Nesting for Creativity

As I mentioned last week, I recently did a little spring cleaning around the office.  Now my art space - my first, real, all my own spot reserved 24/7 solely for my creative work - is feeling much fresher.

Or at least it was up until I got back to work the following day.  At the moment, my desk is again cluttered with papers, pens and projects in-progress.  Does it help that it's at least all organized into separate piles?

My mind tends to reflect the state of my surroundings, so I generally try my best to keep my space neat and clear.  In fact, one of my favorite morning rituals is sweeping the floor.  Maybe that sounds hopelessly OCD, but it really enhances how I feel and think.  It's like wiping down my mental and emotional chalkboard and starting with a clean slate, first thing in the day. 

But sometimes I get lazy, things get messy, and my mind starts to feel a little scattered or sticky.

For this reason, I am currently working to cultivate a space that feels neat, nurturing and inspiring.

Just as we make nest for our baby-babies, this ritual is equally important in the rearing of our creative-babies.  My goal is to surround myself with colors, images, and textures that nourish my heart and creative spirit.  My hope is that putting a little love into my studio will both motivate me to keep it consistently clean and organized, and also enhance my process and productivity.

I haven't got much to work with starting out, but a quick trip to the Goodwill provided adequate fodder.  For less than $2, I brought home a couple of cute and colorful frames, complete with hangers and matting.

I just wiped down the glass and frame, made a few little snippity snips, and in no time at all had some cute, original artwork to perk up my otherwise bare walls. 

I never seem to get tired of foxes. 

I love thrifty deals and making old things like new :-)

Best Day EVER!

Yes, the sun is out and the snow is gone (for now) and it's the first day of the year that really feels like spring!

But that's not the only thing marking today as so monumentally awesome. 

This morning I drove down to Front Royal where an entire art studio was being cleaned out, and all items being sold for just A DOLLAR.

The last time I scored such an incredible $1 deal was back in December when I found an awesome vintage chair at the Re-Store in Purcerville.

I'm so thankful right now.  Paper, canvas, sketchbooks, so many pencils and fountain pens and nibs and ink and it's all pretty amazing!

I even documented my haul.  The box below and its entire contents were sold to me for $1.

The slides (which are of French Impressionist paintings), bottles of ink, set of brushes and pencils were all purchased for an additional dollar each.  I also brought home canvases, pads of watercolor paper, nice drawing paper, a big sketchbook, and a box of neon acrylic paints (not sure what I'll use those for).  I spent $24 total.

Thank You!!!

I'm ready to get to work :-)

The little things

 I found a pink-petaled mug covered in Siamese kitties at the hospice thrift shop down the street.

It might be my new favorite thing.

Or at least its' currently tied for first with homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups. 

The cold snap hasn't been good for much, but it's certainly made hanging around indoors easy.

I've been working on some doodle illustrations for a fun new project.

Here's a little sneak peek:

Last night I sat drawing at the kitchen table for hours, wrapped up in an electric blanket.

So I guess winter isn't so bad :)

And in case you're eager to give them a try...

Here's my (highly unscientific) "recipe" for peanut butter cups:

- Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate

- Coconut Oil

- Sugar

- Vanilla Extract

- Salt

- Peanut Butter

- Paper cupcake cups

1. Chop/shave chocolate and place in small sauce pan

2. Add about 1 tablespoon of Coconut oil for every ounce of chocolate.

3. Add about 1.5 tablespoon of sugar per ounce of chocolate. (All I had in my cupboard was sugar in the raw, so I ground it very fine using a mortal and pestle.  Store bought powdered sugar would probably also work, but I can't recommend a dosage so you'd have to just add to taste).

4. Add a pinch of salt.

5. Place pot over low heat and stir until all ingredients have melted.

6. Remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

7. Pour a thin layer of melted chocolate into cupcake cups (it may help to place cups in a cupcake pan if you have one, but I didn't and I managed just fine).

8. Add a dollop of peanut butter to each cup

9. Cover peanut butter with remaining chocolate, and place cups in freezer to cool.

Enjoy!

Poppies in the Kitchen and Reverse Glass Painting

While exploring Purcerville over the weekend, Evan and I happened upon a Re-Store on its final day before moving, selling everything at 90% off.  Yes, ninety percent.  

Oh, I was excited.  Especially considering how bare the inside of our new little home is still looking. 

I found this adorable vintage chair with poppy print cushion for one dollar.

I also took home a great window for just $2.50, and proceeded to try my hand at reverse glass painting. 

Golden California Poppies, Naturally :-)

Not a masterpiece by any means, but it was a valuable experiment and will certainly brighten up the kitchen.

I also brought home a second piece of glass from the Re-Store - one that's over six feet tall!  I have something in mind for it, but would like to improve my technique a bit before diving into that project...

Secondhand sketchbook makeover

So I found a couple of unused sketchbooks at an estate sale today for 75 cents a piece.  Talk about great finds at a great price!  But what to do about their shabby appearance?   

Step 1: Mask off the edges and position stencil securely with double-sided tape.

Step 2: Apply acrylic craft paint.

Step 3: Admire handiwork.

I'm quite satisfied with these.  Not only because the process was so quick and easy, but also because of how vibrant and fun the end products turned out to be.  All for under 2 bucks!!  It really pays to keep your eyes peeled for those secondhand fixer-uppers.  

That's it for today, see you next time :)