Blessing the Beadio - 13 months later

After the blessing - before the incense burnt a small spot on the newly painted shelf. The doll represented my ancestors - who were doubtless looking on, scoffing and tutting.

 It's September 1 already. Pre-Christmas panic usually sets in around now - or at least it used to, when I started making things in July, except that I didn't really, and so by September 1 I'd start to feel just a bit worried. Now I don't even pretend to make all my presents, so I don't have to worry. God Bless AMAZON.

(No, they don't pay me to say that. After reading blogs for a couple of hours, I feel like every one has a disclaimer somewhere. And I wish I was one of those artists who are somehow subsidized by craft companies to play with their resin and stuff.)

The shelf wall with the new oven

Matt photographing the beadio and getting himself in the picture

It was really a happy day on Sunday when we blessed the beadio and I began to move my stuff out of the back closet into my own creative space. I got up at 8 and cleaned it thoroughly and then put on a clean dress for the blessing. Our intentions are for creative energy, new ideas, a space to be alone and a space to be together.

The whole room is 64 square feet. Compact. Still, roomy compared to the 15 square feet of cupboard that has been my studio for the last 18 months - along with my lap, of course.

It has great acoustics. The pine paneling creates an air pocket that makes every voice sweeter. Or maybe we're just sweeter when we're in there because it's such a honey of a room. We go all gaga in there because we put a lot of love into making it, not to mention time and money. I know I am going to spend many happy hours in there.

The sofa bed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cupboard studio - beads are in bags on cookie sheets and trays

I wanted a sofa bed or something off the floor that my sister or other guests could sleep on. I don't like sleeping on the floor in the tropics, or anywhere else, for that matter. This is a tiny sleeper loveseat, that folds out into a single bed. I will have to take a nap on it before I decide if it's comfy, but we can always put a futon or some feather beds on top of it. It's a comfy loveseat. It has a black plastic "leatherette" - ha - cover, which is washable. It will soon have a quilt over it - I even found one in all my stuff as I was moving it - the perfect thing to make a slipcover out of.

Heresy of heresies, I am thinking of cutting up a quilt I've had for 40 years. Well, parts of it are shredded already. It was my bed quilt for many years and covered other chairs before this sweet little loveseat.

So with the loveseat and the shelf wall, that's about it - the bed folds out to the opposite wall with about 4 inches to spare. I have already started moving stuff in there and there is a lot of it.

So much stuff - what is in all these boxes that I haven't played with in 18 months?!

I unpacked most of the stuff that was in cardboard boxes, because I wanted to get rid of them. They are a prime roach heaven, but there weren't any. They must have all been in the kitchen cupboards. Towards the end, I was just staging boxes on the table, pulled out to the window wall. I still had to get everything else organized, dusted, and back into the "back-of-beyond" closet in the bedroom. I still can't believe we can actually walk back there. Or we could, anyway, before we put Matt's big saw back there!

This weekend we will work on his wood-working space together - it has become the repository for a lot of rubbish and everything I didn't want in the beadio, plus the new lumber for the expanded work bench and wood loft.

I finished up about 9 and was too hyper to relax. At 10:30, I went out for lemon cookies. As soon as I ate them, I was ready to sleep.

This one last picture is probably the best one of the day - one of 2 happy geckoes that live in the room. Matt took this one, and most of the others. When we laid this tile down on the concrete floor, it really became a ROOM.