STUDIO LIGHTING AND DIY CEILING MEDALLION...

I have been searching for new studio lighting since I moved in the new space several months ago. I have waffled back and forth between practical and pretty. Practical would have been a new ceiling fan with a better and brighter light kit. Pretty would be a nice bright chandelier. Well, pretty won out in the end, never mind that we have substandard short ceilings and if one is tall one might bean ones brain on it or that it will be a bit warmish while working from time to time. Handy Hubby suggested hitting a few flea markets on Saturday where he found a beautiful light fixture for my studio. I love the tarnished brass base, so dark it almost look bronze, and the cut glass pieces. After cleaning and rewiring it was ready to hang. Please ignore the popcorn in this post, maybe someday I will muster up the energy to tackle an entire house smothered in popcorn ceiling. Exactly who thought this was a good idea anyway?I really wanted one of those ceiling medallions to give it a little more substance. Those things can be quite pricey for a piece of plastic and the plaster ones are outrageous, so, I made my own. While we were browsing I found this oval gold toned framed print...The frame is plastic with a sturdy pressed board backing that screws on, perfect for this kind of project. I removed the glass and mat, setting them aside for another project. Handy Hubby helped me to figure out the size of hole we would need to cut from the center in order for the wiring to go through. Ours needed to be 4 inches. He used a hole saw to cut out the center hole. The print was glued to the pressed board back so I painted three coats of gesso over the print so it would not show through the collage papers. I then covered the entire piece with large torn pieces of vintage sheet music. Once that was dry I collaged small pieces of various book pages, some with inked edges to give depth, gold and ivory printed tissue paper, and dark bits of coffee dyed paper over the sheet music. I used a rubber stamp and white craft paint to stamp a design around the oval.I primed and painted the plastic frame with white spray primer and paint. Once it was dry I replaced the newly collage piece in the frame. There was a small gap around the frame where the glass would have been. To fill this in I glued some antique gold silk cording around the edge. Once that was dry I sealed the entire piece with a satin finish spray sealer. The top most piece of the light that caps off the wires had been painted a dirty cream color. I left it chippy but just gave it a fresh spritz of white paint to tie it in with the medallion and remove the dirty look.Handy Hubby cut a little piece of metal and drilled out the holes to hold the medallion to the ceiling and to attach the light fixture to. It worked out beautifully and I am really pleased with the results. The fixture is missing the glass shades but I think I might have found some new ones to use as replacements. I am going to look around a bit before I decide. I have no idea if this fixture is old or newer but I really do love it! Doesn't it have a pretty glow at night? The best part is that it really puts out a lot of light and now Handy Hubby will never ever hear me grumble about the horrible lighting in this room again. I think I am starting to actually love this room a little. Now, why can't all the other studio projects I have stacked up be so easy? I promise I will show you the whole thing someday soon. I honestly don't know how some of you are able to pull a room together so quickly. I seem to need space and spans of time to make decisions. I am thankful that it is close, very close to resembling my creative vision.

I wish you all a marvelous Monday!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

A SCRAPPY KIND OF GIRL...

Scrappy: full of fighting spirit; made up of scraps or odds and endsMy husband has always called me his " little scrappy sassy girl," a term of endearment I earned at the ripe old age of sixteen when we had a huge misunderstanding right in the very beginning of our dating years. It all started with a note. After reading it, indignation rose to the surface of my fiery little frame as I blasted him with my Southern staples of sass and scrappy spirit. He had the nerve to stand there and look at me with an amused indulgent smirk that was straight off the face of Rhett Butler himself. He made some sort of brushing remark and sent me on my way. I had no choice but to leave, I was going to be late for class.I remember fairly seething through the day thinking how this guy would not even get the time of day from me much less another date. He, on the other hand, had very different ideas. Our little encounter in the parking lot that morning, in his mind, had sealed our fate. It took a valiant effort on his part to smooth over the misunderstanding, which over time he eventually did. He has always said that from that moment he knew I would keep things interesting with my firecracker spirit, which I am happy to report has been tamed down over the years, and my staples of sass and scrap, which I am afraid have not changed one bit.He said when he saw me that afternoon, as I marched out of the Science building like a little warrior heading his way to do battle, that he was trying to think of how to defuse the situation. He ended up making me laugh. I said maybe I would take his calls and maybe I would not. He came to my house every single day until I finally relented and talked to him. His version of the story is that I fell for his persistent charm. My version is that he just plain old wore me down and it was easier to date him than to get rid of him. Either way, we managed to work things out and mend the scraps of odds and ends that make up most relationships blending them into a life together.I am also happy to report that these days I am much more of a scrappy kind of girl in an artistic kind of way rather than in a high spirited one, loving to incorporate small scraps, odds, and ends into my art pieces rather than getting riled up. My latest project, a birds nest assemblage, is made up of just such materials; scraps of fibers, threads, fabrics, and papers; odds and ends of wire, buttons, beads, stones, bits of rusty hardware, twigs, and feathers. Combine those with a flea market find compote, chicken wire, and a hunk of wood that looks like a bird and you have yourself a scrappy piece of artwork.

I am finding myself saving or picking up the oddest scraps for my artwork lately. I had to laugh at an email my friend Pam sent me the other day. She had just read an article about an elderly lady that had passed away. Her children had come in to clean out her belongings and found lots and lots of balls of yarn and twine. They also found a shoe box full of tiny scraps of yarn and twine. On the top of the box a note read, " too small to save." She said that made her laugh and think of us. I too have a shoe sized box full of scraps...And a little tin by my sewing machine just for saving tiny tidbits...And, I have been thinking about leaving a note too, telling my children that some scraps are worth saving. I know that my son and daughter will remember their mother as full of Southern scrap and sass, especially since their father delights in telling his version of the story and how he " baited and hooked" me. But more than that, I want them to remember that the misunderstandings, indignations, brushing remarks, and little encounters in life, those kinds of scraps that we have with one another are certainly worth salvaging.Relationships are never too small to save, they are well worth working through, forgiving, forgetting, and foraging ahead. I want to tell them to hang on to the tidbits that make up time and memory, those are certainly worth storing, especially when you can look back and learn from them. I want them to learn to love and enjoy incorporating the small scraps of life experiences, the odds of ends of loving and living with the person of their choosing, blending their lives into a beautiful work of heart that results in a lifetime of memories worth savoring.These are just a few of the tidbits I have been collecting to pass on to them, hard won lessons that two people, full of scrappy spirit, have learned together as they have navigated through a 30 year marriage. Handy Hubby says to this day that he would not have me be any other way than his scrappy sassy kind of girl and I am glad I gave him a second chance, otherwise, we would not have built a life together and feathered our nest with such a mixture of happy memories. Yes indeed, some scraps are worth having and saving.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

A PRAYER FOR YOU...

I have been thinking how quickly that time seems to flutter by, escaping our notice while we are busy trying to balance and stay on top of things...We get situated in a place of safety, in a comfortable span where everything seems to be as it should be...We reach what we think is the top, and suddenly everything starts to fold...In upon itself and the view from the top is not quite what we thought it would be...So we pause, stretch our wings, and begin to turn in a new direction...We find ourselves back where we started, on ground level...Learning to navigate again...Beginning a new climb, this time at a much slower pace...Seeing with greater clarity what is truly important and savoring each new step of the way... Trusting that this new path will enable us...To spread our wings in new directions, fully opening ourselves to new promise...Where all things are possible!

Life is filled with moments that take your breath away, both in a negative and positive way. Our journeys are not always smooth sailing. Over the last few days I have absorbed your stories and observed your hope realizing that not all situations have a quick turn around. I wanted you to know that I truly cherish that you, in the midst of your own worries, would take the time to offer words of hope and encouragement.

Praying that you too will treasure your time, hold onto hope no matter the circumstance, savor each step of your journey, that your potential and possibilities are endless, your attitude remain positive, and that winds of promise will blow your way, lifting your outspread wings to your dreams, and that they are fully obtainable and come to pass whatever they may be, prospering you, giving you hope, and a wonderful future.

Many Blessings,

Miss Sandy

YOUR OPINION PLEASE...

Before I get to the opinion poll on the artwork submissions I really have to say a huge thank you for all the support, love, and prayers you have all sent my way. It is appreciated more than you will ever know. Amazing things happened the day after my last post. Handy Hubby had three job offers and went to work the very next day, Friday (his 50th birthday!), for a new company. There are still some difficulties with the transition but I am sure they will work themselves out in time. On that same day I got some amazing news in regard to my artwork and I will share more with you on that later.

I cannot begin to fathom the goodness of God in difficult times. We have been living on the edge for six months now, waiting, wondering, hoping, praying, and waiting some more. So many of you shared your stories and I want you to know that each of you are in my prayers. Many of you did not experience immediate results as we did and I pray blessing of provision will be yours also in the immediate future. Some of your stories broke my heart at such depth of loss and it truly put our small hiccup in perspective. You are all amazing resilient people with spirit, heart, and hope that inspires me beyond belief. Thank you for touching my life.

I know the following will seem like fluff after all the serious stuff above, and really it is, but I find in the midst of troubling times it sometimes helps to have something a little light of heart to take our mind off our troubles and I really truly would love your opinion. I have pulled out seven pieces of art, old and new, to use as my submissions. I had wanted three new pieces but to tell you the truth, I have just not been able to focus. I did get two new pieces done but the third and largest is still on the work table.

Anyway, what I would like is to know which of theses seven pieces are your three favorites. I think I have made my choices but I would seriously love your input on the subject. To select your three favorites, view the selections below and then vote using the poll on my upper side bar just below my email link. Click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing.

COTTAGE BEALLE FABRIC COLLAGE:CLARA SCARLETT ASSEMBLAGE ART DOLL:HOME TWEET HOME COLLAGE:NEST ASSEMBLAGE: (Remember that chunk of wood bird I found? Here he is!)

PAPER SCULPTED COLLAGE BIRDS:INDUSTRIAL DREAMS SIGN:MISS MARY BEES WAX COLLAGE:Would you submit a series, like the three bird pieces, or would you showcase different styles and pieces? I'll leave the poll open until Friday and thank you so much for helping me with the selections! I hope your week is beyond blessed.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy