This was such a big deal for me,
to be juried into this Artist's Tour with real Fine Artists.
My husband and I worked our butts off all summer long getting our property
and the little studio ready for the big day.
My husband woodburned the most wonderful sign (above)
from a piece of wood I found in the surrounding forest,
for the arbor (below) he built for me.
For the show we had to put sticks across it because we were scared someone might fall.
The stairs I put in are a bit too steep.
Whoops!
We pulled out the antique table and chairs from the studio to use as a refreshment area.
My husband put together an antique spinning wheel (above)
from the 1840's that was gifted to me recently.
It came in many pieces,
and Jim had to build back a broken section so that I was actually able to spin on it for the tour.
I put out a lot of seasonal fall colors and accents for a bit of country charm.
And above you can see the picnic table and chairs Jim built for the show.
The weather was perfect,
mid 80's.
All the walk ways and stairs I put in kept everyone's shoes clean before they entered the studio...
so that no one tracked in any dirt on my new oriental carpet (below).
When we bought this property two years ago,
it was all dirt and weeds.
So it's come a long way quickly.
We built the studio 2 summers ago,
then landscaped around it.
On display and sale were hundreds of pieces I've made as demos for my art students from the last 36 years of teaching art at Whitney High in Cerritos,
along with antiques I've found at garage and estate sales that Jim has refurbished.
Also on display (but not for sale)
were many of my favorite art pieces that I teach with as great examples
made by my art friends and mentors,
as well as pro artists from around the globe.
I even had some of my daughters hand knit work for sale.
I met so many wonderful people
and made quite a few artful connections.
Many asked if I teach private and group lessons,
so I gave them my card.
I even had one gal ask if she could bring up her girlfriends
and do a tea party with a bit of crafting.
Sure,
what a great idea!
It was truly remarkable how much I was able to fit into this tiny 10' by 12" space.
My son took this pix of me spinning on my very first Ashford wheel
that I bought and put together in the early 1980's.
Even though I own a variety of wheels now,
this one is still my go to wheel when it counts.
I thought there might be some children with parentals,
so I scattered hundreds of beads and charms in the pea gravel walkways.
A scavenger hunt to keep them busy while their parents looked around.
I even had hand spun yarn on needles so they could string necklaces and bracelets,
but sadly no young ones came that day.
So the beads will just have to wait for my grand babies to pick thru.
My son's hand print (below) from June 2000.
ahhhhh
