Heads Up!

Hey ya'll!  Our wedding is fast approaching so I wanted to let everyone know that I will be out of the studio AFTER Sept. 3rd.  If you want to order from my etsy shop after that it will not be processed until September 24th.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding.  Cam and I are soOooo excited! :D

(Photo ©Amy Carroll Photography 2012+)

Inspiration Tuesday

I splurged and bought myself a kitschy little stamp.  I love stamps but never use them.  As an artist I have always felt pressure to use my own artwork for everything.  I love this stamp because every time I use it I think about how important it really is to enjoy today.  What a great, cheerful reminder!

My new studio is starting to spiff up!  The sun was shining, which is unusual for a typical January in West Michigan so I shot a few photos in hopes to cheer you up.  Happy Tuesday!

Mayhem to Management

My pup Mr. Mikey fell asleep like this in the middle of the floor!

Last week got away from me.  Ever have a day to get something done and then all of a sudden people change your entire day's plans all at once?  That is what happened to me and it spiraled out of control from there leaving me exhausted, frustrated and unsure which end was up.  Currently I am really stressed about my upcoming fall season.  I expect it to be busy with almost every weekend booked with a show through November.  Over the weekend I added a seventh location in South Haven, Michigan.  I feel the need to scramble now to make sure I am prepared for the coming months.

Eventually I ended up realizing that half of it comes from the un-organization that is the result of my frenzied week!  And if a picture of my computer screen says anything about how things have gotten away around here, one can only imagine the state of the studio!

So I cleaned things up and then I sat down and began to plan the next few months out.  I pulled up my icalendar and started adding everything into it.  It also allows you to put alarms on events which is great when you need to be reminded in advance for things like appointments and paying bills.  My doctor told me last week that it was time to make a few changes in my life, and that includes enough sleep, exercise and time to myself.  I was also reminded that my house plants need to be watered and my boyfriend needs attention once in a while too.  This means that I need to schedule all of the tasks that need to be done as well as blocks of time for exercise, laundry, grocery shopping, emailing clients, phone calls, the boyfriend, and sometimes even sleeping.  All activities must be written down to ensure that they get tended to--and yes basics like sleep and leisure have to been written in or I'll forget!

This week is already looking pretty busy!

Now that my schedule is more organized, I am feeling much more refreshed and I have calmed down.

Art Lesson #1

On Friday morning, my neighbor girls Maggie and Lucie came over for their first art lesson in our studio.  Maggie, 7 and Lucie, 4 are home schooled by their mother Anna Kate.

Their first lesson needed to be light and fun, an introduction into the limitless world of creativity.  The girls made greeting cards.  They were provided with plenty of supplies including crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue, scrap paper, glitter, cardboard, and fabric scraps.  The fabric scraps seemed to be the favorite along with the glitter.  They were each aloud to use scissors too as I was not holding back when working one on one with them.  They each used them with great control and impressive skill.  

 I pulled samples from my own personal collection of handmade greeting cards, which I keep stocked and ready for sending to friends.  I shared a few and gave them instructions while they snacked on some homemade banana bread.  Without hesitation, the girls jumped right into the project.  They are very good at staying focused.  I think this comes from their home school background, as they do not have many distractions in their daily environment.

Using the glue was good practice especially for Lucie.  Children tend to use too much glue so we were working on controlling the amount needed to stick each piece to the paper.  With a little guidance, Lucie was well on her way to becoming a glue expert at the ripe age of four.  Lucie finished sooner than Maggie and went into the living room to visit my boyfriend Cam who is also an artist.  Cam read Lucie a few books while Maggie continued to work.

When the one hour lesson was finished, the girls proudly held up their greeting cards to show their mom.  They even had a special card made just for her, and one for me too!  The girls left their cards to dry in the sun.  Next week, Cam will be introducing the girls to drawing and using their box of pastels!