Today was kind of a milestone for me. 

I quietly closed my shop.

yes,  just .like .that. 

I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because it's unfinished business really.
I just need a break.
i've been thinking about this for a long time,  and today just seemed like a good day to take a leap, and move forward,
sometimes, you just gotta do it.
  Needless to say,  2011 was a tough year.
I know it was for many people.
for me,  it was both good and bad.
I dealt with a separation,  leaving my home and comfort zone to moving to an apartment downtown.
broken bones,  and staples to the head with my skateboarding son, along with a ton of teen age angst and rebellion,  Student council leader and straight A student with my daughter.  yes,  two radically different children that  I think are both growing into some amazing people.
I had tons of fun with friends,  partying and socializing,  meeting new people.
and dealt with tremendous sadness at the loss of some of my friend's parents.
I created a lot of Art work, did commissions and made it into several books and magazines,  landing on the cover of a book, AND a national magazine…I started teaching classes, focusing on what really makes me happy.
 I worked hard and played hard digging deep to try and see what I want out of this life.
it's exhausting honestly,  In fact I created a little Flickr photo album of some of the images of things I did in the past year.   you can check it out here if you'd like.
what.  a.  blur.
they say what doesn't break you will only make you stronger,  well I can say that is for darn sure.
  So it was with mixed emotion that I closed my business today,  while yes,  there is a certain melancholy to it,  there is also a strong feeling of relief and excitement to start something fresh,  something new.
  The New year always seems to be all about that,  Fresh starts and resolutions.  I've never been one for resolutions,  they always seem like something to fail at even though they start out with good intentions.
So I am approaching this as a new beginning,  a new adventure.
I am re-inventing Red Shoes into something that is more ME.
what I was meant to do from the start.
Honestly it was always about the Art,  but for some reason I feel like I wandered far away from it trying to make other people happy.
well,  I've finally snapped out of it and gained some sort of murky clarity.
So in the next month or two I am going to take some time,  to further cement my vision into something new for Red Shoes.
I will be going back to my roots, making more of my own work, and gathering up other artists and vintage goods to sell at my shop when I re-open it sometime in february,
so don't be sad,  I won't be gone forever,
I'm just taking a little much need break,
this is a good thing.
 stay tuned…..this is
to be continued………….
XOXOXO

 This time of year always reminds us to be thankful.  Fall always has that kind of thoughtful quality to it.  well at least for me it does.
 I have a great many things to be thankful for in this world,  I owe a part of that thanks to all of you who come here and offer your kind words and support.
It makes me feel so nice and comforted.  I thank you tremendously for that.
   So in a small way I would like to give something back to you,  to say thank you for all you do.  a little something I stumbled upon today while messing around in my studio in full-on A.D.D. mode.
    Needless to say,  I have about 500 projects on deck,  or swirling around in my mind

look at these for example....

a variety of projects stopped and started......waiting to be finished.....eventually.

so I need a new project like a need a hole in the head.....

but todays discovery was a good one,  because it's simple,  quick and easy,  and for someone who NEVER creates anything simple fast and easy,  this was a freaking break through! 

now I want to share it with you! 

  So today while I was cutting up some of my recycled sweaters,  a light bulb went off in my head.

Sweater sleeves make GREAT Christmas Stockings!

now maybe this has already been done before,  I have no clue,  because I live under a rock and don't know these things,   but it is new to me!  whoo-hoo!

So here is my little tutorial for you on how to make a simple christmas stocking out of a sweater sleeve.  because yes,  the HOlidays are fast approaching us,  and it's good to think and make ahead.  plus,  this is a very economical project to do,  and that is always a good thing, especially now that the government is taking all of our money,  ahem.

SO!

Start with a sweater you find at a thrift shop,  or in your closet,  you know,  the one that accidently got tossed in the washer and is now small enough for your cat to wear.

make sure that it's a wool sweater,  those are the best kinds.

I also look for very fun patterns.

the top of the sleeve has a natural diagonal cut to it which is great!

Cut on the seam like shown.

turn the sweater inside out and stitch up the opening in the shape of a foot kind of simply following the curve.

(note,  that was drawn on, for effect... I stitched it closed with a sewing machine)

it should look like this when you turn it right side out.

next make a loop out of a scrap piece of sweater

pin the strip and sew up the edges

it will look like this.

next attach the loop to the top edge of the stocking.  I folded over the sleeve and pinned the loop to the inside of the seamed edge

sew a box shaped pattern to secure

attach a big ole button to cover your loop stitch area.

you could stop here,  and you would be done,  but if you're me,  you will want to add embellishments.  maybe a little flower,  or more buttons to the edge,  or felt balls,  whatever,  have fun!

you will finally end up with a sweet little stocking that was made in a ridiculously short amount of time,  maybe even just 15 minutes,  yes,  I just said that.

crazy fast!  and cute too!

hope you like my little thank you gift ,

just my small way of saying thanks for being so kind to me. 

XOXOXOXO

 Transitions are hard......As with everything in life,  They takes time.  Sometimes it feels like an eternity till things change over,  or that you can't do them fast enough.....but all things happen in their due time I suppose.

    I have been working a ton lately,   so I decided to take the weekend off,  packed up my Art supplies, and hit the open road heading North Solo to my friend Kamala's resort,  Wandawood.  That place gives me such peace,  surrounded my Michigan's natural beauty. 

4 white-knuckled hours later,  I arrived and imediately got down to business......

  when I say I am taking the weekend off,  this does not really mean that I am sitting still.....you know I can never really do that.

My friend is going through some changes too with her mom and has taken over running the resort for her.    This is a large endeavor with 2 kids in college,  another child in middle school,  and 15 cottages to maintain.   So I decided to help her re-vamp some of the cottages to make them even more charming than they already are.

   We spent the whole weekend sewing,  laughing,  and painting.  it was a ball.

painting with a lake as a backdrop is a beautiful thing......this is not my idea of work.

  We spent the first day taking notes and figuring out our plan.

I love how we were able to quickly tranform some of these cottages into amazing spaces with just simple little touches such as changing out a futon cover,  adding pillows,  or a colorful rug,  and an original piece of Art.  So Fun!

here is the 'before' photo of the cottage with a plain checkered futon cover,  drab rug, and basically plain decor.....click on pics to see them larger.

here is the 'after' photo where we literally made this place look like an Artful retreat with just a few small additions.

the futon really pops against that red floor with the black cover,  and the bold graphic pillows accented with that bright green rug. note the bright pillows in the background on the red coverlet.

I also made simple panels to cover the shelves in the kitchen with this cool fabric we found that ties in with the French chalkboard hanging above,  making it all seem cohesive.

adding one of my folk art fish above the retro mustard colored stove that still rocks in this kitchen!

I love how those panels look from the living room,  this is honestly my most favorite cabin now,  I will be staying here next summer,  that is for sure.  :)

  I made 8 folk art fish in all, adding a few of them to different places, a row of them ended up in another cabin on top of a beautiful window over looking the lake along with blue and green striped pillows.   we were really happy with how this one turned out as well.

again,  simple touches.....

in fact,  if you would like to learn how to make one of my simple little folk art fish,  you can sign up online here,  I am offering a class this saturday,  and one the following week as well,  so fun!  (and Easy!)

besides making fish,  and pillows,  I also made her a sign....

and we spray painted some chairs to go with the brown and turquoise theme of another cottage.

honestly,  we got a TON done in a short amount of time,  I only had a few photos of these two cottages,  but we transformed more than 6 or 8 of them.  seriously!

 In fact,  I did some of my own transforming at the shop before I left....painting the hallway a bright poppy colored red....folks, yes, I am on a ROLL.

 In fact,  I've been going through a lot of personal changes myself, so it's no wonder the shop is as well.   So this week now that I am back home,  and back to reality ...Life is ALL about Changes and Transitions.

 I am not the best at making decisions, sometimes it takes years for me to 'get it'

for things to sink in,  othertimes I can make snap decisions and be quite impulsive. But this one finally just seems right.

  Ultimately my shop has always been about the Art. It's what got me started in the first place years ago, got me some attention,  and beside my family,  is truly my first love.  all of the other stuff is secondary.  But,  being the people pleaser that I naturally am,  I spent a great deal of time, energy,  and money trying to sustain the retail portion of it to please my customers. 

I have decided to no longer do that. 

   I can't tell you how many times I have had customers come into my shop ONCE a year and ask me why I don't have a particular hand lotion in stock.....or have people tell me they "love this shop at Christmastime!"   or the people that come in once during Art fair each year for my sale items that are marked far below 75% off and try to get me to come down more on my price, telling me they are "really good customers" while in the same breath make comments about how my shop has really downsized and doesn't look as 'full'.    There are also the customers who are unhappy that I don't have more handmade pillows in stock so they can come in a use their groupons to buy something at half price that took me hours and sometimes days to complete. 

I wonder if they ever think about these things they say.

  Well,  after 7 years,  and a flagging economy,  a person can only take so much.  

A shop cannot survive on customers that come in once a year.  and only during Christmas or sale time.

  While I don't want this to seem like a gripe session,  because honestly,  the good FAR OUTWEIGHS the bad, I felt the need to spill this......to give you a little view from my perspective.   when you put your heart and soul into something, these things can eat away at you over time. 

That is if you let them.

 I have made many long lasting friendships,  and built a customer base of people that are genuinely wonderful.  customers that I love dearly and would bend over backwords for.  It's for these people that I have kept my doors open as long as I have.  I have a serious feeling of commitment to you people,  I would never want to disappoint you.      I'm told all the time how I 'can never close,  because Ann Arbor would lose a Treasure'.   So it's for these people, you people,  that I continue to carry on.

  BUT,  I am changing it up a bit to take care of myself as well.

I am not your normal type of retail establishment.   My family and my friends come first.  and when I say that,  I consider a lot of you that have been here with me from the beginning my friends.   you mean a lot to me.

Just know I am one woman running this place,  handling emails,  cleaning, painting,  waiting on customers, and creating.    I have decided to focus soley on my Art work, and teaching  classes.  it's what people seem to want,  and what makes me the happiest.

yes,  this took me years to figure out.

You can buy a lotion or a book anywhere,  but you can't buy an original painting,  or a Pillow made out of a recycled sweater many places,  so it's that what makes me unique that will be my primary focus.

  So as I transition the shop to more handmade goods, 

vintage goods,

and a dedicated class room where I will share my skills, 

(in fact there are some classes online to sign up for here :)

 

I hope you will be a little patient with me,  I am going as fast as I can.....

I have a head full of ideas....sewing, Painting and crafting into the wee hours to fill my shelves up with things that I enjoy producing,  That I hope you will enjoy owning,  because they have been made with true love,  heart, and two hands.   you really can't say that about something massed produced in China as far as I am concerned and in the end, that is what is truly important to me.

XOXOXO

 

 

  You asked,  and I am delivering......loads of pictures of my new space. CLick on the images to see them larger if you'd like.  I do apologize in advance,  there are a ton of them.

  It's a tiny little place right in the heart of downtown.  I honestly love it here.  it's radically different than any place I've ever lived before.  The noises,  the sites,  and sounds. Plenty to adjust to,  but then again,  I have a ton of things I am adjusting to in this new life of mine.  So without further dialog,  here is my new space,  a tiny little place I now call home.

come in won't you......it's nice and sunny in here....

my dogs will greet you.....they like to look out the back windows and see who's here....

My bird likes it here too....she can chirp all day long on the back porch,  chiming in with the rest of the neighborhood bird-gang ....

My front window looks right out onto the main drag of the downtown street....

 
interesting what you will see down here at night when sitting out on the front porch....I've had all sorts of fun meeting new people......

women playing guitars while strolling down the street,  visual artists and their manmade creations to name a few......

inside tho,  it's a nice quiet little space,  and I can tune it all out if I choose....

filled with sunshine.....

a little kitchen,  and space to keep my treasures.....

I have ridiculous amounts of stuff...... In fact,  I may be a borderline hoarder.....but this place since it's so small limits me,  I have to corral myself and work within a small space.

being creative with how I store things.....

Vintage ladders make great towel racks!

especially when you have a micro-sized bathroom.

the good thing about this place is that it has lots of windows and light so it makes it feel less cramped....

even tho the houses are crammed up really close.

however, despite the proximity it really glows inside....

the dogs even think it's comfy, 

keeping me company while I work,  or create....

in fact, they are actually pretty relaxed down here despite the crazy sounds at night.....drunks, car horns,  sirens.......trains.....

oh the train.....  it likes to come by around 3 am,  and several other times of the day as well.  surprisingly I'm getting used to it,  and now sleep thru that loud honking.  oye.