Tag: studio

October 1, 2018

Studio time! And an Etsy faux pas?

Studio and guest room — New studio/guest room! Rather, this week it’s a guest room/studio!

The studio is as done as it can be for now which is good because COMPANY ARRIVES TOMORROW! Hence, it will be a guest room starting then rather than a studio. But that’s a good thing. (If I remember to go out tomorrow morning and get some soap and tooth paste.) Not unlike New England – remember, we arrived here just over three years ago from Massachusetts! – this is Albuquerque’s hopping time. No, not for colorful maple leaves and apples, but because it’s Balloon Fiesta time! The party starts Saturday and runs through next weekend.I’ll actually be at the Rail Yards vending on the last day of Fiesta; here’s hoping that some tourists mosey on in and can’t stop themselves from buying some hooked rugs. 🙂 Hey, it can happen. Last year a nice young man from San Francisco did just that very thing.

Hot air balloon in Albuquerque — Albuquerque: the hot air balloon capitol of the United States. Caught this one while I was walking right near my house. The other day I counted 26 up, up, and away!

In the meantime, “Fireworks” was purchased from my Etsy shop. I mention it because 1) I love that rug so it was hard to see it go and 2) I might’ve made a faux pas when I put a pic of the rug up on Instagram and mentioned that it was on its way to its forever home.

Funny story. Etsy tells me the rug is going to a guy in Texas. No problem. We package it up, and my courier, i.e., Tom, takes it to UPS. Off it goes. I put the post up on Instagram. Marketing, I call it. Next thing I know, some woman is responding on Instagram that it must be her rug, that her boyfriend was going to buy it for her, but she told him he should make it a Christmas surprise or one for her December birthday. Huh??? I don’t know her, so I check her profile, and – lo and behold! – she’s from the same Texas city! I tell her that I hope I haven’t ruined the surprise and…that she needs to take a pic of it in its new home. 🙂 Long story longer, the purchaser/boyfriend messages me through Etsy. He’s laughing and confirms the whole thing. So, I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t mention when I sell something??? Nah!

Have a great week all! And if you’re in for some spectacular fall scenery, come on down to Albuquerque and see the balloons!

Tynan dog and hooked rug — Tynan brings you this week’s “What’s on the frame?” The primitive is almost done! Think I need to make some color adjustments, though. Either way, the hooking will be finished tonight. Woohoo! Remember, it’s hooked from recycled t-shirts.

September 26, 2018

Another year, another chance at a studio

Dare I trust that a studio finally awaits me?

So if I haven’t mentioned it, though I can’t imagine that I didn’t, the kid’s moved out of the house again. But this time it seems as if it might be a bit more permanent than last year’s six months. She managed to get herself a job up in Durango – that’s in southwestern Colorado not far over the New Mexican border. About 3½ hours from Albuquerque. Fabulous little town, not even too much snow. I’m rather jealous. Anway, she found an apartment (with deer in the back yard!) and needed minimal parental assistance in securing it. Hurray for her! We’re proud of her.

Tynan just had to get in the pic of the soon-to-be studio/guest suite. Pray that the kid loves Durango.

But this means that once again her room is available for new use. Like…as a rug hooking studio. Okay, not completely dedicated to that, but almost. A twin bed purchased just this week will allow for guest quarters when necessary. I can deal with that.

Again, if you remember last year I’d just ordered the shelving from IKEA when she moved back in. Damn, she arrived before they did. Been in the garage unopened since early last October. Well, they’re opened now! (Thank goodness they were the right color…) They’re even installed, and Tom attached them to the wall just yesterday. (A wall of rug hooking materials falling on someone would be a crappy way to die.) Unfortunately, she says slightly red-faced, everything won’t fit into the room. There aren’t THAT many shelves. Luckily, my kick-ass closet and laundry room are both still available.

Consequently, I’ve been distracted by sed studio and implementing my plan for its best use. Oh, and did I mention that we’re expecting company next week. Just in time for Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque. (If you haven’t been here for that, put it on your bucket list this very minute!)

Tynan presents “what’s on the frame” this week. Does anyone know who designed this rug??? I inherited the pattern. More on that later.

I have managed to hook more on my primitive rug. Tynan models it for you to the right. I’m actually liking it; it being my first primitive rug. Oh, did I mention that I’m hooking it in t-shirt? The plan is to finish it this weekend and start something new right away. Hooking, hooking, hooking. I received confirmation that I’ll be vending again at the Fall Fiber Fiesta November 16-18 at Santa Fe’sScottish Rite Temple. It’s a great event. Will I see you there?

August 16, 2017

Studio construction!

Studio construction ahead!

It looks like it’s finally going to happen. I’m getting a studio. Woohoo! It’s been five months since the child moved out, leaving an empty bedroom. Tom repainted the room last week while I was at my guild’s retreat (what a great husband I have!). So, we should be a go.

The two pics below show what we’re starting with:

Studio construction zone. (That's part of my mobile shop on the right.) — Studio construction zone. That mess on the right is part of my mobile shop.

Studio construction zone. — The soon-to-be studio, otherwise known as a bedroom. Yes, those are t-shirts that were donated to my cause sitting in that laundry basket.

Okay, it’s not a completely empty bedroom. Some of the child’s clothing and her dresser remain here, as her apartment situation is not good for storage. Not a problem. I still have my kick-ass closet.

For those not familiar with my kick-ass closet and laundry room, they’re where I currently store all my fibers (t-shirts, wool, bed sheets, ribbons, etc.) and other rug hooking paraphernalia. I wrote about it here not long after we moved into this house almost two years ago. If you look at those pics, I can tell you that the real estate, while still fabulous, does NOT look like that these days. Between all the hooking I’ve been doing for various sales opportunities and the fact that my RA has been kicking my ass all summer long (thank goodness that my hands don’t take the brunt of it), continued organization has not been taking place. And, frankly, I’ve just got too much stuff. When people hear that you can make art with their old t-shirts, their kids’ and husbands’ old t-shirts, you get gifted a lot. Not that I’m complaining. At all.

Fortunately, we’ve got a room I can use. The closet can take back any overflow. And I can move linens I regularly use to a spot not requiring a stepstool. In the meantime, I need to do some second-hand shopping for furniture and storage units of some kind. A daybed (or a single bed overflowing with comfy pillows) will give me guest room if I need it. I’m really missing the big Ikea shelving units we had in our house in Massachusetts. Of course, Ikea has no presence anywhere in New Mexico. Boo! Now if I can only muster up the energy to head to the many thrift stores here in Albuquerque.

Still working on plenty of hooking, though. Below is the friendship rug I drew up Saturday. Ostensibly, tomorrow I will turn it over to a member of my guild and not see it till sometime next year. Nine of us are participating in the project. We’ll all hook about 64 square inches (8″x8″ or some similar permutation…) of each other’s rugs. The plan is to have a rug for one month and then switch. We’ll see how that goes.

hooked rug pattern — “Wild flowers…for wild women,” reads my friendship rug. (Because we all know how wild hookers can be. Drinking all that tea, listening to all that folk music.) Can’t wait to fill in all that background. Oh, and the letters too, of course.

Last, but not least, I did not forget Tynan or the Boucherouite-esque rug that’s still on the frame. (The friendship rug’s gotten in the way of my hooking.) I’m hoping to finish it by next week.

Dog on hooked rug — I’m loving this “bedsheet Boucherouite” rug. Check out how the orange goes with the other colors. Very fun this one is.

How do you deal with or without a studio? Work strewn all about the house? A hooker’s hide-away (you know, like a man-cave). Share your pics here or on the High on Hooking facebook page.