you and me

This mirror was in my mom's crafty space and she passed it on to me. Sometimes we get pieces to create with and as time passes the inspiration leaves the building. When I saw it I loved it! Wasn't sure what was going to happen with it though.

Fast forward a year and to me redoing my studio. When I found it again hiding in the corner of the studio I got to work on it. It has two of my favorites- pearls and a paper flower. I added words of love and happily ever after on the shelf and at the top. Even though it will be on display at Kelly's this month, I've found three places in my home it would look perfect in!

Follow your Heart

I'm obsessed with crayon art. I love all the different things you can do to make an old, dull crayon have a second chance at life. However, sometimes my creations are a little dangerous. I know you're wondering what's so dangerous about CRAYONS!?

Well, I should confess to you that I don't have a sense of smell. Rarely can I smell things. A random coffee here, a pot of my favorite soup simmering on the stovetop or sometimes a minty addition to my bath catch an olfactory nerve and I'm in heaven. But 99% of the time- nothing. Nada. Zilch.

So, I'm hanging out in my studio. All the lights are blazing and two computers are up and running. The television, cable box and surround sound are cranking. I'm buzzing from too much coffee and more ideas than time. Em comes in and changes the channel to one of those ghost story shows. The scary reenactment ones. I don't even notice because I'm feeding crayons through the glue gun. On Pinterest they make it look easy. It's not. I'm burning my fingers. The muscles in my entire body are pushing on this little glue gun (I didn't want to risk ruining my big, good one)! We are in a full out fight! I think I might be winning. Em goes upstairs to start dinner (when I'm in the ZONE I can't be bothered with domestic duties) and I glance up to see that this lady is about to be attacked by the ghost on tv when BAM! Spark! Smoke!

I scream and jump. I'm sure that ghost is about to get me. Wait. Smoke? Yep. The hot glue gun had caught fire and blew the power for the entire house. "Couldn't you tell how hot it was?" That's the question following the pitter-patter of the footsteps flying down the stairs. Well. Yes. Of course I knew it was hot. It's a hot glue gun. However, I could not smell the smoke! And she wouldn't let me plug that hot glue gun in again. Ever! Good thing I had another hot glue gun and she still had dinner to make.

I hope you enjoy this piece. It wasn't easy to make! It will be one of the focal pieces for First Friday on February 1, 2013, in Downtown Bloomington at Kelly's Bakery & Cafe. See you there 5-8.

Midwestern Oldtimer

I love the TV show American Pickers.  This piece makes me think of Mike and Frank wandering around the Midwest looking for the perfect pieces to add to their store or personal connections.  Through our kitchen table creations we have put our passion of picking to good use and love seeing old relics get a new chance at life.

Ride a Bike

Though I prefer a perfect spring day for a bike ride, some of my friends are willing to pedal off any day of the year.  The map for this piece was found in a garage of an estate sale and I got it for a dime. I'm pretty sure the gals at the checkout didn't see the beauty in this water damaged atlas that I was so excited to find. Notice the stamping on the bottom of this map of Illinois.  I had a great time painting the gray highlights onto the bike.  It really gave it wonderful dimension.  I am getting so excited for Friday night! This past month has flown by and it's almost time to redecorate Kelly's Bakery & Café.

Dream Collage

This mixed media collage has The Daily Pantagraph from 1963 as the base layer.  Some of the quirky articles can still be seen through the paint and top layers.  Sheet music, graphic paper, a page from a book published in Braille, acrylic paints, a coffee filter flower and mirrored images make up the layers on this piece.  This will be one of the items for our First Friday in February. 

Check out Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday (http://betweennapsontheporch.net/woven-ottoman-stool-for-the-office/)  for more creative ideas! Great party going on there with lots of crafty people sharing their work. Enjoy!

Tour the Studio

WELCOME! My newly redesigned studio makes my heart sing! Pieces are coming together like you wouldn't believe in my new space.  I can find everything so easily and when I want some fun bit or bauble I'm not tripping over everything to find it. (And if you know me personally, you know I spent the fall with a broken rib because of a klutzy moment in the hoarder-state the studio used to be in!)  Open a drawer or door or cabinet and there is what you desire! Amazing concept. I know. You have no idea how bad it was! I decided not to even take before pictures. Let me explain that in one corner was an explosion of Christmas pieces that never came together, in another was a leaning tower of totes and boxes up to the ceiling...again with ideas that never came together, and in yet another corner was paper perched on top of bushel baskets on top of wrapping paper on top of frames. It was an avalanche waiting to happen. Since putting the studio in order, I've found six pieces that just needed a touch or two more to be finished. 

The cabinet, which has an incredible work surface, has drawers that now hold what used to be in totes and boxes stacked to the ceiling. Paper, music pages and newspapers along with bits and baubles hide in plain site now for me. This cabinet was more than I ever pay for anything! However, it was so worth it and when you consider that we've remodeled the basement and been able to reuse our couches and coffee tables, it was okay to spend the entire furniture budget of the remodel on this piece.  The table in the middle of the room was a side-table in a dining room and I bought it the last day of an estate sale for 70% off the ticket price making it $10.

 Among these bookshelves are obviously books but also more paper storage and my stamps and inks. Ribbon and fabric are in the black drawers and I have lots of space on top to stash some treasures. The bookshelves were a present (gift certificates from our Civil Union and Christmas last year).  The storage for the paper was bought YEARS ago when I was scrapbooking a lot. Don't even ask to see our family scrapbooks...you'd be disappointed! The organizational unit on wheels beside the table was a Christmas present to me from Emily this year.  It has an open top that is deep set and has three cloth drawers. My fancy scissors, punches, paints and collage supplies are in here and thanks to the wheels can move to any area of the room easily.
Please ignore that there is bit still to sort through under the main table!
Life is a work in progress, isn't it?! 
The table to the left is created from the top of a table I found on the side of the road (our old neighbors were throwing it out) and the base is the other part of the white shelves that are sitting on top of the awesome cabinet. My printer, extra computer and sewing machine hangout on the shelves below the table.

LOTS of work surface on top! Love this reclaimed wood piece. It was made from a barn that had been taken down.  It's so rustic that I don't feel badly that it already has paint, hot glue and
glitter in spots. Even though we found it at Furniture Row in Oak Express, it fits perfectly with our style. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the piece we had been searching for!

This big white cabinet came from the salvage warehouse in town.  We had it in the office on our second floor and it was tough to move to the basement!  We had to cut off part of the top to get it to fit. We got a great price on this because we are members of the Old House Society. I don't remember how much we paid as we got it several years ago! We had to paint it and add the hardware. The smaller set of drawers to the left of the big cabinet was $1 at an auction.  I bid $5 and the auctioneer gave it to me for a buck because it was in such horrible condition. However, the hardware was there and I had vision...even though it was leaning and had birds living in it!  The cabinet  with the glass doors came from a thrift store in downtown Bloomington. It was already white! Love the glass doors on it! It was missing a top piece and didn't have a base cabinet with it so they weren't sure what to do with it.  It was priced to move and they were having a 50% off sale. Even better! I added a piece of shelving that was in my classroom and I was no longer using.  The ribbon shelf above came from mom for Christmas last year...along with the little vacuum- she knows that I craft without care of where the pieces of paper go as I work (much like her)!

Thanks for coming for the tour of the new studio! I'm off to create now. Have a creative day yourself!

Love is in the Air

     We are in preparations for the First Friday in February: Tour de Chocolate in Downtown Bloomington.  Mark your calendar for February 1, Friday, from 5-8.  We will have our lovely opening at Kelly's Bakery and Café that evening.  Stop in for "Chocolate Soup" from the bakery and check out the new pieces on the walls from Our Kitchen Table Creations!  Make sure to make your way through all of downtown for lots of chocolate treats and then head to the Castle to see Chicago Farmer...that's our plans for the evening. (I love him! Check him out on iTunes.)  For the February First Friday my pieces will be on display and if you see something you like, you pay at the counter and can take your item at the time of purchase.
     Love is in the air and I've got some great new pieces for the show. Lots of new techniques and experiments have made their way into the creations.  I've been really enjoying my time in the studio this three day weekend! Don't you love how the wood from my new cabinet looks behind these letters? I have a whole line of these pieces. Stay tuned to see pictures from my new studio and to sneak peeks at the pieces that will be on display starting February 1.