the TRANSFORMATION of a SPACE, continues

With a window like this, who wouldn't want to work in this spot?

Okay, so if you've been following my blog for awhile now, you know that late last year, I got my heart set on a spot here at home to do MESSY ART STUFF. Things with paint and glue and such. After much deliberation, I settled on a nice corner of our garage, and although it's adjacent to our water heater {and thus causing me that niggling voice that says 'what if the water heater blows, or something?!'}, it's going to be just fine.

but it had to get from THIS, to something I could move into and work from ... I mean, seriously. is that the most UNDER-UTILIZED spot imaginable?!

So that was a photo taken months ago, of what the corner looked like for the last 5 years, ever since we finished the house and moved back to the property.

And then, I found an image in a magazine that inspired me -- it inspired me to really PUSH FORWARD and achieve this goal. It's just a simple shot, a vignette, really, of a tiny spot in someone's studio. But it made me smile and it hangs here next to my computer corner in the library {which doubles as my home office}.

this is that photo ...

Now for the piece de resistance ... a vintage pine armoire that I found last Friday at "etceteras" in La Jolla, that Mark saw on Sunday, and made an offer for just yesterday. And here it is, one day later, just waiting for me to get in there tomorrow and get my MAS {that's Messy Art Supplies} all organized and situated in their new cupboard.

fast forward to this afternoon, and the man who made this all happen for me ... my Marky Mark.

and this is a very happy me, with my new cupboard

just look at all that space -- drawers and shelves and hooks, all within a nice roomy 60" wide armoire.

And within the last month, Mark and I have been clearing that corner diligently, purging and tossing and re-assigning things to a more appropriate location. I've been hunting & gathering, nesting, basically; pulling together the little things that will make my Messy Art Space a real 'home' for my creative moments. Like a radio/CD player, and a braided rug, and a colorful seat cushion from Pier 1 Imports to tie onto the vintage painted stool that we've had since we lived in Leucadia.

All of us, especially our kids, have perched on that stool to have telephone conversations thru the years, and it's got sentimental value for me. I'd like to paint it, but I don't know yet if that will take away some of the 'heart' of the piece. We'll see.

that's the back of the painted stool - do you think I should paint it in more of "my" colors?

With another blissful sigh, I sign off for now .. we're headed up to San Clemente Art Supply for a quick walk-through, so I can show Mark where I've been taking HAPPY PLACE art classes. And then we're heading to Iva Lee's for dinner with our friends, Doug and Marian.

Another beautiful day in So Cal.

-- Davielle

P.S. So ... CAN a water heater blow up?! I'm just asking.