It's a Blog Party!

One of my favorite books of all time is "Go, Dog, Go!" Today, I'm tweaking that fabulous title to read, "Go, Blog, Go!" Because...it's a Blog Party! I won't even ask you if you like my hat. I'm just so happy to be invited to the party.

This Blog Party is hosted by Karen Valentine, creator of the "My Desert Cottage" blog. Every July, Karen urges women to blog about the spaces in which they create their art. Links for the blog hop will be available at www.mydesertcottage.com on Saturday, July 14.

Now I'm not a professional artist, but I love to spend my free time paper crafting. Who wants to cook, clean and do laundry when you can stay in your comfies and scrapbook or make cards? I think Twyla Tharp had it exactly right when she said, "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." And what better way for me to kick off my "staycation" from my day job than to share with you my favorite place to be. I hope you enjoy the tour of my creative space!

First of all, have you had your coffee? Any decent "creative" day starts with caffeine, of course. Here's where I make mine. Now, get your coffee cup, settle in and I'll tell you all about my creative workspace.

One year ago, our family moved to a tiny condo in Seattle to make it possible for our daughter to pursue ballet training. It was hard to leave to my very own fabulous "craft room" in our farmhouse on gorgeous 21+ acres. But I did it anyway. This, I will likely remind my precious dancer for years to come, might possibly have been my biggest sacrifice of all! I don't have my colorful, private, creative haven like I had on the farm--but I have a lovely little place in the city that has magically "expanded" to accommodate my craft supplies! I have definitely adjusted.

As is the case with most moves, the first thing we had to do was scour IKEA for a good craft storage option. Thanks be to the almighty Expedit bookshelf! My prayers were answered. It might seem cluttered, but it holds a TON of stuff.

It's so fun to play with little vignettes in each cube! I am inspired by color and vintage treasures, so I'm definitely more creative when I'm at home surrounded by my favorite things. I've got my small, sweet pastel-hued pottery...

And my fun little letterpress and dice collections...

And my vintage Space Needle music box that plays "Stardust." We can see the Space Needle--which turned 50 this year--from home. Happy birthday to my favorite Seattle icon!

I can't quilt to save my life, but I love them so much so I keep several around my space. It doesn't matter to me if they are "cutters" or less than perfect. What matters to me is the look, the feel, and absolutely the smell (no stinkers)!

My daughter crocheted these "Mother's Day" posies for me when she was in third grade. I adore the vintage Strawberry Ice Cream box from Spokane in the background. I pull it out of storage every summer.

I am surrounded by delightful colors--everywhere.

Not all of our furnishings can from IKEA, though. My husband has made plenty of furniture for our home. Our kitchen table consists of two five-foot pine tables and a side table with a shelf underneath to hold more of my craft supplies.

A very cool vintage drawer tipped on end holds all of my stamp pads.

I really appreciate the gorgeous array of Fresh Ink stamp pads--available at one of my favorite stores, Impress.

Shelly Rollins, creator of the Bungalow Bling blog, made these floral stems from wire and vintage crate paper. I love them so much. I learned about the "Where Bloggers Create" blog party--because I faithfully read her blog! Thanks for your daily inspiration, Shell.

 

This rack is an old, rusty canning rack. It can hold five or six Mason canning jars...or it can hold my mail...or it can hold all sorts of junk that I don't know what to do with.

I keep my paper flowers in a huge blue jar with a nickel lid for a floral display that never wilts. Thank you to my sweet friend for bringing me sweet peas from the Pike's Place Market yesterday!

And if there's stamp pads, there must be stamps. Here is my collection. I don't do well with supplies that are stashed away, covered up or out-of-sight; I need everything right at my fingertips to be creative.

Speaking of at your fingertips...how fantastic is this mother-of-all Longaberger baskets? It has a wonderful plastic, divided insert that holds my mists, pens, pencils, Washi tapes, acrylic blocks, an old-fashioned whack-it-at-your-eardrums-peril eyelet setter (see the mallet?), a rainbow of Sharpies and more.

The kitchen table(s) is where I work on layouts and cards and anything else I'm inspired to create at any given time.

 All of our dining chairs are covered in a different fabric. How could I possibly choose just one?!

Every scrapper needs sweets. Hard candy lasts longer, but my all-time favorite is a bowl of Skittles.

If I need a break, I can kick back and relax here. I love to recharge by reading, knitting...or napping!

My lovely space inspires me to stay home to create my own greeting cards and to document the milestones in our families' life. My art is just for fun--there's no "pressure to produce"so I often work at a snail's pace. What's the rush? I find the process of creating is so completely rewarding that I want to take my time and enjoy every moment.

And don't ever forget how contagious making art can be--while I was snapping these photographs, my daughter decided she wanted to figure out how to draw a "vintage girl." She found an image on the web and created it in her own hand.

 And then she turned around and made another one in color!

 

If you are an artist, I challenge you to think about how you can inspire and encourage budding artists so they can find joy and meaning in every day. Before I sign off, I'll show you my favorite vintage picture that hangs in my bedroom. It's called "Budding Genius."

Here's hoping you find plenty of inspiration for creating your own art and living a colorful life on your journey through My Desert Cottage's "Where Bloggers Create" blog hop! Thanks for dropping by!