Pimp My Nursery

Here are a few more baby inspired ribbons. I hope to make some soon for baby boys. First place horse ribbons are primarily royal blue so it's quite difficult to find lighter blue ribbons. I know it's probably time for me to stop horsing (ha!) around with these and move on to something else. I've never even owned a horse and have only ridden one a handful of times, yet I remain slightly obsessed. I am, however, born under the Chinese sign of the Fire Horse so maybe in a past life or something I lost a race and have been yearning for a fancy prize ribbon of my own. I guess my inner child is actually an inner horse.
Last weekend, we visited my in-laws and now, this weekend, it's my husband's turn to visit his in-laws. It's a 6 hour car ride round trip. I'm hoping I can convince him to stop at an antique/junk shop along the way. Happy weekend, everyone!!

In-laws, Tasty Kakes, and Ribbons

Well, I'm definitely out of my blog groove. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever had a blog groove since I seem to be averaging a measly post a week. There just never seems to be enough time! Jim and I just got back from a quick trip to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for a visit with his family. The weather was so nice and pleasant. It had that crisp "fall is in the air" feeling. We don't get that feeling much in Texas so it was nice to soak it in. Funny thing is my favorite season is fall even though I've never truly experienced it in a big dose. (For example, it's September 27th and our high today was 94 degrees. Yowsa!) We didn't have time for much exploring but took a stroll down South St. in Philly and had some good pizza. Also, I had my first Tasty Kake. My husband has been talking about these things since I've known him. They're cheap convenience store snacks equivalent to Little Debbies, but I must admit...they are yummy. We OD'ed on Kandy Kakes (chocolate peanut buttery things), cream filled chocolate cupcakes, and cherry pie. So good! And while they may not be on the diet, trust me...when you're visiting the in-laws, a little sugar rush (or any kind of drug for that matter) can calm the nerves.
I've been working on a new batch of vintage ribbons - these have a childlike theme and are destined for a baby shower or nursery wall. Sweet little lambs, bunnies, and kittys to look over a sleeping babe. I tend to produce these ribbons in themes and am currently working on a Halloween theme but so far I'm not at all pleased with the results. I'll keep trying.
I'm also hoping to open an etsy store by the end of the year. Vintage altered horse ribbons and decorated holiday frames like these will be offered plus some other fun and funky things. Hope everyone is enjoying their fall season. Can you believe October is almost upon us?!

More Paper Play

Paper Play

After being sort of obsessed with the altered horse ribbon thing, I've felt a yearning to put my hands on paper, ephemera, and vintage Victorian scraps. I've been playing around with an old book (the papers are so crumbly, I expect them to fall out at any minute), just haphazardly glueing things down and making little scribbles here and there. There's no theme to this tiny journal. It's more of a place to experiment and to have a little instant gratification since it doesn't take long (or much) to fill a page. I can glue down bits of paper, scraps, and vintage wallpaper and then come back at another time and write my thoughts or make a little doodle or two. And, it fits in my purse which will be convenient when I'm waiting in line at the post office. I have a very small collection of vintage scraps (I can find them in my area but they're always pricey.) and sometimes wonder if I will regret using the originals. I know some artists scan their favorite originals so they can use them again and again. This makes sense to me, yet I guess I am just too lazy to do it. Part of my lesson right now is to live more in the moment. Think less. Analyze less. Do more. So, instead of scanning or copying, I am glueing and hoping that as my supply dwindles, the universe will provide more.

Ribbons for Jenny

I am feeling like the worst blogger these days! Just feeling like I don't have anything interesting to share which is so pathetic, I know. The fabulous and talented Jenny Heid and I agreed to do a little swap-a-roo a while back and I, procrastination queen, have finally finished and shipped her ribbons. The quality of these photos is really lousy, but I am fairly pleased with the way they turned out. When I alter these ribbons, I try to give each one a unique personality. I think about dressing them up for a party! What kind of party is it? What will they wear? Are they shy or outgoing? What is the occasion? It kind of gets me to solidify a theme for each one and it's important to me that every one be unique.
As we all know, Jenny is such a sweet, kind, and generous girl. I've never met her in person, but she already feels like a good friend. She's so complimentary and nurturing, not to mention freakin' talented!! I love her body of work and her blog and was honestly a little intimidated to do a swap with her. I marinated quite a while on how to proceed with her ribbons. Hmmm....when I think of Jenny, I think soft candy colors, pom poms, bunnies, pinks and aquas and yellows and cremes, glitter, ballerinas, cupcakes, and vintage dolls, all with a large dose of fun, whimsy, and retro thrown in.
I'm not sure I captured the essence of Jenny with these ribbons, but that was certainly my intent. As I continue to stick my toe in the art world, I realize that while I would love everything to be perfect and come out exactly as I imagine it in my mind...that is just not going to happen. My inner control freak is learning to let go a bit, I guess. It's becoming clearer to me that it's important to just put "it" out there. My work will improve as I put in the time and practice. Meanwhile, I need to just keep plugging and keep putting it out there. Hope everyone is having a nice day and is doing something that makes your heart sing.

A Daunting Task

So I'm thinking about cleaning and reorganizing my art room. Not beginning yet...just thinking about it. The space, a small bedroom, has become completely dysfunctional and really is just serving as a storage room. If I want to work on a project, I gather what supplies I can find (while carefully stepping over things on the floor) and haul them downstairs to work in the kitchen. I know this is insane. I know I have a problem. I've been reading this book which has motivated me to get started, even if it is the teeniest of steps. I come from a family of collectors, (isn't that just another name for lovers of stuff?) and have always had a tough time keeping clutter at bay. More is more, ya know. As I get older though, I find that I yearn to simplify my life. I know that I could be more productive if everything had a place in my home and was put in it! So, I'm trying to mentally gear up for this endeavor. While looking for something specific today, I found a bag of stuff (buried beneath a mound of papers) that I had purchased at some junk store long ago. Now I'm wondering, what the heck else is in that room?

On the Bookshelf

Don't you just love a good book? I've been savoring Living The Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery. The book highlights several artists, including Sas Colby, Michael deMeng, and Claudine Hellmuth, and provides a glimpse into their creative processes and journeys. The book has lots of photos of artwork and artists' studios as well as creativity tips and exercises. I'm taking my time with it, just reading a few pages each night, because I really don't want this one to end.