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Wish I was at Grove Park!
Well it is that time of the year – all the excitement associated with the grand Grove Park Conference. It has been a while since I was able to attend and I have to admit, I do miss it. I continue to run Trimbelle River Studio, but have turned the old office building I own in Ellsworth into a new little storefront that offers a combination of fun, unique items in addition to my line of items representing the vintage world of stenciling from the Arts & Crafts Movement. The new storefront is called Trimbelle River Trading and I will post more on it shortly… So to all my vendor…
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Grove Park Inn, here I come!
I am delighted to announce that I get to once again be part of the glorious Grove Park Inn Conference coming up Feb. 19-21, 2016. If you are not familiar with this event, and you are a lover of all things Craftsman, Prairie Style, Mission or simply – the Arts and Crafts Movement, you need to go to this website – http://www.arts-craftsconference.com/ and check it out. It is the 29th year this conference has been held and it still holds the crown for events related to the Arts & Crafts period. This year I will be conducting two hands-on workshops and will set up a display in the Great Hall featuring stenciling from the Arts &…
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Marvelous Monarchs
What started out as a simple hobby escalated into a wonderful adventure and opened all sorts of new doors for Amy Miller, founder of Trimbelle River Studio. Since 2012, she has raised and released over 2000 monarch butterflies on her 27 acres near Ellsworth, Wisconsin. From May through September, she spends time educating others about the monarch plight at numerous events held at garden centers, schools, libraries, parks and assorted businesses across the area. While interviewing with Mary Ellen Polson for an article on decorated walls for the Winter 2015 issue of Arts & Crafts Homes magazine, they started talking about the butterflies. This discussion ended as a full page write up on Amy and her…
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Alice’s Wonderland – A Stenciled Looking Glass
I had the privilege of working with some very nice clients and among other things, they took some photos of me working. I usually forget about this aspect of the job, but when I got the photos, it seemed the perfect way to share this unique job with you. Stenciling a mirror frame can be a bit of a challenge, making all the pieces fit together and come out right. Using the right design and a few layout tricks can make it easier. Notice the little pieces of blue masking tape all over the mirror frame. By using the registration marks (little triangles cut into the corners of the stencil plate…
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When to say “Yes”
Ahhhh… the other side of the coin. (last blog – When to say “No”) So, what do you say “yes” to? I have already let slip my little secret, I do not have a problem saying yes, it is so easy for me! I say yes to everything – sure I can do that, no problem, never mind that there are not enough hours in the day to complete everything on my list, sure I can squeeze in just one more thing… and so I have been working on it, this learning to say “no” thing. Almost to a fault. Recently I had this opportunity fall into my lap. At…
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When to say “No”
Who or what do you say “No” to? The begging dog, the butter licking cat – these are the easy ones. Are you a stoic Norwegian, like my ancestors, who found it easy to deny themselves? Been married forever, so the poor spouse suffers? Or are you like me, who has trouble saying “No” to just about anyone or thing? Oh I have gotten better. Age and my body have finally kicked me around a bit, forcing me to realize that, as much as I sometimes believe I am superhuman and capable of just about anything, there is a point of meltdown, kind of like a stencil goddess Chernobyl. Now,…
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A Fresh Start…
The beginning of a New Year is always so invigorating, especially when the wind is whipping frosty snow crystals up your nostrils like today. Everything seems fresh and full of possibilities, untainted by life’s disappointments. It’s a time to feel bold, adventurous, invincible. A time to not be afraid to try something new and have a little fun. A time to let go of the past and anticipate the future. I happen to be a perfectionist. It is something I battle all the time. I get so hung up with things having to be just right that I can take forever to accomplish something. Not everything mind you, I seem to be…
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Ta-Da
The new site is almost ready to launch. I cannot truly express what an accomplishment this is for me. After two years of being tossed about like a beanbag, I surprisingly grew a bit of new anatomy and decided to take on this challenge by myself. This baby is all mine and for someone who prefers to play with art rather than technical web crap, I am quite pleased. Dumbfounded by the amount of time it has taken to assemble all these pages, photoshop and crop images and link this and that, I opted to finally launch my brainchild, albeit a bit premature, and watch it grow into something even…
