My Studio

This is where I spend a lot of my time. In my studio.

In my studio I can dream, watch movies, listen to radio plays, listen to music, paint, draw, glue, cut wood, cut paper, work with clay, sew, laugh, enjoy life and create!

I work on scale dollhouses and related projects, use watercolours and acrylic paints, Zentangle and draw Zentangle Inspired Art and prepare classes for students of Zentangle. I make cards of thanks, wishes, sympathy and congratulations. I work on making altered books and sewing paper, material and anything else that will fit under a needle.

And what does all this look like? Well, I would need to do some heavy cleaning to make it into a magazine, but then, do those clean organized studios every get used? I mean really used? My studio is my comfort zone. It is my place to make a mess and leave it until the project is finished. Granted I do sweep about 3-4 times a day when really making a mess on the floor and I empty my trash 1-2 times a week depending on the projects.

I usually have a small space that I do the actual work. And I am finding that this is typical of most crafters (except Gina K, whom I adore!).

So here is my studio.

Enter. Back of door is filled with supplies. All paint bottles are on the wall. I try to use my vertical space since the room is only 10x12.

  

I use the Billy Bookshelves from IKEA (I love that store and it's a 4 hr drive to the nearest one) I have sections for scrapbooking and cards, miniatures, Zentangle, painting, and miscellaneous. I had to add a small table to hold overflow and this gives me an easier area to work on things not miniature related (as you will see in the next picture.

This is my 2x8ft long work bench. It is about 3ft up from the floor so I can stand if needed. This is where I work on my dollhouse miniature related projects. I have 2 ott lights and a small work area. I have storage bins below and all the way across the bottom of this bench and hide them with small curtains. It gets filled up so fast with tools as I am working. I always start with a clean work area before beginning a new project and put things away when the project is finished. So there is some organization in my life. I also enjoy looking into the back yard while working. Sure hope it rains soon. Those are my favorite days to work - rainy days!

I have a large cabinet to hold varies projects in boxes, glues and spray cans of paint. My Toy Story dolls stand guard over the studio. Not sure why there is a clock in here except to remind me when it's time to fix supper for my husband. I hang my unfinished artwork as a reminder of what needs to be worked on.

Moving around the room is my trusty computer, printer and die cut area. I store my special papers, 12x12 papers and die cut supplies in the Billy System flat file. More vertical storage and cabinets hang above the desk to hold printer supplies and who knows what else. 

And finally the closet. We installed an adjustable shelving unit in the closet to hold miniature supplies, landscaping materials, fabrics, trimmings, dollhouse furniture and so much more. I can pull the curtains and everything looks lovely again.

 So that ends the tour. I hope you enjoyed seeing where I create. Come back soon.

 If you want to see other great studios please visit Seth's website  The Altered Page:Studio Table Revealed

Terri

My Shabby Chic Cottage

I am a member of NAME (National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts) and proud of it. NAME is an international organization that promotes sharing and teaching all about scale miniatures.

In 2013, NAME held a Houseparty in the Gazette, which translates to a convention in a magazine with all the trimmings. There were workshops, swaps, round tables, favors, luncheons, projects and more. One of the projects was the centerpiece. You could make your own from the instructions in the magazine or you could purchase one in kit form. My local club, Scaling Down in Corpus Christi decided to purchase kits in 1/2" scale that could be used in conjunction with our 1/2" scale trailer park project we did several years ago if so desired. Everyone would do their own thing.

My thing is shabby chic. I love the look and feel of the feminine side of things. I guess that is part in being a girl and not being able to decorate my real home in this style. In my little world of miniatures I can do this and so I did.

The front of the little shabby chic cottage.

The Swan is filled with orange flowers to add some colour.

I placed my structure on an 11" x 9" piece of wood from Hobby Lobby. I covered it with some decorator moss found in the garden area of Joann's. I used scrapbook paper to cut the shingles. I used fancy cut scissors and layered each section, then slightly flipped them in several places to create smiling shingles. The siding was made from corrugated cardboard. I used a bone folder and smoothed the raised edges in one direction. When placed on the wall it looks like clapboard or tongue in groove siding.

The porch floor is wood that I scored with a sharp edge and stained to look like wooden planks. I did this to the interior floor however I decided to cover it with a piece of an old bedspread.

There isn't a lot of room on the interior.

The interior chair and stool were made in a class taught by Shirley Blair. all other interior furnishings were made by me or received in swaps over the years. The interior wall paper is scrapbook paper from my stash.

The exterior furnishings were made by me with a couple of swap items thrown in. The stepping stones were cut from paper, stacked, shaped and coloured by me. The little birdhouse was from a roundtable kit I purchased. The attic has a couple of things in it and will be filled with more as I find items I think will work.

Flourishes are used as outdoor art above the bench.

I had some nice flourishes in my stash that I used as outdoor art on the side wall above the bench. White flowers and a little greenery compliment the white bench.

Trellis wall and hanging birdhouse.

I created the wall trellis from a picture I found in Plow and Hearth Magazine. I placed the trellis picture on a small piece of floral foam, over layed it with wax paper, and added white fabric covered floral wire shaped like the swirls on the picture. All the wire pieces were then glued together. Once dried, I removed the miniature trellis and glued it to the wall which I covered with greenery and added flowers I cut from a cane of clay.Not sure what I will do with my completed piece. Probably give it away or sell it if I can find a buyer. I hope you like it.

Til next time, I hope you are bitten by the creative bug and create something to enjoy.

Terri
Waiting for the glue to dry

Rewards of Life

Life offers us little rewards and we should take them as they come.

My mom had a light stroke in late April and has been recovering slowly. She has had several doctors appointments as a result. Last week she had 3 appointments, Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The end result is everything is fine. Keep taking her meds, do your therapy and go on with your life.

The appointments are usually scheduled for 10:30 or 11:45 or 2:30, right in the middle of the day. This means I need to leave my house 30-45 minutes before her appointment to drive to her house, be sure she is ready and then drive to the doctors office so we can sit and wait for an hour before they call her name and place her in a room. Then its another 15 or more minutes til the doctor actually sees her. Most of the time spent with the doctor is about 10 minutes if we are lucky. Then we pay and are on our way home.

My mom, Willie, Christmas 2013

My mom knows all this interrupts my day and things I want and need to do. While we were driving to an appointment she apologized for having to disrupt my schedule. I just looked at her and said "At least I still have you here to take to the doctor. That beats not having you here."

Yup! It's the little things in life that are the biggest rewards.

I'm off to Rockport, Texas for a couple of days to spend some time with 8 of my good miniature buddettes at the Retreat House. Just us ladies talking and working on projects and catching up while we can. None of us are getting any younger, however, we all grab life by the tail and go along for the ride. I hope you will, too.

Love to all of you, dear friends.

Terri
Waiting for the glue to dry

Tinyteri Tuesday

I like that title. It has such a personal ring to it. LOL (that is laugh out loud in case you didn't already know)

My husband sent me a picture on my phone a while back. It was of a large fish he caught. I simply responded with the letters WTF. Most people understand this to be "What The F***" as did my husband. He sent me another text asking me did I know what I just sent to him and did I mean to send it? I said yes. He asked if I know what it meant. I replied "Yes, WTF stands for "Well That's Fantastic!". So now you know it is OK to use these letters.

Saturday I met with my favoritist local miniature club, Scaling Down in Corpus Christi. We went over details and schedules for our workshop. Then we practiced teaching the project and making some minor corrections to the instructions. Afterward we went to the Blue Frog and ate lunch. I did not eat blue frog since I don't care too much for blue food, except blueberries. I had the quiche and soup instead. It was yellow, green and liquidy. And the best part of that part of my day was I got to be with my best-est mini buddettes and talk and laugh. I love all the ladies in this group!

Anyway, Sunday, My sister and I drove, well I drove and she rode, to San Antonio to attend a workshop. It was fast and furious, the workshop, not the drive. Honie kept up. I sort of forgot to tell her that Tami moved rather quickly thru the class and would talk about the next step while we were working on the previous step. After thinking about it a little bit, I have come to the conclusion her class is a bit like learning shorthand.

Remember shorthand class? Do they still teach shorthand in school? Anyway, I digress. While learning shorthand the teacher would talk at a rapid rate of like 140 words per minute and you would be frantically trying to remember the marks for those sounds and feel completely lost at times. Then the teacher would repeat the same paragraph at 60 words per minute and you would do much better. My sister takes shorthand and is about one of the fastest typists I know so why the struggle? It was a new art form for her. And this art form is not about perfection. The lines don't have to be straight and things don't have to match up and every one's will be a little different. I will have to work with her so she can complete this project but we will go at a much slower pace.

Then I'll take her to another class...

So Monday I got up early and made coffee. I must have still be asleep because after I filled my cup with coffee and tried to add creamer, I reached for the coffee can and almost scooped a spoonful of raw coffee into my cup. WHAT!?! Wake up, Terri!

I did better after coffee and reading email. I went to my doctor to see what is going on with the pointer finger on my right hand. They took x-rays and felt all up and down my hand and arm. That part felt good and I told him he could do that all day and I wouldn't mind. He just laughed. ha ha I was being serious... He couldn't find anything physically wrong so he gave me some cortisone to take for a week and a wrist brace to wear. Typing with a wrist brace takes some getting used to. I slept with it last night and did OK. Haven't tried to draw yet.

So today I am off to watercolor class and then to the Art Center to arrange the final setup for our workshop in February.

Gotta run and watercolour something. Have a super day and create something. (If you bake a pie save me a slice)

Terri
Waiting for the glue to dry