art studio

Joyful Pause Studio: Bad News and Good News

Joyful Pause Studio: Bad News and Good News

Bad News: returning home from vacation in November I discovered we had a water issue in the lower level of our house. Magazines stacked on the carpet against the wall, used for the SoulCollage workshops I offer in my studio, I came to discover when moving them that the bottom magazines were wet.

Nothing like a water problem to make your stomach drop to your feet. We pinned the problem to a chimney leak we had late August, which John had fixed not realizing the water had dripped down between the walls.

It had been a hope of mine that we could replace the carpet downstairs with something else eventually. Well, now is the time. At least for the one room.

Good News:  Today John is installing a luxury vinyl flooring that clicks and snaps together (not really as easy as it sounds, as it is a bit more challenging than he anticipated).  But it is backed by 5/8 inch cork board and perfect for basements. It also looks like wood flooring, which I love.

Of course now I wish we could do the whole lower level plus the stairs — but that will have to wait. It will also take much longer to do that amount of space which is about 800 square feet.

The other good news is I painted the room also to match the rest of downstairs – I just love that green!!  Very “zen”  I think for my workshops.

I keep telling John that the nicer he makes our house, the more I won’t want to leave it for a warmer climate which we’d like to do someday. Though honestly, I don’t know if I can ever leave completely, but would like to head to warmer temps just for the winter months.

I’m so excited about 2017 and the workshops I’m going to be facilitating on my own, plus workshops I’m collaborating on with friend Rachel, of LaValley Equine Sanctuary. We both have a fire inside us about offering workshops and it feels so good to have this new passion.

My vision of encouraging women to…

Going down the stairs to Joyful Pause Studio (and yes, John needs to reinstall trim here – always something to do!)

is coming true and that makes my heart feel much joy…which is good, good, news.

Even for women who aren’t local to my area and can’t attend my workshops in person, I’m giving lots of thought to offering workshops online, videos, tele-classes, etc. which I want to record and facilitate from my Joyful Pause Studio…so stay tuned!

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You Can Let the Art in Your Heart Lead the Way. Meet My Friend, Shannon.

You Can Let the Art in Your Heart Lead the Way. Meet My Friend, Shannon.
Shannon in front of one of her new paintings in progress posing with the She Shed book she won from me!

I want to tell you about a dear lady, my friend, Shannon who has grown by leaps and bounds right before my eyes the past few years. She is living from that place in her heart, that so many want to find the courage to do so also. She is letting art be the balm for her soul that fills her with joy and purpose.

She is also the lucky lady who won the book giveaway of She Sheds – A Treasure Trove of Women’s Creative Spaces.  I always use Random.org when I pick a winner and while I wish everyone could win, I was very tickled that Shannon did. Not only does she live five minutes from me and I could get a picture of her with the book I signed for her (and it’s why it took me a bit to announce the winner), but I really think she was meant to win this copy! Like those that left a comment, Shannon would love a She Shed of her own to keep pursuing her art.

You see, I’ve known Shannon for a little over 25 years now. I first knew her mom when I worked at Kohl’s Department Store which was like, um, eons ago and this is how I met Shannon. Then John and I wanted to buy our first home a couple years after we’d been married. We ended up buying a spec home that Shannon’s husband, Bradd, and her father-in-law built. And over the years our friendship has grown, and ebbed and flowed.

She went on to have two children and as with most friends, being we didn’t have any, or lives drifted apart for awhile as she raised her kids. Shannon’s daughter will be in her third year of art school come this fall and her son will head to college in the fall also.

When her daughter was getting ready to graduate high school Shannon had the upheaval of emotions so many mom’s go through. She wondered, Now what? Who am I as my children to go out into the world on their own? And she was asking herself, what’s my purpose?

And with a little searching and being open to possibility, along with giving herself permission to follow her heart, Shannon began to paint and realized how much she loves it. And might I add here, she is really good at it!!

Shannon’s art table of supplies. One happy corner of her world.

It’s truly been a joy watching Shannon spread her art wings! And how lovely its been to support her by encouraging her and seeing so many others who stop by her personal page to “like” and comment on her work. Check out these two squirrels she recently painted.

squirrels

And she keeps putting one foot in front of the other, sometimes her knees knocking and her nerves jumping, but she continues to paint. And this week, she will be taking a few pieces of her work to a shop to sell, which as many of you know, is a big, big step. I’m SO proud of her!!

Shannon would love a “She Shed” of her own someday, but the cool thing is, she hasn’t let that stop her from doing her art as often as she can. She has set up a little corner for herself in the lower level of her home. She has a beautiful view of trees outside the window, and where her sweet, dear, dog Molly is resting in peace with a marked grave.

And I think this quote on the back of this chair she painted below says it best. Because I believe too that when we answer that inner calling that is there nudging us along, can we then begin to walk peacefully on this earth.

Keep painting Shannon — you are creating your own special miracles just by letting that inner light in you shine and move out into the world.

shannon 3

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New Spot to Let My Creativity Flow

art spaceNo, I didn’t get rid of my writing cottage. I don’t know how I will ever be able to leave it as we think about retirement in a warmer climate. But that is a few years off, so no need to worry my little head about that right now.

This past last week I’ve been waking up at 11:33 pm quite often, wondering how I could fit a table into my writing cottage to accommodate my new creative ventures I’m exploring and playing with.

Then I had lunch with my friend Shannon yesterday who told me she placed a table in front of her windows next to her fireplace so she has a spot to go and paint.

Then it came to me this morning! I thought I could find a way in which to do this in my writing cottage. And wa-la!  I did it!

When I’m not working on my computer at my desk, I can simply turn my chair around and get out my watercolor marker brush pens and sketch pad our or work on some SoulCollage cards when I want.

I don’t want to have my desk messy with too much stuff, so I’m able to store my supplies under the table, out of sight, which I like. I’m so excited I was able to make this work!

A week from today I leave for a weekend away in Madison, WI, about two hours from my house. I’ll be going to a training to learn SoulCollage.

I’m very intrigued by this process I discovered a few months ago. A process of “accessing your intuition and creating a deck of cards with a deep personal meaning that will help you with life’s questions and transitions.”

The training is being held at Holy Wisdom Monastery, which is fascinating in itself to me. I’m really looking forward to this time of quiet, community with like-minded souls, and reflection.

When I return it will be so nice to have my little art space in my writing cottage in which I can create.

Hmmmm, perhaps I need to rename my cottage once again. For awhile I was calling it my zen writing cottage, which it still is as I also love to mediate here too. Maybe I shall now have to call it my writing, creative, zen, cottage!