Kid Giddy Studio Series - Part 1

More than 9 months ago my husband and I began renovating an empty space above the garage to accommodate a new and much larger studio space for me to work in and for all of us to create in (it's not just my space but sometimes I pretend it is - after all we are all artist - so we all need the creative space).It's been a long and stressful process but the end results are beginning to show and we couldn't be happier! I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (and through all the dust)! Thank goodness we are working with an awesome contractor and his really funny crew - otherwise this would've been impossible to get through.

So here are some before and in progress pics..... 
This is Ed. This is what the space looked like before (minus all that gorgeous light). No dry wall. No insulation. Nothing.

This is Kyle. They are all daredevils - made me so nervous...they were putting up the structural beam and took off one side of the roof...

The day before a storm and we had a little bit of a roof and side wall. I'm sure some critters sought refuge in there every night - but don't tell me - I don't want to know!

 This is the new side dormer from the back view.

I went up and looked out and found this guy...Mr DJ.

 I was finally starting to feel the creative vibes flowing - we had one side up and one side to go.

We used to have stairs in the back of the garage that led up to the space. Eventually that would be closed off - so they had to raise the roof on the entryway to accommodate the new stairs...

That's my cutie husband checking out the progress...notice the snow in the valley of the old roof line?! All this was done in the thick of winter. It was bitterly cold - thank goodness the guys had handwarmers - I couldn't do what they do!

While the studio was being created...my girls were getting creative leaving a message under our new bedroom rug for any future homeowners...if there ever will be. They were home from school due to the Blizzard on Feb 8th!

The sharpies are not acid free...but hopefully they will last a lifetime or beyond under the cover of the rug. I guess we will have to wait 20+ years to see! The girls (and I) had such a blast doing this! I highly recommend it.

The best part of doing all the renovating is picking all the new light fixtures, paint colors, and all the little details. I'll be sharing some of those pics too - stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll come by to see more of the finished pics as I (we) continue to "move in" to the space.

The Doll House Series -The Joys of Fabric Shops and School

There are days when these doll houses sit collecting dust. There are other days, even weeks when they are joyfully restored, rearranged and brought back to life the moment my daughters begin playing with them again.

A little fabric shop (with a restroom next door).

I made these doll houses for them when they were little, starting each one, one year, and finishing a couple of years later. They were kits, but I found little time to work on them while folding laundry, doing dishes and all the other motherly things I now miss (like naps)!

This is the latest and greatest arrangement to date:

The fabric shop is called "Stitch and Soar (with a hot-air balloon and needle icon), the Firefly Salon, the Toy Fun, shop, Newbury Antiques, in the middle of the houses was the Cafe and the pink house was the Get Up to Learn School!

This is the "Get Up to Learn" Principals Office.

The Nurses Office is in the top left pink room, and the restroom in the middle, then the Principles office. On the lower level is the Cafeteria (on the left) and then to the right, is the classroom with all the little children!

These rooms have been rearranged more times than my own craft studio and have been just about every conceivable store or room - but these latest arrangements made me so giddy I had to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

My Book: Sewing Tales to Stitch and Love

I have tried writing this post over and over, and every time I write it, it sounds boastful, or silly, or crazy, or weird to me. Maybe it wouldn't to you - I don't know. But I've never done this before - I've never written a book and don't know the "right way" to promote it. Is there a right way? Is there a way to shout out from the roof tops how excited I am, without sounding boastful?

Having written a book is like giving birth to a baby elephant. It has consumed my life for the most part of 18 months and I am overjoyed with the results. It feels like old news to me - but for most of you, it is all brand new, and I hope you will love it like I do.

In the coming weeks and months - I will be doing a host of giveaways, and sharing real stories that inspired many of the patterns, so please come back often. I hope you will buy the book (it's available for pre-orders on Amazon as well as on Barnes and Noble) and sew along with me. When my Etsy shop re-opens I will be offering signed copies for sale.

If you have already purchased a copy of my book - I thank you from the bottom of my heart! It means so much to me that all my hard work is being accepted.

I'd like to publicly thank Heather Bailey for writing the foreword. Sewing pattern books don't always have a foreword, but I prayed and asked her to write one for mine and she said yes! She's such an amazing person! If you don't know her - check out her website and learn more about her. She's also hosting a ton of giveaways this month to celebrate her birthday and giveback to all her fans - you don't want to miss out! 

Have a wonderful week!