More artroom nesting....

Time for change...

I spent the better part of two days last week trying to figure out what to put on the walls in my artroom and how to store my supplies. Well, thanks to birthday money from my parents, Hobby Lobby's wonderful sales and coupons, and Michael's sales... I have made a little progress in this area.

I knew I wanted an "idea board" and had an idea of how I wanted it to look. I was thinking of getting a standard bulletin board and covering it with toile fabric. I looked at several places comparing prices of the bulletin boards. Then I went to Hobby Lobby. After looking over almost everything in the store, I found a lovely bulletin board (just plain cork board) in a sleek black frame on sale for 50% off. So, I snapped it up (they only had the one I spotted) and went to find fabric to cover it. Their toile just happened to be 30% off, and I got just enough to cover the BB in black and cream. Here is the result:



Along with the idea board, I purchased two black display ledges (which were also 50% off) so that I can put up whatever piece of artwork I'd like to display at the moment. Along with those, I purchased some hooks for hanging my paint smocks and aprons.



I was also on the lookout for some nice way to store some of my supplies. I stumbled upon these lovely boxes at Michael's for 40% off the original prices. What could be lovelier than a stack of beautiful French botanical print boxes?





And so my nest is closer to where I want it to be. For now, I must quit the nesting part and get to actually doing some artwork. I have a show coming up in less than a month and need to actually have something to show. :)



Oh, and about that clock at the top... it is an ironwork pendulum clock which was on the clearance aisle for $10! What a beauty, and what a find. It works like a charm, and I love the look of it.

Blessings,

A Lovely Day at Miss Rosemarie's

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes. I am still nesting in my new artroom... pictures to follow at a later date. But this past Friday morning I set out for a much anticipated late birthday lunch date with my mother at our local tearoom. This is a lovely, quaint spot about halfway between each of our houses. Along with the delicious foods that are made and served daily, they also blend and sell loose teas of many varieties.


This was the table for two (below) where we were seated. We looked over the menu which offered a wide variety of treats... from quiche to crepes to chilled pear soup to salads. For our lunches we settled on tomato basil quiche, crabmeat crepes, and spring mix salad. Then we were looking at the list of teas and trying to decide which one to have with our meal. My mother spotted one called "Parisian Lights" which was a blend of black tea, oil of bergamot, black currant and caramel, and citrus. We thought this sounded good, but our server brought over the tin for us so that we could sample the aroma. Let me assure you, it was love at first whiff.


The lunch was delicious... every last bite. And the tea was so special that I decided I needed to have a tin for myself. As the proprietress passed our table, out of curiousity I asked if she knew of Harney & Sons teas. (If you are not familiar with them, then you must check out this post from Nancy Lindemeyer's blog.) She told me that she not only knew of Harney & Sons teas, but that she purchased a lot of her teas from them.


Which led me to ask my next question, "Is your 'Parisian Lights' tea similar to their 'Paris' tea?" She told me that it was one and the same. This was so funny to me because I had just read Nancy's post in the past couple of weeks, and then I had also heard several others mention their love of this particular blend of tea. If you haven't tried "Paris" by Harney & Sons, then by all means order some today!


This is an article about Miss Rosemarie's Tearoom in Tea Time magazine. And from reading Nancy Lindemeyer's blog, I learned that Victoria magazine and Harney & Sons both got their start together in the mid 1980's and that Victoria featured Harney & Sons more than once in "The Charms of Tea" section of the magazine... once again showing the far-reaching impact of Victoria.

About that... I am still looking for stories about Victoria for the Remembering Victoria blog. Your story may not be earth-shattering, but it doesn't have to be. Did the magazine give you inspiration for your current bliss business? Did it make an impact on your everyday life? How did you feel when you received your copy in the mail each month? I just want to share the different ways the magazine had an impact on each of us, even if it was merely that you delighted in going to your mailbox that one time a month to find her waiting. I'd love to hear from you!!

Blessings!

A(n art) Room of One's Own...

Long, long ago... (last August, to be exact) I posted about redoing what was then my living room, in order to turn it into an art/office space. The room was more parlour than living room and was rarely ever used. The color of the walls was a dark burgundy... not the kind of space that would be conducive to doing detailed artwork.



With no overhead lighting and only one window, this space would need a serious overhaul. This has been a challeging and very, very busy fall and winter. I have had many commissions, health issues, and a lot of things going on with my children and their activities. But, finally last week I got an early birthday present.

I am moving from this space in the corner of my dining room...



...and with a generous helping of "Provence Cream"



and a little help from this...



...I now have this



and tomorrow I will celebrate by enjoying doing my artwork in a room of my very own!



Happy birthday to me!! :)

Calling all who loved the original Victoria magazine

A while back I reserved a blog with the intent that I would offer to all those who loved the original Victoria magazine the chance to share a story about their Victoria experience. It has been quite a full fall and winter with first one thing and then another (my latest diversion has been a severe case of bronchitis which developed on the heels of my January surgery.) But I have spent this last week working on the new blog, designing a header and layout for the pages, and writing my own Victoria story. So now it is done, and I wanted to share Remembering Victoria with those of you who might have an interest or might know someone else with an interest.

Please click on the picture below to go to the new Remembering Victoria blog.

If you would like to share your story with me and would allow me to share it on the new blog, please send an e-mail to me here. Also for those who are willing, would you pass the word on your own blog that I am looking for stories? It would be much appreciated. And feel free to use the picture above. I am interested in hearing from as many as want to share their stories.

Thanks!!

Artwork 2009 - Year in Review

Since I never got around to posting my commissioned work from December, I decided to just make a slideshow of highlights of my artwork from the year. That way, for those of you who are interested, you can look at the ones you want to look at or skip to the next one. I finished a new commissioned piece yesterday, which I shipped off earlier today. It will be a nice Valentine's Day surprise from a wife to a husband. I thought that was sweet for her to do that as a surprise for him... a drawing of the house he and she built together. I will post that one later, but for now here are the commissions as well as other artwork from 2009.

The Artwork of Christi Bunn 2009

View more presentations from Christi Bunn.

Charm and Grace... in the words of Rhett Butler

In the movie Gone With the Wind, when Rhett is finally leaving Scarlett, we find this dialogue between them:

Scarlett: Rhett! Rhett, where are you going?
Rhett Butler: I'm going back to Charleston, back where I belong.
Scarlett: Please, please take me with you!
Rhett Butler: No, I'm through with everything here. I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn't something left in life of charm and grace. Do you know what I'm talking about?



Rhett, of course, was talking about the qualities found in the South that "had been" ... before the war came and robbed them of their dignity and pride (misplaced though that pride often was). But there must have been a real charm, grace, and gentle rhythm to life in the South at one time. I think we have tried to hang on to much of that. I know I have. A taste of humility can be a good thing for a people, and that's just what Southerners got from that war. There were so many wrongs that could never be righted. But, the humbling process undoubtedly produced some of the charm, grace, and genuine niceness that I have found around me all my life.

Margaret Mitchell writes of the transition from proud to humble so poignantly in her prose... about that civilization that is gone with the wind. Those words uttered by Rhett Butler in the movie are not actually a direct quote from the book, but the essence of it is there. The movie is where I first heard the words "charm" and "grace" used in conjunction with one another. It apparently made a lasting impression. Aren't they wonderful words? They convey just what you really want life to be like. While we will never really know if Rhett found those things (yes I do realize he is a fictional character), we can make charm and grace a goal for our own lives.



What do the words Charm & Grace mean to you? To me, they speak of the desire for beauty in the daily things of life, sincerity in all my actions, a warmth and rhythm to life, a fondness for those around me, a gentleness with those I am just getting to know, a genuine care and concern for my neighbors... I could go on and on. I hope that those things are what you find when you visit me, my dear blog friends and neighbors!

Blessings,

A lump in the road....

Well, I thought I would share some of what has been going on with me for the past few months, unrelated to artwork, holidays, or kids. At the beginning of September, I discovered a large lump under my left arm. It did not hurt at all, but was fairly large. I don't know how long it had been there, but I had not noticed it before. After a series of doctor visits, ultrasounds, and mammograms, the latest doctor in the series of doctors assured me that he saw no cause for concern. He did, however, want to keep a close eye on things which required me coming in for subsequent visits. After the last of these which was also followed by the requisite dopplar ultrasound, there had still been no change. So the doctor recommended that, in lieu of the continuing visits, ultrasounds, mammograms, etc., he would go in and take out the offending lump and do a biopsy. So, this past Tuesday I went in for the outpatient procedure. I am the lucky recipient of a 2 1/2 inch incision under my arm, and later in the week I received the fabulous news that the lump (a lipoma) is nothing to be concerned about.

In all honesty, I must tell you that I really was not worried about it... in fact, I hardly thought about it at all. But then, I am not a worrier by nature. On the other hand, my mother-in-law, my mother, and my hubby all do enough worrying that I don't have to. Of course, this is all fresh for my mother-in-law who just two years ago completed chemo treatments for breast cancer herself. In her case, we all felt that her original doctor was not proactive enough. So she did not want the same thing to happen to me. And believe me, I am very thankful that these precious people love me like they do. I must tell you that I am also thankful to only be recovering from the incision and not having to make decisions about what kind of treatment comes next. Many people were caring and praying for me, and I want to give God the glory for answering those prayers.

I have many responsibilities as a wife and mother which I truly enjoy. But I haven't been able to do some of those the last few days. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine now and truly moving on from this "lump in the road."

Blessings to you all,

Thankful for a blessed 2009...

I am looking back over this past year and seeing how God has done some amazing things in my life, and I am truly thankful. I began the year preparing for my oldest son's graduation from high school and for entering the "art show" world (see this post). Winter was a really busy season getting all the things together to make sure that our graduate was prepared not only to graduate, but also to enter college (and made A's and one B his first semester of college, I might add). Then there was the Blogging Break (aka preparation for the art shows)... lots of drawing, painting, framing, and just general busy-ness. When I returned from the blogging break, I shared how much I had learned from the three art shows in which I had participated.

A really bright spot for me in 2009 happened when I found out that Nancy Lindemeyer had begun writing a blog. Then there was the onslaught of commissioned artwork that gave my spirits a real lift at the end of the year. It also confirmed for me that I have been following the path which the Lord has been leading me throughout this year. So, I am looking to the new year with anticipation and hope for what He will do. God has blessed each of us with spiritual gifts and also talents. I look forward to seeing what He does among us... it is sure to be above and beyond what we can imagine!

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21

Comfort and Joy! ...artwork complete and delivered, let the celebration begin!

Well, I delivered the last of my commissions last Friday. After a very full and wonderful weekend, I am so happy to feel Christmas cheer rising up within my soul. I don't know whether it's the relief of having all the artwork I promised to deliver done as promised, or whether it's being with my family and enjoying all the Christmas things we do together, or if it is just the beauty of the season... (probably all three) ... but I feel almost giddy, like I did as a very young child. Can you recall the excitement welling up, the sparkle in the eyes, the spring in the step that you felt as a child waiting for that special day to come? I don't always remember it, but this year it has risen in me like that.


Tonight was a special night with just the five of us. Each year we choose a restaurant to go to and then go out together to a local live nativity, or to the mall, or doing last minute things here and there. It is such a blessing to just be able to meld our busy schedules to have this special time together. I notice as the children get older, this becomes harder. But it is a priority and sets the tone for the rest of our week. I am so blessed with such loving and giving children and a very loving husband with whom I celebrated 23 years of marriage this past Sunday. I couldn't want for more. I pray for each of you that you are surrounded by loved ones this season, and that you will know deep in your heart the significance of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.
Merry Christmas!

With 1 1/2 to go... some poetry for the season

I have nearly completed my commissioned pieces (14 1/2 down and 1 1/2 to go) and am looking forward to really catching up with some of you. I know there are wonderful Christmas posts I am missing right now, but I must press on to get the artwork done by promised deadlines.

In light of things I haven't accomplished this Christmas season... this morning I recalled a poem I wrote over ten years ago (I can hardly believe that, as I type the words.) December, for me, does not just contain Christmas, but three family birthdays and our wedding anniversary just five days before Christmas Day. The Christmas I wrote this was a Christmas when I felt particularly stressed, pulled in every direction, disorganized, and just generally had gotten things quite out of perspective. Sometimes when that happens, poetry just comes pouring out of me. This was one of those times.

I have revisited some of those feelings this year, as I am barreling down on deadlines... and my living room tree still stands there with lights but no ornaments... and my dining room table centerpiece still holds the Pilgrims from Thanksgiving... and I have baked not one single cookie or goodies, nor made my traditional red Christmas punch. How did it get to be the Sunday before the Sunday before Christmas? With all these things swirling about in my brain, I began to think that I really need to have an attitude check. What about you? Have you been able to reflect on the meaning of Christ's coming?



How Could He Come Here?

Think with me now on this great mystery....
Will you close your eyes and let your heart see?
Can you catch a whiff of the sweet smelling hay,
Or hear His soft breathing while donkeys bray?

Dim light peeking down through cracks in the roof,
From a star that would guide and give wise men proof
Of the Child that was born on a soft bed of earth.
No mere baby this One of heavenly birth!

How could He come to this place ... for what reason?
Was it just so that we could establish a "season"?
If He were to come into our midst today,
What would He think, and what would He say?

Would He understand all our hustle and hurry,
Our lives filled with "world-centered" Christmas time worry?
He'd surely cry, "No! This is not why I came."
We do all these things claiming they’re in His Name.

But, His heart's cry for us is to gaze upon Him,
Our energy spent just to worship the Lamb!
Oh, Lord, help us only to focus on You
With all of our hearts as You ask us to do.

copyright 1998
Christi Bunn


May God reveal Himself in new and fresh ways to each of us this season, so that we can reflect Him as He deserves.

Blessings,