEVER have too MANY clothes!" She loved the attic space that is accessed from my room, she was coming up with all types of clever uses for the space. Mostly just a place to hang out and ... be creative.

Still needs work and the color has to change, I prefer something more vibrant to wake up to! 

So after the melt down, frustration and anger that showed up sunday evening, I began sorting clothes as I emptied the bags. Here is the first pass, I already know of three things in there that I want to pull back out. I will allow myself that. Purging when one is angry is not a good idea, there tends to be a great deal of regret and resentment that hangs on in its place. I would rather have the stuff, than that emotional nagging! Nonetheless, a great deal of things in this pile, remind me of who I was, the girl in transition, now at a new place and starting a new path.

First pass at purging clothes... there are a few keepers in here still. 

There have been a great deal of enterprising new ideas that have germinated over the last month and HALF! I will be further developing and sharing them as they begin to emerge and evolve into their own identity.

Basement plan needs revision! 

Bathroom walls- same as before, missing the turquoise ceiling!

As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments!

Gratitude

As moving day approaches, I am grateful for so many things..

I have had some wonderful opportunities! I was able to spend time with my parents. I have experienced how much I am loved and supported by my friends and family. I have had some time off from projects. Although, some of them not by choice.

I was able to continue my education and do something for ME! The Color Training course with Eiseman and Associates was a great respite from the turmoil of the summer. A beautiful place to spend time (Bainbridge Island) and immerse myself in my favorite PASSION-Color, with the leading expert in the field!

I am grateful for the time I have been able to spend learning new things. New things about myself, some that I am not so thrilled about, but, will continue to work on. I had the opportunity to spend time with my computer and really work on this blog. I have done research, found some blogs that I find truly inspiring (not sure how to share all of that yet) This is a work in process.

Happily, I was able to add pages to this yesterday! Now I must figure out how to get older posts to their appropriate page... any ideas?

I am grateful to have found such a great place to live! The neighborhood is great... 2 blocks from the river and 6 blocks from the Riverview Theater. (a lovely little vintage neighborhood theater!)

I am grateful for all of the help and support my readers have offered and provided for me. Thank you!

There is a big weekend ahead for me. Today will be spent painting the basement. I have some traveling to do... back into Minneapolis... so, for now I am signing off. There most likely will not be a post tomorrow... maybe not until next week. Internet is scheduled to commence on the 21st. I may find a hot spot here or there to check e-mails etc... however... that is as far as my technology is able to take me. I know I could do a mobile post... just don't have the time right now to learn that... it will go on my list of  things to learn... THAT is getting to be quite a long list!

Happy weekend to you all and I am grateful for your readership.... XO

Shelly

Cows, Roosters and Bunnies in the Country!

This weekend, still out in 'the country'.  Saturday, drove back to Annandale from St. Cloud. There is a little Antique store on the way. I have wanted to stop many times, but never took the opportunity. So, Saturday afternoon, on the way to mom and dad's house. My friend and I stopped.

I will definitely do an upcoming post about it.  It is a charming antique shop. Limited hours, but great stuff! Everything is very clean, not a dusty, dirty, find it and clean it type of place. There are antiques, vintage and some newer hand made things. All is nicely displayed there are a few things there that I absolutely COVET! Watch for an upcoming post about it.. it has to do with one of my favorite fashion designers!

The other thing I did Sunday afternoon, was go to the Benton County Fair. We had been talking about fairs with my parents and I said I liked to go into the animal barns. I do.. I love to see the animals. Touch them, watch them.. they are fascinating to me. So, when we arrived back in St. Cloud, my friend asked if I would like to go.

There were four animal barns, lots of food vendors and live music playing. I hadn't been to a county fair since I was a kid and went to the Anoka County Fair.

My favorite part was the Poultry-Pigeon-Rabbit Barn. I had NO IDEA there were so MANY exotic chicken breeds out there! And the Rabbits! Even the pigeons and geese were interesting to see.

 

Of course I was immediately drawn to the color on some of these birds! WOW! The iridescent feathers and the color combinations were beautiful. 





The rabbits! I had never seen such varied textures and ears on bunnies before. Several of them really did look like velveteen rabbits! Quite lovely! Their color was not black, not brown, and not grey, but a combination of all.

A Velveteen Rabbit, more like a silk velvet rabbit! So soft!

 Feathers and fur, beautiful textures and such personalities!

It was quite a fun thing to do for a couple of hours on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.