Tag: activities

Two Shows in One Weekend: The Aftermath

So…I still feel like I am recovering from two shows in one weekend. Glitterfest and the Bernardo Winery show were both scheduled together. Oy…

This doesn’t happen every year. Only maybe once every three or four. No matter how you slice it it’s stressful.

I finally got my mojo in gear about a month beforehand and created like a maniac right up until the very last moment. Thursday night I packed my car for a Friday set up at the winery.

Cart full of junk

My husband helped out and we set up my booth plus a friend of mine who vends in the tent next door. Took us the better part of three hours to get it all together. Then home again, home again…only to unload the car and reload the car for Saturday’s Glitterfest.

More junk

Saturday we divided to conquer the show world. Boys to the Winery and girls to Glitterfest.

Glitterfest Girls

I have to admit I don’t have many pics from the Winery this time. First day the boys took maybe one picture and day two I spaced completely. Whoops….but both were a great success. Crazy to do but both worked out well.

And even with all the planning, making, and stresses it was over in a flash! All of a sudden it was Monday and all that was left was the mess!

...and more mess with junk!

Thank goodness everything is pretty much put away now. But I’m about to do one more show…so some things are still hanging out here and there. Last in person show for the year will be at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in Irvine California…maybe I will see you there…???

Until next time,

Susan

 

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National Organization Month: What are you doing?

National Organization Month and what are you doing to re-organize your home, life, and studio?

I am an avid cook so drawers that are completely unusable and crazy messy drive me crazy! So the first place I start with organization is in my kitchen. This baking drawer was such a mess I didn’t realize I had purchased several identical items! Now it’s labeled and things that go together are side by side.

Kitchen Baking Drawer

I wish I had a before picture of this. You wouldn’t have known even what this area was for. AND I threw out spices from the Jurassic period! Oy! Now it’s a pleasure to open this space!

Spices Galore

You couldn’t even tell what this area was for before I started! Plus I threw out spices from the turn of the century! Now it’s a pleasure to open this cupboard.

Bread Baking Station

How many crumbs can there really be in any one spot? This is my bread baking area…yes there are two bread machines. As a side note I bake all of our bread products from scratch. No more preservatives or hidden GMO for us! May sound crazy but it has solved a couple of health issues we had going on. AND it tastes delicious this way!

But..back to organization! With this many things on one counter area it easily gets out of whack. This is how it’s supposed to be!

Next organization project? Besides the entire house? Pieces of the studio…stay tuned!

Until next time,

Susan

P.S. Please hop over to my collaborative blog for some other organization tips from the studios of the girls!!

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When I Don’t Feel Creative: My Top 6 Fixes

Am I the only one that has moments when the creative muse takes a vacation? When you don’t feel creative…what do you do?

This is a topic that seems to raise it’s head when I’m the busiest. I have tons to do but can’t seem to rid myself of the cobwebs long enough to get through it. Well…when I don’t feel creative here’s my top 6 fixes I put into action to try to coax my muse around.

Seth Apter messy worktable 1
1. I clean. Believe me when I say cleaning is not my favorite thing but wandering around the studio, organizing, and picking things up always seems to loosen up the creative spirit. Not only does it help clear the cobwebs but I always seem to find things I had forgotten I had. And those things seem to sneak into my next creations!

Doodling
2. Pull out the sketch books and doodle. Draw anything…straight lines, stick figures, swirls…anything and everything! Just put pen or pencil to paper and see what manifests itself. I draw whatever comes to mind and pay no attention to whether it is “art” or not. Just the simple putting pen to paper allows me to feel more creative.

A break with coffee and sweets...
3. Take a break…go eat something, have tea or coffee maybe a glass of water or take a handful of vitamins. Just be for a few minutes.

UnoUs3stillgoofy
4. This goes along with taking a break but do something goofy with your family. Go lighten up and be free with comedy! Laugh lots and then laugh some more. Play cards, dig out a board game…watch a silly movie. I promise being crazily happy with laughter will take your mind off things and your muse will crawl back without you noticing.

CHA 2014
5. Find your creative peeps and do something together! Lean on your tribe for support when you can’t find your own muse…maybe one of theirs will pop over and let you borrow some ideas!

Sleep it off
6. Sleep it off until the next day. Sometimes all you need is a good nights sleep and all things appear new again.

Be kind to yourself.  Those moments of “stuck” never hang out for long. That muse will come running back.

Until next time!

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Gr8full

Gr8full…for a whole bunch of things.

 

My daughter and i did a little experiment this past weekend. Gratitude and what it means to us. We barely scratched the surface of how we truly feel about the subject. We did manage to make a couple of signs proclaiming our feelings through the laughter.

 

Gr8full Duo Hysterical

My husband was attempting to take our picture but we weren’t being very helpful.

Gr8full Duo Serious
Serious…he said make a serious face! I guess that’s it…not sure.

 

Gr8full Duo Goofy

We got goofy…or just plain kooky looking.

Gr8full Duo

We truly are gr8full for each other. Even when we don’t get along or disagree…we still laugh most of the time.

We are part of the #gr8fullcre8ive project found at the Cre8ive Klatch blog and also on their Instagram account @cre8iveklatch.

Come join us or find cre8ive and positive conversation in our Facebook group.

Until next time,

Susan

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Raw Beet, Cabbage, and Kale Detox Salad

Fun beet, cabbage, and kale salad.

A friend of mine posted about finding this recipe and it looked yummy. It’s from a website called FedandFit.com which also has other great recipes mostly slanted towards the paleo lifestyle. But I also found some great vegan ideas there.

Beet, Cabbage, and Kale Detox Salad

 Here’s the direct link to the recipe: Beet, Cabbage, and Kale Detox Salad

Give it a try…it was yummy!

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