Last blog post I said I needed to stop procrastinating and empty the shed to set up stained glass studio. Well ......... now I don't need to because I have put an offer in on a commercial property so my studios will be combined and will be in Downtown Wilson! No more worrying about the cat walking on students projects while they are working on them. Sorry Wesley but some people to not appreciate you helping!  So all you people with allergies it will be so much better. Don't worry I will make it up to my studio mates Nanook and Wesley when I get home. I will have a little jewelry studio at home just for us.

I have listed three jewelry classes on the Class Tab that I will hold at Art at 123 Studio on Barnes Street in Wilson. I will not be able to do any stained glass classes until I set up studio downtown after May 31. There are renters in the building until then. Plus I still have a load left in Virginia that I need to get here to add to studio- stained glass display racks, student tool kits and project boards plus other goodies. Photos below. I have been thinking about a name for the Studio. I was considering staying with Kim S. Joy Stained Glass and Jewelry but I might want to have other artists' work in there also and teaching as well. Any suggestions?

Moving to Wilson has been amazing. The people I have met and the opportunities that have come along are just more than I could have imagined. Please come and visit. I do have a spare room and the animals have not made it their own yet.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! It is also my maternal grandmother, Annie Allan Sellars birthday, as well celebrate her 134th birthday.

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So I have been working in my jewelry studio in the largest bedroom in the house, looking out the window at the shed and the pile of glass in my driveway for 3 months now. Ugh! The shed needs to be emptied and all the stained glass supplies and work surfaces put in. I guess I am procrastinating!

Until Tuesday when I went to look at a store front in Downtown Wilson and fell in love with the idea to move out and up to a real store/studio. It is a little crazy because I moved here to be debt free and am unless I purchase this retail space. Oh what to do....

I put an offer in last night and have not heard anything yet. Fingers crossed. My contractors are going to look at it Monday. It looks pretty good but I can not see everything. I will keep you updated, until then here is a teaser photo.
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Crazy  news.... my house was set to close Nov 22 and the night before it fell apart. I had three U-Haul trucks in the driveway of the new house I was going to close on Nov 27. What do I do? First I cried then I put on my big girl panties and decided to rent the house I plan to buy. I moved in Thanksgiving day with no hot water and no fridge. Luckily the attic was col enough to keep beer cold.
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The day after Thanksgiving and that Saturday I hired a crew to help unload the 3 trucks. Finally got hot water and a week later I got a fridge. I am still setting up. The shed to be my stained glass studio is full of stuff from previous owners that needs to go to the dump. For the time being all that stuff is in my dining room and the glass is under tarps in driveway.

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​Yes that is snow on the roof! I love this house, it felt warm and inviting the minute I walked in. It was built in 1951, has 3 bedrooms, a bath, dining room, kitchen, living room and an attic that runs the length of the house. The largest bedroom is my jewelry studio. The big shed will be the stained glass studio in the spring. 

​If you are ever driving down 95, I am only a few miles off to the East and the door is always open.

So I signed up for a Jewelry Challenge. You are required to start with an old piece of jewelry. I looked through my drawer of pieces that I someday want to do something with.

Do you have one of those drawers or maybe a box of old jewelry you just could not throw out because one day you might need it?

Well the first day we took photos of the piece. Then day 2 we deconstructed them.

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Now to figure out what to do with it. A few people asked why I cut it apart because they liked it and would have bought it. Well it was not mine so I could not sell it as so. After it has gone through rehab then it will probably be for sale.

I have a couple of ideas rolling around in the head, just need to gather some beads and stuff and wait for next instructions.

Have any of you ever done a necklace makeover? If so please share your experience and photos.

Remember keep art in your heart.

Happy creating,
Kim

Ok I confess I hate to clean. I would much rather be in the studio or hanging out with friends or watching Outlander. I have spent since August cleaning, sorting, purging and then doing it all again. I do not like to clean, I do not like to clean at all! I tried to do the Green Eggs and Ham thing but gave up.

The house has been on the market since September 16 and keeping it picked up and clean daily is no fun at all. I did not think I was a piggy house keeper but now I am beginning to wonder? It seems like everything I did yesterday was undone today. Ugh! Calgon take me away!  I just want this done already. The Studio Mates are not happy either because they get kicked out of the house for showings and do not understand what the heck is going on. And I stuff things that need to leave the house into the van to donate or return to others.

When I envisioned my loaded van that reminded me of a saying a friend Tom said "Hearses don't have luggage racks." So enjoy your crap now because you can't take it with you.
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I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather. I am watching the leaves start to fall and my toes are getting cold. Time to wear socks to bed again :(  My tip for the day to you is: wear warm socks in the winter and pretty shoes do not keep your feet from getting frostbit in the wintertime. Winter is coming!

Take time to work on your artwork and enjoy yourself, you deserve it.

It is 5:46 am and I am in my studio. For the first time in months my work bench is nearly empty. I only have 2 plastic storage bins of supplies that need to be put away. This is different than the half covered work bench with pattern books that need to be cataloged. I decided I could not stand that clutter any more, still need to catalog them but they are not hogging space. I also took half the piles that need to be sold and donated them to charities. I know I know what about the other half? I need to just list them or let them go and be free of the clutter!

Now when I walk in I feel like working instead of dread. It is amazing how good a clear space feels. I do not mean totally clear, maybe a project or two to be worked on but not the dumping zone. As I prepped my house for market I needed to remove clutter. When the realtors walked through they all said that I had wonderful things to look at but they lost sight of the fact that they were here to look at the house not my stuff!

Will my habits change? I do hope so. After feeling the freedom and clarity that a cleared work bench gives, I truly hope so. 

What does your work area look like? Can you work in clutter? Do you long for a cleared space?

Wishing you clarity in your life!

The most perplexing question I received this week was.......
Did you make this in your oven?
Are you kidding me folks? In my oven? This is not Make It Bake It but real stained glass!
This is not the first time I heard this. To tell the truth I hate this question so much.
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When I am uninspired or blocked, I look back though my artist's notebook to see the work that I have done in the past. I grab my sketchbook and see what has not made it off the paper yet. Or go back through old patterns on yellowing tracing paper to see where I have been. Most of the time something will tickle me.

If nothing speaks to me I go to Ikea and walk around- the colors, patterns, textures usually do it for me. I try to remember that blocks are little mini vacations for my brain and not a bad thing or else I get so worried about how long it will last and if I'll vever feel inspired again. 

I think all artists go through uninspired moments and hope that I am not the only one!

When I am in my studio, I listen to a variety of music types.

I love anything Celtic and is my number one choice. After that then old school Rock - Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac. Then girl music- Sarah McLaughlin, Adele, Emeli Sande and of course The Spice Girls! 

When I am feeling like I need my Mom around I listen to Classical, the set I gave her when she was in Hospice Care.

It all depends on my mood and what I am working on. Sometimes low and quiet and other times loud and rocking!

When I am teaching there is no music on at all, the silence is sometimes deafening. Only once did a student offer to use their music during class. I need to ask what they would prefer..... quiet or music.

Do you listen to music while you are working? Or do you need quiet to work? How bout if you teach,  do you put music on? Let me know what you do in your studio.

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So I have been wanting to figure out how to do a mock up with my jewelry and clothes and while watching Megan Auman's Blogging to Sell Your Products- low and behold she had a segment on Polyvore. Thank you Megan Auman! It is super easy and fun. I do need to plan on better backgrounds for my pieces to look like they fit in but not bad for first attempt.

Have you used Polyvore before? If so what did you think of it? What to learn more?