Downton Abbey Party...
We had our first Art Hop of the year on Thursday night. This is an event in our little town on the third Thursday, from May through September where most of the shops stay open until 8pm and feature an artist, musician, or other fun attraction. Most of them serve wine and appetizers. We always try to have a theme of some kind at our shop, and this time it was "Downton Abbey Style." The shopowners all dressed up, and any guests who dressed in the period style were entered into a drawing for a shop gift card. It was really fun to see all of the elaborate dresses and hats!

         

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks ladies for making this such a fun event!

 

Back to Blogging

Well, it has been over a year since my last blog entry...

I haven't even been perusing other blogs (except of course when I get sidetracked on Pinterest). I have really missed all of you and keeping up with your creative endeavors. This year, I have made a resolution to narrow my focus and TRY to concentrate on doing less but doing it better! Another resolution is to get back to blogging and focusing on my website.

It has been a busy time for me. After renovating the little church and turning it into fifteen shops, it has been a whirlwind of marketing, promotions, and the general duties of running a business. The new location has been open now for a year and a half and I think this is our year to really bloom. The shops are doing great and we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of creative women as shop owners.

On the homefront, we bought a 1954 Chevy pick up truck. Her name is "Pearl" (photos coming in a later post). Then we did a kitchen renovation which led to freshening up the entire house with new hardwood floors, wainscotting, beadboard,  painting most of the rooms, and all of the doors and trim.  I never want to paint another door...EVER!

Somewhere in there I have managed to work on my hand dyed vintage slipdresses and jewelry line.  I am preparing for some shows this summer. I am super excited to be showing my wares at Old Glory Antiques Fair in June. If you are out in Colorado, please stop by and say hello.  I have also been  concentrating on getting my studio organized and my website fully functional. I am so excited about the look of the website that was designed by Catherine at Avalon Rose Designs. Her designs are AMAZING!



I hope this finds you well and the past year has been good to you. I look forward to catching up with each and every one of you!

Church Interior "After" Photos

As promised... I wanted to share with you some of the "after" photos

 of the church interior. We have eight shops leased now and another eight to go.

 I love the way it is all coming together.

This is our "Blessing Tree" that is in the entry of the church. It is the first thing you see when you come in. Visitors who make a donation of $1 can write something that they are thankful for on a card and hang it on the tree. All of the donations are given to Tri Lakes Cares, a local charity.

This is our self serve potpourri bar. You can scoop your own, or pick up a pre-packaged sachet in an organza bag. I found this great old, rusty sink and cut a hole in the top of an old buffet that I found on Craigslist. 

We have a nice seating area in front of the counter where you can help
yourself to  a cup of coffee or tea.

This is "Petticoats and Patina", one of my shops. It is full of really fun clothing and western boots. My husband built the aspen wall that you see in the background.

I have a new addiction appreciation for beautiful boots! That may explain why 

there are no size nines in the shop. Ha Ha!

 

This i"Dwell" which has a very urban farmhouse style. I LOVE the
old windmill blades!

"Cottage Chic" is such a fun little shop. I love this style, and if I ever am

lucky enough to have a little cottage by the water, this is what it will look like.

I know you are all wondering where  the "whites" are...."Belle Blanc"
(lovely whites) is full of nothing but. It is everyone's favorite shop.
It has three windows and a mantel, and makes you just want to lie down
 on the fluffy antique bed.

 This shop is still under construction but I just had to give you a sneak peek.
It is called "Stella's" and it is a journey back to the elegant
920s, 30s, and 40s. The clothing line is flirty and fun with cloche hats,
feathered headbands, and ruffled leggings. The shop is decorated like
 Stella's dressing room might have looked.

Here is our bit of bling. It looks so pretty when you see it at night from the
outside. The frame of the beautiful church window and the lighted tree
 and chandelier sparkling inside. I wanted to take a photo from the outside,
but we have had evening thunderstorms everyday for the past week.

Thank you so much for stopping in, I hope you have enjoyed this little tour. 

If you are ever in Colorado, I would love to have you stop by for a visit.

I will be joining Kathleen's White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Be sure to head over there for lots of creative inspiration.

Me And My Studio

It all began...about a year ago when I flew up to Portland to take a three day workshop with the amazing Sally Jean Alexander. If you haven't taken one of her workshops, I would highly recommend it. Her studio is in an old warehouse in the "Pearl" district. It even has one of those cool elevators where you pull the door down, like you see in the movies. Her studio itself is such a magical place. I was so impressed at how she had every supply under the sun and somehow managed to keep it all organized.  When I came home I said "Babe, what would you think about moving your office up to the front room?" He replied with "I knew this was coming." Thankfully, my husband is very easy going. The next day we started moving furniture and my studio was born. I have never had a place designated solely for creating, and boy does it make a difference. I love being surrounded by all of the things that inspire and motivate me. As all of you creative spirits know, one thing leads to another...I soon found myself perusing all of your beautiful blogs (sometimes for hours on end). I was instantly hooked! My husband hung a chandelier and put it on a dimmer for me. I love to go into my  studio in the evening, after my Son is in bed, turn on my lovely chandelier and write my blog and peek in at yours. I have met some of the kindest, most giving, and creative women through blogging, and I am so grateful for my new found friends and kindred spirits. Thank you all for letting me visit your homes, your shops, and your families. Please enjoy my studio where I create and blog. I can't wait to see all of your beautiful blog"spots."

 Love my pretty "chandi"

I made this sign from a bulletin board. I flipped the cork board over, painted it with chalkboard paint, and used my Cricut machine to cut a stencil. I really like this quote.

 I removed the closet doors and added the two shelves for the Cricut and sewing

 machines.  No more dragging it out to the  kitchen table  and back, it's always ready

 to go. I have to admit, getting me to sew is like pulling teeth. My Mom was an avid seamstress and I grew up sewing. I'm glad she taught me the skill, but I will try

 to glue, tape, staple, or anything else I can think of before I resort to sewing.

This is my little helper Jinx. Most fondly referred to as "big fatso kitty."  She actually

weighs more than our dog, but I don't think she is concerned. Wish I could be a cat!

These are some of the things that give me inspiration....

... to create these things.



Thank you all for stopping by and visiting my studio,

where I love to blog, create, and visit all of you.

I am excited to be joining in on the 2011 Where Bloggers Create party

hosted by Karen Valentine. Be sure to hop over and take a look at

everyone's creative spaces.

Church Before and After

Where has the time gone?... I can't believe it has been three months since my last post.  As most of you know, we bought a historic church here in Monument, Colorado with a plan to give her a facelift and move our  shop from it's boring  current location, to the 1911 church. Not only would it house our shop but also have space for 15 other shops. We closed on May 5th and have been working non stop ever since. We still have a few shops for lease but it is coming along really well.  I wanted to share some before, during, and after photos with you....

                                                           

                                                            This is the church "before"

The church was home to a toy store for the last several years. Murals of jungle scenes were everywhere. Even the restroom had a jungle border and snimal stickers on the walls.

The yard was very overgrown with huge shrubs and much of the original siding was rotten.

We had the low ceiling ripped out and the horrible  blue indoor outdoor carpet taken up. We started painting the interior and siding went up on the outside.

Ahhhh! She's looking better already!

 I couldn't wait to get the chandelier up!

No more animals in the restroom

Here she gets a coat of primer. Originally, we had planned on painting her white but I changed my mind at the last minute after seeing a beautiful color scheme on a restored home  in Colorado Springs.

The new color is very soothing

We moved the steps from the corner to the center of the porch. Lots of folks have commented that they didn't even know it had a porch. The shrubs hid most of this cute little yard. Now it is my favorite place.

I made the sign out of a headboard that I found on Craigslist and stenciled the lettering. My husband made the planter box and he even picked out the flowers!

I will post some indoor photos next week so you can see how things look now.

I am so looking forward to catching up with all of you and seeing all of the creative things you've been up to. I have really missed getting to peek at all of your amazing blogs.

I will be sharing this with Kathleen's White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage and
 Gina's Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Thanks for stopping by,