Jenni Horne Studios

Musings From the Art Room

2012-01-27T08:10:00.003-05:00

In addition to teaching a regular 8-2pm school day, I offer afterschool art classes to the kids. We meet from 2:30-3:45. Parents love it because the kids just stay and don't have to be carted anywhere! I love it because they all WANT to be in the room with me making fabulous art! Each month we focus on different mediums. This month was all about paint.

I teach 3 days afterschool with K-1 on Monday, 2-3 on Tuesday and 4-5 on Wednesday. Every class has I think 23 kiddos? Yes, I know! But the difference between the day classes and these is that there are no discipline issues....it is fabulous! I also have 2/5th graders in the younger two classes who help me out. It works great.

The munchkins did a wonderful job of following my lead with their paintings. They took two sessions to complete. The older kids painted cardinals (which I totally spazzed on and forgot to take photos of!!) and the babies made some super duper cute portraits. I'll be showing those off next week! Until then have a great one!!

the Painting Binge

2012-01-25T08:38:00.000-05:00

So this is how I roll....even before taking a 9-5er. I am a binge painter. Crazy way to describe it but I am. I go through LONG periods of not touching a brush. I have to be, surprisingly enough, motivated. HAHA...sound familiar? So here's my routine, literally. Before I can paint I scour my sketchbooks and sticky note my favorite sketches (I sketch ideas out all the time. I am a thumbnail sketcher too, I'll share that sometime later). I also sticky note favorite sayings or quotes because sometimes I like to take que from words. I then gather canvases, which in my case are framed pieces of wood. For the painting above I had a new canvas which is a craft store deep cradled un-primed wood canvas. Whew. And it may just be a favorite new canvas. If I am texture painting I texture and carve about 10 at once. If I am black gessoing I do the same, prime them all, draw them all. Multi-tasking over-organizing runs deep in my veins. After canvases are all drawn and ready, the painting binge begins.......and I work furiously on all the canvases. Literally I paint all the cool colors on one then grab another and start it. It's crazy I tell you how fast I paint. Once all the paintings are done I step back and decide on the non-textured paintings if they need collage work. Which most of the time they do. And Stabilo pencil. Can not live without that pencil. If they are textured then they all get the oil stick layer. Yep. This is how I roll peeps. And just like that I have a body of work ready for a new show. Literally I now have 10 paintings done and ready ranging from tiny to huge. Now, had I not planned, prepared and thought myself to death on these paintings I'd not get as much done. But I find that preparing myself mentally and physically for painting makes a body of work flow seamlessly. And I am LOVING this new work.

The new work.....is all about going back to where I started. Simple compositions, little birds, simple flowers and lots of color. This round is not textured actually, but rather simply painted. In fact the one above I didn't even black gesso. Making it even more simple and soft. It makes me very happy. So I'll show you some more over the next few days. I've got a big show to deliver to next week, a favorite actually. See you back here real soon!

Art and Soul Virginia..A Blog HOP!

2012-01-23T13:01:00.004-05:00

Today you are in for a little treat! In just a few short weeks Mailey and I will be flying off to Virgina Beach to teach at Art and Soul. Very exciting indeed!! As a part of getting geared up for the retreat weekend all the instructors have been collaborating on special things just for you guys hoping to sweet talk some of you into joining us and drum up EXCITEMENT for those of you already attending. For the next week we are hosting a blog hop. So today, I get to scatter joy on my blog and introduce Kari McNight to you!

Kari will be teaching 3 classes at Art and Soul Virgina entitled: A Fluid Romance (sample photos are for this class), Stamp Carving and Beautiful Papers, and Stamps and Stencils Journal. She'll also be selling her amazing stamp line at vendor night....which is Saturday evening from 6-9. I read alot on her blog getting ready to post this and man, she is one traveling teacher! I hope to get that many flyer miles one day...and especially hope to touch as many lives with my gifts as she has with hers.

So, let's ask her a few questions and get to know her!!

Jenni: Kari, What teacher(s) lit your fire to be an artist?
Kari: I’ve loved art, and taken classes since I was a very small child. I had many art teachers at school that encouraged my Mom and Dad to put me in extra classes, but most of them I can’t remember by name. However, I am very grateful to them for recognizing what art did for me as a developing artist. Fast forward thru 2 post grad degrees in Corporate and Commercial Photography, and a career as an Architectural photographer. I was working creatively, but always came back to something that got my hands wet whenever I got the chance. I was taking small steps toward life as a full time Mixed Media Artist, when I met Anne Bagby. She encouraged me it was okay to pursue my passion, that I was more than capable, and it gave me the confidence to step out and make the big jump. She remains a treasured friend and advisor, and I still think of her as the Artist who most changed my life by helping me to have belief in myself. I try to model myself after her, providing encouragement and instruction while letting students bloom in their own paths.

Jenni: We all need a special person like this in our lives. And because she encouraged you to bloom in your own path, you are now able to share this joy with others as well! Sort of like a giant pay-it-forward moment. What 4 tools can’t you live without?
Kari: I am totally lost without gel or matte medium. I fix stuff around the house with it, I glue with it, I paint with it, I glaze with it, I prime canvas and substrates with it! Same goes for stamps of some sort. I prefer my own handcarved stamps, or the 8.5 X 11inch stamps from my stamp line, but I’ve been know to use a corn pad on a spool in a pinch! I use stamps in clay, in wax, paint, inks, and with oil bars and fabric. I am a devoted fan of Knead a Mold. Once I found this medium I went CRAZY with it! Molding antique jewelry, petrified artifacts, hand carved wood pieces…just anything that didn’t move faster than me! I can use resin, clay, paperclay, paper mache’ and even chocolate or jello in the resulting molds! Finally I love ICE Resin! Oh! What joy -what bliss when I finally got my hands on this amazing stuff! I cover anything with it! Jewelry, journals, magnets, hair accessories, ornaments! You name it, this stuff ROCKS!!! I used to fight with bubbles and leveling in other resins, and now my life is SO much easier!!!

Jenni: Wow...I wonder if I could fix the back doorlock with gel medium? Hmmm...And ICE resin I keep hearing about, so I just may have to give it a whirl. I can not wait to see your stamps at vendor night! So Kari, Where do you get your inspiration from?
Kari: I get inspiration from everywhere and everything. I can be in an airport waiting lounge and see a pattern on a scarf of someone going by and it will affect my art. I try to look at art and architecture everywhere I go. Even if it’s not my taste, I try to figure out WHY it doesn’t appeal to me, and that strengthens my own artistic statements. If you see my stamp line, you’ll notice one of the images looks sort of like Clark Gable, and another like Sam Elliot. I was sketching in my journals while watching movies with my husband, and they just sort of popped out on the pages!

Jenni: I think we artists have brains unlike the norm....it is amazing what we allow ourselves the freedom to see. After art, what else is your passion?
Kari: After Art, travel is my passion. I began travelling with my father doing mission work when I was very young. I had my 16th birthday in a thatch hut in the jungles of Belize Central America. I was living and working among the Mayan and Ketchi Indians. I’ve had the privilege of living side by side and working with the people of and traveling throughout Mexico, the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Canada, Italy, France, Brittany, Kenya, Tanzania, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Jamaica and several other countries.

Jenni: No freakin' way!! How cool is that? You are most fortunate to have had these opportunities and I am sure the exposure has broadened your artistic eye as well, perhaps without your even knowing it. One last question for you....What type of classes do you like to take at Art and Soul?
Kari: I love to take classes from instructors who are open and generous with their knowledge and supplies. I love being able to try products and techniques out in workshop situations before I decide if I want to buy them for myself. I also always appreciate when they teach me new ways to use what I already have! I try to take classes with instructors who offer something fresh and varied with a good mix of demonstration/ verbal and printed instruction. I love to take new instructors workshops, you never know when you might discover your next favorite instructor! Over the years I’ve taken them all- jewelry, painting, printing, clay, fabric, journaling, bookmaking, sketching. I tend now to take process heavy classes with a mixed media focus. But who knows- tomorrow I may get a hankering for flower arrangingJ
Well, I am sure that your flower arrangements would be more than fabulous with a flair that only a woman with style like this could create!

So, I hope you've enjoyed this little hop on the blog. I really look forward to meeting this lovely lady in person in March. For yesterday's artist, Barbe Saint John see here. And for a real treat...my interview will be here tomorrow (I just got a sneaky peeky at it and she did such an amazing job! So even if you think you know me, check it out.) See you guys later this week! Thanks for stopping by and do say hello!

Musings From the Art Room

2012-01-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

Last week while conversing with 5th grade students around the room, I learned that one had mistletoe growing in the trees of his front yard. Yes, conversations are like ping pong balls in my classroom. But I enjoy getting to know the children and fortunately have the opportunity to walk and talk while they work. "Mistletoe, really? Cool. Would you bring me some one day? I love mistletoe!" And the next day, well, he came in with a GINORMOUS grin on his face and a Ziploc full of mistletoe. That was a puffy heart teaching moment. Because this child is one that I think probably needs a little extra thanks in his life. If you catch my drift.

So upon returning home I immediately placed the greenery in my favorite pitcher. My kiddos were like Mom isn't that a Christmas thing? No....it's so pretty! So off to my i-pad I go and find this out:
We are all familiar with at least a portion of the mysterious mistletoe's story: namely, that a lot of kissing under the mistletoe has been going on for ages. Few, however, realize that mistletoe's botanical story earns it the classification of "parasite." Fewer still are privy to the convoluted history behind the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. And its literary history is a forgotten footnote for all but the most scholarly.

What? That's right: as unromantic as it sounds, kissing under the mistletoe means embracing under a parasite.... OMG. I could have done without that knowledge it turns out! So, another week in the art room has come and gone. We are making amazing stuff guys. I'll be sharing more next week in this new series.....Musings from the Art Room. (clever no?)

Teaching Little Hands

2012-01-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

I was about her age when my mother taught me to cross-stitch. So I guess she's not too young to be stitching away while most of her little friends are watching American Idol or playing sports. I kind of love that she's got my hands.

So why embroidery? It all started while placing the finishing touches on the studio over Christmas. I pulled out a pillow I'd embroidered a truck onto years ago. She was smitten, much like I am when a new skill is tickling my creative bones. So last weekend I broke down and taught...well rather gave her some tools and a fabulous book on embroidery. She's been stitching since. Yep. She's my girl. And I can hardly stand that she's making her BFF a cow stitched pattern she wants to make into a pillow for her birthday. A 10th B'day that is. Oh, and I should totally mention that she draws out all her own patterns. Man, I am bubbling over right now with joy.

Puffy Heart

2012-01-17T21:44:00.003-05:00

Anne Moore Jewelry. Ahhh......Anne Moore Jewelry. I met this lovely artist at the Wesleyan School Art Show I guess 2.5 years ago. We were across from each other. And I was smitten. She may not know the extent of the smitteness. But it is true. I love, love the simplicity of her jewelry. And that logo. Swoon. Seriously. I'd love to be an artist like her. Where simplicity speaks volumes.

Over Christmas I found her Alabama charms at a local boutique in...Alabama. Right. But we weren't exchanging gifts Molly and I this year. So I passed on them. Then Molly mentioned the charms at Christmas and I thought, heck. I'm just going to contact Anne and see if she'll make us some. And she did. And I've not taken mine off since I pulled it from the manila envelope. Well, to take the photo above I HAD to. But then put it right back on. What is it about this state?....I don't know. But you seriously can not take it away from my heart. Ever. (or my wrist at this point)

Hallway Love and 2 Projects

2012-01-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

We are going on a little more house tour today! I LOVE this area. It is the entrance to our home. From the front door one walks into a nice size area with a crazy 2 story foyer height. It's open to the den, dining and a sneaky peak of the kitchen. I'd always wanted a very open floor plan, and we got it with this home. The walls are of course the khaki pants color (blogged about this before...). Eventually I will be painting this area a cool gray to match the FABULOUS chandelier we received for Christmas from Dad and B. It will get it's own post, and perhaps even a video blog about the installation. Billy is a whippersnapper at light changing, but this changing will literally require scaffolding! And since the scaffolding will be in place, I will probably paint then. woohooo!!

I had trouble at first decided how to lay the area out. This skinny area below actually originally led to a library, the door behind the giant birdcage leads to this. But the prior owners turned that into a closet in the master bedroom. Um....yes, you would think you'd died and gone to closet heaven like me when you see it (yes, I will be showing it off...I just have to. It is fabulous.) So I wanted to close the area off. The birdcage needs a little something inside....I am thinking about piling it with my old books. I recently saw this done in the Pottery Barn Catalogue.

The black hand painted sign is a favorite purchase at Marist this year. Under this I felt I needed to show our family in some way (since the sign talks about our family). AHA! A bulletin board. So here's how I made it:

1- ran to the basement and chose a frame from the pile

2- strung twine back and forth attaching with a staple gun

3- strung a few fabulous turquoise buttons on the twine

4- selected a family photo and other trinkets that meant something to our family

5- attached a saw tooth hanger

6- ran back upstairs and hung it up! tops...15 minutes You could do this with any type of frame really.

Now below is another fun project, and yes those are hands...my children's hands actually. We made the sculptures in art camp a few years back. It's a very cool project to do. Just follow these steps:

1- purchase plaster gauze rolls at the craft store. at my store it's where the fimo clay and stuff is located.

2- have your child lather their hand in good old fashion Vaseline and then saran wrap

3- pose the hand as you want it. Not too complicated though, it is a little tricky getting this off!

4- according to the plaster gauze instructions wet the strips and wrap on your child's hand loooooosely. seriously. this is not a cast!

5- allow to set. warn your child it gets warm(not hot) as it is setting. it's how you know it's working.

6- using scissors cut a slit so your child can slip their hand out of the casting

7- use more plaster gauze to band-aid where you cut the slit

8- you may have to trim the bottom to get it to stand up

And that's it! What a wonderful way to preserve your sweet child's hands.

So that's all for today. A peek into a favorite new vignette in our home. We continue to nest away. Loving it more as each day passes.

Day as an Art Teacher

2012-01-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

So I thought I'd share a timeline of a typical art day here at the wonderful Arbor Springs. I just have to giggle at some of the lessons we are tackling right now! I am totally out of every warm color paint and oil pastels so I had to pull out the glue and scissors until the good stuff arrives at the door. The kids rocked the day though!
7:30 am- Mailey and I head to school in the orange van...after eating our egg and cheese yummies. And giving Lily her chewy treat.
7:50-8:45am- I run around the school like a chicken with my head cut off getting organized for the day drinking water (important to know this....especially when you see my schedule)
8:45-9:35am- 4th grade/ started Chicken Little paper collages: Yes, based on the silly story of the goofy chicken that thought the sky was falling! This is Mailey's grade so I know like all the kids well. They love me...and I love them. And they know it! Their collages were adorable and none wanted to stop when time to clean the room that looked much like a paper bomb had gone off in it.
9:35-10:25- 5th grade/ started musical instrument line drawings...and well....5th grade is my fingernails on the chalk board class everyday. I don't know what planet they are on, but geeeeesh Louise they make me nuts. They aren't bad really, just SO FREAKIN' loud. With everything they do. Like even their pencil markings are louder. And yes, I could make it silent art. But really? Silent art? Nah..
10:25-11:10- 2nd grade/ started paper collage Aliens.....project based on a hilarious book by Claire Feedman and Ben Cort called Aliens Love Underpants. This is the class my stomach starts the rumble jumble. So I am eating carrots and pickles (this week anyways) the entire class. Seriously. Love the second graders because they are not old enough to worry about perfection, and still have these WILD imaginations. The book made them all giggle and inspired some serious alien action figures! I can't wait to see day 2 on this project when we add the underpants to our aliens!
11:10-11:50- 3rd grade/ we finished our mixed media warm/cool peacocks as pictured above. These turned out so beautiful. Especially after I found the boxes of METALLIC oil pastels hiding in a cabinet. Holy tamoly. Lovely!! 3rd grade is a chanellging group, I'll admit. Maybe it's the kids, maybe the age. Maybe it's me....don't know. But I do know there are some crazy talented kids in this group!
11:50-1:00- planning and lunch.....and lunch it is. I am ravenous by this time, and about to pop to go to the potty(you did see my schedule right????backtobacktoback??). I usually eat at my desk, with the light out, cruising the Internet for this, that and another. Today was Zaxby's pick up day so I treated myself to a Zalad. Man....I love a good salad. And then I worked on some painting ideas for a fundraiser for the school which is going to rock!!
1:00-1:45- 1st grade- these kids have INSANE energy. It's the end of their day and they are like little jack-in-the-boxes. All smiles and all talkative and all want to know right this second what we are doing and how and all full of themselves BAM! energy! Got to love that. We started making our rain sticks today which once finished will wander over to the music room and be played with as an instrument. Yep....crossing the lines peeps.
1:45-2:15- I wrap up the week, clean out caddies, listen to my male custodian talk my ear off about everything and anything and finally wrap up the week. I turn the page in the planner and kiss the day goodbye. With a GINORMOUS smile on my face. Because man oh man if I don't have the coolest job in the world!

So other things that happened during the day: 5th grade kid totally missed his chair and totally fell out on the floor. I swear I thought he'd broken his bum. A 2nd grader bent down right as I was opening my drying rack and I knocked her head....thank goodness I didn't knock her out! I got about 10 high fives and more hugs than I can count. Got to see Mailey way more than normal Mommies that work all day do. Enjoyed a bake sale turtle cookie and did my give away drawing.....

YES!!!!!!!the PARTAY is over guys. And TIFFANY won. She was super excited. Please keep reading and commenting. I love hearing from each of you on the journey.

Have a lovely weekend!! Up next is another house tour post!

Word of the Year- Warrior

2012-01-12T08:22:00.001-05:00

war·ri·or (n.)

1. One who is engaged in or experienced in battle.
2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict

Some of you may be wondering a tad about my choice of word of the year. It's not a "fluffy" word. It's a strong word. And one I literally could not get away from. I fought it, and tried to come up with another. Then I'll be darned, while at Dad's over the Christmas holiday, I found this brick in their garden! Yes, I took this photo....so I think the word found me this year. I am not sure why....I hope my heart doesn't know something I don't. I do rather like definition #2....because I am certainly engaged aggressively in my art making, art teaching, homemaking and family tie building!

**this post has been linked up to the fly tribe blog....

The Partay Give-Away!

2012-01-10T07:52:00.002-05:00

Every fun party leaves its' guests with a treat of some sort. I've been known to give fake mustaches before! (of course it was for a Spy Party when William turned 9) This etsy kick-off party was an idea I decided to just roll with. A little cheesy, yes. A little unexpected, yes. But for some reason I am slap happy these days! I suppose it has something to do with, but certainly not limited to finding a rhythm finally in this new lifestyle. So happiness I've been told is contagious. I hope it sticks around for a spell. Yep.

Anyways, the give-away is this new necklace style:

It was one of those laying in bed trying to figure out what the heck to do with the 100 clay birds I bought on etsy months ago that have just been sitting in egg cartons waiting for their moment "a-ha!" moment. Love those. So quickly I ran downstairs and tried it first with a thicker brass strip. This was a little more complicated than I had wanted (there are 100 birds peeps, I was not kidding). So I decided to whip out the 500 ft coil of copper wire and make more of a hanging nest! (I tend to buy in bulk I've noticed.) And so it began. And many birds now have sweet cages to dangle from. And make you oh so happy to wear. Right?

Now the good part....unfortunately I can't party favor you all. Wish I could! But one lucky person who leaves a comment below telling me what they are over the MOON happy about right now gets their name in the pot to win one of the birdcage hoops. (it could be as simple as eating a yummy cupcake) You get to the choose bird color. We can get to that later. Right now, you guys need to get to commenting below!!

Oh....and the drawing will be FRIDAY......happy commenting.

The Great Etsy Partay!

2012-01-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

The cobwebs have been removed from the ETSY shop peeps!! Woohooo....right? I've never been a high rolling etsy seller. Nope. I am to blame for this lack of rolling in dough sales too. It's because I do not show it any love. Not one bit. But now that I've got myself in a position to not have to do as any art shows, and have given up a booth in a store, etsy is about to be the recipient of some serious loving. Yep. And last night I brushed away the cobwebs and got some pretty awesome stuff into the shop. (Yes, I am totally biased!) So please, head on over and buy away. Because everything is one of a kind. Seriously. My shop is going to be built on the integrity of a true handmade shop.

The jewelry section is soooooo yummy. I've worn several pieces to make sure it wears well, and receives loads of compliments! You will love your handmade goodness for years to come! I've added crosses, bird cage hoops with clay birds, wirey birds and Shasta daisy fields to the batch this time.

So enjoy shopping!! I certainly enjoyed the making! Be looking for Tuesday's PARTAY post....I've decided to make this shop re-opening a toot the party horn event. Today is the invite. So, readers....you are cordially invited to the artsyorange etsy shop re-opening PARTAY! Yeah!

Seriously...check back on TUESDAY. What's a party without gifts??? hint..hint...Oh, and want a heads up on the gift? Then you better go to facebook and get to liking me. Because I plan to spill the beans there. See you Tuesday friends. Tonight I am going to do a little happy dance in my studio that this is done.

Puffy Heart

2012-01-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start a series of posts called "puffy heart". I could call it something else, yes, but since that has become my coined term for things I share here on the blog that I absolutely adore, it fits. So be looking for regular posts that are filled with joy, silliness, yumminess and home.

I just found these photos from our Canopy tour at Lake Lanier resort this summer. This was a HUGE puffy heart family fun moment!! It was a 2 hour tour around the lake...and sometimes OVER the lake. I highly recommend this activity. Highly!! There is nothing more thrilling than soaring through the air suspended from a tiny rope. Here's the link for the Lake Lanier's canopy tour.

I also understand that the tour at Banning Mill near where I live is amazing. It's on the to-do list for Spring Break this year for us! So, you guys have any fun zip line stories?

The Studio Overhaul! Day 2

2012-01-04T10:10:00.003-05:00

Lots of pictures for you today! I had no idea how to go about finishing off this room, but I had a vision. I literally had a measuring tape, heavy hammer, lots of finishing nails, pencil, skill saw(You know one of those hand held saws that has a blade that jiggles up and down to cut?)...and LOADS of determination. Loads. For day 1 I started with all the trim work. It was actually really fun. Like putting together a puzzle! One huge lesson learned though.....make SURE the wood is flat, has no warping or twists. It makes for trim that so doesn't want to lay like it should. And is very frustrating. You hammer one end, the other end pops off the wall. And vice-versa. Oh well. That's what chalk is for, right?

I was most proud of the way the windows turned out. They required a ton of pre-finishing with the Great Stuff (which is super awesome!!) and chalk. The windows having not been finished very well were extremely drafty. Now, they are not!

I found this heart in the wood of one door frame. A good sign no doubt!!

The other drafty issue was where the concrete semi wall and sheet rock joined. This is only on the exterior wall and half the interior left wall. Again, I Great Stuffed it and added trim on top. Then I added chalk on the top and bottom of the trim for a super seal.

I had no idea how to finish off sheet rock with tape and stuff to create a smooth wall surface. So instead I joint compounded the walls to look like plaster. Yep. Cool trick, right? We did this at The Vintage-Flea a lifetime ago, so it was in my bag of tricks already. And quick. I did all the trim and joint compound layering on day 1. Already it was feeling better to my little creative heart.

On the second day, after getting more trim wood from Home Depot I painted the walls with Pale Honey. Turns out the paint at Home Depot has primer in it!! No way....awesome! No wonder it goes on like a dream. So an hour later I had the whole room painted!

Next was painting the concrete. This was not what I expected. It looked a bit like cottage cheese after one coat, and was hard to edge the bottom. So three layers of white later and tons more chalk later it looked done.

So, what does an artist do when she makes a mess on the floor with concrete paint? She makes a scallop boarder, that's what!! I love, love this detail in the room now!

I debated the floor issue for a spell and decided that honestly the cold floor needed carpet. Outdoor carpet is very durable and came in a lovely shade of gray. For lighting I added some twinkling lights!! At IKEA I plan to purchase some floor lamps that can be moved around according to where I am at the time.

Day 3 came and went like a blur. I hurt from finger tip to finger tip...my wing span that is. So at the end of Day 3 I was still in a mess. And pooped. Turns out I had a ton of stuff I want to use in the space. It's almost overwhelming though visually. So I need to edit. Edit. Edit. Not my forte. Because I want to use it all!! I got all the boxes unpacked and everything in a home....but it took until day 4. And that day was after taking a 2 day break!!

Graham Cracker has already found her spot in the room. On the pink couch. Dang I love that pink couch!

Here's the finished doorway. And yes, the shape is on purpose. There will be a clothesline between the posts for favorite pics and inspirations! Also I am adding curtain doorways. Turns out the doorways are very thick and oddly wide. In other words, a real door would cost a fortune. I like the idea of the soft doorway anyways.

Next up: The FINISHED SPACE!!! Wooohooooo!! It may be next week though before that post is ready. I am still tweaking the room. And have managed to make a jewelry making bomb on the table. I've got deadlines to meet! I want to show it off done. :) So be sure to keep coming back peeps. And if you ever, ever want some help designing or creating a space to be creative, don't hesitate to email me your questions! I am always eager to lend a hand!

I will share this....today when my 9 year old came down and my finished ceiling pizaaz was up she went, "WHOAAAAA!!! Mom! Wow. I like that!!" It's good. Puffy heart good. (and yes, that was on day 5...it has taken a while to finish. hehehe..)

The Studio Overhaul! Day 1

2012-01-03T09:19:00.002-05:00

When we moved into this house in August I was already in full swing with the new teaching job (7:30-4:00 job), was in the midst of preparing for the biggest show of my life and getting ready to teach out of state for the first time. Yep. Lots of BIG things were happening within a tiny snapshot of time. And I wondered why I lost so much weight! (I've put all that weight back on this holiday for sure...maybe plus some!) We had a few options for where to put my studio space. But for some reason I really liked this basement space. Mostly because I could really spread out into different spaces for different projects and not have to ever worry about putting a thing away! Woohooo!! So upon moving in I quickly set up shop and made it look as appealing as possible. See here:

Cute, right? And I should be so very, very grateful that I have a family that supports my artsy ways and let me have as much space as I have. I should be able to create away in such a space. I should be happy and content and eager to make artsy stuff in this space. But I wasn't. I hated being down there so far away from the family. It's cold, a little dark and I can't hang anything up because the walls weren't finished. In fact, Mailey would drive me nuts coming down asking when I was coming up. Nuts.

My old space, although much smaller, was beautiful. Well, see:

It was the sunroom attached to our kitchen. Right in the HEART of the home. It was bright and cheery and oh so fun to create away in. So...........once the Christmas decorations had all been packed away I started in with a plan to finish off my basement room. Me. All by myself. I think it was a bit of a "I'm gonna prove something to any and everyone that will listen." But nevertheless, I have now created a magical studio space that is sure to inspire all who will be joining me on this creative journey.

So today I share the plan....the next share will be the construction...and last but not least, the finished room. oooooo...giant puffy hearts peeps. GIANT! Here were the things driving me batty about the state of the room:

This was the wish list I wrote out on my graph paper pad:
1-trim out doorways and add curtain doors
2-trim out windows
3-joint compound texture the walls
4-add trim between concrete and sheet rock
5-add LOTS of Great Stuff to keep the cold out! And chauk. Lots of chauk.
6-paint the walls Pale Honey
7-add twinkle lights and paper lanterns to ceiling
8-paint concrete short wall bright white
9-create a lounging nook so Mailey can come down and hang with me
10-create a u shaped workspace
11-locate cool vintage couch for lounging nook
12-spend less than $500
13-figure out some flooring to warm the floors up
14-inspiration board over desk area

So that was it. I measured the doors, windows and walls and headed off to Home Depot to purchase the goodes. It was hilarious...I literally couldn't step without someone in that store asking, "you need some help mam?" I guess a blond chick in her super cool Boden raincoat with a large cart full of joint compound, paint, trim wood, nails and chauk seems suspicious? In fact, while checking out the gentleman behind me said, "You don't look like the sheet rocking type." Huh. And just what does that look like sir? Of course I didn't really say that. But they did see me in that store 4 times in 24 hours. The manager even came up to me and said, "You must be working on something big. We've seen you in here a bunch the past two days!" I told Tiffin it was the raincoat. It is sweet. I spent right at $350 so far. I have a trip to IKEA planned for Wednesday to get the last few things I need. Pretty good coming in under budget! I'll share the process tomorrow with you guys!! See you then. :)

A New Year on the Farm

2012-01-01T21:20:00.003-05:00

This New Year's weekend we spent in Alabama with family. Yep. And when we go to this part of Alabama activities include but are certainly not limited to: gun shooting, 4-wheeling, lake side sunsets, beef tenderloin to slap yo' momma over, trail walking, too much wine drinking, hunting for treasures, hours of visiting, and one of my favorite activities photography. See below some of my favorites:

Yes, this is a magical place to be. And always we leave with grins the size of giant beavers. Well, like the ones below:

Our family certainly enjoys being here on the farm. There's never any complaining and certainly not a lack of things to do. We always look forward to coming back to build more memories. It's the stuff that one day I hope to pass along to my own Grandchildren. I can see it already, and maybe...just maybe.... those memories will be passed along right where we are building memories now. (hint...hint...in case you didn't catch that Dad)

Lego Memories

2011-12-29T09:58:00.005-05:00

As child I loved Legos. While my little sister was getting giant Barbie penthouses and dolls for Christmas....I was dreaming of another box of bricks so my houses could be layered evenly. My favorite gift was the red plastic brick carry case, which my mother STILL has. At her house. Love that. This year Mailey is 9. She should have been asking for Barbie's and American Girl Dolls, right? Nope. Not this little 9 year old. She asked Santa for drums and Legos. Hmm......Well, if you could hear the rhythms coming from above the garage you'd know that the big man did indeed bring the drums and see below? He most definitely bought a nice box of bricks!

We plan to go to Disney over Winter break. She's already asked about the Lego store. It is amazing. I could cry it's so amazing actually! So yes Mailey, we will be going to the Lego store and adding some trees, more people and of course bricks to your 1st box of real Legos!

Puffy Heart

2011-12-27T09:56:00.001-05:00

Today I am sharing with you our "pickle gift". What's a pickle gift? Glad you asked! We have a little glass pickle ornament that each year gets hidden deep into the Christmas Tree. On Christmas morning William and Mailey search for the pickle hidden in the tree. The child that finds it gets to open the "pickle gift". Always the gift is a family game. And they know this. But getting to open one extra gift after all the unwrapping is done is quite a big deal!

So this was the family game Mailey unwrapped (she always seems to find it....too many games of I Spy I suppose). Let me tell you, this GAME ROCKS!! It is hilarious and appropriate for many ages. In fact we ended up playing a rather lengthy game of it with Billy's family ages 9-71!! I of course received some pretty funny cards thanks to Mailey, the official card giver. I was a Lollipop, unicorn and dragon. So funny. You have to ask yes or no questions of the group then pass or guess. When it comes back around to you again you ask questions until you figure out what you are.

We ran out of headbandz so Billy used his finger. A bed....geesh you shoulda heard some of his questions and answers.

My two children could hardly stand not giving hints to people what they were. It was funny how they would just blurt out amazing hints. Which was cheating yes, but the thing is, their cheating didn't help them win! I suppose they just wanted everyone to succeed. Which is a lovely trait in your bag of tricks, right?

So, do you guys hide a pickle in your tree? Or do you have any other Christmas traditions that are silly like this? I am hoping you all had a lovely holiday. We are doing a bunch of nothing in the Horne house for the week. Well, that's not entirely true. I have ONE goal. Promise to share later in the week once/if I get started!

Chistmas Treasure

2011-12-25T09:48:00.001-05:00

It's easy to get wrapped up in Christmas, the holiday. The big man in the red suit......man he has an entire North Pole, fleet of Elves, sleigh, reindeer and a magical nose. Yep....easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle. The gifts. The food. The parties.

But today......today we should all stop and think not about the holiday. But rather the birth. And think about how quiet and still that day must have been. A new baby to hold, love, to nurture for Mary and Joesph. As the roar of the present opening is over and you have a moment to reflect, take the time to reflect on why we have this special day.....include Him in your day. Because without Him, December 25th would just be another day.

The Bathroom Vignette....Before and After

2011-12-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

Lucky for us the previous owners had already moved into their new home and had done a wonderful job of patching, repainting the whole house neutral and putting in nice carpet. It was like moving into a new space. At first I was like urgh....it's all khaki pants! But now I totally appreciate it because it has made painting over the khaki a breeze! No holes to fill and since I buy really good paint, one coat has done the job! Woohoo! I've since painted just about all the walls our color palette...this just happens to be the first project I tackled. And it was the smallest, but has made the biggest impact! This is the little hall that connects our kitchen to the garage, the laundry room (to the right) and the half-bath (to the left). It is of course khaki pants here.

And now is Pale Honey (Home Depot). It is by far my most favorite color I've ever painted. It was in our old house in the kitchen and studio area. It will very soon be the studio again. For now though it is in this tiny hall and bath. It makes me just smiley seeing it. It's one of those colors! Also hanging in the hall is a favorite painting I just never could sell. On the right side we need a bulletin board or something for a "command center". Our schedules are so wacky I need a place to record it! Hopefully the frame I found in storage yesterday will do the trick.

Our little half bath was a ~~little dark~~ really dark and totally out of character for our creative explosive house. So......after changing just about everything, we now have a bath that makes us all very happy while going....umm...potty.

I just loved the outdoor tin light fixture in Lowe's. And for a mere $20 it was a keeper! Luckily Billy is a light switching genius. The mirror came from a new antique store in Newnan. On the back of the toilet are vintage brass letters that spell "kindness". Just a little something to ponder on while.....

The over the toilet cabinet was just too much. It is in the garage sell pile now. I'm not exactly sure what you'd call the painting technique in this room. Faux something....that was covering a world of faux pas! This wall, if you look carefully at it, will find all sorts of ick. That's why it now has a giant camper painting on it!

I happened to have the cute wooden box in the basement. It's perfect for holding toilet paper! I've started a collection of robin's egg blue pottery and found this room to be a perfect spot for it until it grows. I wanted a shelf to hold other nic-nacs like our Little People Family, silly kid pics, more pottery and mirror I found at Lakewood years ago.

It's just so....so....not us. And now....

It is. I used vintage hangers to hold vintage towels I've had for years. A little tree sprig and yellow ornament give the room a perfect amount of holiday cheer.

So, there it is. The first nesting project tackled and completed. It started a snowball effect. Yep.....just about got the house nestled. There will always be projects on the to-do list. It's just my personality. And makes the house fun to be a part of.

Little Christmas Vignettes Day 2

2011-12-22T13:00:00.002-05:00

Onward we go up the stairs to find this little vignette nestled so sweetly for all to see:

We have a unique staircase that makes a hard left turn on the way up. The builder placed this super cool corner shelf at the turn...NOT. I mean seriously who needs a shelf in the corner of the stairs on the way up? Is it supposed to be a bench to rest on the way up or something? Anyhoo....while decorating I had an "AHA" moment for the corner bench/shelf/decorating thorn in my side. I found the awesome feather tree at the Country Living Fair. It's decorated with gorgeous vintage Shiney Brights from the fair as well! The sweet sugary houses were a purchase years ago from TJ Maxx. The $5.99 sticker makes me smile real big.

Vintage books with the covers ripped off are a staple for my vignettes. My go-to riser.

Tomorrow...a peek at the renovated half-bath. So it'll be a before and after peek as well!

Christmas Vignettes Day 1

2011-12-21T10:00:00.004-05:00

We've enjoyed preparing our home so much for the Holiday season. I thought I'd share a few of our favorites over the next few days until Christmas. I know...I know...this is supposed to be an artsy blog. But decorating is such a sweet passion of mine. I hope to share more of my decorating tips and ideas in the new year here. It is big a part of my creative expression. Yep.. one big creative explosion in this house. Good thing I married a very patient and very easy going man.

So on with the tour.....this is how the Horne family is greeting its' guests for the Christmas Season:

The front door has no protection, so I literally bought picks and ornaments for the wreath at Wal-mart so at the end of the season, should they be pretty funky, I could throw them out without a cringe. I wanted lots of sparkly too because when the sun hits the door it is magical. Totally. Magical....I LOVE driving up to our home and seeing this. I started with a basic pine wreath, added lots of fresh greenery for smell goodness and then added the sparkly pics, nest and bird.

Inside you are immediately greeted with the banister totally decked out with lighted garland, more sparkly nests, silver painted leaves and this amazing creamy ribbon I found at Heeney. I've never had stairs to decorate. So you can only imagine how tickled I was this year to be adding this to our Christmas decoration box!

The balcony area received the same garland strands. Below is a close-up of the coveted ribbon and sparkly nests. The ribbon is by far my favorite ribbon find ever.

This vignette is also in the entry way. I just love glitter house and have been slowly collecting them over the years. A few bottle trees and snow make this scene a wintery wonderland!

Of course our home would not be complete without one of these.

Because it is the reason we are blessed every year. And look forward to the next!

Parties and Christmas

2011-12-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we headed to the beautiful city of Monroeville, Alabama. If you've been following me here a spell then you know I was just here a month ago meeting the other Jennifer Horne at the Beehive. Yep. This weekend however was the start of our FOUR Christmas'. Not complaining. Nope. I mean, that's pretty darn lucky that I have family and friends to travel and see over the holidays to share the Christmas spirit with!! Four times. My kids LOVE it. And I LOVE it. I love to give, give, give gifts. I get a total crazy high off finding and giving the perfect gift. That look of "wow, you remembered...or Wow you really know me..." man it's the reason to give. I don't even like to tell others what I am giving others. And I really don't like knowing what is being given to my children. I love the surprise and excitement of the entire holiday joy. Yep....man....I am rambling a joyful crazy high right? Whew. Sorry.

This weekend however, wasn't just about Christmas. We also went to celebrate my sister Molly's only child's 2nd birthday. Talk about time flying. Seems just yesterday we were going down for his birth. It was the best time for us(Molly and I) to be with our families and our Mother for Christmas. And what a bonus to be celebrating Fielding's 2nd! And celebrate in grand style we did. Molly has a gift I had NO IDEA was in her. And that would be the gift of Birthday Party planning. Down to a tee. Yep. Just look below. Not one detail missed. Martha would be proud. She worked us to death....but in the end it was a perfect day and a perfect party for a pretty darn cute little boy. So enjoy the party pics below!

There were 6 carnival games perfect for little tykes to enjoy, a jumpy house, fresh lemonade stand, hot dog stand, cupcakes to knock your socks off good, and a photo booth. Geesh this is a cute idea. I am SO going to implement one into my festival booths. Wouldn't that be a hoot??

Is he the cutest little man or what? Of course I am a tad biased. Anyhoo....we celebrated much on Saturday. From Christmas with our mother to a 2 year old's birthday. It was such a joyful way to start our holiday season. So.....how many times do you celebrate the season?

Painting in the Process

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share another painting progression. Last week I shared a whimsical flower painting where I started with a black background and worked my way forward with layers and layers of paint. In this technique I layered yummy texture onto wood, carved the truck image into the texture, painted then filled the lines with oil sticks. It is a rather lengthy process with days needed in between each step. But the end result is quite capitvating...

Almost there.....it's amazing the difference the lines filled with oil stick make!

Think I have enough tubes of paint? Never enough....like my closet....never enough. hehehe...

This was a custom painting for a sweet client I met at the Decatur Arts Festival. I truly hope her wife was speechless when she opened it! Because it was painted just for her.....

Puffy Heart

2011-12-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Cooper and Xavier

Seriously....seriously? Could this pottery be more fun??? I had to have these for Billy and I. Yep. Had to. And yes, the potters named them Xavier and Cooper. Geesh. I puffy heart this find. Want to know a little more about the dynamic potter duo? (because they are super cool...and look alot like a Ken and Barbie doll just warning ya!) Head over to their site: Nelson Studio (Ug-Chugs)

OMG....look at that face!!!!!!

Artists and Friends

2011-12-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've spoken about these two adorable ladies before: Tiffin and Joyanne . Tiffin is the one who went to Portland with me this year and held my hand, well not physically but mentally, while I got the nest on my wrist. And Joy was a right hand during the Country Living Fair. So you may recognize these pretty faces from here on the blog. We all three met at the infamous Shakerag festival 3 years ago. And over those 3 years we have slowly developed one of those sisterhood type friendships. We don't see each other much, or talk much much as we should. But rather we have one of those friendships that is effortless and brings so much simple joy to my life. We share so much in common and use this common thread to continue weaving what I know will be an eternity scarf.

I hope each of you has some type of connection like this. Because it is invaluable to have women like this in your life. Strong, grounded, confident and beautiful from the inside out. Yep...I am one lucky duck to have had these two cross my path when they did. And like I always say, everyone comes into your life EXACTLY when and where they are supposed to.

While at the Country Living Fair I joked with Joy that we should totally have a show in my house. Forget the setting up a tent and freezing our butts off....have it in a nice warm house. Right at Christmas. Call it something like "Handmade Holiday". Well, all 3 agreed, the date was set and the next thing you know the day was here!! I was bubbling over with excitement. I love to share my home with people. Love. And yes, I was running around like a banshee the day before cleaning, cutting bushes, and decorating. Of course as much stuff as we had you'd hardly have noticed a crumb on the floor!

Orange truck even got a Holiday cheer! I set up in the main living area:

And in the entrance. My last few paintings left from show season greeted everyone. Well, and so did Lily. She loves to have company over too!!

New little baubles were a hit.

I even made some glass puffy hearts this holiday season. Just gotta puffy heart them, right?

Joy had the pink room (dining room). And so very appropriate since she creates the most amazing gentle, feminine jewelry!

Her little vignette under my ribbon decor even matched!

She just knows how to place each unique find with the right beads, baubles and chain. Each piece is so very different....and so very lovely. And talk about hand skills....she has new crocheted pieces that any Grandmother would be smiling over! I had to have one and have worn it twice since Sunday. I feel so elegant while teaching art to crazy K-5th graders in it!! That's the phrase for her: elegant vintage chic. remember that Joy!

Tiffin had the eating and kitchen area for her amazing assortment of goodies for the home. And talk about hand skills here. I have never seen anything more well crafted in my entire life than everything that comes out of her studio. I mean seriously. Flawless. And a diverse portfolio was well.

I just love the way she puts lamps together.

And the new embroidery she is joyfully crafting....I want them ALL!!

I know, I know!! They are just beautiful! She has such a knack for creating edgy decor for your home. (You should see her house. Man, she is an amazing decorator!!)

She had loads of aprons and prints as well. Like I said, she crafts for your entire home. Got to love a well-rounded crafter. My catch phrase for her: vintage edgy home

So, yes....to answer your question we are hosting a second event. In the SPRING! With a new twist...we plan to share our thrift decor finds, display pieces ready to be retired and of course a fresh batch of handmade goodness for your heart, home and body.

As soon as we set a date a sidebar link will appear. And be blogged about too I am sure. For now, enjoy the rest of your week. We are off to Alabama for a spell of Holiday Cheer!!

Share Your Heart...a Painting in Process

2011-12-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

A painting progression for you today.....Share Your Heart

Thanks for coming by today.....I hope you have a lovely Monday.

Puffy Heart

2011-12-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

The Forgotten Cookie

As a child I have very fond memories when it comes to holidays. They were always brimming with yummy foods, family time and gift giving. We had a large family on my Mother's side that was loud, joyful and full of holiday cheer!! My Dad was an only child, but I also remember his mother spending much of the holidays with us as well. And she could cook!! Oh, yeah.

We had certain food items that were made each year. Like my Mother's graham cracker fruitcake....yes, I will be sharing that as well here!! Molly and my favorite by far though was the Forgotten Cookie. Maybe it was the mystery of what happens in an oven overnight....I don't know. But these cookies seem a bit magical. I also personally think that when you bite into one of these and it literally melts on your tongue...if you think about it really hard its like sparkly snow on your tongue!

Mailey and I made these last night for her "Cookie Exchange" today. They are super easy! Here's the recipe:

*Preheat oven to 350'

*Ingredients:
       2 egg whites
       pinch of salt
      2/3 cup white sugar
      1 cup chopped pecans (I NEVER do this, but in case you want to)
      one bag of chocolate chips (this time we used Andes Mint brand Peppermint chips and OMG....we will use nothing but. It's in the red bag, not green. All chopped and ready to go. Also fabulous are mint chocolate chips)

*Steps:
Beat egg whites and salt until a soft peak forms. Gradually add sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved. Fold in nuts and chips. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Drop cookies on sheet not too close together. Turn the oven OFF and leave over night. No peeking!! In the morning, enjoy!!

This recipe is one you can easily double without messing up the texture.

For a little something extra we sprinkled snowflake nonpariels while the mixture was still moist. With the red and white chips and the snowflakes this cookie is sure to be a snowy treat for Mailey's friends tonight!! I hope you enjoy making these!!

Little Birdies By Little Hands

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yep. I am so smitten with these bird sculptures my after school art students made!! Here's how we made them in a few easy steps:

1. wad up a double sheet of newspaper into a birdish shape. (Each birdie was TOTALLY different in shape. I love, love, love the fat bird above and really wanted to keep it. Juju said no, very politely of course....)
2. wrap the entire paper wad in masking tape. yep. entire thing. (a note on masking tape: DO NOT ever ever ever buy dollar store masking tape. It's stickiness is nonexistent. Waste o' money. Buy the good stuff.)
3. using heavy duty white paper towels and liquid starch wrap the bird shape at least twice in this icky concoction (liquid starch is the bomb for mache with kids. it's non-toxic and comes right out of clothes. and cheaper than glue)
4. let dry....and dry...and dry....it took days for some reason
5. paint with a beautiful blue paint, add wings, eyes, beak and glue to tiny candlestick stand painted black!

In retrospect I totally wish we'd glittered these up. It could be easily done with spray glue and dusty glitter.

Each birdie had so much personality. I am super glad we tried this! This particular session in afterschool it was all about sculpture. And although we mostly made clay projects, I found this papier mache to be the most successful and most fun for the kids! I bet 10% had actually made something with papier mache. So now it is 100%! The session we are currently in is all about holiday. Wait until you see what we made!! I can't spoil it for parents, so it may be a spell before I can show you!

What's your Color Story?

2011-12-06T21:18:00.002-05:00

This week marks the last week in the first course of the online artsy class I've been taking. It has been a very beneficial class, and one that I have found myself getting really lost in. Everyday during my "duty free" lunch I sit with a warm bowl of soup in my favorite hand painted bowl, open the blog and become...well....for lack of better word MOTIVATED. Motivated to get out there more. Like out there in the design world in a totally new capacity. I know, like I need another thing to keep me busy. But here's the thing. I know deep down inside my heart that I have more to say and that this creative journey has lead me all the way to where I am now for a specific reason. All the jobs, teaching, friends, lost friendships, heartbreaks, art classes, etc. are a part of something bigger than I can see the outer ring of. It's like the horizon line where the ocean and sky appear to meet. It's not over for me. Nope.

I'm in a very different place than I was a year ago. That's is for sure. Physically, mentally and more than really I should share here. It's been transforming to my art going back to work full-time. But it has been good. And this class is a huge part of the good. Because it's keeping me motivated to stay in the circle. Let me tell ya, it would be VERY easy to stop blogging, stop painting, stop making jewelry and just teach. Very. But I just can't. My heart will not let me.

So......I did want to share my homework from last week. Because I like it. It was fun!! Our assignment was to take photos of all sorts of things and from that photo create a color story. And then implement that color story into more homework. Well, seeing as how I just finished decorating for the holidays, this became my first story board! It appears this holiday I am decorating with lots of pink and blue. Well, actually since I didn't buy much of anything to decorate with, I have always decorated with pink and blue. Well, what can I say?

Here are a few other shots of the holiday decorations. The ornaments are all from my Grandmother Adkins. I love that part of the story.

The balls below are giant Shiny Brights I found at a thrift store last year for I think$3.00 Sweet find. I know!!

The second part of our homework was to observe our own closets for color inspirations. Hmmm.....seeing as how my closet is literally white, black, gray and denim I was not about to make a color story about that! Plus we were asked if we wore lots of black to get outside of that little box and try a color or a pattern. So while cruising the aisles at TJMaxx I found this sweet shirt below:

First, the colors I never ever wear. Secondly, you NEVER see me in pattern. Ever (well, my Boden raincoat does not count. Outerwear should always be patterned and fun!). So not only is the color freaking me out, so is the pattern. But I bought it, and created this lovely color story. Which will find its' way into a painting very soon!! And that was the point of the homework. To look around and gather color stories from places outside of the crayon box. You'd be amazed at how I see color now. Heck, I was taking photos of the soda bottles in VRichards Sunday and got all sorts of looks. But the colors screamed Camper painting!!

So I challenge you to create a color story from things around you. See where you use color and where you do not. Turns out my house is a place of fabulous colors....my closet on the other hand is rather drab! What does that say about me? hmmmm....Either way, I am loving the new eyes and the direction it is leading me around the circle.

**On a side note...the orange little snappy dress I was photographed in above, well that was the one and only time I've worn it! I need to get that out and wear it! Orange is my favorite color, so why not wear it!

Camper Dreaming

2011-12-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

When you move you start driving down new roads. So it's been what? 3 months? I think that's right. 3 months of traveling new roads. One road we travel on pretty much daily. And I have no idea why this hadn't made me wreck yet. Yep.

I was traveling alone....and had my ipad handy. So I pulled into a stranger's driveway, got out of the Jeep, ran down and peeked in at this little cutey! It looks just like the one I love to paint! Inside it has been totally gutted. Which I can already see it now. A traveling comanion. A show stopper indeed. I way to sell my wares at shows without a tent to blow away. Oh man......and it's for sale. Santa...dear?

Naked Art Gallery Craft Bazaar

2011-12-02T12:01:00.003-05:00

So where are you going to be this weekend?? Because peeps, I'll be here:

With loads of new jewelry, and other goodies!! Yep....goodies. Come see us!!

The new heart design is definitely puffy heart worthy. Yep.

At first everone in my house was supposed to go with me and us make a weekend adventure out of it at Dad's lake place. That is until oh.....night before last. When my Mother informed me that Mailey had a singing engagement Sunday which of course Mailey did not want to miss (more on Mailey's recent coming out of her shell wanting stardom in singing adventures). Then William ended up with baseball practice and a sleepover invite. Then of course there is the issue of Ellie the cat that got beat up and has to be monitored...and then there is Lily.....and her evil sidekick Graham Cracker.....so..........I am going alone. ALONE!!! Yooooooohoooooo!! I can not wait to see my girlfriends and have a real girlie dinner and maybe a martini (or 2)!! I am super excited. Ok...selfish I know. I love Birmingham so much and miss it and all its' magic. Sigh.....So I am going to make the very most of the time away from the family and soak in as much Birmingham culture as I can muster in the 36 horus I am there. Oh, and hopefully Sunday there will be sales in abundance for all artisans participating in the Craft Bazaar. So, until Monday.....hoping you have a lovely....and perhaps magical weekend as well!

Hometown Holiday and a Camera Trick....

2011-11-30T20:07:00.001-05:00

Every year in downtown Newnan Santa makes a GRAND arrival on this vintage firetruck the Friday night after Thanksgiving. Sweet right?

Yes, Newnan is the City of Homes. A beautiful city with a square that is chocked full of yummy food, amazing antiques shops and adorable gift shops. I love downtown Newnan. And had Billy and I visited it while we did our original house shopping 16 years ago, I have a feeling our lives would be very different. Very. Like we'd probably be living in an over 100 year old home different.

It's charm never grows old on our family. We absolutely love being here. And secretly I miss having a little studio down here to come to everyday. Look at this courthouse:

So here's the thing though.....it appears that Santa's arrival is a colossal deal for many in Newnan......colossal!!! The line to sit in his wooden sleigh and give your Christmas list was wrapped around the above courthouse. Which takes up an entire block. Yikes is right. So we made ourselves busy while waiting in such a line with our cameras. By the way accompanying us on this excursion and the whole reason we were excited to see Santa was my sister Molly with her husband Mike and their 2 year old wild man Fielding. Oh, and Nana, Billy, William, Mailey and Me. We were all decked out and excited to see Santa. I should also mention that I have 1 photo of my kids with Santa, and that was from last year. You see, I had the two kids with fear beyond recognition of Santa. Thus why we had NO IDEA that Santa's arrival on the square in Newnan was a colossal affair. Yep. So the story continues.....

I was determined to get photos at night of all the lights around the square. We took turns waiting in line for Santa and watching Fielding run more miles around the courthouse than any little legs should be physically be able. But here's the thing. I have this fancy pants camera that I know how to take amazing pictures of my art and jewelry with. But outside that bubble....well.....let's just say I take a bunch of these:

Which led to this....urgh.....

Which gave the kids and I an "A-HA" moment once we hit the Christmas Tree for some family photos:

I have NO idea how we did this technically speaking. But basically I had the camera on too slow a shutter I think and then we wiggled the camera to get the squiggles. After we figured it out....well William, Mailey and I were lost in camera heaven. And forgot about Santa. Oh, and Fielding was more interested in running around the block than seeing Santa. So we gave up our place in line.....took a bunch of photos in front of the cool squiggly light tree and headed home.

I think it looks like neon on crack. Technically speaking of course. HA.HA. So, have you learned any cool tricks on your camera you want to share? I think the shake the camera on the wrong shutter speed is definitely note worthy.

Yes, I pinky promise the above photo is of the Christmas Tree in front of the courthouse. Yep.

You're Invited!!

2011-11-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

Tiffin, Joyanne and I below at the Country Living Fair had an "A-HA!" moment and decided to do something a little new together......

And YOU are cordially INVITED!! To our little Handmade Holiday Show!!! We are thrilled to be doing this together. We each have so much to offer you in the way of handmade. For a very special person to that must have just for you, you are sure to find something just right. So join us. And the cool part.....it's in my new home. Eeeeeeeeeee!!!! I can not wait. Please email me if you'd like the address: jennihorne@ymail.com. I hope to see many of you here!!

Seriously?

2011-11-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sisters. They rough and tumble together, they eat each other's food, they snuggle together, they are peas in a pod these two. The puppy blanket however was given to Lily by her Gammy to help with the white hair on the gray couch issue. Lily knows this.....and so does Graham. Graham thinks that sharing with her sister is fun. Lily on the other hand is thinking in her little head that she would prefer to keep the blanket that Gammy gave HER to herself. Although I keep catching them both asleep on it. We'll see. Knowing Gammy, there will be one just for Graham Cracker in her stocking. Hehehe....

To Be Thankful

2011-11-24T12:18:00.004-05:00

Today as I set the table for the first time in our new dining room, I realized in abundance what I have to be thankful for this year. It's hard to sit back and reflect when you are in the middle of it, but our lives are rich with so much joy these days. Now, it's not perfect....nah....but somehow the bad is always overshadowed with the goodness our family consistently surrounds ourselves with.

Today I placed dear Faye Horne's china and crystal on the table for the first time. You see, there are many first's here at 120. It's the first time yes to have Thanksgiving in this house. But more than that...it's the first time we are hosting it period, with the china given to us as a lovely wedding gift from my mother-in-law. It has literally been packed away since we married 16 years ago. Now not only does it hang in an amazing pattern on the pink walls, it fills the gray cabinet. Oh the dinner parties Mrs. Faye must have had. There are 24 place settings and enough bowls and gravy boats for 3 Thanksgiving tables! So I just beamed as I set the table with it today. On top of the table Billy and I bought together at the Country Living Fair this year....which is covered with the most beautiful piece of orange lace I've ever seen. Just perfect.

You can only imagine the frenzy I've been in since deciding to host the family this year. You know....the last minute details and all the things you want to complete? Well, they are done. The only thing missing from this lovely pink room is our family first.....and the curtains (which are being crafted and promised to be ready by Christmas) and a new chandelier. This room definitely needs a crystal bauble hanging from the ceiling to catch the light coming in and make the walls sparkle!

The tiny pink dresser I found at the Country Living Fair as well. I love it's dainty size and crystal knobs! I need Tiffin to get a hold of the boring white lampshade.

I love that finally I have a place for some of our favorite pieces given to us as remembrances of our ancestors. The sugar and creamer was my Grandmother Adkins'. The painting was done by an art friend. Fits perfectly in this room. The crystal candlesticks were a favorite item we sold at the Flea. The tin shelf my Mother gave us as a Christmas present early in our marriage. It too had been hiding in the attic.

Yes, hanging the plates was a challenge, but man I did it! I was determined to have a unique pattern of the plates in the walls. And yes, the chandelier HAS to be replaced with a crystal one...asap!

So today, we join the Horne family, the Lewis family and the Wiggins Family to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. The noise will fill our home like a symphony the home has never heard. I look forward to enjoying the day and creating a lasting memory of our first family gathering in a home we plan to grow old in.

This post has been linked up! visit: My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for other wonderful links!

Hunting and Gathering

2011-11-20T08:29:00.000-05:00

I am currently taking another online class. Yep. I recently told a friend I am in the "hunting and gathering" stage of my art career. I can best describe it like this for you. I have big ideas for my work. But honestly have not the faintest idea as to how to get the dreams out into reality. So I keep mushing along, dreaming. But as someone told me, until you tell you dreams....they have no way to survive. And that makes total sense. So this new class is giving me the little kick in the pants to start the doing and not just the dreaming. What is the class you ask? Well, for the fiirst time in blog history for me I am going to keep my lips sealed. I know, mean. But, I will share this with you. The course has nothing to do with painting, and yet it totally inspired me to get my paints out and start these two paintings:

Which I am beyond smitten with. The pics were taken with my IPAD, so they are a tinge fuzzy, and are totally in the beginning stages. But I wanted you to see my current direction. This past summer I took the online class with Mati and Lisa. It was great because it pushed me to look and study the works of others. I've been influenced by the works of Flora Bowley since. And since I can not for the life of me figure out how she creates her paintings with the layers and depth and negative space use, I've come up with my own style....inspired by hers. But ya know, that's what it's all about. Taking something that inspires you and making it your own. Not copying, not becoming Flora. Rather, becoming Jenni. And right this second....this painting is making me very, very happy.

Monroeville, Alabama and Back

2011-11-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

Saturday was the day I shared with you that I was going to be meeting the other Jennifer Horne at this adorable Coffee/Booknook:

Just lookey at the inside of this space. Christy, it truly is a magical place! At 10am when Molly and I arrived to sent up my wares there was a line of like 10 people waiting for yummy coffee and pastries. In the back nook a sweet family was reading together as well as enjoying coffee. All day long people came and went...always smiling. A gentleman started playing the grand piano set up in another nook. Such a comforting thing, knowing that somewhere in America there is a slower way of life. Although my sister probably doesn't realize this, she is pretty lucky to not have a Target or a Chick-fil-a nearby.

So here she is, the other Jennifer Horne. Turns out Horne is her maiden name, it's my married name. She lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where she does indeed teach at the University. She taught a short poetry writing workshop that I wanted to participate....but my sweet Grandmother, Sissy made her way into the shop about then and we ended up visiting the entire time. But Jennifer understood...Grandmother time is priceless no doubt.

Here's Jennifer engaging her students during the workshop. That cute gal with pixie cut hair is the Beehive owner, Christy Nettles. Man I could bottle her up. She's a gem. Everyone really enjoyed the workshop and from the sounds of it, wrote some inspiring words as well!

I taught an ornament class based on the Legend of the Robin's Red-breast. It's a beautiful story by the way....you should look it up. Below is one of my 10 students:

Of course, as much talking about Monroeville as I've done now, I thought I should share some of my favorite photos from around the square:

This was the original courthouse, now museum. Every year the community puts on a theatrical version of To Kill A Mockingbird in the lawn area. From what I understand people come from all over to see it! The Red and White has the best fresh meat department ever....it was my first place to ever find Conecuh sausage. And that's some seriously good eating.

Overall, I am very glad I made the trip down. We had a lovely time with all our students in the workshops. And I sold a nice amount of goodies to customers! So, if you ever find you way to Monroeville, be sure to stop in and share a cup of coffee with Christy....and enjoy a slower way of living just for a spell anyways.

My Buddy L

2011-11-15T22:16:00.001-05:00

On my way to Monroeville Friday I stopped at a favorite antiquing jaunt in Opelika called Angel's. If you follow me on facebook then you probably saw some of the goodies I saw....and some of the uglies I saw too! I love a good antique mall...and since this one also has a "flea market" vibe, you are definitely going to see a bit of it all. Anyhoo....for some reason I am drawn to old trucks, big and small. In one booth I found an amazing red truck door complete with side mirror. I thought how cool to hang in our bonus room with the Jeep front we already have hanging (yes, I will show pics soon...). I've also got my eye out for vintage toy campers and trucks. I found the one above in Portland in a junk shop for $18.oo. Yep, scooped that baby up! And could have sold it 100 times at the Country Living Fair. Note to self, do not take cool orange truck for display ever again! In one booth at Angel's there was a Buddy L truck very similar to mine, but not cool orange for $85.oo!! No way!! So then I decided to look it up. Here's what I found:

"The maker of the highly collectible Buddy “L” toy cars and trucks did just that in the 1921. The Moline Pressed Steel Company in East Moline, Ill., started out making regular automobile fenders and truck parts.

Then they branched out to sturdy toy trucks, cars, steam shovels, tugboats, passenger buses, ambulances and moving vans that had real working parts.
These incredibly fun vehicles became a rite of passage for the next generation of car and truck buyers.
Like a lot of inventions the Buddy “L” line started out simple. The company’s owner, Fred Lundhal, wanted to build a toy for his son Arthur that was new, unusual and tough.
He came up with an all-steel miniature truck, reportedly a model of an International Harvester. The kids in the neighborhood so loved Arthur’s truck they convinced their parents to have Lundhal make similar ones for them.
Being the good hearted dad he was, Lundhal designed and made 3 all-steel sample toys under the name Buddy “L”. The name came from his son who was known to neighborhood kids as Buddy "L". It was the kids’ way of distinguishing his son from another Buddy in the neighborhood.
Pleased with the outcome, Lundhal took his toys to the 1922 New York Toy Fair and received halfhearted interest. Toy buyers liked the size and quality but balked at the price.
Never one to be discouraged, Lundhal went ahead and launched the first large American pressed-steel toys anyway. Buddy “L” was born. " taken from Live Auction Talk.

In other words...Buddy is staying in this house for a spell!! I can't wait to see how much it's worth. There are several sights that will give you an idea. Woohoo!! And here I was thinking what a cool display for my artsy booths. hehehe.......

UPDATE: Well, all be...lookey what I found here. Yep, that's my truck. Worth a lot more than I ever thought. Gotta like that happy news, right?

The Other Jennifer Horne

2011-11-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

This is my little sister Molly and her little man Fielding:

She and her husband Mike, my Aunt Becky and Uncle John (Big John), their 3 children who come home sometimes (They are grown now), and my Grandmother Sissy all live in this little town called MONROEVILLE. In Alabama that is. It's claim to fame is having raised one Harper Lee (the writer of the infamous To Kill A Mockingbird) and Truman Capote was known to spend many a summer with his Aunt there. It used to be the home of Vanity Fair (panties and bras girls, yes) until my mother, Nancy's Uncle retired as president (now, there's another family member) So the town has slowed down a bit since the main industry has made its' way to Atlanta (they say the new higher-up wives couldn't handle the lack of shopping...hehehe). There is no Chick-fil-a, or honestly any restaurant to speak of, not even Dairy Queen. Unless you count the "Club" as dining. There is no Target, Belk, Macy's or other big name place to shop. There is a new fancy super Wal-mart though. No movie theater, bowling alley or skate rink. Yep.....little town. But loaded with old houses to die for, my sister living in one, churches, supper clubs, Junior Women's League and Bunco. Oh...and a YMCA.

Somehow though, Christine Nettles found her way to this little town, renovated a sweet spot on the square and opened this little jewel:

The Beehive. Man this has got to be the sweetest little spot I know. An amazing collection of books, mostly Alabama writers, hot coffee, and delightful sweets. Oh, and the company is always friendly. Southern friendly that is. So I tell you all this because......

This summer I was in the coffee shop with the kids. We were exploring the shelves and enjoying frozen coffee (it was Monroeville in the summer...it's very south). When I came upon a book of poetry called Bottle Tree. By Jennifer Horne. WHAT??? Jennifer Horne??? So I go up to Christy and politely say, "I'd like to buy this book by Jennifer Horne. You know that's my name?" Christy just knows me at this point as Molly's Sister from Newnan. "And I want my Daddy to make me a bottle tree like he has in his yard out of old Cyprus....keep hoping for one. Oh, and I'm an artist too." Christy immediately opened the idea up for Jennifer Horne and I to one day meet. And now the time has come!! I am super excited to be sharing this Saturday at the Beehive with her!! She'll be doing a poetry workshop in the morning, while I'll be teaching a little bird ornament workshop in the afternoon! I am embarrassed to say I don't know much about her. All I know is we share a passion for our art, share our name, and share a love of Alabama. Yep...

So if you live anywhere near Monroeville, Alabama, come out and see both of us!! Take the workshops, sit a spell and visit over coffee, and of course shop. I'll be selling lots of new goodies, and her books are always available at the store. If not....wish me luck meeting another me. Man, that's sounds weird. Two of us....that could be a little scary. Nah.....

A Special Team

2011-11-09T19:02:00.001-05:00

As promised, here is a snapshot of my last little exhibit for the fall art on the walls. My amazingly creative little 2nd graders made these Monster Plants. I got the idea from an Osbourne book and of course today I can not find the darn thing to share it with you. But it was called something like Monster things to Make and Do. I think. Anyhoo....this project totally rocked. Mixed media in the coolest of manner. Sharpie, watercolor, paper, scissors and glue. What 2nd grader doesn't love those materials? And the subject matter, right up the 2nd grade boys alley. Girls were on the fence about it. And most gave them eyelashes just because.

Of course I had to go over the top and add an entire wall of giant green prickly vines and yellow grass. Made for a better effect, right? Family Fun Night at our school is basically a trick-or-treat evening. I love the idea because it's safe, warm and seriously fun to see how creative teachers can be! Each team dresses up together in a theme and hands out candy to dressed up students. Of course I've no photos of everyone else but we had Angry Birds, Legos, Smurfs, Flinstones, 3 Blind Mice, Indians, 3 Amigos and US:

The "special team" was decked from head to toe as the Mommy Monster plants (note to self take full length photos next time. We used all my vintage tutus on our bottom halves!! And had hand thingies on.) Behind us were all our widdle baby plants. Now yes, we scared many once we opened our mouths. It was like we were cute, pretty maybe, then WHAM....evil man-eating teeth. We had tons of kids and teachers not even know who we were!! It was great fun. And bonded us a little....I like my special girls. Coach Robin is in the middle, the rebel in blue (She is the tiniest little fireball I know. I love her spirit and her ability to teach children how to embrace living an active lifestyle. At our old school they learned to play dodge ball.....alot). Mrs. Culbreth is our music teacher on the left (She totally has given my children the joy of music. Which makes my heart very warm.) And then there I am on the right. (The super cool art teacher of course!!) We embrace all the children in the school....reaching many that can't seem to navigate their way through the regular academics. Enduring LONG periods without potty breaks. And trying very hard to share our love and passion for physical education, music and art with 450 children. You gotta love what you do to teach a whole school. You really, really do.

Momma and Daddy Bird

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was cleaning up my photos files this weekend, a HUGE chore in which I avoid like cleaning the oven. Hiding in the files I came upon this snip-it of a custom painting. The overall painting was huge. Like odd long and skinny huge. It was custom made for a custom skinny spot. Love that I have a framer that can help me out with these type of custom orders. :)

Anyhoo, this little close-up struck me sweetly. Looks a bit like Billy and I. Mommy and Daddy birds. Hanging out in the same patch of flowers but not on the same branch. We've always been one of those type of couples. Not that we vacation separate, have separate checking or anything nuts like that. But simply that we've allowed one another to have wings and soar with our strengths. I love that he has supported my crazy ideas, and I his. (he's a politician peeps....married to an artist...need I say more?) I was admiring the fact that our children have witnessed their parents not only be parents, but be individuals who enjoy living their lives outside of being a parent just this week. Mailey and William have watched us flourish in our passions, mine as an artist and Billy's as a community servant. They also see us give to our Church family through the sharing of our gifts(both physical and monetary) and our talents. I know I have weaknesses when it comes to parenting, but daily I am reminded just by the manner in which our children live their little lives that perhaps we've done a pretty good job sitting on our separate branches throughout marriage. Oh, I should mention that our branches share the same roots. So we are never that far away from one another......

Marist Holiday Traditions

2011-11-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

Today is the annual Marist Holiday Traditions. This is my 4th year to be year to be in the show, hard to believe. For 3 years I've had the exact same spot in Kurht Gym. Now spots in this show are small. Like really small......so I've been eyeing the corner spots since year 1. And by golly karma heard me, because not only is my space a corner, but it is on a front row, which means a wider aisle! If you've not been to this show, then I'll explain it like this. You are not allowed to bring children in strollers, women line up prior to the 9am opening time and come in droves until literally 4pm when it ends (wearing Christmas sweaters and everything). It is awesome. Love it. Now sales, I am not a bazillion sales a year girl. But I think this year I may do better. It has taken just 3 years, but I think the trick to this show is limited product styles, but in mass. So framed tiles, bag tags, magnets and my new bezel pendant I hope will make a statement that says, "BUY ME!!"

If you can make it, please come by!! It's $3 to get in the door, but I assure you there will be mucho to see and more to buy. Good thing I am flying solo. No time to shop. hehehe..... I hope to see you here!!

Fall Art with Kids

2011-11-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I suppose I should start sharing the new part of my creative journey with you guys! In fact, I think my blog banner needs a verbiage change. Hmmmm.....paint..metal..inspirer. I'll work on that. But for now, here are a ton of photos from the fall show we just had. Each year the PTA sponsors a Family Fun Night. In the past they've decorated the halls with Halloweenish decor. This year I suggested we hang the work my students were working on instead. And they loved that idea!! A few bang up Mom helpers came in and about 2 weeks later we had the front halls decked out with all our fall creations!! Enjoy...I have one more post to share about the Fall Festival....but that I'll share next week. hehehe...

4th grade oil pastel pumpkins welcomed the families into the school.

The giant tree was my favorite feature of the show. Sweet Alice, my custodian, caught me on the very top of the small ladder hot gluing watercolor leaves and about had a heart attack! She quickly located the rather large ladder for me. Because yes, this wall is two stories! 2nd and 3rd grade made all the beautiful fall leaves and owls.

3rd grade made the harvest landscapes. I absolutely love how each one is so different. They were given the guidelines and the skills and totally ran with it. Super creative kids in the class I tell ya!

3rd grade also made these adorable skinny houses. We aligned them on the road and put on the night of "trick or treat smell my feet...." It was hard to photo these because there was so much detail in each one with markers.

4th grade had a blast making papier mache pumpkins for the patch. We had two tables of pumpkins set up for literally 3 weeks and not one ended up as a kick ball in the hallway. Respecting other's work does not appear to be an issue at this school!
5th grade made these most spooky and yet spiritual Banyan trees with oil pastels and black tempera.

I mean look at these.....so very inspired.

Another Harvest Landscape....seriously look at the details. The blue ribbon on the large pumpkin!!!

Now, not really Harvest, or fall but 1st grade couldn't be left out of the show. So we hung their Fun with Fish bowls. I don't teach Kindergarten....didn't leave those wee ones out on purpose.

2nd grade also made the project that inspired my "Special" team's costumes for the evening. Wait til you see!! Check back next week. I plan to share projects we are working on weekly if I can! Hope you are all doing well. Things are calming down here in the Horne house. Well, maybe a little anyways.

Making it a Home

2011-11-01T09:04:00.002-04:00

I guess it was about two weeks ago that I had a total meltdown about our new home. Yep. Not a good meltdown either. It was the, "why did we buy this big home that now I have no time to make ours? It doesn't feel like it's our home Billy. I feel like we are living in a stranger's house." All the while crying my eyes out. Yep. Perhaps I was at a breaking point with the new job, teaching out of state for first time, getting ready for a giant show all within 2 months of buying new house and starting new job, while getting ready for teaching in Portland and the Country Living Fair. Just for a little more drama I'll throw in the fact that our two oldest cats died as well. Oh, and one disappeared. So yeah, this house was feeling a little less like a place I wanted to be.

I bet this comes as a bit of a shock for many of you. Especially those that had ever been inside our little house. It was....little. And if one more person told me, "I don't know how you live like that" I was going to punch them. We were fine. Loved the house and all the layers. And now we live in a giant khaki colored box. Seriously inside and out the house is khaki. Now, don't get me wrong, neutral is nice. And if one more person tells me to just "live with it for awhile" "or it's just paint" I may not punch, but cry on them. Because I can not live in the khaki box anymore. Even Billy, whom never talks decorating asked this, "Do you think the house has a little too much khaki? There's khaki everywhere....even the halls, etc.... and the exterior!!" He about made me roll over in laughter. And that was my cue. Time to paint.

So my head is spinning with ideas. But until I have this done I can't do this....etc. So here's the plan:

1. Curtain making Kathy came Friday to pick up all the fabrics for the den, kitchen and dining room. All Amy Butler amazing large patterns. I know....I am a tad bit addicted to her fabrics.

2. Handy Man Daniel is coming tomorrow to measure and give me a quote for bead board below the chair rail. Because that is the other thing grating my nerve.....chair rail is freakin' everywhere.

3. Paint samples have been purchased and painted around the room to be sure. I love that you can spend $3 for a sample and make swatches all over. I want a blue to make the room feel more spacious and open. It's not a small room, but very little natural light makes its' way in due to the screened in porch on the back of the house. Not complaining about that feature for sure!!

4. Small bath and hallway to laundry were painted yesterday by me. I got up early and started working. Billy came in and exclaimed, "WHAT are you doing?" Painting. "Oh, ok. You going to paint the laundry room too? It's khaki too Jenni." I know Billy, I know.

5. New lighting everywhere. Like everywhere. My man Billy is so good at installing lights and yesterday already replaced the kitchen and half bath fixtures!!

Here's the den corner....top blue I think is the winner. Over the white. I almost forgot the fireplace....it's getting a make-over too. I found fabulous tile to replace the marblish tile and Handy Man Daniel is building a new facade for it.

I'm not so sure about the blue next to my favorite piece of furniture. But unfortunately the den and kitchen are one giant room so they have to be the same color.

The den fabric is fabulous, seriously. All my favorite colors in one fabric. And wait til you see the curtain design!

In the kitchen I played around with some other samples. Definitely love the top blue again. Pretty much liked it everywhere I put it. And next to the maple cabinets it will be perfect. Also plan to change out the cabinet hardware to dark. Those will be an ebay find.

This is the area that connects the kitchen to the den. Again, dark because of the porch. And not so sure why there are blinds on the window. I've removed the door ones and today the this large set will come down as well. I've chosen a Michael Miller fabric for this window that is so stinkin' pretty I can't wait to share it! We've not decided on a treatment style though. I am thinking roman shade, Kathy is thinking a valance type thing. Need to go to Barnes and Noble and look at some magazines I think. This is where the bead board is going to make a beautiful statement!! I've chosen a color called cotton whisper for the beadboard. Just so excited about all the colors.

The dining room is PINK. Yep. No one but me likes it. And Lily. But she likes the room for other reasons.....bad girl. We are going with the fabric on the left. And pom-poms!! This room is going to be a show stopper. Seriously I am going over the top here. Never been a frilly decorator, but this room is going to have all the sweet feminine touches that a pretty, look and don't touch room should have. I should call in Donna for a little bling help, right?

Here are my sweet little $3 samples. In case you've never seen them. This is the best idea ever. And at Home Depot they even mixed up colors for me that weren't theirs! We are going with Balmy Seas in the den/kitchen area for sure. And cotton whisper on the beadboard.

Well, super lengthy post. I've taken lots of before and after pics. It may be awhile before it's all really done. But already painting the bathroom and hallway my pale honey has made my frown turn upside down!! Are you guys working on any nesting projects in your houses?

Country Living Fair Atlanta

2011-10-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

Hey there!! I know I wrote about the Fair earlier this week, but finally I located the camera with all the photos and wanted to share some with you. I wish I had more of the show. But honestly the only time I ran out of the tent was when I was running to the potty. And by potty, I mean porta. And folks that's just not a place for a $1000 camera. Nope. So you just get me.

One MONGO advantage to this show is the setting. Man is it pretty. I actually would like to have felt a tad more sun since this weekend Mr. Winter decided to visit us in Atlanta. And since the booths were also MONGO we got to spread out. Like S----p---r---e---a---d out. Sweet. I didn't realize until I got home honestly how spreading out affected my body. What are you talking about Jenni? Let me explain it to ya. At the Decatur Arts Fest for instance our 10x10 tents are butt to butt. And you are NOT allowed to put anything outside the front of your tent. So you literally stay in your 10x10 with your goodies in the sweltering heat for what feels like 48 straight. Yep. And let me tell you....10x10 can get tight with guests in your tent. Hey, I love guests though!! Here I was spreading out the front and back. I even had a check out stand! Yeehaw!

New displays for this show are my tent sign (luv), double laundry rack for framed tiles, girls are sporting new colorful tutus, and my favorite is the bag tag rack.

Loads of shiny new products too: magnets, necklaces, yo-yos, puzzles, earrings and more!

So here's me sporting the ponytails and boots. Which after walking around a spell decided it was the vendor uniform. Cracked me up. Again, I can not thank my friends and family who came to help, some as far as Birmingham, Alabama! And the friends and blog readers who came to find me and enjoy the show...some as far as Birmingham too!! It was a lovely show...one I am not so sure I'll do again. But boy am I glad I did. Hey, you gotta get outside of the comfort box sometimes, right?

Next up is this weekend at MARIST. Please come by and say hi. I'll have a very miniature version of this set up there. And can not wait!

An Adventure

2011-10-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about how to tell you about the Fair. Ah.....the Country Living Fair. The show I wanted so badly to be in for the inaugural year but let the whattheheckareyouthinking monsters tell me not to bother. But in case you've noticed, I'm living a tad large these days and making decisions that are based no longer on the fear monsters. Instead they are based on the fly dreams. Yep.

So, the fair. I am not sure what I was expecting. Scratch that. I was expecting BIG THINGS, like over the top things. Like make 250 framed tiles and order 1000's of business card things. And well, that didn't happen. Nope. Whew......Now, it was not a total bust sales wise for me. It was a great sale show. A normal show. I hate to talk numbers because one may think that was piddly while another wow! But it was a wow, nice amount in my head. I sold some of everything. Even paintings. Fabulous. Yep. Well, not really. Because I had these unbelievable expectations. I made 250 framed tiles expectations. And walking around talking to a few other artsy vendors I found that they too had the same sentiment. It was disappointing. There I said it.

But here's the thing. I can always find a silver lining.

First, I had family and friends with me that made the weekend not only more fun, but made my stress level zero. I was relaxed and enjoyed the show. I try to be all big and do shows alone. And ya know what, that is just plain stupid. Because having more than one right arm really is nice.

Second....I did it. I applied to a huge national show. Got in. Paid the $750 booth fee and did it. That's something.

Third....the connections made where amazing. And I have a sneaky feeling may be the very reason I was led to apply to the show. Yep... Dreaming BIG may be transitioning soon.

Fourth....I've got lots of stock ready for the Christmas season. Now I can relax and do a little nesting in this new home our family has decided to call home.

Anyhoo, I've yet to locate my camera in the mess now in the garage. I've got another show soon and didn't feel like hauling it all back to the basement. And as you well know, I am now teaching full-time. So.....I am in survival mode here in blogworld. Bare with me please! I've so many plans, ideas to share. But dang if the time doesn't fly!! But as the sentiment states on that super cute camper above....make the adventure of a lifetime, life itself. Right this moment that is exactly what I am doing. Living it big. Making really solid decisions for my future in all aspects from family and friends to business. Because something in me is reminding me that life is just too short to live an unfulfilled life. And I am just about to bust with excitement for this future filled with joy. Yep.

The Country Living Fair

2011-10-19T12:45:00.001-04:00

It's here my art friends. It's here!! My stomach is doing such a butterfly dance that today I simply can eat nothing but chocolate chip cookies. The lunchroom ladies are cracking up at me.....I suppose they KNEW Mrs. Horne needed her favorite food group today in mass quantities. hehehehe.....

So the Fair. I am ready. I've literally put hours into my new products and displays. It will be good. It just has to. There is a core group of my artist friends who are doing the show as well. In fact we are all piling into one hotel room for the show. It's gonna be like an artsy sleepover!! Woohoo!! My family and friends are coming to help in droves and I could not be more thankful for that. I usually do shows on my own now, just because. But this show I knew I needed the troops behind me. They are real gems I tell ya. I am one lucky chick.

As soon as school lets out today I am on my way to the dentist (uck....hopefully it's a stress toothache??) and then to load the cars. It's taking 2 this time. Yep. I told ya....I've got the goods this time!! Tomorrow as soon as we can Billy and I are off to set up. I simply can not wait. Yep. Excitement, and cookie high are setting in and tomorrow starts a fresh new adventure for sure!! I really hope to see you there! Dogwood 81 is my booth number.
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HEY...It's 7:30. Car is loaded and I am about to soak myself in some hot water. Had to tell you though that I went to the dentist fearing the following: root canal, abscess tooth that had to be yanked, cavity or worse. Yep. I was swirling with anxiety because tooth pain, that I've never had it until a week ago. And it has yet to stop. And it sucks. But guess what? NOTHING IS WRONG WITH MY chompers. Nope. Notta. I have a big fat sinus infection that is lingering...and has wandered its' way into my frinkin' chompers. Seriously? You know this could happen? Well it did. Now I have some pain meds and an antibiotic. And an appointment to see my doc....again. I've seen him 3x since September. Which is more than in like 3 years. Geeesh. But the show must go on!! And boy am I ready!! Woohoo!!

Do You Yo-Yo?

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Lots of new goodies up the sleeve here in the studio. And this happens to be my son William's favorite!

This little photo shoot was so fun to shoot. We'd count to three and they'd yo-yo and I'd giggle. Mostly I was giggling because Graham, the crazy kitten kept attacking our yo-yo's!! Heck, I'm giggling as I write this remembering the scene. See her behind Mailey in the attack mode?

So the yo-yo's work just fine and are a fabulous Christmas gift for your youngsters. We sure love yo-yoing around our house!

Painting a Story...Art and Soul

2011-10-14T23:09:00.000-04:00

Alrighty. Here it is. The last post for Portland. I've been dragging it out. I know. But seriously I could not shorten this first time. Nope.

My last class to teach was called Painting a Story. The whole class was based on an article I wrote and was published a few back in Somerset Life. Literally, I was just about busting at the seams to teach this! The story behind the painting is this, we all have a story to tell. Some tell it in words, some scrapbook, some take photos, and some paint. I talked for a spell about this and how through images we can tell our story. Actually I talked for a spell enough to make myself about cry, it was very hard not too. Very. But that is a HUGE indicator of passion, right? But I also can't help but giggle, the other indicator to me that there is not only passion, but zest for life in my soul.

I just gotta say it. Teaching a class like this was cool. Everyone came prepared with their mementos to add, all the painting supplies I had listed and this amazing ability to take what I was saying and apply it in their very own way. After my little introduction and "pep talk" about being an artist, we dove right into painting. Maybe they can tell me better what I said. I am most certain it was pretty profound....hahaha.....But seriously, I know I told these aspiring artists that honestly my goal here was to plant seeds. They were not here to copy my work and become Jenni. They were here to find their own authentic voice in the art world. Geesh, that is hard. Hard as crap I tell ya. Because it HAS ALL BEEN DONE. No lie. Google it. Your idea that is. Done. But what you make of the seed that is planted, and how you make it yours..... take hold of it and nurture it....and develop it. Then and only then will it be truly yours. And once you get that, you should totally run with that. And you will totally know when it's right. Because you will want to keep going and never stop. Hey, why do you think I keep painting those darn birds, campers, trucks and bikes? Because they are mine. Puffy heart mine. Ok, soapbox over.....onward painting class.

So here I am demonstrating. We used the black gesso and chalk technique I like to use. I think next year I am on the books to create rich and textural NESTS using the secret ingredients (whaaaahhaaaaa.....laugh inserted here). But for this class, the technique was more about paint and collage. I loved everyone's story and how they developed it. It was awesome how everyone had such different perspectives. AND different abilities. Here below is a work in progress:

And more in progress. I love that some were about family, and some were personal journeys.

And here are my bird friends again, Becky and Christine. Becky it turns out has a blog. AND so does my friend Sheryl and Teresa!! So please visit and say hi. It's always nice to make new friends in blogworld, right?

We all took a break and ran back over to the Embassy for the start of vendor sales. Luckily Tiffin was able to set me up and hang with the table while I taught. After the break we dove again into painting. They all did SO freaking good. I was inspired. They loved the Phillip frames and couldn't wait to pop their art into them!! I know when I take a class I want to leave with something finished to show for my time away from home. I think these ladies all took something away very special. In fact, my Florida peeps Rene and Kara have already ordered more frames for their paintings!

Here are snipits from all the paintings. Somehow a few of you snuck out without my getting your finished piece photographed...hmmmmm (Rene).

Oooo..and the frames. Man, those frames just make the art look complete. Puffy heart there for sure!! I have to send thanks to the class: Patty, Teresa, Becky, Irja, Christine, Rene, Mary Ellen, Kara, Sheryl and Teresa. You gals were wonderful students. I was so fortunate to have meet you all!!

Saturday night was vendor night. It was slow....painful. But still fun. Met the coolest artist ever. So opposite of me and yet I could not quit staring at it. Or chatting with them about their art. They probably left thinking I was some crazy blond from the south.

Overall, this first Art and Soul as an instructor went flawlessly. And already I've got peeps joining me next year. I'll be teaching textural nests and what I call "The American Still Life" ...think truck, camper and bike. Yep. See you there.....if not in Virginia Beach first in MARCH!!

Little Bird Making at Art and Soul

2011-10-12T18:28:00.000-04:00

Hey artsy peeps! Well, this is a sneak peek into the world of teaching outside my Georgia boundaries. It was a wonderful experience...I am thinking this could be a regular event for this creative chick! Friday was the first class I taught, and we were making little birdie friends. I am no longer going to be making these as a part of my regular studio so I thought it was a fabulous way to end their stay with me. Sort of a pay it forward. I had three lovely students; Christine and Becky are Mom and Daughter and then wild card Wanda. (I am telling you Wanda is ME in 30 years. Yep.). Now I must interject I was not in the least bit disappointed in only having 3 students (one of my classes was canceled because she didn't have enough students. Poopoo).....but I was worried that we'd be done by lunch and be staring at each other the rest of the afternoon! Yeah, so not the case. These girls worked through lunch and ended I think later than time allotted. Not by much, but still!! Woohooo bird making!!!

Below is the goody box filled with sweet treats, vintage finds, glitter pencil, fun eraser and more! I also had lots of birdie samples and my favorite birdie book. Each student received 2 patterns to work from. Most chose the fatter bird. The other pattern I've made is better on a sewing machine.

Everyone had the opportunity to make one with long wobbly legs and one in a cage. We all finished our standing ones, but I think everyone took the cages home a little unfinished. We ran out of time and embellishments. You can never bring enough junk to these art workshops. I had a $50 shipped box full and still wish I'd brought more to share! I think the best idea they took home was that felt can come from old wool sweaters. And since they all live where wool is probably easier to find in thrift stores, I think the Goodwill best be ready for some artsy students soon!

I just can not thank these ladies enough for being a part of the day. It really, really made my heart full. It's a little hard to describe what teaching others does for my soul. I know this sounds nuts, but honestly I couldn't create without being willing to share it. It indeed takes a special person to share skills and knowledge with others willingly. And you most importantly have to be willing to give up a part of yourself to your students. And not get upset if one day, they become successful from an idea you sparked inside them. Because the chances of that are pretty good. If you teach them good enough.....hehehe....So make lots of birdies my new friends. And I hope some of their sweet goodness will bring you good fortune in the near future.

Live in JOY......are you??

The Story of a Tattoo

2011-10-09T17:58:00.000-04:00

So, by now I've let the cat out of the bag and you know about my new art. Permanent art that is. A tattoo. I know. You are thinking either A.I've lost my marbles; B. I am having a mid-life crisis; or C. I am a rock star. Yep. I say this because those have been the 3 reactions I've gotten. And it is across the board age-wise these reactions. At school my kids have cracked me up....Mrs. Horne!!! Is that real???? Mom's have glanced and can't help but stare. My daughter won't quit exploiting it to her class. (I understand that during art while I was gone she yelled out to the entire class, "SHE"S getting a TATTOO TODAY!!!) The whole class then gasped and giggled. So why all the fuss?

Well, let's see. You have seen my photo above, right? I am a blond, blue-eyed, very naive, Southern girl that still does not wear white shoes after Labor Day. It's out of character. But you know, I have wanted a tattoo for years. Seriously. In college it would have probably been grounds for expulsion from Phi Mu. As a young married woman it'd have been a rebellious act while away from my husband. In other words, I have let society tell me that it was not okay for ME to have art on my body. Oh yes, I can make art, sell art, but to have it permanently embedded on my skin would be shameful.

Back to why did I choose now to do this. I can best explain it like this. I am finally very, very comfortable with me. The whole person me. It only took 39 years. No big deal. And I love the me I have found. So one of the first steps to getting the cork out was to let the real me do some of the real stuff I've let lie dormant. I have let fear take hold of my life way too long. And I don't mean fear of heights and crap like that. Like fear of looking stupid. Like fear of failure...or the fear of disappointing others, or fear of not having friends, or better yet what friends are saying. You get the picture right? Like letting go and letting myself ENJOY this life. This crazy imperfect...yet perfect life. I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again....I think way too many bloggers paint wayyyyyy to pretty a picture in their postings. Heck yeah, it's super fun to brag and show off the art we make and the share lives we lead. But sometimes underneath all that mascara and lip gloss is fear. So fear, you are now being faced by me. Yep. I am now a chapstick girl.

This summer while meeting with my creative peeps we somehow got on the conversation of tattoos. And 2 of the 4 had them. And it ticked me off. Really. So I threw out to the group, "I think I'll get one while in Portland. I didn't get the nose ring while their 5 years ago....not gonna leave this time without the tat." Tiffin did her magic searching and found this amazing tattoo parlor. One artist in particular had the "style" I wanted. I called to make an appointment a few weeks before going to Portland. And guess what? She was booked until freaking April. Crazy, right? So the owner and I talked for a spell. With my sweet southern twang I told him what I wanted and he sent me to another of their artist's websites to view and get back to him. Okey dokey. And there she was: Karina. Man I knew she was the one. Check her out. You'll see why I was smitten.

Thursday am Tiffin and I rented our super cute Ford Fusion and headed to Infinity. This place was hopping. People in and out. One guy was getting a giant falcon across his chest, the lady beside me a giant hibiscus flower on her leg and foot and more were working on images. Tiffin and I both agreed we could have hung out there all day and been totally fine! The owner and artists were just so nice and talkative. We tweaked the art I sent her (yes I sent a nest painting of mine to her...I imagine an artist getting a tattoo is like a teacher being taught.) and made the stencil first. Got the image just right, and the right size. Of course it had to be stylized a bit. But it was perfect. So she set out with the tiny black outline. Then the color. Now the photo below was posed just for you guys. It didn't hurt. Nope. (OK...I am SO PAINTING a Rosy story. It hurt like hell. But that photo was totally posed. True story. I was however sweating bullets and trying to tourniquet my arm to help the pain. It didn't work.)

Here it is after the outline was done. Which was the worst part. Man....

It took about an hour to finish. I watched some, but to be honest, it was painful to watch. It was gross actually. And it turns out that the wrist is a "hot spot". Of course she didn't tell me that prior, since I wanted it there.

Well, here it is. It's perfect. And so symbolic. I am so glad I waited. Because this image means more now than ever. And if the sublimation press burn doesn't un-scar itself I may be back next year for a bird. Yep. Just letting you know now.

Art and Soul Part Two...Around Town

2011-10-05T19:51:00.000-04:00

So, as mentioned in the previous post I spent last week from Tuesday-Sunday in the beautiful city of Portland. And just because I bought an amazing Boden raincoat, it did not rain. Nope. In fact, it was quite warm there! So, around town. Tuesday before my class I was just a itching to get somewhere....a 5 hour plane ride will do that to a person, right? So the hotel shuttle took me to the train and off I went. We have mass transit here in Atlanta called Marta. And I've ridden it a fair amount of times. So this was a piece of cake.

The city of Portland is very beautiful. I got off at Pioneer Station and just started walking. I found amazing artsy boutiques, vintage clothing stores and more. It was such a treat to walk through all these stores quietly, touching everything and buying lots of sweet treats for my family and friends back home. Here is what I observed about the city:

1. It's friendly for sure. Like people bend over BACKWARDS to help. I asked where the nearest Post Office was and the grocery I was in bent over backwards to find out and the hours. Here, a lady with too long a fingernails smacking her gum would tell me she never went to no post office. Seriously. In that language.

2. No one talks or texts while walking the streets or on the train. On Marta it's like a street festival of noises. You can make a band out of the music, cell phone talking and text tapping.

3. The streets are eerily quiet. No traffic, horns, heavy machinery, jack hammering, and crazy noises like in Atlanta the city. Now here in Newnan we have quiet of course, it is suburban world. But in comparing city to city...it's way quiet.

4. They have lots of fabulous restaurants with OUTSIDE seating. In fact, I don't remember seeing a TGI Fridays anywhere. Or chick-fil-a. Don't know if I could go a week without Chick-fil-a....but the big box chains, yeah. Can do without. Restaurants and breweries were everywhere. And that made me so, so happy. Because I love good food. And good beer.

These are shots from around town with new and old friends. I won't bore you with much more typing. But know that renting a car was the BEST idea ever....thanks for the idea Tiffin. Without it I'd not have made my Tattoo appointment. Oopsy...did I say that word? Yeah, whole post coming on that adventure. We did drive all over town finding vintage stores unlike any we have here. And cheap. Junk is much cheaper there than here. But somehow I managed to come home with less than I left with. Strange. Anyhoo, enjoy the shots below. Later this week I'll show off my students and their work!! (and the tattoo)

Teresa, Me, Tiffin and Sheryl after Wednesday classes at the Widmer Brewery. They are twins...you will see these chicks again in my class later this week! I could bottle their zest for life and make a killing!

Some of the street finds....there were so many. I should have taken more pics!

So in our car adventures on Thursday we found this super street vendor food court. Seriously?? And gourmet. We had brick oven pizza, the yummy fries with squeaky cheese and grazy and should my belly have not been full we could have had crepes! I know....I know....

Since we were cruising in our little Ford Fusion we took some time to visit the neighborhoods. At one point we got out and walked the streets just taking photo after photo of houses of all kinds. See:

The last stop was at a whole market for dinner treats and flower photos. I think Tiffin took an entire camera card for reference. I didn't see one "hand-dyed" carnation in the bunch!

OOOOO....I almost forgot the best stop. The Lounge Lizard. Where I scooped up 3 of the swags hanging from the ceiling. And I could have bought more! I can not wait to hang them in our bedroom. Promise to show you soon!

So the Lounge Lizard was packed full of furniture I could have decorated my entire house in. And so reasonable. Their housing may be more there, but the stuff to fill it sure isn't! The yellow tufted low sofa I wanted so very, very bad. And the red one wasn't too shabby either!

So....up next will be my teaching post. I can not wait to show off their work!!

Art and Soul Part One...What I Took

2011-10-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

I'm back peeps!! Miss me? Ha. My family sure did...especially Lily. Geesh. She suffocated me in bed last night and right now as I type! I can barely type for her body. So.....so MUCH to tell you about the 6 days I was away. Yep. 6 whole days of no laundry, no cooking, no bedtime routine, no rushing around to this and that, no taking cats to the darn vet (which we have had over $1000 of vet bills this month alone!), etc....but I did miss my goodnight Mommy and of course my sleeping partner that weighs over 10 pounds.

Anyhoo....Portland. I have decided that it deserves a 3 part blog post. So this is part one. What I took to fatten my creative belt one more notch. I arrived Tuesday around lunchtime because Tuesday night I had a class. Come to find out both classes I signed up for were with this adorable artisan:

This is Jean Van Brederode. An amazingly talented enamel artist. Tuesday night was a total technique class on this fancy pants piece of equipment I so have to get now for the studio:

So in case you want to know, it's a hydraulic press. This is a small one compared to her one at home. This
one only presses 12 tons....at home she has a mac daddy 20 ton one. Why do I need this? Well, because after cutting my own pattern with a jewelers saw and piece of acrylic I was able to make this adorable bird pendant. And could press it over and over and over. Uh...huh.....addictive. And with only 3 in the class we totally got the personal attention and time to play!!

Wednesday morning I was up and at 'em and heading to my second class with Jean called "Jingle Jangle Bangle". And yes, we made bracelets. The enameled yummy kind. I've always been drawn to enameled work, and this was not my first exposure to it. I can remember enameling at camp as a child and loving the anticipation of watching it in the kiln turn to glass. I did learn how to not only mess with enamels, but learned how to form a bracelet from copper (my favorite metal to stamp) and RIVET!!! Holy tamoly I am about to become a riveting queen!

This was our enameling station. She was a super great teacher. And so organized. Love that. Well, she has some experience with teaching.....32 years of 8th grade English that is! And since there were just 4 of us, man I went to town making. She called me the "hurricane". Good or bad I don't really care. I learned a load and made even more!! You saw my arm above right?? Here are the two that fit me to a tee...and I never took off the rest of the week!

So at the end of the day, where none of us even stopped for lunch, I secretly made a ring. Had to. Really. Well, she caught me in the act and I felt like such a bad student. But I used remnants from my bracelet, so no waste at my station!! And I LOVE it. And I can totally see my own twist without the enamel come into play with new jewelry soon. But I may also break down and ask Santa Claus for that fancy smancy blue kiln. Because I really, really love enameling. Oh, and a hydraulic press. Yeah. One of those too.

Painting a Story and Little Birdies

2011-09-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to show you a sneak peek at the classes I'm teaching this week!! This class is Saturday and I think I've got a class full of eager painters!! Many are blog followers....which makes me so tickled! I finally get to meet you! And hear your real voices, not the typed ones. Woohoooo!! So if you are coming Saturday, don't forget your paints, brushes, collage papers and special elements. Oh, and an apron. I've been known to splat a paint drop or two. hehehe...

And yes, you get the frame and all in this class. They shipped last Thursday. And are guaranteed Thursday delivery. Yep, cutting it close. I know.

On Friday a few sweet friends are joining me to make fabric bird friends. I love making these babies so much and can't wait to share my process for pattern making. We'll be making a hoopy cage and of course some with crazy long legs on a jello mold!

If you are joining me this day, don't forget your needle, thread, felt, fabric scraps and fun embellishments!! We are going to have such a fun day sewing together!! Like an old fashioned sewing bee.

So.....I guess I'll be back next week!! It's going to be an AMAZING week. I am so, so, so looking forward to it. Meeting new faces, seeing some old, and making art with those old and new friends. See you there...or here next week!!! I am sure I'll have some crazy stories to share. My trips never go without hitches. Later gaters!!

PS....If you want a sneaky peaky into the fun check my FACEBOOK page...I'll be instagraming the entire trip. Luv me some instagrams!!

My Life...in HD

2011-09-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

I recently posted a comment on Facebook that I really did not need to see the new movie with Sarah Jessica Parker. Yeah...nope. You see, I live that movie daily. In High Definition. With mac Daddy 3-D glasses, a giant buttery popcorn and occasionally a yummy box of Dark Chocolate covered raisins. Yum, right?? This past week has been such a whirlwind of getting ready for next week. And what is next week you ask? Well, I am leaving for Portland, Oregon to attend and teach at Art and Soul!!!! Woooohoooooo!! I am like in pinch me mode. It's here. It's here!

I love to teach. And this type of teaching is my dream. I know I talk alot about my art and the shows and the teaching, but I'm not so sure I've really shared my dreams for my business. Perhaps it's because I'm afraid that people will laugh out loud at some of my dreams, or tell me that it's not such a great idea .....or perhaps I'm afraid that I am just not good enough for the dreams. But I think dreaming is great. I certainly do alot of it. And last year I stepped out and decided to make some of those dreams come true. You know sometimes when you speak the dream out loud, it does comes true. Our family has been a huge recipient of this very act over the past month, so I know it works!

So back to the teaching, this week I've been a very busy girl getting ready to go. In fact, if I wasn't so organized my supplies would not have made it. I went to UPS today and my 4 large boxes will not get there until next Thursday! Talk about cutting it close. Geesh.....So all the supplies for the classes are on a truck along with lots of goodies for vendor night. I'll be sharing more about my classes later this weekend, but I wanted you to see some behind the scenes. Tile frames were cleaned and tiled, tiles were printed, magnets printed, and goody bag items gathered. (Seriously fun goody boxes peeps....serious)

So all I have left to do before I leave is gather the supplies for the classes I am taking and make finishing touches on some felted friends for vendor night. And get a pedicure, get my hair cut and colored, pack lots of fun clothing, grocery shop for the family, prepare meals for family, laundry all done, substitute lessons finished and samples made and get with sub....you get the idea. Like I said, I am wearing serious 3D glasses here this week. But when I get through to this time next week I will get a dream come true. And that's worth every ounce of energy I've expended the past week. Yep. Sigh.

Girl Scouts and Flags

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

It seems a tad late to be sharing these, but you know me....I just gotta sometimes sneak a little of my family into the blog. And today is one of those days because I just got to these on the camera card! So 9.11. I know. There was so much this year at the mark of the 10 year anniversary. I bet each of you reading this blog can carefully articulate what you were doing the moment you heard the news. I do. Vividly. I was teaching art to 5th grade at The Heritage School. And I was getting very irritated that my student were checking out left and right, and that parents were interrupting my valuable teaching time. I had this little "art hut" that was totally separated from the rest of reality and I had NO idea what was going on. Literally...no clue until I ended class, went to the office and said, "what is going on? " and the news was more than grim. And I stood still thinking, "my God, what have we done to deserve this tragedy?"

This was before I had Mailey, before I had the art studio, before the Vintage-Flea, before the notion that I could be an artist and thrive, before my life became so twisted and turned that I had no idea which way was up. I like to think it was simpler before that day, but I have a sneaky feeling that I am blocking the memories of Junior League and church volunteering out of my brain for the time being. And simply imagining my life with three hats on....Mother, Wife and teacher. Because sometimes unfortunately I have to be reminded that those three hats are indeed the MOST important hats to wear...especially #1 and #2.

So 9.11. Mailey wasn't even born then. She was in the belly. Kicking and carrying on as she does still to this day. Her troop was asked to take part in a very special Flag Folding Ceremony for a 9.11 rememberance here in Newnan. It was interesting talking with the girls about this day. Because none of them were born, but know that it has forever changed their lives. Honestly though, they have no clue as to the real why and what it has changed about their little lives. Because they don't know the before. It's the now for them.

Watching her group fold the flag so attentively and with such purpose and pride I was proudly reminded that no matter how old or how young, the flag is a very precious symbol for our people. And her taking the time to be a part of this ceremony on a miserably hot day in a rather lengthy ceremony (over 2 hours)....without ONCE complaining well, made me realize that although the world has changed......our hearts have not. And that little precious heart I hope never has to experience another 9.11 in her lifetime.

Sometimes...

2011-09-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I find myself in a creative lull. Yep. Been there done that, right peeps? Other times it's like the ideas come so fast you get in total freak out create mode. Right? And then there are the moments that you hear the angels singing. You know what I am talking about you just are flat out afraid to speak it!!!! Well, not this chick. Man, this is my favorite idea to date. Really.

Ok, I love painting. Love the campers, nests, bikes, etc.... But this idea with the flower cabochons. I just LOVE IT. I took Stephanie's soldering metal class. I did. And I made the nests like she said, and I added the brass components like she said, but still.....how do you find your own voice when there is a choir out there already singing the song with you? I really don't want to be a part of a choir when it comes to creating an authentic art voice. Of course with mediums you kind of have to. It's not like I am a scientist that can invent a new form of paint or wax. It is what it is. But the ideas I take to the canvas or to the soldering brick, well honestly I try very hard to make them authentic.

It's hard though. There are so many artists out there making stuff. Lots of stuff. And sometimes ideas are so floaty that they get into other people's heads too which makes them seem less special. It's like ideas are universal....like we are all speaking the same arty language at the same time. So when I hear the angels singing, well it makes me grin from ear to ear. And this is how I feel about the Flower Garden Series below. I can not wait to make more and develop this line of jewelry further. The best part is that I am finally using all those flower cabochons I've been hoarding for a rainy day. I can not get enough of them. Nope. And now that I have the idea for them....well. It's a garden growing sorta day in the Horne House!!

So, have you heard the angels singing lately? I sure would like to know the ideas you are busting at the seams to share!!

The Mantel

2011-09-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

Hey guys....I continue to "nest" here in the house. I can not help myself. I'm like the Energizer bunny on chocolate lately!!! So, the mantel. Always a test to one's decorating skills. Especially if yours is like 3 feet deep and has a half moon shaped window in it! Yes, I said that right. I totally forgot to take a pic before I filled it with my Grandmother's mirror. But seriously it's the strangest thing I've ever seen. And thus far, every house I've toured in this neighborhood has this window mantel thing. It must have been the builder's "signature" mantel. Urgh. I've got big plans to have it stack stoned and close the "hole" in eventually. But for now, this is my simple solution. The trick to this mantel is layers. So I started with the mirror. Which I do believe weighs as much as I do. And somehow it hung on the wall in her home until she passed away. Dad asked me if I wanted it and I said of course!! And now I have a safe place to rest it.

The next layer is this adorable wooden shelf unit that was hanging in the kid's bathroom at the old house. On it I have all our names in typography letters, a few nest and birds. A wooden H rests against the mirror. Just one of the growing collection of H's. My favorite part of this vignette are the old clocks. I saw an idea one time where you put on a broken clock the time your children were born. I've literally had these clocks 5 years and finally looked up their birth times. Which look.....Mailey was 6:40 and William was 6:42! How in the world does one have two children at practically the same time?

Shall We Play A Game?

2011-09-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

So do you remember playing games as a child? Man I do. We'd head over to my friend Heather's on our bikes to play hours of Monopoly, hide-n-go-seek, Sorry and more! I've had this memory game in my mind to make for ever. And finally this summer I bit the bullet, chose the images, and ordered the cards. The little canvas bags came this week so I was finally able to put the game together!

There are 20 pairs to find. I chose trucks, bikes, campers, birdies, birds in cages and more. Such a fun game to play at any age.

I'll have these at the Country Living Fair and here in my etsy shop. Cost is $14.00.

The Studio Tour!!

2011-09-13T10:11:00.001-04:00

OK. Way too many boxes and a storage unit later, I think everything is in the studio! Wooohooo!! I love it down here in the basement. And although it's an unfinished room, it feels rather cozy. And the ceiling height rocks! Once I get everything hung on the walls I think you'll not even notice the rawness. For now though, I've got to get to work. So I am done "nesting" down here and ready to go. Let's take a peek, shall we?

So you enter the rooms through this little vignette. Of course I had to make an entrance. With an orange curtain. And my mannequin Bertha with the OPEN/Closed sign from my old studio. Love.

This room is going to be for painting and sewing. It also has all the white cabinets the previous owner left behind chocked full of supplies for all my projects. Everything that was in the old house garage and studio is now neatly tucked away in those cabinets!!

I am super excited that some of my favorite pieces are now out of the garage and storage. Like this flat file!!

I intend to use many of my display pieces in the room so I can see what I have and what I need. Right now, looks like I need to paint. This is all I have in stock. Yep. It was a good show season!

Of course little vignettes make it cozier feeling. The pencil portrait I did as a child. I found it in the move. So sweet.

Yes, I do know how insanely lucky I am. Yep. Smitten with this house.

Off the painting area is a giant work room. I've set up my press area in here(because that's where all the plugs are). Which is important to the success of the upcoming Country Living Fair. The 250 frames I picked up and $1200 order from the sublimation company are all a part of the big picture too!!

All my display pieces have a shelf now so I won't buy something I don't need. Well, in theory anyways I won't buy anything. I do like my display pieces though! It is nice having everything out of storage. The bigger display pieces like the grids, tables, tent and shelves are in a different part of the basement.

And last, I was trying to figure out what to do with this area when it hit me....JEWELRY. I am thrilled to not be using the painting table for this anymore because the soldering is messy. And it's a perfect height for standing and stamping. You can see in this photo how the rooms connect as well. The other side of this room I've promised to my husband. Yeah, I know. I'll be sneaking over that way too. But for now I am pretty contained.

And most definitely content.

Haint Blue and Front Doors

2011-09-11T10:09:00.000-04:00

While in Savannah this summer on a fabulous carriage drawn GHOST tour, Mailey and I learned that many people in the USA paint their doors certain colors just to ward of the spirits, or a haint. Savannah is the second most haunted city in the USA...the stories are goose bump worthy. One can not help but believe the tales. So in the tour, our guide said that painting your door red will ward of the haints as well as blue. I can't remember why red, but the blue is because ghosts can not enter water. They even place fish sculptures in their down spouts to keep them from entering their homes this way! Anyhoo, while on the tour Mailey was very thrilled that we already had a haint painted front door. See below our little cottage:

So when we moved into our new house, which ironically is the exact same color as the old one, the brown door had to go.

Saturday I spent near about all day patching the trim where we removed the rickety storm door, sanding, priming, painting and scraping windows. What was supposed to be just painting the door blue ended up being an all day repair and paint job. I told my husband he was a lucky man that his wife was a "painter". He just laughed. I am thrilled with the way it looks on this house. Now, to paint the backdoor upstairs and downstairs. And since I heard wayyyyyyy too many freaky sounding noises last night (since I couldn't sleep from excitement over the studio being unpacked!), I think I need to get the doors painted fast!!

Oh, and in case you want to paint your door this lovely shade, it's called Sunken Pool. I think the chip came from Home Depot. Although I always buy my paint at Lowe's. :)

"Here Goes Nothing"

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason this quote is super stuck in my head, "HERE GOES NOTHING". So I looked up the meaning of this expression and one compared it to this, "jumping out of an airplane and praying my parachute opens!!" How funny. Well, not really. My Dad may have a thing to say about that too since he is a paratrooper. No chute usually has a rather tragic ending!! So I am thinking I may double pack my chute for the event I am gearing up for.

The Country Living Fair. Oh my. October 21-23rd. in Stone Mountain Park here in Atlanta. 3 days of total blissed out shoppers. I know, I was one last year. The booths are over the top. I can not wait to be a part of this event. But it's exactly 45 days from today. I am not going to panic. I am not going to panic. I have a plan. And it involves a parachute for sure. And several friends who have already offered to come and help me assemble all the plan together. Man, what would I do without my artsy peeps....that's a story for another day though.

Back to the "here goes nothing"....so what brought all this sudden panic about the show was my email to the show director. You see, I've done a fair share of shows. If you've read my blog for a spell you know this. And I love doing shows and selling my work in a tent. And part of the getting ready for a show is making a new business card. Well, actually I always make bookmarks. People like them, and so do I. So I emailed the show director last week out of curiosity how many attendees there were last year. I explained I'd never done a show with this volume of attendees and wanted to be sure my 5,000 bookmark order would be enough. Well, I just about fell out of my chair when she replied, "We had 16,000 attendees last year and this year our pre-sales have far surpassed the pre-sales from last." WHAT????? So guess what? I've now ordered a whopping 20,000 bookmarks. That is going to be one freaking heavy box. But look how good they turned out!!!!

Playing House

2011-09-05T08:31:00.000-04:00

I can remember as a child playing countless hours of "house". Hours. In one house in particular Molly and I had an entire unfinished attic to set up house. We had the best metal kitchen set...you know, the gold and brown set with refrigerator, stove and sink? Table, chairs, high chairs, babies....we spent countless hours playing make believe house. This weekend I have been in the total wonderment of playing 'house" again. Unpacking boxes that have been stowed in the old house's attic for 16 years. Um, yes. I said 16. I know the saying if you haven't used it in a year throw it out. But this was important stuff peeps. We've been hanging stuff up, making little quiet vignettes, and carefully putting our things away. It's been a wonderful weekend of play.

Today, I am playing in the studio. Geesh it is a disaster zone. It's such a big space that literally my studio is spread out in about 1000 sq. feet. Yep. I said that right. My new studio, with the work room area and storage area is about as big as our old house. Crazy guys. And it rocks!!!

Smitten

2011-09-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

So, I am totally smitten with this new house. Like freak out all I am thinking about smitten. It's like a giant new baby. I have to learn to love it's quirks, and embrace the challenges ahead. One.....step....at....a....time. It took me 16 years to get the old house perfect. Well, actually it was an evolving perfect. Does that make sense? For instance, I loved the terra cotta kitchen in the old house when I painted it. And then wham! I hated it and it had to be painted butter. I know, it's only been a mere week and already I want it like my 16 year old house. Full of layers, textures and cozy vignettes. The boxes are making me nuts. The tan walls even nuttier. So, to alleviate the unwanted nuts (which in a mixed bowl are those ginormous things which I can only imagine a squirrel eating) I've hired a painter. ekkkkk.....I did. Money down thrown out the window is my old way of thinking. I can paint myself. Yep. But seriously, no I can not. Not right now. And this artsy momma wants some color in her new house. So, with all that being said the first walls were painted today. Mailey's room is now 'inchworm". Which translated means adorable green. Her bath and my bath will be "birdsong blue" tomorrow and.......the drum roll please...........the dining room.

Ah............the dining room. The room I've dreamed of having because it can totally be over the top girlie fabulous. No one really uses the dining room except at holidays. It's a total wasted room in most houses. So it can be fabulously decorated, because no one will be touching anything in it!! The Amy Butler fabric above is my springboard for the room. I will keep it a surprise until after it's painted. But I'll give you a hint.....it's one of those fabulous colors. But I bet you already guessed that.

Hey Guys!!!

2011-08-29T21:46:00.000-04:00

Holy tamoly!!! What a month it has been for our little family. I never knew a person could experience this much high and low in such a short period of time. Whew. The move went super easy thanks to ALL our family and friends. Seriously, I was in such a fog for 3 whole days I am not even sure who all was doing what. But I do know that Billy's Mom, Dad and Brother and all my Parents, plus neighbors and friends came out in droves to help. From a yummy cooler of snacks, trailer lending, taking my kiddos, back breaking labor, phone calls of encouragement, yummy dinner....we were completely surrounded by love in many forms all weekend.

It was a monumental moment you could say. I mean, we lived in our little cottage for 16 years! The funny thing is everyone listed above said at some point and time to us...never at the same time these very words, "I just can't believe you guys had ALL this stuff in that little house!" I know. But over the years I'd become a master at organization, shelving unit installation and under the bed storage. Yep. And now we have this to spread out in and grow new wings!!

Honestly, Billy and I never talked about moving into anything other than what we had. Casually we'd say, "we need a guest bedroom, bonus room, and a basement was a must(for me and all my "junk"). So why did we move you ask?? This is how it went down. We found a 70's ranch we loved and it happened to come available (I showed pics awhile back). So before it went on the open market we decided we should move!! We never looked anywhere else. That was THE house. We were fortunate enough to have a 3 month contract where they couldn't list it while we sold ours. And then the unthinkable happened, we didn't sell ours. We were at the beach at the time we got the call. I told my agent that when we got back we'd be taking ours off the market. BUT, Billy said on the way home from the beach, "Jenni, there are other houses out there. Let's keep it for sale." OK. Then I'll be darned if we didn't sell ours 2 weeks later. And in that two weeks our dreamy 70's ranch sold. Yep. So, with no idea where to go we spent a stressful week looking at way too many houses and praying. Honest.

And then I got the art job at Mailey's school which opened a new can of gummy worms. You see, if I teach at her school, she can stay at her school. Which we love. And then we found a dreamy house thanks to facebook. And a friend, who is now my neighbor. This house never even made it to the market. The owners are lucky ducks right? Seriously. Can you believe it? It's not a 70's ranch. But rather a tradition stucco home with more room than we have furniture. Which I never thought could happen. Ever. But here we are. Smitten. And feeling so very, very blessed. I guess really good things do come to those who wait. And well, we've certainly waited. And I can't talk about it without crying. Because never in a million years would I have ever thought that our family would live somewhere so nice. Sigh......So I do hope I'll be back to ART very soon. I have to say the worst part of this whole move, as exciting as it has been, has been my lack of studio time. I am freaking out at the state of the studio this second (photo proof this week). And my heart wants to create so bad it can't stand it. Your support means the world to me. Especially right now. So keep sending your happy mojo my way. I can not wait to see what you've all been up to!!

Loving the Jewlery

2011-08-26T07:11:00.000-04:00

Originally posted 9.28.2010

Oh man, spreading your love. Now that's not as easy as it looks on this hand made necklace. Have you ever stopped to think about where you put your love? Is it in the home, work, family, friends? And how do you balance the love sharing? We are a very affectionate family...hugs and kisses all around (even Lily has perfected the french kiss..uck is right). But have you given your friend a hug lately? Or how about your Mom? Or your Dad? Come on guys.....spread the love....

Ok, enough about the L word. This is actually a post about jewelry making. And man, did I make. It's funny, in the pink tray I placed the stamped pieces in looked a little sparse until I put it all together. Which by the way took almost 3 hours to put them all together!

Here are a few of the other new charms with their sweet motivations. Gentle reminders is what I call them.

And yes, for those of you not lucky enough to live in the grand city of Atlanta like me, and attend the Norcross Art Festival this weekend, I WILL be posting these in ETSY soon. Pinky promise as Mailey would say.

Cherish Them...I mean you

2011-08-24T17:13:00.000-04:00

Originally posted 8.25.2010

I've always loved getting the mail. Opening the squeaky metal mailbox to find all the different papers, envelopes, and magazines...ooo it just puts my senses into overload. Of course most of the mail is really not that fun anymore. Just bills, stuff for the Honorable of the house and of course tons of junk mail. But it still thrills me to walk down and get it. It also helps that this time of year my lantana is growing OUT of control around the mailbox and just knowing how much that ticks my mean mail lady off gives me a giggle. That's really bad, isn't it?

Yep. We are now at an age of emails, twitters and facebooking our friends. In fact, I can't remember the last time I actually hand wrote a letter, can you? Which brings me to email. Although email doesn't have a creaky old metal box with outlandishly growing lantana around it, I still get a thrill every time I open it up. I get tons of junk, spam from friends, lots of updates for this and that and then the surprises. Man, I love those surprises. And lately, I've been getting a lot of email love surprises from my blog readers. So tonight, feeling a bit sappy after just reading a good one, I thought and say "thanks" to all of you. For being here, loving this little blog and loving me. I cherish you all. Just like little red Mommy bird above with her babies, I try to bring you a piece of the nest a few times a week in hopes of nourishing your creative soul. I know writing these entries fills mine. As the sentiment above states, cherish them......and I really do. xo J

Making New Jewelry

2011-08-23T18:45:00.000-04:00

Originally posted 1.7.09
I've never thought of myself as a jewelry maker. I dabble in many things....and jewelry making would be one of them. Mostly I like to make things for myself to wear that no one else has. Then Vero at The Naked Art Gallery saw my nesting jewelry series in a blog post and asked if I wanted to sign on at her gallery as a jewelry artist. Right now she carries my paintings and porcelain jewelry line like below. The porcelain has my original paintings embedded into them with a bail glued on. Not really much thought to making those. Like mini paintings on your neck! And ears!

The nesting series I did a few months back was tedious but quite rewarding for me. First, not one piece was alike. I made about 10 pairs of earrings and 2 necklaces from these nest-like beads I found in New York. It took me hours to put them all together. So today I have 3 pairs of earrings left and 3 rings. I hand delivered them to Vero last week and her first reply was, "You are making more?" Well, you see those beads came from NY, and I have no idea where. So today I ventured into etsy and put in...materials....findings....and guess what? I think about 10000000 hits came up. Yikes! I opened the first shop that looked appealing called PatinaQueen. And there I became so inspired that I can't wait to put my new series together. Since I paint mostly birds and their environments I think my jewelry should reflect this as well. Everything I chose was brown, teal, turquoise, amazing greens, and a dab of pink. I already know the line's name, "Nestlings". So be looking for a new post soon with some sweet birds and nests that you can wear similar to those below.

First Art Show

2011-08-23T18:42:00.000-04:00

Original date was 10.25.2007

So today was the big day, taking Mattie out of the garage and into the real world. I have to say it has been really fun getting ready for this show. All the painting, counting, glueing, printing, pricing, and more kept me up to the wee hours only one night. But it was worth it after I put it all together. I have no idea how many people visit this show, or if those that visit purchase items, but I've got the stuff to buy!
This is the view from the front. I wish now I'd made white panels for behind my table too, next year! The booth space is only 2" x 6"- basically the size of a banquet table. I bought a little more space for the table and panels. Most artists were using a grid to hang their art from. Since I had more "pick-up" items, I wanted a big table and boards for my art. The luan doors worked great for the artwork. They also showed it off well!
These little ornaments were a last minute idea, and the main reason for the wee hours!
The stationery made its' debute this morning. Shelly Allen of Oopsy Daisy designs did a fabulous job with the notecards below, and made some really pretty notepads, too pretty in fact to use! Each pack has four cards/ four designs. I asked her to make a sheet with all the images so people could see what was in the pack and she made the most elegant design-I had to put it on the front instead of the back! I think these are my new favorite products. Of course my dream is to be a Hallmark card artist and writer!
This is a little vinette I made to show all the products I'm selling out of their packaging-tiles, pendants, magnets and more! And of course a few nests to make the Little One's feel at home.
My hope after this weekend is that some of my little bird images will find their way into people's homes, their jewelry box and maybe even in the mail to a friend. Thanks for all your support out there readers, it means the world to me!

PS My Mattie business cards came in the mail today....I am so tickled...just had to share!

Mattie's Social Circle is Growing

2011-08-22T17:01:00.000-04:00

originally posted on March 26, 2008

Okay, I have decided that I am nuts about these little cotton candy puff birds. It started with the little Mattie I showed in a previous post, and then it snowballed. I made up five and decided they needed costumes on. So I added paper cone hats, top hats, veils, and more. It was so much fun! Here they all are in my lovely candy tuft. I am going to post them on etsy and see what happens!

The Studio

2011-08-21T07:28:00.000-04:00

Hey guys....as promised this week is all about the past. And what better way to start than with my original home studio before I'd even left the Flea! It was in the garage.......Man you should see what this place looks like now. Well, maybe not.

When I visit other artist's websites I am always eager to see where they create. So, if you are one of those too, here is my space. About a year ago I converted half my garage into this little space for creativity. It quickly became a junk room, so bad that you couldn't even get to the extra fridge! On Labor Day I spent about 8 hours straight cleaning and organizing my little nook. I love it out there. It's quiet and I can leave projects mid-stream and not worry about kids or cats messing in the piles. The only problem is I share it with the lawn mower. Which I don't see because I hung these fabulous bamboo shades across the width of the garage to create a wall, but you still smell it! Needless to say, I constantly burn a candle while creating

7 Days

2011-08-19T06:23:00.000-04:00

Today I feel a bit like Leonard and Larry look here.......hanging on the edge and screaming!!!! Well, maybe not the screaming part. I actually get really quiet and cut off from the world of reality when stressed. Yep.

One week from today we sign our little home over to a stranger. I hate that we've yet to meet the family that will now call our home theirs. I have so much to tell her. You know, like what the original paint colors were, all the "upgrades" we've made over the years, how many times walls have been painted over, that the giant tree in the backyard was our first Christmas Tree, that both our children came home from the hospital into this driveway and slept in this room.....etc.....

The little den above has been walked into almost everyday for the past 16 years. I wonder how many times that is....let me go get a calculator.........that's at least 6,000 times this room has been walked through by me. And that's just once a day. You have to go through this room to get everywhere in the house. So it has been truly loved and lived in. And now it looks like this:

Doesn't seem to bother Saily any. She's still perching herself in the usual spot. And Graham Cracker is loving the boxes and bubble wrap. Lily is a little timid right now, she knows something big is happening. Our children ask everyday, "How many days now? Why can't we just move now?" Billy is acting like life is just dandy and normal. I....am doing all the packing and freaking. I guess it's better that only one parent is insane at this time. So, the studio has yet to be packed. I suppose it's next. I've avoided it thinking maybe I'd have to sneak in and make something. Yeah, right.

So this next week I'm going to re post some of my favorite old blog posts since the rest of the house is about to look like the photo above. So enjoy......and Wish me luck!!!

Collecting

2011-08-17T11:20:00.001-04:00

I love Etsy treasuries. Especially when my art finds its way into a lovely collection! And lately it seems the camping/rv/vintage camper theme is HOT. So I keep getting little messages about my camper paintings finding their way into treasuries with amazing vintage finds like this one:

I have now bought 2 little camper toys. The 1st one is already packed...but I found it amongst my art in a treasury. And now this little gem. Love, like puffy heart love this!! The windows slide open, the door opens and it is the perfect color of lime green!

So in your searching if you happen upon a cute toy camper, let me know! I may need to add it to my collection! I can't wait to unpack them all and find the perfect spot in my new HUGE art studio. Peeps....I am telling you, my new studio is so big I am not going to know what to do with myself in it. Well, actually I will. MAKE ART!! Yipppppeeee!!!

A Little Painting

2011-08-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today I got out the paints. Yep. Felt good. Throughout all the chaos of choosing a house and now packing I've literally had to just say, "I will have time to create very soon, patience. Patience." This morning I woke before anyone else in the house and thought.....I think it's time. I've got a sweet customer waiting for a custom order. I'd already made the base with the compound and carving so all it needed was a little color. And look who decided to keep me company during it all.

So, have you been working on anything fun lately?

Rediscover

2011-08-12T15:28:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the writing is in plain sight. Sometimes it's not. I used to love the hidden picture books as a child. You know, the ones at Cracker Barrell that have the clear marker with the orange lid attached, the "magic marker"? You'd scribble all over the page to reveal the hidden picture. As I transition into this newness of teaching full-time and working as an artist things are constantly being revealed by my orange lid marker. Some pictures are not so good, some are amazing, and some are quite surprising (like crying today after my 3rd graders made fun of my drawing!!). This has been a very fulfilling week and surprisingly I'm not that tired. The biggest challenge I faced this week was the constant companions and little voices. Imagine....me, the studio and Lily all day creating for 3 years. Now......... it's more like me, an art room and 100 kids a day!! And Lily at home alone with her crazy cat sister Graham Cracker!!

So, all said and done, no regrets about anything, nope. It's just about REDISCOVERING myself. Yep. It's all good. To say goodbye for now I have this quote for you:

"Rediscover you. Admire yourself more often. You are as beautiful as your heart remembers."

PS. The cool photo above I took in Birmingham, Alabama. Someone keeps painting those words on the overpasses all over town. What an amazing person.

Staying Strong

2011-08-09T21:34:00.000-04:00

This painting is so appropriate right now for Billy and I and our little life. This is totally uncomfortable territory for us. Selling and buying a house that is. We bought one together 16 years ago. Yeah, that means 16 years of stowed away stuff peeps. So we are holding hands tightly, and trying not to get over the top excited, because there is the unknown. It could all fall through tomorrow. Right now we've got an overflowing bucket of joy and anticipation behind us. And two uber excited children. Yeah....keep us in your thoughts over the next 18 days. We can always use another hand.

Tomorrow....

2011-08-07T21:06:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow.....I go back to work full-time. I've not worked full-time in a classroom since May of 2000. I know this because that was the year I had my William. The year I decided to do art teaching part-time. Which led to opening the Bubble Gum Ice Cream Art Studio, which led to meeting Valerie and opening The Vintage-Flea while running the studio inside that fun store, which led to finding my art voice, which led to trying art shows out, which led to leaving The Vintage-Flea to pursue art making full-time and teaching after school art, which finally lead me to this:

I am an art teacher....at my kid's school. Geesh. I could seriously make this into a fairy tale if I wanted to. Because, it is.

By the way...the photo above is of me teaching in the Bubble Gum Ice Cream Art Studio above The Vintage-Flea to one of my favorite students ever....Olivia. Man, life has an amazing way of completing a circle. Am I right?

See you guys later in the week. So much to share.....my t-shirts are on the way peeps! On the way!!!!