Welcome To My Studio

Welcome to 

The Cottage On Curry Road~

Where our home,

is my studio.

No kidding,

almost every room

 has a place I can work in...

It's a small Cape style home,

that has a cottage feel to it.

My family was a military family.

We moved often.

Wherever we were stationed,

there was always 

clay, paint, pencil, and paper.

My father was a soldier and an artist as well...

but there was never a formal studio,

especially on-base housing.

However,

the kitchen table 

served all of our needs.

Everything was mobile,

so that it could be moved on and off

quickly. 

Eating and creativity

danced in make-do fashion.

....and so, I give you my sewing station.

Walter, our Troll fruit bowl, is empty. He has to wait and is frustrated with Quarantine, making a lag time for fresh fruits to adore him

Smack dab on the end of the dining room table!

It was in an upstairs spare room

until I had my knee surgery.

I'm sure that it will make it's way back up.

Someday.

The main hub 

is a coffee table that serves 

as a sculpting space

as well as a place 

to pattern and finish

pieces.

This is a neater version

then most days~ 

it depends on the level

 of 

"mad scientist" 

and the length of time before the deadline.

I am still making masks, so there isn't much to show.

It has two pull out drawers

and I found that an antique

treadle cabinet drawer,

 (that was in bad shape)

was a great help

in keeping some kind of organization.

How does sculpting happen, you ask?

I have a large pastry mat.

It has a little texture 

and clay works great on it.

When I need to sculpt,

I take the quilting mat

and push it under the pastry mat.

Not shown, the glue gun. He shares an outlet with the coffee maker and has been known to cause a ruckus,
if the master of the house hasn't had his infusion yet.

Somewhere between the corner of 

dish drainer

and

coffee carafe

is the third big work area.

The corner serves

to hold paint brushes 

and an array of glues and waxes.

I do a lot of staining

and age techniques here.

I can be sloppy

so I can't get much closer 

to cleaning up!

The kitchen has a 

small pantry area.

While some would use 

it for a more kitchen like purpose,

I make a vignette.

This area serves

to hold materials for pieces

and

 the folky green shelf that I adore.

If you look about,

 you can see

 the wonderful invitations

received from

 Bewitching Pedders of Halloween.

Jennie works magic every year 

and creates the most unique invitations.

Drawers are filled

and treasures are mixed 

among needed supplies.

You may spot a friend or two

waiting for their final journey.

I love the drawer and it holds my cabinet cards and tintypes, along with some tiny treasures.

Doll Houses 

are

a love of mine...

and this is my treasure.

I play around with it from time to time

and at this time

it is my Widow's House.

It is my way to mourn.

I came across some

petite teacups

and now I have a pumpkin lady,

 sipping tea, 

stuck in my noggin.

I can't ever keep serious for too long...

if you look out the windows,

you will spot my

Peeping Jane.

Aren't my mossy lights sweet? My dear friend and partner in Bewitching Peddler set up shenanigans made them for me.
They are hand-dipped in mossy green silicone.

Tim hung a couple 

of my

antique baskets on the wall.

They serve to hold ladies

in various stages of completion.

I also use the big one, 

 to photograph 

the ladies

 for their big reveal.

Sometimes my friends will stay with me.
Sometimes adoptions do fall thru. My husband requested that we keep the owl.

 
I love my antiques
as much as I loveMother of Pearl buttons.
I don't use them as much in my work anymore,
but I know right where they are
should I need one.

I absolutely love 

my dollhouse shelf!

When I was asked to do Bewitching Peddlers,

I knew just what I wanted.

I am blessed to have wonderful friends

with their own magic

and together,

 my vision came alive.

 Angie's husband, Jake made this!!!

After the first show, 

I came across the perfect size shingles,

and our dear friend,

Pete worked his magic as well.

Because storage is an issue

in a small home,

it was put to work.

It sits atop

an old buffet

given to me from my Sister In Law

The buffet

is part of my pattern station

( that is a whole other thing, for another day, perhaps.)

It is perfect to hold treasures, 

supplies 

and

 works in progress.

I am thankful in all of this,

to have such a wonderful husband.

He may not understand all of this,

but he has adapted well

over the years.

Thank you for stopping by!

I hope you enjoyed 

my peek.

please click on the graphic above to visit

more

Bewitching Peddler's studios.

How Are You Doing?

 

How are you doing friends?

Are you taking care of yourself, in all of this?

Self-care is so important,

and now,

even more so.

Make that cup of tea...

Step out back for some fresh air,

or open a window.

We can smell spring!

Spring is hope!

The promise of life renewed.

I thought long and hard

about picking my blog back up.

When reading Blogs, 

you can 

look into someone's world 

and their thoughts

on a deeper level.

I have always loved being in the car

when it is evening;

you can see inside someone's home,
 for that split second.

Are they are home from a long day of work, perhaps?

 The tv may be on, so perhaps they are catching up

on the news as supper cooks?

or just enjoying a show after dinner.

A bedroom light upstairs...

perhaps that would be someone young, 

working away on homework.

Snippets in a blink.

Lives we can imagine.

There is a feeling of comfort in that;

Home.

A soft place to land...

Our home is different

the past few weeks
and I'm sure yours is 
to a similar extent as well.

We have stay at home orders 

in Upstate NY.

The picture above

was my inspiration last Spring,

just before we left for Salem.

Now, it's time to stitch some up,

for Bewitching Peddlers in the Fall.

Creating has always been my self-care.

a place to immerse myself.

Whatever gives you peace and comfort,

make sure you do some of that!

https://www.oprah.com/food/greek-cinnamon-stewed-chicken?fbclid=IwAR31gsPqBFJ-v_rlRv-BTXGk2QOXRrImbhjLT5zriFu6pkQ9SX3gZXbpoec

This,

is also home for me.

a favorite recipe, 

and tonight's dinner.

I added the link for you...

and will share how I do it.

I use a little more cinnamon and less salt. 

I just sprinkle it on each side.

I don't add the onion...

and for the sauce,

2 cans of Contadina

sauce with Italian herbs.

Easy, right?

we love it.

Later, this evening...

this sweet girl

will be offered on EHAG Emporium.

The link is to the left. 

9 pm (EST) sharp...

A nice little visit,

to see what the Halloween artists are up to,

in their homes.

~take care of yourselves~ 

Living the Covid Life

We are doing our best to flatten the curve.

Our world is strange now and scary.

I can't see my girls 

or my Mom.

I do my best to talk to them, 

through their anxieties

about everything.

New York State

has been declared a disaster.

Starting tomorrow,

we will be like Italy 

in our measures.

Tim and I started about 10 days ago.

We are older, 

and I have lung issues.

BUT....

There is much we can do!

Come on, my stitching friends,

There are MANY masks needed.

Not just our state,

but perhaps yours as well.

Maybe not today,

but certainly

in the days to come.

Doctors, Nurses,

Nursing Homes,

Vets and Vet Techs,

Home Care Workers...

 Both of my daughters

wear masks every day, 

so I approached this

from a Mom point of view.

.....also, as a doll maker,

I don't have elastic.

That is hard to find as well.

My thread may not match~

I am using up scraps

and fabric 

that no longer serves my art.

The insides are lined 

with muslin.

Cotton fabric is perfect,

and these masks fit around your face

 quite well.

 am providing the link for this pattern.

It is not to be made for profit,

so please use it 

for it's intended use.

Stay safe my friends

and

flatten the curve!

https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/?fbclid=IwAR2LfLJoXL_UMoUObFyDKB8eMyCOYqeYSQbUd3cx_u-Et38WeNnTaF_LmZs

Making My Way Back...

I can't believe it.

 I have been gone

from here,

for a year.

It was a tough one, 

my friends.

That is the truth.

I wanted to hop on, 

many times and write

....but I just couldn't.

Now...

As I am making my way back,

the world is struggling.

What can I do?...

Perhaps, this can be a soft place to land.

It is my hope that blogs such as mine,

will be dusted off and

become a safe haven,

at least for a bit.

Today, I am sharing 

a pattern for you to snag

on here and print.

If you know someone that doesn't

have a printer,

please copy one for them

 and mail them a gift.

 if you want it bigger or smaller...

go at it.

Play around with the design,

it is merely a guide,

 to let your creativity shine.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2TXDo-2emc0X-N5ygvVSzsw9DXzZKbl/view?usp=sharing

Navigating

Amy is looking for a home. 

Early Work Mercantile 

opened last night.

There are still wonderful pieces that I have available. 

This is Amy.

She is named after

one of the Little Women~

I always loved her 

insight.

" You don't need scores of suitors,

you need only one, if he's the right one."

A favorite quote of mine,

that I have often repeated to my daughters as they have grown up.

To say that I got involved in her dress,

is an understatement.

I had this pictured in my head for years now.

I attack my sewing simply

with an elegance to it...

and this was anything but simple.

I was able to get it,

driven by my desire to 

challenge myself.

It took some time. 

....and it was 

so very worth it.

Our Starling colony has

been arriving

as Spring

creeps in...

looking for homes!

And what says,

Spring is coming

as much as sheep?

The wee ones 

are arriving!

 Witch in white is still available.

I love pieces that 

I can tuck

in the dollhouse 

or 

hang on a cupboard door.

these are a perfect size.

of course...

Halloween does live in this house

year round.

....and with it a new 

mousel.

The Moss Witch of County Cork
is still available at EHAG

Mousies are an ever 

source of 

inspiration...

A friend

nudged me about 

adding more mushrooms

this year.

It's been a while...

These are inspired by the ceramic ones.

that my Dad

and I would make 

and sell to Vermont Shoppes

when I was 

a teen.

 As you can tell,

I have been deep 

in creating...

and for me as an Artist,

it is because a part of me needs

to escape

life at the moment

and create a balance

within.

Our family

is suddenly faced

with a member

that has a health crisis.

It has knocked the wind 

out of our sails 

at the moment...

"In Her Widow's Weeds" is still available.

and

I will be sharing

when it is decided to be shared.

Right now,

we are all

just navigating

the start of 

this journey.

Tenacity

When I was a young girl,

my Daddy told me, 

I could do anything 

that I set my mind to...

and

 I could be anything 

I wanted to be.

As I grew into a young woman

and entered the workforce,

I realized that it was still a man's

world.

I tossed that power suit

and heels...

and I made my own way.

I followed my bliss 

of family, children,

and my art.

Many a time,

 I would  hear that I couldn't

complete my vision

in the way or technique 

that I wanted.

I have always

stepped quietly away 

from those men...

and came back, 

proving them wrong.

Tenacity

has always served me well.

It keeps me challenging

myself 

to work out a

"can't" and make it a "can".

It pushes me

to grasp

the process and technique

in areas that 

I feel are not my strength

and own just a bit of it.

....in the end,

it comes down to problem-solving.

This year,

I am using 

my 

tenacity

to work on

human faces

and watercolor.

Who says

that you

just have to 

pick one???

Yawn and Stretch

February crept in

under a crisp,

starry night.

Quiet and without fanfare...

I peeked out 

to say hello, 

in the wee hours,

before I making my way

to my slumber.

With February's entrance,

our visit from

the arctic vortex is starting to retreat...

Imbolic brings a celebration;

we are halfway between

Winter Solstice

and

Spring Equinox.

we are ever closer to 

GREEN!

Last night, 

was also the release of EHAG '19.

I usually do

Skelly Girls for Bewitching Peddlers...

but you may see a rare one, 

here or there, 

to celebrate something special

during the year.

I have already

started my sculpts 

for

Bewitching Peddlers

as I work on my outline for the year.

While January

is a rather long feeling month...

I have kept myself

in clay

and hot tea beside.

As February

starts its day,

I feel a new sense of vigor~

knowing Spring will be here soon.

Time to shake January fully off of my shoulders

and get moving into February.

Cozy and Creative

Winter has certainly made its way

to our area.

This past week has brought

a big snow,

bitter cold,

winds

warmer temps

and 

flooding rains

with no place to go,

with all of the snow.

We know for certain that 

the Winter still

has a way to go,

so we stay cozy and create our world around us...

bringing bits of Spring 

in any way we can.

If you pop on over to my Etsy Shop

(click on the piggy picture)

I will take 15% off of your

pattern order

until the 28th!

I am spending my time

with my version of

Paper Whites!

EHAG and Early Work Mercantile are fast approaching

and

Bewitching Peddlers 

has me

sooo inspired

with 

my creating for September.