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!

Table settings...In Transition

   My Easter table this year was a bit of a mix of china patterns because I had decided to sell my Spode Blue Italian collection in February and concentrate only on collection Royal Copenhagen Blue Flowers Curved and Meissen Blue Onion!
   I began to collect danish-made Royal Copenhagen 22 years ago and the German-made Blue Onion only recently - but I decided I loved them infinitely more then the English Spode I collected so the sale of the Blue Italian helped finance the purchase of some Danish and German china!

So needless to say, I didn't have a full place setting for everyone in one pattern.
But once you set the table with fresh, pressed white damask linen linens, sweet flowers, gleaming silver and delicious food, who cares!?

Royal Copenhagen Blue Flowers Curved

Elinor Cottage dining room set for Easter

Meissen Blue Onion vegetable tureen and Blue Onion handled serving spoon

Elinor Cottage Easter table set with white damask linens, lots of flowers, silver and Blue Onion!

Newest Blue & White Fabrics!

I have added two more custom fabrics to my Spoonflower collection. The first is a collage of my own acrylic blue & white plate paintings from Spring 2012. Wouldn't this fabric make a wonderful apron, a set of napkins or place mats or even oven mitts? I can imagine it as a kitchen valance too...

The second is a simple faded floral in a soft sapphire on white which I named "Maryanne's Muslin". It is newly entered in the Jane Austen contest.  I would love to use this myself, to make my own Regency era dress for my next Jane Austen meeting!