Lovely Spring Things...

Yesterday was my Open House at the shop. It was such a beautiful day! I had visits from several wonderful people, a couple new faces and some that I have gotten to know from last years jaunts on Saturday mornings.

I love my little shop. I love how peaceful and cozy it feels. I love playing soft, comforting music and offering up little treats to eat and watching people oooh and ahhh over things that I've embellished, made with my own hands, or purchased and given a new life to. I love meeting new folks and seeing little glimpses into their lives...it makes me feel so trusted when they share bits of themselves with me. I love relating over our samenesses and marveling over our differences. ("I'm never going to sell THAT! I can't believe I ever even picked it up!~Oh my! It sold, one of the first things to sell this season, I can't believe it!")

Back to Business...

I apologize. I get caught up in my own life things sometimes, and forget that this is a Creative Blog, first and foremost. Vintage? Love it. Craftiness? Absolutely have to have it. This is supposed to be a break from the crazy, sometimes stressful and wild world outside. A blog to pour a cup of tea with and pull up a cozy chair and forget yourself in.

I am re-dedicating this blog to all my readers and to everyone and anyone who stumbles across it and needs a break from the "real world" and a step into a sanctuary of creativity, beauty and tranquility. I will do my best to create that here, I promise.

An uncomfortable haircut...

I had had it with my hair. My natural blond was a little too natural and not blonde enough for me. I needed brightness. I wanted lightness and contrast. So I made an appointment with someone one of my sisters recommended. She had never actually been to this guy, but she'd seen his work on some of his coworkers and said he did an excellent, fantastic job.

I decided to be the guinea pig, have highlights and a cut and tell her about my results.

Well, needless to say it was the strangest, most uncomfortable haircut I've ever had. It turns out that my new hair stylist (also the owner of this salon) is a preacher-in-training and I got the benefit of listening to bits of different sermons it seems he works on continually throughout the day/his life. While I am Christian myself, I'm very uncomfortable being preached at. So, when I stumbled out of the salon 2 and 1/2 hours(!) later, I was feeling pretty strange, like I had entered another world and was now re-entering my own.

The cut is cute, I love the highlights and it was very inexpensive. But I can't see putting myself through that every time I need a touchup.

The whole situation did make me think though (I love it when something unexpected happens to make you think, especially when it's something normally as mundane as getting one's hair done).
These questions made me think about a lot:
1) He has been doing hair over 25 years and doesn't consider it a "job". He has worked 3 days for the past 20 years(!) and I figure that his income must be good if he can afford to own a business and work only part-time. He asked why I wasn't doing what I wanted to do? What did I want to do?
2) We talked more about my job(s)...and the amount of moving around I have done. First as a secretary, then as a case manager in human services, then working part-time as a medical transcriptionist and simultaneously as a Data Resource Specialist (basically updating a database for a non-profit), and now back to being a secretary. He asked me something: Picture yourself at 90; What do you want to be able to say that your life was about?
3) If your a Christian, does anyone know it? Do you just slump around in life and complain about your situation? Does that attitude make anyone you know want to be Christian?

Now, granted I don't like looking at some of these questions...their a little uncomfortable in them selves. I didn't like the presentation of the questions either. I like to discuss things, learn things...gently, not have someone trying to stick ideas in my face when I'm trapped in a squishy salon chair with bleach all over my hair and dangerously close to my eyes! But I will think about these questions and why it is that I've come full-circle job-wise and still don't really know where I'm going...

Rainy Spring Days and Acyrlic Paint...

Wow~It's been a long time since I've posted...sorry girls! I hope some of you are still out there; Deb thanks for the post, I have been really busy as you assumed.

The Victorian Tea was a big success! We raised $430.00 for Shared Hope International (www.sharedhope.org) and had about 20 people come! It was really great~the only negative was that I forgot my camera! I know, I know. I couldn't believe it either, and unfortunately I only realized it when it was time to start serving the tea...no time to run home! Several ladies showed up in beautiful bonnets of their own, and a friend came dressed in full Victorian dress! She won the prize for most embellished hat. It was so wonderful...

I've been playing a little bit with my pretty new acrylic paints...I've never had any formal art training and I'm looking forward to taking a painting class at the university where I work this fall. I feel a deep, strong, craving for color lately. I found some pretty thrift store spring tops which I snapped up a couple weeks ago but the craving continues...

Thanks to everyone who keeps checking back, I'll try to be more consistent with my posting! :)

Motivation...

Or lack thereof. I have been feeling so unmotivated to create anything lately, especially Victorian themed items for the tea that's coming up in just two weeks time. I think it might be because I know I have to make things for this, that I'm struggling with it.

Another issue is that I have been waiting on pins and needles to find out if I got the position I interviewed for recently. It's been SUCH a long wait since I found out my current job was "going away" this month...I found out two weeks before Christmas and still don't know what is next for me. I'm not one of those people who does well with having loose ends, things left up in the air, etc. I like things cut and dried and decisions made already!

Well, this is certainly not the inspirational and fun post I was hoping for! At least I can share some photos of an altered book I made a bit ago. This was for a class that I was supposed to teach at the local scrapbooking store, however no one signed up, so I didn't end up teaching this class. It was still an absolute joy (no pun intended!) to make. I LOVE collage and mixed media and all things scrappy and colorful!

Preparing the Shop...

Oooh, I'm so happy it was warm this weekend~I spent some time getting the shop ready for opening weekend. I'm planning to officially open the first weekend in May, but am having an Open House Saturday April 29th with goodies to eat and lots of fun new things to sell. I'm so anxious to re-open, it's been a long and cold winter.

One of the best things about having the shop are all the sweet and very interesting people I've met. I have people who come in to browse and don't buy a thing, but their kind compliments about my decorating and the way things are put together means just as much to me as a purchase.

I've always been drawn to decorating, from the time I had my own room in my parents rustic log cabin until now. My taste has changed over the years, from Victorian to Eclectic to Asian-inspired then to Cottage style. Now I would say that it's a mix of vintage and eclectic. My shop is more cottage/shabby chic'ish but my home is more of a mix and brighter colors. I LOVE decorating! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I have so much fun moving things from here to there, painting this and that and then starting all over again. I'm glad I have such a patient husband who doesn't mind all the changing I do.

Oh, I nearly forgot! Here is a photo of Suzette the little porcelin doll I bought at a flea market. She belonged to a lady who had gotten her during childhood and the woman was in her 80's when she sold her to this flea market! So, she's quite ancient. Isn't she pretty, all worn and faded? I'm normally not a fan of dolls, they give me the creeps to be honest, but I just couldn't pass her up!

Rainy Days & Easter Bonnets...

Today was rainy and cold, a good day to curl up on the couch with a thick book and warm blanket. Instead of indulging herself in that pastime, my wonderful friend Pam came to help me create Easter bonnets~aren't they pretty? Ohhh, I feel more springy just looking at them!

I am planning a Victorian Tea~and will be selling the Easter bonnets there. We're raising money for Shared Hope International (www.sharedhope.org) which is an organization working to end sex trafficking worldwide. This is SUCH an important cause. There is so much pain involved; mental, physical, emotional. It's too scary and ugly for me to even comprehend. But the wonderful people at this organization, and others are working to help save the women and children who are caught in this horrible trap. So, even though it's a teeny tiny drop of water compared to a problem the size of an ocean, a tea has been planned for the first Saturday in April to raise funds for this organization. I'm asking folks to come dressed with their own fancy hats and gloves, and we'll give a pretty prize to the person wearing the most embellished hat. We're serving tea sandwiches, scones with lemon curd, ginger and sugar cookies, pots of hot tea and more lovely treats. Oh, I can't wait! It will be such fun~I'm already planning out the decor!

These hats are a head start (no pun intended) on the Easter bonnet we'll be selling at the tea, but we plan to have a table full of other pretty items like greeting cards, journals, sachets and more. I'm hoping we break the $300 mark this year...$500 would be great!

Don't you wish that the hat tradition had never fallen out of style? I LOVE wearing hats, they make me feel so grown-up. But not in an old lady sort of way, in a stylish, chic, breakfast-at-tiffany's sort of way. I often feel that I was born into the wrong generation. I'm incredibly old-fashioned in many ways, and a bit of a feminist in others...it's a strange and somewhat confusing mix. But hats, aprons and pretty hairstyles, I wish I could wear those every day!

A Media Diet...

I have decided to do it. I'm going cold turkey. As hard as it is to even imagine, I'm going on a media diet. No HGTV. No home decorating magazines. No craft magazines. This is a very scary and interesting proposition.

I feel like I can't get enough lately. I try to feel grateful for all I have (which is plenty!) but all my little mind keeps taking note of is what I DON'T have. Do you feel this way? Maybe it's the time of year. I'm not sure, but I know that the "gimmes" feel much stronger when I watch my favorite home decorating and craft shows. I know that after flipping through a home decorating magazine and seeing all the perfection, what I have seems like so much less. I don't like this! I don't like being that way~I've got gobs to be grateful for!

I am grateful for my creativity, my ability to make something out of nearly nothing. I 'm grateful for my husband and family, my pets, a healthy body, my home, steady pay, friends, beauty all around me and life. I want to focus on what I HAVE and not what is missing.

The media feeds us with a constant desire. I think part of the reason we never feel like enough (not a good enough wife, not a perfect mother, not a perfect employee, not a good enough friend) is because we are trained by the media to be what "they" (being magazine models and fake happy people) should be. It's not enough. I want to live my own life my own way. Imperfect? Sure. But perfectly ME...that's what I'm striving for.

Anyone joining me?

Feeling Inspired...

I feel inspired this week. It might be the sunshine. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks! I feel just READY to do something big to help make the world a better place. I feel a kind of staticky electricity hovering around me, all around my peripherial vision. I can tell something great is going to happen. I know that I'm re-finding myself after a few months of feeling a little lost.

I feel as though I've been in this selfish little bubble lately, wondering why I'm feeling blue, analyzing my feelings, trying to find out what would make me happy. Worrying a little too much about what clothes I don't have, what my house doesn't look like, what my life is lacking.

My art makes me happy. Creating things makes me feel very happy and complete and energized. But lately I've been feeling a certain kind of warm peace when I think of all the ways that I might be able to help others. I'm thinking of ways to tie in what I love to do (create, travel, organize events, plan parties, write) into something tangible that might help someone other than myself.

I'm not sure what's coming...but I have a feeling it's going to be great.

The Photos...

Hmmm...not sure what happened, but here are a few photos from the B&B...

A Wonderful Weekend

My weekend was the best I have had in a long time. You know those weekends that just make you feel like you've fallen into another time zone? It's not that they last forever, really, nor that they are perfect every moment, but more like they flow so perfectly that it feels like you've entered another reality...it feels surreal.

That was my weekend. It started out rather bad actually. I get really neurotic about having the house clean before we go away. My mother is like this. I ALWAYS swore I wouldn't be. I used to remember thinking "Who cares? We aren't going to be here to see how messy it is!" But of course I now see her wisdom. It isn't the leaving of the messy home, it's the returning to. Not only do you get a rude wake up call by having to leave the soft, dreamy world of sleeping in, people cooking your food for you, housekeeping cleaning up after you and experiencing fun and renewing activities, but THEN you have to shock your system even further by a return to a dreary, dirty and smelly house. Ok, in reality I wouldn't say my house is any of those things on a normal basis, but it still felt good to return to a home that was in order and smelled nice. Anway, this is a rather long-winded way of saying that I was very snappish and irritated in the morning before we left because I was rushing from one cleaning chore to another and my very patient husband finally asked me if I was planning to spend the entire weekend in this mood. Well, that in itself was irritating...but I could see that he had a point. I took a hot shower while he finished up my cleaning "To Do" list, and felt much, much better.

Anyway, back to the weekend fun...we had a lovely room with a sunken jacuzzi bathtub (I smuggled in candles to heighten the romance factor!), that was filled with gorgeous paintings. The entire inn was absolutely lovely. I loved the brightly painted walls, the artwork, the feel of it...incredible! We took the subway to the Museum of Fine Arts. It was wonderful! We didn't realize but Montreal was having it's own "Nuit Lumiere" or Light Night and a lot of museums and other cultural events were open all night long. We heard a beautiful Russian tenor accompanied by a violinist and pianist and then later an incredible, magical Russian violinist no older than me! It was a night to remember.

Sunday we feasted on a luscious breakfast of waffles with lemon creme, pastries, hot eggs (and bacon for my carnivore hubby!), fresh fruit, cappucino, fresh squeezed orange juice and more. You'd think we wouldn't have eaten the rest of the day, but we did manage to nibble a few glazed donuts at Krispie Kreme(!) which is unheard of in these northern-most parts. Of course, we spent some time hiking around IKEA which helped us work up an appetite! I bought my first "real" piece of artwork (though it's not REALLY real because I got it at Ikea, but it looks real!). This will start our collection, which I'm hoping will grow over the years with paintings and more from REAL artists whom I can meet or at least get acquainted with online. I love hearing about what inspired artistic and getting to know them, even if it's only through a short bio.

Well, I must get to my To Do list tonight! I've been adding things to it all day but haven't started checking anything off yet! I'm posting some pictures of the B&B and the lovely artwork by Benoit A. Cote (he's the owner's brother). His website is www.benoitacote.com

Bon Nuit!

New Crafty

Oh, I nearly forgot, here's a couple of pictures of my newest venture: Art Squared. These fun little 4"x4" squares are the perfect size! They're not too small (like ATC's can sometimes be) and not too large (like a full sized canvas) they're just right!

Also, Jenny, I fogot to answer your question about the "Cherish" book...it's a mini photo album which will also fit ATC's...for anyone interested it's listed on Ebay as we speak. I think if you do a search under chicchickbiz it should come up~let me know if you want more details if that search idea doesn't work!

Nighty night!

A nice weekend ahead...

Oh, I'm so happy it's Friday. I really struggled to stay "on task" at work today. I work in a research office at a large university. The work isn't really what I am meant to do, but there are definitely benefits. Today I've been feeling rather sorry for myself though, wishing I was home cranking out artsy-craftsy projects and feeling rather pathetic as I worked my way through boring contracts and tedious spreadsheets. This was not helped by the fact that I watched some taped episodes of Crafters Coast to Coast and Carol Duvall this morning on the treadmill (this is instead of caffeine first thing). Though inspiring, I felt rather dismal about going to my grey workplace for another day on the treadmill of my career.

Oh, enough about that! I must say I'm in a bit of a funk, but I don't want to spread that negative energy around!

Let's see...happy thoughts, happy thoughts...oh! Our anniversary was lovely. My husband bought me the prettiest pink rose; but not regular old pink, it's like pink with dark pink edging all over the petals. Very nice. I'll try to post a shot of it. AND we are going away for a lovely romantic weekend in Montreal to a really pretty B&B...very colorful and lots of breathtaking artwork. At least, that's how it looks on the website. I'll try to get photos of that too.

I'm feeling very creative this week...I can't wait to finish an altered/mixed media purse I've been working on. I just need some spiffy handles...

Oooh, I have no self-restraint! I just had to post a couple pictures of the items I made tonight. I'm out of control...can't stop...creating...things...must resist...husband hasn't seen me in...many hours...

Tee hee hee...I'm addicted, it's true. I can't wait to start on my next collage purse~perhaps tomorrow night?

Oh dear! I almost forgot it is my 4th wedding anniversary tomorrow...perhaps I will be doing something other than sewing tomorrow evening?!

~Oh Happy Day~

What a great day~it started out wonderfully because I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm was set to go off...I LOVE when that happens! I was ready a little early and had a couple of minutes to enjoy the beautiful lighting and took these pretty pictures outside. I love my digital camera!

Then, to add to the excitement of my day, I sold a purse on Etsy and an ATC on Ebay...all in the same day! I don't think my day could have been any better...I even got in some time tonight to make a few more things for Ebay. I'll post the pictures in my next post. There is a wonderful community of women on Mary Janes Farm that you might want to check out; www.maryjanesfarm.com. I've really been enjoying my visits to the message boards there, and already feel a connection with some of the women. It feeds my vintage soul!

Smiling Ear-To-Ear...

Well, how excited was I today to come home and read not one but TWO posts from my new blogging friends! Thank you so much for your posts, I'm still grinning so hard my cheeks are slightly sore! It's so exciting to know that someone is "out there" and reading...very exciting! And all the nice compliments too~wow, what a great day!

I thought I would share a little more information about my shop. This is something I've dreamed of doing for quite a while. I opened officially last spring, and getting ready for opening day was incredibly exciting! I fluffed and primped and plumped pillows, straightened signs, painted and embellished like a crazed woman until it was time to open the door. I had maybe two guests that first day, but I was so completely thrilled! It has been so much fun to meet all the people who have come to visit me in person and who've purchased from me online. I have the shop open seasonally, May through August or September and I'm open on Saturdays, as I work full-time out of town at a university. I also sell online at both Etsy and Ebay. I tried a couple of craft shows last fall, and enjoyed those also.

I just love creating things! I love having an idea and then seeing it come to life with paper, glue, paint, scissors, my sewing machine, anything in my art room.

For a long time I thought that creating things for a living was too...Selfish. I thought I was meant to work with the poor and the "underdogs" and spend my life helping others. Well, I tried that. I worked in human services for several years and found it was not what I was made for. It's like after trying for years to squash myself into a human services mold (and getting my degree in psychology), I came to realize that what I need to do is be true to myself. To use the gifts God gave me, not try to force myself to do something that I'm not passionate about, or happy doing. It's still hard to believe that creating pretty things could really be part or maybe all of what I'm meant to do. It's hard to believe that anything that could bring me so much pleasure could be what I SHOULD be doing. I'm still mulling it over, I'm at the beginning of this journey, and there are many obstacles ahead of me, I'm sure. Still, it's wonderful to know that it's a possibility. That maybe my path will really go in that direction.

There is still a lot to think about, a lot of work ahead of me. I'm taking part-time college courses in art to learn the basics, as I've never had any formal training in art....good grief! I've rambled on long enough! I'm like a fountain when it comes to this part of my life, I just can't seem to keep it all inside!

I'm off to begin dinner...Long live the arts!

What a day! I've fallen into the bad habit of lethargy. Yesterday was one of those yucky days where I had so many things I wanted to do, cleaning projects, home decorating ideas and artsy craftsy projects to begin, but I ended up doing nothing at all! I was s0 frustrated with myself. I love weekends and my time at home is so incredibly special to me that I was doubly irritated with myself for wasting time with my inertia. Today, however, was a different story! This afternoon it was like I had been hit by a bolt of decorating/decluttering lightening!

It all started when I asked my darling husband to help me move our computer desk to another wall in the living room. It looked so much better and less cluttery that I went on to push furniture from room to room. I swapped out a couple of book cases which in turn forced me to cull my book collection (I had NO idea I had so many!). I threw out a half-dead Boston fern from two summers ago (it was still hard to say goodbye!) sorted a beautiful set of pink china into a couple of boxes for one of my darling sisters, emptied my "candle cupboard" and rearranged what was left in a new area. It feels great in here...though I'm so tired I couldn't quite finish in the dining room. I'll have to make time tomorrow morning to put my record player and records in some new locale.

I feel free! I feel uncluttered and cleaned out! I feel....happy that I took the time to do this. I have so much more I want to do, but for now it's nice to have gotten this far. I'm attaching a couple of the craft projects that I did manage to accomplish this weekend....

Do you ever spend so much time daydreaming about something that when it comes time to actually do it, it feels like you already have? When I'm commuting to work or taking my lunch break or walking from place to place I sometimes play out in my mind everything I want to do when I get home; start this art project, put together this home decorating idea, try matching this new top with another pair of trousers to see what comes together.

Today was one of those days. I started a new ATC before leaving for work in the morning, and by lunchtime (in my mind) I had already put all the finishing touches on it! I rearranged my kitchen in my mind and was surprised to come home and see that everything was untouched, even (unfortunately) the dishes in the sink!

Oh well, there is always time for dishes, but in my house (most of the time) creating takes precedence.Here are a few pictures from my house to yours...I love pink and red! And this isn't even decorating just for Valentine's day!

Hurrah~It worked!!!

Here are some various pictures of my shop from last season. It's open May-September so I'm already busy buying up frilly new items for this coming spring. I can't wait to re-open!

Say Cheese!

Ok, I think it's time to attempt to post some pictures on this page! I have been visiting some really lovely blogs, my two favorites being:

• http://brocantehome.typepad.com/brocante_home/
• http://www.rosylittlethings.typepad.com/

Oh, they are so wonderful! If my blog ever looks half as beautiful as either of these, I will be utterly and totally satisfied.

Hmmmm....it has crossed my mind that I may be all alone here at chicchickbiz? Well, perhaps some lovely pictures will coax vintage and art loving friends to join me here!