studio progress and a surprise

happy friday everyone!

we have been on spring break here...

and have been enjoying the nice weather.

i have been working on moving my studio

into another room in our house now for about 2 weeks.

i am almost done. 

*whew*

it has been quite a chore,

but i am loving my own space.

my old studio was located in the added on porch.

where everyone walked in to our home.

it was cold and drafty due to the leaking windows and doors.

we will be fixing that but first i had to move out.

anywho.

i received this buffet from my mom.

it belonged to my dad's grandparents. 

i loved it but wanted to update it abit.

gave it a couple of coats of paint,

sanded,

added some yellow ochre glaze,

then added some new knobs from hobby lobby.

i have always loved sunflowers

and sunrises.

this yellow has a wonderful glow to it.

a ray of sunshine, just so bright and warm.

the surprise?

my santos doll 'raine' was featured in the newest issue

of folk magazine!

i was so shocked and honored!

a great way to start a weekend!

better get back to organizing the last bits of

stuff in my studio.

hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

i am linking up to

studio jru

miss mustard seed

farmgirl friday blog hop

funky junk interiors

you can follow my art and updates

on facebook here.

can't fiqure out to put a facbook button yet...

a sneak peak friday

today i am joining for the first time 'in the studio' friday sneak peak hosted by

jennifer at studio jru

hello fellow creative, artsy people!

*waves*

thank you for visiting!

i have been busy making some new angel santos dolls.

this is a new avenue for me.

(you can read about it here)

  

can't wait to get them finished.

i will have to wait a bit though,

as i am in the process of moving my studio to another room

in our home.

this means a BIG purge.

but i am excited! 

i will be posting pictures of my progress.

i am really looking forward to

having a less cluttered creative space where i can

be inspired,

not frustrated by the stuff laying around that

i don't use.

(this is my current studio...see what i mean!)

very embrassing...

(this is where i am going to move to)

hope everyone has a blessed and creative day!

our unusual february thunderstorm

 here in nebraska we are use to thunderstorms.

you know...

hail,

strong winds,

rain,

and tornadoes.

however...

NOT in february.

usually these type of storms don't happen until

summer.

this is what we experienced yesterday.

this is hail...not snow.

 a second storm coming...

it went just south of us. but i got a call from my mom

saying it was hailing there again.

the clouds did make for pretty pictures though

this storm produced the first tornado ever in february.

it happened maybe 50 miles from here.

just a reminder of the awesome power  that can

come out of no where.

we did have a little snow during the night.

as we say in nebraska...

if you don't like the weather,

wait a few hours.



trying again

i remember back in college

taking a pottery class.

though i loved the thought of it,

my hands couldn't make what i wanted.

could not get the clay centered on the wheel.

i never did seem to get the whole score and slip thing down.

my pieces would fall apart in the kiln.

i would look at another with envy,

her fairy was so life-like.

seems to me that 'she' could of winked at me

and i wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

her wings so delicate.

her face just on the verge of a smile.

'she' was gorgeous.

the maker humbled.

shy.

now years later i am taking an e-course.

one assignment-if we wanted to,

was to make a santos cage doll.
taught by jennifer rizzo

i was thinking 'no way'

don't need to be going down that road again.

but after watching the video...

i had a feeling...thoughts in my head

'go, give it try...what do you have to lose.'

so i did.

the history of santos dolls can be found here

http://www.santoscagedoll.com/history-of-santos-dolls/

i have learned that though i failed once...doesn't mean

that i shouldn't try again.

it could be fun the second time around.

or the third.

or even the twentieth

painting of the sky

i may be biased.

but i think that central nebraska

has the most beautiful sunsets

and sunrises

that i have ever seen.

moving out in the country

8 years ago was a first for me.

was always a town girl.

loved driving out in the country though.

we were able to buy a farm house

so mr farmer could be closer to his land.

we had been living in town since we were married.

i had bought a house when i moved back after collage.

we thought that living there made more sense than spending

money on rent.

mr farmer was excited to be able to be back to his roots.

i was completely taken with the view.

with no buildings blocking my

front seat view to the paintings in the sky.

sometimes they looked like the land was on fire.

it reminded me of my days in college.

pottery class and glass blowing class.

you have to use fire, or heat to make things beautiful.

and stronger.

lately i have been thinking that these are a reminder from God.

the most beautiful sunsets come after a storm.

so if you are going through a storm or don't think that

you can take much more 'heat',

please know that He is with you...

making you not only stronger

but beautiful.

creatively made

a few weeks ago i signed up for an online art/mixed media class

by jeanne oliver
called creatively made.

this week was the first class,

first set of videos,

(which are very imformative and detailed)

and the first assignment.

i LOVED IT!

i have already met a few people that are from nebraska

or live somewhere else but are originally from nebraska.

i have met people from other countries.

i am so excited to see how God will use this class in

each of our lives.

oohhh and i am excited.

my mom signed up on friday!

will be excited not only to do this class with her,

but to see God move in her life.

in the areas were she is struggling.

this was our first assignment

to make a journal to record our thoughts.

jeanne asks some question each week for us to answer.

this first week was all about finding or rediscovering our gifts

that God has given us.

she showed us several ways to do a journal.

this was another way that i couldn't wait to get my hands on.

taking a catalog...anthropologie

cover what we don't like

keep what we do.

but to use it to write thoughts and dreams

and prayers.

i know you can still sign up until monday.

(use the link above...can't seem to add another link here)

have a great day creating!

ps...is anyone else with blogger having problems hightlighting

to add links?

and it not showing spaces between lines?

my posts look mushed.

wow!

two years....almost!

hello to any of my readers

if i have any.

things have finally slowed down.

when things were coming so fast, my blog was the first to go.

plus, i wasn't feeling very creative.

but now i am back.

and feeling inspired.

last month a few friends and i decided to get together every tuesday for a craft day.

every month we will try sometime new.

in december we picked making rag rugs.

out of thrifted sheets.

oh my goodness, how fun!

this is mine.

for my studio.

i have a concrete floor.

my feet get very cold standing on it.

i haven't crocheted since i was 12.

i am much older now. :)

it was a hoot because none of us really knew what we were doing.

but thanks to kyla

we were able to figure it out.

she helped me with the scalloped edge.

my friend jennie has really taken the craft on.

she has made 5 rugs.

started three more.

i think.

i would love to try to make a large one that looks like a doily.

like the one below found on pinterest.

found here

http://pinterest.com/pin/195273333812736473/

this month we are doing journals.

using the coptic stitch.

we just decorated the cover this week and will stitch the books together next week.

will post photos when we are done.

hope everyone has a creative day!

God bless!