Travels

The weekend was spent traveling to Ohio for a surprise visit to my daughter-in-law to be. It was the weekend of her bridal shower and she thought that I wasn't going to attend...but I decided mid-week that it would be fun to be there even though it meant the whole weekend away. 

It was delightful to see her and see her face as she noticed that I was there. The only disappointment was that I didn't get to see my son...he was working and wasn't even in the same city as the shower. 

Five plane rides and a whirlwind visit made the weekend very short. No time to be in the studio this weekend!!!

Fabric

I found some beautiful fabric that I am going to use to make bags for "my" girls...ok, I don't have any girls of my own but I do have a daughter-in-law, Chelsea and Chris has a significant other named Ashley. I adore them both and am making them bags with matching accessories. I found some wonderful patterns by Amy Butler (www.amybutlerdesign.com). I can't wait to get started. The only problem is which girl gets which color.

I am now on the prowl for fabric for my own bag. Now back to the studio!

Time flies when you are having fun. And fun is exactly what I have been having.  A weekend at the Jersey shore...New Jersey that is, revived the spirit and made me realize that maybe spring would arrive soon. Sun, sand, blue sky and COLD made treasure hunting a treat. No one ventured onto the beach except us (my BFF and me) and boy, did we find treasures. Lots of beautiful shells now are waiting to grace various mixed media projects. 

I can't say that much work has been done in the studio but now that I have been away from it for a few days, I am eager to get back and get to "work". I never have considered my studio time as work but as play.  Time for play time to begin!

TFZ

I have sons and a DH as well. This has meant that most of my artistic/crafty life has been shared with the males of this house. I've shared 1/2 of the workbench in the basement ( covered with a vinyl flowered table cloth to designate "off-limits" for the power tools. I have had baskets full of supplies stashed around the house to be brought out when I wanted to create. I have had dressers filled with fabric and threads, hidden so no one knew about my secret passion. And now, finally, I have a TFZ. 

My TFZ (testosterone free zone) started about 37 1/2 minutes after my eldest left for college. After the tears were shed, I started by moving his stuff out and painted the room a delicious lavender ...purple is supposed to spark creativity and no right-minded young man would ever want to occupy such a girlish room. Adding white cottage shelves to three walls and a lovely farmers table under the windows, the room was ready for CREATING!!! 

Yes, I get teased a lot by my men but I think they are really proud that I have a created a place where my passion reigns.

Sharon Boggon's Class

I took Sharon's class, Sumptuous Surfaces, last fall and completed the monotone piece. Finally, I am getting around to posting the photo. I am still  newbie at taking and posting photos so will do my best to let you see what I have been up to.

I am still working on the color piece for Sharon's class, even though the classes ended months ago. OK, so I am definitely not the overachiever when it comes to my art. Remember, 10 minutes a day? Well, if I am honest, most days 10 minutes is a stretch with working and all...but when I do get into the TFZ, I definitely enjoy myself and that is all that matters.

10 Minutes A Day

One of the books I have been reading lately recommends that one spend 10 minutes a day doing whatever it is you are passionate about. Of course, for me, that is 10 minutes in my studio doing something other than cleaning!!! It is amazing how much can get done in 10 minutes. And the benefit is that usually once I am there, the 10 minutes turns into a much greater amount of time. But if I am limited, I have at least set foot into the studio and tried to create.