Moving on, not moving out! I'm here, I'm well and doing a lot of stuff. With all this comes the desire to start a fresh page in my book, thus a new blog. My new blog is Ideas by HGF. I'm just getting it going, so stop by. Cuz this one is HISTORY now.
Obviously I've been quite inactive on this for awhile. I've kept it open though because I want to document it. I"m unable to transfer the history and I don't want to lose it so I'm getting to the point where I'll either download it myself and edit it, or send it out for formatting and binding. Just a little slice of my life and times for me.
In the meanwhile I've started my new blog. You can find it here ---> Ideas by HGF . There's nothing there yet since I've been swamped with my studio move and the holidays (who hasn't?). I had originally hoped to get all my art online for gallery backup viewing, but.....once again life takes over. I decided to take down Destination Unknown primarily because the destination IS known and meant to be shared. I'm making art and wanting to share it with all. Moving the studio and all the resultant problems pushed me back on my Holiday Launch goal so now I'm just kind of slowly moving forward when I can.
Tonight I'm not sleeping well and thought I'd check-in. Spent the day working on PhotoShop and Sewing some final Christmas gift items. ARGH! I really do think this whole Holiday thing is OUT OF CONTROL! Such chaos is created that doesn't need to be, but then it's fun too. I should get some sleep , thus more later.
I consider myself a fairly creative person and that's why I feel the need to post this disclaimer. I've been overwhelmingly swamped this year with the complete revamp of our house which hasn't left much OTHER time. In my head I've completely redesigned my site, photographed all the cool work etc., and update it regularly. Well...then I woke up.
So it's a big disclaimer....I KNOW the links are old, the pics that are here are either old, bad or otherwise in need of an overhaul, and so on.
Someday. Someday soon.
I don't think I've posted any of my grand creations for quite some time which, DUH, was one of the points for creating my blog in the first place. Suffice it to say I've been too darn tired doing stuff to sit down and manage the retelling of the stuff done.
I finished this bag at least 6 months ago and I love, love, love it! I made it specifically for carrying all my sewing stuff / projects when I'm out for a class or trying to find some matching thing. It's got fantastic pockets and now I'm thinking a smaller version for a purse is in order. Here's the original pattern and it's a good one.
I quilted each panel which is hard to see in this pic. The outer one is done in an echo pattern in the pale green color and the inner (stripes) panel has lots of burnt orange colored thread dots (which took forever but I think is fun). At the time I wasn't putting the bag together visually in my head thus I dotted the entire striped fabric when quilting. As you can see - I only had to do the visible part so in the future there will be some time saved for sure!
The fabric used is mostly the Sun Glow palette of Amy Butler's Belle line. So here it is:
This weekend was allocated to finding the solution to our aging and inefficient mattress issue, as well as picking up some tools for my back care therapy. We did good..had some lovely days out, got lots of good info and made some decisions. Hoo Ha we're kicking now!
We're getting the Grand Bed System from Tempur-Pedic which is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I'm converted and can't wait til it moves in! We're also getting a chair that I've only dreamed about in my wildest of hopes. The zero gravity chair does exactly what I try to do each day with my ten mounds of pillows,while laying low on the couch or bed. Hoo Ha - I've found the way to do this automatically. Indeed a beautiful thing. This will eliminate a large portion of the pain I feel throughout the day.YAY! This is truly VERY exciting and I'm expecting noteable relief from these 2 venues. Can't wait!!
I was surfing with specific intent, but quickly got caught up in link-looky-loo when I saw this. The actual is from SnorgTees who has some pretty funny stuff.
I must say, when considering this age-old question I've NEVER thought of it this way!
I'm on empty here folks, hence the poor blog showing. Well, more precisely, the overall lack of life luster. Tired, running on fumes and doing ALL I CAN to keep the old bootheels pulled up. There's a visual eh?? At least it would explain the continual tripping over myself! Haven't lost my sense of humor and, in a good moment, am excited about all the future will bring. More often than not, however, I'm a toasted blur of anxiety about how to get on with it. Take a step (I know), but the ones I'm taking keep coming up brick walls. Geez I hate that.
At any rate, the well is dry. Gotta fill it I know, am struggling with the how of it.
Exactly how does one reinvent oneself when the day itself knocks you out?
How do you create resources when there are none?
How do you turn your life into one you love?
I'm a fan of all things cool and love the evolving application of the net. Web 2.0 is such a wonderful thing and oftentimes serves to reinforce my belief in mankind's ability to share kindness. With that in mind I just checked out the winners of WebWare 100. Much of what you'd expect, as well as a few new ones I'll be checking out.
I had to laugh though. I started using the net in about 1990 - the entire experience was prehistoric compared to today's net. I also (still) have lots of software from those days, including all the editions of You Don't Know Jack (YDKJ) which I see is a WebWare winner in the entertainment category. I didn't even know it was online although, duh, why wouldn't it be?
Now that I've thoroughly dated myself.....I've just played a round of "dis or dat" at YDKJ. I got 6/7 and earned $1,981. Would that the rest of my day be so successful.
UPDATE --> I couldn't get the flippin' thing to work and since I know I need to do a MAJOR blog overhaul, I'm over it for now. I tried.
Check this out --> Testing Pages
Who knew there were actually people interested in spamming your comment lines on a blog? I get most marketing schemes but seems to me there isn't much means of capturing biz that way. I'm horribly remiss in keeping this puppy current, primarily cuz I'm too f*ing busy with this move. In my absence I see that TP has implemented a ton of cool gadgets to make it a better blogging experience. Whether old or new, the means was there to report the spamming, delete it from the blog and move on. Wahoo! So I did.
Wish there was a gadget like that for real life.
About 2 weeks ago I came downstairs to see this. How incredibly wonderful and happy ! Sunflowers actually live a lot longer than I'd have thought, but for eternity's sake I made my DH pose with them. Love it and what an incredible boost. YAY!
Here's the redo of the main living are (used to be our bonus room)
The purple was never quite the right shade and doesn't match the new furniture. So we went to the rich latte color that is throughout other main areas. We also extended the paint further up the angled part of the wall - loving it!
Pic 1--> post paint pic 2 --> pre-paint, partially POSt moving day.
Lots of updates for show and tell....we're reaching the final stretch! The moving dudes were here and have completely turned our house around....it looks SO much better. My garage is filled with furniture to sell/donate, but the inside layout is done (except things like accent tables, lamps, artwork, etc.). HUZZAH! Then we had painters in to get rid of some previous bad color choices. Looking good! With all that excitement I've not worked on my studio at all, but a girl can only do so much right??
Here's my new office which was previously our dining room. Yes, the chandelier will be going at some point. This is it's current state...I've done nothing but hook up the computer equipment and must find the bills to pay!
The first pic is a panorama from the kitchen entry door. The second is a normal shot from the hallway door. The room isn't huge (10x14ish), but gigantic given that it's entirely for ME and my OFFICE space!
Exhausted, achy, overwhelmed and all-around beat, but by golly the moving of the big stuff is done. And it looks pretty good in it's raw state! I think this is going to start to be awesome and pics when I take them but for now I'm gonna do the big CRASH and get some rest. Today was SOOOO busy, but it's one more step. Sweet dreams.
I've been working on downsizing ever since moving here. Circumstances seriously changed and I have a bunch of stuff from a different life that is no longer relevant. Throw all the other events of the past few years in the mix and you get a house filled with "piles in process". Piles and piles of stuff that is in "the process" of being downsized. First found, then examined and sorted. Hopefully (and if done properly) the stuff is then put away or tossed. The funny thing is that even the toss stuff becomes a pile. A pile of stuff that has been fully processed and just needs that final push to get it out of the house forever. If it's for eBay you'll need to take pics and post. Is it donation or just trash? If donating, to what organization? Do they pick up? If it's trash can it be thrown out with the weekly pickup? Our trash service is unreliable and fickle-EVERYTHING is a big hairball to them. And so it goes.
These pending piles of stuff get put into boxes. The boxes pile up and get moved around the house due to space requirements. The stuff is just waiting for those last few removal steps, yet it's still not done. That has been my alcove for over a year now. At first there were piles for me to finish sorting. Then it became boxes of things to donate which required a massive delivery effort for someone else. Then it became a pile of all things not intended to be kept (the primary difference being the intent to eBay the good stuff). The alcove was piling up. But like the sitting room, the storage areas and everywhere else with "pending stuff", it became the norm and began to blend in.
I've had to revisit the pending piles because circumstances change. As of today I have finally abandoned about 80% of my eBay boxes because I just don't have the strength or stamina to do the work. It was a LOT of stuff with a significant cash opportunity, but I have to let it go. The remaining 20% is highly specialized and I hope to find a group that can use it. At least those piles have been moved from the house to the garage. Now to just get them that last step...
The alcove was a place dedicated to "stuff on hold" and became far too permanent for my taste. So I'm going to look at it as a symbol. A symbol of what was and what will be with great respect for the transformation between.
With all this angst of late over this *$^#*!%ing studio move, I thought it might be time to show some of the GOODNESS coming out of it. A peek at the (massive) progress made:
Note--> thumbnails (click for full pic).
Here is the main art studio in its current move-in state, as well as its former Living Room status.
Here is my former 3rd floor Studio. This is amazing to me and in many ways, I REALLY miss it. This is the main view you see from the entrance. BEFORE and AFTER!
This is the view from the other side of the 3rd Floor (basically I'm sitting in the vent to take this!) that PSE put in a panorama for me. It's a big room, but this makes it look like a dance hall (it's not!). The room is about 600-700 SF, including alcove and closet space. It's a finished attic thus the funky shape and 1/2 walls. The BEFORE pic is of the main art desk I had set up in one corner - messiness fully encouraged in this zone!
Given that it's taken me a few hours to find, edit and post these pics I'm gonna save the rest for another day. Suffice it to say this is only a portion. I've moved the studio to the first floor and taken over 3 rooms a hall and foyer. Above is just one room and yes, it's all that chaotic right now. Woo Hoo.
I was kicked out of one of my webrings recently which served as a fair reminder of my inactivity in 'all things online' of late. Hell, I'm so disconnected I wasn't even sure my TP account was live (here I am so yes it is!). Why the shutdown? Tunnel Vision. Focus on the Goal. Dedication to life AFTER the end game. In summary, OHL07 Extreme Immersion.
Operation Happy Life 2007 (OHL07) => Changing that which doesn't contribute to the maximum me. Accepting what is, but defining what will be. Then making it happen. Hoo Ha!
In late Dec./early Jan. I detailed an action plan primarily addressing changes to my living and working environment. {I wrote a bit about it here with a few pictures here and here.} I had originally estimated 1-1.5 months for completion. Almost 4 months after the project launch weekend it's still not complete. More significantly, this has turned out to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. ME, in every aspect, has been challenged and I'm not pleased with some results. The fallout is pretty rough right now.
I'm physically exhausted and mentally fried. Uncertainty surrounds me. I'm feeling more fearful. The impact has spread to other aspects of life, thus my intense tunnel vision towards the finish line. I've long since learned the removal of a hurdle does not magically create the perfect life, yet I'm holding tight to this finish line. I dream of this day when my environment is unpacked, uncluttered and clean. When the noise has abated enough to hear my true voice. When I can focus on what is and will be, not on what must be cleaned up. I sure hope that day gets here soon. There must be a light at the end of this tunnel.
With all the excitement of late I'm lucky if I remember to take my medicine 3 times a day. Usually I do, but then I don't notice when it's getting low and it turns into a mad-dash across town for a doctor Rx so I can promptly (due that day or the preceding!) fill the scrip.
Anyway, Feb. is a month of celebrations and I haven't had a moment to shout out for any of them. Thus I'm inclined to do a little shouting! Pam celebrated her birthday on Super-Bowl Sunday but isn't much of a birthday party gal. She's holding the party until her adventure in Chicago this Spring with the Quilt Festival. Very cool and yes, I want to go but there are a LOT of variables at play here! So happy Birthday Pam and we'll party one way or another. I have a present I made for you that I'm kinda liking. I just need to package it up and move it along (I know it sounds lame, but really that's the status!!).
Cathy and Elsa also celebrated birthdays this month. I haven't talked with either of them since last Fall which is kinda weird in its self as we were doing a lot of art things together for awhile. It just kind of stopped and I don't know why. We worked on one project that I loved and I think Elsa has it now. The idea was a visual diary handed off every 2 weeks where you were to respond, in art, to whatever you got out of the pages before you. Theme, color, sentiment, method.....whatever you wanted-it just had to flow from the pages you got from those before you. It was a lot of fun and we did about 4 pages each before it started to die. I hate when projects die. I don't know what happened here, but perhaps a little birthday fiesta can help us catchup?
Lastly, my Mother would have been 69 this month. She died when she was 56, but she's very much still present in my life. She was born on Groundhog's day so we heard ALL the jokes and then some. I miss her very much, but missing her has become such a long term constant that I don't remember the ordinary times any more. I remember what I lost. I remember what I wish we'd had or tried. I remember what made her the woman she was and see so much of me in her. I remember you Mom and I love you. I really miss you and am sorry it didn't work out for us. But you taught me well and I think you'd be proud. I toast her and I honor her and I love her. I feel for her. I feel for us.
