A Woman A Day

Show me your mess!

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Lisa Yarost

This… is my studio. Yes, it’s a mess. I admit it. I’m not sure it does me any credit to say that this is 45 minutes cleaner than it was when I got home from work yesterday.

When we moved about a year and a half ago, my dear husband went searching for a house with space for a studio, then found a way to fit the rest of the household in what was left.

Still, I have not yet figured out where everything should go, so it’s piled on shelves and tucked into corners. Here’s why: my last studio was custom designed and built by my husband and me to maximize storage and work space. I designed it for two sewing machines and a serger, my enormous drafting table, all of my books, and my embarrassingly large collection of fabrics and art supplies, plus a design wall. However, it had no windows.

This studio has an entire wall of windows. Natural light! Hooray!

Less wall space. Bummer.

So, what’s a girl to do? In the second and third photos you can see overhead flat storage space that DH and I rigged up under the floor joists. It works great, as long as I store things in there that I do not often need.

There are several closets in the adjoining laundry/workout room that are stuffed full of bins and boxes, but we all know that out of sight is out of mind.

So… other than getting rid of all this stuff (horrors!) does anybody have any storage suggestions? Let me know. Or, just show me your own mess, since misery looooves company. If you can’t laugh about these things, what else can you do?

Posted in Humor, studio | Tagged art, art supplies, mess, obsession, organization, postaday2011, storage, studio | 2 Comments

The nightmare

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Lisa Yarost

So, I had this dream last night that I was living in some sort of giant steel treehouse in the Star Wars universe, and I was, like, getting ready to take a trip. So I was, um, sorting through my watercolor paints because somebody had used them and left the caps off when suddenly I totally know something bad is going to happen ’cause that scary suspense music started playing. So, I, like, smushed myself up against the wall while holding my really awesome laser gun (pew pew!) while this giant eel thing went right by the door. When I ran around the corner though to hide better from them I was face to face with the big scary gross flying giant eel thing… And that’s when I woke up. And I sat up in bed and thought, O. M. G.

Who used my watercolors without putting the caps back on?

Posted in Humor | Tagged Drawing, drawing, Humor, lasers, monsters, nightmare, postaday2011, Star Wars Universe | 1 Comment

The things you find…

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Lisa Yarost

This is a potholder. I made it this weekend using a couple of orphan blocks and a section of a retired bath towel.
Not only did this project net me a new potholder, (of which I am always short), but it allowed me to consume some of the flotsam and jetsam that inevitably builds up in my studio.
The big bonus, however, is that I had a chance to try out a new free-motion machine quilting design. It’s kind of difficult to see, but it’s an all-over vine motif.
The downside? Well, as I sat down to work at my beautiful new Bernina, I noticed there was something on it. No, there was something *all over* it. Some creature had apparently become violently ill while standing on the walkway above my studio. Yes, it’s true.
Somebody puked on my sewing machine.
Next project?
Sewing machine cover.

Posted in Quilting, technique | Tagged Daily life, postaday2011, quilt, Quilting, sewing, stashbusting, technique | 4 Comments

Soaring Crane Valentine

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Rebecca Fox

Hope soars. Health soars. Love soars. Creativity soars. Wealth soars.

Posted in creativity, Health | Tagged Crane, hope, origami, postaday2011, valentine | Leave a comment

Inspiration

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Lisa Yarost

Every time I question my artistic abilities, I will look at this picture and tell myself that if these can sell for $95 each that there is a place for my art in this world.

Posted in Art, Humor, painting | 2 Comments

It’s the little things

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Lisa Yarost

Continental breakfasts are not usually my thing. Mini boxes of cereal, room temperature milk, and cheap pastries leave me cold.
Imagine my joy when I discovered that continental breakfast includes hot steel cut oats and a large selection of dried fruits to top it off.
Still hazy from a long day of travel, this little pleasure made me unreasonably happy. Now with a tummy full of warm food and hot coffee, I am ready to figure out what I want to do on this foggy morning.