Open Studio

Here in the Boise area the “real” (those who display or sell) artists will host “open studio” nights where the public is invited to come in and check out the space.
My studio is in the garage. Crammed between the furnace and my husband’s old jeep. It may sound a bit ghetto or trashy but it works perfectly for me.

I can start projects and leave them out and not worry that I am cluttering the dinning table or my computer keyboard- both things I have done in the past. And I can leave it a mess. No one has to see my piles!

Another benefit is that my kids can be out with me and paint. Ever since they were babies they’ve been with me doing whatever I was doing. A neighbor recently stopped by while I was painting with my girl in the studio. She commented “you’re one of those moms who does crafty stuff with their kids”. She hates to do crafty stuff and doing messy things with her kids is torture.
I know she didn’t mean it rude. Not everyone likes messy crafts or paint under their nails or their kids being messy.

Me? I’m a mom who needs time to be creative and I’ve recognized that if my kids can paint with me, then I can paint too. And, I love seeing my kids be creative, seeing them make something and enjoy the process.

When the weather is nice I like to have the garage door open while I’m painting. We have a lot of birds in the yard. And this signals to the neighbor kids that the studio is “open”. And when they see me with paint they are drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.
So I started setting up a card table in the garage and turning them loose with markers, watercolors, and letting them create away.

And this is view I get from my work space

Having a group of kids painting and creating and enjoying the process, makes me pretty happy. Maybe it’s because I’m a science teacher and used to supervising students with messy (or disgusting) labs. Or maybe it’s because watching them makes me feel like I’m 8 years old, with the confidence of a kid.
So if you’re in the area, and the garage door is open, stop by. I’m sure there will be much art making this summer.

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May recap

May was a busy month and now that I think about it, so was April. Heck the entire spring seemed to have blown past me.
I graduated with my masters degree

poppies bloomed

clematis bloomed

twins graduated from kindergarten

busy month, looking forward to summer soon!

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Hello out there!

Thank you so much for your kind comments and emails. I appreciate all of your support!

Summer came and went. I finished my thesis final draft and now am doing a few corrections, taking a few classes, teaching, coach cheerleading, and chasing the kids.
Here’s where we’ve been:

Made a trip to the farm, kids got to feed cows

rescue a cotton tail bunny from the farm cat,
play a fiddle with my dad’s blue grass group

play golf with my brother

went to a sweet little cabin in Oregon the kids ran and played with the dog, I worked on my thesis

And, my babies started kindergarten this year!

The boy was happy to go, but really didn’t want his picture taken!

I’ve been painting a little bit, packing my watercolor kit and sketching where I end up. I’ll have to share those next!

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I’m still here

Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve been here! And now, summer is nearly over and I go back to work in a week! My big camera did not get used once, all photos are with my iphone, most with the Hipstamtic app which I adore!

We went to a hot rod show, saw the cutest pink car!

And this turquoise wagon!

Swim Lessons

I took mobile computing to new heights

We went to a horse parade

Took the cutest girl to a lavender festival

Played tourist locally with the kids, visiting an old train depot

Harvested from hubby’s garden

I went to Madison, WI (the farthest east I’ve been) for a conference

I have more to say and share but, I also have a paper due Monday and a thesis to revise.
Hugs to all of you! Hope you’re summer is going great!!
Em

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color love: turquoise

Do you ever stop and look around your surroundings and realize you collect a lot of one color? I’ve always loved turquoise, I had a silver ring my grandfather made for me years ago with a big piece of the rock. I am really drawn to shades of this color. As I looked around my house I realized I’ve been collecting it all along. Funny how the mind works sometimes!

first up, a robin egg, not really turquoise but still in the color family.

Next a pretty frame. This was a plastic dusty rose frame for 10 cents at a thrift store. A can of spray paint and it’s perfect! Caution: once you start spray painting, it’s very easy to get carried away! lol

A sweet little pitcher I’ve had forever.

My newest find: a hand beater.

A globe

My beloved typewriter

My dream truck, 65 F-100 Ford truck (original ad found online)

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First Ballet Recital

Hello, I’m slowly emerging from the hole I feel into. We’ve been busy here, between dance practice, speech for the little guy, me doing my crazy classes, dog training, and a trip to the farm. And I have the photos and laundry piles to prove it!

Miss Clara had her first ballet recital. And she was a natural. She may not be a natural dancer but she is a performer and she LOVED being on stage. So much so that her teacher had to help her leave the stage! lol
The day before we had rehearsals. It involved two costume changes and a bunch of moms trying to enertain bored little girls.

I loved the site of all these little dancers playing together.
The room we had for dressing in had nearly 30 moms and kids and smelled like girls. I wish I could bottle that smell. It was a combination of aqua net, make up, powder, and little girl sweat. Reminded me of being the locker oom after gym with the girls primping and spraying.

While waiting our turn backstage we watched the big girls dance. Loved the costumes, the shoes, the way they held themselves. Amazing to see such confidence in teen girls. Very empowering!

Had to do the sponge rollers in the girl’s hair to get it nice and curly. Our teacher recommended a little make up. My girl was all for that. Although I had a little twist in my stomach when I put mascara on her.

And here is my little dancer, all dolled up. So cute, and getting so big.

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Weekend of Color

After seeing some of my favorite bloggers using the hipstamtic app I decided to add it to my iphone and play. Next on my list is a polaroid app.
It is basically a way to take old-school photos with your phone. My husband is not real clear on why someone would want to take “old, cruddy, washed out pics” with the technology of an iphone. I agree it is a contradiction but I am loving the results.

“blue sky”

“a dash of pink”

“summer color”

I love the way color looks in these photos. The colors so bright it almost hurts your eyes.
What’s the appeal of these old school apps? I have a very nice camera on my phone that takes pretty good photos and videos. I have a very nice nikon that is a few years old but takes incredible photos.

I think the appeal for me is that yes we can take perfect pictures that are gigantic files. And yet, perfection is very overrated.

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the abstractedness of nature

This is an idea that has been circling in my mind lately whenever I am outside.

I love to get close up to nature.

I’m love how the details in the natural world come out when viewed in a different perceptive and becomes a piece of art.

I love seeing little worlds emerge when I get in close. Moss and lichens growing on a fallen log, look like a perfect place to find a few fairies.

And I love how my little guy can make a forest for his trucks out of a patch of beets.

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Grateful: thoughts on working, kids, and a creative life

Since starting back to teaching this fall, it has been nothing but go go go. The kids have settled into their daycare center and are adapting to the routine pretty well. Mainly mommy has a hard time getting everything together and going, if I was organized mornings would go so much better. Of course if I was more organized so many other things might go better too!
One of the downsides to working is that it seriously cuts into my creative time. Now, if I have extra time on my hands I feel guilty for not spending it with the family or doing homework.

This weekend I spent most of the time cuddling a sick little guy with a serious ear infection and fever. I know he’s very sick when he just wants to be held and nothing but mommy will do. I asked him if mommy holding him made him feel better and he said yes, then he snuggled into my neck just like he used to as a baby. So I just held him whenever he wanted to be held. And when his sister became jealous of him getting all that loving, she started feeling sick too. So I sat on the couch with them both on my lap and cuddled them. And I remember spending a lot of time with two fussy babies who both wanted to be held and I was on my own while daddy worked. I hate seeing my kids sick, but it’s so sweet to be reminded of those baby days that don’t seem that long ago.

Now, as everyone in my house is napping, I have stolen a little time away to make a few things and be reminded of how blessed I am in this life.

A combination of my favorite things: shipping tag, text from an old novel, a hand sketched and watercolored leaf, hand stitching with twine, and a bit of vintage cutwork.

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finch update and more bird tags

As of a few days ago, all of my finches had flown the nest. Both nests are empty, I’ve left them in the flower pots to see if birds re-use nests. But for now they are empty and we are waiting for more babies. The
best part of this experience is that now my kids are always on the lookout for bird nests. They see them everywhere and get so excited! And honestly, it makes my little naturalist heart proud that they are always on the lookout for these things. They are learning that nature is all around us, even in town where we live and we don’t have to drive to the mountains to enjoy nature. This is one of those little things that I hope they carry with them always.

And now for my latest obsession: birds and tags.

Bird on a branch tag.

Egg tag

This one is my favorite so far. The burlap, the egg, the paper. The metal bookplate was one I’d had for quite a while but never used because it was bright pink! To alter it I added a coat of gesso and let it dry. Painted on brown, added some vaseline after it was dry, then dabbed on some ivory paint. It didn’t turn out quite like I’d hoped but I like it anyway. Reminds me of a crusty painted old piece!

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