The sweet spot

I must confess...I have a favorite spot for inspiration...the bathroom...particularly the shower. I have to admit that many of my creative ideas come to me in the shower. I don't know if its the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts...I don't know if its the warm water streaming down on my head...I don't know if its the scent of the soap, triggering some sensation...but I get the most brilliant ideas in the shower. Often times I think of a solution to a creative problem that has been festering...sometimes its just a random thought on a different approach for a project. 

Perhaps its because the bathroom is the one room in the house where everything is orderly and clean (as opposed to my office or studio that is a bit chaotic and messy!) so there is a greater possibility to clear one's head...
Do you have a favorite spot for inspiration?  Tell me about it...

BTW...many of you I'm sure have experienced the difficulties with Blogger these last two days...my post on Lilacs went missing...I'll have to go hunt it down and re-post!

The thrill of the hunt

I spent this past Saturday with my friend Sue on a junking excursion...we travelled over to Bainbridge Island for the Indianola Flea Market...this was the flyer for the event...of course I wanted to go!

It wasn't a huge event, just a great community effort to find treasures and enjoy the fleeting sunshine.  Afterwards we drove down to Poulsbo for lunch and more picking at the local antique mall...

I love that the numbers of "180" and "200" on the scale wore off and someone penned them in...

I always pick up silverplate (and in this case pewter) pieces when I find them - especially for 25 cents!  I love the old black metal cash boxes and the floral metal trays that still carry a remnant of their former glory.  The balls made from wool blanket strips are a great color...I might have to keep them around until Christmas..have an idea for ornaments with them.  I adore the pin cushion and will definitely be keeping it for myself - it will be a wonderful addition to my sewing paraphernalia collection.  All of these items were photographed on the petite oak secretary I bought...it is definitely in need of extreme TLC but the lines were so charming (and the price so right) that it just had to come home with me...until I remembered that I wasn't driving my Subaru Outback - Sue had her compact sedan...but with enough coaxing, we got it into the trunk and made it home just fine.

Off to clean up my finds...some will make their way to my space at Faded Elegance, some will be reborn and some will be staying with me...and I am so glad that the junking season is in full swing!

I'm participating in Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House...visit there yourself and discover what treasures you might find...

Love of letters

To say that I have a love affair with type is an understatement..there's just something about the graphic quality of letters & numbers that is so appealing (which helps to explain my fascination with clocks and typewriters!)  So when I saw this idea on the blog, Anything Goes Here, I knew that I just had to try it for myself.  I emailed Joan to ask for permission to recreate her idea and she said it was fine - but please link back to her blog - so visit Anything Goes Here - it is filled with inspiring ideas, great photo vignettes and a link to her etsy shop where you will find wonderful vintage items for sale...

I have a healthy assortment of wood type so I knew I had plenty of raw material for this project...what I didn't anticipate was the amount of patience I would need...trying to configure a composite block with all of the sides flush and no empty spaces between letters was a challenge...much like putting a puzzle together...

Once I had the blocks designed, I used a little dab of Liquid Nails on the sides of each letter...I worked on top of a piece of wax paper...I've learned from experience not to leave glued projects to dry on top of a table without protection...

With some of the blocks, I incorporated words into the mix...others were random.  I let them sit overnight to ensure the glue was dry and then I brushed on a light coat of matte medium - this gave a light sheen to the letters, brought out the wood tones and added another layer of adhesive. 

I drilled a small hole into the top of each block and inserted a metal memo pin; I covered the back of each block with a piece of black felt to give it a finished look...

...and they were now ready for their "photo shoot"!

thanks Joan for the inspiration! 

And you can see plenty of fabulous, inspiring ideas at Funky Junk Interiors where I'm participating in Donna's Saturday Nite Special.

The Weekly Fluff

At Faded Elegance today, sprucing up my space, a lot of texture caught my eye - 
...rough with smooth, light with dark...

...hard with soft, refined with rustic...

 
...man-made with natural...

It's this contrast of texture that adds interest and personality to any project - whether it be a home, a table setting, a garden design or an art collage!

BTW - lots of great ideas for Mother's Day at Faded Elegance...including a great giveaway!  Visit the Faded Elegance blog to get all the details...

Baby, its hot!

Over the weekend, I visited the new art complex that just opened in Everett -the Schack Art Center.  Since its only three blocks from my house, of course I attended the Grand Opening celebration!  One of the highlights of this new gallery/education center/workshop space is the hot shop for glass art...

There was quite a crowd watching the demo...and plenty of artists assisting with the process and explaining the details to the onlookers...

The Main Gallery has a Glass Exhibit for its inaugural show...and a focus on photography by local high school students displaying amazing talent...

One focus of the center is art for kids...this little guy is inking up his plate...

and getting ready to print his masterpiece...I love his intensity and interest in the process...you can never start too young in fostering a sense of creativity!

This is a wonderful addition to the community of Everett and all of the North Puget Sound area - check out their website for the complete list of shows and classes...there's something here for everyone...

Unexpected

Whenever my sister and I go thrift store/junk pile/yard sale shopping, we always verbalize what we are looking for...sending that message out to the muses!  You'd be surprised how often we end up finding what we need...but then there's always the unexpected...

Last week, I drove over to the Goodwill Outlet in town...

an aside--yes, for those of you who don't know, there is Goodwill Outlet - the last bastion of junking before all this stuff goes to...goes to where?..where does it go after this?

I was looking for a sturdy base for a garden table I had in mind to build...base could be anything, just needed to be sturdy.

Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that would work as a base, but did find some other interesting items as I pawed through the bins...
the gray suitcase didn't look like much until I opened it up and saw the beautiful blue lining inside...  





















I always pick up silverplate pieces whenever I find them...each of the blue file cards will be a good jumping off point for a mini-collage...the file folders are perfect for a project I'm eager to try from the Jan/Feb issue of Cloth/Paper/Scissors...and I don't know what the dome with the finial is/was but its metal so I love it!

I'm participating in Mosaic Monday at Little Red House...you should check it out...you might find something unexpected!