My Angelic Design Assistant

Oui, Oui...

I know... I have been gone way toooo long.

 

My only excuse is that I have been hibernating through the winter in my "atelier", which is Francaise for Art Studio... though it sounds more chi - chi.

Painting, creating, sewing and drawing, it seems like 24 / 7.

But the early spring has created a new distraction for me ...

my Le Jardin beckons me :
 the brilliant violet - blue Periwinkle , the burst of  white Star Magnolia blossoms .

 

Leaving the studio while "paint is drying", I create a vintage nook outdoors as well;

the vivid front door and the welcoming front porch signal that Spring has Arrived.

   

  

 

 Or even my lastest Creation ... the " conservatoire"

made of vintage windows,
where homegrown goodies will be harvested in the months to come.

 

But there is good news too,

 someone to curb my bad habits of procrastination ...

I have an assistant ... !

much to Monsieur's ( aka The Husband) chagrin .

To Him, an assistant is someone who can  handle a saw, drill a screw,

carry an armoire own the narrow studio stairs of a  1927 cape cod.

But my assistant can do  none of these...

but she is an Angel.

Actually her name really is Angel.

She lives in the Atelier guarding my vintage treasures

from imaginary thieves after the lights go out for night-nights.

Meowing loudly & promptly at meal time,

(where DOES she keep that pocket watch ?),

or purring approval on my recent paint application

or growling when I distress a piece too vigorously...

 

She sleeps  in her vintage basket, peeking out now and then to see the progress.

 She loves all thing vintage, she is her mother's daughter after all.

 

Occasionally I mover her basket closer to the painting area,

she catnaps, if I'm lucky.. or brushes her fluffy tail on an open paint can if I'm not.

Fortunately, I usually paint in a soft white color, so she blends right in .

But I dread the day when she gets cat - curious,

and brushes against the open paint can as I am painting a large  black armoire.

I guess then ... I will just have to re-name her " Panther ".

But for now,she is just my  Guardian "Angel".

In Love ...

Excuse Moi ... to have been gone soo long ...

But I am in Love ...

In Love with Barns, that is, and that love has consumed me lately.

It all started with a gorgeous painting of a French Barn ...

 

 

The exquisite light, the colors of Provence, oohh sooo Francais.

I thought, why not a Barn as a

photography study... or a country get-away... or a studio space ...

 But back to my Love of Barns ...

My other "Love", Monsieur , aka as "The Husband" thought I had lost my mind.
I went flea marketing one day
and instead of coming home with just a truck full of "dollar" treasures,
I almost came home with a new home.

I almost could not contain myself
but with alot of restraint I did... but barely.
It was a lovely Barn, with a shiny new roof ,
a large gingerbread farmhouse,
3 acres of landscaped gardens and a babbling creek.

 

... all for a "steal price".

It was only 12 minutes from civilization also known as "the city"

 and 20 minutes to Monsieur's work.

But alas Monsieur was not convinced.

 

His reply. "I don't do chickens".

I sweetly replied...

"You don't have to do chickens,
we aren't going to be farmers, just have a Country Estate ".

 

So I am dreaming of country fresh air, a large vegetable garden,

a flower greenhouse,space to breathe ...

and a Barn / Studio / Boutique for my Vintage Treasures !

 

But Monsieur's idea of country life / camping  is to

be at the Ritz Hotel in Manhattan and have a power outage...

 

And though I too am a City Girl...

the lure, the lust, the love  of Barns is growing ...

unrequited love for now .

Late Bloomer ...

 



You might say I am a "late bloomer "...

although there has always been a silken thread woven

through my life; of creativity, of passion, of a quest for the unique.

 

My twenties ...

pursuing classical archaeology & residing in Europe.

My thirties ...

pursuing interior design & architectural vignettes.

My  forties ...

questioning my earthly focus & pursuing a heavenly one .

And now in my fifties ...

blossoming my artistic talents into a actual vocation;

a wonderful souffle of all the previous decades.

I wake up every glorious morning 

re-creating and hand-painting vintage furniture

from unloved treasures.

There isn't a day that I don't create, even in my mind's eye.

Even when other tasks demand my attention or my hands,

I am thinking about "creating".

...but the last one to be surprised is God.

He knew all along where I was headed.

Blessing me, correcting me or ... patiently waiting for me to be still & listen.

As for me & my house we will serve the Lord.

Maybe I am not a "late bloomer" after all.

I am a "work-in-progress" ...

building on the past, savoring the present, & re-inventing the future.

Just like the Endless Summer Hydrangeas.

I just keep blooming, until I am pruned

and then I bloom again ...