It's beginning to look alot like...

Happy Monday all! I hope you all had a great weekend and that this week starts out on the right foot...I love Mondays for that reason; you feel like it is a clean slate each week.

We had a busy weekend here with my eldest home for a few days and ending with a trip to Ikea...not bad at all.

I am feeling festive today. I love Christmas and it is that time of year isn't it. For me I have had Christmas on the brain since August, that is when I have to start getting my ducks in a row for the gallery. I have been doing a small facebook ad campaign for the last 5 weeks or so providing a gift idea a week for the 12 weeks leading up to the big day...some people are hating on me for that but what can I do? Did you know there are now only 6 Saturdays until Christmas? If you want to follow along, 'like' Silver Bridge Gallery on Facebook and if you see something that is of interest, let me know we can always ship.

So today is the day we start decorating the gallery...yay! I would love to do it earlier, but out of respect for our veterans we like to wait until after Remembrance Day. I am excited, but it is always a bit of pressure to fit in with all the great window displays on the street. Regardless, decorating for Christmas is fun and I am happy to start my week off in just this way.

To add to the Christmas spirit today, Chantelle at fat mum slim introduced me to the Gifted 2011 online magazine produced by Creature Comforts



via Creature Comforts

A great publication with some great ideas...check out last years while you are at it.  It is wonderful as well, with some great little DIY ideas. 

If you really want to get into the spirit, check out Jen at Rambling Renovators' blog today all about Christmas Street at the Bay. Enough to make you want to sing carols...

Happy Monday...ho ho ho :c)

Here I go again...

Warning...long post 1 picture...proceed at your discretion ;)

As defined by Merriam-Webster :

Definition of ARTIST

1 a obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts b archaic : physician c archaic : artisan 1

2 a : one who professes and practices an imaginative art b : a person skilled in one of the fine arts

3 : a skilled performer; especially : artiste

4 : one who is adept at something <con artist> <strikeout artist>

Definition of ARTISAN

1: a worker who practices a trade or handicraft : craftsperson

2: one that produces something (as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods

Okay now that the formal stuff is out of the way I'll explain...I just...and I mean just read Emma's post over at the marion house book. This post is part of her 52 objects series. In it she refers to an article she read in the New York Times regarding authenticity...read it here if you want to know what put a bee in my bonnet today.

First of all thank you the Emma for sharing the link to the article. Without her I don't think I would have come across it, and it is so very important to what I do. If you have never read Emma's blog you should, it is one of my go to's for great design inspiration and a great read.

Alrighty then...

The first question that comes to mind when reading the article is; if an artisan is mass producing (and not by his own hand) for the likes of Restoration Hardware et al, is his product artisan made anymore? I don't think so. Now don't get me wrong, great for him or her if they have made the leap into mainstream, it is great, really, it will offer them a form of financial security that few artists or artisans ever reach. However for big box retailers to sell these items as artisan made (if they are indeed doing this) is a bit misleading in my opinion. Artisan designed perhaps, or artisan inspired but not artisan made. It is important for the consumer to know the difference. Only then can they make an informed purchase.  Worse than mass producing an artisan piece is to mass produce it in China which CB2 is doing...how is that helping the economy, not to mention the environment...but that is for another day.

Often times I will have artists come into the gallery and say 'tell me what sells and I will make/paint it' I always tell them that is not the way it works. Art and handmade goods have an element of passion to them that is evident to those who appreciate art. You cannot paint birds because they sell unless you have a passion for birds, or an emotional need to paint them. A painting with no soul will not easily sell while one that jumps from the canvas with it's emotion very apparent will walk out the door. And so it is that art is subjective.

The article asks, "have we finally reached a saturation point, where the “authentic” loses its eternal quality and becomes just another fad?" as retailers like West Elm, Pottery Barn and CB2 jump on the band wagon. It is a valid question, but I ask are they selling handmade or are they selling something that appears handmade? I would suggest it is the latter. While we're here, let's define authentic (again as defined by Merriam-Webster);

Definition of AUTHENTIC

1 obsolete : authoritative

2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society>

b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse>

c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare>

Note that original and authentic are not the same thing. Authentic implies reproduction, not original. I think it is fair to say that these two terms are oft used in the wrong way.

An artist or artisan that is reproducing, or allowing the reproduction of their work has in my opinion crossed over to the other side. That is not to imply that the other side is the dark side, or the wrong side, but I believe they are now on the corporate side of the fence as opposed to the handmade side.

Some of the individuals interviewed for this article seem to feel that their one of a kind or handmade items have lost some of their place at the hands of mass produced 'artisanal' objects ; as Casey Barber says in the article “If you spend enough time looking at this stuff” — objects that are vintage, handmade or that just appropriate those looks — “you get overloaded pretty quickly,”

Ms. Barbers feelings are worrisome for me and the the artists/artisans I represent. Big box retailers already have the upper hand where pricing is concerned, if they begin to mass produce 'handmade' (ish) items at a fraction of the cost, where does that leave me, my business and my artsists?

Supporting local businesses and buying handmade is a proactive way to 'occupy' Wall Street. By spending money in my store (or one like it) your hard earned dollars filter to me, the artists and out to my community and theirs. I just said this afternoon to one of my artists that every dollar spent here means another dollar I can use to buy local or buy handmade. He (Michael Scott) made a great analogy that buying local or handmade means the money is flowing out, not up...I thought that was an incredible observation and so easy to visualize.



Red Sky by Michael Scott

We can't buy everything local, or handmade, but where we can we should and the difference will be palpable.

It is important that I note that even I have a few mass produced items in the gallery...much to my chagrin...but I am always honest and up front about what is handmade and what is not...that way you, the buyer, can make the decision.

Thanks again to Emma at the marion house book for her post and to Michael and his brother for listening to me ramble this afternoon when all they really did was come in to drop off new paintings...which are fabulous by the way!

Happy Thursday all!

A change is better than a rest...

For all of my followers  (yes all 8 of you ;) you might have noticed my blog change a couple of times in the last few days...or maybe you didn't.  I thought I would check out blogger's new dynamic templates, not realizing that I would not be able to get back to where I started if I didn't like them. I didn't like them...

So I played with the standard templates trying to come up with what I had originally but no luck there. I settled on something only to view my own blog the other day and realize that everything was amiss. Anyhoo here we are now with something that I think works. (let me know if I am wrong)

I am still new to this blogging thing and must come clean, there is much I still do not understand like RSS feeds, and how to customize the blog layout beyond what blogger gives you, and is the whole AdSense thing worth it...to name but a few. What I do know however is that the blogging community are a good bunch of people and it is a joy to be a part of it.

source

Everything else I will figure out in time. In the meantime if any of you have any tips to share on successful blogging I'm all ears...well eyes really but you know what i mean ;)

Happy Tuesday all!

Conflicted...

Happy Monday everyone...hope you all had a wonderful weekend...I did.

I'll start by saying the slipcovers did not happen. I had such good intentions but Saturday just slipped gloriously away from me as the girls and I meandered through the day...we even took a nap together...it was splendid! Sunday saw more pressing matters that needed to be dealt with like cleaning gutters and putting up Christmas lights before it gets too cold. I waited until the end of November last year and froze my finger tips off (not literally in case you were worried). It too was a wonderful day with lots accomplished.

So what does all this have to do with the title of this post...well nothing...just updating you so I can move on to the real reason for this post.

Why are you conflicted? I'll just say it...I hate exercise. I really do. I hate that I have to drag myself out of bed before the sun and the wee ones rise so I can fit in 30 mins of cardio...I hate that I spend that 30 min watching the clock. I hate sweating. No conflict here right? Well here is the conflict; I love how I feel after I have exercised. I love the feeling of accomplishment. I love the surge of energy I get about an hour after I workout that makes me feel like it's gonna be a good day. I love the feeling of absolute exhaustion that tells me I gave it my all. Above all else I love what it does for my body.


before and during



So it is that each day I wake with a heavy foreboding feeling, I drag my a$$ out if bed shlup downstairs praying that neither girl wakes up at the creak of the stairs...I put in my time and hate it while I do, but then the reward of accomplishment comes and I feel for a brief moment that maybe I don't hate exercise all that much.

Happy Monday...here's to a successful week!



Happy Weekend...

Well week one comes to a close and it has been a successful one on the whole. Down 4 pounds in total which proves that my body was ready to get a move on again. (if you are wondering what week one is all about check out this post)

It is also week one with my parents gone. For those who do not know, my parents live in an apartment in our basement and my mom is my daycare provider. They have gone on a month long RV trip through the States with friends...that means no daycare for us...so far I have only had to take the girls to the gallery with me once, other than that my husband and I have been able to spell each other off (he has been able to take some time out of his other job), and we have a friend helping us out on Saturdays. That means I get the first whole weekend away from the gallery in almost two years...I'm kinda excited.

A whole weekend away from work means I can turn my attention to some long forgotten projects around the house. I might...and I stress might...attempt slipcovers for my two armchairs in the living room.

These chairs have seen better days...sort of. They have been in my family since I was a young girl. When my parents first aquired them they were orange vinyl...then they were re-upholstered in the fabric you see here. 

Almost a year ago I bought this fabric...  

and I have been working up the courage to use it on these chairs. I think I have decided that I will try slipcovering them myself. I only paid $4/mtr for the fabric so it seems silly to spend over $300 per chair to re-upholster them especially since I am afraid I won't love the pattern for the long haul...so I figure what the heck...I'll try my hand at slipcovering...If I attempt it this weekend, I will be sure to let you in on the outcome...good or bad. In advance of that if anyone has a good slipcover tutorial or has tried it themselves and can share some tips...I'm all ears.

Apart from that I am looking forward to a nice weekend with my girls and not thinking too much about the gallery.

Hope you enjoy your weekend whatever it has in store for you!

Happy Friday!

Halloween wrap up...

I am not a huge fan of Halloween...I never trick or treated when I was a kid, my parents preferred instead to take my brother and I out for dinner and then to the mall where we could pick out something special.

As a mom I find it a bit stressful. Coming up with costume ideas and then feeling the need to make the costumes myself. Having said that, when the costume is done it is a great sense of accomplishment, but it is just one more thing on the ever growing 'to do' list.

This year we opted for easy...still home made, but easy. The girls went as black cats...a far cry from the original purple sponge that Izzy wanted to be and a whole lot easier. I simply made cat ears and a tail that I sewed onto a black shirt, painted the tip of the tail white, painted on the nose and whiskers, and Bob's your uncle, we had kittens!

They had fun, my husband had fun,and I handed out candy. All in all it isn't so bad. Izzy has already informed us she wants to be a puppy next year...we'll see if that one sticks.

I did partake in a few candies despite it being day one (see post here) however day two has me down 1.5 pounds...so it proves that drinking water and exercise makes all the difference in the world...and it proves it is exactly what my body has been waiting for...hence it's quick response. That result won't be everyday, but it is a good start. And as for the candy...well we threw all our leftovers out and only kept two small buckets for the girls...I can steer clear of that.

I hope every one had a great Halloween.

Happy Tuesday!

Standing on a line...

I am addicted to sugar...some may laugh but it is truly an addiction, and like an addict, I cannot allow myself any sugar or it sets me down a very slippery slope,of desire and craving that eventually gets the better of me.

For those who do not know I am amid a journey to a healthy weight and lifestyle. It began last February after I thought I was having a heart attack and spent the day in hospital. As I sat there wondering what was happening to my body I could not stop thinking about the fact that I have two young daughters...and a daughter who is just at the beginning of her adult life...not to mention my loving husband sitting next to me. What had I done...how did get this far? I was not having a heart attack, but a prolonged anxiety attack they figure. Regardless something had to give.

Long story short I started this journey I am on and have lost 40lbs along the way this far. Except I have slipped...fallen off the wagon as it were over the last couple of months. It happens slowly at first with a small treat here or there and then the old patterns take hold and you fall into the 'but I've been so good' trap or the 'whats one more' trap. Then you get to the 'oh who cares anymore' phase. Truth is I care. And so it is that today marks day one...again. The new goal is to lose another 40lbs. I have not put a timeline on it, but have challenged myself to workout at least 30minutes once every day for the next 30days.

via pinterest

So here I stand...on the line but I am not giving up! This morning was 30 minutes of cardio and weight training...feels good really. So day one is off to a good start.

Happy Monday all! And Happy Halloween!