Sommer Designs

Studio Friday: Quoted

"Quotes are so inspiring. They give us comfort in rough times or the push we need to overcome our obstacles or fears. They enlighten us and give clarity and "A-ha's". Some we keep around for a life time and let them guide us, others we forget about. We work with them maybe or pass them on to others."
~ Robyn

I'm not much of a quote keeper, or finder, for that matter. I enjoy reading quotes that others have found, and feature on their websites and blogs, and often wonder how they find such inspiring and relevant quotes about themselves or their business or their feelings.

Last month, during one of networking get-togethers, my friend Meike read quotes that she felt described, or reminded her, of each of us. For me, there were two:

"Patience is a key element of success" -Bill Gates

"There is a certain combination of anarchy and discipline in the way I work" -Robert Deniro

As you can imagine, I was touched and honored. I think quotes can be so helpful, and I never considered using them or keeping them nearby. I have printed these two quotes out, and one is tacked up above my desk in the office, and the other in the studio - where I need all the inspirational help I can get.

I think we all need a little bit of this too:

Signs of spring: the flowering plums are....flowering!

More Studio Friday here!

Studio Friday: Drawing a Blank!

It's one of the most feared events in the life of an artist. Sometimes it can take a long time to overcome this sudden stop of the creative juices. What do you do? How do you act and react? How do you get back to splashing around in all colours? Do you fight it or work with it?

I've been away too long from Studio Friday! This is sort of a hard subject for me to verbalize, but I really wanted to give it a go - and get back into the habit of this fabulous group!

I don't really run out of ideas, per se. Working for myself, by myself most of the time, I do what I want and go where my life and inspirations lead me. But, one thing I do notice, especially during show seasons when I'm working on increasing inventory, is that I tend to burn out. Hard.

Or, sometimes (this was one of those weeks actually!) I walk into my studio, look around, and walk back out. I just start to feel tired, and stressed and unmotivated. And that's when I know I have to take a break. Yes, I go with it. I wander the antique mall, or go on an organizing spree (which usually involves a shopping spree for all the things I need to organize whatever I'm organizing!), do something else, or take a hike.

I might go through old magazines for my inspiration books, or go through all the inspiring decorating and gardening books that are crammed into my shelves. That usually helps for me!

When I'm burnt out from working and working and working, I usually just need a good show or event to bring it all back to me, and reel me in. Just being out there, meeting new people, and listening to feedback is usually enough to remind me why I do what I do, and then I'm so thankful that I can't wait to get back to work.

More Studio Friday here! Happy Birthday SF!

Studio Friday

This week's topic for Friday December 1st suggested by Sharla: MY FAVOURITE COLOUR COMBOS!

" I make jewelry and I find that I have certain color combinations that tend to be my favorite and I use more often.  So I would love to see what color combinations everyone likes to use". ~ Sharla

Great topic Shar! Now, it’s really interesting, if you scoot on over to Sharla’s today and check out her favorite color combinations, they are (un)surprisingly similar to my own! Maybe that’s why we get along so well Shar! We could have been separated at birth, except that my own birth occurred over a decade before hers!

But, trying to stay on topic (hard sometimes), I also find that my favorite color combinations are seasonal. In the fall and winter, I gravitate towards darker, richer colors and patterns. For the last couple of cold seasons, I’ve loved warm neutrals combined with a bright cool tone – brown and blue especially. I remember thinking (the first time I saw them) how unexpected it was, but how subtly beautiful the combination was and is.

  When the weather starts to warm, my tendencies go towards the brighter colors, and one of my all time favorites is pink and green. It’s fun and light-hearted and just the ticket after so much darkness. This pink paisley is sold out – I’ve got a yard or two hidden away and I might use it next spring, but it probably won’t make it back on the site. I’m sure I’ll find something else suitable to use instead…

Black and white works despite the season. I always see it as a fall back favorite. For awhile black took a back seat to brown and pink, but I think it’s back, if it ever truly left, which I doubt. It’s the all time greatest neutral, in my opinion…

As you can probably tell, I have a lot of fun with fabric and combining them. I always surprise myself with an unexpected combination that works, and the more surprising, the better.

More Studio Friday here! Also, local people: this is the last Sunday I will be at the Farmer's Market in Palos Verdes! And, pssst! There will be some final sale items! Stop by and say hi!

Studio Friday: This is me.

This week's topic for Friday November 17th suggested by Jill: THIS IS ME!

" How about photographing a collage of the things we work with? An arranged collection of papers and embellishments, or fabrics and trims, or paints and paintbrushes, or whatever it is we do that says "this is me." I know we did tools and supplies already, but I thought it would be fun to create a little collage of all the things we use - tools and supplies both, and even other things like a favorite cd, dvd, cup of coffee, nail polish etc that say "this is me and this is what I do".

I think this pretty much sums me up. I'm a simple girl.

More Studio Friday here! Enjoy!

ALSO! I forgot to say thank you to my friends over at Rare Bird Finds for the fabulous shout out on Wednesday! They featured my new Tattoo Apron - take a look! Hey, there's also a secret discount code! Shhhhh!

Studio Friday: Studio Indulgences

This week's topic for Friday November 10th suggested by naomi: STUDIO INDULGENCES!" What can't you live without in your studio." ~ naomi

When I first saw this topic, I seriously didn't think I was going to submit anything. Not because there isn't anything I can't live without in my studio, but because there are so many essential things I do need and I couldn't pick one thing! I was thinking in terms of necessary items - like sewing machine, cutting table, iron, etc. Always practical, I am.  But then I read Sharla's submission, and *slapped forehead*, thought, duh. It isn't about what I need in my studio, it's about what I want. And that's a whole 'nother ballgame!

My Studio Indulgences (and there are many) are pretty things; sometimes extravagant, always inspirational. Surrounding myself with little items of whimsy is an indulgence, and one I allow all too frequently - I like to think it fuels my fire. Last year I purchased this Cagelet from Alicia ~ I certainly didn't need it, but it makes me happy. It hangs over my ironing board, and makes me smile.

You can see more Studio Friday Indulgences here! Now, that's an easy indulgence, isn't it?

Studio Friday: Collections!

This week's topic for Friday October 27th suggested by Silvia: MY COLLECTION(S)!
"Most people collect something, it would be fun to see what others have in their collections."
~ Silvia

Collections! Oy! At first I was really excited! And then, I thought, it could get embarrassing! Because, you see, I have so many collections! It always starts innocently, I'll pick something up at a thrift, antique mall or shop or flea market, and then sometime later, find another one, and so on.

I collect plates (rose patterned usually) and they even decorate my walls in various spots of my home. Hanging a plate on the wall (in clusters or groups for best effect) is a great way to decorate quick on the cheap, and hide a bare spot.

I also collect silverplate trays, which are good for entertaining because everything always looks so pretty when it's set out on silver. You can use them for mini-bars, appetizers, plates (rose patterned of course), wine glasses, tea lights, etc.

Rose prints, oil paintings and watercolors can also be found everywhere. My best score was a antique shop in Manhattan Beach that was going out of business about 4 years ago and I bought a yard-long original watercolor of pink roses for $65. It hangs in my bedroom and is one of the most beautiful pieces I own. Unfortunately, it isn't signed, but the owner purchased it from the estate of a women in the valley many years ago.

I also collect  Capidemonte (sp?) porcelain roses. Small, sweet stand alone porcelain flowers, sometimes in porcelain pots, sometime just the stem.

I collect Chandeliers. I love chandeliers. They can be found just hanging in a corner (in the living room & family room), from a bird cage stand (in my office and bedroom), the bathroom, my studio garage, and currently I'm looking for a small one for over my kitchen sink.

But perhaps my funnest collection is my snow globe collection, a glimpse of which is shown above. I can't remember when I started collecting these, and I go for the kitschy plastic kind that you find in the airport gift shops, as opposed to the more expensive glass globes. Many of them I've received from friends on their travels (because I just don't get out that often!). I currently have about 57, and yes, some are duplicates.

As I write this, Scott is on his way home from Washington D.C., where he has been all week on business. I don't have one from there - I wonder if he remembered?

What do you collect? It has to be something! Take a look at some of the other Studio Friday collections here - I bet they're fabulous!

Studio Friday: Autumn Inspiration

"Autumn inspiration - According to my calendar, today (Sept 22) is the "Autumnal Equinox," and it's my favorite season, so show me what you love about the fall - the colors?... the leaves?...etc."
~ Kerri

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I know I'm not alone, everywhere I turn, bloggers are confessing glee at the turning of the season, the onset of cooler weather, gray skies, rain and for some, even snow (luckouts). Southern California autumn is hit and miss; as in, autumn for a few days, Indian summer for a few days, and back again. It's no wonder people get sick, what with all the weather changes around here.

Last week we were experiencing a perfect autumn; it was beautiful. The pumpkins started appearing, the skies were overcast and cloudy; sweaters started coming out (I dusted off my clogs!). It lasted until Monday, which was a comfortable 65 degrees, and then it started heating up again; yesterday we reached a high of 84, and I was scrambling back into capris and short sleeves. It's very frustrating to love cooler weather and be a prisoner in no seasons!

The colors of Autumn are a welcome relief after the brights of summer. I spend quite a bit of time looking for fabric that has the "autumn feel" - darker, heavier prints. I buy them when I see them and sometimes hold on to them until autumn when I feel it's the right time to break them out. Not that it matters really, right? It's all mindset!

More Studio Friday here!

Studio Friday: Fear

This week's topic for Friday October 13th suggested by Casey: FEAR!

"I have been away from Studio Friday for a while, and I really struggled with the toot your own horn topic.  It actually made me do some free-writing and I thought of another topic that might be helpful for some of the studio friday artists: Fear.

I think Casey is talking about the fear of rejection. Or the fear of your art or craft receiving a negative response. Both are cataclysmic. And I think artists and craftspeople who sell their work deal with both on a regular basis. I'm always worried that my product won't be well received, or people will find flaws with it. I get especially anxious when I meet another similar artist, one who knows their way around a sewing machine. It's as if they'll see through me, and realize that there isn't anything special here at all. Which in my mind, there really isn't. So, I guess I do live the fear.

Last week Jill emailed me and said she was going to try to make it to the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair, and of course, thinking about it, obsessing over it, made me nervous. What if she judges me against her own expertise? She sews (beautifully); she creates (so inspiring); and has such a romantic style in her technique that I don't have. But we did meet, and she was just as lovely in person as she is online. I felt so comfortable with her, and my fears dissolved.

On the flip side, I think fear is healthy and good for us. For me, fear forces me to go above and beyond and to keep trying, even through failure. It compels me to work harder. It's good to face your fears - it allows you to continue to grow.

I have to say, I have a greater fear than the one in my head. It's the fear of bodily injury. I'm afraid of falling down the stairs; I'm afraid of stepping the wrong way and destroying my ankle, or knee.

I'm afraid of hurting myself while working. I've slashed myself with the rotary cutter; I've cut the tip of my finger off with the shears; I burn myself on a regular and near-daily basis with my iron. But, if you really, really want to know what scares me...it's my sewing machine. I live in fear that I will sew through a finger...and I can only imagine the pain.

More Studio Friday here! Enjoy!

Studio Friday...

This week's topic for Friday September 22nd suggested by Jill: STICK IT TO THE... BOARD! " It would be interesting to see the variety of bulletin/memory boards in our studios. What is pinned to them? Photos? Notes? Reminders? Ideas for future projects?"~Jill

This is the bulletin board in my home office. I don't have any room in my studio workroom for this, which is unfortunate. I fill it with things, pictures, photographs and stickers that inspire me, or remind me of a happy thing or time. There are pictures of my family, the boys when they were little, my husband on a camping trip, a sticker commemorating my hike to the top of Mount Whitney a few years ago, a postcard from a happy customer, a vintage rose postcard, some of my online friends' business cards, as well as pages torn from magazines of things I like, like the arrangement of, like the pattern of, or like the color scheme of. And then there's the chandeliers...I love chandeliers...

More Studio Friday here!

Also, if you are in the South Bay of Southern California (i.e. beach cities), I'll be a vendor this weekend at the Manhattan Beach Old Hometown Fair. It's off Manhattan Beach Boulevard, just west of Sepulveda. This is a great family fair, not to mention that it's entirely artist represented and hand crafted.

If you can, try to make it for the opening at 10 a.m. - there's a great parade with the Mira Costa High School Marching Band, and the city officials in old cars! Lots of fun! I'm in the middle aisle toward the southern end - stop by and say "hey"!

Studio Friday: Toot your Horn!

This week's topic for Friday September 22nd suggested by Gabi: TOOT YOUR OWN HORN... LOUD!

" Studio Friday, for me, is a network of Artist from all over the world. It's a fabulous way to communicate with and learn from artists of all backgrounds. With this being said, I would love to see a showcase of what YOUR art is. Are you a scrapbooker? A clay artist? Are you a collage artist or a photographer? Do you paint or work in the fibre arts of Knitting, sewing or enbroidery? Are you a gardener a botanist or an eclectic artist of many trades? I'd love to see a piece that you have created that you are most proud of. SHOW off your STUFF!!"
~Gabi

I think this is a really great topic for the Studio Friday crowd, if you have a chance to follow the link at the end of this post, you can check out all the other artists' sites/blogs to see what they do. And that's why I love this group - it is so diverse and different. There are quite a few digital artists that post, and they are incredibly talented! I'm so intrigued and impressed with graphic design, and if I could do it all over again (if I had to that is!), I'd go with that.

But enough about them, this is supposed to be my "toot my own horn" post! But really, isn't that the point of blogging? Partially, at least? We come here, and we post about what we're up to, what we're working on, showcasing our products, talents and art. I have an easier time writing about myself than I do talking about myself, but even this is difficult.

I cannot pick one thing. Each piece I create, whether it's a handbag, an apron, a drawer liner or just a simple burp cloth, has a piece of me. I love them all. Of course, sometimes there are those that I just muck up so badly it embarrasses me (funny enough, those are the ones I end up keeping & using..), but for the most part, I work really hard, and I am really, really proud of what I do.

It took me a long time to be able to say that. More Studio Friday here - please take a look!