{ musings }

Contentment: Wanting What You've Got

“Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase” -John Balguy

I'm blessed.  I recognize this and every day I am grateful for the thousand little things I *do* have which make my life so rich.  I am working with incredible focus to navigate my life with an assumption of blessedness and an air of gratitude, but dammit if sometimes I don't slip into that want-it-bad-gotta-have-it mode!

Why Kim (you say in shock and horror!)!  You?  Admitting to an imperfection?!  Yes, dear readers, I am most assuredly the most imperfect person I know.  I guess it could be worse.  I could have a penchant for ridiculous designer shoes and/or handbags, fabulous automobiles or couture wardrobes...but I do have weaknesses.  Here are two of them:

Food.  Intellectually, I understand that we eat food to live, but I live to enjoy food.  I love everything about it...the colors, the smells, the sounds it makes when its being prepared, the flavors, the emotions it evokes, the sharing of a meal with a loved one. I love watching TV cooking shows.  I love reading the food section of any newspaper.  I love pouring through foodie magazines.  I love reading restaurant reviews.  I love trying new recipes.  I love dining and fun new restaurants. I struggle with this daily, meal-by-meal, snack-by-snack.  I AM the potential 500 lb woman.  Even though my tummy says "hey brain, I'm full!" if a delicious cookie presents itself to me, I MUST eat it!  If I'm dining out and my tummy says "hey, brain, I'd be totally happy with a small salad" but then my eyes see a deliciously written menu option, I MUST order it! It sucks, but I'm working on it.

Camera Geekery.   I have a fucking awesome camera. It helps me create some fabulous images, is reliable, sturdy and pretty damn near everything I need.  But those evil geniuses at Nikon feel the need to release a newer, better, faster, bigger, zoomier, prettier, more fabulous camera every six months that makes my heart skip a few beats and my tummy get all butterfly-ey.  I just know that in my heart of hearts I will be quickly propelled to Annie Liebovitz skill level if only I acquire this amazing hunk of camera flesh but then the damned $8k price tag knocks me back to reality and I realize I'd be perfectly happy with this one.  Sigh.  Then I look at my wonderful D200 sitting over there on the corner of my desk looking at me with that pitiful "aren't I good enough for you anymore?!" look on its lens and admit I really should be content with what I have and also be happy to keep that spare $3k in my pocket!

Don't even get me started on some of my other want-its such as vintage ephemera, fragrances and/or scented bath products, or computer geekery...

I guess the question is while we are, by nature, bent towards wanting more, how does one live a life conscious of CONTENTMENT in place of DESIRE?  Is it even possible (short of donning the saffron robes and shaving our heads) in this society to aspire to such a place of purity?

What are the cravings that tempt YOU from that divine state of contentment?!

Great News in a Smaller Package

Only my girlfriends out there will probably GET the how good this feels, but here goes:

The other day while editing the wardrobe, I came upon a stash of my gorgeous, wonderful, tailored Ellen Tracy suits.  Slipped on the first one and what do you  know...pants made me look like I had an elephant ass!  Hmmm...must be an anomaly.  Next:  same thing.  And...ALL of them were absolutely gigantic!  Woo Hoo!   Normally I'd be a bit sad about the loss of many thousands of dollars of beautiful, tailored-to-fit suits...but NOT TODAY!   And these suits were NOT "big clothes" - some were even from pre-childbearing years...which, while they are certainly outdated now, still felt GREAT!  All of them are now packed up and waiting to be delivered to the Chrysalis Center.

Now I'm no Barbie...and am right around a size 8-10 now, but for me, that is PERFECT.  I am at an age where I can appreciate the fact that I have a woman's body, curvy and rich. My stomach is flat and I am becoming more toned daily.  I will never be a skinny "spinner" (a term which I've recently learned men use), but I am healthy and learning to love my body...the body which has held and borne two beautiful children, the body that has supported me (literally) through good and bad, the body that is 100% mine!  What a wonderful journey!

I guess its time to go shopping!!!

Spring Cleaning Blow-Out!

Spring.
A time of renewal.
A time of change and growth.
Oh hell...a time to clean out, purge and simplify!

 

My studio is first, and let me tell you, this will be NO SMALL FEAT.

At the top of my list is the fact that I have several class kits left from Silver Bella...if you want one of them, I'm clearing them out at $20 each which INCLUDES shipping.   The Winter Faerie Shrine kit won't include the cigar box (you'll have to get that on your own), and while I will send a piece of chicken wire along with the Portrait Rustique kits, you'll need to provide your own frame.

If you're interested, pop me an e-mail to kimberlykwan@cox.net!

Thrifty Gifty

Wednesday morning I'm scheduled to appear on a local morning show called Sonoran Living Live on our ABC affiliate.  My live segment will be to introduce thrifty and green holiday gift giving and packaging ideas using the recycled and re-purposed items.

Here is one of the crafty gift ideas I'll be sharing...Recycled Votive Gift Set.  I actually made several sets of three of these cute little candle sets...they make great hostess or even teacher gifts and are easy-peasey!!  Of course, I love to make these with vintage book pages, sheet music and old-stock ribbons...but you can make them with just about anything you have on hand!

Materials:

• Several small, clean glass jars (baby food jars work great!)
• A few old book pages or newspaper
• Glass glitter or assorted craft glitters
• White glue –or- Terrifically Tacky Tape
• Decorative edged scissors or pinking shears
• Shallow bowl or paper plate for glitter
• Ribbon scraps
• Small votives or tea lights

 

Instructions:

1. Using decorative edged scissors, cut strips from old book pages approximately 1.5” wide and long enough to wrap around your jars.
2. Adhere a piece of Terrifically Tacky Tape along each strip of each book page length-wise –or- carefully draw a line of white glue along the length of the book strips where you will want glitter to stick.
3. Peel protective covering off of tape and dip the sticky side into a shallow bowl or plate fill of glitter.  If using glue, sprinkle glitter over the glue, catching excess in a shallow bowl.
4. If using glue instead of tape, allow to dry.
5. Using white glue, wrap glittered book strips around glass jar and hold in place with a clothes pin while the glue dries.
6. Finish your votive holder with decorative bits of ribbon if desired.

If you are a local reader who caught the segment on Channel 15, WELCOME!  I will be teaching the Winter Faerie Shrine project displayed in the segment at Blissful Living Studios on Thursday, January 22nd....c'mon out and play with me!

Craft Aprons, Anyone?

The last of our famous Lulubellas Craft Aprons featured in in the opening photo of the Silver Bella article in the November issue of Country Living magazine are now available for purchase in our ETSY shop!  Go check 'em out...no two are exactly alike, but all are equally fabulous!

If you purchase soon, I should be able to get them to you in time for holiday gift-giving! 

Class Kits Available!

In case you couldn't make it to Silver Bella last month in Omaha, OR if you were there, but didn't get  a chance to take one of my classes, I have a few class kits for each of my classes available for purchase!  The kits are $40 each, and shipping for up to two kits per package is $6 (US Priority Mail) within the US.  If I am shipping to Arizona, I will also need to add Sales Tax.  Please e-mail me (kimberlykwan@cox.net) if you'd like one or both!   

Portrait Rustique: 
What is old is new again.  What is rustic becomes elegant. What is rough becomes brilliant .  Take a journey through your imagination as we magically combine wonderful old cabinet cards, cartes de visite and vintage game pieces with rough-hewn metals, woods, German glass glitter, bits of old textiles, sparkly trinkets and thrifted picture frames.  Be ready to sand, paint, hammer, and sew your way to creating a  one-of-a-kind décor project.

The kit is pretty darned full, and includes 2 pages of color photos and tips.  After the kit is shipped, I will also e-mail you detailed "how to" instructions in PDF format.  All you'll need to add is your Basic Tool Kit, a (thrifted or clearance priced) picture frame (no glass or back) somewhere between 5x7 - 8x10 (no larger, please) which you’re ok with painting and distressing, a sparkly jewel or bauble (shoe clip, brooch or earring), a favorite cabinet card or CDV if you wish (each kit contains an authentic 1800's CDV photo but if you have a favorite, use it instead!), embroidery or tapestry needle, an awl or paper piercer, and a staple gun.  I will ship a piece of chicken wire to you for use, so work gloves might also be useful!

Winter Faerie Shrine: 
You never know where magic can be found…are there winter faeries hiding inside those cigar boxes over there?!?  Why yes, but they're a timid bunch, so only a lucky few will be able to coax them out of their sparkly shrines!  In this project you'll paint, glitter and decorate these lovely little three dimensional shrines. Just as every faerie has its own personality, so too will be their delightful little shrines!

Each kit contains almost everything you need and includes 2 pages of color photos and tips.  After the kit is shipped, I will also e-mail you detailed "how to" instructions in PDF format. You'll need to supply a Basic Tool Kit, wooden or sturdy cardboard cigar box (ranging somewhere between 5"x7" and 11"x14" and at least an inch deep.  A working lid is a plus),  gesso,  an assortment of acrylic craft paints, perhaps a few colorful markers, matte medium (Mod Podge will do), Stickles and or glitter (assorted colors, if you have them!) palette, brushes (assorted sizes) and water cup.

Special Note to Arizona artists:  I am please to announce that I'll be teaching the Winter Faerie Shrine project at Blissful Living Studio on Thursday, January 22nd.  It will be three hours of glitterful magic-making...and I'm bringing a bunch of my vintage supplies and goodies to share!  Please contact the studio as soon as possible to reserve your seat!!

Covet

I rarely (yes, RARELY) covet stuff like this, especially ridiculously expensive things like this, but DAMN, I love this bag!  Saw it on a client the other day and instantly fell in love.  Soft and slouchy, just big enough to toss my camera or a book into and in that GORGEOUS, cool, muted metallic silver I just LURVE.  Great with my jeans and momiform, but totally dress-up-able.  Santa, baby, if you're reading.....

(Hey...I just noticed that it will totally GO WITH my metallic pewter/silver Chucks, too!  BONUS!!)

Lulubellas Are Back In Action...

Not quite sure how we're going to pull it off between Cori's jet-setting and my hectic photo season, but somehow, we're making it happen for Silver Bella.  Nothing like a deadline looming over your shoulder to get a girl's ass in gear creating, eh?

Here's a sneeky-peeky at one of the not-so-handmade items we'll be offering at Silver Bella...

Oh yah...we know those Bellas LOVE some bling...and when they are packaged on authentic 1800's CDV photos, how will they resist?  We may need some bodyguards, I think!

More teasers to come soon...I am kitting and boxing and creating like a woman posessed and NEXT week will be even more INSANE!  You might also want to take a peek over at Cori's blog, as she's posted some info about our now famous craft aprons which we will also be bringing to Omaha!  Yee Haw!

Archangel Michael of Paint

Today, in search of the ever-illusive non-stretch, non-gross, non-icky velvet, I tossed my pal Allison into the Volvo and set off on a retail adventure.  Having previously had NO luck at JoAnn, Sally's or even SAS, I am by this time QUITE frustrated at this town's complete lack of clothing-weight fabric stores (I miss Hancock!).  So....on a late night tip form my other pal, Amy, we set off to central Phoenix to check out Fabric Depot.

Allison, being of the interior-designer persuasion and relatively NEW to this neck of the woods is ALWAYS game when I tell her I'm taking her on a retail adventure.  She was appropriately awed by the magnificent selections of home dec fabrics and other related stuff at Fabric Depot, but sadly, their velvet selection was pitiful and limited to a half-dozen hideously boring shades.   Sigh.  So, after a few other stops at off-the-beaten path furniture stores, we headed over to Dunn Edwards to pick out some paint for a client of hers, my other walkin' buddy, Jill (who has no blog or web-site, so she doesn't get a link...but trust me, she's a blast!).

In we tread, bearing fabric swatches in hand, waiting patiently in line for our number to be called.  The crusty old dude behind the counter calls our number and Allison, in her sweetest Georgia peach voice asks the kind fellow if he can p"lease match these two colors here?"  He looks at her, cocks his head and tosses the paint swatch book at her.  NU-UNH!  No he DIDN'T?!?!   She says, "thank you, but I already have that swatch book at home...what I would like for YOU to do is MATCH these colors here for me."   Wellll....you get where this is going, I'm sure.   Needless to say, we quickly turned tail and LOUDLY proclaimed WE'RE GOING TO HOME DEPOT WHERE THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME CUSTOMER SERVICE!!

HUMPH!

Completely shocked at the rudeness we've encountered, we trundle into Home Depot and head straight to the very empty paint counter.  We look around and around....nobody.  Ahem!  AHHEMMM!!  Then, like an angel he appeared:

(that's my cute pal Allison basking in the angelic glow of hunky Archangel Michael of Paint's aura)

Meet Michael.  Actually, we will now call him Archangel Michael of Paint.  He calmly approached us and kindly asked "what can I do for you ladies?"  (swoon)   We show him the fabric swatches and sweetly tell him our plight.  He ever-so-gently explained to us that contrary to the Home Depot paint matching advertisements, they cannot match fabric (something about light reflecting through the fibers making inaccurate matches) and, that even if we could, our swatch samples were just too small.  Clearly, not the answer we were looking for, but he actually took the TIME to explain it to us and that made all the difference in the world!!!  If the meat-head at Dunn Edwards had taken half of Archangel Michael of Paint's time in explaining WHY he couldn't help us, we probably would have spent a healthy wad of cash there.  But nooooo.....he tossed a swatch book at us and said "Next!"  HUMPH!

So Allison and I managed to use our four not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be eyeballs to pick two almost identically matching paint swatch cards out of their thousands of selections.  We then returned them to Archangel Michael of Paint and asked him if there was any way we could reduce the pigment intensity of one of the colors ever-so slightly!  Being the dear that Archangel Michael of Paint is, he kindly explained that YES, we CAN do that, in 25% increments!  So, we had him mix up a couple of pints and they were PERFECT!

Ok...so what have we learned from this lesson?  That there are REALLY GREAT people out there working in customer service jobs.  People who are SINCERELY helpful and (gasp!) actually seem to enjoy helping people!  Yes, there are a LOT of idiots and fucktards out their masquerading as customer service staffers, but there are those shining examples of what it is all about (remember my friend Jerry who single-handedly saved the day at Wal-Mart?!).   When you encounter these rare individuals, PRAISE THEM!  Ask to speak to their boss and talk them up to high heaven!  Fill out the customer service questionnaire.  Complete the on-line survey and tell the corporate mucky-mucks about their AWESOME employees, not just the crappy ones.

You can be damned sure that tonight I filled out two forms:  One to Dunn Edwards and another, considerably more shining review to Home Depot.

And Archangel Michael of Paint, if you're reading this (I know you will...I gave you my card and told you to!),  You ROCK (and we hope you get your raise!)!!!

Somerset In Love

It is official and yes, you can now pre-order it!  Woo hoo!!

Here are a few more sneak peeks at MY work in the the other artists' journals and in mine...