Sleeping Dogs Studio

Well, the studio renovations are almost complete!    Not only has the primary studio been re-vamped, but the infamous “dirt room” (or behind-the-scenes room where all of the sanding, building, and painting happens) has now also gotten a face-lift thanks to the generous help of my father-in-law.

Here are some before, during and after photos:

This is actually an "AFTER" shot - we re-did the primary part of the studio a week or two ago...

The dogs still have their "Sleeping Couch", but now it's under the window...

My husband’s Dad is a dynamo – we finished putting up the slatwall in that room today, and so he’s decided maybe he should just go ahead and add to our deck too.  OK, he’s 76 – admittedly, he doesn’t act or look it, but still - the man has more energy than I do.

Dirt room before - a blank slate, but the ping pong table is already down...

Don's workbench in the dirt room - BEFORE...

Grandfather and grandson confer on the work to be done...

 I am so excited to work in the new space – the ping-pong table is back, yes…and it will still play two roles, one for family fun, and one as a holder of assorted orders galore, I’m sure… 

AFTER - lots of storage and workspace!

Don's workbench AFTER - so organized!

Just getting the wall space in use and available; and having everything organized so that we know where it is has already made a huge difference. 

It will be wonderful to have all of our supplies and tools so close to hand!

Back to frame-making tomorrow!

One of the most rewarding parts of becoming a full-time artist has been the great relationships we have formed with new stores and owners all across the country.  It’s so rewarding to find folks who want to share their love or art and craft in absolutely beautiful environments – and, as an added plus, so many of them also have have dog or pet connections! 

I wanted to take a second to introduce our readers to some of our newer stores and the great people who run them.  They include:

The Eclectic Collector, Katonah, NY

Ellie Kimmelman at the Eclectic Collector is so committed to ensuring that her customers have not only a wide variety of art to choose from – but that she represents the best of the best.

One sign for me that we might be a match is if I end up coveting all of the items on the site!  That was certainly true of this great store.  One example is a guest artist they had on site, and profiled on their web page, Loretta Lam.

I mean really, isn’t her jewelry just fantastic?!?

Or how about this great jacket made from Shibori silk?  What a fantastic statement piece!

And of course, Ellie has her helpers and mascots,

Winnie and Okie to help out – which we all know makes this store extra-special!

You can see more of their collections at www.theeclecticcollector.com.

OOP, 3 locations in and near Providence, RI

The husband and wife team of Jennifer Neguth and David Riordan have THREE lovely stores in and around Providence, RI to capture all of their gorgeous artistic collections!

As one newspaper put it:  “The focus is on artists from all over the country, with about 30 to 40 residing locally. Oop! is as much a gallery as it is a general store filled with items of nostalgia, it is a jewelry store, furniture store and sells socks, T-shirts and “penny” candy. It has unique, one-of-a-kind items that invite you to look, touch and sometimes listen. It is an experience. The crafts are eclectic, whimsical and fun. And some of their items are just plain practical, like flip-flops with a bottle opener attached. One of their brainstorms that has taken off like a rocket is OOP! Juice, a carbonated beverage with­out a speck of juice in it. “It’s just good old fashioned soda,” says Riordan.”

I love the eclectic nature of what they offer! 

To find their locations for yourself, and or check out their sites online, try www.oopstuff.com or their blog, http://www.oopstuffblog.typepad.com/

 Two Plates Full, Scottsdale, AZ

Not only do they give “colorful” a run for its money, they actually have a link on their web site where you can contribute to a rescue for homeless animals!

Check out this crew!  That alone should make you want to stop by, they just “ooze” fun!  Terri Weisz, is the owner and “den mother”.

If I had a store of my own, it would be just this colorful – it’s amazing in its variety, and the overall effect is just stunning.

You can see more in their Arizona store – or online at www.twoplatesfull.com.  Well worth a visit, whether in real-life, or virtually!

Well, that’s the first 3 of 5 of our newest stores – I’ll add the others in another post later this coming week.  I hope you enjoy meeting these great people and seeing more about them – be sure to stop by the web sites or the actual stores if you can – I’m confident it will be worth it!

I am a big fan of perennials in gardens.  Nonetheless, there is a span of time – say from early May to mid-June, where there’s no doubt that my gardens just aren’t as colorful as those around me – and typically, those gardeners have planted lovely annuals to augment their gardens.

At this time of year, however, my perennials begin to hit their stride.  This year, in addition, we’ve specifically included more hummingbird feeders and butterfly bushes to bring in additional wildlife – and boy, has it worked!

Thus, while I chafe a little at the lack of color in late spring – by now, the whimsical, random, abundance of flowers has caught my affections once again.

And let’s face it – the bounty of color and texture is great artistic inspiration!

I want to thank everyone who responded to our recent poll related to give-aways.  I have a confession to make about it - I have a problem with giving gifts…and it was this problem that led me to ask for your feedback! 

I sometimes get wrapped up in the idea of seeing our items find new homes with people that really want them; connecting with artist friends and sharing the beautiful items they make with my readers; and each Friday, sitting down with the dogs and pulling out a name! 

But I’ve realized over time that while “giving” sounds selfless – I actually have a hidden agenda.  In a lot of ways, I’ve been doing the give-aways for ME!  Because – let’s face it! – all of the above is so much fun.

The problem with that is that the Blog isn’t about me – it’s about US.  It’s about building connections…and what your responses demonstrated is that while you like the give-aways in general, it’s getting to be too much of a good thing. 

So I’m leaving the ”schedule” behind – hope you don’t mind growing with me in this process, particularly in an organic way! – and will instead “spring” a give-away on you once or twice a month – maybe with a sale thrown in for good measure once in awhile (another good suggestion you gave me!). 

I appreciate your honesty – and am listening!  So while my general nature is to keep looking for new things to give to you fun folks out there, I’m going to try and scale back and give you the gift of surprise instead!

Thanks again for the feedback – it is most appreciated!

I promised to let you know how the kids (sorry, young men! They’re all 17 now!) did at regionals – and believe it or not, they won AGAIN!

They now are on their way to Nashville, TN to play a team from Southern California; one from Delaware; and one from Texas for the National League Championship in their age group. Obviously, we’re excited.

My son, ever the practical “young man”, was MUCH happier with what he got for winning regionals – the t-shirt below – than the trophy he got for winning state.

I would have LOVED to have a trophy! But I guess familiarity breeds contempt, and since he already has a shelf-full, the t-shirt was much more interesting!   Wonder what they’ll get if they win Nationals?  I’m hoping for a car…

As time has gone on with our weekly give-aways, it seems possible that we may be promoting TOO much of a good thing!  I’m interested in hearing from you, our readers, how important to you the give-aways are in general, and what type and frequency of give-aways you think would be most ideal.

Please take a quick minute to fill out the poll below, and feel free to add in your own suggestions in the “Other” category.  Your feedback will be immensely helpful, and I’ll update you on what we find out!