Hiatus. Stuff and Things.

Last weekend, I made a vow, of sorts, to myself... in front of the people that love and support me... to take a HIATUS from thrifting, collecting, yard-saling, rescuing orphans from the side-of-the-road piles, "gifts" of cast-offs, findings, as-is stores.... etc. etc. etc.

You see, I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. I don't drink (heavily!) I don't have many of the "regular" addict vices, but MY addiction is the COLLECTING.

"Hello. My name is Tina Schiefer, and I'm addicted to collecting THINGS!"

I laugh at all the online hoarding memes. I'm NOT a hoarder. I don't collect garbage, per se, but I do collect THINGS that can be made into OTHER, NEW, FUN, and EXCITING things.

With all those THINGS, comes SPACE. CLOGGED space. NARROW walkways. Shelves piled with totes FULL of THINGS. Little THINGS. BIG things. THINGS. THINGS. THINGS.

The bad part of the collecting of THINGS, is the SORTING. You see, I set out to SORT. Then... well, I begin to plot and plan and head down memory lane of where I found said such-and-such... who I was with when I found said such-and-such.... who gave me said such-and-such.... what I was planning on doing with said such-and-such... (if you just read all those SUCH-AND-SUCH sentences, welcome to my world of the perpetual circle of see, read, repeat.)

That's what sorting is like. I collected these THINGS because I liked them. I had grand plans. Up to this point, I've had a hard time letting go of the THINGS, once I delve into sorting. I have A LOT of good STUFF!

BUT....it's TIME for a BIG, HUGE, CHANGE!

I don't expect this will be easy. 

But... I have to start somewhere!

I sold a BUNCH of items and things I LOVED at Barnstormers Vintage Fair last weekend. A few of those "let it go's" were tough to say goodbye to. Trust me, I know they are ONLY THINGS! But....
still....

On Sunday, I passed up the yard sales. Today, I passed up the freebie bookcase and adorable little wooden desk with the FREE sign on it....

"Hello. My name is TINA SCHIEFER, and I'm trying to overcome my ADDICTION!"

I will still adore Hector the Collector. He's on the back of all my new calling cards... but I will spend the next year - August 2016-August 2017 - focusing on other things.... my TWO little camper trailers, sorting and selling/re-gifting/donating things, and getting my totes, shelves, rooms, nooks, crannies, walkways EMPTY.

Breathe. I know my friends will be supportive. This time NEXT year, I'll be able to say,

"Hello. My name is TINA SCHIEFER, and I'm no longer an ADDICT! Check out my cute camp trailers... let's go have FUN! Oh, and the studio is all neat and tidy and organized. Let's have a creative party!"

Who CAN resist?

Today I received the loveliest rusty gift from my friend, Jennifer. She just spent the Holiday weekend camping at the mountain lake resort we all love, Lake of the Woods, in her sweet glamper. 

A couple weeks ago, she told me about this old Valspar paint can she had found stashed out in nature when she was up there camping. 

Well, this morning she brought it in to our shop to show me. From deep within the paper Grange 

Co-Op bag, she revealed this beauty! OMG!!! SO AWESOME. 

Just look at the rust. Look at the patina. Look at the COLOR!!! LOOK AT THE GRAPHICS!

And then she just smiled her big 'ol happy smile, and says, "I got it for you!" HUGS!!!

I don't know about you, but THIS is the PERFECT color with RUST! 

I'm making up stories in my head about the wooden boats at the marina... I'm imagining some grandpa out refinishing his lake house deck. 

Oh, how my mind wanders...but seriously, I bet I'm not too far off! 

I'll be enjoying this silly little can for a while... Who CAN resist? Not I.

Well Wishes and Whatnot - #4

Bee and Echinacea, commonly known as Coneflower.

Photo taken in Jacksonville, Oregon. July 2014.

 

This bee has it right... stop and smell the flowers.

 

Even a stroll down a city sidewalk can be a thing of beauty.

 

You just have to slow down.



Post Mailer Box and Finnabair Fun

Sometimes, I find things that cost next to nothing, but I can't leave behind because I know they have a story to tell.

Yes, it may ultimately be MY make-believe, fantasy story, but that's actually part of the fun.

This may look like a simple cardboard box to many. However, I see a canvas just waiting to be transformed into a mixed-media wall art creation.

I love that it has woven straps with metal buckles.

 And that there's this riveted metal frame just perfect for a quote, photo or story.

That it still has 6-cent stamps attached and the riveted metal corners.

That there are water stains adding LOTS of patina and visual texture.

Just look at the scrawled-out label. 

So many possibilities. 

And an entire INSIDE to hide secret stuff...messages, photos, treasures!

The possibilities are ENDLESS!!!

*****

I just returned from my second Art Is YOU event in Santa Rosa. One of the workshops I took was Finnabair - Anna Dabrowska. 

Now, I have a HUGE confession to make. I had never heard of Anna. I know, I know!!! What? Was I under a rock??? 

Well, Janice (you all know Janice, right?), she DID know of Anna and had been following her mixed-media techniques and products for some time. So, we signed up for her Saturday workshop.

The all white presentation reminds me of a wedding cake.

Not your average alphabet stencil either. 

I almost think this is my favorite one in her lineup.

As you can see, I even used one of my "Found" art elements - Marie - in my project. 

What a great combo to use her products with mine.

Can I just tell you? I had a GREAT time playing. Not only with her stencils, paints, texture mediums, and micas, but the overall experience kept me intrigued. I was enjoying the whole process...and for the first time EVER! I actually ordered workshop products. 

Many times, I don't see the need to duplicate product "types". Sure, every crafty-artist has their own product line, but many seem to cross-over and become redundant in my studio....but..... I really, really enjoyed playing with her line up and recognized that they were different enough to be added to my arsenal. Ok, maybe that makes me sound like a product snob, but oh well. 

Yes, it was a her Ultimate Artifact workshop, and that meant the class was using her black Gesso...and yes, I was a bit of a deviant and went with a very feminine design (not normally my style either, but my muse was feeling it, I guess?)... And guess what? I LOVE IT!!! 

I can't wait to combine some of her products with the post mailer box. I'll keep you "posted". *wink

Have a GREAT MONDAY! Find time to be creative... or just go out treasure hunting! 

...and if you are just hanging out in your jammies with a cup of your favorite beverage, great! 

Either way, just BE HAPPY!

Studio Wall

Once upon a time.... well, still actually, I follow Layla and Kevin Palmer over at The Lettered Cottage.  If you haven't seen or read their blog, I highly suggest you run on over and say "Hello".

...but to continue my story, Layla and Kevin built an AWESOME focal wall full of shelves in their previous house. This wall, to be exact!

I believe they simply removed their dining room drywall to expose the planks and added some 2x4's...and if I recall, they didn't have an insulation issue because this room was adjacent to another room??? I'm NOT positive though.

My studio is adjacent to another warehouse space. So we built a nice, sturdy 2x6 wall, installed insulation, and then hung sheets of beaded board plywood, the thick stuff! 

On top of that, built another framed wall of 2x6 cubbies. 

I LOVE IT!

Lots of primer and paint later.... raw plywood and lumber just absorbs primer like a sponge, but the results are beautiful and allow for tons of display space.

A few months later... 2014 to be exact, I happened to be driving by a local theater - Ginger Rogers Theater. A sign company was removing the sign for replacement since they were renaming it.

In my Tina-Treasure-Hunting-Style, I made a quick scan for a parking spot, and asked the foreman if I could get my hands on a set of the letters. He had to check and get back to me, so I left him my number.

A few days later, I got the call. ONE set was MINE!

They fit perfectly in my highest wall cubbies. It's amazing how things like this work out.

It's like those cubbies were just made for them.

This photo was taken before the wall was completely painted, but I just HAD to test fit them.

I still have a long ways to go until the studio is 100% where I want it to be, but Rome wasn't built in a day.

And the cubbies are perfect no matter what!

Rusty Tour

If you've been reading my re-vamped blog the last couple of weeks, you know I have a lust for rust. Ok. That's a bit of a cliché statement, but... well, I think rust is AWESOME!

It just adds so much character to old steel that would otherwise just be considered past-its-prime.

I tend to pan and scan the ground and my surroundings for anything rusty. I've used bits and bobs in my artwork, and taken hoards of photos. Walk with me and I'm known to stop, say "hold on! I need a photo of this..." or even just stop whatever I'm doing... "squirrel!" and pick up metal pieces, smooshed pieces, pieces covered in dirt, etc. You do that too, right??? Please tell me I'm not just at the precipice of becoming a crazy bag lady.

You MUST know by now...my favorite poem is Hector the Collector by Shel Silverstein. I've posted it before, on my archived PatinaMarie blog. Someday, I WILL create a wall hanging of this poem. It's just SO me.

 

HECTOR THE COLLECTOR

by Shel Silverstein

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring.
Pieces out of picture puzzles,
Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,
Twists of wires, worn-out tires,
Paper bags and broken bricks.
Old chipped vases, half shoelaces,
Gatlin' guns that wouldn't shoot,
Leaky boats that wouldn't float
And stopped-up horns that wouldn't toot.
Butter knives that had no handles,
Copper keys that fit no locks,
Rings that were too small for fingers,
Dried-up leaves and patched-up socks.
Worn-out belts that had no buckles,
'Lectric trains that had no tracks,
Airplane models, broken bottles,
Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.
Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul‹
Loved them more than shining diamonds,
Loved them more than glistenin' gold.
Hector called to all the people,
"Come and share my treasure trunk!"
And all the silly sightless people
Came and looked...and called it junk.

 



It's all good. I'm happy with all my collections. I'd rather be gifted some random piece of JUNK, than two dozen roses or a trip to the mall.

...but I'll keep on rolling along...filling up the totes, bags, boxes. Life's too short to live in a WHITE BOX!

My poor kids! "I love you, boys." 

Well Wishes and Whatnot - #3

 Playing with light and shadows. Barn Wood and Chain.

Taken in Central Point, Oregon. March, 2013.

 

 

Aged.

 

Aged beauty.

 

Aged to perfection.

 





There Seemed To Be A Theme

Much like when you buy a new car and THEN you notice ALL those same cars on the road.

Well, our 5-day road trip to Art Is You - Santa Rosa and back, I found a theme was kind of, sort of forming.

Here I am about to cross to the "other side of the tracks".

Janice and I shopped until the car was bursting with treasures. We mapped out a bunch of thrift stores down the 101 and our little 6 hour drive turned into 12-1/2 hours. Oh what fun we had.

We stopped at thrifts, small boutique shops, scrapbook stores, antique stores and of course satisfied our culinary desires - sugar-free breve mochas, cupcakes, trifles, beignets, Thai food, Mexican food, pastrami sandwiches, lettuce wraps... we ate lots of small meals, but with lots of flavors!

 Yeah. SO me... ya think? Yes, this shirt came home with me.

And... well, this was just too cool NOT to snap a photo of.

See, I'm not only a little "trashy", I'm also eclectic.

Cheers and Happy Tuesday!

Well Wishes and Whatnot - #2

This photo was taken in September 2013.

It was one of those "pull over, Honey! I need a photo!" moments.

Stop and appreciate the "little" things.

Happy daisies and a sprite of a mushroom.

Happy Wednesday.

Loading Up The Wagon

This girl, and her good-best friend, Janice, are heading to Art Is You Santa Rosa in just a couple of days.

Let the BIRTHDAY fun begin.

We'll be road-tripping our way down the 101 with a list of thrifts along the way.

Packing lightly and putting the back seats down, making room for treasures!

We are taking two classes this year. A Finnabair class and a Jen Crossley class.

Looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones too.

This is one of the projects I made last year in a class taught by Lesley Venable. I shopped locally in Petaluma for a little box to fit in an old wooden drawer I brought along with me. Lesley provided the burnt-out Altoid box. It always helps to bring along a mix of doo-dads even when the workshop has a kit fee. It just makes it your own. No one in this workshop went home with two of the same finished projects. Those are the workshops I like best!

This piece is titled Frozen Dead.

I love how it turned out. I even LOVE the CREEPY poetry.

She wore a pair of mittens,
She wore a little blouse,
She wove all night.
In the still, cold house,

She sang as she worked,
And the harp-strings spoke;
Her voice never faltered,
And the thread never broke,
And when I awoke, --

There sat my mother
With the harp against her shoulder,
Looking nineteen,
And not a day older.

A smile about her lips,
And a light about her head,
And her hands in the harp-strings,
Frozen dead.

Cast Iron

 

I've had this panel of cast iron loveliness for years.

 

I've hauled it through THREE states - Washington, California and Oregon.

 

I've toyed with the idea of making it into a table leg.

 

I've pondered hanging it on a wall.

 

It's JUST HEAVY!

 

So, here it sits on my back deck looking pretty.

 

Speaking of pretty....today in Southern Oregon, it's absolutely gorgeous!

 

Off to enjoy the weekend.

 

Cheers.

Sweet Gifts

A lovely rusted aqua painted wagon...with a little spigot for looks.

 

I tend to go through color phases.

 

I don't have a favorite color per se, but I've been in an aqua and rust and galvanized and cream phase for a while.

 

This little rusty aqua wagon was a gift from my oldest son, Ty and his lovely wife, Jania. It's the perfect patina'd vintage object d'art and I just LOVE it! It makes me all happy and smiley.

 

Here's a sampling of the wagon around the studio... enjoy.

 

As a backdrop for Rusty Monkey with a cute little glass crown.

 

Part of my blog header vignette.

That darling baby shoe was a gift from a sweet friend, Barb.

 

Making an appearance in a studio collage.

Abu's Journey Home... the beginning.

 Abu's journey home. August 15, 2015. Yes, this photo was necessary. *wink

Isn't he lovely. He spent the first night outdoors. He is now stored all warm and cozy indoors.

He is in GREAT shape! (and that was just the beginning to the can of worms).

You see, there was a bit of visible, OLD, DRY water damage. Abu lived his life in Eastern Oregon. I DID NOT water test him on purpose. His OLD, DRY water damage may have been from leaks of travels past, but I did not want to tempt fate and cause more.

I've seen other posts online of the ROT and DECAY of a 50-year old trailer. He would go indoors, get torn down and get a new lease on life.

So, I began the disassembly process.

Then....about a week later...


Case in point.

Even though we towed him a little over 3 hours home, on surface streets, two-lane highway, and the freeway, and he towed nicely, he quickly showed me my gut feelings were right.

This is the curb-side leaf spring. ^^^^ All nice and curved and solid.

 

 

This is the street-side leaf spring. ^^^^  Uh oh! A little droopy and out of whack.

 

Poor Abu. Listing just a bit. Anyone else see a resemblance to the old Flintstone's cartoon? The heavy rack of ribs delivery on the one side of Fred's car??? lol

Stay tuned.