My heart on your screen...

Deep sigh....Life has been crazy lately...and beautiful...and exciting...and sad...and fun...and entertaining...and inspiring...and long...and hard.

But life has also been beautiful.  

I have been blessed with the pleasure of making some pretty awesome quilts that I pray will bring warmth and joy for years to come. They have been fun for me and have given me confidence in my creativity while also lightening the strain on the wallet at the same time.  Making money doing what you enjoy is pretty cool if you ask me.

I have made some Halloween hats too. For those of you who have lived in a closet for the last several months the first one is Anna from Frozen. And for those of you who haven't read the world's greatest children's book of all time the second one is Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

I have taken my 17 month old son to the neurologist.  He is having seizures just like his mommy. His are pretty frequent, especially for such a little guy.

Turns out his seizures may be more far-reaching than we thought. So tonight we started our little one on seizure medicine and we are praying that the first medicine is the right one. I just hope that he doesn't have a year-long journey to normalcy like I did to find the right seizure medicine.  And we will wait until December for an MRI to see if this is just a bump in the road or a long uphill climb.  Either way there is no other people I would want to share the journey with.

That being said I am trying to find the right balance in being a wife first, a mother second, a teacher third, and chasing my dream with whatever I have left.

And what I have left has left me with this...2 Pumpkin Painting Parties...

Super fun no doubt.

Every time I show up at the studio, walk to the back of that diamond in the rough to pull the drawstring that turns on the old fluorescent light bulbs and welcome people in it warms my heart, no matter how many people walk in.  I love being creative with other creatives in a place that inspires creativity.  But every time I post a new event to the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/scrapstashstudio and add 120 or so people to the guest list and send out emails I dream of what it COULD BE.  I dream of the picture I have in my head.  I dream of trying to pack as many people in as can fit.  I dream of needing more than the 22 chairs I have in there. I dream of needing a waiting list and having the same event on multiple days because there wasn't enough room for everyone. I dream of having beautiful art from local artists exploding off the shelf one night then flying off the shelves not too long after when someone treasures their art enough to buy it and take it home.  I dream of a place that brings people together, that is an escape or a treat or a blank slate or a bright spot or a rest in the madness or just a little dose of happiness.  Let's make it happen.  I need your help.  Who's in?

1. Go like the page.  https://www.facebook.com/scrapstashstudio

2. EVERY TIME I post an event, click on invite at the top of the page and invite ANYONE AND EVERYONE THAT MIGHT COME and tell them to do the same.

3. Invite your friends...your family...your coworkers.  Heck, drag them if you need to.  They will be back.  Send emails, post a flyer, tell your team or church or neighbor or all of the above.

4. Come sell your art....and make money.

5. Come teach your craft or skill or talent...and make money.

6. Share your ideas and your preferences. I can't read your mind. I want to know what YOU dream it could be. What would you want to make or learn or do? What days and times work best (besides weekdays before 4:30 and Wednesdays...those are off limits) for you?

7. Let me host your party or event. I promise to make it everything you dream it to be and more!

So what do you say? Who is with me?

Seriously. WHAT DO YOU SAY? I can't hear you! Respond below or hit me up on Facebook.  See you or hear from you soon....or else!

Opening Day at Scrap Stash Studio

The day I thought would never come finally did. I got to host the first class at Scrap Stash Studio. It was an intimate group but It was better than I imagined it could be. We had a blast! Check out this mixed media madness we had going on yesterday.
SHAZAM!
Here are the works in progress!

And check out the mixed media masterpieces!

Aren't they just fabulous? I was so honored to have gotten to share this day with these ladies. Shout out to my new Scrappers...Mollee, Kelia, Lori, Emily, Chloe, Kacy, Danielle, Cindy, Caylee, and Cameron! What made it all even better was the feedback they gave me.

Now if you want to be a part of all of this artsy craftsy goodness, you gotta follow the studio here...

https://www.facebook.com/scrapstashstudio
And on Twitter at
Scrap_stash_art

GRAND OPENING

 The day is finally set in stone...Opening day of Scrap Stash Studio.  Come join us this Sunday, June 1st at 11:00...or whenever you can show up.  The address is 
11321 N Oak Street
Soddy Daisy, TN 
37379

A super talented artist and great friend of mine will be teaching us all how to make a mixed media art collage. It will cost just $10. We will be providing...
Cardstock for your base
Newspaper for your background
Magazines and Magazine Clippings
Acrylic paint and brushes
Glue
Sealing for when you are done
Bring your own trinkets to add if you choose but we will have some for a small additional charge.
SPACE IS LIMITED SO RSVP AND SAVE YOUR PLACE!
I am soooo excited! Be there then or be there soon....but be there!

Instructor Bio:
Mollee Shannon is a 25 year old English intructor who hails from Austin, Texas. She enjoys reading 17th century novels, playing with her dog, Einstein, and collaging in her free time. Mollee starting collaging 3 years ago as a way to repurpose old magazines and newspapers, and it quickly became a hobby. Mollee's favorite collages and paper crafts include various types of papers, textures, pictures, and images, along with 3D trinkets and other assorted types of media.

Here is an example of her work:

 

PS-Event number 2 is in the works on Friday June 6th at 5:30...more details to follow!

Fantastic News Friday!

Opening day is coming soon! Very soon! Like June first soon!

So get excited!

This Sunday at 3 I will be having a sneak peek at the studio. I will be hanging with some friends...old and new...painting old furniture in the parking lot of the studio. Fellow spray painters will get a tour of the studio in progress. Join us! You can bring your own color-lacking up cycle furniture to paint or help me paint mine. You know you wanna!

The address is 11321 N Oak Street, Soddy Daisy, TN. Be there Sunday or be there in June...June 1st...opening day. More details to follow.

Come hang out with us here.

Formerly Soddy Home and Auto...soon-to-be SCRAP STASH STUDIO! Hip hip hooray!

See you soon!

Inspire Me Monday

I wrote this last Monday but forgot to publish it...enjoy!

Hello there, friends!

I've got a bad case of the Mondays.  This is not a complaint.  I am just sharing information.  I am a teacher, and it is the Monday after Spring Break.  Enough said.

My break was fantastic and restful and packed with fun!  My husband and I went to California to see his family and it was very refreshing.  We had a blast.  We started the week with a baseball game that went 13 innnings.  My almost 1 year old stayed up for the WHOLE GAME!!!  About 4 hours past his bedtime.  An avid sports fan like his daddy.

So on to Inspire Me Monday...
I am inspired by Cathe Holden.  She has created her dream arts and crafts studio and is bringing in the public   to create things together.  This is very close to what I am envisioning for Scrap Stash Studio.  The vibe in her studio is along the lines of what I am going for.  It is jam packed with all things crafty and it is bright and cheerful.  I picture my studio being a little bit more of a color explosion than her very color coordinated pretty green room, but I do love it.  I am inspired that she didn't just dream it, she made it happen.  And that is what I am planning to do as well.  Here is what she's got going on.  I am a bit jealous, but I guess I am on my way, too.

http://justsomethingimade.com/2014/03/cathe-holden-inspired-barn-workshop-studio-tour/

Here is her before and after.

And look what happened.  She created this place.  Then people came to create with her.

That is my plan.  And I am in the process of making that happen.  I am still not announcing the location yet, but it looks like everything is finally on track.  Before and after pictures and location announcement coming soon.  Get excited!

In the meantime, all of you Chattanoogans can come visit my booth at the downtown YMCA on Saturday.  I will be there all day selling my fun crocheted goodies.  I would love to see all of your smiley faces.

Sunday Stringy Specs

The blanket is finally finished! Hooray! I am in love. It is so fun to watch a blanket come together. Fun, fun, fun.

I found the pattern on the Red Heart yarn website here. Http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/love-color-throw

They call it the In Love With Color Throw.

That is so me. They had suggested colors but I chose to make it my own.

It all started with an octagon.

That turned into a stack of 14 octagons. 

Then came 20 triangles.

...4 corner motifs

...6 squares

Then came the task of sewing them together.

...Then the 9 rows of edging....

All leading up to this...

Stringy Specs:

-11 colors of yarn-purple, navy, light blue, turquoise, green, bright green, yellow, light pink, orange, white, and black

-4004 yards of yarn...about 2.75 miles worth

-6 squares times 30 minutes, 14 octagons times 30 minutes, 4 corners times 20 minutes, 10 triangles times 20 minutes, an hour of sewing, and 2 hours of border...about 18 total hours of hooking

-45"x54" throw blanket

If you are as in love with it as I am it can be yours for $160. Or you can order one you to meet your unique preferences. What do you say friends? Let me know what you think.

Happy Sunday all! Signing off!