3.28.2014

the details of design

First of all - thanks for all the great feedback I've received on my workshop studio!  It has been quite the labor of love and I'm thrilled with how it turned out...and can't wait for the art parties to begin (mmm...have you signed up yet...what are you waiting for?!  details HERE)

The best part of this project was using materials I had at hand or if needed, able purchase economically...my largest expense were the IKEA tables and chairs (2 tables and 8 chairs for less than $200...the chairs stack and the legs twist off from the table tops so both can moved when needed)

Many of the ideas in my workshop space are easy to replicate and I wanted to share the details with you...adapt as you want for your own use...if you can't make it to a workshop, I hope I can inspire you from afar...




Overall, two of my favorite words for this undertaking - conduit pipe!  

I knew that I would need to partition a section on each end of the room to have an area for storage...I have no garage so this basement has to store the lawnmower and garden tools as well as the Southern Man's bicycle.  I figured that I would hang a partition made from canvas drop cloths across the width of each end.  A curtain rod to cover this distance would easily cost $60... using two pieces of half-inch conduit pipe with a connector cost me a total of $3.75. Since the 9' x 12' drop cloths were already finished on all four sides, all I had to do was hem them to the length I needed; metal curtain rings clipped to the top required no sewing...slipped the rings onto the conduit pipe, secured the pipe to the ceiling at 4 locations using galvanized pipe brackets and it was done...
With the pipe I had leftover, I cut individual pieces to fit (with a pipe cutter - simple tool that is easy to use in cutting lightweight pipe) between two of the studs on the supply wall...each piece of pipe is held up by a large nail on each end that runs through the stud and into the pipe...







































On one of the pipes I have rolls of tape and admission tickets; on the rest of the pipes I have tin cans hanging from S-hooks to organize supplies.  I love tin cans for organizing art supplies and tools - great patina, variety of sizes, and free - what's not to love!  A hole punched at the top (using a metal hole punch leaves a clean edge) enabled me to either hang from a hook or, in the case of the large cans, attach directly to the wall with a large nail.






With my power drill, I made two holes at each end of 5 vintage bread pans (picked up for 50 cents at an estate sale, grand total of $2.50) and then screwed each pan onto the wall for additional supply storage...

















Right next to the bread pans are my paint can covers, which are now mini-message boards...and then the door stops that are now coat hooks...and three well-loved paint brushes that I thought were a fun accent to complement the can covers...


Along the other wall of the studio, there's a couple of unique display ideas...using a combination of quality wood frames I already owned paired with a few quirky metal accents make up this gallery display...a vintage skirt hanger makes changing out the art print a snap while a single rusty nail and a length of jute twine lets the wishbone show off its simple elegance...






















Lighting for the space was a challenge...in terms of need and expense...while I primarily concentrated on lighting for the work tables, I found that there were dark spaces that prevailed even after I hung three 200 watt warehouse pendants.  I love the look of the current trend of bare edison bulbs hanging haphazardly in a space...but the initial lights I found were $40 (and others I found were more expensive...)  My solution...I removed the metal shade and clamp mechanism from an $8 work lamp...added an vintage-style bulb ($7 - when you get a real "edison" bulb, the price goes up) and draped the fixture over one of the ceiling rafters...a metal cage picked up for $3 at an antique show is the extra bling...

And lastly...a few ideas from my welcome table...the wire stand from a metal cone food mill is the perfect pedestal for a stack of dessert plates...while an old metal brush holds an art photo...







































Other ideas that you might have gleaned from the overall photos in my Reveal post...baby crib mattress springs offer visual interest behind hanging artwork...old metal waste paper baskets hold wallpaper rolls, galvanized metal panels covered with vintage book pages disguise the opening for the furnace...and oh yes, those polka dotted boxes...that's my IKEA hack...details in my next post...

joining the Junk Party over at Funky Junk Interiors where there's a theme of salvaged workshop spaces...

3.26.2014

The Reveal

Since the end of January, I've been busy...absorbed...almost consumed...with turning my dark and dreary daylight basement into a new workshop studio...a separate space from my personal home studio...where I"ll be hosting art parties...creative classes open to the public...













If you've been following, you know that there have been glimpses and sneak peeks as I made my progress...with an armload of leftover lumber and a couple of cans of white paint...mixed with a little ingenuity and inspired recycling
I was determined to change the space from frump to fab...finally...the reveal...



























































































































































































As you enter the studio, there's a spot to greet you...and offer you food and drink...















































Shelves are stacked with old books, atlases, almanacs, musical scores, encyclopedias as well as art papers organized by color...all of it, collage fodder...














Supplies and tools line this wall...with a smattering of personal artwork...and a large size chalkboard...
ready for instantaneous exclamations...



My old worktable, refreshed with a coat of white paint, is now a work station...


























Next up...some of the details and upcycling tips...which you could easily use in your own space...

Excited now about my Art Parties...get all the info HERE...


sharing the junk love over at Knick of Time Vintage Inspiration party...and Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...
what's not to love about vintage...and junk!
and finally...with Knick of Time Vintage Inspiration Party.and Funky Junk Interiors Party..where you share your best project of 2014...this is definitely it!

3.21.2014

Art Party - Collage Paperweights

The countdown is on...two weeks until my first Art Party...I can hardly wait...will you be there?  I hope so!

What!  You don't know what an Art Party is?  Its a creative opportunity to join like-minded souls...letting the world pass by for a few hours while you paste, cut, bend, hammer and paint...constructing a one of a kind project...with no worry of what supplies to bring nor any concern about clean-up.

There'll be no painting the Mona Lisa...but you will enjoy yourself...and you will be inspired...creating art doesn't take expensive supplies or elaborate techniques...just a willingness to jump in and try...everybody can be creative, sometimes you just need a little nudge...
This party will feature collage paperweights...made from an inverted glass coaster, you will have plenty of vintage and recycled materials available at your disposal...and with the space obtained by flipping the coaster upside down, you'll have room for layering objects to tell your own miniature story...



perhaps a dried leaf on top of an old German book page with a layer of vintage ribbon...















or maybe a French road map with a transfer tape fleur-de-lys (a technique that I'll teach during the workshop) topped off with a vintage button and a tiny feather...

or any other creative combination that you desire!











All Art Parties will take place at my newly renovated workshop studio located in central Everett...space is limited so don't delay...get all the registration details here...

Can't make it to this workshop but still want to join the fun?  There's three more workshops listed with descriptions and registration information on the Art Party page...check it out here



3.20.2014

Sisters

I come from a large family...I have three brothers and two sisters...we're a wide spread bunch...each of us living in different parts of the country...all with very different lives

We grew up in a small Midwestern town with the trials and tribulations of family life, the ups and the downs, the celebrations and the disappointments...all spaced with ages within a 10 year span...I didn't think much about my siblings growing up...they were just... there...

It wasn't until I went away to college...and was a freshman at the same university where my sister Stacey was a senior that I began to forge a deeper relationship with her...someone who knew my past while understanding what I was facing in the present as well as what awaited me in the future...

Years go by...school, graduation, first job...moves across the country, relationships start and end, marriage, divorce, new job, more moving...

As it would happen, Stacey and I both ended up in the Pacific Northwest and over the past 25 years cemented a relationship that defies words...we experienced Paris for the first time together...we both owned Saabs for a while...we cultivated a love for junking...and for ice cream sandwiches.  We took care of our mother during the last years of her life...and have wept over the loss of more than one dog. 







Today is her birthday...and I made her a special altered book to recognize how special she is...
this is the cover...

















And though we won't get to spend the day physically together, she knows that I am there in good spirits with her...Happy Birthday Stacey!
I am the one with the straight hair...my sister Stacey is the prankster...

3.18.2014

Inspired from afar

Over the weekend, my older sister posted a photo of a tree fungus she found in her yard while cleaning up winter debris...I happened to be editing photos in Photoshop when I saw her post...and immediately thought I would have some fun...
edited with kk texture inked, hue at 86%








































The owl peering through the fungus is an image from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam...did you know that they recently made selections from the museum available online (free!) for artists/photographers/creatives to download and play with...its been mind-boggling to view all the options...my head is spinning with ideas...here's the link to explore on your own...its under the "Collections" tab where you can view all the eye-candy
www.Rijksmuseum.nl

Joining the group over at Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday...
there's a riot of color happening over there today...check it out...

3.14.2014

Pride of workmanship

As I've been renovating my daylight basement into my new workshop studio, I've come to appreciate workmanship...the attention to detail, the precision of lining everything up and be level, and the ability to have a complicated process look seamlessly simple...

A week or so ago, I caught the last day of a large estate sale...its always my favorite time to go just as the sale is winding down...what remnants remain that have been orphaned...those are the items I look for...

This trio fit the bill...add in the fact that the three pieces hit the high notes of old metal (yes!) and aged string (I have a thing about string), I felt I had hit the jackpot - and all for the price of a dollar!

Simple, everyday items...




















The intricacies of the ball of string are amazing...
how a closure was constructed from a small stick and a figure-eight wrap...






































































The font inscribed on the scissor's hilt...beauty in design...



















Joining the others over at Kim Klassen's Friday Finds...finding beauty in the simple things...

3.11.2014

A Revisit

The days just don't seem long enough lately...even with daylight savings time...never enough time...

Though the workshop studio is an exciting project for me, it feels as if it has taken over my life...one thing I have learned from this project...I never want to build a house from scratch!  I am much better starting with something and determining the changes I want to make...beginning with a blank slate and having to decide every detail is a tad overwhelming...and this studio is only 300 sq. ft...

But it is energizing...and I hope you've had a chance to check out the calendar of art parties I will be hosting...get all the details HERE...and remember, seats are limited so early registration is best...

So while I'm trying to locate additional chairs and design spot lighting for the studio, I hardly have time to expand my horizons and think about what my next blog post will be...and even less time (and desolate gray days) to photograph anything of interest...

I thought I would revisit the photographs I took two years ago when I first started my foray into Photoshop and the world of digital photography art...thinking that I could improve upon my original images now that I'm a little more advanced in my technique...I've been enticed to play with the new vintage textures and overlays I just purchased from both Design Cuts and French Kiss Textures...using my new toys, I played with one of my old images...and captured the longing for spring so many of us are waiting for...with this brutal, harsh winter, the promise of warmer temperatures can not come fast enough...







































A touch of yellow on this winter's day...and a single word reminder of the promise that lies ahead...

worth a look...

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