Looking good in public, at least.

 May I just say I have never been so physically tired in my whole life. Even though everything in the move went like clockwork I underestimated the actual physical VOLUME of everything that would be invovlved with the move to the Old Screen Door in Delaware and parsing out the various components out of the building on Broad Street. After our big moving sale we dropped 3000 square feet of merchandise by half but my space in Lewes is less than 500 square feet.

 So the rest is taking up half of the family room at the cottage, my dining room in Falls Church oh and in the 16 foot long storage container parked in our driveway.  EEK!!!!!! I also broke the cardinal rule of moving of not touching something more than once.  BEcause we had to load the big storage and display pieces intot the truck forst (to make sure that they would all fit.) we had to UNLOAD the entire truck to get those pieces out of the vehicle to set them before we could start unpacking. After unpacking, then we had to decide what was going into the Old Screen Door- Round 1. And then hump all the excess inventory back to the Lews Cottage. Holy Moly what a mess!

 And then it was back to Falls Church to clean out "what was left that didn't fit on the truck". Double eek. 4 vehicles, 4 cheerful volunteers, 4 trips to my house later and my home looks like a VERY artistic episoide of "Hoarders". Luckily for me I have a crazy wonderful supportive family, truly amazng colleagues, friends and clients who stepped in to help do the schlepping.

At the end of the day here's what was left. A sunny clean space.  Rumor control says it's going to be converted into a day spa or a wellness center.  We shall see. It was hard leaving this high ceilinged sunny space. Taking the last walk about by myself I remembered getting the space ready, learning so much from artistic colleagues while ogling their works in progress, helping people launch their brands, laughing about the time we hosted a blues trio in the "dress department" because it was raining and they couldn't play outside, and all of the hundred of people who we helped and who helped us make me what I am today.

 I am a firm believer in the "things happen for a reason" universe and while I will miss the daily contact and ebb & flow of the Falls Church shop I am envigorated by the possibilities of going back to creative art practice.  I am going to be 55 in a couple of weeks so I have declared this the Year I Actually Get Into Shape. Can only assume that clearing this debris field of a home counts as cardio!

Thanks for all of the kind emails, phone calls and texts you sent me this week.  They are SO appreciated.  I am a little fried mentally but am looking forward to sorting it all out and moving on the next chapter. I hope you will join me!

PS thanks for the flowers Anne & Mel.- They are beautiful!

Keeping to a schedule (in my own little mind, at least).

I don't know about you but I am a big list maker.  But if you are like me, some things seem to always fall to the bottom of said lists.  As 55 is creeping up on me I am more and more aware of the things I have to plan to do instead of assuming that they will accomplish themselves.   With me, usually it is taking care of myself unless I am forced to. Setting aside my absolute lack of desire to exercise while still desiring to be in shape (!) I am proud of myself for scheduling in on my calender some things I want to accomplish.  One of these things is my Tuesday morning drawing class with Alexia Scott.  I am learning a lot - one of the biggest lessons is the reminder that just showing up is half the battle to learning a new skill or accomplishing a goal.

Dismantling the Falls Church Stifel & Capra requires multiple lists! One whole set of logistics revolves around what merchandise is going where.  I am proud to announce that we will STILL have a local place for CeCe Caldwell's paint customer to buy their paint in Falls Church.  God bless Tom at Art and Frame of Falls Church! We are stocking up the paint as we speak and will let you know when we have demos and classes scheduled.  Stay tuned there.

Next on the to-do list? Determining whether or I not I am crazy to be booking a twenty foot truck to haul display shelves counters et al to my new space at the Old Screen Door in Lewes Delaware. I am delighted to report with my trusty space planning tool of ruler, paper and scissors the verdict is - my mental plot OUGHT to work! Of course I am guessing I have totally forgotten some serious pole or junction box and I will be completed thwarted when I get there (takes a break to pull pics off my phone), YES there is a box. Argh.

I do a new lay-out.  It's all good.  Now if only the shed moving guy would show up so I can get my etsy shop inventory out of the shop basement and into my back yard....

When One Door Closes, Another Opens- in this case an Old Screen Door

 Once I made the traumatic decision not to renew my lease at the shop in falls Church I was at a loss.  What to do next.  Fire Sale? Shut her down and walk away? Neither of these are options as, I think I have mentioned, I actually love what I do.  So how to create a new paradigm? As I pondered- the same day I made the decision I saw a Facebook post from a shopkeeper I admired mentioning that he had an opening because one of his vendors had expanded and had left to open her own shop.

 Really? this was interesting as I really liked the shop layout and their style. I actually shelled out retail bucks with them (and THAT is saying something!). One conversation later I was offered an opportunity to join them. (click to read more)  Think, think, think. What DO I want? I already had a list-

 Discover and sell vintage goodies. Make more art. Write more. Actually write the Thriving Creatives blog/book mag/whatever it is that I have had in me for years. Spend time with ailing family members.  Hang with my son before he slips off to college. Teach more. Sleep in occasionally.

 How to do this? How to keep connected to the relationships that I have nurtured over the years? I am still working on multiple options for here in Falls Church but the space at the Old Screen Door seemed a wonderful opportunity to put SOME of my goodies in a space that speaks to me.  Lewes Delaware is a lovely town (we have a farm house 5 miles from the beach there).  Lewes was so supportive when Bob had lost his leg and was rehabbing.  This little beach had handicapped facilities including a beach wheelchair for heaven's sake.  Anyone that follows along with me knows how much I love my Bay sunset shots!

 So I took the plunge and signed a lease on a space at the Old Screen Door. Am looking forward to my "debut" in April.  The 16th is their Sip and Shop event so if you just happen to be on the shore that weekend - come see me.  More details to follow.

 This next week is crazy.  We have a fantastic week booked at Stifel & Capra - one of my dearest friend and neighbors, Howard Cincotta is doing a book signing on our last FIRSTfriday at S&C, old friends are coming in from out of town for the event and I 

 still have a COMPLETE debris field in my basement from the hot water heater pipe bursting. My studio and the anteroom look like something exploded.  While getting ready for my de-stash sale. AND writing the newsletter by tomorrow.

 And planning the logistics of moving everything out of the shop while negotiating details of a local lease so I am not simply banished to my basement while pondering which shows and events to sign up for.

 Life may be nervewracking and complicated. But it is NEVER dull.  Stay tuned.