Aesthetic Outburst

Future studio...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 17:39:00 +0000

We spent a few hours clearing out our future studio today (before photos here). It's pretty cold out and PRH was really annoyed with me for sort of planning his day. As you've probably guessed, I'm not much of a relaxer; I have this (irritating) habit of finding projects around the house that just need to be done right this very minute. Like, right now! Particularly now that I have a regular job, it's rare that I have two days off in a row and it makes me feel frustrated not to accomplish the things I used to have more time for. I digress.

PRH may have grumbled a little, but once we got to work, we both felt excited to get the space cleared. It still looks pretty rough, but our goal is to pull everything out, disconnect the electric, power wash the lime off the walls, and then either replace or repair the ceiling, walls, floors, electric, foundation and windows. You have to start somewhere, right?

This photo, from the same angle, shows what the space looked like when we first bought it. Gross! I think it'll make a big difference when we take down those metal cow stanchions.

Here's a shot from a similar angle when we started this morning. Kicky and EZ E were not impressed.

Here's one last shot taken from the barn door before we got started this morning. We moved everything to the other side of the barn temporarily.

Gah! So much to do. Here are some images of other barn projects.

OK, one last look at the mostly cleared out space from the same angle. Next on the list is renting yet another dumpster and clearing out all of the garbage that you can't really see on the left side of this photo.

I'm so excited to have a functioning studio space! Pinterest has helped me stay motivated and inspired. Here are some studio images that I've been pinning. Can't wait.

Last days of summer...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 02:09:00 +0000

Let's think about August again, shall we? This year's Last Days of Summer party was spent laughing with friends, consuming an unnatural amount of red wine, and having tons of fun. The 2012 party felt very much like a wedding; almost all of our closest friends and family members arrived from all over the place and we had a great time. The 2013 party was a mix of old friends and new and was also really fun. Here are a few photos from the night.

Thanks to our friend Laura, we had an abundance of beautiful beeswax candles made by a local artist (Nancy Eckstrom, if you're in Owego). They smelled so good! We found about a bajillion mason jars in the barn, but Laura brought some, too. You hardly notice the beer bottles scattered on the table, right?

The outdoor movie this year was The Muppet Movie. Our friend Dan brought a projector, which was awesome. The screen is an old pull-down screen from a thrift store that we tied to the clothesline. I like this photo of the screen with the candles. Don't walk!

Surprisingly, I took very few photos, but I did manage to capture the aftermath of the gas-powered blender that our friends brought. This photo looks like a crime scene. The amount of vodka in those smoothies was probably a crime. Yikes.

I'm already working on plans for Last Days of Summer 2014. It's quickly become my favorite weekend of the year.

Porch...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 12:00:00 +0000

PRH should know that it's not a great idea to leave my dad and I alone at the farmhouse with power tools. He came home from work one day and part of the awful plastic porch railing had just disappeared. That railing may photograph OK, but in person it's really ugly, acts as a haven for wasps, and lines up weird under the windows. I've since removed the stair posts (in front of the door) and am planning to take out the remainder of the railing as soon as the weather warms up. I didn't do a great job painting, so I need to take care of that again, too. Here's what the farmhouse looked like in 1974. No railings!

Collaborative...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 12:00:00 +0000

I'm still easing into this 'back' thing, but I thought I'd catch you up on life over the past year that I haven't shared here. First, some collaborative drawings that EZ E and I made. We were inspired by this project and decided to spend a morning drawing together. Morning morphed into the afternoon, which then morphed into evening. We had so much fun! Here are a few of the more finished drawings that we made. Scooby Doo was a major player. See Daphne below?

And let's not forget Velma!

Messy or not...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 12:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, Kicky's bedroom looked like this...spotless and adorable. And then all plastic hell broke loose and this is what that adorable room looked like last weekend. I'm genuinely embarrassed by the shear quantity of stuff she has and by the fact that we let her space get so filthy.

So why am I sharing this photo? I'm sharing it because life is messy and layered and that's OK. I'm still having a difficult time articulating the reason, beyond a new job and young children, that I took a blogging hiatus, but I think these photos have something to do with it. Honesty is important and I needed some time to really reflect on that. A break from blogging reminded me how much I value the small moments in life and how meaningful it is to me, messy or not, to capture those moments.

Valentine's Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 23:05:00 +0000

My family and closest friends know that I'm never shy about professing my love for them. Perhaps that's why Valentine's Day- a holiday dedicated to telling people you love them- is one of my favorite days of the year.

Kicky and EZ E are equally charmed by the holiday o' love and we've spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks making cards and gifts for our loves. For EZ E's and Kicky's classmates, we went a little crazy with rubber band bracelets and made one for each classmate. This is EZ E's list and pile of bracelets...

We picked up glassine bags from Michaels and the kids used markers to decorate them. Kicky very carefully personalized each bag. Super cute!

We tossed a little finger puppet in the bag along with the bracelet and sealed the back of each bag with red masking tape that we scored at the dollar store.

EZ E's bags were also very carefully personalized. He drew what is best described as a scene from Breaking Bad on one. Others, like this one, are decidedly cheerier and make no reference to chemistry equipment.

Sharks? Yes to sharks. All.the.time.

I know that Valentine's Day isn't for everyone, but I've always felt like the best way to tackle what could be a rather depressing holiday was to focus less on romantic love and more on spreading kindness and making the day a little bit brighter for the people you adore. I'm certain that EZ E and Kicky accomplished that.

Need a few DIY Valentine ideas? Here you go!

Instagram...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 14:39:00 +0000

Who's on instagram? This girl!

In the corner...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:12:00 +0000

This corner in our dining room has changed frequently over the past two years, but I think we've finally hit on the right fit with this antique table. Show Dog appears to like it, eh? I still need to find a top for it, but for now it's piled with things that we use often: Scrabble, books and sewing pins.

We found it when we were cleaning out the loft in our barn. I finally hauled it out a few months ago and cleaned it off. A little spray paint and wooohoooo! A new-to-us table!

Here are a few other things that have lived in this corner. EZ E's office that he got for his birthday...

A giant cardboard house...

A shiny chair...

another chair that lives in this room now...

and a couple of plants that I tried to keep alive...

You may have noticed that my pressed penny collection is finally a full circle, too. Quite literally cha-cha-change (sorry, I couldn't help myself).

Olive...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:00:00 +0000

I mentioned yesterday that we have a new four-legged addition to our little family. Several months ago I had left work late and was walking to my car with a friend when we spotted a group from our local Master Gardener program sort of huddled around something in the courthouse square, one of the many sites in Owego that the Master Gardeners maintain. Another friend is part of that program and, while working in the flower beds, she had come across a tiny, frightened stray. As soon as my friend said "stray kitten", I said "no way." The kitten's face and paws were covered in pollen and she was absolutely filthy. All it took was one look at this flea-covered little thing...

and I packed her up and brought her home. Kicky named her Olive. As you can see, she's perfectly content sleeping her days away on our window seat. Who knew I'd be someone who brought home stray kittens?!

Farmhouse kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 16:38:00 +0000

Before photos of our kitchen always make me feel a little queasy. Before we bought this place, I remember staying up late at night wondering how in the world we were going to make the house habitable. Some of you may remember that our appraisal required us to complete a ton of work before we even owned the house, which, in hindsight, was a huge gamble. The biggest project was putting a new roof on the house, but we also had to put down flooring in the kitchen, bleach the hell out of the cabinets, pay for a structural engineer do an inspection and pay for a pest inspection. It was a frustrating process, but by the time we owned the house, we knew exactly what needed to be done and started immediately. The photo below is from the day we closed (look how tiny the kiddos are!).

This photo is the next day. That horrible faux-stone paneling had to go first thing. Yikes.

And this is 3 days later. We went through and sprayed every surface white.

This was taken just a couple weeks later, after the floors were refinished and after we had moved in.

Painting the lower cabinets made a huge difference. Swapping out the drawer pulls for Martha Stewart brass pulls from Home Depot was another easy, inexpensive change. We had planned to take out the green countertops, but I've come to really like the color and the quirkiness. The counters add a certain charm to the kitchen. I'm convinced that if we had nice, brand new countertops, they'd make the rest of the room look like complete crap. I have to tell myself things like that in order to keep myself from constantly feeling envious of all of the gorgeous kitchens out there (thanks, Pinterest).

What we will eventually replace is this wonky work surface that we found in the barn. The height is great (it was previously used as a work bench) and it's perfectly functional, but I'm not a huge fan of how it looks. Some days I feel like we have enough old stuff in our house, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure what I'm looking for...something with a flat work surface and nicer legs, I think.

Notice the spot above the stove in this photo. That strip of yellow is linoleum that had literally been thumb tacked to the studs in the wall (more about that in this post).

We popped up a couple sheets of bead board and here we are. Please excuse the quality of these photos- two little people left their greasy little fingerprints all over the lens. You get the idea, though. At some point the old electric stove caught on fire and sent me into hysterics. Thankfully, my parents had just installed a beautiful commercial-grade stove (dream!) in their kitchen, so they gave us their gas stove.

And here's a random shot that includes the newest member of our family, a rescued kitten named Olive. More about her later.

The Mrs. Smith's pie tin artfully disguises a little dent in the wall. I have no shame.

It makes PRH crazy, but my dusty plants (the only I've managed to keep alive) love this spot on the counter. Those feathers on the window sill are actually carved wood feathers that I found at a friend's antique store. Score!

We replaced the faux-stone wall with sheet rock that still needs to be trimmed in spots. We put up these display wires to hold all of the drawings that come home from school. As you can see, it gets a bit cluttered, so we purge it about twice a month. That old fridge needs to be purged soon, too.

Here are the before and after photos side by side. Vaseline-lens aside, I think it's a vast improvement...and I don't feel queasy anymore.

Barn roof...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:59:00 +0000

Oh, hey! After months and months and months...I'm back. We'll talk about that later, okay? In the meantime, let's give our friends Jerry and Greg a big round of applause for complaining on New Year's Day about how long it's been since I've posted anything. My long-neglected blog was immediately added to my list of 2014 resolutions.

Also on the list? The barn. How long have I been talking about this damn barn roof? Well, guess what?! After two years, 1 month and 3 days, we actually put a roof on that thing! Remember what it looked like before?

The first step was removing all of the lightening rods (ahem...lightening attractors). Don't worry, we saved them all.

This photo really tells a story. See those pieces of wood? They're the original shakes underneath 4 or 5 layers of crap.

This poor building.

It felt like we'd save up just enough money to buy the materials and then BAM! A car would break. BAM! A job would fall through. BAM! A boiler would need to be fixed. Frustrating, to say the least. I felt a huge sense of relief when the materials were finally laying on the ground by the barn.

I felt an even bigger sense of relief when I put beer on ice the morning of installation. A note about the beer...just try to buy our crew good beer. Just go ahead and try. Keystone Light was requested and Keystone Light was provided.

My middle brother, PRH's brother, PRH, my dad and our friend Ben constituted the work crew. Here they are dangling unsafely on the roof. My mom, my sister-in-law and I made up the child-herding/food-making crew. The willingness on the part of our family to help, coupled with their in-depth knowledge of construction, is the main reason PRH and I are able to take on (and afford to do) these projects. We lucky and extraordinarily grateful.

Our most basic goal was to save the structure and prevent further decay. Tearing off the existing roof would've been an enormous expense (enormous to us, at least), so my brother and dad recommended that we go over the existing roof, which we did. They installed strips of rough-cut lumber (called purlins) and screwed down the metal sheets.

This is perhaps the last time PRH will be able to stand on the barn roof, so he used the opportunity to take some photos of the fields behind our barn.

And some photos of our lawn, apple orchard and fire pit. People who visit for the first time are often surprised that we live on top of a huge hill. Our property sort of slopes down, so I think that photos of the house itself make it seem like we live in a valley. One visit in the winter and you'll never forget that we live on a hill.

I took a shot of EZ E and Kicky on my brother's trailer when he put the roof on the house. I can't believe how much they've grown in just a couple of years!

Once they warmed up (!), EZ E and Kicky spent the day running wild with our friend Ben's son. I quickly tired of reminding them to stay away from where the guys were working, so I spray painted red lines across the driveway and lawn. It worked...well, for most of the day.

This is at the end of the first day. My poor brother was really optimistic and thought that the whole job would take a weekend.

This is from the same angle a few weekends later. YAY!!!

That, my friends, is an almost complete barn roof. We still need to trim it out, but whatever!!!

I took this photo on the morning they started installing the roof.

This was taken a couple weeks later.

Please excuse the tractor and trees, but this is what the barn looked like when they were done. Go ahead...scroll back through those before photos again. Aawwwwww yeah. I had said that we'd feel a huge sense of accomplishment when the roof was done and, much to my surprise, we actually do. We feel much less desperate to complete all of the other projects. Next on the list? Electricity and window installation.

Support a good cause...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

WNYBAC BACK ON OUR FEET :::: INDIEGOGO VIDEO from nathan m peracciny.
Western New York Book Arts Collaborative is one of my favorite organizations. I've been a fan since the very beginning and I believe very strongly in their mission. WNYBAC needs our help. I'm inviting you to join me in supporting their fundraising campaign. They have 12 days left...I know we can help them exceed their goal!

They say it best: "We want to be able to continue teaching after-school programs with at-risk youth, printing diplomas with local Charter schools, running summer camp programs for children and teens, and remain a touchstone for local artists whose work is often marginalized. We know we make a difference, and this is your chance to make a difference too."

Farmhouse kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:44:00 +0000

Behold the farmhouse kitchen in all its original glory. Do you remember this photo?! If I'm remembering correctly, I think I took it on the day we closed. I wrote about the things we did in this post (we painted the walls and cabinets, refinished the hardwood floors, etc), but we never took care of the back splash. It was a layer of old wallpaper and faux wood paneling nailed over a layer of old linoleum...that was thumb tacked to the wall studs. Hideous. I ripped out the paneling behind the stove, but we ran out of money and didn't want to replace the entire wall, so we just painted over the linoleum and called it a day. This is a real-life renovation, my friends- we run out of money fairly regularly.

Two weekends ago, I was trolling pinterest and noticed that I had pinned several images with horizontal paneling on my farmhouse ideas board. Yes! We ran down to the hardware store, picked up two sheets of cheapo bead board paneling, nailed it up horizontally, caulked it, painted it, and voilà! A temporary solution in less that two hours (and for less than $60). I took these photos while PRH was working on it, so it still looks a little wonky. The caulk and paint completely hid the seams that you see here. We're really happy with the results!

Occupied and happy...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Inspired by a photo they found, PRH and the babes used found materials to make this water toy on the side of the playhouse. It took about an hour to assemble, but Kicky and EZ E spent hours playing together happily (kind of a rarity these days). The directions for this project are in the in latest issue of Family Fun Magazine. We used funnels, pool noodles, empty water bottles, broken pieces of hose, and watering cans. Everything is attached to the playhouse with wire that we had kicking around in the barn.

Kicky looks pretty happy about it, eh?

Rehearsal dinner...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 14:49:00 +0000

I mentioned in my last post that one of the reasons we cleaned out the barn was because we were planning to host my brother's and, now, sister-in-law's rehearsal dinner. I have to admit that I was really, really nervous about the whole thing. I knew that we'd get the space cleaned out, but I worried that the barn would be stinky and that 30 people would be grossed out to hang out in there (particularly if it rained, which it did). Frankly, I was more worried about this dinner than our own wedding and spent the whole day running around like a lunatic. I absolutely LOVE to throw parties and, several times throughout the day, I had to stop and remind myself that we were just throwing a little party.

The morning was spent with my mom and aunts, cutting hydrangeas from our garden for the wedding centerpieces. I added mallow, daisies, hosta, and lavender to this bouquet for the party and plopped the whole thing on top of an old beer crate. We used little, vintage Jello molds as candleholders...an idea that I stole from one of my besties (shout out to Sage!).

Our ring toss game was at the ready.

The wedding colors were shades of blue, so I tried to mimic that theme for the rehearsal dinner. The blue tiki torches came from The Party Store...yes, I know I'm a freaking spaz.

PRH's wood shop is on the other side of these curtains. I used a tension rod to hang them and hide all of the dirty tools. The curtains are from Pier One and they used to hang in our old playroom.

This old wood swan came from the first apartment PRH and I shared. We found it buried in the garden and had it hanging in our bedroom for years.

I didn't realize how many jars we'd found in the barn until they were all on the beams. This is how many we had after loaning several cases of old mason jars to my sister-in-law for the wedding centerpieces!

My friend Laura had come over the night before the rehearsal to drop off beeswax candles/more mason jars (I'm a freak and didn't think that I had enough). We stayed up late drinking beer and eating chips, which was exactly what I needed. Fun! These gorgeous candles were from Laura's wedding and were hand-made by a local artist. They smell SO good!

Because I was a bit worried about burning down the barn, I used fake candles for most of the mason jars. The six jars in the middle of this photo have real candles and the rest had fake ones. My uncle said he spent a good twenty minutes turning off all of the fake candles at the end of the night. I find that kind of hilarious.

I was intent on making some sort of bunting to hang in the barn. I cut an old sheet into pieces and then kind of knotted it together. It wasn't my finest crafting moment, but whatever, right? It looked...rustic?

Here's what the barn looked like that evening. Instead of getting all fancy with the s'mores like I did last year, I tossed the sticks and marshmallows on a nail and let people help themselves.

After a crazy, rainy morning the weather broke and everyone had a fabulous time- red wine and lots of beer definitely helped that along a bit. Here's a shot of my brother and his lovely bride- they're a fabulous couple!

And here's a shot of Kicky downing marshmallows like it was her job. As opposed to flower girl, she insisted on being called the 'plant giver'. This little dress came from Target (on sale for $5)- can you believe that?! So cute! I like that she looks kind of Gatsby in this photo.

Even Kicky's sidekick, Abbey Doll, got dressed up! The dress and headband helped grubby Abbey look semi-presentable at the wedding. My sister-in-law is smart and thoughtful. Doesn't my dad look thrilled to be holding Abbey?

The rectangular pit on the right is a BBQ pit that PRH and my youngest brother constructed that morning. Dinner was really, really good (thanks, Johnny!). The guys spent the night playing horseshoes and drinking beer.

Here's EZ E schooling the boys in horseshoes. The orange shorts and frog boots were the perfect combination. The guy on the right is my youngest brother- he gave the BEST toast at the wedding.

The girls spent the night chatting and drinking beer.

My sister-in-law (in the middle) with two of her bridesmaids. She has sweet friends!

You know what? I shouldn't have worried so much. The barn cleaned up nicely and everyone had a great time. There was a lot of laughter and bear hugs- I'm honestly not even sure what time everyone left. The best part? It all led up to a beautiful, AMAZING wedding!

Happy barn...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:21:00 +0000

Long time no see! I didn't expect to disappear for the past few months, but I've been busily enjoying life offline. Kicky and EZ E are growing too fast, PRH is working on our neighbors' farm for the summer, and I am still settling in at work. Life has been happy and crazy.

This weekend the babes had a camp out at their grandparents' house while PRH and I cleaned out the barn. We decided to focus on this gorgeous building this summer- clean it out, put on the new roof, new electric, new paint, etc. It needs some love. With those goals in mind, PRH ordered a dumpster for me for mother's day (best.gift.ever). That fabulous green beast is now packed full of barn debris and PRH and I are both on a barn-cleaning high. This is the older, late 1800's half of the barn. The other side was build in the 1930's. We cleaned both sides (I'll share photos of the 30's side soon). Here's a look...

The barn was full of garbage (and that's coming from a person who typically loves junk). There were only a few things worth saving, including the best find of the weekend- this 1949 leather dog collar.

We also found more canning jars...

I couldn't resist hanging up some games (this ring toss project is in my book)...

Here's the lovely green dumpster full of garbage...yes!

A few more interior shots...

Those of you who've followed along for a while may remember this before image. The cardboard hanging from the beams was actually nailed down and then (literally) covered in mouse/bat/cat crap. So gross! Thank goodness for respirators!

So now what's the plan? A party, of course! My middle brother is getting married next weekend (I seriously can't wait!) and we're hosting about 30 people for the rehearsal dinner. By Thursday, this space will have a layer of new stone, globe lights & decorations, and will be filled with happy people. Yay!

Hot wing...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:44:00 +0000

We now have chickens...4 of them. This is Hot Wing, and her sisters are named Pecker, Mrs. Twit, and Fluffy (aka Napoleon). Can you tell that Kicky and EZ E named them? We spent most of the weekend cleaning the yard and getting their coop ready, which made us realize how woefully out of shape we are. My arms ache, but our yard looks so much better. We cut down a bunch of brush between the trees by our shed and made a garden map. It was fabulous to sit outside and make a list of the projects we hope to accomplish this Spring/Summer. First on the list (besides 4 little chickens in a coop): barn roof and electric. That before/after is going to feel amazing! Yesterday I sat in the yard just staring at the barn, imagining a functioning space with art studios and a party loft (sort of like this). Exciting!

Before and after...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:13:00 +0000

I know how much ya'll love a good before/after and I happen to find this one particularly inspiring. Here's the story...Tioga County Council on the Arts (where I work) is located in the heart of downtown historic Owego, NY. Our building was constructed in 1870 and was originally occupied by a bank. The Arts Council bought the building fourteen years ago and folks have worked really hard to bring it back to life. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned before, Owego, along with many surrounding communities, was devastated by a flood in 2011. As a result, the Arts Council lost their classroom and storage space. Thanks to many generous donors and grants (and a lot of elbow grease), that space has been beautifully renovated and this is it!

As you can see from the before photos (see bottom of this post), the walls were covered in paneling, the floors were covered in (stinky) burnt orange carpeting, and there was a drop ceiling. Once all of that was removed, Brian Kennedy Contracting repointed all of the stone and brick and Ken Luby painted the floors and ceiling. Our furnace was moved to the first floor and flood-resistant wiring was installed throughout.

I love this old Arts Council sign painted on glass and couldn't resist hanging it up as a nod to our past...

Even the stairway looks so much better!

and now it's accessible...

Let's take a look at the before photos (afters on the right). I made an attempt to take the after photos from the same angle. Yikes...

A low railing took the place of a wall...

This is the pair of photos that really knocks it home for me.

Now it's the perfect space for workshops and meetings. We have a full line-up of Spring workshops- click here for more information. Pretty fabulous, eh?

Haphazardly lazy...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Sunday was haphazardly lazy (I mean that in the best possible way). The day was all about taking care of wooden spoons, watering neglected plants...

playing in the dollhouse...

finding strange collections...

and building forts...

It was just what we needed!

Spring-ish...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I thought I'd do a little round-up of past Easter-ish posts. We don't really celebrate Easter per se, so I was a little surprised to find that I've shared so many Easter-related posts. The photo above of EZ E (post here) is my absolute favorite photo of him thus far. He truly rocked that carrot boutonniere. The drawing that Shelley Weber made from that photo is one of my most valued treasures.

I broke out the carrot garland last week. The post is here. I'm working on a garland of other fruits and vegetables that I'll share soon.

My minimalist bunny post is here. I made the peg people to fit inside those fabulously shiny eggs. I'll be filling the exact same buckets with treats this weekend.

My silly plastic canvas rabbit mask is here. One of my very favorite bloggers- Chiara Alberetti Milott- won that mask and shared her post here. I obsessively check her blog every.single.day. She's super talented.

My puff painted eggs are here- they received some hilariously snarky comments on a random Yahoo Shine post. People are crazy. Too funny!

Any plans for Easter? What about Spring? I just want to get lost in the garden and for my hands to smell like dirt. I'm thinking about planting morning glories again this year. I've been feeling really uninspired and overwhelmed lately- the Northeast is always rough this time of year, I suppose. I seriously need to snap out of this funk. Anyone else feeling it? UGH. I really, really miss you all. xo, Abbey

Square...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:43:00 +0000

We went to a square dance this weekend for work. I used to have to square dance in highschool, but I've never been to an actual dance put on by anyone other than my gym teacher, who we all adored, in part, because he would sing along to all of the songs. A square dance that I actually had to help organize, though? That's unchartered territory, my friends, and frankly, I was a little nervous. Thanks to a Folk Arts grant, the Arts Council has been putting on these dances for about 15 years. We have 5 square & round dances scheduled in Tioga County this year (click here for more details). I was curious to see what it would be like- who would come, where the dance would be, what the music would be like, etc.

We had so much fun! The dance was held in a gorgeous old community center in Berkshire, New York. Originally built in 1932, it had been abandoned for 55 years. About 15 years ago, a group of people got together to save the building and to create a space for their community to gather once again. They built a new foundation, refinished the wood walls, floors, and ceilings (stunning!), replaced the heating system, etc. They're still working to restore the stage and make new curtains, along with several other projects. It was the perfect setting for a dance. The outer edge of the room was lined with vintage chairs and hay bales to sit on...

EZ E and Kicky ran around while they waited for the dance to start. The building had been used as a gym for a highschool before the school was torn down. The floors still have the telltale markings of a gymnasium.

In fact, the space is once again being used for basketball games. The windows have a protective layer of chicken wire to keep basketballs from crashing through.

All of the light fixtures were protected by these fabulous, original metal cages.

The ceiling was unbelievably gorgeous.

Here's the handmade basketball hoop at one end of the building. The stage was on the opposite end.

Kicky and EZ E hung out on the chairs and talked about how they should've worn cowboy boots.

I was really surprised by how many people came to dance. At one point I counted 58 people, which seemed like a lot for a Saturday night in a rural little town. I loved watching the windows steam up while people danced and laughed.

The variety of boots made me feel like we were in Texas! Check out those fancy red boots...

It was hard to take photos because everyone was moving so fast.

This is the outside of the Berkshire Community Center. I was so impressed by their commitment to save this building and keep a place for members of their community to be together. I know it sounds cynical, but sometimes I feel like authenticity isn't easy to come by- it can be astonishingly refreshing, particularly when you're least expecting it. Singing along to the band playing Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline songs and watching a genuinely enthusiastic audience spin and laugh and whisper and try...it was lovely.

Spring...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Our snowbells have arrived. Thank goodness because I am SO ready for Spring. I just want to be outside digging in the dirt. You?

Big event...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:02:00 +0000

I'm helping to organize an event at work and would love for YOU to participate! Feel free to spread the news and let me know if you have any questions. Here's the scoop...

Tioga County Council on the Arts is thrilled to announce a new collaborative art event called artfully SQUARED. Artfully SQUARED is open to creatives of all ages and skill levels. Here's how it works: use ANY medium to make a piece that measures 7" square, donate your artwork to Tioga County Council on the Arts (TCCA), and then come see the exhibition and buy original artwork for your walls! All artworks will be exhibited in TCCA's ArtSpace Gallery during the entire month of April and each piece will be available to purchase for $20. In addition to our regular weekly gallery hours, TCCA will be open 10 am - 5 pm on Saturdays for the whole month of April. There is no fee to enter and all proceeds will benefit the programs at Tioga County Council on the Arts . Submissions have already started coming in- we'll be sharing them here soon. Click here for an entry form. We can't wait to see what YOU make!

Positive change...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:32:00 +0000

Time has been just spinning by over the past few months. I'm still trying to adjust to a full-time work schedule and, as I'm sure you've noticed, haven't quite figured out how to fit everything in. After five years of posting every single weekday, I'm entering my sixth year of blogging rather quietly and that feels a bit odd. I do miss this space, but precious time with Kicky, EZ E, and PRH trumps blogging (as it should). As director of Tioga County Council on the Arts, I've also been meeting a lot of interesting people and have started to feel more like part of a community offline. We're planning a lot of exciting projects, including a big art event in April (more on that soon) and a new Arts Council website. It feels like I'm participating in something that will make a difference. This quote from Katrina Rodabaugh is hanging above my desk at work:

"I believe that creative collaboration leads to vibrancy that ultimately creates positive social change."

I couldn't agree more and have been working hard to facilitate that idea. It's been really fabulous! I hope you're all doing well, too.

Btw, I may be quiet in this space, but I do have a few personal projects kicking around here and here. xo, Abbey

Open House POSTPONED...

noreply@blogger.com (Aesthetic Outburst...) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:04:00 +0000

Thanks a lot, snow.