A look back at my beginnings

Today I thought about taking a second to look how far I've come in such a short amount of time. I got my studio last April of 2009 and I had the front section, Bob was right behind me and a woman named Robynn was in the back. This was how it remained until December 2009. That was when I expanded, Bob moved into the back and I made Hip Chick's a proper store. While I patiently waited to get my space ready I sold some treasure at Colorz Hair salon's Christmas Boutique in Walnut Creek. The month of December was busy with painting the floors, having our own Christmas and gathering merchandise. The Grand Opening was January 16th and now here it is March 12th, and it feels like I've been doing this a lot longer than just 2 months!!! I thought I would show a few pictures of this progression as it's always fun to look at where it was and where it is now. I started my store concept at "Room with a Past" renting a space for about a year before I realized I wanted to make my studio a store/art studio. "Room" gave me valuable experience as I got to merchandise my space, gather items, price, and feel what it would be like to have a store without the pressure of a large space. From Room I had accumulated a good stash of merchandise and I started with that, and then I kept adding to get enough to fill both sections of the studio. Now it's packed and I have a humble corner to store my painting supplies and necessities. I am thrilled at the progress I've managed so far, currently I am working on painting a series for open studios which is May 1st and 2nd and a HUGE once a year event for the arsenal. It's free, it's fun and if you're able to come I highly encourage it. All the artists open their doors and present their studios and you can see where they 'live', what art is made and meet these creative, wonderful people. Last year I had just come on the scene and I was tickled to meet as many of the artists as I could. This year I'll be in my store, hopefully selling my own art, selling fun treasures and showcasing my sweet haven. A lot can happen in a year that's for sure!!! Thanks to all who have been along for the ride and who continue to support and inspire me with their love and enthusiasm. It's my dream come true. Wonder where this next year will take me?????

Scrap and Happy Birthday to Sharon!!

Today we celebrated Sharon's birthday which is really March 15th. We had cake and a small present(more to follow) and dashed to "Scrap" in the city. SCRAP is a creative reuse center, store and workshop space founded in 1976 in San Francisco, California. Donations of high quality, low cost, re-usable materials such as textiles, paper, jewelry findings, wood, buttons and plastics are collected from businesses, institutions and individuals then sorted, displayed and distributed by SCRAP for artists, educational and community groups. Free materials and art activities are provided through our community outreach service.

By breathing new life into old objects, SCRAP reduces the amount of waste going to crowded landfills. By offering low cost art and re-use workshops and providing schools and organizations with badly needed art supplies, SCRAP stimulates creativity and environmental awareness. Nourished by so many wonderful SCRAP treasures, Children and adults learn how to "REDUCE, RE-USE AND RECYCLE."

Manufacturers save money on their disposal costs and receive tax benefits. Artists, museums, senior groups, summer camps, children's centers and theater groups transform SCRAP materials into sculptures, paintings, and other masterpieces. Anyone can contribute by purchasing or donating high quality, clean, reusable materials that might otherwise be thrown away.

So that tells you about it and the pictures show you what it's like, there is random stuff and one has to dig but we girls have NO problem with that. Ended up getting a nice pile of stuff and two doors to boot!! We both want to make them into tables and they are chipped, old and charming. Then we drove by the ship where Harry works, he's a "Captain" of the TS Golden Bear. The TS Golden Bear is the training ship of the California Maritime Academy (CMA), a campus of the California State University. The first training ship of the California Maritime Academy was known as the Training Ship California State, then as the T.S. Golden State. Since then, there have been three ships to bear the name T.S. Golden Bear. I wanted to see inside but we didn't have time today so I took a sweet family photo and then dashed to pick up Abby from school. Once home Abby and I rearranged my bedroom (naturally) as Ben had painted it a soothing palegray/lavendar and it needed some decorating. Shazam it's fabulous!! Didn't have time for pictures...Plus it's not picture perfect, yet! Another splattery, artistic, action packed fantastic day!!! Off to "work" tomorrow......

Sunny Sunday in Napa

What a gorgeous day to go to Napa, the weather was perfect! Abby and I were in Napa today to cheer Ben at the finish and he made it in 3hours 30 mins, super runner that he is. Not one to make a fuss he skipped the massage (Not me I can tell you) and we went to St. Helena to grab a well deserved meal. We ate at Cindy's backstreet kitchen and Ben had a duck burger and we toasted his accomplishment. He drove home and good thing as he was then called to work poor thing, whilst Abby and I did some sight seeing. Got a few trinket's at Lolo's consignment and then I took Abby to the castle where Jake was last week on the bachelor. It's gorgeous and it was fun to see the chickens and sheep cruising about the grounds. We saw a flea market that caught our eye (it never escapes mine!) and we decided to see if we could still grab a bargain before the day was over. It was still open, and a bit of a disappointment but we managed to find a couple goodies before heading home in bumper to bumper traffic. I think everyone was out on their Sunday drive today!! I was excited to see two rambling trucks as I'm in my truck phase, perhaps they will make it to the canvas sometime soon. All in all a killer day and topped off with the Academy Awards show, my favorite!