Moving

I have been away - busy as can be. Something wonderful fell into my lap! I have taken my craftiness to a new level. I bought a craft store! Three Crafty Ladies has been on Sanibel Island for 35 years and is an institution on the island and the only place to by art and craft supplies. It is also a fantastic quilt store. Fabrics to die for!! So when I found out the owner wanted to retire I took the opportunity to roll everything that I like to do and want to do up into one gigantic expedition. I couldn't be happier.
The staff and customers are so creative and friendly. I have always loved Sanibel. And I am a business women and longed to get back into that area. Voila!

I will be putting more time into creating a website. It will be here eventually. I will also have a blog and you can find Three Crafty Ladies on Facebook and Twitter.

So exciting!!! Come along!

Freedom

Freedom
Originally uploaded by JohannaBF

Always a fan of graffiti art, I have found a few sources of inspiration in the works of Traci Bautista, Alisa Burke, and all of the urban artists out there who incorporate the style into their work. While I have yet to be brave enough (or have a clear enough space) to pick up the colorful spray cans, I have been playing around with doodles and words.

Chunky Book Pages - Orange Collage

I loved doing the chunky 4"x4" fat book for art and soul so I look forward to participating in others. Here are some pages for a monochromatic page swap project. And I do love orange!

Craft Studio Love!

I LOVE my new craft room. Time spent there is inspiring, relaxing, and fun! Happily messy. I have a center island workstation for painting, drawing, and other messy enjoyment. My sewing table looks out to my front yard and a long counter has space to spread out for jewelry making. What was missing was a comfortable place to sit and read my many books and magazines, crochet, talk on the phone, or give my dogs a place to keep me company. I hunted both online and in stores, new and vintage, thrifting for something to recover. My search ended this weekend with the perfect mid century modern sofa.

I found it online through Etsy seller Vintage Supply Co., never imagining how much it would cost to ship a sofa. No need, it was local!! I visited Moderna Muerte, a brand new store in Delray Beach that carries an amazing array of quality vintage furniture, accessories, clothing (the real deal vintage, not simply out of fashion used clothes). Fabulous merchandising (vintage shoes and purse artfully displayed on a domed pastry stand) makes this a great place to visit and get inspired.
I love the white vinyl, so perfect for my needs. Reminds me of the Design Star episode where some designers painted graffitti and patterns on white sofas. I'll leave mine simple - the pups are very happy the way it is, too.

Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?

Well, do ya?

Home Decorating and Paintings (mine!)

Where has the time gone? I had no kid home for a few weeks and made a long list of things I wanted to get accomplished, places I wanted to go, movies to see, etc... Well my younger son comes home this weekend and my list didn't get much shorter. I did find some time to enjoy my new craft room and that has been a joy. I have been collaging and sewing and just 'making stuff'. Joyful and relaxing!

My friend Christie, who is a talented interior designed, came over to help rearrange my decorative things this week. I had pulled lots of books, vintage pottery, framed photos, and more out and we moved things around. What she added to the mix was a few paintings that I did recently. Like we all read in creativity books and blogs - I am fearful of having my art 'out there'. To be judged and compared. I let myself be soothed by the fact that she chose to put them out, so they must be okay and acceptable! I find this humorous, as I always self-analyze myself. So I am facing my fears and displaying my art in my living room.

Nantucket Bliss

I am a temporary empty nester, as my kids are away at camp for a few weeks. My husband and I decided to vacation in a relaxing place that neither one of us had ever visited. Nantucket was a wonderful getaway and pleasant surprise. The food was beyond good and the people were nice (very colorfully dressed and preppy with dispositions to match.) There were lots of nice shops and galleries to peruse, which is always welcome especially since there will be no swimming in cold New England water for me. I found some great places and saw some wonderful art. This is a place where basket weaving and scrimshaw got it's start, so it is an artistic place in many ways.


A cloudy afternoon gave me the opportunity to visit Cheryl Fudge's Fashion Camp. A boutique on the first floor and 'camp' workshops upstairs. I chose a piece of gently used clothing to decorate (a light weight hoodie) and scoured their bins of tshirts, ribbon, fabric, and patches to create my own Nantucket souvenir. I pinned the pieces where I wanted them and they will sew it and send it to me.

How cute is this!

Such a nice getaway. Nice weather always helps, of course.

My First ATC

I have been creating collages and journaling for quite some time and the format is generally no smaller than the size of a moleskin. I have been checking out a bunch of creative Yahoo groups and came across some fun challenges and magnificent artwork. I picked up some collage sheets and other goodies from ArtChix and used some of them to create my very first ATC for a Garden Party themed challenge. It was very different to work on a smaller scale, looking for and cropping images so much smaller than I am accustomed. Fun, none the less! Here is my petite piece of art!



(Must get the scanning and editing under control - the image doesn't look so hot!)

Making Time for Art

I have always read the importance of making time to create, if that is what your soul needs. Now that I have the most inviting space, I have been making time. Rainy days don't hurt, either. I have my new craft room organized into different work areas: sewing, painting and paper crafts, and jewelry. When the paint is drying I can sew or work on a jewelry piece. I haven't been doing much jewelry lately but am exciting to be participating in a charm swap. I love working under the pressure of a deadline (seriously).


I have been playing around with painting on fabric and canvas. Some of my favorite fiber artists have inspired me to experiment myself. It is a lot of fun!

I created a little bag with a magnetic snap closure out of some of the painted canvas. It was a good experiment sewing on heavy painted fabric - I'm still a novice seamstress.

1946
I have had a thing for the collectible, 'designer' vinyl and the artwork and books that correspond with this genre. I often think I am a bit odd or immature when it comes to this, however the art and artists that work in this medium are very inspiring to my own art, so I like what I like! I customized my own Munny this weekend. I call it '1946' because it was collaged with articles and advertisements from magazines published that year.

Working on some paintings of my own, along with some journaling. Afternoon Florida rain allows me to feel comfortable with my kids playing XBox or Legos and letting me create.

random art and journaling

I am still enjoying my art journaling. Now that my move is complete and the school commitments are done I am happy to participate in the Collage with Crowabout group again.


This is my latest one. I love to see what pops in my head when I print out the images. I go with whatever comes and try not to overthink it.



My husband thought I used extra craft paint for my toes.

A Room With a View (and I'm never leaving)

My craft room is virtually finished with final permits which is allowing me to unpack and play!! It is amazing. I was able to work with the cabinet guy to customize the space for my hobbies. I have shelves for fabric and fibers, a sewing table, a work island with a glass top for easy cleanup, and place for making jewelry. Lots of drawers and cabinets. A slice of heaven! I have yet to put any window coverings on the windows, and even though everyone can see in and I can watch the world go buy and be a nosy neighbor, I also see cardinals, blue jays, and butterflies enjoying the trees and flowering plants outside.


Tank helped me unpack boxes. He was looking for a stuffed creature or some yarn to chew on!


I have lots of shelves to store my supplies where I can see them.


My sewing table. And I finished the 14 bags for last week!

Long Lost and in my new Room!

I am so remiss about blogging (not that I really think anyone is reading it much since I don't promote it or even mention it to people...yet) Art and Soul in Hampton was AMAZING. A blast. The best time! I took some great classes and met some great people and traded my guitar pick charms for some cool trades and got the most fabulous fat book from my participation in this project. I didn't take pictures but I have seen one of my journal photos on one of the instructors' blogs.

I have so much to share but I have a project for school hanging over my head - 14 tote bags made from old school event tshirts to be used as centerpieces. They are needed for Thursday. I am virtually done. and I need to unpack my new craft room. It's awesome! I have been sewing in it but haven't organized yet. On my list of things to do!!

I will share everything soon. and I want to change the name of my blog to something a little more vague that takes me away for the mommy thing a bit (not that I am not damn proud of being one!) Plus there is a popular crafty mama blog. So another thing to add to my list.

I'll be back!

Twitter

is it worth it? I keep hearing about it. I do the face book thing (then again I just heard the average demographic of current Facebook users are women over 50, which does NOT include me!). I decided to try it. I'm following one of my favorite collage artists - Traci Bautista. Maybe this is a good tool for me - heaven knows I have random, spontaneous thoughts!

Art and Soul - 15 days and Counting

I am counting. I am leaving two weeks from from tomorrow! Can't wait! Watching the calendar!

There are daily posts on the Art and Soul Yahoo group from people planning and packing. I haven't started packing, but I am not going to panic. It'll get done. I am amazed that I finished the fatbook pages and got them in on time! Forty five individual 4"x4" pieces of artwork. I accomplished this in the process of moving, using only the art supplies that I had the foresight to pack in a separate box. My craft room is not yet complete and I am unable to unpack all of my things. I enjoyed the challenge of interpreting the theme into pages. Here they are:


This helps with the anticipation. I have been working on some altered guitar pick charms to swap. I don't know how good they are compared with others but again I have enjoy creating them. I am toying with a mini zine as well. I have so many ideas and so little time. Four days in Virginia - time for myself- taking art classes and socializing and surrounding myself with artistic people....!

Creative Chaos

I am moving in 14 days. Two weeks from today. What am I doing when I am not (or should be) packing up my house? Making pages for the Art and Soul fat book! I am so excited about the trip that I am completely caught up in everything related to Art and Soul. They are having a fatbook swap - I make 42 pages (all originals) and 41 others do the same. A coordinator binds them and gives them out at the event. Can't wait.

My work table is complete, creative chaos!

Love and Miami

I had such a nice valentine's day! My husband intended on surprising me with an overnight getaway in Miami, but he told me a few weeks in advance to arrange babysitters and kids' activities (C'mon, no guy is that organized. We spent Saturday afternoon in the design district of Miami, checking out the many furniture showrooms and art galleries. After salmon burgers at Soyka, we headed downtown to Brickell Key and checked into the Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is truly lovely. Miami was very crowded due to the abundance of events and activities in the area and the numerous families escaping the Northeastern chill during their February school vacation. Coconut Grove Art Show, Julio Inglesias Concert, and a Flamenco Festival created traffic but we made it to a wonderful Italian dinner on the water.

After a leisurely brunch at the hotel overlooking the water we made our way to South Beach and Lincoln Road for a day of shopping, eating, and best of all, people watching. So many cultures converge in Miami that it is a festival in itself just to be there. We shopped the annual Kidrobot sale and had some Cuban coffee on Collins Ave. The weather was spectacular and we watched throngs of people walk blocks towards their goal of golden sand. Lincoln Road is the most fun place to take a stroll at any time. Outside cafes, independent jewelry vendors, and an endless cast of characters fill the pedestrian-only blocks. It had been a while since I had last visited and was before I began to focus on my current obsession of whimsical and mid century furniture and objects. I was delighted to find a Designs Within Reach store tucked off the mall. While I have constantly perused the online catalog, I had never sat in the many chairs that I ogled at and bookmarked. We got to try out the many Eames and Saarinen pieces. If I can ever find one I can afford, I would flip for Eames Le Chaise for my personal space at home. This chandelier, which blends contemporary with traditional crystal would look perfect in my mixed-look dining room!

My other retail highlight was finally visiting the Jonathan Adler store. Everyone who knows me says this designer's wares are 'right up my alley'. Look at this desk! It just might be 'the one'.

New lacquered bath accessories at terrific prices and yummy colors like lime are due in any time. I can't wait to go back in the Spring after my move!
We treated ourselves to a walk through Books & Books and a gelato before heading home. We had a wonderful, romantic, well-needed weekend alone. We had fun, like an old fashioned date!


When I returned I was inspired to finish one of my collaged journal pages that I had been working on. I have been so behind on working on my crafty things, but I am refreshed and recharged. At least for a day.

My Dream Craft Room - Starting to be built!

I am the luckiest crafty person I know (which is really not saying much)! I am building a craft room onto a house I will be moving to - and the room is from scratch! Other than not having a choice as to the dimensions and window placement, everything else is to be whatever and however I desire it! I have been pouring over books and magazines and flickr photos about studios and creative spaces, trying to see what I like and what I don't. Not to mention I have learned from my past mistakes, like shelves are better than cabinets. The walls are up and finished and I just chose paint. Vibrant tangerine will adorn two of the walls - the two walls that will have built-in shelves and desks.

This long wall will have lots of shelves and cabinets and a desk space for jewelry or whatever. A big cork board, magnetic board, or something of the sort will be above it. There will be lots of outlets that I got to pinpoint locations for.

The other wall will be similar but have a sewing table. My machine will be by a window for natural light. The far wall has this nice window. I will put a sofa or bench in front so I can relax and read, crochet, or whatever! An island in the middle will finish the list. Painting should be done in the next day or two. Cool vinyl flooring in funky colors is next. I'll post photos to document my progress.

T.G.T.M. - Thank Goodness Tomorrow's Monday!

Most people live for Fridays, for their weekends where there is no work, no office, time for themselves. For individuals like myself whose main, full time (albeit unpaid) job is taking care of the family, weekends are the busiest work days of the week. My hubby and I often play the 'who works harder' game and my kids tell me I do nothing! My weekends are filled with sports games, preparing three meals a day, often for extra kids, who I then must entertain along with my own. Driving. More driving. Errands for the kids who have no time during the week to buy project supplies/new cleats/white shirt for a concert. I don't complain - I love this job and am blessed that I am able to have it in this day and age. Come Monday, however, when husband goes back to the office and the kids are in school, I can go about my day at my pace, listen to my music, save my voice from yelling, and sneak some time in for myself, even if it is just to flip through a magazine.

Tomorrow I will go to Zumba, the most fantastic, fun exercise class there is. Clean up the house and work on the house project that is taking it's own sweet time. With a soy chai latte in hand and quiet in the back seat.

I did manage to pick up a book on Friday and flip through it over the weekend.

Living Retro is eye candy for someone interested in the mid century modern style. I'm trying to learn about the designers of the period and recognize pieces (so I can hunt for them at thrift stores and garage sales perhaps. This is South Florida - those that are much older now and came to Florida to retire had the goods in their homes. Where is it going?!)I can't wait to mix some clean furniture lines with the colorful vintage pottery that I have collected over the years and my funky collections of today. My designer friend just loves my collection of small paintings that I have purchased on Etsy. Oh what fun!

On the subject of fun, I am counting the days to Art and Soul in Hampton, VA! Just over two and a half months to go. I get so excited reading the Yahoo! group posts and only imagining what to expect. There is much talk about swaps. While I have never been to any type of art retreat like this, I plan to prepare myself to the best of my ability. I am trying to decide what to make and swap. Charms of some sort, most definitely. Perhaps I'll finish the zine that I started for the zine swap (that I did not participate in). Lots of ideas. I just need to prepare in advance because I have to pack up and move. That's a whole other project!

My little Nikki girl hasn't been getting as much face time as Tank, the newest member of our gang. She is truly a princess, however, and demands attention.

Mid Century Love

I think I am regressing! I am getting ready to move into a new house and find myself going in a complete, 180 degree opposite of the colors and styles that I have now. My home is lovely now, the walls are neutral and the furniture is nice. It is just not reflective of me and I realize that very clearly. Thus the painter and tile guy look at me like I am crazy when I give them my choices. Orange walls? Lime walls? Large multi colored tiles? Yes, I say! Life is to short to not live it in color!

Changing colors also means leaning towards a different style. While thumbing through and bookmarking design magazines, books, and blogs, I find myself loving the mid century modern pieces. A white Saarinen tulip table against lime walls with some vintage, white caned chairs. Groovy! I showed my mother the table and seemed to recall sitting at one in my youth. My memory is correct. She said she and my dad found the base not being used at his company and had a top made. She found some bent wood chairs and painted them herself. They were in the kitchen of my childhood. (And I am coming to realize that the crafty, DIY spirit was certainly passed down!) My paternal grandfather was in the furniture business and I find myself combing through antique and vintage shops recognizing the pieces that they had. Had I only thought to keep some! Doesn't everyone have those stories!!

I have found some mid century Italian glass sconces that are fabulous! I lost out on a desk on 1st Dibs that was a refinished orange and Lucite piece that would have looked amazing in the orange office. It's such fun to learn about these pieces and the designers of this time. I was oblivious to it as a child but I suppose those were the times in life when things were simple for me and I am going back to recreate that peaceful, fun, happy childhood in my own home for myself and my family. ( I can analyze myself, save myself a lot of money, and spend it on that cool milk glass floor lamp that I found!)

Indie Crafting in South Florida (Finally)

Only in South Florida will you see women in breezy, funky dresses in flip flops strolling into a gallery in January. But that is why we live here. It was a beautiful weekend and I was happy to finally make it to a Stitch Bird craft workshop. A favorite of mine, Bear and Bird Gallery, located west of Fort Lauderdale, holds craft workshops once a month. Past projects have included decoupage objects, sock monkeys, and Halloween makeup fx, and I have never been able to make it due to one thing or another. This month I signed up and made sure I was able to show up on time and make some cool beaded necklaces. We created bases and wired buttons, beads, and other fun things to create these wearable works of art.
I feel mine are just okay - I didn't put a lot of planning into the pieces - I was just happy to be out crafting in a creative group environment with like minded individuals. The gallery also has a terrific exhibit up this month, titled 'Three of a Kind'.
They have great themed shows with some known artists and wonderful pieces! Such a nice afternoon!

Finally, my little (big) Tankster had a nice afternoon. We had to get out of our house to show it yesterday and for obviious reasons take the dogs with us. Tank came to my boys' soccer game and had a ball. When he got home he went out back to enjoy the Florida sunshine. While he couldn't get the float in the pool, he did the next best thing and used it as a pillow.

Experimentation

A day off does not necessarily mean a day off for ME when the kids are off from school, but my husband goes into the office. It's another day of cooking, cleaning and driving. I did find some time to try something new.
I have been reading about fusing plastic bags in various magazines and how-to's but had yet to try it. This month's Craft magazine has instructions on how to make a tote and bucket hat using fused plastic bags. They look so darned cute (not that I have a need for a plastic bucket hat) I just had to try. I gathered and cut up some plastic bags, protective paper, and the iron and fused away. Yes, it worked. No, I am not thrilled at how the final piece of material looks. As my husband came in and saw me at the ironing board smoothing out Target bags he smiled and called me "one wacky chick". I know he likes my quirkiness. I now have a fused piece of plastic bags and don't know what to do with them. Perhaps I will do some colorful painting and stamping on them inspired by some of my favorite artist bloggers Alisa Burke and Traci Bautista.

I also made a trip to Barnes and Noble for some personal entertainment. I picked up the new House Beautiful magazine to read about Lucite coming back into home fashion. I also picked up Stampington's newest publication Art Journal Inspirations. Eye candy. I have only flipped through it thus far but am always pleased by how people create their journal pages in so many different and personal ways.

Shall I be a proud mommy and show the latest photo of my baby?

I do believe Tank is enjoying his new home. The weather in South Florida has been delightful and he loves to sit in the back yard and sun himself. Awwwwwww.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it has been over three months since I touched my blog. Bad me. Not that too many people were reading it. I wasn't writing much of anything too interesting. And then life got in the way and I stopped. Just stopped. But I vow to continue, redirect myself - have a home base in the web world.

Since my last posting, we celebrated the bar mitzvah of my son. He did phenomenal! We were all so proud. Following the service I threw him the most fantastic, music festival themed party. I must say that I missed nothing. It was great. The room, food, theme, music, activities, favors - it all just coordinated and flowed so well. He played guitar and rocked!

My new house was not ready for us to move into over the winter break. It still isn't. Our target is now late February. But it will be a wonderful place. My current home is more formal and is not representative of me. The new place will be filled with color, light, creativity and whimsy. I have lime green paint in the kitchen, orange walls in the office. And a craft room that is going to be a dream! I am in the process of designing the built in shelves. And an island with a cutting surface (need to find where to get one, though). Can't wait!!

One of my new year's resolutions (really the only real one that I admit to) is to create more art - live a more artful life. I have continued to create in my art journal, which I enjoy and is easy to work on wherever I am . I went ahead and registered for the Art and Soul retreat in Virginia in April. I can't wait to go! I can't think of a better treat for myself than spending four days surrounded by like minded individuals who love to create. I signed up for several very different workshops. Counting the days.

Finally, in the midst of everything, we adopted the most wonderful basset hound from the humane society. Pets are another sad result of the sagging economy. We benefited from others hardships, I suppose. We are thrilled to have Tank become part of our family and will give him the best love and care!

My scanner is completely broken and I am having to photograph things with my iphone and send it to email in order to post. Crazy, but I was waiting to move before I purchase new equipment. I will be researching the best scanner/printer/copier to best meet my needs. But now, I am going to cuddle up with Tank and be glad it is not cold in the South.