Reality Check

We've had a lot of ice here resulting in lots of snow days. Which gave plenty of time to work on cleaning and organizing my studio. I was shocked at how much time it took to get it back on track. I spent more than forty hours to get the studio to the place I wanted it to be.  Ultimately, I'm glad it took that long, because it gave me a lot of time to think.

I spent the first few days feeling frustrated that my space was too small for all of the projects that I wanted to do. Now, I feel grateful for the space that I do have.

I was overwhelmed becaue I had so many projects that I wanted to get to. Now, I am feeling more focused.

The picture above shows how many bins of stuff I was able to donate, share with art friends, or rehome in my studio. That's a lot of stuff. Nobody needs that much stuff! I am concentrating on feeling grateful for the time, and space and ability that I have. And I can't thank the Amazing Alice enough.  She is the best organizer and most encouraging cheerleader ever! I'll post pictures of my "new" space next week.

One of the first projects that I worked on was new jewelry for the emporium at LibertyTown. This bracelet reminds me of the saying "as the crow flies". Okay, they're swallows, but you know what I mean.

These copper earrings are now at LibertyTown, too. I've been in a very birdy mood lately.

I also got a chance to do another pouring of Susan Lenart Kazmer's Ice Resin between bouts of tossing and sorting. The more I use this product, the more I like it. I have big plans. And now, I'll even have some elbow room when I'm putting pieces together. It doesn't get any better than that.

I am so ready to get back into the studio and make some art! The  Amazing Alice is coming this week to help me get  my studio organized. Again.

I did it on my own last year, but I didn't keep up with it. I guess I enjoy having a certain amount of disarray around me when I work. It feels like I'm actually doing something. Of course, when I spend twenty minutes searching for sa tool that should be right at hand, I get really frustrated. Hopefully the Amazing Alice will be able to help me balance my two sides.

In the meantime, I have been playing around with some Photoshop filters and doing a little junkin'.The results of both are in the photo above. (That's the poster edges filter. I love the texture that it adds.)

I fell in love with this piece when I saw it. It's a Victorian-era sweetheart pin. A coin was smoothed out on one side, and engraved with the name "Annie". There are two little holes at the bottom of the coin. I'm thinking of draping a chain between the two holes. The pin back isn't functional, so I'll probably add a top hole and incorporate it into a necklace at some point.

In the meantime, I'll daydream about Annie, and how thrilled she must have been to recieve such a beautiful gift.

I'm very excited to use these. They are number stamps in a really old wooden box. Each number is about 1/2" tall. I've never seen them this large before. I'm tempted to use the stamps themselves in a piece. I think they're just gorgeous.

Here is a closeup of some of the other bits that I found. These little things make me so happy!

Warning: creepy baby alert! Scroll no further if you don't want to see a closeup of my new baby.

Oh, I'm glad you decided to look at her. She's very sweet, really. She doesn't have the scary little teeth that some of the babies have. I use most of my composition dolls in my art pieces, but this little doll was a birthday gift, and so she isn't in danger of being put in precarious positions, like most of my other compo babies. Take a look at the Bates numbering machine next to her, too. My heart skipped a beat when I found this thing.
I'm already wondering where the homes should be for these objects, so I'll be able to find them when I'm ready for them. Hopefully the Amazing Alice has some of the answers!

Quilt Archaeology

This post comes to you thanks to my friend The Amazing Alice who is not only crafty, but organized! Last January, I finally got around to doing a big studio clean-up. At the end of all of my hard work, I discovered that I'd accidentally thrown out a bag of vintage linens. I was especially sad to lose the cutter quilt, that I'd used as the background for Heartfelt, and the rest of the feed sack that I'd used for Seed Sower. I told my sad story to Sister Alice, and a few weeks later, she gifted me with this gorgeous cutter quilt. (Alice actually gets rid of things on purpose!)

You can see how delicate the old fabric was. In some areas it was practically falling apart in my hands. When I looked inside the openings in the fabric, I could see that there was another quilt layered under the first one. I gently removed the green floral border, and then began the process of removing the knots so that I could peel off the top of the quilt to see what was underneath.

This is the quilt that I found underneath. The first quilt top fit a double bed. The quilt underneath was the size of a single bed. I'd like to think that a young bride extended the size of the quilt when she got married.


Guess what was used to extend the quilt? Feed sacks! I was so thrilled.

After I removed the feed sacks, I got to see the original twin-sized quilt. I folded over the back so you can see the black and white floral print  fabric that was on the other side.

I can't wait to use it in a future project. In the meantime, I folded each of the pieces very neatly and put them in a clear plastic bag, so that there is no possibility that this treasure will get discarded.