Primitive Folk Art ePatterns

Whew.
I am finally able to come up for a bit and catch my breath. Now I am well aware that this wouldn't have happened if I had been creating patterns as a design came out. Why I thought it was easier to do a batch of them at once is beyond me. I will say this though..... these primitive folk art downloadable patterns sure do bring a smile to my face and I hope to yours.
Look at all that has been made into an ePattern just waiting for you to order and download.

All of these primitive folk art epatterns for raggedy dolls, fox, witch and so much more can be found here

Thru the Attic Door at Patternmart

All are $5US each and will instantly arrive in your inbox once you pay :)

ENJOY!

Custom Embroidery

Haven't been able to wipe the smile from my face since this all started to fall into place.
I am so excited about my new hat. Sounds silly but it's the little things that make me smile.

This is a photo of me snapped the other morning. The weather was rainy and just blah. I wanted to be silly and have some fun. Notice the hat???  It's my husbands. Due to all the construction that is happening at the farmhouse (as you can tell by the lovely background in the photo), it can be a bit chilly at times even inside the house. We wear these lightweight hats to keep the edge off. We laugh and call them "house hats". Well he usually wears this one and I'm stuck wearing one with a construction company logo or tool company name. YUCK. They work. They keep the chill off but it doesn't suit me or my style.

SO EXCITED NOW!!!!!

My friend Karrie of Briar Rose Embroidery.,she is coming to my rescue and I have been doing the happy dance ever since. She is going to be making custom embroidered patches to sew onto my own hats. I have picked a few hats up and have them stacked on my craft table. I bought a cream color, a pink and a black.

Look at the design she is creating for me into a patch.
How perfect, right???? I can't stop smiling.

I am thinking I need one of the patches to be sewn to a crafting apron to match.
Seriously so many ideas raced thru my head. I'm going to have a blast using these.
She has numerous designs that she can create a custom embroidered item with.

Look at these embroidery designs. Think of the fun and unique items to be embroidered for yourself or your crafty friends. Karrie does amazing work and is really wonderful to work with. I can't speak higher of her business.

and

I am going to have a few "extra" patches stitched and then slip them into cards to friends. Wouldn't it make you smile to open a note and have one of these designs fall out to sew onto something for yourself??
What a fun easy thing to send a friend, right?? Think of the possible smiles that would happen.

If you are crafty.
If you have friends that are.
Scoot yourself right over to Briar Rose Embroidery
Have something custom embroidered for you and send a smile!

She also does custom embroidered baby bibs, burp clothes, blankets, embroidered key fobs, tshirts, tote bags, and just so much more. Go check all her custom embroidery out! You can not go wrong by having her create something for you.

It's a Creative Challenge

While a few friends and I were sitting around my kitchen table chattering about crafts, life in general and sipping our coffee......... oh how I wish that is really how this all came about. *SIGH*
Truth of the matter is two friends were talking about a challenge to get their creative juices flowing and I sort of jumped right in the midst of the talk and ran with the idea. (None of you are shocked by that, are you? ) 

This time of the year can give you the feeling of standing in two feet of thick mud and just spinning your creative tires. The same items get created by many and it can be a wee bit frustrating. Sometimes it's fun to have a little push. A little bit of a shove in a different direction so it can recharge you. Get you thinking outside the norm of what usually appears on your crafting table.

Some different ideas were bantered back and forth and a vote taken...... NURSERY RHYMES!!!!
We've given ourselves ONE MONTH to come up with something using that theme.
Some of us are doll makers. Some of us are artists. Some are doing....well....I won't give all the details away just yet.

Will share who is taking part though :)

Sherry Marrero of Anniescupboards!!!!!
You can take a peek at her Facebook FanPage 
She also has a blog you can read and follow

Niki Jackson of The Vintage Artist!!!!!
She has an Etsy Shop.
oh and make sure to read her blog

Nicole Campbell of RaggedyOldAnnies!!!!!
 You can take a peek at her Facebook FanPage
This is her website

Cindy Markovcy of Homespun from the Heart!!!!!
You can take a peek at her Facebook FanPage
This is her website


A few other friends too but they don't have their FB Fanpage created yet to link to.
I best go poke them with a stick and get them working on that ;)

Oh and of course ME!
I'm actually going to be creating two different items for this challenge.
I'm doing a doll and a painting. Figured I'd really push the envelope and challenge myself :)

You can find my Facebook Fanpage here and this is my website.

I hope you'll swing by and *LIKE* everyone's fanpage and check us all out while we take part in this Creative Challenge.

Melody Ross makes you BRAVE

When first entering this "world" of fellow artists, you tend to stay back along the wall and spend time just quietly looking around. You are drawn to so many expressions of art, love and soul. Some whisper softly to your heart. Some share their own heart and soul so loudly that it stops you in your tracks. You listen and instantly begin to think that you too want to sing loudly.

Melody Ross of Brave Girls Club, is one such artist, and has an incredible tale of Life that she bravely shares with all who read her blog.I was introduced to the work of Melody Ross when she was a guest artist in a creative eCourse. Her energy seems endless and she showcases LOVE in all she touches. I quickly signed right up for "Daily Truth" emails to arrive in my inbox. Little snippets of light and love to encourage daily. Some days while fighting my own demons, that email is a great light in fighting my darkness. I've fallen madly into her intoxicating world of art and creative bliss.

While making folk art raggedies will always be a strong calling to my own creative side; playing around with strands of multi colored wool fibers and needle felting has been something occupying my mind for a while now. Miniature felted landscapes came out of that creative play.

One morning, I got brave enough to share a peek of this art form on Facebook. Imagine my surprise and sheer delight when Melody left a comment under the photo. She wanted to buy it and be my first customer for one. An artist that I have sat and admired for so long was liking something I had created. I pinched myself all day long and broke into silly giggles of happiness.

Since that moment, something shifted in me. Whispers were speaking and pushing me to do something.
Be like her light. Be brave.

Melody Ross recently went to Manila with Full Circle Exchange to start working with survivors of human trafficking. Human trafficking is one of those topics of conversation that you don’t actually want to talk about. You don’t casually bring it up around the supper table. You may read books on the subject or watch a documentary on it but what happens after that? It's something you can't close your eyes to once you know about it. Most don’t pack their bags and go experience first hand the horrors for themselves…but that’s just what Melody Ross did.
(You can follow more of this incredible journey here.)



In honor of these incredible young girls being given such an incredible second chance.
In honor of Melody Ross and the size of her love and heart.
Because she saw a necklace I'd created and shared such encouragement and joy about it.

With each of my felted landscape necklaces that I sell, I pledge $5 to benefit Melody Ross and her campaign with Full Circle Exchange to help change and better the lives of these women in the Philippines, as well as other women around the world.
I will honor this pledge for the whole year of 2013.

May these incredible young woman continue to draw deep strength and light from Melody Ross and the incredible folks with Full Circle Exchange.

Come on in....we are open for business

Thru all the nerves and jitters, I did it.
 I launched a website again.
THRU THE ATTIC DOOR
I'd forgotten how exciting and fun it was to have one. Found myself really missing it actually. It was time to open one again and take my business further.
Did much needed research, crunched numbers,dreamed big, shed some tears, pulled hair out in frustration,laughed and took a deep breath. May have sounded crazy a few times to the friends and folks I was asking a zillion business questions too but they never gave up on me or my dream. Found an amazing eCourse to keep me pushing on in the right direction. (Building a Creatively Made Business - by Jeanne Oliver) She shared some incredible insight and became just the push I needed. If you are thinking of starting a business for the first time or are like me and opening one again, I can't talk about this course enough. What an huge difference it has made for me. She shares so many insightful tips, tricks and techniques from running her own business. Plus has guests that shares their own insights. I filled a full journal with their information and am putting it all to good use with my own business now. Some of the best money I have ever spent on my business.

I have been making primitive style folk art raggedy dolls for over 10 years now. It is something that I will always continue to create. Something about going from a simple pencil drawn sketch on a notebook page to sliding muslin thru a sewing machine makes me feel alive. Watching the raggedy doll have a personality emerge with the addition of button eyes and whimsical wool hair. There will be plenty of new dolls in the future.

Having said that though, I must confess that my artistic dreams have expanded in directions I couldn't have imagined. I'm playing with paints, inks, canvas, papers and so much more. I'm spreading my wings and discovering my place in the world of mixed media. That realm of creativity has my brain spinning. I'm feeling challenged to expand and grow.

At the moment I'm also tangled up in fibers. Blending strands of wool roving with my felting needles as if they were watercolors under a brush. Each twist of a thread slowly morphing the colors into a scene from my minds eye.

I hope you will enjoy this next path I am walking on. Each step taking me deeper into the artistic world that makes my heart skip a beat and my soul sing loudly. Please feel free to bookmark my website.
I have plans to share many different things.
You can also find me on Facebook where I share sneak peeks, laughs and much more.
Come *like* me and not miss out on anything happening Thru the Attic Door.

Why do I Blog?

Why do I blog?
Seems like such a simple question with an answer that would fall quickly from my lips.
When I was asked this question in an email from a new friend, it actually froze me for a moment while I searched for that "one answer". Only to come to the realization that there were many more answers to that simple asked question.

When I first started blogging, it was going to be more "for my business". I would showcase what I was making and where to buy it. Quickly became apparent to me that method wasn't going to work. I started getting questions wanting to know more about me and my life as well.
Blogging shifted into a place and way to share about my life and the things that were happening.
I was enjoying writing to the fullest. The blog was happening on a fairly regular basis. Online magazines had me on staff as a writer. I was investing time and money taking creative writing courses to expand my love and knowledge.

Life has a way of tossing curve balls at you out of the blue. Many of them you can see in time to dodge. Some slam so hard it takes the wind out of you. In my case the desire to write.

I just stopped.
I would sit at the desk and stare at the blank screen.
Words were constantly jumbling in my head but I could no longer find the path for them to get out.
Small moments of writing sometimes would occur.
Before I knew it though, weeks would slip by with nothing.
Those simple weeks morphed into empty spaces for months.
A few times, I caught myself with my finger posed over the delete button.
Why bother to keep something you are no longer using and is just getting dustier by the moment?

Something way in the back of my mind whispered to not hit that button.
 Listening to that whisper became a focus again for me.

Someone came into my life and shifted something inside me.
She loved my writing. She had the ability with her own words to flame the desire to write again.
Her emails to me were filled with requests to always read more. I sent her every article I'd ever written. Whimsical stories were created to have her read before she fell asleep.She told me during a long night of talking, that my blog needed to be dusted off. That more people needed to find me and hear my tales.
She gave me back the ability to hear that inner whisper.
It got louder and clearer to me. It took on her little Irish accent. That detail made her laugh so hard.

She was also dying and we knew that her passing could easily be the trigger to stop my words again.
A promise was made amongst many tears. The flood of raw emotions that were going to sweep over me when she was finally gone were to be harnessed and fuel for my writing.

She passed away and I took much needed time to carefully pick up the shattered pieces of my heart.
A promise to a soul mate is something not easily passed over and forgotten. I wondered if I could write. Would anyone read it? Walking, listening to the last of the autumn leaves whip about the field ,her voice floated to me amongst the wind.

WRITE!
Start writing.
If one person reads it.
If a million people read it.
If no one other then me reads the words as they appear across the screen.
I was to write.

So I'm back to writing.
Business will be talked about.
My life will be talked about.
Stories and whimsical tales will be shared.

A promise is always to be kept

and then I met you

Woke this morning not really planning to write in my blog. Other things were on my agenda to get crossed off. While sipping my morning coffee and wiping the sleep from my eyes though, something kept jumping out at me, and I could no longer ignore the message it was sending.

While looking at what had happened on Facebook while I was offline (don't roll your eyes at me, most of you are on FB as well), a pattern started to form. In the crossword games I am playing, the same words were played in 4 games. Then reading posts by a few folks, the same words popped up.
It actually made me laugh and get to thinking about it.

Friends...... true friends...... Trues.

No matter how lonely you seem, everyone has friends.
Not everyone has friends that are "trues".
Those friends that no matter what is happening in their life, they will drop everything for you.
To be there. To hold your hand. To wipe tears from your cheeks and tell you things will be ok.
To sit silently while you vent and scream.
They are the ones who make you laugh so hard that you lose your breath.
Your side hurts the next day from the laughter lasting so long.

They are the friends that have seen you be your authentic self.
Not the "image" that is seen by so many. These folks have seen you be silly. Be serious. Be happy. Be sad. Be angry. Be everything you truly are in your core. They point out when you are being foolish about something. They have no issue with telling you when you are over reacting to something. They are the folks in your life that cheer you on like no other. Rush to stand by your side in any situation asking no questions.

This morning my heart smiled because I have those special friends that can be called "trues".
Whatever is happening in my roller coaster ride of life, they are the first to pop into my mind to talk to.
When I am up to my eyes in chaos, each has a special gift that calms me. That brings me back to center.
That makes me take a deep breath. Each has a way of making me laugh when I am positive that laughter can't happen. They are my light in my darkness.

Some have known me since childhood. Some have known me for a little over a decade. Some knew me for only a few short months and yet touched my very soul.
Instantly connecting on levels deeper then others. Understanding with one look. Feeling it so deeply with the sound of our laughter mixing together. Our shared tears. Sharing silence and yet the connection being deafening at the same time.

They are the ones who with everything about them, make me who I am today.
Make me proud and able to stand tall in my chaos.
Make me excited about life and our continuing journey together.
Not every day do we speak.
Some days, we speak too many times to keep track of.
Either way, when the contact happens..... it's like time has stood still for us.
We pick right up where we left off last time.

Friends. Real friends. Trues.
They are my trues.
I fully grasp that concept now.
My soul smiles because of them

Get Some Air

I've never watched the tv show "Gossip Girl" but this quote is attributed to it. I've seen it posted to Tumblr and Flickr and it's always just struck a cord with me. Who ever said it first...I thank you.

Some mornings while waiting for the sun to peek it's first light over the tops of the trees, I get thinking about so many things. That is how I decided now was the time to dust off the blog and begin writing again. Too much happening in my life to not be pouring my thoughts and feelings out. There are times I second guess myself or have doubts tossed my way. That's when this quote rings loudest in my head.

There is no need to give you the play by play off how a blog went stale and how I lost myself for too long.
Who wants to read that drivel while sipping their latte? I'm just going to put it behind me, dust myself off once again and work hard at keeping a promise to a dear friend that I would begin to write again.

If you have been feeling a bit lost as well...... step outside and get some air.
It really does work wonders.

2013 comes in yawning

Can't believe that I couldn't stay awake till midnight to bring 2013 in with style. The winds continued to whip themselves around the creaky old farmhouse last evening. Snuggled under the quilts seemed the best place to be.
2012 wasn't one of my favorite years. Am actually really thrilled to have it behind me and looking forward to seeing what 2013 has in store for me. A few changes already happening. The good old blog got a much needed facelift with some new graphics. They match my website. Yes....I said website.
I am launching a brand new website this week. I'm totally excited with that concept. It's been far too long without one. I miss it.

Birthday (Part One)

Had an incredible birthday weekend. My birthday this year fell on Friday. Mom and I had a driving lesson and then went to Pizza Delight as my meal was FREE. heehee  Then I came back to the farmhouse and my honey had made me an awesome tasty speghetti supper. The next day started off overcast but it was putting a damper on my birthday mood. My sister and her family were coming down to help with the celebrating.

My nieces making biscuit pizza......... you take Pilsbury Biscuits and flatten them right out. Squirt a drop of pizza sauce, add pepperoni and a slice of cheese. Gather the dough all up over top and then place in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes and voila....tasty!!!!

A few games of Scrabble got played which we always enjoy. (Notice the birthday tiaras? heehee)
That is me in the grey sweater, my sister in the middle and Mom in the orange shirt.

I am not a huge fan of cake per say. I mean I of course will eat it but I was in the mood for something different. So we opted to make our own banana splits in waffle bowls. OH YEAH!!!

The things you discover while renovating an old farmhouse

This old newspaper is stuck to the ceiling in our kitchen. It's way too fragile to attempt to take down and save. We found numerous smaller sections stuck here and there. It's in a difficult place to access so taking photos is tricky.

Friday, October 23, 1891
WOW

A few farms are listed for sale.....wish it has shown the price.

You can still read this local newspaper every week. We do sometimes snap up an issue if a headline has caught our attention while waiting in the grocery lineup. Maybe we need to pick up a few to add to the ceiling for those that might discover it years down the road to enjoy.

Wish He'd learn to Stuff

Over the last few days, I managed to draw, sew and cut out enough muslin pieces to end up making 20 new dolls that will be making their debut this coming week. I spent the evening sitting on the sofa and stuffing while watching a few different shows online. I'd turn the piece right side out and stuff stuff stuff. Once it was stuffed hard enough, I'd toss it over onto the loveseat next to me. I had quite the pile of arms, legs, and doll bodies happening. Went downstairs for a quick moment and when I made my way back to the sofa......this is what I found.

Tigger had climbed up onto the loveseat and was snoring in the midst of all the parts. Lumpy, bumpy and somehow the most comfortable spot in the house to take a catnap.

I'm Fine

How many times have you asked someone how they are doing

 and heard the answer 

"I'm fine"?

Seen someone smiling, laughing and you've thought,

 wow, they sure are doing great.

Ever wonder if you're wrong?

I want to introduce you to someone. Someone who has been effecting me more then she'll ever know.

Her poetry haunts me. When I read her words, I feel emotionally drenched. 

Over the years I have read many books by too many different authors to keep track off. 

A very small number of people have been able to stop me in my tracks and 

make me just want to take a deep breath. 

My pulse races with the sheer raw emotion she places within her poetry.

An amazing thing about her.............. she is 13 years old.

 This is Kelsey.

She is the youngest daughter of one of my good friends. 

 She has a beautiful smile and infectious laugh.

She loves dying her hair and piercing her nose and lip.

She loves to draw.

She loves listening to music.

She loves to write poetry.

 She also suffers.

She is bullied at school every day.

She is shoved. 

She is pushed. 

She is called horrible names.

She is dealing with all of it with an amazing grace.

She created a video and placed it on YouTube.

It is so raw and emotional.

Her school had EVERY CLASS have to watch this video.

Thru her pain and torment, Kelsey is going to save someone's life.

She is going to have someone see her video and have that person

know that they are not alone in their torment.

She is going to open the eyes of so many people.

They are going to hear the words "I'm Fine" and now know

that person needs to be heard. 
Needs to feel loved.

Needs to feel compassion.

Needs to feel they are not alone.

Some of us go thru hard times because we also have been given the strength
and the ability to bring ourselves out of the darkness.
Out of the pain.
Out of the overbearing sorrow and rage.
To express these emotions thru our words.
Thru our artwork.
Not to get pity or be judged.
To open the eyes of those around us.
To shine light where needed most.
To be the voice for those not able to speak for themselves.

Here is Kelsey's video.

Watch it all the way thru.

Then think about the people around you.

Maybe it's you.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

 

Please pass this video on so that it may help someone 

who is sitting in their darkness

 to finally see a glimmer of hope and light today.

Kelsey.........you are an amazing soul and thru the darkest of your hours, 

you are a beacon of hope, even when you don't know you shine. 

You have made a difference in someone's life,I just know it. 

You have a spirit about you that many only dream about having. 

You are doing incredible things with your life and will continue to do so.

I told you that someday I would be paying good money to hear you 

standing on a stage reading your poetry and I mean it. You have an incredible gift 

and I hope that you always continue to share your words.

My dream for you is to someday make those words 

more about happiness, love and joy of living 

and let the sorrow and bullying finally be over for you.

xo
Tracy(Cedara) 

I Will Show You Mine {if you show me yours}

Fun link up today over at Jeanne Oliver.
She posted her makeup that she uses and I thought it was a cool concept for a blog post too.
So I scooped all my goodies and raced down to the kitchen table as it really is the biggest window for natural light. The skies are dark and gloomy today so taking photos was going to be a wee bit tricky.

 Now I don't wear make up every day. Some days are just too busy and crazy with everything else happening to even attempt to put eyeliner on without blinding myself. I will admit that when I do slow my day down enough to apply makeup, I somehow feel better about myself.

I do start every morning out using this though and I love the way it makes my skin feel and look. My parents gave it to me this last Christmas. Olay Pro X
It is a 2-speed facial cleansing brush that you use with the exfoliating cleanser creme. A little goes a long way as I have been using the little tube shown since January. The large tube I also got will most likely last the rest of my life.

      Next I apply Olay Total Effects Smoothing Serum. It goes across my whole face lightly with a bit more added in trouble areas like the frown lines on my forehead and crows feet . I use this a few times a week. The Nivea Creme is something I use daily. I apply in the morning and after I wash my face at night.

Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup

My best friend Danielle came for a visit and brought me this. I was blown away by just how simple it was to apply and what a difference it made to my look. No more circus clown pancake makeup. This just floats on your skin and you look natural. I use the foundation powder; the blush in either a bronze color or glee soft pink (depending on my mood) and then apply the veil powder over everything to softly mask it all in place. I always get comments on my skin and makeup being "soft" which I love. I have large pores in areas of my face and none of this stuff clogs or causes me any issues.

When it comes to eye makeup, I'm a bit less fussy. The colors usually attract me first. Then I check the price and if its hypo-allergenic. I wear dark color eyeliner but I have sticks as well as liquid. Everything from a few dollars to $32 from a friend. My mascara is always black and always waterproof. I wear Burt's Bee in Fig on my lips almost 95% of the time but also own Rhubarb and Peony.
I also have a small pair of tweezers now due to that pesky chin hair that started appearing just after I turned 40. (Why do we never see the chin hair until it's long enough to attach a bead or bow to it?)

At the moment as well,my perfume of choice is Roots Source Red Tea

The Art of Wild Abandonment Blog Hop

WELCOME!!!
Quite a number of us have been taking this incredible mixed media workshop "The Art of Wild Abandonment" by Christy Tomlinson and Junelle Jacobsen. Since so many of us also happen to blog, we thought it would be great fun to do a blog hop and talk about the course.

If you are following the Art of Wild Abandonment Bloghop, you have probably came here from Angie Ibbott Blom http://angieblomdesigns.blogspot.ca/. After you have read my post don’t forget to follow the bloghop onto Kay Boespflug http://www.nordljusfollowyourstar.blogspot.com/ . If you haven’t yet started the bloghop, why not join in the fun by visiting www.clairesmillie.wordpress.com and learning all about it”

Thanks to taking this incredible workshop I am now addicted to using these.
Ever seen them before??
They are Caran d'Ache Neocolorll Artist's Crayons

 "Neocolor II crayons are softer than colored pencils, yet denser than children's wax crayons, and extremely responsive to a wet brush. Wet and dry techniques can be combined in the same drawing. Because of their strong pigmentation, light colors cover dark colors and

vice-versa."

It's like watercolor painting with more control. I am in love.

The array of colors to chose from is wonderful. I opted to buy the "40 pk" and can tell already that I will have to be getting a few more colors. I may have to bite the bullet and just get one of every color they offer. They make me feel like a little kid again sitting at my grandmother's kitchen table, coloring with my box of crayons and watching the page come to life with each stroke of new color.

 The quince bush out from in my yard started blooming this week and I raced out with my camera to capture a few photos. I plan on sitting down the next week or so and sketching it onto watercolor paper that I just picked up. Then I'll be applying the Neocolor II and once again watching the page come to life with each stroke of new color.

 Enjoy the blog hop!

Tracy Dunn of Thru the Attic Door and Thru the Attic Door 2

Photography Backdrop

I know many of you out there have been like me and looked at a photo taken of someone/something and thought.....wow.....they are so lucky to have "that" as their backdrop for the photo. I myself have always been drawn to the pictures taken with the chippy paint wall paper behind people. Have caught myself thinking how lucky they were to find a home with such great old walls to be able to take photographs against. Have often dreamed how incredible it would be to be able to have such a textured wall behind my primitive folkart dolls to really showcase them.
 I have always been so jealous......until now!

Just today I was shown a world I had no idea about.

SWANKY PRINTS

They are vinyl backdrops for when you take photographs!!!
Their backdrops are printed using the latest (state of the art) technology. The artwork is very high quality, so it can scale properly. The vinyl backdrops are waterproof, glare free and roll out flat.

This is the one I ordered and I can hardly contain my excitement over it. It is the perfect background to take the photos of my prim dolls. My photos will have the look and feel that I have been dreaming about and yet I won't have to worry about the cat licking toxic flaked paint from the livingroom floor. My cat is crazy.....he'd be licking.

I ordered off Etsy and she was INCREDIBLE to work with. She answered all my questions very quickly and without rolling her eyes at me for asking silly questions.

She also has a Facebook Fan Page that you should make sure to check out.
She does giveaways and such. I *liked* her FB page right away and have my fingers crossed to win another incredible backdrop. I would just flip out with joy!

I'm going to spend the evening sketching some new prim dolls to create, with using this backdrop behind them in mind.


Tracy Cedara Dunn of Thru the Attic Door and Thru The Attic Door 2

My Creative Muse likes her music LOUD

                                                    (Photo)

My home is never fully quiet. I'm not talking children fighting or hearing traffic backed up in the street. (Well for one thing, I don't have children and I live on a very rural back country road.) I'm talking about how music is always playing from some corner of the farmhouse. We have stacks of cds that over the years, have been purchased. Some still have their covers. A few are laying in special cases we had to buy so they won't be scratched too much and become useless. Many are downloaded tunes that we play thru the speaker system on my laptop. Some evenings it's video after video being streamed thru Youtube.

I listen to a wide array of music. Each style speaks to a different part of my creative muse. Some music I can sit back and sketch in my notebooks. Not really focused and yet my pencil lead skims across paper like skates on a frozen pond.
Other times my sewing machine pedal is smoking, that needle is slamming thru fabric and you can't even keep up with the drum beats slamming in the background.

Do you create with music floating around you like creative mist soaking into your skin?

Here is a small sampling of what my muse has been creating to the last little while.


Leeroy Stagger

The Wailin'Jennys


And many afternoons I have had the cd "In Your Dreams" by Stevie Nicks playing in a continuous loop for hours

Happy Listening!
Tracy Cedara Dunn of Thru The Attic Door and Thru the Attic Door 2

Selling Local (Part two)

Spent part of yesterday afternoon, setting up my primitive folkart doll display in Complete Fabrication. It had been raining steady but the sun peeked out just before I went to town. I took it as a good sign of things to come

I brought along four of my vintage apple crates to display the dolls on. Debbie shifted a few things around and gave me space just in front of one of their store front windows. The prim dolls are just to your left when you come into the shop and fully catch your attention.

A quick paper sign until I can create a smaller one that tells about my dolls. (While running errands, I had to purchase more ink for my printer and a small canvas board.) She loved the idea. I also brought a stack of my business postcards that folks can pick up and take home with them. It has all my contact information

My photo album showcasing some of my past creations is also with the display for folks to flip thru. Debbie was turning pages and just kept repeating..."really? You made ALL of these. WOW"

Here are a few photographs of the primitive folkart dolls that I brought in. I hope my local customers will stop in and check them out. They told me that I can restock the display as often as I wished. I was to bring in as many creations as I want. I am just giddy with excitement over this new adventure.

 
I'm spending the day SEWING and planning my next trip back to the store.
Hope to see you soon.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of Thru the Attic Door and Thru The Attic Door 2