She had every hair in place and she so wanted everyone of mine to be in place too.

She got her hair done each week at Ginny’s Beauty Parlor.  There was lots of hair teasing and hair spraying going on and I was right in the thick of it, watching it all.  I went every Saturday with my mom probably until I was 11 or 12.

Ginny built her beauty business in her basement. I remember thinking Ginny looked like a movie star.  She was glamorous in an Elizabeth Taylor sort of way.

I get my haircut now and it is just me and the stylist talking.

Not at Ginny’s. Everyone was talking.

There was so much group conversation.  The same women went every week and they were a lively bunch.

Eventually I would get bored and go through a little door that lead to Ginny’s real basement.  It was filled with boxes and treasures that I spent what seemed like hours looking through while turning objects into toys.

I lived many imaginary lives in that basement on those Saturday’s.  I bet in one of those pretend moments, I was an artist.

My Aunt Vera was usually at Ginny’s on Saturday too.  She was great fun to be near.  And she was very generous.

Often we would stop on the way home at a five and dime called S.S. Kresge’s .  This store was eventually renamed Kmart.

There was a lunch counter there and my Aunt Vera always gave me $5.00 to spend while my lunch was being made. That was so much money to me.

My Aunt Vera died about four years ago.  My mom died four years ago too.  I do not think that was a coincidence.

And Ginny died a long, long time ago.

I was thinking of all of them yesterday on Mother’s Day.

Especially my mom and all our Saturday’s at Ginny’s.

I almost didn’t go.

It takes so much planning to leave behind two teenagers, two dogs and seven koi.  I knew Chicago would to be chilly and if I had to work that hard to leave my life for a second, I am begging to be put in some warm weather with a tropical drink topped with dark rum.

I am so thankful I came to my senses.  Chicago is magical.

I had been there in my 20′s and my 30′s, but this was the first time I was there with Michael.  And when you strip away the amazing life we have built around ourselves for 25 years just for a minute and the only sounds around us are our own voices, that is truly magical.

Coincidently, Design Sponge posted a Chicago City Guide the day I booked my flight. Now I had a map for my kind of Chicago. It was a sign. Thank you Design Sponge.

I want to share a whole bunch of things I loved about Chicago.

There seemed to be music everywhere.

And it was so easy to get everywhere.   The transit system was amazing.

The city is filled with public art. And art is full of hope.

As an artist who uses all recycled materials, I loved how green the city was.

Here is Chicago’s bike sharing program B-cycle. There are seven self service bike rental stations at downtown and lakefront locations. It is so easy to just hop on a bike. Helmets are included.

There were also reminders all over the city in big, green tags on the value of trees in honor of Arbor Day.  Thousands of trees were tagged by the Morton Arboretum with a gentle message that trees matter in every breath we take.

The picture above was taken right outside of Gino’s East of Chicago, a legendary deep dish pizzeria in the Windy City.  We landed here the first day of our trip for breakfast.

Michael dragged me in, insisting beer and pizza was a great breakfast.  I did not agree at first but came around to his way of thinking.

We both drank my morning coffee and sipped his beer.  And had the best pizza ever.

Confession: I have very little tourist in me.

I spent seven weeks in London in college and never once saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  But I went down lots of little alley ways and met some unique people and saw some off the track places.

I haven’t changed much, but now I am married to Michael and he takes me to the touristy places.

And I lead him down the alley ways.

We went on an architectural river boat cruise. It was a magical way to see the city and learn about the history of the amazing buildings in the skyline.

Chicago may have the kindest cab drivers in America.

Each one we met was really special.  The one that drove us to Wicker Park (the alley way I led us down next) drew us a little map to make sure we stayed on the right streets.

I loved exploring this neighborhood.  It is a bit swanky, very artsy and eclectic.

Wicker Park is full of great shops, like this one, Greenheart, focused on free trade and eco-friendly products.

 And how do you not go into a bar call Moonshine?  You have to go in.

Especially if it is in the middle of the afternoon and you are on holiday.

There were so many consignment stores in Wicker Park.  I found a perfect fitting pair of True Religion jeans in one of them.

Here is a list of second hand stores in Chicago.  I wish I had had this list with me.   I took Michael in and out of eight stores.  I am guessing he is thankful I did not have this list then.

We stayed on The Magnificent Mile.  I loved walking out of our hotel and being right across the street from fun.  The city shines at night in the contrast of the old buildings next to stores brimming with people.

I took a picture of Michael from behind in the city. There was an orb beside him. I was certain departed family was with us.

He later checked my lens and pointed out that it was quite dirty.  The orbs disappeared with a little cleaning.

Here is a better picture of Michael fully engaged in an artful conversation.

I do no prompting; he jumps right into these shots.

We packed a bunch into the weekend, but one of my favorite adventures was jumping on the “L” and heading to Oak Park for a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio.

Pinch me!  I am in awe of his vision, resiliency and talent.  This little visit needs to a blog post all on its own.  And I loved the Oak Park neighborhood full of Frank Lloyd Wright’s influences.

Here is a picture of his parlor.

We fit in one more touristy thing,  The Untouchables Tour.  This was an amusing two-hour tour back to Chicago in the 1920′s and 1930′s.

I said a little bit about food, but this city is really all about food, so matter what I say, it will not be enough.

We ate at the Purple Pig, voted one of the ten best restaurant’s in the country by Bon Appetit Magazine.  We waited 2.5 hours to be seated (we had no reservation).  We filled the time with wine and a run to Nordstroms.  I just peaked at the menu again to remember everything we ordered and I just wish we ordered more.

We also ate at Bar Toma, the restaurant of Chef Tony Mantuano, one of Bravos “Top Chef Masters”.  We just stumbled upon this little gem.  I loved the charred carrots.

The best part about this trip?  We did not even venture out any day before noon.  We slept as late as we wanted to.  We ordered room-service breakfast and watched the football draft.

I think vacations are for doing something out of the ordinary and watching any sports programming is very unusual for me.

And as busy as all this sounds (we did so much more than I mentioned), nothing was planned.

We fell beautifully into this city.  And into conversation and adventure.

Thank you Chicago.  I will not run away from your windy weather again.

Next time, I will run directly into the wind.

But I do not like him during tax season.  Tax season is when the differences in our core personalities come out. It is when we are very likely to have an argument. He is organized. Really organized.  I am working on being organized.

I work on this everyday. And some days are better than others.

This year tax season was better for us as a couple because I was a little more organized. Just a little.

And because I was amused and happy while sitting in front of our accountant.  Our accountant Neil is also magician.  A real magician.

He is a wonderful accountant who happens to have a magic store right next to his office. Look. Honest.

Here he is  behind the counter.

After our taxes are in order, Neil and I go into his magic store where I pick a card. The three of diamonds.  Shhh!  Don’t tell.

Then it goes back into the deck and Neil picks it back out again.

I have no idea how he does it but I love it.  Not so much because I love magic (I do love magic though) but because Neil listens to that creative part of his personality that wants to do something else besides taxes.

He plays in a jazz quartet, writes a blog and has a magic store.

He is an accountant but still follows that creative voice inside him.

I listen to that creative voice inside me everyday. That is what artists do. And sometimes that creative voice is loud and bossy. Sometimes it tells me too many things to do at once.

And sometimes I have to listen really closely because it is speaking to me in barely a whisper.

I love it when others listen to that voice too. And they are true to themselves and live authentically. Like Neil, our accountant.

And a real magician.

The lower case “j” in “jane” is completely on purpose, no typo.

It is an amazing consignment store “boutique” that makes you want to look at everything because you are afraid you will miss something.

Here is what I see when I walk in the front door and up the steps.  I love this big iron peace sign against the railing with the orange ottoman in the background.  And I really, really love the ceiling. Even the front mat has jane’s signature logo.

There is a lot to see here.
Looking for an adorable shower cap with a vintage feel?

You are in luck!This is my favorite room at jane’s.

It is full of carefully selected clothes.

I was in this room for about 2 minutes and found this dress.  I bought a different one but they may still have it.

I tried everything on in here.

jane has so many good shoes.  If you find one you like, just ask for the mate.

Almost everything has a sweet jane tag on it.

What I  love the most about jane is her philosophy, which I cut and pasted from her website.

“jane, the store, was founded in 2009 by Jane Henderson Kenyon and her daughter,
Isabelle Taylor Kenyon. The idea of the store was born from the necessity to reuse,
rethink, and revitalize:

to reuse what others no longer need

to rethink what we already have

to revitalize these things and, in doing so, our lives

jane’s philosophy is simple: to bring beautiful items that are no longer useful to one
family and reuse, rethink, and revitalize them for another.

jane also seeks out “green” merchandise made by local artists or from repurposed materials.”

What a great idea…”boutique” style consignment and original art at regular price.  It all works beautifully side by side.  jane also has trunk shows and events to support the local art and handcrafted items she carries.

I am so happy she carries my artwork.  I love being a part of a really good idea, especially if it is environmentally friendly.

Which brings me back to the dress I bought.

I found a Theory dress with the price tags still on it (was $260, paid $60) that looked as though it was right out of the 1920′s.  It had ostrich feathers all along the bottom.  I tried it on thinking it was perfect for a June wedding I am attending.

Then I just kept it on.

It felt so spontaneous to be overly dressed up on a midweek afternoon in March walking around Princeton.

I remembered I used to paint these long legs in a tutu and high-heeled red shoes. Beside them,  I wrote about a woman who was ready for the unexpected and wore a tutu everyday.

I was that woman.

I was completely silly in my evening attire.  And it felt so good to be silly and not care about anything else.

Maybe some of the best ideas are ones we already had but forgot about.

I am going to paint those tutus and long legs again.

And start wearing a few myself .

ps. If you go to jane, check out the bathroom.  The sink is made out of  an old tire.  So clever…like everything in jane.

Waste Management, who had opened a recycling collection center up for the designers of Project Runway, was one of the sponsors.

There were three categories: elementary, middle school and high school.  Designers could recycle or repurpose.

And there are so many ways to reuse everyday materials.

This dress was made using paint chip cards.

Here, some sheet music and an old violin.

Old tests were very fashionably shredded.  Note the slides as details and earrings.

Bubble wrap was sprayed with gold.

Water bottles were cut and painted with metallics to form skirt ringlets.

I loved the lines, fit and color of this dress using newspapers and magazines.

My daughter and her friend designed a dress for the show too.

They both collaborated on a halter and skirt made from a bicycle tire, old jeans, a few Ikea bags, old shoelaces and a huge plastic furniture bag.

Both have artist moms.

And both wanted this to be their project.  No help from either of us.

That was hard.  Transforming reused materials into art is part of my everyday.

So, my good friend Heather and I just gave support silently through our actions.

I drove over a new sewing machine needle when one broke and let them know I had an extra Ikea bag if needed.  Heather supplied the creative space, snacks and never mentioned the mess.

They enlisted an amazingly poised little sister to walk the runway.

 The outfit looked great from all directions.

We were both really proud of our girls.

They put themselves out there. They felt vulnerable and hopeful at the same time. And now they are thinking of their next recycled design.

And I am am thinking of my first one, which I will wear at my next group art opening in April or May.

I have been thinking about making a dress out of reused paper ever since I bought this book.  Look at the amazing dress made out of old books on the cover.

This recycled fashion show completely inspired me.  Hopefully not too much.

I can only hope I am as poised in my dress as our model was this past weekend.

So last week, I just gave in.

I gave into my distraction.  I ignored all the work I was supposed to do and I made 52 little pieces of original art from a deck of cards.

I cut up old business cards (reuse, reuse, reuse!) with pictures of my work and made them part of a gallery wall with little signs that said things like “artist at peace” or “artist at rest”.  This was my very first design I ever sold as an artist.  I love seeing just pieces of things, leaving the rest to your imagination. On these cards you just see part of my paintings.

This project was inspired by one of my new friends, artist Jessica Brogan.

I read about this “Inspiration Deck” art swap on Jessica’s wonderful blog, In Search Of Dessert.  Here is a link complete with details.

I meet Jessica in my online class, Hello Soul, Hello Business.  I also have meet a few hundred other artists.

This is all part of my distraction. This amazing course has added so many creative people to my circle.  So many people to connect to.  I feel so inspired.  And supported.

So, I was inspired by Jessica who was inspired by Christine Mason Miller’s latest book, Desire to Inspire.  This a book to curl up with.

Be warned though.  You will want to lock yourself up in a creative space and just create. Which is exactly what I did.  I locked myself up in here.

See how all these little threads of inspiration reach out so far in so many ways?

On the back of each card I wrote little words of inspiration that I found in my studio. All of these wonderful words were at my fingertips.  I just had to look for them.

I had many quotes from this Paul Arden book.  His short, easy to read book talks about the advertising world, but I think it is about life in general.

I really love this quote by Sabrina Ward Harrison.  Well, I love everything about Sabrina Ward Harrison. Especially how her words are woven through her art.

And I am always trying to embrace “the mess”.

I even quoted myself.

My friend Heather giggled out loud when she read this.  I have so many more words to get out.

Then I carefully packed all my art cards in a box. I used pieces of scrap paper to separate each row of 5 cards.  I hid a little “upcycled” surprise for Jessica on the very bottom of the box for organizing this amazing art card swap.

In the next month, a package will arrive with 52 cards covered with original art and positive messages on a ring so I can turn them over weekly for inspiration.

I can’t wait.

I promise to take pictures and share them here.

But the inside of my studio is just part of my space.   I am so inspired when I am here, not just by all the paint and supplies within my reach but also by the farm that surrounds me.

 There are several barns on this historic farm.  Here is one that I captured in a reflection on my studio front door.

This past week, I used one of the barns on the property as a backdrop for my art.  It was the windiest of days and I was afraid my art would become a farm projectile.  I had a few close calls.

I did a bit of staging with a old ladder and a colorful Anthropologie chair. What do you think? I think I need to do this more; make my surroundings a part of the story of my art.

Here is another shot of a recent city painting I did on a vintage frame with a backdrop painted on a reused plastic sign. I love the contrast of my colorful city against the barn. I love how the shadows of the trees reflect on the glass. I want to paint these trees as a backdrop on another painting.

This property is my muse. Creative ideas grow alongside the rows of corn.

And sometimes my farm muse is a little distracting.  It is hard not to grab my camera and run around and take pictures. I do this often when I should be painting but I feel no guilt.

Here is a shot of the side of my studio taken from behind this old tractor.

Here is a closer shot. Plein air painters often paint outside the art center just a few feet away.  I love that.

There are shady trees and a sweet little well beside my studio. I painted the front door “Chinese Chartreuse”.  It compliments the grass, don’t you think?

Here is my front door with the screen wide open and some pansies in an old metal crate I reused.  I love this door.

My side door is painted  ”Lucky Orange”.  I do feel really lucky to create in this cottage on this farm surrounded by other artists and farmers working the fields.  These colorful chairs made from recycled plastics are the perfect place to catch up with a friend over coffee or a glass of wine.

Spring and early summer are my favorite times here because all of my favorite flowers grow in abundance.  Each morning, the grass is dewy as I walk over to clip a few peonies.  Aren’t these amazing?

And lilacs seem to be everywhere leaving the air in and surrounding my studio so fragrant.

There are places on the farm where it looks like time has stopped.  Like this old gas pump.

It doesn’t really matter which direction I look, beauty surrounds my creative space. It is amazing I get as much work done as I do.

As I look out my studio window today, I know this mild winter is wearing down.

And soon the farm will be green and lilacs will be in glasses beside my paint brushes again. I am giddy with anticipation.

So before the lilacs bloom, I have lots of creating to do.  I have so many ideas for brand new work in my head. Time to put on many pots of coffee, play my music and get painting. Time to focus.

And after the painting is done, I will use the farmland around me to showcase my art.

Not sure why I haven’t done that sooner.

But I am so ready to do that now.

That is what I have been doing everyday for the past two weeks.  I have turned my attention inward and have been thinking about “why”  I do what I do.  I know that I “make joyful art from reclaimed materials”.

I do this happily.

I do this almost everyday.

This tag line is on my business cards, my website, and every social media site I am engaged in.

It took months to come up with that simple little line that describes what I do in a matter of seconds.

But now I am putting the “why” into words too.

It has been a long time since I have really looked this closely at myself and my actions.

And I am loving it. Every second of it.

This insightful journey started when my dear friend Heather (fellow artist and my creative conspirator) signed up for Hello Soul, Hello Business.  Two woman who I greatly admire, artist/author/possibilitarian Kelly Rae Roberts and adventurer/entreprenuer  Beth Nicholls collaborated on this 10-week soul searching e-course aimed at creative businesses.

So I signed up for my first e-course ever and it has been more intimate and inspiring than any course I have ever taken.

Crazy.

I feel closer to this group of woman (over 300!), Kelly Rae and Beth than I have to teachers and students I talked with and sat next to for hours, weeks, days and months.

Here is how my studio looks as I listen and paint at the same time, standing between my two desks. I usually listen to the audio twice and my colored pencils are nearby so I can take notes expressively. Of course, my coffee is nearby too.

Here is my “why”.

I make joyful art from reclaimed materials because if I can make colorful, happy art from materials headed for the trash, then there is hope in this world.  In every little corner of the world there is hope. And I plan to paint it.  Seize it.

The challenge of using recycled materials is that first I have to find “it”.

So I am a treasure hunter by occupation.

I go to architectural salvage yards.

I dig through the scrap bins at the plastic fabricating company I work with.

I  search home improvement stores for rejected paint (it is usually more colorful).

I collect plastic signs that have been replaced or taken down.

I carry all my found treasures back to my studio, the sweet stone cottage in the background.

I turn on my music and I create. I sand, prime, clean, caulk, paint, drill, repaint, paint again, attach….the list of verbs go on.

Hours, days, sometimes a week or more passes. Then I am finished.

All of the flowers below are cut from reused signs. Then painted with mistake paint. And than placed in my colorful vases, where they will bloom forever. They bloom in my studio, in galleries, in homes, in businesses, in healing spaces, across the United States and across the ocean.

A new friend from my e-course saw a piece of my art I posted on my facebook page.

She wrote below it, “You make me want to try”.

That is why I make art from reclaimed materials.

If I can make art from what others discard, then there is hope.

For all of us.

After what seemed to be a few hours of sleep, my daughter and I boarded an early morning plane New Year’s Day with her dance troop (about 30 dancers in all, their moms and dance instructor) on route to Fort Lauderdale to dance during half time at the Orange Bowl.

Our bags were stuffed with dance wear, extra dance shoes, and too many clothes. Less obvious than the two overfilled suitcases, was the long list of expectations I had packed for myself.

I was going to set up a Pinterest account, input all my accounting for the year, work on my website, write a blog, order art supplies, read an art biz book, pick one word to symbolize 2012, work on my business plan, etc…

The list was long.

I did not do one thing on it.

Instead, while my daughter practiced, which seemed like all the time,  I made some really amazing new friends, took lots of pictures, went to a yoga class, spent some time in the spa and napped.

I relaxed.

Above all, I was inspired by this group of girls who danced in front of 75,000 people for eight minutes.  After many studio hours and lots of practice at home, they put themselves out there and truly shined.

My daughter was not nervous.  Just ready.

Isn’t that what we all want to be?  Ready?

Ready for the moment when everyone is watching?  The moment when you are given the opportunity to shine?

During the performance, I put my camera down and watched my daughter dance. I was present.  I was not trying to preserve a moment. I was in the moment.

And it was magical. Every single second of it.

Most everyone on our trip left the morning after the game.  My daughter and I slept in, had a late breakfast in our room followed by a 5-hour road trip to visit my mother and father in-law.

What road trip would be complete without a trip to Cracker Barrel?  I am so glad we stopped because it was there I discovered I was a genius. My daughter expressed some doubts.

When we arrived at my mother and father-in-law’s warm and wonderful home, this is one of the first things I saw.

I love this because it reminds me when I put down my long to-do list, everything I want to do will still be waiting for me.

I can cross off one of the things on my list though.  I picked my word for 2012.

Ready.

Just like my daughter was ready to dance.

I am ready to grow my business.

I am ready to explore new ways to create art from reclaimed materials.

I am ready for every moment I am given the opportunity to shine.

I purchased this handmade art book at an outdoor market with my daughter in High Falls, New York.  We had an art getaway weekend, just the two of us the spring before last.  We stumbled upon an outdoor market in the middle of town on a Sunday morning and an artist selling tiny handmade books.

I cannot resist books, especially handmade ones waiting for someone to write their story on the pages.   And a few months later, I had a story to tell; a joyful story told from my cottage studio. Take a look.

I wrote about how calm I felt in my creative space.

I wrote about the very first pieces I painted in my new studio.  I am trying to tally exactly how many pieces of art I worked on in this space so far, but already I have lost count.

 I realized on these pages that the toughest deadlines to meet are the ones I place on myself.

I felt no obligation to write each day or each week.  I just wrote.

And just writing whenever I was moved to do so was enough.

Enough so I could write down “my heart is singing.  I just needed a little quiet so I could hear it.”  

And a few words on paper so I could remember it all.