Take it Easy Studio

BEFORE THE MONTH ENDS

2010-03-29T00:53:00.000-07:00

I wish I were a disciplined blogger but my blog started out chatting of nothing so I could just learn the interface of Blogger then I began chatting of the things I like to do creatively since that made sense to me.  Who would want to hear about my humdrum hourly wage life? So I wrote mostly about my arting and crafting.  Then my muse left town (hopefully temporarily) and now I am WRITING more and crafting only rarely until the creative muse comes back. In my head I want to make things but my hands seem to be unwilling.  So, I type.  I write.  I HAVE to do something that has nothing to do with what I do when I clock in and serve my 40 hours a week or I will simply lay down and die. Not that I hate the day job.  I don't.  It is semi-creative and I often have a very good time during those 40 hours.  I just know it is NOT my BLISS.  I think many can relate to that.  I have to pay the rent, ya know?

At the beginning of the week I was blessed to spend some time chatting with a friend I had not seen in months after a "day job" related meeting and she tells me to do just ONE THING creative each day even if it is just e-mailing a Craig's List job opportunity to myself or watching a film or even just writing a blog post.  So, here I am tonight struggling along with a post wishing for more discipline.

I had the day off today from the day job and did much of nothing due to battling a terrible sinus infection all week brought on by some insane allergies as Spring breaks and the Santa Ana winds kick up here in Los Angeles.  But I did sit on the couch with laptop in hand as well as one movie after another playing on my TV.  I discovered the wonderful world of "On Demand" and have been demanding one film after another absorbing as much as I can about the art of FILM.  I never studied it.  Just sat back & enjoyed or hated it.  Now I watch and take notice of absolutely everything.  Everything from the acting, the writing, plot devices, who cast it, who produced it to how much it might have cost to shoot the thing.  Cinema is simply MAGICAL to me.  It's like a 2 hour long painting, depending on the film.  Paint strokes that spark the imagination or feelings in me that make me FEEL, THINK and REMEMBER....

If not for cinema, my life would be a big fat void, I think.  I live vicariously through it.  I have fallen in love over and over again, died a thousand deaths, laughed a million laughs....I simply get inspired by it.  Moved to do things I never thought I could do.  It has kept me company when I had no one.  It is art, life and so much more.

I will shut my trap for now and hope to write just a bit more tomorrow and that, my friends, will be a miracle if I do.  Wish me luck.

BLIND FAITH

2010-03-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

A song by Blind Faith came to mind after returning to LA from a recent trip to Texas.

Can't Find My Way Home lyrics
written by: Steve Winwood

Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long
somebody holds the key
Well, I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

Come down on your own and leave your body alone
somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years
somebody holds the key
Well, I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

Many folk close to me know that I am working on writing something that takes me back in time to pretty much when I began in this big bad world. I thought that I had to be in Texas to write it. And maybe I do. It would make some of the research easier to be able to sit with my brother who has very clear memories of events I was witness to only a small portion of. He has a sharp memory for names, places and tiny details of so much. He amazes me in that respect. I have strong sensory memories. I remember the way the sun was setting or the smell of the yard's fresh cut grass or the smell & color of the light mint green paint that was slapped across my brother's face to get him to quit running in and out of a door that was being painted...that's a funny memory for me by the by. Maybe not so much for him.

I aimed for my story to be a funny one...dark comedy at best based on the dramatic nature of some of the events. Striving for the funny in the story got me stymied. A very good friend had some sage advice for me a few evenings ago, "Your most honest writing may not be amusing. Doesn't mean there isn't a place for it, not an audience. Write one true sentence after another, and see where it goes." Then today as I sit on the couch with my laptop mustering up enough courage to use some new writing software and to write the first "true sentence", the film Antwone Fisher is playing on AMC in the background down low. Usually I have music on Pandora playing but not today for whatever reason. My ears perk up when the character of Antwone Fisher reads a poem aloud to his psychiatrist played by Denzel Washington. The poem jerked a tear or two from me and then afterward Antwone says, "I told you I was good" and then Denzel replies, "You are good because you are honest." I put the laptop aside and watched the rest of the film and was very moved by this young man's story and his courage to not only live it but to share it with the world first as a book and then as a screenplay.

It is hard to "go home" and sometimes it is hard to find one's way there but I am putting on some sturdy hiking gear and am ready to make the trip. I also have a hunch that I just might find some funny in all of the dark caves I am about to explore.

STEPPING BACKWARD TO MOVE FORWARD

2010-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

I moved to LA almost 15 years ago. I met a young man in late 1994 doing a play in Dallas, Texas (where I was born and raised & had never left except for the occasional trip to a bordering state or country) titled Liebesreigen where he played a low-rent call boy and me a prostitute. I’d say “typecasting” just to get a laugh out of those who really know us…it really wasn’t at all. However, it was fun and even a bit of a stretch as an actor. We became good friends having coffee after rehearsals, and chatting late into the night. I was seeing someone else at time which would come to an end well before Easter of 1995. In that time, we became very good friends and come June, he was holding my hand or me his…I really don’t remember but what I do remember is that he said to me, “You realize you are holding hands with someone who is moving to LA?” Such was my life. I had a major tendency to get involved with men that were unavailable or would be shortly…it seemed like every fella I made my heart vulnerable to was moving this way or that way or on their way out of the closet….but never moving to LA. LA was a city on my list of possible destinations now that I was beginning to take this acting thing seriously. At this hand-holding juncture, my dream was to go to Chicago. I had visited a friend who lived there the year before and fell absolutely in love with the city and knew that Second City was going to be my new hang out. This would be the first time I got exposed to the idea that I might actually have at least ONE funny bone in my body and it may not be located near my elbow. Chicago would have to wait…and it still is.

A few months later, over coffee at some way-too-hip-for-me coffee joint on Lower Greenville, he popped the question or it was more of a statement really. “Move to LA with me.” Ok, that had never happened. In the past, the guy just left on his jet plane, one or the both of us blubbering about how we would miss the other and would write & blah blah blah. Ya know the sad story and we all know it ends right there. Well, not this time. I had to seriously consider it not ending and it going on. EGAD! Going all the way to LA and with a fella. Holy Moses! He was very convincing because any rebuttal of what a bad idea it would be for me, he knocked down and won the argument. He was right. I had done a little bit of everything in Dallas acting wise and had experienced a little of all it had to offer, why not take the next step. “Kelley, you can pay those credit card bills from LA just as easy from a mail box in Dallas.” OK OK…ya had me at, “Move to LA with me.” Well, not really. But he convinced me and the ball began to roll.

This young man made it very easy to move out there with him. He took care of all the logistics of U-Haul’s, plane tickets and we worked as a team to find a place to live once we got there. Notices were put in where they needed to be put in and a new life in LA began. It truly was an adventure. I will skip from here to the present…..for now…

The present…we are no longer together but yes, good friends, since that is how we started out to begin with thus it will be. After 2 years of living on my own here in LA and 2 years of genuine soul searching, I have come to realize a sense of HOME is more important than being in some one-horse town.

It has become clear to me here years later that despite standing in line behind Eddie Izzard for the bathroom at my local Starbuck’s or making friends with the likes of actress, Mimi Kennedy , chatting it up with Beck about PDA’s at a movie premiere after-party, stepping out of a limo just after Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters stepped out of his, having the paparazzi snap photos until they figured out I was an imposter or having a famous movie star hit on me (where the simple thought of walking down the red carpet with them being the nobody I felt like freaked me out so bad I simply blew him off…ha! No kidding! It happened!)…..I came to realize that LA is simply just another city. When I was nervous about moving to LA, I remember my father telling me, “Kelley, it’s just another city, just like Dallas. No reason to be scared.” He was very correct.

I aided in the production of a 10 minute short called CAT DEMON: RE-EXHUMED. Even had a part in it where I drop an F-bomb…wouldn’t my father be proud of me? The USA Film Fest in Dallas decided not only to screen it but to have the director, Laura Kightlinger come out and jury. They could not have asked a better person to jury as she is as smart and talented as they come and her taste is impeccable. So, off to Dallas we fly. I have visited Dallas several times over the years since leaving for LA but it was always for a wedding, the holidays or a funeral or 3. I could not wait to get back to LA each and every trip….well, not this time. So the young man that had tugged at my sleeve to join him LA who had now been back in Dallas for a year or so, showed me around the new and improved Dallas. I fell back in love with my home town. I knew the love was real the second my plane touched down in Burbank and I found my eyes filling up with tears on the cab ride home. I did not feel any connection to LA. I was breaking up with her……

I like LA. But it is not HOME….not right now anyway. Don’t know if it is because I am older and this place just moves too fast. I am completely uncertain of these feelings but it is time to “move backward to move forward”. Back a couple of years ago, my now ex-fella was so afraid to tell me that he was moving back to Texas because he said he felt it “was not a coup”. I choose the words “move backward to move forward” because I have witnessed a man who thought moving “back to Texas” was a let-down to me and those around him. He has since turned his life around. He has created a new life for himself in the political world and is doing a damn great job of it. He thought his dreams were in LA but really they were wherever he was as long as he was “on track”. I don’t think he was ever “on track” out here. I have had my moments of success out here and got some great opportunities, experiences and relationships I would not trade for but I became a workaholic who was always just a bit left of center…not “on track”. I wasn’t on MY TRACK, anyway. I was always pushing someone else down their track of stardom and success and I did a good job of it until I realized I was sitting there with no direction of my own.

It’s weird how there is a feeling of failure for those of us who come out here then decide to go back to where we came from. It’s a topic that has come up many a time with fellow Texan friends who I know out here and I think some stay out of spite as opposed to really wanting to be in LA. I watched folks come and go right and left from the moment I got here…they’d last a few months, maybe a year. We used to joke, “More parking spaces for us…more parts for us….more…whatever for us!” After 9/11, this city full of transplants emptied out as folks who’s dreams were still in limbo and the commitment to LA was not strong headed home to be close to those who were most important to them….FAMILY.

The feeling of moving back to Big D began to set in as I sat looking out the window of what was my grandmother’s home during a Texas summer thunder storm on May 3^rd 2009 when the Dallas Cowboy practice facility collapsed due to strong winds and weather…that’s my Texas. Everything was so green, fresh, real and chaotic. I felt a joy I had not felt in years. I had a talk with 2 very good actor friends of mine on that rainy day in Dallas who had lived in LA at one point or another. They made it clear to me that it is not failure to come back to Dallas. That it is a lateral move to a different place to do what I love. Why did I have to hear that, I don’t know. They were right.

I was my most creative self in Texas. I will be my MOST creative self yet again…and who knows, I might even schlep back to LA on occasion with all the creativity that I hope will pour out of me in Texas. I do know this crazy city of angels so very well.

So, I am stepping backward to move forward.

HOPE

2009-10-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough few months being bopped around by the "day job", having one thing after another happen with car, cat, work-related issues and even breaking a tooth...I could go on. In truth, I am doing A-OK despite the obstacles. I am always aware it sure could be worse and has been thus so.

My father had it pretty rough raising us kids on his own but what a great man who would say over and over to me, "this too shall pass" during the rough times. He was oh so right about that. It has become my mantra. That and "pick and choose your battles" but that is a whole other topic.

Today someone sent me a link to this short film titled The Butterfly Circus. It came at just the right time in my life. Not that I have lost hope just yet but I have wavered that way on occasion only to force myself to buck up and be a big girl and believe that "this too shall pass."

As these minor setbacks "pass", I have to move forward. Now more than ever. This is a time of great change, great opportunity and great risk as I step outside my comfort zone for the first time in over a decade. Life has been a certain way for so long for me that accepting change and flat out changing with the HOPE and FAITH that everything will work out for the best is a challenge for someone like myself who is very set in her ways.

This film gave me hope for a better tomorrow:

FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!!!

2009-06-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

6 year old little girl sits on stoop of elementary school as the sun sets wondering where her mother is…who’s supposed to pick her up. Her auburn hair is a mess. Her clothes are unkempt and mismatched. This is a girl who is obviously dressing herself.

This is how it all starts. And I know how it ends but getting from here to there is more than I bargained for.

It's been a long while since I have officially written much more than the occasional "art/craft" article, blog post or frivolous snarky Facebook status update. This is different. This is about my life albeit I am fictionalizing much of it to protect the guilty. :-)

So, as I sit here tonight with my sweet one true companion of a friend at my side, Mr. Bill Hicks Cat, I stare at these words posted above and I am

right back on that elementary school stoop on that warm September evening at sunset in 1973 not too long before the 37th President of the United States of America would choose to vacate his office at the White House due to some lil' scandal called Watergate.

When this thing that I am working on comes to fruition in its entirety, I might just have Richard Milhouse Nixon to thank for the impetus to FINALLY get down and dirty on my keyboard on a story that has been brewing for a decade now. Whilst viewing Frost/Nixon, I was reminded of this time in my life again and the story I have often felt a need to get on paper.

I will be heading out for a hike tomorrow morning to clear the old cobwebs out of my brain and then back to this crazy world that is the story I am working on. I also have an art "thang" I am doing design work for. I find that one creative activity can often inspire the other. Though I said I was putting my art aside, I did not do so for very long. Out of necessity or sheer addiction, I 'spose.

LIFE IS GOOD is how I will close this entry. It's been easy to be nostalgic as of late with the loss of several childhood icons here in Hollywood...the weird place that I currently live in. It's in your face as ya drive a few blocks down the road from where I live or work. I feel like a stranger in this town and long for home and the good old "folk" back there. But for now, I am here doing what I am certain I am supposed to be doing as there is a drive that no matter how much I try to ignore it, stall it or get distracted from it, I go right back to that keyboard with one more story, one more memory, one more laugh, one more tear....

CREATIVITY BEGATS CREATIVITY

2009-06-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, I have been in the midst of my lil' writing project so much so that I am taking a bit of a writing retreat to somewhere far away.....from my apartment next week. Some travel plans fell through and I am taking this opportunity to commit to some time by the sea...ocean or whatever puddle of water I can find since water seems to lift the cobwebs from my head and ideas enter some portal into my psyche that only seems to open when water flows and nature abounds. Needless to say, I take far too many showers when desperate for a creative boost here at home.

Though I got a BFA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis on performance (which I got very little opportunity to do during my 4 year stint at university...a future blog post), I have since performed plenty. However, life and other work got in the way for the last few years making it near to impossible to do the stage work I so dearly love but I did do some stand-up since it was something I could write on my own time and commit to only single dates here and there which was doable with my workaholic schedule over the years.

I am now back at square one taking an acting class for the sheer joy of playing. It has been hell getting back on that horse and yet sheer bliss.

The acting has fired up the keyboard so the writing is happening when it was so difficult before.

And doing these things now has opened my mind to some very cool art projects and even a future book proposal.

I have always believed there is power in numbers and really believe that but this time it's not the number of people involved in the project so much as it is the various things I am working on are fueling the others. Much like how John Lennon wrote music and was also an artist. Tony Bennett...Phyllis Diller....performers and artists...and so many actors that are musicians and vice versa...who did not love Harry Connick Jr. in Hope Floats....or Will and Grace, if you will.

So, I am multi-tasking and wearing many hats at this time in my life. Though it is something I am familiar with, now that it is on my own terms vs. wearing many hats for the sake of a 9-5 paycheck, I think ...no, I KNOW that I like it much better.

It's fun to have something started in every room of the house, cooking some dinner (another creative endeavor that gives me such great joy) in the kitchen, dying some fabric in the bathroom, computer fired up with me writing bits of this or that, paper layed out, ready to tear to make a journal in my studio, cat on the couch ready to be pet....what can I say?

It's a beautiful LIFE!!!!

Creativity begats creativity!!!!

2009-06-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

A LITTLE BIT O' BUBBLEGUM

2009-06-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have set aside my paper/fabric art for just a short while to dedicate time to a writing project that has been ready to burst from me for about 10 years now. It has come out in small bits of 10-15 minute sets of stand-up comedy performed at various fund raisers for critters and other venues, in search of the funny in the tragedy and drama of that which we call LIFE. These short sets seem to be the most my Adult A.D.D. brain could seem to put on paper and stage until I finally made a commitment to myself to just do the dang thing Nike style.

Since the project is based on some early childhood experiences, I am forced to visit a time in my life that is conjuring up all sorts of emotions, memories and such. I have walked away from the keyboard several times in tears, some times of joy but often of a broken hearted kind. Needless to say, I break from the project more than I should for someone who really just wants to get it out NOW but it helps in processing the memories and getting them on paper in a way that makes sense for me at this juncture in my life.

Any time I have shared stories of my childhood with friends that were not part of this time in my life, there is often a look of wonder on their faces trying to figure out how I dealt and came out on the other side as sane as I am today, which may not be all that sane in the eyes of some, which I say with a hint of laughter as I type this. It has been family, good friends, art and the stage that have been a great therapy through ALL my life, saving me from the funny farm and by the by, why do that call it “the funny farm”, anyway? With my great love for critters and my personal idiosyncrasies, maybe a “funny farm” is just the place for me. I truly believe that the grace and sanity that my father handled it all with, gave me strength through the years to not let a dysfunctional childhood get in the way of my future adulthood. At least not too much.

I have discovered in finally writing IT down how much music starts playing in the background of my mind as certain stories are put to paper. I have written of it before how music can really affect the state of mind or how certain music is appropriate for particular moods we are in, especially when we are in a creative mood.

I have been made fun of OFTEN by MANY for some of my taste in music. Mind you, I like many different styles of music from Big Band to The Beatles to Amos Lee, Rhett Miller, Nick Drake, even Led Zeppelin & Rascal Flatts. However, I have a great fondness for upbeat 1970’s bubblegum pop, no holds barred. Laugh if you will. You know you secretly like it, too. “I Think I Love You” are timeless lyrics! Correct me if I am wrong:

"I Think I Love You"

(As recorded by the Partridge Family/Bell)

TONY ROMEO

I was sleeping and right in the middle of a good dream

Like all at once I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain

Before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head

And spring up in my bed screaming out the words I dread

I think I love you

This morning I woke up with this feeling

I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself

I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it

And did not go and shout it when you walked into the room

I think I love you

I think I love you so what am I so afraid of

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for

I think I love you isn't that what life is made of

Though it worries me to say that I never felt this way

I don't know what I'm up against

I don't know what it's all about

I got so much to think about

Hey, I think I love you so what am I so afraid of

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for

I think I love you isn't that what life is made of

Though it worries me to say I never felt this way

Believe me you really don't have to worry

I only wanna make you happy and if you say "hey go away" I will

But I think better still I'd better stay around and love you

Do you think I have a case let me ask you to your face

Do you think you love me?

I think I love you

I think I love you

(I think I love you)

I think I love you

(I think I love you)

I think I love you

(I think I love you)

I think I love you

(I think I love you).

(c) Copyright 1970 by Screen Gems-Columbia Music, Inc.

In retrospect it was the upbeat sound and lyrics of the bubblegum pop of the early to mid 70’s that helped keep my mind distracted from the chaos of divorce and all that that entailed (and most likely a little more than the average divorce in my case) when I was a kid. It’s amazing the therapeutic affect the whirly gig noise of teen idol-y music had during THIS crucial time in my life. The Osmonds, Partridge Family, The DeFranco Family, Jackson 5….even the Beatles pre-The White Album.

I remember my brother being a fan of The Beatles and can even still see the cover to an album he had before my parents split and we were still living in the house on Fenchurch as a “family” that he often played on a turntable he had in his room. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “Twist & Shout”, happy catchy, upbeat tunes. Then came, “I Think I Love You”, “Heartbeat, It’s a Love Beat”, “Puppy Love”, The Brady Bunch album with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo” & “Sunshine Day”on it and the list rolls on.

Something I just realized as I write this, aside from the Beatles who acted much like a family unit at the time, how many of these pop groups were “families” real or imagined? The Osmonds, Jackson 5, DeFranco Family, Brady Bunch, (made-up TV family) , Partridge Family (Shirley Jones and David Cassidy were family even if the rest were not) or Sonny and Cher who appeared happily married...hmmmm? The coincidence of a family unit amongst these pop sensations might have been something I subliminally latched onto.

Some of the music is not so good, I admit it. The Brady Bunch stuff just did not survive the test of time like The Partridge Family or Jackson 5 did. Some of it is now

being played in TV ads that this generation has no clue of the first go-round of tunes such as “Rock Me Gently”. They see in their heads a squirrel singing in a Jeep driving down the country road and a wolf that almost “kills” the party in said Jeep. Great ad by the by.

Original Andy Kim:

Jeep ad Andy Kim:

A fond music related memory that comes to mind is of Miss Nowlin’s 1^st grade class. If you brought your favorite 45’s to class, there was a turntable where you could play the record during break/nap time with headphones on so as not to disturb those that chose to nap (something I rarely did then and even today). I had a copy of the Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin and nearly wore it out. I remember other kids wanting to borrow my Rockin’ Robin 45 and for the first time in my life felt a sense of community amongst others…my 1^st grade classmates.

The first years of one’s life make a major imprint in one’s heart and soul which is why a song like Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently” or The Archies, “Sugar Sugar” makes me smile today even though the first time I heard these songs, chaos was going on in my lil’ kid world. These songs acted as pain medicine decades ago and they still work for me today in the same way.

My mother was one of those many women obsessed with Neil Diamond at the time all hell was breaking loose and if she’d had one too many, you could pretty much count on Neil Diamond Gold: Live at the Troubadour spinning round and round over and over on the turntable. There are faint memories of falling asleep to that album playing in the den until all hours of the night when I was barely 5 years of age. There was a time when any song from that album could evoke some really intense emotions in me. Now all of those songs have come to feel like family reminding me of a sweeter time before things got so complicated in my family’s home oh so many years ago.

I remember an evening after my father and brother had already moved out of the house and my mother had left me alone to do whatever it was she did back then. I had been sleeping in her king size bed (instead of my own room she was trying to get me to sleep in) with her polyester orange blanket with satin trim…orange was so popular in the early 70’s or maybe it was just her favorite color… and I woke up to Johnny Carson on her tv. I did not compute that it was night time. I thought it was time to get up for school, got myself dressed and started eating my corn puffs or Captain Crunch, that part I don’t remember but it was cold cereal,nonetheless. There was a yellow transistor radio in the den that I would turn on and I remember the song, YOUR SONG by Elton John playing in the background as I sat there eating my “breakfast” as my father came in the back door to pick me up to take me to my grandmother’s home because my mother would not be returning that particular night. Years later, my father told me how his heart broke a little seeing how confused I was yet so committed, dressed and ready for school, eating my breakfast when it wasn’t even midnight. He began to monitor everything going on in the house to make sure of my safety. It would have been about then that he thought it best to get custody of me but that would take some time.

I am in no way ashamed of turning up an oldie’s station when “Sugar Sugar” comes on.

You should see me dancing with the cat to some feel-good Partridge Family song off of a greatest hits CD on any possible given night as I try to lighten my mood when the heaviness of the world is getting to me. Long ago, I had a tendency to pop a “Partridge Family Greatest Hits” cassette tape into tape decks at parties after whoever was in charge of the music had had one too many just to see people’s faces light up to “C’mon Get Happy!” I did it once at a theatre after-party that Andi Allen (a super cool actress in Dallas) was attending and then the next time I saw a show she was a part of, guess what I heard in the set of chosen pre-show music? A few Partridge Family tunes! She came up to me and said that she had forgotten how fun their music was. I was highly flattered. See…not everyone makes fun of me…some cross over to the dark side and embrace the sweet sweet sound of bubblegum!

THE PAPER PLACE GIVE AWAY

2008-12-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Just stumbled across this treat and potential opportunity to all paper artists today:

Gotta love a give away of that much sexy paper!
Hit the photo above for a link to what I am jabbering about.

SLOW DOWN

2008-12-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today I was forced to slow down and chill out due to a cold/flu thing coming on...well, it's already here. I fought it hard because my proverbial "to-do" list is always 10 times as long as it ever is this time of year.

In the end it has been a good day of kicking it on the couch with plenty of OJ, green tea & honey, my big bottle of Wellness Formula, cat sitting at my feet keeping them warm, lap top on lap keeping it warm, Pandora.com streaming my favorite music and all sorts of good reading. I received an order from Amazon several weeks ago that I've had no time to even crack. Now I am getting down and dirty burying my head in some crafting books gleaning ideas for holiday gifts. It's going to be a crafty Christmas with the current state of the economy kicking my pocket book's butt. And "makin' stuff" is my therapy from my crazy life. Cheaper than Prozac or Xanax...hee.

I am usually quite anxious when I am "forced" to slow down due to unforeseen causes because getting sick is never something I am very good at working into my schedule. I gave in today and decided to go with the flow, listen to my body and take care of myself first instead of driving myself to a place of potentially more discomfort by go-go-going.....

....and I survived with little to no anxiety attacks today. I feel better already and I have even done some writing which I have been neglecting or simply NOT prioritizing.

As Martha would say, "It's a good thing." And it has been.

Getting quiet and hanging out with my own thoughts and the cat (super good example of the zen of chillin') has helped clear my head of so much clutter that builds up this time of year. Over the past 10 years, this time of year has been extraordinarily frantic for me and rarely a joy until December 25th when I can hide from my regular work world which often expects more of me than I can give. It is that part of my life that is "closed for business" on the 25th and I can just breath if only for a day.

I remember when I was a kid, living with my father, how holidays such as Christmas often ended up being a day we did a top-to-bottom cleaning of the house. Odd, I know, but his life as a single father working full time as an attorney left him little free time so we would hunker down together, bleach out the toilets, fill the dishwasher, vacuum the carpets and then head over to someone's house for holiday dinner that evening. Can you believe I actually enjoyed this? Could be because I was hanging out with my father and even though I was not a kid who enjoyed house work, I obliged him on the 25th (and Easter) maybe as a small gift to him. I now have a Pavlovian desire to clean house on major religious holidays.

So, here I am chilling, writing a blog entry which I have not done in ages but crave to do so every day but there just are never enough hours in the regular work day. I may be physically sick today but I feel so good right now.

BIG PICTURE STUFF: I am at a crossroads in my life where my priorities are shifting away from that which creates chaos in my life and I want...NEED... to take the road where I can glean more joy from what I spend my time doing. And have faith that I am doing right by those that I share space with on this Earth. Critters and people alike.

It's a risky time to take a leap of faith with the economy in the crapper but I have faith that as soon as I commit to the major life change I have been contemplating for a long while that good things will come. As Mahatma Ghandi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." It starts right here, right now, with lil' ole' me.

I am a creative person by nature and I have stifled that for so many years just to keep putting food in my mouth and have health insurance but if there is no joy, no passion, no growth...then, what? I may as well forgo the insurance and lay down and die. SO, for me, it is time to turn a corner, breathe deep and LEAP!

Wish me luck...

SCRAPPY BOOK mentioned on cool blog...thank you!

2008-07-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger because I have been in a creative phase and have been taking pics and notes and plan to share, I promise but in the mean time I was delighted to find my lil' article on my Scrappy Book article for Quilting Arts mentioned on this super cool blog called THREADBANGER. I am trying to create some more "GREEN" projects as I move along on some other projects I am currently working on. As my ideas come to fruition I promise to share.

In the mean time thank your ThreadBanger!

STUDIOS A SPA FOR THE CREATIVE SOUL review

2008-03-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Okay….big old thumbs up to Cloth Paper Scissors new publication, STUDIOS: A Spa for the Creative Soul. I am in the midst of putting together my first “studio”. The last few years as my personal “creative soul” has expanded, my creative tools have moved from dining room table, to kitchen to bathroom, to shelves ALL OVER THE HOUSE….now, for the first time I will have one room dedicated to what I love to do which is CREATE. It is in the shelf-with-stuff-in-disarray point as I figure out the best storage solutions for all that I need for what I do and I DO A LOT! I dye, I paint, I tear, I glue, I rip, I stitch, I stain, I emboss, I bead, I repair, I …well, I just about do it all if it has to do with fabric or paper.

I have to admit that I have yet to READ it cover to cover but I have looked over all the photos of all the studios meticulously cover to cover and there are some great creative ideas for getting your creative world organized. The number one cool thing is that not all of the studios are SUPER PERFECT studios like in most publications where your mouth drools at the completely impossible especially if one is on a budget. Don’t get me wrong, there are shots of magical studios that one can only dream of but some of these rooms look much like my own and look like someone really works there. In fact there are 2 publications advertised in this publication that though I love them, I KNOW the studios pictured just can’t possibly look that perfect except for the photo shoot for the book. To clarify, I am not talking about the “before” pictures, either in a “before and after” feature in STUDIOS. A good example is the article, “fun & functional” by Jane Wynn. I don’t have a space as big as hers but her studio looks like a real studio and she utilizes many similar storage solutions that I do. I am at a place where I can’t spend a lot of money but it needs to be done and plastic storage is economical which is a plus. She uses it a lot in her studio.

I really love this publication and am referring to it quite a bit as I begin to get my mess organized and culled down.

Thank you, Cloth Paper Scissors! I love your publications! All of them!

Here is a link to order your own copy of STUDIOS A SPA FOR THE CREATIVE SOUL:

STUDIOS A SPA FOR THE CREATIVE SOUL

Here is a link to an on-line newsletter “how to” article I did for Quilting Arts, from the publishers of Cloth Paper Scissors:

Quilting Arts Embellishments newlsetter #50

THE JOURNEY BEGINS…or have I used that corny subject header already?

2008-03-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

So, I admit to someone at work yesterday that I am someone who visualizes herself putting on those new tennies and comfy clothes and taking long walks and going for a jog or working out after work and every night I fail miserably and find myself wrapped up in computer work sitting on my growing behind, designing art or just being a couch potato watching American Idol (cuz that cute guy with the dreads is a friend of a friend of mine) despite the best of intentions of doing something physical. I have found that being a creative person to move forward and open the mind, ya just gotta go hang on a jungle gym, jump up and down, chase butterflies, do yoga….whatever it takes to get the heart rate up and come back to your creative space and you will be amazed at how you not only feel those endorphins flying through your body on a natural high but your mind opens up.

I took my first long solo walk last night IN A LONG TIME and will be putting my tennies on again in a few to do it again….last night I took my camera along to take pics of my journey but tonight will be all about “the burn”….hee….so no pics this time but maybe tomorrow when I do it while the sun it up, I’ll shoot some flowers. It is such a high to walk at night here because the jasmine is in bloom and something else that has a spicy sweet scent that I am clueless as to what it is but will find out from a California native. It intoxicates me. I will go a woodsier walk tonight but last night was down a major thoroughfare, safe but well, walked so I learned that I can get a Thai massage until 10pm for 35 bucks just walking distance from the homestead…good to know.

It was heaven.

A photo on the way.....

I made a restaurant for some "to-go" organic food my destination (I am such a Virgo that I have to get something crossed off my “to-do” list when I am doing something else whimsical like “working out”….I am sooooo lame!) and then back home but the organic place was closed so I backtracked to this great coffee shop where I used to do comedy...my first early sets. They have insanely great sandwiches and salads, so white albacore tuna on rosemary bread it was. As I waited, there was a free LA yoga publication on the table and I flip through it and unexpectedly find a friend of mine has this article in it that I was meant to come across last night. I think you will like it, too.

Here is a link to an on-line version:

MY OTHER CAR IS A YOGA MAT

Enjoy....I must send her a note because I loved this as I had no idea that she and I have such similar issues. In fact, I chipped a tooth with the same plight she suffers from.....once ya read, you will understand!

Martha Stewart and John Patrick Shanley

2008-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of finishing up reading, The Martha Rules, the book that Stewart worked on while she was in prison. Do you know how hard that was for me to write: “while she was in prison.” In retrospect it is so odd that MARTHA STEWART served time but I guess it “served” her well since her company is doing GREAT!

In Chapter 7 there is a quote that spoke to me at this time in my life:

“If you are resistant to change or if you refuse to change, you may as well call it a day. In other words, when you are through changing, you’re through.”

She repeats the 2^nd part of this thought a second time at the end of the chapter just to drive it home for me.

My life is at a fork in the road and is full of change whether I ordered it up myself, or not. It has been one of those cosmic things where I so desperately begged for and desired change but did not have the courage or strength to do it myself. Well, the cosmic universe ripped the carpet right out from underneath me and gave me a full platter of CHANGE and it tastes oh so good. Oh, it put a sour taste in my mouth initially, I won’t lie. In fact, I nearly choked on the suddenness of it all. But like ripping a band aid off a wound as quick as you can, it had to be done at some point or like Martha says above, you may as well have stuck me 6 feet under in a wooden box.

My life has been full of bouts of SUDDEN change over the past few years starting with the sudden passing of my father January 14^th 2006. I lost my very best friend and advisor so wise. I now talk to him late at night and wake up with his voice in my head and he guides me from far away.

I am a work in progress working hard at becoming a courageous person who is facilitating her own change instead of having it dumped on her lap unexpectedly.

There is a quote that appears in a forward to the play, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, written by John Patrick Shanley that came to mind after reading Martha’s chapter lucky number 7 that has always been a favorite quote and one that I used to strive to live by but had given up as fear built up inside of me through the years of living in a rut. Now that I am feeling more courageous in this great thing called LIFE, I am dusting this favorite quote off and giving it another chance.

“I am not a courageous person by nature. I have simply discovered that, at certain key moments in this life, you must find courage in your self, in order to move forward and live. It is like a muscle and it must be exercised, first a little, and then more and more. All the really exciting things possible during the course of a lifetime require a little more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap.”

-John Patrick Shanley-

There is plenty of “leaping” left for me to do so I better start working out….a little and then more and more….."it's a good thing"...or "thang" when my Texas accent comes out to play.

PEGGY LEE

2008-03-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
Peggy Lee

SPOKEN:
I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire.
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he gathered me up
in his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement.
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames.
And when it was all over I said to myself, "Is that all there is to a fire"

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

SPOKEN:
And when I was 12 years old, my father took me to a circus, the greatest show on earth.
There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears.
And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads.
And so I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle.
I had the feeling that something was missing.
I don't know what, but when it was over,
I said to myself, "is that all there is to a circus?

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

SPOKEN:
Then I fell in love, head over heels in love, with the most wonderful boy in the world.
We would take long walks by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes.
We were so very much in love.
Then one day he went away and I thought I'd die, but I didn't,
and when I didn't I said to myself, "is that all there is to love?"

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

SPOKEN:
I know what you must be saying to yourselves,
if that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me. I'm in no hurry for that final disappointment,
for I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you,
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my lst breath, I'll be saying to myself

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

I will always remember my grandmother's affection for this song. Any time she was in a different state of mind other than the ho-hum of a normal day, she would put this on the turntable and it was something that moved her. If she was in a good place, she put on disco records. I loved that this grey haired lady loved the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and Alicia Bridges', I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE. I had the hippest grandmother in town! But if she was feeling down, tired or nostalgic, it was 100% Peggy Lee. And what a great song IS THAT ALL THERE IS is.

It got me to thinking about how when my mother tied one on, she would put on Neil Diamond, my father, big band music or maybe some Ink Spots.

There seems to be that special music that is precious enough to listen to only when we are in an altered state of mind, whether it be a glass of wine....or 4, a creative state or simply feelin' a lil' blue.

I have adopted the taste of my various family members and play a little of all of the above on occasion when I am feeling just a little off. Nick Drake is a favorite, too. I discovered his complete collection of music here later in life but it seems to suit me just as well as the current day David Gray to push me through a blue or "off" mood or even enhance a creative mood. Or I can go for a lil' Amy Winehouse or Scissor Sisters when I am feeling a lil' sassy. When I am in a regular old state of mind, it's KCRW public radio for me. Give me Morning Become's Eclectic or Chocolate City or give me death!

Oprah Oprah Oprah....

2008-03-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

So, last night I could not sleep so I turn on the tube and Oprah is on....she seems to be on every time I can't sleep. She has never been a destination show for me but somehow I see her a lot these days since I have not found the wherewithall to fix my cable, etc. Anyway, it was a great episode with Dr. Oz on American's eating habits and how if we change them a particular way it will help. They get specific with examples of a high calcium diet, omega 3 diet, etc. All helping with different things where our body is concerned. I ate it up. For the first time ever, I log onto her website hoping to find out a lil' more about this since I am at a crossroads in my life full of great change and physical change is one of those things I am ready for and truly committed to to feel better and have more energy and yes, maybe drop a few.

I know this post is starting out sounding like it is about diet but here is where I am going...I hit this random link on her site by accident and up comes this quote...I love a good quote that comes along at the right time...kind of like a good fortune out of cookie from your latest Chinese take-out. The bad ones ya throw away, the good ones can change your life if only for a few minutes.

This one seemed particularly appropriate right now for me:

"If you have the courage to take the risks to say, 'I'm going to reinvent this part of my life,' you can be very, very happy."

— Susan Molinari

I am at a risk taking phase of my life. I've done it before but not in almost a decade it feels like. I did not realize how hard it could be. In my head it seemed so easy. CHANGE IS GOOD but change is hard. I feel like I need to pull a Madonna and do a complete overhaul of ME...physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I feel that by posting it here, I am making a commitment to myself that I will be working hard to realign myself in this universe that we live in. Even creatively I intend to spread my wings and have begun to do so but if you knew what projects were in my head but not coming to fruition, ya'd smack me.

At this juncture the risk taking has been minimal but with the re-introduction of some old friends into my life as of late who are helping me remember who I was before I fell into my rut are introducing me to the new me that is a bit of that young girl mixing in with the new smart old lady I have become or should I say becoming and it feels good.

I was telling a good friend how I found myself laughing out loud yesterday at work of all places almost all day long so much so that those that I work with commented on how they loved my laugh and what fun we were all having....at WORK....now who has fun at work? We ALL should, my friends.

So, if it ain't fun, I ain't doing it. Let me amend that since I do need to clean the toilets on occasion here....if it ain't fun, make it fun!

Feelin' just rosy today....

"WHAT IT FOR?"

2008-03-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Many moons ago my grandmother had these great chairs that cost a fortune that she was intent on NOONE sitting on so much so, she left the "plastic" on the chairs. Well, my cousin Brad, just a toddler at the time, knocked Rheba (my grandmother) with a very common-sense question when he was instructed in a kindly manner to NOT sit upon one of these precious chairs, "What it for?" Good point! We have all laughed about this through the years because let's face it.....Brad, the toddler was full of more common sense that my own grandmother who clearly wanted us to just "LOOK" at her upholstered furniture....heee....

Sadly, I get where she was coming from as I protect my new couch from my CRAZY cat who never gave a hoot for our old couch but this new one I got is SPECIAL and worth ripping up with one's kitty claws....I cover it now since I DID pay for this dern thing with my hard earned sheckles.

See my sweet cat sitting amongst the "other" covered-in-plastic stools as I am certain he would tear them up as he has attempted to do so on the couch....I leave only the one uncovered for now....WELL, WHAT IT FOR?
Kel

MAKING LEMONADE

2008-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Cat slipped past me today as I opened the front door to go check mail and he made a bee line for the back yard. I quickly followed because I had to go to work and I was not in the mood to be wrangling him into the house when he'd rather be out in the sunshine...don't blame him, though, I'd rather be there today, too. When I got to the backyard I saw how the lemons from our next door neighbors trees are suddenly growing like wild fire. It's nice how many of the lemons are dangling into my backyard so I snatched a few and I'm gonna make lemonade my friends.

MY NEW LADIES

2008-02-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

I have been knee deep in "feed me" work these past weeks that I have not visited my blog in a while so here I am for a quickie entry to share my new ladie's which I got at work......

One of my "feed me" jobs is working for Pier 1 Imports and with the spring comes a lot of new products to brighten the home with, esp. with the new CEO in charge...he's trying to bring back the taste of old Pier 1 when they carried more than just furniture and candles.

Had to have these gals to put in my new art studio to oversee everything. I have a hunch they will become art pieces themselves in time...when I find time for "just for me" art.

I know other places sell these dress form type statues but I was impressed with the quality, colors and possibilities of these and gave in....doesn't hurt having an employee discount, either.

NEW BEGINNINGS

2008-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

It is a time of new beginnings and change for me. Change is something I do my best to resist but always always always feel so much better once I am on the other side of it and wonder why I resisted to begin with.

Change is a "GOOD THING" as Martha might say.

I learned that my cat is much the same as I, so I know I am not alone on this adventure of changing my life and surroundings completely. Resistant though I am, I am chipping away at this major task each day. There is still much work ahead of me as I put beads with beads, leather with leather, dye with dye.....you get my drift.

For now I have accomplished a new living area that still needs artwork and some things eliminated but it is beginning to come together. This was the first transformation that occurred and the cat when bonkers! I am including a video of him fighting it all and photos of him giving in and falling in love with his new furniture and fancy mod wool rug.

Being a big fan of BOB FOSSE and Gwen Verdon....

2008-01-17T02:11:00.001-08:00

This brought a smile to my face:

FAVORITE THINGS & NEW DISCOVERIES

2008-01-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

So, I head over the hill to visit one of my favorite people, Suzi Finer, to check out her new digs on Martel at Melrose and hang with THE DIVA herself. When leaving, I knew I was close to Dick Blick, a fave place when I'm in need of Golden Acrylic paint, Fabriano Medioevalis blank deckled edge cards and other favorite things I can't live without. I just got a new couch and where I have placed it, I have a big, blank wall above it and it desperately needs some wall art of some sort. Since I have a gift card to Dick Blick AND they are currently having a canvas sale, I decided why not make my own art…..
so I jet down Poinsettia to Beverly and parked my car and shopped. Having a rumbly in my tumbly I glance right and left there at the corner and just across the street…………MY new discovery………….MILK! At first glance at dusk, it looked a bit like a corner convenience store but intuitively I knew better.As I got my new blank canvas’s rung up at Dick Blick, I asked the girl ringing me up what MILK was and she said it was a great place to eat and that it was becoming quite the hot spot. She gave it a big thumbs up. Since I was starving, even if she gave it a thumbs down, I think I would have tried it out just due to logistics to my growling stomach.

When I walked in all I could smell was something chocolatey delicious baking….my mouth immediately started watering but I had to remember I needed to eat real food first….not that dessert isn’t real food. One of my dearest friends loves to eat dessert first but I had not eaten all day and it was 6pm….bad Kelley. I just went for the first sandwich on the board which sounded heavenly. Herb Roasted Chicken Breast-with fresh mozzarella, Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes and pesto sauce!mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I wanted to sample something else and decided to take whatever salad the girl behind the counter suggested and have brought home a Chopped Cobb salad that looks like a colorful healthy treat for tomorrow. I took her up on her suggested dessert which were their Oooey Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies….just ate one as I was typing this and they are deadly delicious. It’s almost ALL gooey good chocolate. I got one other dessert for later and that is the chocolate pudding...just took the lid off to take a photo and the smell of rich chocolate wafted right out of the container. It was all I could to not to steal a spoonful but I was good and resisted until tomorrow. I got everything “to–go” with the intent of eating when I got home but home is in the Valley and traffic was thick and it smelled so good that by the time I hit Crescent Heights/Laurel Cyn., I had to dive into the sandwich. It is served panini style and the chicken was so moist. The mushrooms are clearly lightly marinated just enough of something that it is a nice accent to the roasted chicken . It was such a great mix of flavors. detected some rosemary I believe among other wonderful flavors. Not too overpowering, though which was nice. As for the salad, it is in my fridge for lunch tomorrow.

MILK
7290 Beverly Blvd. (at Poinsettia)
Los Angeles 90036
323-939-6455
open 7 days from 7am - 10/11pm

FreeCycle ROCKS!!!

2008-01-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

So, today I got my first experience with how "FreeCycle" works. It was "almost" fun. I say "almost" because some folk send you an e-mail telling you to forget everyone else cuz they are a "sure thing" but then they have to go to a sudden doctor's appt., yet oddly the girl who came through and picked up my sofa (to make room for a new one) was at a physical therapy appt. when I e-mailed her and promised her the couch but gave her a time limit of later tonight.....she showed up with friends and her wrist wrapped in bandages.....but showed which gives me this fine wonderful empty space to put my new couch and chair that I ordered many months ago.

These girls really seemed thrilled to get my old couch but what a wonderful thing....FreeCycle...UPCYCLE.....someone gets use out of something that truly has more use. Salvation Army was even being picky saying if it had any stains they might refuse it...this couch was in fantastic condition...new covers.....but on one of the arms I had to clean a natural stain and since it was a brushed cotton , it made the material lighter where I cleaned. Salvation Army was going to turn it down because they might not be able to "sell" it but this way, it goes into some other home full of aspiring actors who will stain the thing anyway....I KNOW....I was one...but I paid 900.00 for the thing but these girls got it free so they won't worry about the stains as much....

Say goodbye...my poor Pampas Pier 1 couch....gone forever....on to a new home full of creative people!

Check FreeCycle out at :
http://www.freecycle.org/

BE CAREFUL!

2008-01-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

I am not accident prone but I do get various cuts and blisters along the way of life and working retail for a day job and an artist by night, I have become addicted to the various wonderful bandages that Band Aid makes...some are "tough"...some are "waterproof" and some have anti-biotics in the bandage. Anyway, I stock up once a year on my stash of various Band Aids that will be necessary through the year of cuts and bruises. I only bought 4 packs along with a 6 pack of water, gum and some toilet reading of "Star" magazine....stars before they got stylists...can't wait for my next bathroom break. I get rung through and then the clerk says...very earnestly, "BE CAREFUL." I should have explained that it was stock up time and not that I plan on cutting myself alot. Poor guy.

A Holiday Tune for YA

2007-12-23T06:32:00.001-08:00

Jimmy Fallon Jack Black Roseland

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Something I like......

2007-12-20T21:23:00.001-08:00

LATEST CRAFTMAS BIZARRE FLYER

2007-12-05T21:59:00.000-08:00

I have so much to blog about where my crafting journey to Craftmas Bizarre 3 took me in the last month. I really understand the phrase, "fingers to the bone". My arms are numb and my fingers hurt and I hardly have completed what all I wanted to do. Some of those things will remain dreams for the next craft event. This event inspired me so much, I must say.... and it truly made me grow as a creative person. I am grateful for the opportunity and the stress. Since I am down to the wire on this and must spend as much time possible creating, I am going to post the latest flyer for the Craftmas Bizarre here and be on my way to blog again another day. Please print it out, write my name, Kelley Cheek or Take it Easy Studio on the back and get in free. There is live entertainment, treats to eat and drink and many great crafts to shop! You will not be disappointed!

THE FACTORY

2007-11-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am in the midst of preparing for the Craftmas Bizarre 3 which is a lil' less than a month away. One of the managers at my "day job" has gone out on LOA due to a new baby in his life and all of a sudden my freedom to create flew out the window for a few weeks until he gets back. However, I get a day off here and there and I have been feverishly creating with what lil' free time I get. Today is one of those days. Since I am feverishly multi-tasking, dying fabric, drying fabric, starting covers to journals, picking fabric for my cards, stamping, etc., I realized that there is not a room in this house that is not part of the crafting process. One bathroom is devoted to my ironing and sewing needs. The other is where everything being dyed that can't go in the dryer is being hung to dry. The kitchen....well, the kitchen...I hardly leave it. It is where I am concocting all the fabulous colors that will be absorbed by leather, velvet, silk and cotton. It's also where I cut bookboard and cover it. The living room is where I cut fabric and also do things that I can sit down in front of the tube to watch Friday Night Lights, Damages, Dirty Sexy Money and the like. The bedroom is where I lay and dream of new things to make....and where the greatest load of my paper and fabric stash is stored to inspire me as I slumber.

I wish I had more time to do all of this because I am getting in my creative groove as I get closer to the event and I am really enjoying myself watching ideas come to physical fruition.

Signing off now to go get crafty!

Welcome ALL to Craftmas Bizarre 3!!!

2007-11-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

CRAFTMAS BIZARRE FLYER

2007-11-01T10:53:00.001-07:00

Please be sure to mention either my name, "Kelley Cheek" or "Take It Easy Studio" to get in for free...otherwise they will charge ya a single buck to help curtail costs of booze, etc. Feel free to print this flyer and bring along.

CRAFTMAS BIZARRE 3 at THE FAKE GALLERY!!!!!!!!

2007-10-27T01:01:00.000-07:00

Please check out the cool "MySpace" page that Stacy McQueen has set up for this great lil' holiday craft bizarre I will be at:....make yourself a "friend" if you are on "MySpace" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.myspace.com/craftmasbizarre3

I will be selling handmade journals...the writing and the art kind....great gifts. I hope to make some gift sets as well. I also am making a slew of greeting cards, many of which will be quite whimsical.

I will be selling these great T's on behalf of a friend and a portion of the proceeds will go to a charity benefiting the rescue and care of critters here in the Los Angeles area.

Take it Easy, yall!

2007-10-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

Tagged, and loving it! RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Suzi Finer of http://www.suzifiner.typepad.com/!

Instructions:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1) I love my father. I just love him.
2) I LOVE silly 70's music....esp. the Partridge Family..."C'mon Get Happy"!

Then came Shaun Cassidy 1977:

in the late 70's and as an old lady in the 2000's actress here in LA auditioned for a part for something he was producing, "THE AGENCY" and I shook like a leaf on a tree during the Santa Ana's. He already had a bit of a pot gut and plenty of grey hair but I felt like a sily young girl again drooling over her teen idol. Needless to say, I did NOT get the part. But I was ONLY inches away from my teen dream for a moment having a face to face conversation about college and the like...he asked lots of questions since his son was considering going to college in Texas...I wonder if he ever did...how many gals can say that?

3) I am severely in love with my cat but not in a crazy "cat lady" way...but in the way that makes my proud
of how dern smart a beast can be. He gets it from me.... He makes me laugh, too. I named him Bill after Texan comedian Bill Hicks.

4) I love to hand bind books but is that a random weird fact? Not to most who know me...but those who don't go, "that's cool" and then ask for a book.

5)I love the movie "SAY ANYTHING" and think John Cusack is pretty sexy on occasion.

6) I'm a procrastinator and a Virgo and the 2 are like oil and water.

7) My fave cool fact is the fact that my grandmother...MY GRANDMOTHER...the one who raised me, dated...well, had as an escort briefly....Clyde Barrow of "Bonnie & Clyde" fame. She said he was quite a gentleman and that "Bonnie turned him bad.".....now I have heard several incarnations of this story since her death but she really did know him and really did burn pics of him as she was worried about what folks might think as it was a pretty big deal when he went really bad! Let's just say he was at the "hubcab stealing" portion of his bad days when he knew my grandmother...well, according to my father. It's crazy...it all starts with hubcap stealing and heck know's where that might lead....

Now for the ones I choose to tag:I don't even know that many bloggers so, Suzi....since you tagged me, I might have to tag some of your friends.....egad!

http://beckyspapercreations.wordpress.com/, http://kellykilmer.com/

I am sorry that I am failing at the taggin' game as I am a baby blogger ....so sorry if you got tagged and are hatin' it.

2008 Jeep Liberty

2007-10-22T18:50:00.001-07:00

I posted this one earlier and the video won't work anymore so of course...I went and found it again since this is something that makes me giggle every time I watch it and I LOVE THIS SONG! I AM A DORK!

I am dyeing again!!!!!!!!

2007-10-22T18:16:00.002-07:00

Kay...so I am getting prepared for the Craftmas Bizarre 3, the coolest craft show in Los Angeles which will be on December 9th, 2007, 9am - 7pm at THE FAKE GALLERY here in Los Angeles:

FAKE ADDRESS

4319 MELROSE AVENUE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90029

(323)644-4946

www.fakedotcom.com

Come one!!!! Come all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anywhoo...had to start makin' some stuff for you guys to buy and I am dyeing!!!!!!!!!!! Literally! Purple, pink, yellow and blue...you name the color, I plan to dye fabric that color! What I like to do is cut a certain amount of fabric from all of my undyed white fabrics that are cotton, silk, velvet, velveteen...whatever I have on hand and take advantage of my dye bath that I make that day until no dye is left...as my grandmother OFTEN said, "waste not want not". I alter the color of the original bath several times throughout the day of dyeing. Today started out with a mix of turquoise and sapphire blue and I dyed only 2 small pieces in that color.....(came out a really light pretty robin's egg blue in my opinion)....so I decided to spice things up a bit....

I got courageous and added raspberry and a tiny bit of bubblegum to this mix of turquoise and sapphire blue. Here is what happened...I love the way diff't types of fabric absorb different particles of dye:

You will see light purple, dark purple and even blue. It's like magic to me. These fabrics will end up being cards, covers of journals and even endpapers...well, "endfabrics"....if you know how I make a book, fabric is a big part from beginning to end. Literally.

Well, best quit blogging and start crafting.
KC

NOTHING COULD BE FINER

2007-10-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Than to share a dinner with Suzi Finer in the evening...with Ben.....at Casa Veeegaaaaa......are ya singing along, yet?
So, enjoyed a very creative evening of brainstorming with the Finer woman and she always inspires me!

Chicken taquitos that are served up flauta style that are mmmmm good.

By the by, beans are good food!

Signing off....

Have to make some stuff!

LATE NIGHT CRAFTING

2007-10-14T02:34:00.000-07:00

I am making some books 2-nite and thought I would make my entry tonight wondering if folk out there craft until 3am or am I alone?.....
stop me!!!!!!

SCRAPPY DOO!

2007-10-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

There are lotsa artists out there doing a piece of artwork a day...did that once for 30 days...should post that artwork here in the near future. Well, I am going to challenge myself to blog more...I can't commit to every day as my life is just NOT THAT EXCITING and the day job alone sucks quite a bit o' energy from moi. So, if it is "day job" all day day, then probably "no blog fo' you!" Hee....just kidding.

Anywhoo, am in a massive creating mode due to some deadlines so thought I would take pics as I go along on my creative journey.

Am working on an "upcycle/recycle/green" book and here is the beginning. Late last night I piled, stitched and rinsed and this morning the piece is almost ready to bind into something wonderful. It is still a bit damp due to how thick the fabricky goodness is.

So, I blogged with a cup o' joe in my hand last night and here I am this morning with another cup of Peet's Columbian coffee with a bit o' cinnamon added and a sleeping cat in my lap as I sit here at the computer.

Here are some pics from my adventure in fabric making last night:

THE SCRAP HEAP!!!! Sandwiched 'tween 2 pieces of Sulky Solvy and then pinned together...was pinning at this point.

BEGINNING TO STITCH.......stitch the craziest quilt ya ever did and then stitch some more to secure everything down. I use scraps from everything I do craft wise....even the left over threads and paper...you name it, it's in there....well....not the kitchen sink...but ya get my drift. However, I AM sewing next to A sink....if that counts for anything.
Here I have stitched enough to be able to start pulling out the pins which is my fave part because the pins are a pain in the behind...I keep getting poked with them as I try to sew....so, that is my first objective....to get to a place where I can pull those buggers out and sew every which way like a mad woman.
Here is what the final piece looks like this morning as it is still drying out from the Sulky Solvy being rinsed off late last night.

Will be back soon with more pics of what this scrappy fabric evolves into.
Yall take care now, ya hear!

KETCHUP....CATCH UP!!!!

2007-10-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've not blogged in a while and really shouldn't be doing it right now as I am busy working on a wedding project for submission for a book a friend of mine is writing! But thought I would take a coffee break and post a pic or 2 of the things I am and have been working on. Honestly, I have been swamped playing the "catch up" and "keep up" game the past few weeks. I have finally crossed a few things off my creative to-do list as well as the IRS to-do list....my extended taxes are done and all I need to do is sign the paperwork. WHEW!!!!! That alone makes me a happy camper camping in the Tetons as that would be my fave place to camp if I were camping.

I got a project of some pillows made that have been on my to-do list since July...egad! They will be a gift from a mother to her son which though I am not a seamstress, I seemed to pull it off. I also put some images on a canvas tote for her to present the pillows in...pretty good lil' gift bag, I would say. Better than some old paper bag one!

I have started a new journal/blank book using a great fabric from Japan with a whimsical robot motif....I AM SO ADDICTED TO Japanese fabric these days. This robot fabric is by Trefle and is just wonderful. I am beginning to collect yardage of whatever I can get my hands on.

Well, back to my "GREEN" project which just might end up in a book.

Oh....and something pretty fantabulous is that I got a "how to" article on my "GREEN" scrappy book published in an on-line newsletter from Quilting Arts. I will include a link to subscribe as well as see the article in the archives with the date of 10/10, issue #50...if you are reading this blog post this week, it won't be in the archives until 10/17, I would assume. Here ya go:

http://www.quiltingarts.com/qallc/eNewsletter_form.html

Will try to copy and paste it here for you to see:

Fiber Art Trends from Quilting Arts Magazine

Issue 50

In this issue of Quilting Arts Embellishments you'll find tips for making fabric from scraps and turning it into a book cover, plus a book to inspire more recycling projects.

In This Issue

Scrap Fabric Recipe

Make a Scrap Fabric Book

Creative Recycling Book

Don't Miss This

Quilting Arts Gifts

Quilters Hangup

Silk Hankies

Tips for making a Scrappy Book

"Since I love binding books, I made books from my newly created scrappy fabric," says Kelley.

Materials:

Scrappy fabric (see above)

Large piece of leftover fabric

Small beads

Large bead or button for closure

Eyelets

Ribbon or decorative yarn

Paper signatures

Colorful thread or dental floss for stitching paper

Beading needle and thread

Directions:

Cut a piece of scrappy fabric to the size desired for your book cover (measure the covers plus the spine.) Make a buttonhole on the "front" side of the fabric, near the edge, for the closure.

Cut a piece out of leftover fabric for the spine to the length and width desired and sew it on to the scrappy fabric.

Cut another piece of leftover fabric for the closure and stitch it onto the "back" side of the cover, long enough to reach the buttonhole on the front. Stitch a button or large bead onto the end (make sure it will fit through the buttonhole).

Set colorful eyelets around the edges of the covers about every ½ inch and then "whipstitch" around the edges with ribbon, through the eyelets.

Stitch the paper signatures into place on the spine and bead the strings on the spine where the signature thread has come through.

Creative Recycling in Embroidery

If you like recycling fabrics and papers for fiber arts, check out Creative Recycling in Embroidery by Val Holmes.

Purchase Creative Recycling now.

For more events, projects, challenges, and new and exciting mixed-media products and books, visit our website, QuiltingArts.com. If you are a current subscriber of Quilting Arts Magazine, or if you place a subscription/renewal order with an order, you will receive 10% off our retail prices on all your purchases (excluding subscription orders and renewals).

So, I will shut up and take and Advil PM and snooze for a few and get up and start all over again, go to the day job, go to the p/t personal assisting job after that and back to the creative grindstone! Wish me luck as my hair is beginning to turn white cramming it all in in such a short period of time. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? I can't figure out if I am the world's greatest procrastinator or if there really is just so much to do! Hee!

ROCK ON YALL!

Oh...nearly forgot! I just found out that I am going to be part of what looks to be a PRETTY DARN AWESOME craft bizaare in early December so more on that later as I will want to write up all the deets for everyone!

PAISLEYS ARE TRULY HIP

2007-08-19T23:08:00.002-07:00

I made a journal for a great friend of mine that turned out just as I wanted and thought I would document its creation in photos……note my Smart Water to help me along and my trusty glue brush that accompanies every trip making a new book…..

DYE! DYE! DYE!

2007-08-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

I made a custom order for a fellow CCCOE member who went to Italy. She wanted a travel journal and loved the color blue. I knew what I wanted to use but did not have those colors handy so I thought I would just DYE! Dye some velvet, that is. I only dyed enough to cover 2 books but a few nights ago finally used up the rest of the dye on some various fabrics…velvet, hobatai silk and cotton. These fabrics will be used to make more books, cards and become ribbon, as well. Dyeing fabric is one of my truly favorite things. It allows me so much freedom in my creativity.

RECYCLE UPCYCLE REUSE....

2007-05-26T22:42:00.002-07:00

When I bought one of those "Simple Human" trash cans with the flip top lid that you control with your foot, it came with a free mini "simple human". I had no idea what to do with it until someone introduced to me this fabulous technique of reusing small paper, fabric and thread scraps to make a textile quilty thingy-ma-bobby that is hard to describe but I have used as a spine on a journal thus far. You use 2 pieces of Sulky Solvy...lay one piece down then spread all sorts of scraps out and then place another piece of Sulky Solvy over that creating a sandwich of sorts. I pin the sides together to keep the sandwich together. Then sew the you-know-what out of it every which way making sure it is securely sewn. Rinse under cool water...Sulky Solvy disappears leaving you with something fabulous that you can do whatever you want with. Check out pics above of process then what I have made...am in the midst of making some small journals tonight utilizing this technique.Will post those this weekend but look at what I already made....

VELVET GOLDMINE!

2007-05-23T12:18:00.001-07:00

As of the past few days, I have been dyeing various types of velvet, velveteen, crushed velvet and making cards out of my dyed creations as opposed to covering journals which is what I normally do with my velvet and I am loving the results. Makes me think that velvet covered cards would make for a luscious wedding invite...hmmmmmm.....

...but in the mean time I will keep making my fun velvet cards for any occasion....

MAKING STUFF ON A GREY DAY

2007-05-21T09:57:00.001-07:00

I have woken up to an overcast day that seems like it might linger for a while which I hope for since we are headed into plenty of all day hot and sunny days. Something about the heaviness of the grey hanging on the city, esp. in the morning, windows open, birds chirping, etc. inspires me to create. I had so many wonderful and new ideas floating through my head this morning so I could not wait to get up, make some coffee and get to it.

A friend and I applied to a sooper cool craft fair here in Los Angeles, FELT CLUB (added their banner here) which we may or may not get into but I am going to craft as if we are and it will be a WIN WIN situation as the new creations will go up in my Etsy shop or see themselves on the table at a different fair. Then I will "try try again" for their November event. I would assume FC gets so many apps. that their head is spinning. It really is a cool fair to shop. I went to the very first one and a few of the small ones after and must admit I could not resist spending money at all that I went to. There was always something someone made that I could not resist. Great for gift shopping, esp. for kids. The first FC I went to, I had several new babies in my life all of a sudden and I found buying handmade was SOOOO perfect because I knew I was giving a really gift that NOONE else was going to give. Good feeling inside! Jordan Crane's prints found their way into many homes after I visited a FC event, as well. His stuff is so cool! His books are just terrific! It's so worth the visit to this Carft Fair.

Well, I must get some joe and get to CREATIN'. Will check back in later with some pics of what I make!

Sniff Sniff Sniff

2007-05-17T17:02:00.001-07:00

This guy knows how to take in everything around him and for a day it made me look at the world around me just a little differently.

BABY BLOGGER

2007-05-06T02:45:00.000-07:00

Though I am not new to surfing around and enjoying other's blogs, it is a new world for me to enter. Bear with me as I figure out the technical side of it.

Will be listing favorite links in the coming days for sure.

I am hoping that this whole blogging thing will motivate me to start taking my camera along with me like I used to do when I acquired my first digital camera.

The cat is fussing at me to go back to bed as it is 2:50 am right now and I could not sleep. I was hoping that an over the counter sleep aid and some time on the computer learning something new would make me tired enough to finally drop off. Wish me luck.