weekend images

My weekend in images include...

1&2. my brilliantly beautiful English roses I've been dreaming of for months

(practically a steal at 70% off) 

3. purpley and pinkish hued stained glass from a local artist- now hanging in my kitchen window (kind of matches the colors of my roses!)

4. our kitchen with a new light and new window art (painting the ceiling is next)

5. the start of a bathroom makeover

6. three new projects in the studio- Ulia, whales, peonies

7&8. studio inspiration boards include bright and playful colors next to neutrals- a nice balance.

The temperature has dropped a bit this morning thanks to a nice thunderstorm this weekend which means I'll be spending some time outside today.  Then, it's back to the studio for painting, packaging prints, sending emails, and doing laundry- all the essentials before my next show.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

(Go team USA!  I am loooooving the Olympics and losing so much sleep.)

Making small changes

Do you ever get to a certain point where your surroundings become tiresome? I mean, you can only stand the mess, the clutter, the disorganization, the same 'ol ho hum decor for so long before something's gotta give. Eventually the artwork on the walls become so common that you barely pay it much attention. That frame, the basket full of junk in the corner, that lamp you once had to have is now so ordinary that it's irritating.

Maybe it's time for a change?

Maybe the artwork you once loved hanging in your kitchen would regain your appreciation if you would simply transfer it to another room, see it in another light? Maybe you should just stop avoiding the mess covering your desk so that you can feel at peace with your studio once again?

Maybe I should stop speaking metaphorically about you and admit that I'm the one with these problems?

I can only avoid them for so long before something inside of me just snaps, and I wake up in the morning with a mission to demolish the road blocks.

Yesterday was that day.

I took to cleaning the basement, organizing my studio, hanging wedding pictures, and sorting through magazines and catalogs to create new inspiration boards.  I'd love to show you before and after photos of the mess in the basement { the part that's not my studio }, but the after pictures are yet in the future and the before pictures are way too embarrassing!

Instead, I'll focus on what's currently my inspiration: bright colors, dresses blowing in the wind, bears, lions with big manes, zebra stripes, and sunny light.