Rainy Day

A few things to cheer up my rainy day...

The current display on my dining room sideboard - pussy willow, handmade fabric mushroom, white stones from Moonstone Beach, gardening books...



and, my forced forsythia is blooming nicely now!

Starting...

I had such "exciting" plans today - a meeting with a fellow Arts in RI member, a doctor's appointment, a trip to the UPS store... Unfortunately these plans were not fulfilled, once I discovered my car wouldn't start. At first, I admit, I was pretty irritated. But then I realized I had a free day to work on whatever I wanted to around the house.

So, I listened to a new audiobook I'd downloaded through my local library, and worked on cleaning and organizing my new photo workspace in the basement. I even had time to decorate it, a little. Someday the concrete will be painted and I'll have some real walls, but for now I'm happy with the light coming through my window. (The small print you see by the newly re-potted and dehydrated spider plant is "Bulb" by Michele Maule.)



I decided I needed some more 3-d artwork - perhaps some pieces to display atop my ALEX flat file. I found this toadstool tutorial on LucyKate Crafts, and decided to try my hand at it. Another lovely project to work on while listening to my audiobook!

I had plenty of scrap fabric to use - an old coat of my husband's, a worn out purse... It felt very satisfying, putting these pieces to good use.





I liked how the first came out, and decided to make a second, larger mushroom. This time I took a few minutes to learn the blanket stitch before I began. A definite improvement, though still a little rough around the edges. I especially like how the corduroy imitates mushroom gills.



Visit LucyKate Crafts to learn how to make your own!

Creative Environment

This is certainly not the first time it's been said, but I find the environment around me to be incredibly influential on my state of mind. When I'm at the day job, the clutter of paperwork, maps, and plant specimens feels right. Those are the tools I use to do my job.

At home, clutter really bothers me. (This is ironic, since I have forever been kind a messy kind of person.) It bothers me more now that I run my photography business out of my home. I like things neat, clean, and aesthetically pleasing while I'm doing creative work. We're making progress towards turning our new home into that lovely creative environment. I thought I'd share some glimpses with you.

Dining room, as seen from the living room


Dining room sideboard


Living room side table


Guest room window


Not sure if you can tell, but I'm a hippie at heart! I'm loving blending the budding stylish side of me with the earthy, "tree-hugging dirt worshiper" side. Turning this house into our distinctive home has been really rewarding, and it provides a nice creative project when I'm feeling burnt out on photography.

Do you have photos of your creative spaces? Feel free to post links!

Creative Space

With time and budget limited, working on my perfect creative space often gets put off. But, this weekend I managed to make a little progress! My husband and I headed to IKEA, where I picked up a new FIRA organizer for my desk. The artwork shown is by the fabulous Layla of Dollface Design. (Sorry the pics are a little dark - I was rushing, I admit).



We also made plans to use cardboard file boxes to organize our big EXPEDIT bookshelf - we'll cover the fronts with pretty paper!

My office wasn't the only place that got a facelift - we picked up the new rug I've been eyeing for the living room! I'm so thrilled. Time after time the items I've loved have been discontinued before I go to purchase them. So I'm glad we decided to get this lovely KIBÄK rug now! (And yes, I still have to paint this room - though we didn't go with either of the colors splashed on the wall!)