New Beginnings

I guess I had known for awhile that I had felt dead in the water in Seattle.  What kept me there was a great paying job (although I was bored to death with it), and of course my house, many wonderful friends and familiarity.
I had been in Seattle 33 years - my entire adult life.
The only memories I had of living anywhere else were childhood memories of growing up in rural Wisconsin.

But I decided at one point in the past two years that I needed something new, something challenging.
After my last relationship ended, it became clear I didn't have the heart to continue to do what needed to be done to make ends meet in the expensive housing market Seattle had become.
I had tried hosting students, roommates, working 2 or 3 jobs at the same time - all had benefits but also major drawbacks.

Then I realized it wasn't just the high cost of living in Seattle that was making my eye wander, but the fact that I was actually bored there too.

I know, its still a beautiful landscape nestled between 2 stunning mountain ranges, on the Puget Sound.  And the city, growing in leaps and bounds,  has become way more exciting.
But I never was a coniferous tree person, I rarely took the ferries or hiked the deep wood. The ocean was a long ways away, it rains all the time (the grey drizzle does get to you!) and I rarely got downtown where the excitement was happening.

I seemed to have either outgrown the city or it grew away from me.

My romantic, floral art seemed to be passed over for industrial, retro coldness and lack of soft colors.
I enjoyed participating in art studio tours in my neighborhood and developed friendships within the art community I really cherish.  But my style was more traditional, southern and romantic.

So the day came when I decided to be brave, courageous and adventuress and take that leap - sell my cottage and move on to new experiences.
Leaving behind friends (whom I still text/chat with frequently, as I did when still there), and a job that was not always comfortable or guaranteed, but had become boring an tedious.
And leaving behind familiarity of how the PNW worked, the people interacted and the weather patterns.
But also leaving behind a dull pattern of living my days had fallen into.

Time for a change before I got too old.  Time to sell before the housing market bubble burst!
After considerable looking, reading and exploring online, I decided Richmond, VA was my target.
Its central to so many cool places on the east coast, has a ton of historical sites to explore, and is still a very affordable place to live.  The housing market is just taking off (so perhaps within 5-7 years I can again sell my house for a good profit).
But buying a house outright would give me stability and ease of mind, too.  No longer would I need to entertain foreign students who take 2 hour showers and belch at the dinner table,  or roommates who treat my expensive antique china like paper plates, or work 2 to 3 jobs to make ends meet with a burdensome high mortgage and property taxes.

So, long story short, a 3000 mile road trip, a great experience with PODS, and a tiny cottage all my own in a soon-to-be, up-and-coming neighborhood in Richmond, I have made the change I so needed to make, to try and spark some new enthusiasm in my life and art.

Of course my first thought was to decorate!  LOL

So here are choices I have made thus far, regarding wallpapering my new cottage.
All blue & white, but faded and soft colors that won't overpower the small rooms.
There's a bit of work needed to the house - the yard needs to be fenced and landscaped and the majority of my boxes still need to be unpacked and put away into IKEA furniture I have been busy building. (woe to my right hand's palm, with the hole worn in the skin from using a  screw driver, lol)

I took screenshots of the papers I will use for each room.
They are all available in my LilyOake shop on the Spoonflower website.
(Fabrics, wallpapers and gift wrap!)

As I decorate, I will be posting more images but first the house needs to be unpacked, furniture built and my studio set up - its always the last thing to be completed, for some reason, even though its first on my mind every day when I wake up!

The same lovely print i used in my last bedroom will now grace the walls and windows of my new compact living/dining room 

A fun way to bring some color and brightness to a small kitchen.

My art studio needs to be beautiful and inspiring and I can't think of a better way to do that then wallpaper in Olivia in faded blueberry.  Flowers are the essence of my design and train of thought.

The north facing bathroom needs some life and light so Aylen in faded blueberry is a newer pattern I designed.  I thought it needed showcasing so my own bathroom will be papered in this soft but lively pattern.

Even the hallway is getting wallpapered!  A hallway in a small house can seem like an entire room on its own.  Its an important pass through between 4 rooms and has high ceilings, so I felt it deserved a fun pattern.  I chose Stockholm Gingham in a faded back blueberry and white.

My dining room in the last house I owned was papered in Jane's Rose Bouquet with matching curtains in a stripe.  Being one of my favorite patterns and having already invested in money and time, the making of the fabulous linen curtains to match, I decided to re-use this pattern in my own bedroom.  It will be a soft, lovely, romantic hide away with all white furniture, an electric fireplace, tons of bookcases with decorating and art books and a relaxing corner to read in.

Busy as a bee, this spring

I haven't posted in awhile because I have bitten off more then I can chew!  

Actually, it was a combination of many good things all coming together.

I signed my first fabric design contact with a quilting fabric company and did a whirlwind series of designs for them which I am very excited about.
I will post more on that later but did include a few quickie snaps of the photocopies of some of the designs that made the cut.

And I had 2 bigger/more involved freelance design jobs.  One completed and one now put on hold so the client can deal with family issues.

But the main thing dominating my life and time right now is the next art studio tour on May Day weekend.
I participated in the one last September and even hosted 2 guest artists in my home.
This year I'll host one (2 others dropped out - they'll be missed!)
Here's the link to this year's tour.  I am studio #2.
Arts North Studio Tours

I've included some photos showing the projects I'll be offering up this year.
I have so much planned but as the date is sneaking up on me and my time is limited, I may have to forego some of the painted and decoupage furniture projects.

But I'll be offering up many new linen cotton tea towels, 21 gorgeous cotton, silk and poly crepe scarves (all hand stitched by me), covered lampshades, tablecloth toppers, aprons, lots of covered pillows, sachets and even a few vintage frames with fabric covered bulletin boards mounted inside on cork.
And of course I'll also offer up some watercolor paintings.

Not to mention, getting the one room the public walks into, further along in the wallpaper process.
It won't all be done by the tour, but I'll have a big part of it papered!

Enjoy the photos and if you live local, please swing by to meet me on May Day weekend and purchase something one-of-a-kind, made by hand by me, using my own fabrics!

The wallpaper was designed to match my curtains.  I have it custom printed by Spoonflower.  What I love is that I can get any custom length printed at no extra cost, so there's no waste when I am hanging it above wainscoting and trying to match the repeat.

The pattern can be found here, in my Lilyoake shop on Spoonflower:

Jane's Rose Bouquet in blueberry

A big part of the job in getting my studio ready was painting this behemoth of a hutch and putting it in place in my studio.

I just needed more storage then I had, and a better way to display my work.

So am old/small armoire and a bookcase were relocated and this hutch moved in.

I love the inside with its wallpapered backing.  I am still adding gold details to trim but otherwise, its ready for use!  You can see I am filling it up already.

One of the hand painted and decoupaged pieces I will have for sale will be this quirky hand made clock I found at Goodwill in Edmonds.  After I cleaned it up and added 2 interior shelves, the painting began!  I chose "Flemish Blue" and "Starch White" by Ralph Lauren paints.  The interior will be decoupaged in a rose print paper from my LilyOake shop on Spoonflower.

Here's where you can find it:  Saint Colette June Roses in blueberry

I added some trim to the top and am also adding a few ormolus to the front door, all in gold leaf.  Its currently a work in progress but by tour time, it will be a beautiful piece to behold!

I chose a paint color I could live with, should it not sell and I want to slide it into my own home.

I started decoupaging this wee bombe chest 18 months ago and its been on the back burner all this time now!  I am working to finish it up and have it for sale at the tour.  I used one of my fabric designs, printed on gift wrap available at Spoonflower.  I added faux bead trim which I am gold leafing.

The pattern is available here:

Lake Emily Summer Roses in blueberry

For the first time ever, I will be offering lampshades covered in my own linens and cottons!  The first 2 I did are drums, covered in toiles.  This is a fun way to add pattern to a room without spending a lot of money.

So many pretty scarves to choose from!  Ranging in shape and size from neckerchiefs to long, romantic sheers, I have lots of pretty colors and patterns available.  And I am hand stitching the turned hems - I know - I can get a foot for my sewing machine that does it but sometimes I need to do this kind of work as therapy.  Like knitting.  I rarely get any one thing done to wear, but the act of knitting is so relaxing.

Tablecloth toppers are so fun and easy to make and yet they add so much personality to a table without committing to an entire tablecloth.  They just toss across the end or center of a table, at an angle, and add color and pattern.  I sold out of the ones I had last fall so there's a new batch on the sewing stack.

Tea towels!  The bread and butter of my ETSY shop sales.  I am nearly sold out of them now, so I have 16 new ones coming you way!  They are colorful and fun for spring/summer.  They are 55% linen, 45% cotton and are super absorbent!  Not to mention they also make wonderful placemats, tray liners, pillow cover for half of a 16"x20" filler and look wonderful hanging for display.

And finally, some sneak peaks of my fabric designs I did for a local quilting company.  The collection will be called "Fidelia" and features vintage style roses, lilacs, bees and birds, honeycombs and ditsy prints.  Its a really pretty collection, in very appealing clear, soft pastels of rose, lilac, soft greens, and buttery yellows.  I'll do another posting later when they fabric is actually in production and available for purchase!

Making a New Work Schedule for Fall Projects

   Now that the art studio tour is over and my mad scramble to ready my studio, clean house and get my projects completed is over, I have taken a few weeks to relax and breathe again.
   I created a new line of Swedish folk art designs for my Spoonflower shop, while waiting for my newest order from Spoonflower to arrive to complete a couple of sewing projects for 2 loyal customers, Susan and Lynda!

As soon as I stand up, my seat is taken!  Its like musical chairs around here.

   I also acquired a beautiful antique Swedish pine corner cupboard with a barrel front for my studio, where I will display and store my fabrics.  It needs a little TLC and is currently sitting upside down until I get a missing 3rd leg on the back!
   But its a marvelous piece which I will show you photos of after its all repaired and in place.
In the mean time, my kitten, Stuey, has been sneaking one of the doors open and sleeping in it.

I also added more tea towels to my ETSY shop, LilyOake on ETSY

Sweet Pea photo bombs my photo of the new tea towels as I ready them for my ETSY shop.

   I am also working on a project for myself I began a five years ago - painting and gilding my old dining room hutch.  The hutch had been a throw out because a large dog had chewed on a corner and the glass was broken, etc.  But I saw its potential and hauled it home.
It still needs the painting finished and gold leaf applied.  I also want to sand off the bit I hand painted and start over with something in softer blues and more full/romantic.

I started painting my own hutch five years ago - you know the saying about the shoemaker's children...

A detail of one of the hutch upper doors filled with part of my blue & white collection. I am pretty picky about what I collect.  (has to be Danish, German or English made!)

  I have many new projects on the way for my Christmas studio tour where I will be a guest at another artist's home!
Its the first weekend of December!  I'll be a guest in Tribal Zone Studio.  It will be so fun!!
If you are local, come see us.
December NEAT Studio Tour

(My newer projects include heart shaped pillows, Decorated cones for gift giving and a hand made table lantern!)
I am so excited to begin this new round of creating!