Year of the Horse 2014!

Bye-Bye 2013... 

I am thankful that year of the ssssssssnake is almost over... 

The Chinese 2013 horoscope showed us that 2013 year of the black Snake was an exciting year for many. There was both ups and downs, and for some the ups were quite high and the downs were quite low. For everyone, there will be good and bad and highlights and lowlights.

While there were many things for me to be grateful for, there where a couple of things were I was bit without being aware until after the fact (yeee-ouch!)...

But isn't that part of the growing or should we say the human process? So yes, I may of been bitten but have learned some great things that will help my soul in the future.

Enter 2014...

January 31, 2014 is the Year of the Wood Horse ~or, the Year of the Green Horse, being that Wood is the element of spring, when plants have their new growth. In the Five-Element Cycle, Wood comes just before Fire and so has a favorable relationship with it. Put Wood on Fire and get a big blaze. Put all of this together and it looks like the year element Wood will be lucky for the Horse in 2014!

And what does that mean for you?

It is a wise that you should never be too excited by good luck, and never too disheartened by a stroke of bad luck. Fortune has a habit of turning.

Be Cautious: Horse energy is sometimes about the foolish rushing in where wise men fear to tread. If you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don’t do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don’t want to gallop off in the wrong direction. Yes, luck is with you, but you still need to apply due diligence, use a little common sense and pick the best times to act.

Be Light-Hearted: Full of uplift, optimism and compelling inspiration, we will be guided into purposeful action of the most elegantly simple and powerfully fruitful kind.  After two years of feeling every revelation of uncomfortable darkness tapping at our souls and wringing us dry of watery emotion, we are ready for this change!  Light, hope and clarity of vision gallop in.

Full of uplift, optimism and compelling inspiration, we will be guided into purposeful action of the most elegantly simple and powerfully fruitful kind.  After two years of feeling every revelation of corruption in the dark as if it was scouring our subconscious insides and wringing us dry of watery emotion, we are READY for this change!  Light, hope and clarity of vision gallop in. Emerge from your cocoons, everybody, here we goooooo!
- See more at: http://westernschooloffengshui.com/2014/01/2014woodhorse/#sthash.IXenRjE5.dpuf

Full of uplift, optimism and compelling inspiration, we will be guided into purposeful action of the most elegantly simple and powerfully fruitful kind.  After two years of feeling every revelation of corruption in the dark as if it was scouring our subconscious insides and wringing us dry of watery emotion, we are READY for this change!  Light, hope and clarity of vision gallop in. Emerge from your cocoons, everybody, here we goooooo!
- See more at: http://westernschooloffengshui.com/2014/01/2014woodhorse/#sthash.IXenRjE5.dpuf

 So how do I process this into my life? 

Well, first off, Mark and I are hosting a dinner party celebrating the Chinese New Year...

The menu?? 

mostly from Ying Chang Compestine

 Chinese Cookbook (my go-to cookbook)

Apps...

potstickers, veggie spring rolls, and spicy shrimp

Entree...

Baked Salmon,  Spicy Green Beans, 

and Rice with cilantro and green onions

 

Dessert...

Fortune Cookies, Green Tea Ice Cream, 

and of course- chocolates.

 So for the year??
I plan to take things with the intentional care that I have learned from last year and gallop into my future with a light heart and taking steps in my path that are thoughtful...oh yes, while wearing a really snazzy pair of boots!

AND most importantly...

having my ever supportive and handsome guy by my side!

Away teaching

Hello All,

I am with the Flying Phoebes this week 

teaching Ling Li and Chun Woo.

Chun and her sister Ling

New StudiO~Close up

There were many elements in putting this studio together to hold my vision I had in my head.

One of them was including artwork other than my own. I find that in my own studio, I prefer to be surrounded by what I have made. Understand that it is not for egotistical reasons but for a clear path to keep my work as my own. As we grow as artist, there comes a point when duplication of others work can be very easy, so to keep original to my own vision...to my own self, I like to have my pieces in my eye sight.

With that- the pictures that I have on my wall in my office area are of my own making using a factory produced product- embroidery floss.

Years ago, a dear student gave me a sample card booklet of Japanese embroidery floss. I loved them from the moment I saw them- perfect threads wound in colorways- nice and tidy...To this cloth artist, I love things in succession! I held on to it knowing one day I would frame these flosses.

tri-fold booklet

open to first fold

So where to start? I needed to figure out my wall space.Would one long picture or three separate work better? First, I loved the idea of one long picture, but since this was at the end of my moving and I had pretty much spend my budget, the three separate was the better choice financially and for wall space in the future.

I looked at the expense for the size I wanted for each picture to be framed...$65-$70 each- too much for this cowgirl...Now being an artist, this does not stop a good percentage of us. If we can't find it within our means- we MAKE it!

My sweet husband, Mark, suggested that I check out Big Lots...hummmm...I wasn't going to find anything there...BUT jackpot!!

We found three of these "lovely" prints. I didn't need the print just the frame, mat, and glass...

So apart they came, the print was glued to the back mat board which ended up destroyed to take them apart- no worries there I had plenty of my own mat board.

Next came the careful disassembling of the flosses from their neat sections of the sample card booklet.
Then choosing the background to mound them upon. I had this fabulous chirimin silk from Japan...perfect in a natural off white.

Silk in rolled paper protective wrapper

close up of woven design in silk

I first mounted the fabric. Then thoughtfully laid out and mounted each strip of flosses to a colorway that somewhat followed their original numbering system.

Added the mat and secured it, then the glass and frame. Final touch was the sawtooth hanger in a landscape position...

 

 Yes, these took me a couple of days but how I enjoy seeing them when I enter into my office. I think that having things with intention around you makes for an overall better environment to create with purposeful thought.

Yes, being an artist, we are very fortunate to be able to create. period.

Word(s) of the Year 2014

 Hello All,

I like to start the New Year with a new word…I find it so interesting how a word can be shown to you through out a year. Normally, I choose a word that will help me with personal growth- something that defines your character as a human being…to become a better person...

2013 recap...

Little did I know when I chose the word WAX as 2013's word, would my life be affected by so many ways that have lead right into 2014.

 O waxing moon - 

where are you coming from?
I'm going home*

...to find my soul.*tikkis 

  read more of Word of the Year 2013

WAX...it celebrates the process and the growth to full potential.

WAX...it helps bring light to our path we chose to follow.

And so my learning path of understanding and listening to myself has been lit leading into

2014

It arrives with some of the dust, the beginning of an enlightenment and understanding my own truth...which leads into understanding my own art.

What is the dust???

It is unexpected personal experiences, with the serious illness of a parent and how others in the family react and communicate in the wheel of life...also throw in the moving my studio where I had been comfortable (maybe too comfortable).

What is the enlightenment and understanding my own truth. 

In life, we are all handed unexpected life challenges. It is how we react to them that shows our true nature.

I am learning a great deal about myself and my own reactions to these challenges, that I have found to be so mutli-layered. My normal reaction would be to solve it quickly and move on.

I am now learning  to stop and listen carefully and intentionally to my soul, to give things some time. This is a great lesson for me being a Type A-Aries-First born-Child of an Alcoholic..yes we all have it...and how you unpack yours is up to you... 

With my Dad's illness comes other's baggage. I was recently received a disturbing text from a family member. We are not close, so this text was very misjudged about what is going on in my life. 

SOOoo... this lead me to think about today's world and how easy it is to be harsh when you do not have to be face to face or even talk with that person. How easy it is to have a one-sided discussion.

I find that this constant static is a deep lesson in learning  to be my own centered self. And with this came my inspiration for my word of the year..or I should say words of the year...

Words with Grace

I have chosen to think of my words this year with significance.

Words can build up or they can tear down...they can build or demolish...they can create closeness or push away.

To keep me on this side of the static and not lose myself, I have found that my words with grace whether spoken or in thoughts is the only way to get through this as a full heart-ed creative woman.

Grace while still holding truth...soulful truth...
truth that is realistic to myself while still being kind.

altered image from No. 9 Photography

New StudiO After!!

Hurray! Finally, here are the photos of my new studio space! 

Before photos here

I moved, downsized many things, repainted all most all of the furniture into a newly painted space...repaint, refresh, renew. I have only moved my studio 4 times in the 20+ years I have been a dollmaker.  First from our house since we moved from suburban to urban, then from a workshop-quiet to Pearl Street- more shops - more activity...and now to urban and quiet. Kind of a mix of all three!

I am on the second floor of this building (renovated Victorian). It houses only businesses, in total three. 

Up the stairs to the landing, you will find my sign (and my protege Simone) on this day welcoming you!

So, where am I in my mind...in my soul...after being on Pearl for 15-some years?

Those past 15 years were of strong, brazen, pushing to create. No time for a breath or even to reflect. Totally my own doing, I feel I needed to create at this self-induced frantic pace to learn and understand my art.

And now, I can see (feel) the beginning of this new path of not only understanding my art, but myself.  It must evolve on its own without being directed and impatiently plotted out.
 

As I began to unpack, I realized that many of the things I brought with me did not have a place in this new space or new path. "Where are all the dolls"? many have asked. I wanted to intentionally give an openness, a lightness, to create visual space so new can be welcomed and discovered.

Design area. 

I love having the space on the work table...to breathe. I repainted the worktable substructure and put new handles on the drawers. Also used my curtains from the old studio and just hemmed them with a two-foot hem, so they can be re-used if I ever have longer windows in the future.

 

Storage shelf. 

Even went through my shelves to have the things that are used and not just stuffed into a corner. I found with the quick pace of the last 15 years, I gave myself no time to mindfully clear out things from class kits and one of a kind projects. This lead to things being jammed into boxes and not seen until quite recently.  ok- still need to go through my fabrics and I will!

Sewing area. 

Since moving in, that next week I left for CA to teach, then got back to have some private students, unpacked and finished up. Then off to Mexico for a much needed vacation, and back with more private students and the Holidays!...in other words, I have only sewn one project in this area, so it will probably need some tweaking- overall I am happy with it. And I have many commissions yet to fill- I haven't forgotten about you! xoxox.

I also love my aprons hanging next to my sewing table.

Even Issy has found her own place, next to the sunny windows.

 

Office area.

Here I have a refurbished desk Mark got for me. The top was originally a cherry wood-color. I painted it a soft white, along with the filing cabinet top.

The pictures on the wall are of Japanese thread samples that I matted onto a chirimen woven silk and framed. The picket fence is from the old studio repainted from green to grey. I thought grey was such a popular color that I could find it in a spray paint. After three stores, Mark suggested using primer! And that is just what I did. I like that the spray paint allows the patina of the original paint(s) to show through.

Library. (better known as bookshelves)

Facing across from my desk are my beloved books. I put my Asian book right at eye level, so when I look up from my computer those are the books I see. I would eventually like to get a chair to put in the space where the (recovered) bench sits.

Private Bath.

 Out the office door across the hall is my own private bathroom! Like that!

Do you remember my inspiration tea towel? This is where all my color inspiration came from. I basically went white, grey, and charcoal- clean palette- open to other colors.

Kitchenette.

I love this room, I have my fridge, microwave, and this great utility sink in there! Mark also cut down my work bench that shelves my drills, tools, and mold making supplies. It now fits perfectly on the wall across from the sink. In this room, my painter ended up being only able to paint the trim since the walls are of an oil base. I think it worked out perfectly. I trimmed out the shelves with the same pink paint.

The veg-head series of dolls hang above the work bench.

A lucky and historical find.

I was at Denver Fabrics during my move to buy farbic to recover my ironing boards and benches. As I parked, I noted that they were replacing the old sign with the new Colorado Fabrics sign. I asked what the workers what were they going to do with the old letters?? They were going to throw them away. Now this was in my clearing out time...so I knew I didn't even want them, BUT as I walked into the store I thought "r" for ROotie...the rest, yes, is history. This little piece of nostalgia hangs in the kitchenette above my fridge.

And so, it is the New Year with a new studio 

and a new vision on the horizon.

Stayed tuned for many adventures, yet to come...