In case anyone is wondering where the heck I am, I’ve been without a computer for the last week, as it was needed at the store to program our new register. Chris just set it back up last night, and I had a few hundred new emails waiting for me. So, if you’ve written me and I haven’t responded back yet, I am indeed alive, I just haven’t had a chance to catch up yet! I will try to get caught up in the next few days, then get some blogs and photos up, as I have lots of fun and exciting things to share… 🙂
Summertime
Just a quick blog before bedtime…we’ve had so much on our plates lately, I haven’t had a moment to take any pictures, so here is a happy photo of some summer sunflowers to brighten the post up. Sigh – I’m exhausted but happy. This life we’ve chosen has us working pretty much all the time, but it also feels really good. I would much rather work 10-14 hours a day 6-7 days a week in a life I absolutely love, fulfilling my dreams and using my talents, than work 8 square hours a day, 5 days a week inside an office in front of a computer doing absolutely nothing related to the things I am passionate about and gifted to do. It is a scary and risky way to live, because my office job means stability and relatively predictable income, but the quality of life being a shop owner, artist, volunteer counselor, homemaker, wife, friend, godmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, hostess, piano player, butterfly chaser, and bubblebath taker is drastically different. The more time I spend doing the things I feel God made me to do, the more healthy I feel, and the more…me. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy my job – I do enjoy it, and love the people I work with (most of the time 🙂 ). But it is not what I was meant to do for the rest of my life.
Ok, enough about my deep inner thoughts. Let’s see, a quick update on what I’ve been up to:
- Store expansion – our grand reopening is next week! I was busy painting folkart-style designs on the new counter we are building. I’ve been in the mood to paint LARGE for a while, so this is satisfying that craving. I’ll post photos when done.
- Press – we were published in this month’s issue of Country Pleasures Magazine! One of the writers came out to the store to interview Chris and wrote an article about our expansion – it was actually more about us than the store, which was really weird to read. Its all true, its just when you see it in print, it looks so…glamorous!
- Fat Book – I’m in a new and exciting fat book exchange with my WA State art yahoo group, based on the seasons. Six of us exchange original 4×4 book pages, 4 times a year with each season as the theme. We just completed Spring, and as soon as I get it back I’ll post photos.
- Crochet – I’ve taken up crochet again, which I love but was getting tired of sewing blankets. I found some fun and simple patterns for flower broaches and baby balls, so I’m stitching up some fun when I have free moments (not much so far. :))
Oh, that’s really about it. What’s in store for everyone’s week?
Nighty night.
Quick and boring blog
Yes, I’m still alive! So much has been going on lately, I just haven’t been home to blog. Our store, The Weed Patch, as its official grand reopening next weekend and we are furiously working like busy little bees finishing up everything having to do with the expansion – the back patio, waterfall, plants, new counter, opening the loft, etc etc. It seems like that has taken all our free moments lately, but it has been a labor of love. The store will look wonderful when finished, but the day it is finished we’re going home and going to bed, and not getting up until we absolutely have to.
In art news, I’ve been working on some crochet flower broaches and a watercolor illustration with a sort of day/night theme (you’ll see). I’ve been working on it in bits as I have a moment here and there. I’m home for a little while today to get some house cleaning and laundry done, then I’m off to the store. Just thought I’d check in!
Happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day! This has been an especially long enjoyable weekend for me, since I took Monday off from work. The four day stretch gave me a taste of what it would be like to work on my business and our store full-time, rather than have an office job. I don’t know if it is the high of living in an actual home in a dream location in our favorite town, with a shop to own and run full of colorful creative things, and with a budding art business, but office life is definitely making a slow and graceful exit from my list of great things to do for the rest of my life. But I digress…
Saturday fortune twisted so that I covered the store counter all on my own, so I spent my day greeting and helping customers, chatting with happy people, smelling candles with them, looking for a star just the right color and shape to fill that spot on someone’s display shelf, eating my lunch out by baby bunnies roaming around the lawn.
Sunday morning found me down at the Java Inn enjoying an iced latte that actually tasted like coffee (Starbucks has linked arms with office life, I think), while people watching and journaling. A favorite store, Queen Bee, expanded down the street to a space twice its size or more, so I checked it out on my way back home. This is a fun, French-style store, a successful blend of foofy upscale whimsy and vintage charming country – she carries art depicting scenes of bistros and French cityscapes, paper arts by Ashley Carter, millinery leaves and flowers, a wide selection of ribbons, chunky soaps, candles, stationary, tags, and dishes. I walked through very slowly, savoring every bit of eye candy.
I then stopped by my favorite antique mall down here, Remember When – this is where I bought all my Fire-King dishes for the tea party last week, as well as my turquoise lamps (did I actually blog on that? I’ll have to check that later…). I found a set of three turquoise bowls for $3.50 and an orange carnival glass bowl going for half off because the vendor is moving – score! I’ll post some photos, as soon as I have them.
I’ve had this hacking cough for the last week now, with no explanation, but today is driving me crazy and I can barely sit here typing. I’ll write again soon – for now, I just wanted to say hi, share a little of my weekend, and wish you all a safe and happy 4th!