Intentional Stones

Artist's weekend

My family will be out of town having the time of their lives.

And I'm staying home to have a party! (yes, I do feel like a teenager whose parents have left town for the weekend)

It's an artist's retreat at Simbelmynë's house!  I'll hit Costco and fill the house with food. I'm used to all sorts of eaters-picky eaters, carnivores, vegetarians, vegans, food sensitivities, OmNomNomNivores... Also I have hot and cold running WiFi, which is, of course, optional.  And, never fear, coffee.

Everything's ship shape with lots of room for big projects.  I'm not far from Construction Junction, really you could get pretty crazy. I'm planning to set aside areas for specific things, and we can adjust as people arrive with their projects and goals for the weekend.  I have lots of places to sleep, if you're from out of town or just don't want to leave.

The jewelry studio will be in full swing.  I have almost every type of equipment anybody could need-from torches to finishing equipment. I have tables and corners and quiet areas for writing, being quiet, meditating.  A park next door for walks and listening to the world around us.  A full crafting room with all sorts of supplies, if you forget anything.  I even have a macro photography studio, if you want to get some small photos.

We can swap, dump, laugh, play, work, meditate, trade secrets, teach, learn, whatever we want to do.

If you RSVP I can make sure I have what you need.  Or just show up, the more the merrier!

Stay all weekend or come and go as you please. 

Official Start is 7pm Friday, March 18 and end at 7pm Sunday March 20.

-Simbelmynë

(412)608-8986

235 Oakview Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218

(Please ignore the photo it's from the highway, for some reason)

We're the last house on the left.

Labor Day Unplugged (Sort Of)

I'm celebrating an anti-relaxed laborday.  (It's not anti-laborday because I'm in no way against Labor and all the positives that resulted from oranizing labor)  I'm spending the weekend catching up on business communication and making stuff.  I have two larger projects to finish up and drawing, modeling and planning for a million little ones.  Nevermind homework.

There is something deeply relaxing about my family having a pleasant and fun weekend around me while I work. 

I did something radical though.  I turned off twitter, I'm only showing up in blogland for a few minutes, and I've told the chat world that I'm not available.  I'm even contemplating keeping the TV off, though that may become too much, as the TV provides a buffer from chore-related distractions.  I may unplug completely by the end of Monday.  I'll do whatever it takes to keep my focus.

I hope you're having a beautiful weekend!

Spring Cleaning

I've been really off for the last couple of weeks.  The stomach bug of doom made it's way through my house and stole my will to do anything for a week.  And getting the house back from the Mess Monster was all I could think about last week.  So, I guess it was Blog vacation time.

All in all, I'm feeling much much better, after spending all day yesterday revamping my Basement Lair.  I think today will be spent putting away the last of the piles of stuff I generated.  And I've been giving stuff away, getting rid of 3 bags of trash and 4 big bundles of cardboard and paper recycling, and listing some things on Craigs List.  It was a good day.

And my crafting space looks like a place I want to be again.  My workout equipment is not under piles of junk and laundry, and there is light everywhere!  (don't ask me how, it's not like I put in anymore light bulbs).

My beads have a new home, so I don't have to risk knocking down the rickety dvd shelf every time I need findings. 

I have a ton of glass and wooden beads and parts of old vintage jewelry I'm just not using.  Does anybody want them?  Anybody want to have a swap?

And, over this weekend I managed to follow my knitting pattern for three rows of the chart!  (I'll write more about charts later, let's just say, they require a roadmap.)

Order breeds creativity

When I'm feeling my most frenzied in life is when I need my creative release the most.  And unfortunately, I feel most out of control and crazy when my house is a wreck.

But the other side of the coin is, when I organize things and get them squared away, I can feel my self becoming receptive to my creative side.  So, tonight I am working through my laundry pile.  And if I have time I'll get the craft room, or at least my workbench, reorganized, and ready for tomorrow.  My day for working.

I can go to bed with a brain free to dream about snowflakes and bracelet chains.

-Simbelmyne

Crafting comfort

Or, Home is where the craftbag is.

I have a million different bags.  Bags for beading, bags for my yarn craft, my super kit for all the jewelry making, not to mention all the bags for every activity we take part in.  

And, after reading a lovely series of blog posts about a beloved rocking chair, I realized that I'm no longer feeling the need for a defined sitting space.  Working every day and making it a part of my routine has made that comfortable, peaceful feeling available to me wherever my current craft bag is.

It doesn't look like much, I got it out of the crazy sale bin at a craft store.  And it went camping with me last time I was out in the woods, and cleaning it up again made the color bleed a bit.

But it's just the right size for my yarn and my camera.  And I don't lose my hooks in it.

And I can make some order out of it much faster than the random clutter you see around it from the kid's school room.  Very satisfying.

Design Scrapbook

This is what I accomplished this weekend:

My designing scrapbook!

It contains all the stuff I need for sketching, clippings from this season's fashion magazines


And the best of Firemountain Catalogs from the awesome project instructions and basic hings on technique and reference tools- to my favorite designs they've showcased in the catalog.

It certainly has decluttered my workspace to get rid of all the old catalogs and magazines.  And it's awfully handy to have everything together in one place.  Not only can I inspire myself with color and design ideas, but I can show them to people who might want me to make them something.

I'm tempted to start cutting up the trade mags I have, but they usually contain so much that is useful, that I will probably either keep them in magazine boxes, or make a separate binder.

I feel organized and inspired!

-Simbelmyne