Tablescape 101

My Swedish great grandmother's wooden pestle joins an antique burled wood table that we spied in a photo of my father in law as a baby in the 30's.

When it comes to design, I struggle with detail. Large furniture choices and placement -- no problem. Knick knack, display shelves, tablescapes -- forget it. I like things a bit more sparse I guess. But over one's life, one collects a fair amount of items that either have sentimental meaning or add a splash of personality here and there. For us, we have so many windows in our house that a solid wall to hang artwork is nearly nonexistent. We have a buffet and an antique burled wood table in the dining room and living room that have been assigned tables cape duty.

Shells and rocks collected by my guys are every-changing in their display.

There's really no rhyme or reason to the things on this buffet!

Every once in awhile, I am seized by an overwhelming need to bring home something quirky from a flea market or junk show. Last year at Farm Chicks, I brought home this little gem that I named Lachlan in honor of my neighboring vendor that I bought him from.

There was just something about this ratty little guy that I found compelling.

It was almost like he was SO bad he was cool. My mom doesn't agree.

Now as much as I try to be deliberate about the things displayed here, it is admittedly haphazard and always changing. But this morning as I was working on the computer right next to the buffet I noticed something. It was something I didn't put there.

Can't robots and dinosaurs just get along?

I wonder who's winning.

It might be a pretty close match.

I think the reason these guys prompted me to write this post is that I know there are only a few more years of sweet surprises like this left. As much as my house is a constant swirling disaster left in the wake of busy, messy boys . . . every once in awhile I take pause and appreciated this time in my life. I am loving this age of my guys so much -- much, much more than I ever thought I would.

Now, just wait and see. I'll snap out of my happy stupor as soon as I get a call from a frustrated teacher or protective parent or trail of mud winding its way through the house. But for now while the house is quiet and I have the luxury of time to myself, I am grateful for little reminders on a tabletop.

Anticipating Summer

image found at fleaingfrance.tumblr

As I write this post, there is a fine and steady drizzle that makes the leaves and grass blades twitch outside my window. The lake has a thick glob of fog over it like a sort of gigantic whipped topping. The house is quiet and I am desperately trying to avoid cleaning up the kitchen for the 4th time in 24 hours.

As much as it's tempting to feel a little gloomy on a day like this, I almost feel more of a sense of renewal. This rain is cleansing the palate for the entree to come in a sense. That's how most of us in the Pacific NorthWest feel about this time of year. In fact, I was daring myself yesterday to not use the heat in the house from May 1 until next fall.

We were dabbling a bit in the yard yesterday which prompted me to ask my husband if he thought it was possible to have one section of our landscape that could be complete enough by summer to use as an extension of the house. In the summertime I eat nearly every meal outside -- because I can! (usually -- last summer was an exception...) But there's something a bit disappointing with trying to enjoy lunch in a beat up $8.99 fold up camping chair from the drug store.

I do have a cute little bistro set on a section of brick walkway that comes close to the vision in my mind, but honestly, it's not all that comfortable -- and it only seats 2. No, I dream of an enchanting courtyard. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to this little dream. Here are some of my favorites.

via apartment therapy

via garden-of-magical-moondust.tumblr.com

via mariahinafrica.blogspot.com

via ohhappyday.com

Last summer I remember thinking it would've been nice to tackle projects in the springtime so that we could simply maintain and enjoy the yard in the summer. With May and June in sight, I think it's possible to isolate one part of the yard at least. That's the hope anyway. My husband DID say he thought it was possible too -- which bodes well for my little dream. Bring on the sunshine!

Quirky Is Good

I've started a collection of sorts -- pretty much by accident. A couple summers ago I picked up this painting at 2nd Saturdayz Market in Seattle on a whim. There was just something light hearted and happy and quirky about this guy that compelled me to bring him home.

I included him in the gallery composition that I'm slowly compiling in my entryway. He's mixed in with old family photos, Owen's Mona Lisa and other pieces of artwork. 

See? There he is down in the corner.

Well, this past weekend, I was again at 2nd Saturdayz. Lo and behold, I found this little gem.

So, of course, I HAD to bring her home. She looks like a Margaret, I think. I will add her to the ever growing mix in the entryway (as much as my mom disapproves) because I think they can't help but make you smile. Whether you're coming to or leaving my house, I hope everyone does so with a smile.

What about you? What collections do you have that are a bit on the quirky side? What in your home makes you smile?

The Lesson of the Paper Tooth

I've recently come across this quote a few times around the internet and it's become a sort of pep talk for myself. It's by Ira Glass, host and producer of radio's syndicated This American Life.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” 
― Ira Glass


So I've BEEN fighting my way through this. Every day I go through the litany of self doubt: Am I any good at this at all? Should I be doing something else? Can I AFFORD to keep doing this?

But for whatever reason, I DON'T create every day. I stall. I waver. I second guess EVERYTHING. And I'm not satisfied. I'm not filled. I'm not . . . myself.

But I know someone who creates every day. He creates paintings, sculptures, drawings, stories, contraptions, comic strips, cards and 3D paper objects (to name a few). He creates because he's compelled. He creates because it occurs to him. He creates because creativity is at the very heart of his wiring. He's 8 and he's my son.

Now some of you cynical types may be tempted to stop reading. "Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . another mommy bragging about their kid." (Confession -- I MAY be one of these cynical types . . . ) BUT I think I'm at that stage of parenting where my kids are teaching me as much as I'm teaching them. And thank God for that! My personal development didn't end at 18. In fact it's only recently that I've begun to embrace my gifting and wiring. It's only recently that I've begun to believe that MAYBE I'm creative after all. But my creativity didn't look or feel or have the intended effect that I thought it should.

I've taken the past 3 months off -- intentionally. Financially it seemed irresponsible. But I think my soul needed the break. I don't know that I'm any closer to an absolute decision of any kind, but I do know I feel refreshed. I know that I am discovering creativity in things I once considered mundane. I know now that I'm not really being truly creative when I alter my vision for a piece of furniture to fit within what I THINK the potential customer would want.

Last night, my husband handed me a little piece of folded and taped white paper. I asked him what it was. "It's a tooth," he said. Of course it was a tooth. Owen, my 8 year old, has a habit of letting his teeth fall out when they're ready. He hates wiggling them. So yesterday, his seventh tooth fell out. And as a very natural expression and reflection on the day's events, he created a paper tooth. It was a very Owen thing to do and one that made my heart leap from whatever that thing is in a mom's heart that is connected to their child's heart.

I think I will tuck this paper tooth away. I think I will take out this little paper tooth whenever I need to remind myself of who I am. I'll take it out whenever I need to remember that my creativity has nothing to do with whether I can sell the product or how many people say nice things about it. It will remind me that the act of creating is what's important.

Mona Lisa and the Entryway Update

Yesterday I was able to make a little progress on the entryway. Still no baseboard or door trim, but we can all overlook that right? Over the weekend, Owen's Mona Lisa portrait came home from the gallery. It just now occurred to me that I never posted about that! Ok, real quick --

Owen is my 8 year old artist. Over the summer, when he was 7, he participated in a large canvas art camp with his regular teacher James of Bellingham Visual Art Studio. He was the only kid in the class so he was able to accomplish quite a bit. He chose to paint his version of DaVinci's Mona Lisa. The canvas was almost as big as he was!

About a month later, I read about a call for artists aged 7 - 19 for a month-long exhibition at a gallery in Tacoma. I submitted 3 of Owen's works for consideration and heard back in September that his Mona Lisa was chosen! I think I was more excited than he was. Turns out they received hundreds of submissions from all over the world and 75 were chosen for the show. What an honor!

At the opening reception, Owen stood next to his painting and educated passers-by on his process and answered questions from people of all ages. To say he was in his element is a huge understatement!

The show was a hit, the run was extended and now digital prints of all the works will travel around to participating hospitals this year. In addition, a book of all the works will be published. Owen will receive a percentage of sales of any prints sold so potentially he could already be earning money to save for college or art school or whatever. If you are interested in purchasing a print, you can contact the Gary Boone at B2 Fine Art Gallery. 

So Mona came home and we needed to show her off prominently. As I posted a few weeks ago, our entryway was on my to-do list and Mona helped me get started.

I plan to go all out with the gallery vibe here. Kind of excited about it really. Let's see if I can keep up my momentum over the Christmas break. Thanks for dropping by and if you know of any art lovers, feel free to share about Owen. He'd like to paint his version of American Gothic next!