Tales from Studio Mailbox

Artistic Jealousy

Awhile back I had my blog consulted with Kirsty Hall when she recommended the one book she knew of that dealt with the issue of artistic jealousy. Anything I can do YOU can do Better by Tessa Souter.

Now I know this is something we usually don't talk about, and I'm not saying that I ever experience this... actually I have "a friend" who's got a problem with this... (sound familiar?)

Anyway.  Seriously.  Because although it was not the best book I've ever read I'm glad that I did. I'd like to highlight the main positive points that I took away from it.

First, it reinforced that the creative people who are achieving their goals are working their butts off.  (And can I please have an "amen" on that?  Because I'm a little sick of the mentality that somehow there's a magic creative wand we could simply wave instead of doing the actual work). 

And secondly, the book made me laugh at loud in a few places about what needy creatures artistic people truly can be.  And it's good to know we're not alone. 

Thirdly, chapter 8 brought up not only jealousy that creative people might experience themselves but also how to deal with the jealousy that others might display towards us.  Jealousy goes in both directions people!  What an important thing to give some brain space to. I like the idea of recognizing artists who might need to do a little shadow work and be ready to handle it with love and compassion.

So leave a comment below if you'd like to win my copy, complete with a pretzel bookmark in Chapter 8.   I'll have a drawing in a week and send it off to you or "your friend..." if you catch my drift!

TJs House - A Digital Tour

The hubby and I have lived in 8 homes and three countries since we married 9 years ago.  Our current residence is the one we've lived in the longest and the only home our son knows. 

So when Michelle Ward brought out Crusade #51: Home Sweet Home I dove straight in.  This is not only the hardest I've ever worked on a Crusade, this is the hardest I've ever worked on any blog post here at Studio Mailbox.  Michelle's ideas are so terrific, I'm grateful for the inspiration to document our life.  Truth be told, I wish I had done this for every residence I've ever lived in.

I hope you enjoy this tour, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you were here.  Or speak up with what you think I should change in this house! 

Our first impression when pulling up to look at this rental property was less than enthusiastic.  It doesn't look like much from the front, but give it a chance, and c'mon inside...

*Ringing doorbell* Ding-dong*Ding-dong*

Little Krauter Turns Four

A lot of people use the term "Kraut" as a racial slur.  I've always wondered why because I thought it was related to the word Kräuter which simply means "spice."  And my kid is definitely spicy. Maybe I'll start referring to him as the "Little Spice" instead of the "Little Kräuter." But that just doesn't have quite the same punch.

By the age of 4, a German child is expected to spell and write his name.  This will be tested by his pediatrican at his next checkup.  Our doctor is great and she always cuts him some slack because of his bilingualism.  Plus the fact that I'm neurotic and armed with terminology from google at his appointments probably discourages her from getting into it with me.

Speaking of doctors, Sunday we were unexpectedly in the ER with Little Spice.  Everything is fine, but we had an hour or so wondering if his future was going to be full of wheelchairs and ramps. 

To make a long story short, he was climbing where he wasn't supposed to be, we weren't watching and there may or may not have been pushing involved.

It was very scary but it slapped me straight upside the head with a whole new perspective for his party:

• Suddenly I no longer felt the pressure to bake everything.  Monday I went straight to the frozen dessert aisle.
• I embraced the fact that my windows are filthy and I was getting a house full of company.
• It no longer mattered that there was no "boy" gift paper at the stationery store.  I wrapped his crap in paper with a repeating clover design and nobody said a word.
• When I realized I forgot to get a new cake topper, I dug out the one from last year's Train Wreck Cake, arranged the cars in a circle to accommodate this year's round cake and proclaimed myself a genius.
• I kept scolding myself that I was neglecting my blog. I've put a lot of pressure on myself now that it's grown.  It occurred to me that if people are going to be so fickle, then it's best they take a hike anyway.
• And I stopped caring so much how everything "looks."  The fact that my kid was sitting on the counter in his dark socks, Rolling Stones t-shirt and undies while skinning carrots isn't embarrassing.  It's sweet and it's real.  That's how we roll around here.  If you don't like it, don't eat off our veggie tray.

So here's a long awaited video, mostly for my family and anybody who's interested in how confused our little bilingual spice boy really is.  The fact that my hair in the first part makes me look like a mentally unstable Pippi Longstocking is just bonus chips.  This stuff really isn't important.  What I care about is how Hanna's little mini-quilt is hanging above that butt-ugly doorbell phone in the background and that my husband's S's look like 5s.  That's the stuff I'm seeing.  This is what really matters.

 

Indecision

Hah!  Check out this one.  One of my favorite spots on a local trail.  I call this fella "The tree that just couldn't decide which way to grow." 

What a fluke of nature!  Here is your typical jack of all trades and master of none. 

Imagine it's magnificence if it would've put all his effort into growing just one trunk.  But then again, it probably wouldn't be very interesting.

Another fine example of photography on drugs. 

Especially when you realize the original looked like the middle shot.

And with a simple Photoshop filter you can make something fun and arty like the last morsel of weirdness. 

What's your favorite??

I think we should call him "Three Trunk" for short.

 

German Hand Made!

There was a spring market during the Easter break where I met an artist named Stefanie from SchnittICH.  Along with her bags and accessories, she had the most amazing coiled medusa-like scarves that were made with none other than a Stricki! 

In addition to them being super warm and trendy looking, the stricki sealed the sale.  How could I resist reaching for my wallet when she pulled out this tool from under her table...??? LOVE IT!!  LOVE ALERT!! 

This isn't the only hand made goodness I've encountered recently.  I was the lucky winner of an amazing giveaway from No Ordinary Homestead. 

Check out this beautiful basket made with vintage fabric from NikkiBag!  And when you see the custom banner on her site, you realize that I'm the owner of the original basket that this close-up is from... can you even believe such terrific good luck??

 
And as if that weren't enough, the postman also delivered this modern black and white yoga bag from Lslie Art!  I'm thinking this bag is also going to come in handy for my camera tripod.  If you visit her etsy shop, be sure to peek at my personal favorite, none other than #15, the Bavarian blue-and-white model!!

Last but not least, I won a wedding correspondence set from e.m.papers!  With my 10-year anniversary looming around the corner, Eleanor offered to customize them into a re-commitment ceremony stationery.

Am I the luckiest foreigner on German soil?  Ja Wohl!!!

(Now the only question is whether or not the German husband would actually marry me again. *toss head and insert wild insane laugh here!)

Check it out -- TJ modeling her new scarf in front of none other than a US Army Jeep seen at this weekend's "Old Timer" car show in Prichsenstadt.  Amid all the Porches and Fiats, the little motor head and I were smitten with what we named "The Real Sarge" with it's big old star on the hood. USA baby!! There was a custom Chevy truck, a Buick that reminded me of my cousin's "banana boat" that we drove as kids, a Pontiac, and even a corvette. Be still my heart.  I was so proud of the American cars, but the jeep?  Take me now or lose me forever...

Mail In - Round 2 of iHanna's Postcards

Here's the second half of the postcards that came in from iHanna's recent postcard swap.  Have a click through the links below for some awesome blog hopping. And if you missed the first round of the mail love received at Studio Mailbox, check it out here.  Thanks to the artists who sent such beautiful mail art and of course to Hanna for coordinating it!!  xxx tj

Top:  Lay Hoon from Me Scrap Studio

Bright Stripes:  S. Arden Hill at Four for the Day

Middle Right:  Pippi from PS Strange

Lower Left: Musical Flowers from Happy Shack

Lower Right:  Dori from The Dreaming Bear

English Wedding Hats

I wasn't kidding when I mentioned during my Royal Wedding Post that you'd be getting a hat study from me. Our Easter weekend was spent with our dear friends Chris and Frankie who drove all the way to Germany from their little island kingdom. As always, they loaded me up on magazines in the English language including a DVD of "Happy and Glorious" Royal Weddings on Film from the Daily Mail. (While Chris made fun of me sniveling at the weddings, we also conducted a study of royal waves from the balcony.  *Note to self, this would be a super fun project to reenact for You-Tube).

For those of you who are new, I've written before about how I sometimes miss England.  And the big lesson I learned from living among the English is how to "take the piss."  Being from Minnesota where everybody is nice first, this took a little getting used to.  Taking the piss means to make fun of something.  Sometimes ruthlessly.  And although I've backed out of sessions that got too mean for my style, I have enjoyed more laughs among the English than I can count.

While sitting on our balcony Chris took a moment to take the piss out of this blog.  *Cue charming English accent and keep in mind he said this with a dead-straight face: 

"Tari, Frankie was showing me your site and all the work you've been doing.  I particularly enjoyed the piece on your swamp findings."  HILARIOUS when you realize he was talking about my Sign from God post.

See?  It's kind of fun once you get used to it. And like any young scholar who learns from their masters, this post is all in good fun, English style.  Because deep down, I'm totally impressed by the little princess who had the confidence to sit behind her auntie the Queen and wear that goofy bow on her head. Seriously awesome. I totally admire anybody who is just being true to themselves.  Keep rockin' sister!

And for those not in the know, a fascinator is a headpiece that serves no purpose.  Whereas a hat has an actual function such as keeping the sun out of your face, a fascinator is worn for merely decorative purposes.  So it's basically art for your head.  This totally flashed me back to The Hairbrush that Changes Your Life!  Anybody remember that? 

Anyway, here's a peek at the sketches in my current Moleskin as well as the technical terms used for the various styles. Is TJ taking the piss?  Affirmative.

Maypole

If you're looking to improve your photography, I'd recommend following The Kat Eye View of the World.  Any improvement you may have noticed around here is probably directly due to Kat's tips and tricks.  Her current photo challenge is for us to find Visual Contrast.

I'm really bad at joining in on these kinds of challenges because I'm so slow.  I tend to blog in batches so by the time I get a post in the hopper, the themes and projects have usually already changed on the host blogs themselves.  But this time, I had such a good shot, I thought I'd have to contribute.

Look at the magnificent church spire in the background of the people's Maypole!  I loved the contrast between the architectural formality versus the happy swinging ribbon-ed wreath on a stick.  And if I had a better magnifying capability or a 100-foot ladder I would have tried to get the wacky contrasting finials for you!  Instead you can just enjoy the close-ups below of the golden angel contrasting with the painted rooster.

For those of you looking for a new postcard swap, Kat is hosting one she's calling Liberate Your Art so check it out! 

Sewn Postcard Mail Art

Simultaneously while cranking out the ATCs I enclosed in our socks for Japan, I was finishing up a few postcards for Quinn McDonald's postcards for the Sakura children.

The hubby was working from his home office and came up behind me and asked what I was doing so I explained.

"Well why are they different size cards?"  he asked. 

"Because this is a postcard project and the other one is a sock project with cards tucked into them."

Silence.

After returning with his tea suddenly I realize he's singing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" as he re-entered the studio.  But because it comes from his German mouth it's more like, "heal zah vorld..."

This is the kind of environment I'm forced to work in people!  For every German who lacks humor, I swear my Hubs was given an extra dose.  You gotta love it... 

But on a serious note, I do hope these cards somehow make some kids smile.  I figure everybody loves animals.  And check out that baby Rhino -- such a tiny creature trotting around in a suit of armor.  Happy Mother's Day!

Sock Smuggling

Names will be changed in this post to protect those involved in the smuggling ring.  This post is dedicated to my friends Kat, Emma and Andrea. I love you guys.

It all started out with a post from Michelle Ward, leader of the Crusades encouraging artists to collect socks for the people of Japan.  And since it didn't make much sense for me to send socks to Michelle in the US, I thought I'd take it upon myself to do a little collection here locally and send a small parcel to Japan directly.

To make a long story short, the first person I went to with my grand vision tore the idea apart.  By the time she was done with me, I was a shaken frustrated mess.  This is one of those things that start out one way but melts into a big dramatic pile of something else.  And when I relayed the story to my German hubby he informed me that in Germany if you are going to take up any kind of collection you need to go register officially with the courthouse for permission and get some kind of allowance to be able to give people receipts for the donations they make.  Really Germany?  How nice.  But c'mon, go tell that to Japan.

It's not that I couldn't go through the motions and go about this correctly.  It's that after nearly five years of living here I'm so exhausted from the all the relentless effort.  Every single thing I try to do here leaves me feeling like I'm out matched.  As if I'm Rocky Balboa in the 8th round.  Saliva pouring from my swollen mouth, but nevertheless clinging to the ropes refusing to lay down on the mat. 

So when I met my girlfriends at a cafe for lunch and started explaining my sock predicament to them I completely lost it.  Tears streaming down my face, red-blotchy nose complete with snot candlesticks.  It had nothing to do with Japan or socks anymore, I had just reached the pinnacle of pain from my ideas and efforts not coming to fruition.  It was a full blown foreign flip out.

Now Jemma happens to be Irish, and she rushed in immediately offering to go to the courthouse and the Governor himself.  It was so awesome and sweet, my tears turned to laughter which seemed to make the Italian waiter a bit nervous.  Then Pat, my other English girlfriend who'd just presented me with a tassle-embellished jumbo Deutsch-Mark price stamper said she'd go buy socks for the collection as well.  They got me through my melt-down and got hope back in my heart.

And the outcome? Check out what came in the mail! Complete with an envelope full of cash from Pat's friend, a German insider we'll refer to as "Hombre" and decorated with a sticker saying, "I love socks!" 

I hunted down Ziploc Zipper baggies which in itself could be it's own blog post, and cracked out a slew of Japanese ATC love.  I stamped those cards with so much gusto you'd think I was trying to single handedly reverse the effects of the tsunami by myself.  I would if I could.  Instead I just switched up to orange cards with embossed purple cows for the kids socks.  Studio Mailbox, thanks to the help of a small but determined foreign smuggling ring, contributed 30 pair of socks.  A small gesture but with big heart.

For anybody interested in the Sock for Japan project, here is their website as well as the Socks for Japan facebook page.  It's looks like they're ramping down and that the last day for shipping socks is May 16.