Studio welcomes me...

This is my studio and it is welcoming me with open doors! I feel a spring in my step just knowing I can get into making my creative messes. As you can see I do have a lot of sorting and organizing and putting away to do but at least the door is open.
I usually don't spend much time in here when the weather is cold and nasty as I am not motivated unless the sun is shining and I am toasty warm. Yes, of course I have heat and air conditioning in my studio but that is not the same as sunshine coming in through the windowed french door.
Today I spent a bit of time working on a birthday gift for my sister. I actually have two sisters with April birthdays. They were born 12 months and 12 days apart and spent their younger years being treated like twins by our mom. Of course both of them are younger than me.
I also put some paint on my new journal I am working on. I am inspired by the Somerset magazine "Art Journaling". I have no artistic drawing or painting skills however I do have a love for colors and collage. I realized while reading the magazine that I never even doodled in my life. While growing up I was not allowed to doodle, or twiddle my thumbs for that matter, because it was considered a waste of time and showed no intelligence as per my mother. Yes, now I realize that she was "different".
Actually my mom was very creative and was always crafting, sewing, cooking, canning and talented. She was left handed and I think that is why she was so creative. I am right handed as a side note. One year we all went collecting pine cones on our property in the mountains and then mom spent the summer wiring all of them together to place around the outside frames of the windows of the cabin. I loved the look of them. I remember her hands being pricked from the sharp pine cones but she perservered and completed every window. I think there were at least a half dozen on the cabin front.
I learned lots of crafting and sewing from my mom. Thank you mom. She is flying in heaven.
So sometimes I struggle with artistic endeavors but I am not giving up. I think I can learn to doodle and hopefully draw even at this stage of my life. I just need to remember that there is no perfection and that everything is a learning experience. I certainly have lots of artful supplies as I like to be prepared for whatever when it hits.
My wonderful husband built my studio and carefully measured every nook and cranny and counted all my storage containers to build them in perfectly and mainly to be organized as he HATES clutter. Nice try honey...I love to squeeze more stuff in every space possible. He even put an electrical outlet in the ceiling over the island for glue guns and such so I wouldn't get tangled in the cords. He made certain that I have doors that close off the studio and no one ever has to see my mish-mosh.
I really love my studio and having my very own space to be creative in. I think I shall go and splash some more paint on some paper and plan the next step to the birthday gift.
Happy creating everyone and thank you for letting me ramble on.
Saucy Chick Sherry

A new Monday...

A new Monday and the end of another month...March. How quickly the days pass by. We have beautiful sunshine and a slight breeze. We also have extreme tree pollen and the allergies are raging. Other than that it is breathtaking living here in the pines of Northern California.

I actually wrote down a To Do list last evening. I am not good at doing this as I think I should just be doing the items and not writing them down. My husband has always advised me to list them out and then I won't forget them. Hmmm... So far my list hasn't included one thing I have done so far this morning. You know the routine of breakfast, dishes, laundry, floor sweeping, gathering trash and whatever else comes along. So on that note, I better get busy working on the items on my list.

I do hope everyone has a wonderful Monday and the remainder of March.

Creative pursuits...

This is my husband's idea of creative pursuits. He is a master car guru and racer and used to race professionally. We don't own a stock vehicle and I am very glad about that as I do love cars too.

As for my creative pursuits you can see that I like to stay busy and create things as well. My etsy site has some of my creative endeavors. I usually make things and then donate them to worthy causes or give them to family and friends. Since I am not working a 9-5 job since last September I am hoping to subsidize my crafting budget with sales through http://createology.etsy.com (a shameless self promotion here).

I am giving a lot of thought and design time to my next dozen comfort dolls as my first dozen arrived safely and are on their journey to different women's shelters. It is such a rewarding feeling to be of support to someone else and hopefully bring smiles to their lives.

I am also extra excited as my Co-founder Saucy Chick Lorraine is coming home from wintering three weeks early this year. I am totally looking forward to spending our days together being creative and beading, gluing, sewing, wire-wrapping etcetera all while we share stories and laugh and cackle and vent and generally carry on. This is how we perfected the Saucy Chicks that we make and sell as well as donate to the local oncology department of the hospital. We currently have two "Bunny" Saucy Chicks on etsy for your review just in time for Easter.

Oh dear I really must clean up the studio before Saucy Chick Lorraine gets here soon. We will need lots of room to spread our wings and be creative. Well, maybe tomorrow I will work on that task. Cleaning and sorting and organizing is not my strong suit but my co-founder's.

I am seeing lots of new buds and sprouts and daffodils blooming in anticipation of winter ending.

Happy sHopping and Happy Spring to all.

Comfort Dolls Project

Oh what a feeling of joy I have today. I finally took the time to thread my needle and make a "bakers dozen" comfort dolls for battered women. They are getting mailed today and will soon have new owners to love and comfort.

This is a project founded by Pat Winter that I just happened to find one day while blog reading.
I was perusing blogs one day and of course did not leave my bread crumbs so had no idea where I had been or how to get back but my blog journey led me to http://www.comfortdolls.blogspot.com/ and I just knew I had to participate.

So I thought for several days and realized I had to make a “bakers dozen” so I could give one to Pat Winter who began this project and then of course a dozen to be sent off to a receiving women’s shelter. What was I going to make and how were they going to look and what would they be? I decided on my butterfly theme and began cutting out butterflies from fabrics. Some how I thought of the ribbon bodies and they just had to have sparkle and beads in them. I also had to put a heart on each one and then of course a charm.

I am certain that I will be making more comfort dolls in my future as I have lots more ideas in this createology mind. My Saucy Chick createology co-founder will be making them with me when she returns from wintering elsewhere. I emailed the photos and info to her last night and she was very excited to get busy on making more.

What a heartfelt and wonderful project this is. Thank you Pat Winter for thinking of this and working tirelessly to accomplish this goal.

I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to hopefully bring a smile to someone's life.

Creatively, Saucy Chick Sherry

Friday already???

Well, I can hardly believe this is Friday already. I remember Monday, then it was Wednesday and now suddenly it is Friday. My goodness the time is flying by this year. I know the old adage that as we age time passes more quickly but I have lots of younger...much younger...people feeling the same and commenting on how fast the days are flying by.

I just had to show the pictures of this little red shoe. It is a size 5 and my daughter wore this shoe when she was very young and adorable. She actually had two of them...a right and a left and she wore them as a pair. I however only have this one shoe left. My grandmother had the other shoe as a remembrance but through the years after Grandmother passed away the little red shoe got lost from its mate. To this very day I just love this little red shoe and of course my daughter, now grown, so very much. I keep this red shoe displayed in my dressing room and I smile every day when I look at it and remember the times she wore it. I still have a passion for shoes and especially red shoes.

Today is the official first day of Spring and our weather here in Northern California was absolutely perfect! Blue skies, sunshine and happy daffodils blooming everywhere. Our little stretch of highway along town has thousands of daffodils that are blooming and making drivers smile. However, we are well aware of the changing mood of Mother Nature and we are on alert for rain and snow by this Saturday night. Yes, it will smash the daffodils as it does every year but somehow they seem to bounce back and look happy no matter what.

I have enjoyed this week even as quick as it came and went. I hope each of you have had a wonderful week and will continue to have many more wonderful weeks ahead.

Lots of rain...

Hello blog readers:

We are having another couple of days of rain here in Northern California. I am happy because we so desperately need the water table. My daffodils are happy because they are just beginning to blossom. The froggies in the pond are happy and singing and swimming and singing. I even hear them singing during the night. It is a most happy sound.

As it was raining yesterday I had the opportunity to do laundry while indoors and snuggly. I also had the ambition to clean out some cupboards in the utility room. My husband and I have lived here in this home for a decade already. It is amazing what I manage to cram into cupboards. I am famous for fitting 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag but that is not always a compliment. I found things in the cupboards that had gotten shoved way into the back where no one could have seen it from a normal position. However I saw everything yesterday as I was up and down the step stool and crawling around the floor on my hands and knees. I reorganized lots of cleaning supplies and made them easier to access. I donated lots of crafty things I will never get to. I threw away lots of junk that I will never use nor need. I didn't help out my studio as I carried lots of supplies into it and shut that door. I had paper making supplies, paint, glues, finishes and other assorted crafting supplies in the utility room thinking that I would be working on those types of projects there because of the large sink with water. Well, in ten years I have not done so and decided that craft and art supplies really belong in the studio. My Saucy Chick Co-founder agreed via telephone that when we are working on a project in the studio I am always saying, "Oh, that is upstairs" and running to get whatever it is we need at the moment.

After an entire day of lots of toil and trouble I have some very nice and clean and neat cupboards. I also left some empty just to impress my husband who always complains that I have too much stuff. I definitely needed a good long Epsom soak in the air-jet tub last evening.

Today I do not have the same ambition as yesterday even though it is still raining. I am doing paperwork and correspondence at my desk. Our home office is very quiet and cave-like without even so much as a window to hear or see the rain. Fill water table, fill.

Butterflies always make me smile. They are the bearer's of 10,000 happinesses.

Yes, we can do it...

Funny how a picture tells all. I just felt like this photo fits me right now. I am not the physically strongest nor do I like to get dirty. I am actually a very prissy girly girl and I always have been. Right now my arms feel like jelly and are all wobbly because I just spent several hours out in the yard cleaning and weeding and pruning. Any of you who live in the land of snow and rain know the ravages it can wreak on landscaping. Plants get smashed to the ground and stay wet and soggy and mold. The lawn gets snow fungus and matted down so badly it is next to impossible to rake it loose without pulling out what little lawn is left. The roses get broken and beat down...I should say the rose limbs since the deer eat all the rose blossoms before I get to enjoy them. The oak leaves are so stuck to the wet ground that they get moldy. They also get in the pond and make "black tea" which is very nasty indeed. The pine needles are a lot of fun to pick up if you remember back to being a kid and playing pick-up-sticks.

So I figure if I can spend just a few hours each week and especially when the weather is dry and sunny then I can get a huge amount done to spruce up the yard. We have slopes in the front and back and sides so it is a challenge to work on those as well. Each year the Soroptomist call and ask if we will be on the garden tour but both my husband and I have decided that is not something we need to do. I just cannot imagine how much more work and expense we would need to incur just to be up to par. When the weather gets better I will take photos and post the pond. Right now I have froggies serenading me with their lovely croaking lullabies. When it was raining they were swimming and sitting on the lily pads...just the way it should be.

Now I shall go and drink some iced tea and then I think a long soak in the tub with Epsom Salts is in order. Yes, we can do it Josephine!

Accomplishment...

Wow! Do I feel a huge sense of accomplishment today. While we are having yet another day of drizzle and dreary weather I actually was able to complete my apron as pictured above. It is named Lilly Apron from Busy Bee Quilt Design 2008. Our local Ben Franklin carries the pattern and the ladies in the fabric department made and wear these and I always love them. So my friend Ginny and I visited our local Sugar Pine Quilt shop one rainy Sunday and I fell in love with these fabrics. The blues and greens are probably my all time favorite color combinations and the paisleys have always been my favorite. Now I feel "Cheery Not Dreary"!

I definitely feel like my little girl is wearing her pinafore and mary jane shoes and is ready to twirl!! I actually am wearing my black mary janes but they don't show in the photo. It doesn't matter how I look in the photo or in real life because inside I am beautiful and happy.

Thank you Ginny for giving me inspiration. Your apron is fabulous too. I love your fabric selections as well...in chocolate and blue. We shall have to twirl together next time we see one another.

Happy twirling all you girly girls out there.

Whew...

Well, yesterday I finally commented on the very first blog I ever read or followed:

http://kerriposson-artist.blogspot.com/

I don't know why my hesitation has been so great to merely read and follow from the shadows. I feel like I know this woman after reading her blog for over a year now. I suppose I feel like I am so not capable as she is and many other bloggers are. Well, that is just nonsense and the grown up in me knows that but the little voice on my shoulder tells me to wait and get more blogging experience. Maybe I will get good just from time passing by. More than likely I shall get good at blogging from reading, writing and opening myself up to others comments and sites. What a concept. Sharing and learning. Isn't that what we do from the time we are wee little ones? I am actually very good at sharing...but maybe not so good at opening myself up for criticism.

I discovered blogging from buying Artful Blogging from my favorite Somerset Studios publication way back in Spring of 2007. I still find it incredibly interesting to read and follow others blogs. I actually got excited when I opened my own createology blog one day and found a comment posted. Wow, someone read my blog. How did they find me? Did they like what they read? I have tried lots of different content however I find the most comfortable is to just sit at the computer and begin typing without a script or really knowing what topic I might cover.

I do hope blogging continues for a very long time. It is fascinating to find so many diverse blogs and the people who write them. I am thankful for this venue.

Ahh...creativity exists

Well, at last a new item is listed on our etsy site. A shameless self promotion http://createology.etsy.com for your review and purchase.

With all this rain we are having we were beginning to wonder if our creative muse would break forth from the shadows. Thank you muse. You are the best and most creative.

The rain actually should be a double blessing...life for humans, animals, plants and recreation along with the opportunity to stay indoors and not whine about missing the wonderful sunshine and being outdoors. I for one am very grateful for the opportunity to stay inside and create. My sewing bug has bitten and I am so ready to sew more fabric and make things. Some ideas are overflowing in my head as I type.

Thank you for stopping by and also in advance for checking out our etsy shop.

March on in...

Wow! March is upon us and with it are some pretty substantial rains. Our grounds here are very wet and the water is puddling on the surface because we have had so much rain in the last several days. Saturday Mr. Saucy Chick and I spent hours in the yard cleaning around the pond to get out the fallen leaves and pine needles that accumulate. The bogs not only look better it allows room for the air and sun (if we ever have any again) to get to the new plants that need to grow and flourish. Every year we have many challenges keeping our yard safe and sound from the ravages of winter and critters...mainly deer who eat and trample everything. Just a couple days ago there was a very wet, scraggly coyote on the back slope and was staring intently at me through the kitchen window looking very hungry. Luckily I was not lunch for a coyote.

Some of my daffodils are standing proud and looking ready to burst forth with bloom. Others planted late last fall are just beginning to sprout from the earth. I love the hope that daffodils bring that Spring will come. Of course we will still have winter weather long after the daffodils bloom but at least they are the bright and happy spot in dreary.

Remember my daily winter motto: Cheery not dreary.