Summer Souvenirs

I hope you're all getting in some fun travels this summer! Or exploring your neck of the woods with a staycation! I wanted to show you a fun, easy way to display any keepsakes you might pick up on your outings.

I nabbed this little shadow box at a youth garage sale last summer ... but you can find these everywhere - save those Michael's coupons! :-) It was new with an unfinished wood frame. I sprayed it black last fall during my studio makeover frenzy, but then it sat until recently. I finally got back to it and decided to pop in a few entrance pins from The Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived out east:I added a piece of black tag board in which I cut 4 slits. I slipped these little pinch-on badges through the slits and didn't have to glue anything! Here it hangs in my studio: While I was putting up the shadow box, I thought of a lot of other things I could put in there. Like these retro postcards from our National Parks: Incidentally, these are all spectacular places to visit, so if you're still thinking about summer travels, I highly recommend!! (And, geek alert, I'm excited to see the new documentary coming out on PBS in September featuring our National Parks!) Anyway, here's how they might look:An inexpensive postcard from your travels would become a special treasure simply by displaying it in a deep-set frame. Enjoy your summer outings and share in the comments YOUR ideas - what inexpensive keepsakes do you like to keep from your travels: sea shells? ticket stubs? brochures? menus?

... AND ...

this is my 100th post!!!! So check back, I think my next post will be a giveaway to celebrate!!

Studio Tour Continues

Oh - aren't these LONG summer days glorious?! I know there are a lot of Autumn-lovers out there, but summer is my season and I am lovin' it!And, since the "lazy days" of summer are in full swing ... how 'bout another peak into my studio today? :-)

Between the two doorways, I found a perfect spot for a mini-gallery of some of my retro paintings. They are 20 x 24 inch wood panels. I thought these large black gallery shelves from Lowe's would allow me to change my mind "every five minutes" about what I wanted to display and not have 541 nail holes in the wall. (Tip - in other areas of my home I have used the "Hercules Hook" with great success! )Above one of the doorways, hangs this plaque. It's another example of something you could create for yourself using my Lettering Tutorial . It's a product from a home decor collection I used to sell. "Trust in the Lord" done in a casual script font. One way to create the thin black outline "at home" is to use a fine paint pen, a raised ruler (so the ink will not bleed under) and a very steady hand. Above the other doorway I have this "W" plate. A fun clearance find a while back from Anthropologie:
I thank you for taking the tour with me ... please exit to your right ... for prints or cards of the items you've seen on today's tour, please visit the gift shop. :-)

Studio Craft Table!

Here's another peek into my art studio. This is one of my favorite things in there: I finally have a high work table to do fun crafts and projects on!!! I didn't want to spend a fortune, but I wanted a craft table that was tall and looked a tad nicer than a door laying on saw horses....because I already have the door on my wall, right?! :-)

Anyhoo, I kept searching and searching ... IKEA, hand-built, drafting tables, display tables, kitchen islands ... and one day came across this normal-height desk on clearance at TJ's. It was a steal and I was determined to make it work. I wasn't big on the nautical theme, but loved the finish and the fact that it has drawers!!
The other neat feature was that it had saw horse legs attached in such a way that my husband could increase the height to 40" for me by building in a hidden shelf!I'm able to tuck my paper cutter and a couple bins of painting supplies out of sight! If you know me, you know I DO NOT sew. I created this no-sew skirt using hem tape and attached it to the underside edge of the table with velcro strips. I now spread my projects out someplace other than the kitchen island or dining table! Yeah!For the scoop on my "Ultimate" Inspiration Board go to this post.

Scripture Cabinet ReDo

If you have my book, Inspirational Home, then this little piece of furniture might look familiar: It was a cabinet I had painted black and decoupaged with a scripture for the office in my previous home. It's also one of the many projects described in my book. This cabinet recently moved into my newly created studio in this home and the red type just wouldn't do anymore. I ripped it all off, then contemplated how to redo it. Different font? Different verse? Here's what I decided:I used a "fancier" font, added a little ornament at the top, but kept the same verse. I just love this scripture and it's something I NEED to be reminded of daily. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6. I printed my design - of aqua text on a black background - on two sheets of paper (because one wasn't big enough.) I glued/decoupaged them onto the cabinet door panel, seaming them carefully. When they dried I went over the top with more decoupage glue to seal. [Be sure to do a test with your paper/printer/glue before applying to the cabinet so your ink doesn't run.] Yeah! Check another "todo" item off my list!
PS: Just two more days to enter my 5-prize Giveaway! See this post to enter. Thanks for all the links and kind words everyone!!

Custom Push Pins Tutorial

Now, a little something to go with my fun new inspiration board -- glass bead push pins!
I had been eying those neat glass stone push pins and magnets in cute shops for quite some time and this summer I decided to have a go at making my own. I used some art patterns I had designed last year for a different project. You can use artwork, scrapbook paper, photos or initials. I printed mine out: Cut out little circles. Glued them to the flat side of the glass beads [available at any craft store]:Then I found some flat headed push pins and glued those on, too!Tip: Following several recommendations, I used Diamond Glaze adhesive. It really does work best at hiding the flaws and ridges in the glass.
I also bought some of the bigger glass disks that I haven't used, yet. With those I hope to be able to fit some Bible verses and images from my paintings on! You can also use small photographs, initials - almost anything! And it's the same process for magnets, too.

The Ultimate Inspiration Board!

Yipppeeeeeeee! My inspiration board has finally gone up!!I'm so excited to have this fun door up and usable! It has been a long time coming! Do you remember what it looked like from an earlier sneak peak of my studio? (here's a link to my "Big Project / Art Studio" progression.)
My husband hauled this treasure home one day from the dump - A solid hardwood core and ALL the glass in perfect condition! We thought we could use it to replace our pocket or office door in our 1930s home -- but alas, that never happened. Still, I had high hopes for alternative uses for it. First it was going to hang in the living room to showcase black and white photos. Then after our next housing move I knew this door was going in the office ... it just took a while to find it's way there!

After hesitating over painting the wood, I bit the bullet. The wood grain was so beautiful ... but somehow it wasn't old enough to be "cool". So, black it is!
Next came the cork. The sheets came in 1/8" an 1/4" depths. Since I was adhering it to the glass, I had to be sure the standard 3/8" push pins would not put any pressure on the glass itself. For a standard cork board, you can get away with applying a thin sheet of cork to a wood or MDF backing. Because the wood panes on the door are routed, I thought using two - 1/4" sheets and making a total depth of 1/2" would make the cork stick out too far. So, I chose to buy one roll and glue 3 - 1/8" layers on each pane. Phew! :-) It was recommended to use linoleum paste. Messy stuff!!!
For aesthetic reasons, I opted to leave 4 panes uncorked. And after leaning against my wall for a few months, we managed to get this baby hung over the holiday break! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I snapped these pics so you can see my board clearly before I fill it up with my stuff! More studio pics and projects coming this month!

Art Studio Taking Shape!

I've been receiving lots of emails asking about my art studio project. If you're new, please see some of my previous posts about this undertaking. Today I will reveal one little corner: (This is by an outside door that's never used.) We decided to move our existing office in here, too, so the now studio/office is taking a bit longer to get organized... And I have to design hubby a guy corner for his desk. Our new space is getting tremendous use, and WE LOVE IT!!!, but I can't bear to show you the rest of the space just yet!

Notice my bins/buckets? ... they were on clearance this summer at my local Targé in exactly the colors I wanted! I snapped up as many as I could fit in my cart and came back for seconds another day! They work perfect with my black metal utility shelves that were already in the room to begin with.

And I'm lovin' my new Anna Maria apron (see it hanging in the corner there?) for working at my new craft table ... ... or for kneeling on the hard garage floor priming my wood panels for my paintings! :-)

Coming soon ...

I am so excited!!
My art prints are ALMOST ready!! I completed several paintings that I've had in sketch form FOREVER. So, I'm making prints and I hope to list them on etsy.com very soon!! Here's a teaser peak at the originals leaning against the wall ... AND I've also been busy with my big Studio Project.
We - and by we I mean hubby and friend - put in a [fake] wood floor! I love it!!
Does he look tired? Hmmm, install flooring or watch 4 toddlers ... install flooring ... watch 4 toddlers ... who had the more tiring day? :-)

AND, here's a little project sneak peak:
...this awesome city dump find has found new life! It's almost into it's new home, so I'll show you how I transformed it shortly!!

What a busy summer! Is it almost Labor Day, already???

Giveaway Winner

This winner of the Birthday Contest is .....
"Rae" - Congratulations! The Love framed sentiment will soon be yours! Thanks to all who visited and left such lovely comments. Thanks for all the sweet emails, too! Next time, only the online comments will count, but I received way more comments via email than thru the blog feature! Merci beaucoup for your kind words!

... On another note, some of you have been emailing me about my studio ... and, yes, I am working on it in my "spare time." Lots of little things filling my spare time these days. Oh, yes, here's one of those "little things" now. :-)My wonderful helpers and I painted the studio a light aqua. My first test splotch was a bit too "normal" blue, so I kicked it up a notch and went with a bolder choice. Eh, voila! A peak at the results! This color is definitely one that takes on the light of the day. I don't think I could have done such a bright color had the room been south facing. But the windows are on the north and west sides and I'm very pleased with how it turned out! Yeah! One check on my long to-do list! :-)

The Big Project

Remember I mentioned a wonderful Mother's Day present?
Well, here it is ... Don't you love it???
What? You're not getting goosebumps??
:-)
Well ... you THINK you're looking at a whopper of a mess ... but what you're REALLY seeing is ... drum roll, please ...
MY NEW STUDIO!!

YES! I'm ecstatic!! Our home has this "spare" room that we've gone around and around on for the past year - what to make it? We started to decorate and turn it into a guest room ... for about a week. Then, since homes in our area lack basements, (we're from northern states where homes have large basements and attics and one can amass unseemly amounts of stuff) we decided it would be more useful as a storage/work area. Well, every month it became more "storage" and less "work." So, for Mother's Day, my husband offered me the space to make into a studio!!! We spent that whole Saturday moving boxes and industrial shelving out. Believe it or not, these photos were actually taken after that! Yup, it was bad. I have a long way to go to have a fun & functional room, but I'll get there!!

For me, it was the PERFECT Mother's Day gift! PS: I was also treated to a delicioso homemade chocolate souffle with fresh creme and raspberry sauce. (photo taken before they remembered the sauce! :-) )

Please send me any fun work space ideas you have, storage tips and tricks and I'll post glimpses of my Big Project progress along the journey!!