On a recent shopping trip to AC Moore (my favorite craft store!), I couldn't resist picking up the most recent edition of ClothPaperScissors STUDIOS. Of course, I went right home & proceeded to read it from cover to cover! Afterall, who can resist peeking into artists' spaces and seeing them at their creative work?... Not me! :)
My studio is located in the back bedroom of our 1920's Bungalow and has LOTS of natural light! I have a great view out the window into my neighbors' English garden.
This is the view from our kitchen into my studio... just steps away from my computer & our laundry room. I like being able to work on my artwork while keeping things going around the house!
My husband helped me improvise storage in my studio... It inspires me to have all my arty "stuff" where I can see it & within easy reach!
Our back porch is just off the kitchen and studio. It's one of my favorite places in our home! I spend LOTS of time out here on my computer. I can watch the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks at the feeder from my perch. My dog, Salem, often keeps me company here while I work. :)
I hope you've enjoyed this little peek inside my studio! I would LOVE to hear about YOUR creative space and why you enjoy being there so much!
When I was a little girl, my family lived in a small town in New York State. Our house was an old, stucco tudor that was set on a hillside in what used to be an apple orchard.
Because the winters were long and snowy, I always looked forward to the summertime! I loved being outside!! 
...admiring the flowers, investigating the bugs and bees and butterflies, running barefoot through the sprinkler.
I spent many happy hours swinging on the swings in our backyard, trying to touch the clouds with my toes...
...and nothing could beat the feeling I had as I zoomed on my bicycle, as fast as the wind!
Many summer evenings, after my Dad came home on the train, we packed up the family station wagon and drove all the way to the "Y". As an outdoor-loving little girl, I thought nothing could be better than swimming for hours and eating a picnic dinner with my family and catching lightning bugs after dark! On special occasions, we stayed up really late to watch movies out under the stars...
When it was finally time to come home, I loved to snuggle down in my bed under the covers and read by the light of a flashlight 'til I was finally fast asleep...
Thank you, Lord, for these wonderful childhood memories of summertime!
After living in our old house for almost twenty years, it finally seemed time this summer to tackle the job of painting our dining room & hallway. The paint on the windows was chipped & peeling. The walls had turned a dingy shade of off-white. The stencil I'd painted near the ceiling many years ago was definitely looking dated. Without a doubt, these rooms were long overdue for an extreme makeover!!
And so, with great enthusiasm & determination at the beginning of July, I threw myself into the task of bringing color to our ho-hum walls...
The first job was to find a color that both Joe & I could agree on. He wanted something light; I wanted something dark. After many trips to the paint store (and after rejecting many paint samples!), we finally compromised on a soft, mossy green with bright white trim.
Joe & I make a great painting team!! -- he likes to roll the ceilings & walls, and I like to do the edges & trim. We're both picky about the end results, & are willing to take the time to do the job right. And, as it's turned out, July is about to turn into August, & we are still painting. But, that's OK...
Using only a few gallons of paint (and a whole lot of elbow grease!) our aging dining room has undergone a wonderful transformation! The colors actually flow between the living room & the dining room. The ugly, old windows now "pop" as they show off their fresh coat of white paint against the colored walls. Our antique piano (trash to Joe & a treasure to me) looks quite distinguished against the green backdrop, in spite of its dings & imperfections. Altogether, things are looking warm & welcoming -- clean, casual, friendly & contemporary.
Joe & I will never claim to be members of "Generation Renovation" -- far from it!! But, I have to admit, it does feel good to have brought some new life back to This Old House!
Over the past month, I have taken two very different trips.
The first was to Rockbridge, a Young Life camp hidden in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Joe and I were privileged to stay in the guest lodge, which perches on the side of a mountain. From the front porch, I had a birdseye view of the camp activity below; and to the East, I could see mountain after mountain after mountain...
While my husband worked, I was free to use the time as I pleased. I decided to make this my first-ever Artist's Retreat. I walked & read & prayed & journaled & sketched & drew & "colored." I caught up with old friends over coffee and meals. I enjoyed meeting some special new friends. I relaxed & went to bed early. At the end of the week, I felt rested & re-energized.
The second trip was to Chicago, where our oldest son, Ben, lives & works. We stayed in Ben's apartment on the 40th floor of a highrise that overlooks the Canals and Downtown. As far as I could see in every direction there were buildings & busy streets -- cars, taxis, trains, bikes, & people bustling from place to place.
We took the time to be tourists & visited the Sears Tower & Millenium Park. We visited a fascinating Museum of Photography. We walked along Lake Shore Drive and watched the bikers, the boaters, and the beachgoers. We sampled different kinds of cuisine in our own "Taste of Chicago." We strolled along the Magnificent Mile and peeked in all the shop windows. We hung-out together & just enjoyed being family.
To be honest, I came away from Chicago feeling happy, but ooooh soooo tired! As an introvert, it's hard for me to keep such a fast pace. I need some quiet places in my days to process and unwind.
We are back at home again now. The mountains of laundry have been done. The grass has been mowed. The groceries have been bought. And we are almost caught up on our sleep...
What a blessing it is to go new places and to see new things, to live life in out-of-the-ordinary ways! And what a blessing, too, to come home again!!
Back when our youngest son, Jesse, was just learning to crawl (nearly 20 years ago now!), we traded-in Nana's hand-me-down Oldsmobile for a brand new, shiny black Celebrity wagon. I WAS THRILLED!!!
"Bessie" was a simple car -- no power windows or other frills -- but she had lots of room for our family of four to pack all our most important possessions (baby swings, booster seats, strollers, Big Wheels, Legos, Playmobil, Ninja Turtles, and the family dog...) and hit the road together for miles of family fun!
Over the years, after carpooling countless kids, hauling tons of groceries, and safely carrying us through all kinds of weather, things started to fall apart on "Bessie". Her paint began thinning, her ceiling sagged, and her engine struggled to turn over in the morning. After years of faithful service, it seemed "Bessie" had finally come to a well-deserved retirement. Or so we thought...
...'Til one day recently, "Bessie" was called back into active duty! My job, once close to our home here in town, was moved out to the suburbs. With no means to buy a new car, "Bessie" was needed to take me to work and safely back home again.
At first, I was unsure she was up to the assignment -- afterall, for years she had only been asked to make the short trip on local roads to the grocery store and to church on Sundays. "Bessie" hadn't been out on the highway in "Who-Knows-When"?! To be honest, I had come to doubt her reliability, and feared being stranded by the side of the road somewhere.
And so, it was with quite a bit of trepidation that I steered her up the on-ramp of Business 40 on my first day back at work and headed west. To my surprise, "Bessie" got up to speed with ease and gracefully glided onto the highway. She hummed along without a lurch or a sputter, like she'd been waiting for this day for a very long time...
Today, "Bessie" is in the shop having her engine tuned. She would be the first to admit she's not much to look at anymore. Mother Nature and family life have taken their tole on "Bessie's" good looks. But, that's O.K. -- she's got miles of wisdom and experience from her long life on the road; and she's happy to still be of service!!
Written 3/21/06
