Marisa's Pink/Red, London/Paris Bedroom Retreat Design Board

Ah, another year's Church Christmas Cookie Walk and Gift/Craft Fair has come and gone.  I did very well.  I sold many of my facial cloths, polish star ornaments, mugs, etc.

But the ending of another year has me itching for some change.  I have been trying to declutter and organize our home, i.e. my life, but it hasn't been going so well.   It's organized chaos around here, with three households combined into one: that means three households of stuff, six people, a dog, a cat, and even a fish all in one place.  

But my bedroom especially is in need of some help.  When I returned home last year I didn't ever fully organize and set up my bedroom because I wasn't sure at the time when I'd be moving again.  But when you work from home and your bedroom is your creative space, it gets really stifling to live somewhere that is so clearly "in transition" when you are trying to be efficient, productive, and innovative.  It is mentally draining to look around at the mess.

So, to boost my morale, I made a new inspiration board for myself.  I'm not sure if I will be revamping the bedroom this winter over my work holiday break, or if I will wait until I move into an apartment again in the late spring, but either way, this incorporates mostly things I already own with some small changes.

I could also label this, "I am a Basic White Girl and this is where I sleep."   I could have also called it, "I will never have a man in my room again."

But officially, this board is entitled, "Marisa's Pink and Red London/Paris Bedroom."   I have had a red, white and black bedroom.  And I have had a pink, white and black bedroom.   But never before had it occurred to me to combine that bright cherry red and hot pink, but I am really digging the effect.  And I will never have to decorate for Valentine's Day specifically again.

Everything here I already own, or is from Ikea, Target, Partylite Candles, Overstock.com, or Michael's Crafts

Enjoy!

Autumn Appreciation...

Wooden Pillar Holders and Pillar Trio: Partylite (discontinued); Paris print: internet; Hello Fall wooden sign: Target dollar bin section; maple leaf ribbon: Michael's Crafts; Owl tealight holder: Dollar General; Aqua Rooster Pitcher: Food Network line at Kohl's; Burlap leaves and sprays: Michael's Crafts; Brass Scroll Sconces: Partylite (discontinued);
mini pumpkin: Big Y Stores

I have been remiss in my blogging duties again!  But our house has been bustling since my last update.  My sister had her baby and while I have been trying to organize our house for Fall, it has just not been coming together as I had hoped.  Translation: I have been lazier than I'd hope to be.

But I have managed to get some Fall décor up.  Notably, I am not the best photographer anyway.  But I find that our Craftsman home, which is beautiful but rather dark thanks to all the wood trim and paneling, is particularly difficult to photograph.

So, here are the pictures and forgive my lack of skill.  I am sure you will get the idea.

Silhouette Teapot: HomeGoods; leaf jar holder: Partylite, glass clock: Thrift shop find; Autumn leaf glass tray: Pier One; white plate frame: Michael's Crafts; mini white pumpkins: Big Y stores

Fabric Photo coffee table book: Ikea; turquoise leaf metallic lampshade: Target; Leaf fabric for toss pillow: Jo-Ann's; Black sweater throw pillow: Walmart

Aqua frames: Target; Clean House sign: specialty shop in Mystic, CT; French inspired Clock: Ikea; Red painted M: letter and craft paint from Michael's Crafts

Red patterned tablerunner:  Target circa 2013, Threshold brand; Ironstone basin and pitcher: antique store finds; Pinecones; Dollar General; red and orange berry garland: Michael's Crafts

Threshold Farrah Curtains in Black: Target (discontinued in 2013)

Red Bicycle Canvas Art: HomeGoods; Red Distressed Burlap Frame: Michael's Crafts, Eiffel Tower Print: Target 2009; small wooden sign: Mystic CT specialty shop



I made that bunting banner from a recycled paper banner purchased from the Target dollar bin section, and I hand stenciled and painted the letters and leaves using Acrylic craft paint from Michael's.

 

Glass Cake Pedestal: HomeGoods; Glass Hand Blown Pumpkin and Glass Pumpkin Cookie Jars belong to my sister, the Beta Fish is my nephew Micah's

that beautiful Watercolor Autumn painting was done by my uncle, Jeff Messenger, who is a local artist.  The brass candlesticks have been my mother's as long as I can remember, and the brass pillar stand and snuffer are Partylite from years ago.  The Cranberry wreath came from Christmas Tree Shops in North Conway, NH.

 

Bennington Potters

My mother and I have been researching new places to live.  We both need a fresh start, in an environment aligned with our personal values and a place to encourage us both to shed our introverted ways and get out there and join something.

Bennington, VT may just be the town for us.  I had been there before, but Mom had not.  At any rate, I loved it more this time than the first time I visited, and frankly, Bennington Potters may have been the best part.

Here is a link to their website.  Bennington Potters

And here is an excerpt on their history.  American made pottery has a special place in my heart.

 (direct link to this quote here http://www.benningtonpotters.com/our_history )

The History makes it special

What makes this store so unique is not just the stoneware pottery, country home decor items, and Vermont specialty foods sold inside, but the history behind Bennington pottery itself. One of the oldest crafts known to mankind is also what has helped put Bennington, Vermont and Potters Yard on the map.
Pottery-making has been part of the area's economy since the Revolutionary War when in 1785 a former Revolutionary War soldier, Capt. John Norton, began producing "redware" glazed pottery. Bennington was a convenient location for producing redware pottery because of the close proximity to local clay deposits, as well as deposits along the Hudson River. Bennington also had an abundant supply of waterpower from local streams, which was necessary to power the machinery used at the time. Around 1804 stoneware pottery was introduced, which was more sturdy than redware pottery, and therefore more suitable for everyday use.
Through the 19th Century Norton Pottery and another firm, the U.S. Pottery Company, achieved considerable success employing hundreds of people and even representing the nation's pottery industry at the 1853 Crystal Palace Exposition in New York. Unfortunately both Norton Pottery and U.S. Pottery failed to keep costs down and eventually went out of business by 1858.
Even though the emerging 19th Century middle class was seeking both decorative and practical pottery items for their homes, the pottery business in Bennington began to decline significantly, and between 1911 and 1948 had nearly died out.
It was at this time that a potter by the name of David Gil began making ceramics as part of an artists' cooperative. Gil eventually opened Bennington Potters in a small unheated barn in downtown Bennington. In 1964 Bennington Potters expanded into a former home and business supply building located on County Street, where it is still operating today.
This rustic 1900s building was once the Home Depot of Bennington, located just 4 blocks from the old Bennington Freight Yard. This location enabled prior owner Henry W. Meyers to off-load coal, firewood, ice, lumber and farm equipment for home and business delivery.
Over the years, under the leadership of Gil, this former supply building transformed itself into an active craft pottery that today is one of southern Vermont's most popular destinations. Bennington Potters is also referred to as Potters' Yard.
*Excerpts borrowed from "Town's earliest industry still a survivor", July 8, 2004,
Bennington Banner, www.BenningtonBanner.com

Here are some photos I took from today to share with you!  I wish I had the money to fill my home with handmade, locally made, artisan items.  Someday!

Living an Artful Life: Creativity as a Means to Heal

Normally I save the serious posts for my personal blog, but I have been meditating on the subject of creativity and how it can assist in healing.

I have said before that I feel that the home and our location are intimately connected to our sense of serenity, purpose, and even identity.  That is not to say, that from time to time we don't find ourselves blocked, stuck, and at a cross purposes with our soul path.

In fact, it is in precisely those times that I think we should turn to art: and when I say "art" I mean the term in the most inclusive, all encompassing sense.  I think living an artful life happens every day.  It happens while you are sipping your coffee, and really savoring that moment.  It happens in the tub when you reach for that artisanal goat soap from your local farmer's market.  It happens while you are cooking dinner, or even while staring out the window with sudsy hands over a sink full of dishes.  Life is art.

But life is also pain.  And loss.  And disappointment.  And acts of creativity can help center you: it can literally return you to you.  I feel that the artist within is a direct connection to the inner child.  Who were you when you were eight?  What did you believe?  Who did you love? Who did you want to be?

I think that too many people worry about having "talent."  I think that is an unnecessary worry.  Creating isn't about being the best at anything.  Being a maker (living as a maker) is so much more accessible than we think it is, and that can heal.  When you purchase something off of etsy, you are a maker and a supporter of makers.  When you pick up those sharpies and do some zen tangle, you are "making" and healing your soul.  When you sit down with your child and jointly put some Crayola to coloring book page, you are doing something amazing.  This is not about being Picasso.  This is not about obtaining an Art History degree, maintaining a blog with the most followers, or branding yourself in such a way that you make a lot of money.  None of those things are negative in any way, if that is your particular journey, but those goals aren't the "point." 

Creativity is a spiritual fulfillment, and unlike other means of spirituality, it's not exclusionary or controversial or dogmatic.  It can be those things, but art is not inherently any of those things.  Art is life.  And the process of making art can heal the broken and direct the lost.

Recent Projects! Painting, Painting, Painting

I am so behind in posting my recent projects and additions to the Etsy Shop!  I've been really busy.  I'd say that's a good thing overall, and not because I am so distracted that I am avoiding anything, but because I am keeping myself genuinely busy. 

Here are some pictures!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MiscellaneousM

before

after

pillows are still for sale in my etsy shop that match!



Jane Austen silhouette art

Charlotte Bronte silhouette art