My Dream Studio

My 10yo was telling me what he would put in his dream bedroom the other day and he asked what I would want in my dream bedroom. I told him that my needs are really simple for my bedroom: an incredibly comfy bed with room to snuggle and some decent light during the day. Perhaps a little reading nook too.

But what I’d REALLY have fun with would be creating a custom studio space for my art and design. He asked me what that would look like so we went onto Pinterest to play.

Of course, in this dream scenario, we have no budget. I told him I’d love a space that’s separate from my house so I could have a tiny feeling of “going” to work.

This structure with glass panels for two of the main walls looked especially wonderful with how much natural light I’d be able to get. Although, I don’t know how secure a room like this would be and I may not love having to get there when it’s snowing. I would also want to make sure it’s climate-controlled.

I would want a space that’s large enough so there’s a whole wall of desk space and a large table in the middle for picture framing, kinda like these:

This made me swoon a bit.

^^^ This image with the chairs made me think that a reading nook might be nice. Loving the under-the-stairs storage solutions.

Like THIS for a reading nook. ^^^ This low sofa-daybed-looking thing looks downright dreamy.

Really digging the long desk space.

Ultimately, I would want a designated space for all of the different artsy things I do. I’d want a designated space for my desktop computer, a space for my sewing machine, a space for my mat cutter, a space for my easel (if I ever paint on canvases again), and a space dedicated to watercolor painting. I’d prefer for my mat cutter to live on the edge of a large table that’s in the middle of the room to make picture framing easier.

Some creative storage for flat paintings and paper would be nice along with vertical storage for mat boards, foam boards, canvases, and more. I’d prefer drawers versus shelves for the flat storage to prefent dust from collecting.

I would love a big, sturdy table in the middle to hold my mat cutter, rolls of craft paper, picture framing supplies, tapes, and various other tools.

I also want a Fletcher 3000 Multi Material Cutter. It mounts on the wall and can cut mat board, foam board, glass, and plexiglass. It’s amazing how much easier it is to cut things to size when they are vertical versus trying to cut these items on the floor. It’s only $1800, a girl can dream.

Perhaps the most important of all would be the kind of light this dream studio space can get. I’d ideally love large, north-facing windows to get the most optimal light for most of each day. I’d love if these dream windows are still pretty easy to clean too.

This amazing studio with fantastic use of vertical space reminded me: I would love for this dream studio to have a big, industrial sink for the fabric dyeing projects I love to do but don’t really have the space for right now.

Large, deep, and most importantly, easy to clean.

Of course this space would be heavily climate-controlled and have its own toilet. Cuz, yeah.

What would you have in your dream studio space?

I Bought a Mat Cutter!

One day, 20-ish years ago, my BFF Yvonne knew I was looking for a job after being fired from the last one (long story there). She came over and wouldn’t leave until I filled out an application to work at the picture framing store where she was a manager. She knew I would love the work, and I really did. I alternated between full-time and part-time, depending on my school schedule, for about five years at a Bay Area chain called Corners.

For the first few years, we did everything in-house. We cut and joined frames, cut mats, stretched canvas, built shadowboxes, we did it all. I learned how to lay out and cut multi-opening mats. I learned how to sew down an antique christening gown or an autographed football jersey without using any tape or glue. I built shadowboxes for military medals, antique coins, musical instruments, and even a few license plates. I stretched canvases that were up to eight feet long and cut frames to fit. It was such a FUN job.

The sales side wasn’t always fun; especially with customers who had no idea how expensive custom framing is. But my favorite times were the weeks leading up to Christmas. We’d have hundreds of orders to finish before the holiday, so we’d get overtime approved, crank up the music after the store closed, and get it all finished without interruption. I have lots of fond memories of singing and dancing and making some wonderful friends.

I have thoroughly loved framing different things for my home. I may have old, cheap, and mis-matched furniture, but there’s never a shortage of framed photos and artwork to hang on my walls and lots of artwork and empty frames waiting for a larger house to adorn someday.

Last Christmas, I splurged and bought myself a mat cutter. A few times I paid way too much at JoAnn’s for a custom mat to fit a ready-made frame and it was so difficult to justify paying that much when I knew I could do it myself. Of course, my house is small, so I don’t really have anywhere to put it other than the floor of my office/studio.

First thing I cut a mat for??

I framed Kukkiwon 1st degree black belt certificates for my son and myself. We worked our butts off to earn those and they deserved to be displayed with pride.

The next things I cut mats for were my own paintings and prints for my exhibition at Draper’s Art in the Barn, Draper’s Internationals Arts & Crafts Festival, and the Sandy Visual Arts show. Being able to buy full sheets of mat board and cut all of my own mats proved to be a huge money-saving tool.

My knowledge and skill allowed me to cut mats to fit ready-made frames and save on custom framing AND have complete control over how they looked. When I chose mat colors for the exhibition and arts & crafts show, I kept the mats off-white and simple.

When I chose mats for the Sandy Visual Art show, I went with black to really make the colors in the paintings stand out; even though it’s wasn’t necessarily mat colors someone would choose to hang in their home.

I am SO glad I bought this gift for myself. I have so many pieces of artwork I bought from other artists I follow and I cannot wait to get matted and framed.

Next goal: Get a new house with a bigger studio/office space so I can have a whole table for my mat cutter.

2022 Sandy Visual Art Show

Right after the Draper International Arts & Crafts Festival, my husband sent me a link from the Sandy Arts Guild about their annual Visual Art Show. It’s a 2-week long art exhibition at the Sandy Senior Center where they award prizes to artists in different categories.

I was still riding high from the two booths I had this summer, so I went ahead and submitted two of my original paintings: Corona Arch & Milky Way and Buckskin Gulch. This was yet another moment where I was grateful for my experience working as a picture framer years ago. I was able to cut custom mats for my paintings and make them look professionally framed. I was able to list both paintings for sale, and it gave me peace of mind to know that, on the HIGHLY UNLIKELY chance that someone buys one, they are framed beautifully.

My kids were more than thrilled to help me bring my two paintings to the show and help me get the paperwork together.

Click on the image to watch the Reel.

The opening of the show was last week and friends and family members of the artists were invited to attend where they announced the winners in each category. Categories were: oil & acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, 3D art, photography. They also gave awards to artists with disabilities who submitted artwork.

We went to the opening gala as a family and my oldest wanted to bet me $100 that I’d win 1st place in my category. I ended up winning 2nd place!

My painting of Buckskin Gulch took 2nd place in the watercolor category; which was a really awesome surprise. There were some really amazing paintings, in all of the categories.

It was really fun to walk around and look at all of the different art with my family. My kids scrutinized the watercolor painting that took 1st place (“Yours is way better, Mom!”). I spent a long time analyzing the intricate details of the painting that took 3rd place in watercolor.

Our mayor Monica Zoltanski (Sandy’s FIRST woman mayor!) and councilwoman Alison Stroud were there and I got to spend a few minutes with them talking about my artwork. Mayor Zoltanski told me about when she rode through Buckskin Gulch on horseback and it made ME want to do it too!

The evening was such a treat! I adored walking around and looking at all of the different artwork and I am planning to go back this week to look again.

Click on the image to watch the Reel.

If you’re local to the Salt Lake City area, stop by the Sandy Senior Center before October 7th and check out the exhibition. It’s open to the public and free.

While you’re there, fill out a paper listing your votes for People’s Choice Awards. Those winners will be announced at the end of this week. I wonder if there’s a cash award…

…ahem… my work is in the watercolor category.

Draper's Art in the Barn

I did something scary this summer… well, scary for me. I submitted an application to be one of the artists in a local art exhibition. Every year, the Draper Visual Arts Foundation has an exhibition in a historic barn at a local park. I went to it last year and really loved to see the work on display from local artists. This year, the Draper Art in the Barn exhibition has been expanded to let artists showcase their art in tents outside of the barn too. So they will have more than double the number of artists than any previous year.

I was accepted to be one of the new artists and I’ll have my artwork on display outside the barn. I’m both excited and kind of terrified. This is an ENTIRELY NEW thing for me and to say I feel a little unprepared is an understatement.

I am confident in my art, thankfully. But where I feel unprepared is in the display aspect. I have to bring all of my own display stuff, table, tent, anything else. Thankfully, the show ends at 7pm, so I don’t need to worry about lighting. We are good on a tent and table, but I am having to research how to display my framed artwork in a way that is sturdy, because who knows if it’ll be windy that day. And whatever I do needs to be affordable. I have no idea if I’m going to continue to do this art exhibition thing. I want to, so fingers crossed it’s a positive experience.

Ultimately, cross everything that it isn’t windy! Thats seriously my biggest fear.

I bought myself a mat cutter for Christmas last year, so cutting my own mats will save me a bunch of money. This week I have been cutting mats and getting paintings and prints into frames. Custom picture framing is extremely expensive. I know, I used to be a picture framer! Being able to cut my own mats and use ready made frames is making this a lot less stressful on my wallet.

When it comes to displays though… there are so many options. I will probably get a few grid walls and hooks and see how that goes. Then I will display a few smaller frames on a table with little easels.

Both of these are originals! Both will also have a few giclée print options available for sale too.

I am planning to sell vinyl stickers and I’ll have a bunch of prints for sale in a handful of different sizes. I will have a few paintings in 5x5, 5x7, 8x10, a couple of 8x12, and a few 11x14. They are giclée prints and really beautiful. The giclée printing process provides higher image detail than traditional photo printing. It’s honestly hard to tell the difference between the print and the original… unless you’re me and know which is which.

I am not planning to sell a ton of original paintings because I usually make a few changes to them in Photoshop before I turn them into stickers or prints. But I am considering selling a few originals. A few I may attached a large price tag because I don’t really want to sell them… but I’d be willing for the right price.

All 3 of these are originals paintings

Wish me luck! If this exhibition goes well, I will submit an application to be a vendor at the Draper International Arts & Crafts Festival that’s in mid September too.

Printable Calendars on Etsy

I have had these printable wall calendars in my Etsy shop for more than a few years. I just added a handful of new ones and I wanted to share. Here’s a link to my Etsy shop.

These are a fairly simple and really useful concept:

• Print the calendar page at a local print shop at 16x20 inches (Office Depot, Staples, etc. You can order online or take the file to a store on a flash drive. Some will accept files via email.)

• Insert it into a 16x20 inch ready-made picture frame and the glass becomes your dry erase board.

• Write in the month, days, and your family’s activities and appointments for the month.

• If you have the wall space and need to have two (ore more) months up at a time, print as many as you need.

I have two 11x14 inch calendar frames hanging on the wall in my office and they’re really handy for me to see what the coming weeks have in store for us. 11x14 is all I have wall space for right now, but I am hoping to be able to go up to 16x20 in my next home office. Fingers crossed!

Pro Tip: Use Command Strips to hang these on the wall (yep, that’s an affiliate link). They make pulling these frames down to write on easier to do each month and no holes in the wall. It’s easier for me to write on these when I can put them on a table and Command Strips totally make that easier.

I also keep track using the calendar on my phone, but I’m a very visual person, so having months visible on the wall makes it easier for me. It also makes it easy for my husband and my kids to see what family or school events and appointments are coming up.

These DIY calendars are very simple with a space at the top to add in the month and information in all of the date squares. Ultra-fine tip dry erase markers work the best, but regular fine-tip pens will work as well.

I can customize the name at the top to say pretty much anything; whether it’s just your family name or something different like “The Hollises Craziness,” “The Murray Clan,” or “The Gonzalez House.” I have even made one that says “Girl’s Office” or even a company name. Other fun ones to consider, if it works for your family: brood, flock, clan, dynasty, and progeny. Since my married name is Wong, my husband and I would totally go punny and say “The Wong House.”

If you would like to skip the fun, family name at the top, you can always opt for just a few lines and space to write any notes at the top like the ones on my wall.

Clicking on any of these images will take you to its listing on Etsy.

If you’re interested in customizing a wall calendar with different fonts, adding colors, or going with a different size, shoot me an email and we can talk details.