Studio Play Date

Yep, my space at Mill City is looking pretty sparse.  I should be working on new large pieces to bring in, but today I had a play date with my studio instead:-)

This table is my justification.  I built this piece and a desk over the weekend.  It was time to play with paper...

 But I have to admit, this table turned out gorgeous!  Six feet long, almost three feet wide.  Beautiful metal base with just the right amount of rust.  This table would be the perfect setting for a Thanksgiving gathering of family and friends!

First, I compiled these vintage stationery sets.  I've got a huge stash of old paper and have been playing around with different packaging options.  I need to take some better photos, but I'm loving this arrangement.  I discovered this "Art of Writing" series in an old (1800's) home encyclopedia.  I love it!  What do you think?

I have a good sized stash (no, not a horde...well...maybe) of vintage office supplies.  They always catch my eye and I pick them up at yard sales, flea markets, estate sales...wherever I can!  I had these adorable little notepads and was looking for a way to present them.  It dawned on me that I had picked up a bunch of tiny (and I mean tiny) pencils at an estate sale a couple of years ago.  I dug them up and they were the perfect companion to my mini notepads!  Seriously, these notepads are 1X2 inches!

I love old books...I have a few hundred or so in my collection:-)  Sometimes I come across books that are just too damaged to be of value, so I take them apart and use the pages for collage work or other art pieces.  I always keep the covers...I've collected quite a few at this point.  I have thought of turning them into unique journals but never had the time.  Well, I'm going to make the time because I think this one turned out fabulous!  I filled it with vintage paper (scraps from an old stenographers notebook).  Love it!

I have a stunning collection of antique, hand colored images of birds and eggs.  I just love old Natural History books!  I scanned this owl image and cleaned it up in Photoshop (sooooo love that app) then printed the updated image onto a vintage dictionary page.  Since my printer uses solid ink (super eco-friendly), the image really pops over the old text.  I have a series of different owl images for sale at Mill City.  I plan to list them on my Etsy site soon!

I tend also to collect antique penmanship samples.  These three images are from an early 19th century guide to letter writing.  I printed them on vintage paper for an authentic look.

That's it for today, though I did dabble in some other projects.  I'd have better photos but blogger isn't letting me edit tonight (why?  good question).

I plan to announce my weekly retail hours soon, as well as two upcoming show dates!  Stay tuned!!!

Create responsibly,

Michelle Cooke