Switching Gears

WHOA!

We’re back from the Jam and into market mode. Quilt Market, in two weeks.

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Art Biz Jam was stupendous, what can I say.

A beautiful beach . . .

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Art Licensing seminar with guest speaker Ingid Liss (Demdaco) . .

A roomful of artists . . . . .

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And my daughter, Kate.

Time Out

IT’S HERE ALREADY!

A R T   B I Z   J A M

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I signed up months ago when it seamed like a far off, fun way to spend a few days in an attempt, to rest, refresh and refocus on, the (my) art. Where it came from and possibly where it’s going and why.

A time to retreat from the extremely busy year of working, renovating, moving, etc.

And, I expect, a time to reflect, as well.

A time of learning from artist friends & associates/colleagues in the BIZ, who will be teaching.

&

As an extra bonus, a time to share the experience with my graphic artist daughter, Kate.

Blue Berry Beauty

 

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The blueberries are ready to pick in the Midwest so, we had no other choice but to head out early this morning, to Huckleberry Hollow, berry patch extraordinaire.

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The report we heard was that the bushes, were loaded! And they were. Row after row of beautiful blue brambles so, we were off, grabbed our pails and picked till our hearts content. Well, until we had picked twenty six quarts anyway, between four of us. Even then, it was difficult to walk away from the blue bounty.

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Yum fresh berries!

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Berries for baking . . . this fall?

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And some to try now of course.

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And maybe, some to paint?

Best Laid Plans

HomeRenoR E N O V A T I O N !

Upheaval best describes the current condition of our home as well as the studio which is also greatly impacted. It is improving slowly however, creativity has been on the back burner for several weeks as a result of the chaos. I’m eagerly looking forward to regaining the creative retreat, although still weeks away. Our home sweet home is a fading memory, shown above on the first day of packing & moving EVERYTHING (nearly) into the garage. The ordeal continues to take a toll.

First, it was the floor. I decided to go with a natural maple, or so I thought. Here is the sample that I based my decision on and a couple of the boards that we received, laid diagonally across that same sample. How would a consumer know to expect these extreme dark and light boards to be the actual product from this sample? Somerset, character (grade), be warned.SampleFloorBelow, a before and after. After I stopped the job to wait for the back ordered replacement floor, approximately 3 more weeks. Life on the sub floor and no kitchen sink was a little rough. The good news, it gave us time to paint the walls. I understand fully why renovation jobs grow.FloorCompareThe staircase went in like a well thought out, giant puzzle. Watching the installation by a skilled carpenter was fascinating to watch. This job turned out beautiful with no glitches, although with today’s codes the rail is a bit tall than what we were use to. Aesthetically speaking, too tall for my visual taste but safe. At 40.5″ on the landing, no one is likely to fall over. And a long awaited rail, luxury or safety? All that is left on this task is the finish. A clear spayed lacquer has been recommended by the experts. Sprayed? Oh my! btw – I highly recommend In Step Designs.StaircaseRailTurnStaircaseRail

The next major dilemma, the kitchen cabinets. I just found out yesterday that the door I chose, from a sample, was not executed in quite the same color chosen. And 90% complete!!! Again, a manufacturer’s sample misrepresentation? We’ll see, meeting today with the cabinet distributor. I’ll let you know. Ahem, tired.Remodel2014B

We’ ve been doing our best under our circumstances, to keep up with new designs, Etsy orders and new Handmaids.com subscriber freebies however, a few managed to get past us. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. We plan to be back to business as usual, very soon.Humpty

Feeling a bit like Humpty lately with our home project, or better perhaps, all the king’s horses & all the king’s men.