where in the world are nancy + eva????

Our bookcases, shelves, knick knacks and a pair of clogs.

A while back Nancy shared about a major change to our studio time. The lease on our space was up and we had to decide what to do. Neither of us wanted to lose our time creating together. Nancy expressed her concern to her sweet Jay. He encouraged her to bring it home! They did some very creative rearranging and made space for our studio time in the downstairs of their home. Everyone thought it was a crazy idea, me included! I worried about invading their home, interfering with their daily rhythm and in general being in their way.

Nancy's side,which she has already rearranged.

Always have to have tunes.

All my worries were for nothing. We have become a part of their daily, weekly rhythm as they have ours. The rhythm and energy is different than in our old space.  The biggest change is that one day a week my children accompany me to the space. Nancy's children and mine play beautifully together. Their day is filled with Lego adventures, outdoor schemes, LOTS of drawing, reading of Calvin and Hobbes and the occasional XBox fest. Their overheard conversation makes me chuckle as I work and their busy energy helps carry me along. Most days the only time we see them is at lunch time. I then come by myself on the other day. It is a quiet day. Nancy's kiddos drop in one at a time, to say hello and check in on the progress of my projects. They each have their own opinions and are never afraid to share. I enjoy them and delight in their thought process.

My inspiration boards.

Getting my 30 minutes in.

The other really, major change is  we have decided  to NOT pursue selling things or holding classes. We examined our motives, realizing we do enjoy teaching classes and like creating stuff, the two main motivators though were the feeling that we needed to have a purpose,a practical goal and the making of money. We needed an income to pay for the lease. Now, here we are in our sparkly studio, with NO lease. Now what do we do?

                                                                 

                                                                      WE  PLAY!!!!

The multipurpose dining, hanging out, sitting area. Oh, and behind the table a bookcase. There is a matching one on the other side.

  We  have decided, for the time being, to pursue our passions. We want to try new things, explore and dare I say it, let ourselves develop into genuine artists. It feels wild and free. It is a little bit scary too, but isn't every great adventure scary? So,come back to this little space every once in awhile and check in on us, watch us as we grow. If we haven't posted in awhile, ask us how we are doing, hold us accountable to our crazy dream. And by all means, please share your adventures with us. We would love to know what you are doing.

pause

 Being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mama is quite hard and finding time to recharge is not always easy. Since March, I've had the privilege of coming to a studio to think and create. When my husband offered this time and space to me, I jumped at the idea. Then, I was able to invite a friend to join me and we shared the space. We came up with the idea to join forces and share with others our love of creating and Studio Time was born. 

The lease on our current studio is ending in December, but I want Studio Time to continue since it is such an amazing time for Eva and I to recharge and engage in something that we are both passionate about. So, my husband and I brainstormed options and came up with a pretty different idea.

 We live in a 2-story house that has 4 rooms upstairs. Two are used as bedrooms, one is used as my husband's home office and one was primarily not used. We are turning our downstairs open living room, dining room and kitchen area into The Studio. 

Part of the transformation is already complete, our original living room furniture is upstairs in the unused room which is now called the den, our dining table is now in the center of the living room, it is used daily as our main table for dining and will be used for classes as a work table. I purchased a used sofa and new rug and paired them with some furniture we had to create a comfortable spot in the living area for us and for students. That was one of the kids main requests, that we have a comfortable space to lounge downstairs. In the kitchen where we normally have our dining table, I've divided the space in half one side for me and one side for Eva. I have a work table for crafting, sewing and drawing and two storage racks with counter space for painting set-up.  

I am excited about having the studio in my home. The new possibilities that are opened up are exciting. We will be able to have larger classes, include children, offer babysitting and there is access to a kitchen for meals or cooking classes. Anyone know a chef ? 

For now, we will be pausing to regroup, plan for the new year and enjoy the holidays with our families. I will be sharing sneak peek photos of the "new" studio until then.

 HaPPy HOLidayS!

make + take class

We hosted our first class last week. It was a MAKE + TAKE craft night and we made "give thanks" banners. The design was based on the ones I made for the studio as mentioned in the new look post. 

There were snacks, wine and a great group of ladies that braved our first go at teaching. 

The MAKE + TAKE class is all about having fun, learning something new, meeting new friends and taking something home that you can use or give as a gift. We hope to offer a monthly MAKE + TAKE class which would include all the supplies, directions and refreshments for a small fee. 

If you are interested in getting a group of friends together at the studio or at your home, let us know and we can put together a class for you. 

Stay tuned for the next date and craft we will offer in December!

Click the link below to see more photos from the class...

Make + Take Classes

painting class

I'm taking another course with Mati and Lisa. It started last week and I'm very excited. Over the summer I took their first course which I shared about here and here. 

This time around we are taking it slow and learning about how to gather inspiration and layering techniques. 

I have been gathering inspiration on Pinterest all week. It's my favorite part really. Gathering ideas and enjoying beautiful things. 

Then it's on to the hard part. Decision time. Figuring out what I am actually going to paint. That is the part I do not like. I will keep you updated with my progress during this course. 

My goal is to take it slow and learn to enjoy the process. 

new look:2

       

      As Nancy mentioned before, we have redone our space in preparation for our upcoming classes. It feels so wonderful to make it more "us". We are settling into our cozy space and finally feel like it is ours. I usually arrive first (as I come straight from dropping The Boy off at school) and no one is here. In much  the same way that the ocean roar creates a blissful "nothingness" in my brain, the roar of silence first thing at the studio calms me. The quiet routine of turning on lights, opening blinds and tidying up messes I may have left behind. Or to my delight finding Nancy has already tidied and then getting to smile to myself at who she is. I grab a water, a piece of gum and sit at my table to face my paper and pencil. I wrestle with lines and proportions until Nancy comes through the door. This is immediately followed by excited chatter. We fill each other in on our lives, things we have accomplished since we were last in our space and always the making of lists. Then we are off. Each to work independently but always coming back together for either a show-n-tell moment, to share something funny one of the kids said, or a follow-up on an idea. All too quickly its time to go. I gather stuff to take home, confirm plans made and head out into the rest of the day.

new look

We have been very busy cleaning and reorganizing the studio in preparation for our first class in November.

 All our supplies, cutting table and ironing board have been moved into an adjacent room which our landlord allowed us to use.  That has freed up space for two work tables for our students.

I made banners with our motto, create - play - grow out of coffee bags, using freezer stencil and fabric paint for the letters. The banner idea came from Maya Made. Eva took a class from Maya last June at S.A.W. and loved it. She has such a great style and sweet spirit. 

I added more embroidery hoops with fabric, some twinkly lights around the ceiling and a couple of my paintings.  Eva found some small shelves while thrifting, which we painted and will hang under the banners.  

If you are local, come by and visit. We are here Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-12pm.

doodling

               I have always loved to draw. Art class, with all of its colors, smells and textures, appealed to me. Mrs.Dickinson was my elementary school teacher. She was encouraging and elegant with her up-swept hairdo. Then junior high hit,with its dreaded electives. There wasn't quite room in my schedule and I didn't consider myself "good enough" to justify turning my schedule upside for an art class. (Which seems so bizarre now. You take a class to learn and improve,right? Not like I had to be at a certain level to take Jr.high art class!)

             Over the years, I became convinced I had no ability and resigned myself to stick figures. Along came my children and the crazy adventure of homeschooling. I wanted them to be able to draw. It has never been a goal that they become great masters. I do believe the ability to sketch a story, to entertain an impatient child,  illustrate a science model or quickly record something they want to remember, is important and doable. I also decided along the way that I would give drawing a second chance. Maybe,my junior high self didn't have a clue.(Yeah, she wasn't an authority on much of anything.)
             My goals in the area of drawing have changed through the years and so has my level of enthusiasm. At the present moment, I am committed to drawing for the first 30 minutes I am in the studio. Some days,like today, those 30 minutes fly by and other days I wonder if sharpening my pencils (all of them!) can be counted as part of my time. I have never had a proper lesson and turn to books for my instruction. My favorite three are Drawing With Children by Mona Brooks,  Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy by Chris Hart and any book by Barry Stebbing. Later, this week I'll post about why I like each of them and include a list of other resources I have enjoyed using. What are you waiting for? Grab a pencil and give it a go.

applique tutorial

I created a little video tutorial for a Raw Edge Applique. It is one of the variations we will be teaching in our first ever class at Studio Time. Did I mention we are teaching a class in November? Well, we are and we are getting the space all fixed up for company. No more messy space for us. It's been such fun planning and organizing. We are almost ready to start the fun part - decorating. We have plans for banners, shelves and other wall art. We even need an official sign on the front door. I have plans for that too. We are trying hard to use what we have and spend as little as possible, it's a challenge but a fun one.

There is limited space for the upcoming tote bag class. If you are interested, go over to the classes page and sign up.

simple tote class

We're excited to announce our first class at Studio Time, November 19th from 10-1pm. It is designed for the sewing machine owner that needs help getting started.

 Maybe you've owned a machine for years and haven't had the time or courage to get it out and sew or you've just bought your machine and need help getting started. 

We will walk you through the steps to make your own simple tote bag and give you the directions to make 3 variations on your own.

 Go to the classes page for more information and to register. 

it's in the bag

I usually just carry my camera in my purse with all my stuff, but after dropping my bag on the floor with my camera in it and having to send it to the repair shop, I vowed to use a real camera bag from then on. I didn't want to fork out the cash for a pretty one like these, so I hopped it over to Target and found a cute-ish one that I thought would work.

Well, it was okay, but I had to carry around another bag to fit all the stuff that I wanted to bring with me. I happen to be browsing that really cool store call Wal-mart and found a basic tote bag in black for super cheap that I thought would hold my newly purchased camera bag and the rest of my stuff. Since this tote was pretty plain jane, I decided to bedazzle it a bit with some fabric. I had some fabric strips on hand that I was going to use for a quilted pillow project, but decided to bale on, so I used it to create a pleated ruffle down the front.

I have to say that I love having my camera all safe and sound and all my things together. It is so very easy to get to my camera and have it handy when I need it. 

plain jane tote before

small camera bag and all my stuff that fits into plain jane tote

working on the pleated ruffle

pleated ruffle pinned in place and ready for sewing

plain jane tote after with all my stuff back in and ready to go

yoga mat bag :: tutorial

[Click HERE to access the tutorial]

As promised, here is the yoga mat bag tutorial for the bags I've been working on. Please use it for personal use only. Send me a picture if you make one. I would love to see what you come up with. Have fun!

If you have any questions or find an error, please send me an email.

dear joan

      I enjoy imagining what kind of words historical, literary or biblical characters would speak into my life if I asked them for advice. I like to imagine their facial features and tone of voice, as they speak wise words to me from the past or out of the place characters (like Anne, Ma, Ender;etc) dwell. As I was thinking of and praying for three very brave people who all  found themselves at a new turn in the road, I began to wonder what words  Joan of Arc might say to them. What if THE Joan of Arc had an advice column, like Ann Lander? What if my friends asked for one word each from her? What words would Joan give them?  As I imagined and layered and pieced  together these two little humble offerings for them, I couldn't help but marvel at how wise Joan really is.



Joan: brave, strong, beautiful, frightening


I created Joan using  an image-transfer technique I learned in the book painted pages. It is extremely simple and uses humble clear contact paper. I found the process addictive. It uses a photocopy of your picture, not the original, so you can make zillions! 



            I wanted them to have to strain to see the words of Joan. I might have done too well a job. :) 

Defy: your fears, your own self-imposed limits, the things deemed impossible by those around you, and the standard, wimpy, wilted thing people call love and be bold, loving recklessly

Broken: remain here, in the knowledge of your faults, the great lack that is, well simply you, here you can see the face of God, here you will need Him and want Him-more than any other place

Freedom: in her chains, she will tell you she was free and you too must learn to recognize true freedom, throwing your arms wide, laugh, giggle, shout aloud, you are free

sneak peak

I'm making bags. Lots of them. 

Here's my work table littered with the supplies to create a most awesome Yoga Mat Bag with a simple drawstring closure and wide strap that can cross your body or just slip over your shoulder. It also features, a zippered pocket, just right for you keys and gym card. 

Next week, I'll have a simple tutorial for you, laying out all the steps so you can make your own. If you don't sew or just can't wait to have one of your own, I am going to offer them for sale as well. 

Ok, now back to sewing...

40's girl

I was given a book by a talented friend callled, Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings. 

The review at amazon describes it as follows,

 In Taking Flight, you'll find overflowing inspiration? Complete with a kindred spirit in author and mixed-media artist Kelly Rae Roberts. Join her on a fearless journey into the heart of creativity as you test your wings and learn to find the sacred in the ordinary, honor your memories, speak your truth and wrap yourself in the arms of community.
Along the way you?ll be inspired by:

• Step-by-step techniques? learn the most-loved mixed-media methods of the author and seven talented contributing artists, and combine them in fresh and unexpected ways.

• Thought-provoking prompts and quotes? Along with encouraging stories, insights and gentle guidance for finding your bliss, whatever your art or craft.

• Plenty of eye candy? Pages and pages of the author's endearing artwork, along with the varied works of the contributors.

I picked up some lovely vintage postcards while at an antique shop in NH in early summer after a lovely time at S.A.W. They are from the 50's and one from 1941. Four cards all from Jacksonville, FL, which is our closest "big" city and where my mom grew up. I love the romantic image these cards have on their fronts and the stories they tell on the back. I drew inspiration from the card dated NOV 29 1941, it tells of couple that is visiting Jacksonville, with it's warm weather and hopes of visiting the orange groves.

I researched some images of 1940's woman and cam up with this one. She is wearing here tailored, buttoned up dress shirt with pin-stripes and dreaming of her recent visit to the orange groves. The steps in the book were clear and easy to follow. I did not have the exact materials listed for this project, but was able to use what I had to make it work. This was really fun and I learned many new techniques for applying paint and using other mediums in this piece. I hope to work through a few other projects from this book soon.

studio tour

Welcome to Studio Time. 

My name is Nancy and my partner in crime is Eva. You can read more about us here. 

Since February of 2011, Eva and I have been coming to this space to create, learn new techniques and play. We have come up with our own motto that defines what we do during Studio Time -

create, play, grow.  

We love to learn and create new things. We love to play with new materials. Through those two things we grow in our creative skills and as people.

Here is a little tour of our space: 

We hope to offer classes here some day, but for now we are going to work our little tushes off to make things to sell. We plan on sharing our work, some inspiring links and a peek into our projects at home as well in this space. I hope you come back often and share with us your passions and interests.