What a difference a day makes

Now that my husband and I are both full time retailers the concept of "family vacation" over the Christmas holidays is not the stereotypical traveling  over the river and through the woods to relatives for holiday feasts.  After I take a couple of days to clean and glean the shop of holiday detritus, we head out as a family of 4 to the beach.  The place that soothes ALL of out souls. 

We chill out, do some POWER PICKING for the shop and generally relax, eat out and check out all of the groovy Delawarean Christmas Light Spectaculars.  I try to work on my New Year's Resolutions.  Well, not so much resolutions, but plots & plans  long term for the for the business, family and personal goals.   

Of course it might have been smart to have checked the weather before we headed for home yesterday.  We had furniture strapped to the top of our SUV so we had to hustle to attempt to get ahead of the storm that was sweeping down the coast.

I love the fresh start of the New Year and a stunning blanket of snow seems to fit in with that fresh beginning.

For 2014 

I Resolve

to fix what is broken

express my emotions more freely

eat more salad

&

to regain my sense of the ridiculous.

How about you?

When it rains, it pours

The Answer by TW Stifel

Creativity shows it's head in a lot of ways running a consignment shop/art gallery/vintage shop.  Just getting through the day is a constant juggling feat, ESPECIALLY during the holidays!  I am frequently non-plussed when I will by a category of things and then they don't sell and I ask myself "Why, oh why, did I buy 27 decanters (or butterfly pins, or china St Bernards)? and then miraculously and weirdly they all sell and then folks come in ASKING for china St Bernards or a crystal decanter and I am out of stock.   

Imagine by TW Stifel

I also tend to sell art in clumps.  I won't sell a piece for weeks and then BOOM! I was thrilled in the last week of December when all 4 of these pieces PLUS 3 prints left Stifel & Capra and are now proudly hanging in someone else's home. 

Judy by TW Stifel

People often ask how an artist can part with something she has made.  For me, at least it's simple.  I make art because I love to create to problem solve, to capture an emotion or idea.  I enjoy sharing with the person that is viewing my work, EVEN if they don't experience the same emotion that I did when I made  the piece.  And if it moves them to actually invest money in it so that they can enjoy it themselves that helps me buy more paint, do more treasure hunting and seek out new artistic problems to solve. 

Brooklyn Bound by TW Stifel

And it is CERTAINLY cheaper than therapy.
Thank you to my patrons throughout the years. You inspire me to keep creating.