Going Into the Closet

You know what's very easy to NOT do? Take some super grim-looking before shots of a closet that you plan to overhaul. I totally forgot to take a picture of what this closet looked like behind those doors a few days ago. But, I'm sure you can picture it: lots of plastic boxes full of crap, piles of computer cables, and some art supplies scattered around. It is the office closet afterall - our catch-all closet that had everything but clothes in it.

So, since Mom was in town, I decided to take advantage of her great ideas and organizational skillz and put her to work! Hah. I'd had this idea brewing in my brain for a while now: I needed a desk. Not a computer desk or a work desk, but a Mari desk. One where I could create artwork, write letters, etc. But, most importantly, one that I would not have to clean each time I used it. A tall order, I know. That's probably why I have no before pictures - because I didn't think I could pull off my plan! I wanted to turn the office closet into a space where I could close the doors and hide the clutter that a creative space would surely have. And that, ladies and gents, is what we did!

It's a closet desk!

Basically, we took two nightstands (circa "I don't know when") with drawers and stuck them in the closet facing each other. Then my dad and Ryan went to Lowe's and bought a beautiful wooden "shelf" (for only $35). They cut it to fit and we stuck it on top of the tables. It ended up being a bit short, so we propped it up on some 2x4's and voila: desk in a closet!

Beautiful drawers (lol)

The perfect space for creating!

Paint Box

So, there you have it! It really was an incredible transformation (sorry you couldn't enjoy it as much without that darn before pic...). And I can't wait to get in there and start creating!

~ Mari

Resolutions for 2011

Even though I sometimes think that new years resolutions are a little silly (just because the year changes we have to re-evaluate our lives and fix stuff?), I'm still going to make some goals for myself for the coming year.

1. RELAX. This one is the same every year. In case you didn't know, I'm a little high strung. Just a bit. Hah! I need to relax and go with the flow. I give myself headaches and stomach aches stressing about every little thing in my life and if I did less of that I'm sure my life would be better. But, it's a difficult thing to do for a type A personality to do. So, I'll do my best, but I have a feeling this resolution will be back again for 2012...

2. Get involved with theater. Yep. That's me in Little Shop of Horrors my freshman year in high school. Can I tell you how much I miss it? I did theater throughout high school and college and then I just quit. Well, by golly, the drama queen is back and she longs for the stage! (told you I was a drama queen)

3. Eat less dessert. This is going to be more difficult than any other year because I just happen to be a dessert writer for a magazine. Clever, right? But, I figure I will try to limit myself on the sugar front. I find that when I eat lots of sugar, I crave lots of sugar. So, if I don't eat quite as much... maybe I won't want to eat dessert after each meal. My hips will thank me.

4. Create more art. Even if I just do a little 5x5" painting/collage a day, I think that will be enough to satisfy my artistic urges. If I spent half the time I spend watching TV (more specifically The Real Housewives 0f...well...anywhere) creating artwork, I bet I would also make much more progress on resolution #1.

Happy new year, everyone!

~ Mari

A Very Creative 2 Weeks

There we all are (Andy is on the far left)

What a great 2 weeks it was! I felt so creative and free... twas fabulous. Plus, getting to create art with my adorable mom sitting across from me was wonderful as well.

Here is one of my final creations... as it progressed:

Ta dah! There is my Venetian-inspired piece - complete!

Then I did some wood block prints of women:

This is the last piece I worked on in the class - I carved the stamp myself that I used on the right side of it. :) It feels very Mexican to me - like Mexican tiles or something.


I'm so sad that it's over. :( Especially since I have a bronchial infection now and I can't go hom to Ryan yet. Booooo!

~ Mari

2 Weeks with Andy Saftel

Where have I been? I've been at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN! Mom and I are taking a class from one of our favorite artists - Andrew Saftel. Andy is not only a FABULOUS artist, but he's a fabulous person as well. It truly is an honor to spend two whole weeks making art and learning from him.

The class is a mixed media class (aka- use whatever the heck you want in your artwork!), so it's fun and messy! There are nine of us in the class (someone came as far as Michigan!) and we get along great! Everyone has their own unique style with their art (even though we've talked extensively about why "style" is not necessary in art...).

Here are some pieces that I've been working on in the class:

Here are three bug-inspired pieces done on artist board. The one on the bottom left isn't finished...but, I'll let you know how it goes!

Here's a stamp I carved (on Speedball Easy-Cut) of a catfish...hehe

And here's what it looks like when he's stamped!

Here's another work in progress...

Then I worked on some more 3-D pieces

They are moving right along! Not finished yet, but almost!

(notice the tomato theme... hehe)

So, things are moving right along! It's a pretty intense experience...living and breathing art! It's wonderful! :)

Thanks for looking!