moveable walls

My creative business is growing and evolving which means my creative space has been overdue for some changes. My dream for the studio has always been to somehow divide up the space so I could have a few different areas for different projects and creative tasks. And since we are always up for a DIY project around here (and because I am married to a talented retired structural engineer), I was finally able to transform my space.

We had all kinds of ideas of how to divide up the space but what we decided on was creating moveable walls. I've worked in galleries and loved the idea of what you often find in a gallery- a hollow wall that can be painted, moved and changed depending on the exhibit or creative project. 

Andy got busy designing the walls- the most important thing for us was creating walls that were light weight (so I could move them around) but still be stable enough for everyday use. I won't go into all of the project details but above are the plans that Andy sketched up for himself.

 After the walls were made I went to town painting them!

With front and back I have a total four walls and I painted one of those walls black.

The black wall will double as place to paint (I prefer to paint on unstretched canvas stapled up on a wall (its better on my back). I will also be using the black wall as a photography background. I have been using more and more dark backgrounds for my photos so a black wall makes sense for me.

The other three walls I painted white. One of them will be used as a "statement wall" that I can paint murals, pattern and backdrops for online classes and photo shoots. My plan is have this wall change with different projects. I painted a flower wall that I will be using as backdrop for some spring projects that I have coming up.

I even painted the edges of the walls for a little bit of extra flair!

The other two walls I kept white (for now). I desperately need a blank space (other than our home) to stage, style and photograph all kinds of art, class material, tutorials and DIY projects. Right now both of these walls face windows where there is wonderful natural light and I plan on utilizing this light for different photography and filming projects.

Because the walls are light and I am able to move them around into different configurations.  

We can even turn them into a closed off little room that could be used for privacy when Andy and I are working on projects at the same time.


And because I also teach classes in my studio I will be able to set set things up in different confirgurations depending on the class size and subject matter.

While this project was exhausting (we tackled it all- construction and painting- in about 3.5 days) I am crazy excited about all the ways I will make use of these moveable walls!

fashion friday- crushing on elSage Designs

I am obsessed unique t-shirts and sweatshirts and lately I am totally crushing on all things from elSage Designs! 

Driven by a deep love for sassy individuals, big mountains, and long bike rides, Phoebe Carpenter Eells creates block print art inspired by everyday life, and travels with her two young boys and her husband. Her hip and gritty style is passionate and uncomplicated. 

elSage Butterfly from elSage Designs on Vimeo.

Each and every piece is designed, carved and printed entirely by hand in the elSage Studio studio in Washington State. The slow, hands on process of printing directly from a block creates small variations making each piece unique. All of the materials used are ethically made and of the highest quality. Environmental responsibility is a core value at elSage Designs, sourcing our inks, apparel, wood and paper with sustainability in mind.

you can head on over to elSage HERE

life according to my instagram

I don't share much that much personal information here on my blog but Instagram is another story! I am pretty much smitten with Instagram and it is a place where I am able to document, show and share a more personal look into our life (without words).You can follow me HERE for a peek into our daily happenings.

a peek inside my sketchbook

hello gorgeous!

flower- mono lisa anemone

branch ladder

We are in the midst of a huge backyard project which means we suddenly have all kinds of branches on hand! I thought it was time to create a ladder for the living room to hang our blankets on.

    I started by cutting the branches to size then I spray painted them white. 

    Next I painted black stripes randomly all over the branches. 

    The last step was to lash together the ladder. 

    First I tacked my wood together with wood glue. 

    Then using some really great fluorescent pink twine from the hardware store, I criss

    crossed the twine until each rail of the ladder was secure.

fashion friday- one dress three ways

Spring is a tricky time of year when it comes to fashion- you can't break out those summer clothes and its a little too warm for winter outfits! So today I'm sharing a little inspiration to wear a summer dress 3 different ways for all that "in between" spring weather.

Let me first say that in my daily life I have no place that I would actually wear a cute summer dress. I am a self employed artist living in a small town on the Oregon Coast! Much of my daily routine is painting in the studio, working at home on the computer, running errands and spending lots of family time outside and at the beach. Once in while get dressed up and go out but overall, my wardrobe is more about comfort and versatility.

While I don't have any reason to get dressed up, I do still like to buy dresses and wear them as a tunic or as a casual layer in my outfits. I bought this cute little lace dress at Ross for $9.99 and thought it would be a great piece for spring layering.

This look is not for everyone but I pretty much live in some kind of variation of this combo: a tunic with a flannel shirt, jeans and a baseball hat! If we are blessed with a sunny day I'll wear sandals, it not I'll wear Vans. This outfit can easily can easily take me from working in the studio to heading outside to play.

Hat- Billabong (last year), Flannel- Target, Camo Jacket- Forever 21 (last year), Jeans- no idea!

sweater- Old Navy, leggings- Ross (last year), cut off jean vest- Old Navy, boots- Ugg (last year)

Spring on the Oregon Coast is cold and rainy which means I still wear a lot of winter clothing. On chilly days I always wear a tunic with a light weight sweater on top, leggings and my favorite rubber boots. Another look that can take me from the painting in the studio to walking through tide pools!

hat- Forever 21, Kimono- Forever 21, Socks- Free people, Boots- Clarks (2010), jewelry- gifts from the hubs

When the sun comes out I will actually wear a skirt or dress but I keep things relaxed and baggy with light layers. I like wearing flowy kimono cover ups or baggy sweaters over the top of a dress. And a pair of boots with knee high socks keeps your legs just warm enough!

Then there are days when I throw caution to the wind and just mix all my favorites up into an outfit!