Scituate in August

While getting up at 4:30am stinks (especially if you go to bed at 1:00am), scenes like this make it worthwhile.  This was the view as I walked out my front door and stumbled onto my porch - it literally took my breath away... I immediately grabbed my camera to capture the moment before it disappeared.

And as I approached Scituate harbor, the scenery was so beautiful I was compelled to stop and take it all in.  Simply stunning!

Surrounded by a few familiar faces (Trish from Idazz and Kathleen from KEM Designs), I set up shop on Front Street in Scituate directly across from Dunkin Donuts.  Hello! Honestly, that is by far the BEST spot a girl could ask for... coffee and a bathroom within 10 feet.  Seriously. Awesome.

I was fortunate to have papa on hand both Saturday & Sunday.  He's the best!

And after packing up for the day on Saturday, I ventured a few blocks to a new restaurant called Oro.  A relaxing, calming atmosphere (with amazing light fixtures and neato sink in the restroom...), the service was fantastic and everyone enjoyed their meals... I went for the beet salad which was yum and quite fancy!)

Rounding out this exciting weekend, I was thrilled to celebrate getting another year older with two of my favorite people in the whole world!! They are super helpers - thanks Eva & Ruthie!

Painting Storage Solutions

Lately it's been tough to find time to paint and one thing I've always struggled with is working within a cluttered area (though I seem to have NO problem creating the clutter...) and it's kind of a problem when you're avoiding a space because of a mess.  So it was time to finally do something about the mess and I started by taking measurements and doing online research (it's amazing what you can find on this computer thingy).  After considering the options, I decided to go with wire shelving versus building a traditional wooden unit.  For ideas, here are some images I came across online:

http://www.art-boards.com/ - awesome but expensive

this would be perfect if I had a gigantic studio...

Alas, I was most inspired by the idea below and decided to run with it:

In the photo above, the painter works on a smaller scale than I do so he can get away with using just one 24" deep x 36" wide rack with 4 shelves.  He cleverly used peg board on each shelf and perfectly lined up dowels to create individual slots, especially helpful for oil painters who need to let their paint dry (I also saw other similar versions where the artists used wire or rope affixed from shelf to shelf ).  Anyway he also added wheels to make it mobile - great idea! 

For my storage solution, I needed a space for larger work (approx 24"x30") and decided that the perfect spot would be a 36" wide x 48" deep unused nook in the corner of the room.  I purchased ONE 5-shelf unit and ordered 4 legs separately from another store for a total cost of $90 and in less than an hour (!!), I put together 2 shelf units back to back and had the entire space organized.  I'm thrilled that I was able to turn the room around so quickly, maximize the storage space AND house all of the paintings in one tidy area. Ahhhhh... now I can finally see what I have and paint in a clutter-free space!! Ya, I know... it's weird where some people find happiness...

Below is the newly organized area!!

OMG, you can see the floor!!

 Is that a clean table top I see?

Not for long.... ;)