~WELCOME~ Hello Bloggers both near and far! Can you even believe it's been about a year since we last gathered together for this fun event? Who knew such a 'little party' would turn into something so fabulous? It's with great excitement I welcome you again this year to the "WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE II PARTY!" Thank you, Karen, from My Desert Cottage, for hosting this fabulous event for all of us peeps in Blogland! Karen is one amazingly talented lady and has blessed so many of us with her creativity and vision! I hope you'll follow the LINK to her place and visit as many of the participants as you can! It's sure to be an amazing experience full of endless inspiration, excitement and fun! Also, since I’m combining my WBC Party Post with my weekly PINK SATURDAY Post I must give a shout-out to Miss Beverly, from How Sweet The Sound, for hosting our PS get-together! I'd just LOVE IT if you could make time to visit a few of these Bloggers as well! Thanks again to both of these awesome ladies! You rock! ~COME IN~ First...for those of you visiting for the first time let me first tell you my name is Rebecca Suzanne and I own a cottage style business called A Gathering Place. After owning a local brick and mortar store in the mid 90's I moved to eBay where I enjoyed a successful run as an online seller. That partnership has lasted now for over eight years and I've enjoyed it more than I can say. Last September I re-entered the retail market and opened a sweet little booth space in an Oklahoma City Antique Mall called French Quarter Antiques. In April of 2010 I relaunched my own website and I hope you'll visit when you can. It is there you will find the things I love to create the most... Are you ready? Here goes! I have lots of pictures for you! (You can just LEFT-CLICK and the photos will enlarge!) ~REORGANIZED and LOVING IT~ My studio is dressed just a bit different this year! I now have the pleasure of working out of two separate spaces in my home. I have one room designated for sewing and one for painting! First I'll be showing you photos of where I create soft goods...sweet things like cottage and image style pillows, romantic sachets, etc. And it's in this very room that I continue to re-purpose vintage train cases! ~CENTER STAGE~ My fabulous JANOME Sewing Machine rarely has a day of rest. She sits on top of what was once a crummy computer desk that was dark and foreboding! :( It was an ugly old thing, a mission style newby, that truthfully I couldn't stand. After trying to sell it give it away for six months I finally decided to keep the big ol' thing! Now I'm soooo glad I did. Refashioning it into a sewing table was my guy's idea! Brilliant! Now I can't believe I ever wanted to part with it! Underneath the gathered skirt are shelves on each end. It is there I store things I need but don't use every day! ~Antique 1920's CHEST~ Every Single Drawers Holds Vintage Laces Even with two rooms I have limited space. To be able to work smart I need to be able to get my hands on what I need in a moment's notice. Keeping lace in big plastic bags just didn't work for me. So, I moved two vintage chests of drawers into my workroom. They are both filled to the brim with vintage laces of all kinds...Venise, Crochet, Cluny, Filet, Machine, Bobbin, etc. You name it, I bet I have it! ~OLD SPIEGEL CUBBY~ I showed this amazing cubby last year. It still holds my favorite old laces. ~KILLER CHILD'S WARDROBE~ Last January I moved this fabulous wardrobe into the position you see it in now. It's full of more ribbons and laces and higher-end finds I only use on VERY special pillows, etc. No more TV inside it for me! The stress and drama of the daily News wears me out...I opt for great music instead! See the little chest in the corner? It's full of vintage laces as well! Yummo! ~WHERE FANCY WORK IS DONE~ As much as I LOVED the sweet little table in my studio last year I had to replace it with one that was bigger. This one is large enough to hold my Serger. In the left closet I have two other machines. One is dedicated to gathering fabric (Johnson Ruffler) and the other one is a mid-line machine for making things like buttonholes, etc. ~FINISHED PILLOWS and FABRIC IMAGES~ ~CUSTOM LABELS GO ON ALL SOFT GOODS~ ~SPARKLY STUFF - CHARMS - LOCKETS~ ~NEW PICKET DOORS ~ My Mr. AGPMan added these sweet Picket Doors to my Ribbon Cabinet! I LOVE how they came out! Helps to keep things tidy! I love LOVE being ORGANIZED! ~BAUBLES - LACES - BEADS~ Now...I am just about done showing you room number one! Below is a picture of the fabric I've collected over the years. I still use MOST of it! But, it's hard to part with material you dearly love! ~LOVELY FABRICS and MILLINERY FINDS~ Now...if you're still with me I'm going to take you into the workroom where I do the hand painting on all those fabulous new and old Finds. It is also in this room where I do the detail work on the sweet new line of Altered Art Cards and Tags I sell on my website. ~WELCOME...AGAIN~ :) Now...I do NOT base paint my Finds in this room!! All that is done in my Mr. AGPMan's workshop out back! ~VINTAGE SLANTED DESK~ I really do paint in here! I love the natural light that comes streaming in the window during the morning hours! Again...I have to work smart because my space isn't that large. Inside both the closets I store paper, my printer, paints, towels, brushes, etc. Inside the chest are small finds that are base painted but are awaiting their artwork! The small closet next to the desk use to be a desk-cubby. I really disliked the look of it so my guy transformed it for me! :) ~STURDY OLD CHAIR~ A few weeks ago I showed you a picture of this neat old chair! It's one I hauled home from Tennessee! Did it come out sweet? Below are some things that remind me of how far I've come, including the very first sign I painted in 2002. It's sort of a sad little thing but I just can't seem to part with it. It says "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" and it is a good example of the journey my painting has taken me on... I had the lettering down pretty well but those DARN ROSES! Argh! That said...I can't create in a space that doesn't inspire me! I did that once for an entire year. I rented an off-site studio with a huge working area and attached garage. It was the worst year of my life. It was dark...had no windows...was drafty and I had loud neighbors... ~2002 GATHER YE SIGN~ ~I LOVE "Roses" SIGNS ~ALMOST DONE...A Work In Progress!~ ~MY GIRL TALKED ME OUT OF THIS ONE~ ~CARD DETAILING~ I purchased this darling vintage desk when my daughter was only ten years old. The top sides are slanted and open up making it the perfect place for holding all sorts of supplies. Every Altered Art Card and Tag I sell travels right across this desk. Yes...I really do work here! And if that darling little bench gets tooooo hard for me I just grab a pillow (Hey Sweet Tea...wanna send me that cushion back???). :) ~TWO OF MY FAVORITES~ ~A PLACE TO READ and REST~ I found this neat old Tell City Bench at a thrift store a few years ago. When (not if!) I get tired during the day I never crawl into my bed...No Sir-Ree! I snuggle up on this soft and comfy couch thingy for a short little nap and then I'm SEW Good! I love to read and that little rocking chair is my favorite place to sit while devouring my favorite mags! :) That little cabinet on the far right holds finished product that is listed for sale on my website...the closet next to it holds the same thing. Christmas is coming, you know? ~AWAITING THEIR MAKEOVER~ OK Peeps! That's just about it for this year! Thank you sooo much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed yourself and will visit me again very soon! Just as I shared with you last year, whether your space is as big as a ballroom or just a tiny nook in your kitchen, I encourage you to find the passion that lives deep within you and carve out a place to call your very own. I promise you, it will change your life. Just a LITTLE NOTE of THANKS to those who've helped me realize my dream of creating full time... Thank you to my Mr. AGPMan, my Baber! Thank you for everything and for continuing to be my unpaid partner and constant encourager. Thank you for the years of junkin' and slummin' and for not totally FREAKING OUT when I ask you to do things like crawl into a dumpster to retrieve an amazing chair and for not complaining too much when you missed working in YOUR shoppe for the fourth Saturday in a row!! You will always be my hero! Thank you to my Mom! You are the most talented person I've ever known. Thank you for buying me that "Rings and Things" kit when I was 10. That junky toy helped to change the course of my life. Thank you, Daddy. I miss your words of praise... but mostly I just miss you. Thank you to Adrienne and Brandon, my children. Re-purposing your old bedrooms into two working Studios brings me great joy. Each room holds the tender spirit of your childhood within it's walls...and that helps me to never feel too far away from you. Thank you to Lin, Jen & Bill. Having a sister who constantly had JUNQUE everywhere must have made you nuts while we were growing up. I owe you all more than I can say. Thank you to my Bloggie Friends and both my old and new Customers. You know who you are and at night I thank God for each and every one of you. Thank you, God! Thank you for seeing me through the times when I was too frustrated to paint and for grace and patience when I fell short of my goal. Thank you for the joy You have placed in my heart when I've succeeded and for Your comfort and peace when I made a big mess of things. Please help me to remember all good things come from You. I hope one day to be all You planned for me to be. Love to you all~