Why Vintage?

Some folks have asked me why I’m using vintage imagery... what’s the attraction? If you ever came to my house... or met me, you may ask the same thing. My everyday environment is not surrounded by this type of style, but in my studio and my work it’s all over the place! So what gives? Here are my reasons for loving vintage imagery--

It Reminds Me to Be a Kid Again
No, I’m not 90 years old, and these pictures aren’t something I remember seeing in my youth... but when I look at some of the vintage images - children playing, animals dressed up, whimsical expressions, it reminds me to just have fun... be a kid again, enjoy life, don’t take things so seriously, and all those great mottos!

A Simpler Time, but Not Necessarily Easier
Many of the vintage images make me think of what life would have been like back then. It seems to me to have been just a bit simpler than today. No email, no TV, favorite videos to watch, play-dates to schedule, etc... just lots of time playing outside with the neighborhood friends, discoveries in the yard, adventures in a neighboring park. Would I want to live back then? Not necessarily. I think it may have been a little simpler (fewer choices), but I think it must have been a lot harder. Some of our modern conveniences I would never want to be without!

Soft, Subtle Images, Not 3 D Super Saturated (usually)
It’s not that I don’t like super saturated 3 D images... many of todays animated movies I think are great and look good too! But, I do like the softer look of vintage imagery. I think it’s that feminine side of me, that sometimes comes out here and there!

Playful, Whimsical, and Sometimes Just Bizarre!
Some of the images I’ve found can be quite humorous... and some are quite bizarre! It may be a picture of a “child”/person serving up a giant lobster the size of a large dog, 2 kids pulling out a giant shoe from a pond, or a sweet old fashioned girl with a flower for a hat. The playfulness and whimsy many times puts a smile on my face just when I need it.

Are You a Romantic?

I just read an article where they asked “Are you a Romantic?” to several different woman entrepreneurs (it was their Valentines issue). “Well,” I thought to myself, “I’m a woman entrepreneur... I design things that may be thought of as ‘romantic’, am I a romantic?”

The last thing I would ever classify myself as is as a romantic, but then when I read these other woman’s responses, I thought, “well, maybe I am a... just a little?!”

I’m not that overly affectionate of a person, or that person that writes little notes to her husband and hides it in his brief case before he heads to work. I’m also not the woman with the romantic home filled with candles lit every night and sweet scented flowers in the air. But, I do sometimes leave my husband a “honey do” note right at his desk where he plugs in his laptop after work making sure he can’t miss it! Even though it’s a note to ask him to do something, it always has an xoxo on the bottom! I do also like to make sure we always kiss when we wake up in the morning, before one of us heads out, and when we’re home from a long day at work.

I think it’s the little things that make a difference. Making a favorite meal for someone in the family, just because. Decorating a window or nook in the house just to let everyone know how happy you are that a season or a holiday has arrived-- many times the excitement can be contagious! Sometimes it’s just a little indulging on a random day... giving the kids a special outing, saying “Yes, there’s dessert tonight!” (we don’t have dessert that often), or walking my daughter to school and holding her hand.

By know means will I win “Romantic of the Year” award... but reading the article and thinking about it a little, I’m sure I could add a little more romance in my life, and wouldn’t that be fun!

Heated Toilet Seats

Today at school, my son asked his teacher if they could install heated toilet seats. I guess the seat was just too cold for his bum! Oh my.

I’m not quite sure what made him think of this. It’s not as if we have heated toilet seats at home! Perhaps he’s been hanging out at a friend’s house that I don’t know about and that friend has heated seats??

Either way, sounds like my son’s getting the taste for luxury. Not something that you necessarily want to see at the ripe ol’age of 3!

Winter Creativity Spurt

Soooo many ideas, so little time! Let’s just say I’m not suffering from “writers block” these days... in fact, it’s almost the opposite. I keep thinking of so many different ideas, it’s keeping me up at night. Eeghads!

How have I tried to cope with sleepless nights? Well, I have a very realistic husband, and family. There’s only one of me, and lots to do, so it’s pick one and go with it. If it’s not your favorite, pick another! There’s no rush.

The advice is right-on! What’s the rush, anyway? Sometimes I find myself rushing around-- rushing out of Target, rushing to get home after dropping my kids at school, rushing to get dinner on the table... perhaps I’ll give myself a Valentine treat, a “no rushing” card. Then on one of those days I catch myself rushing around, I can pull out the card... and without any guilt get out a soda, put up my feet and read a book, a magazine, or even take a nap!

Hope you can give yourself a “no rush” card too one of these days.

Christmas is Over!

Time sure does fly! Christmas is just passed, and New Years is fast approaching. How did that happen?

Preparation for the holidays seems like a blur... getting ready for relatives to arrive, present shopping, and of course many fun hours in the studio creating new things, some how I turned around and it was Dec. 25th. I always get a little sad after everyone has left after Christmas dinner, and the kids are in bed... “Christmas is over,” I think to myself, “and it’s another whole year until it happens again.” Then, when I wake up in the morning, and there’s that little sense of relief... “Phew, I think I’m glad Christmas is a whole year away!”

I hope your holiday season was as jammed packed with fun as ours, and your ready for relax a little in the new year!

The Blogging Doldrums

I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last entry. September has been a busy month. It seems like it has almost taken the whole month to get into our new routines now that school has started. Lots of art production this past month too... filling orders and thinking about holiday projects to come!

With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t found time to write an entry! Possibly that’s a good thing. Being busy is a great thing!

First Week of School

I’m sure we all have similar types of memories... getting new school supplies, getting a couple new outfits, and we were off to school for the year! Well, here I am, and it’s my chance to carry on some of the great traditions my mom did for me when summer was winding down and school was starting up.

My daughter started her first day of Kindergarten this week. Some parents cried as they waved good bye to their little ones, some had a smirk on their face (my guess, all there kids were finally in school!) I was neither crying or smirking... just plain happy. Happy to see my daughter off on a new adventure that will hopefully challenge her and be fun for the next 17+ years of her life!

I, of course, took the pre-requisite “first day of school-outside-the-house” pic of her, in her new outfit. We just happened to be experiencing a heat wave this week, so it feels a lot like summer still, not school. Sweating in line with her backback and new outfit, off she went. I’m so proud.