Sunday, January 9, 2011

Dear blogger friends I need your advice ???

















SO here is the big question?? How many of you would move back  to your home town if you left when you where 18 and where now 52?? Cal and I are thinking  of doing just that?!  My Mom has  a beautiful home in a small town called Allegan in Michigan . It was the last house  my father built 30 years ago. This is the reason  she will never sell the place. It has 2 bedrooms  2 baths . The home features tongue and grove  wood ceilings and pegged wood  floors ,pine kitchen cabinets with custom stained glass window inserts that  I designed   . It heats with a wood stove and back up  furnace and has a  well with wonderful water . It sits on a wooded lot high on a bluff  overlooking a  river and a  wooden bridge . The town is small about 4500  and is 30 minutes from lake  michigan . A large river meanders back and forth  through the town with many bridges  . The home has a huge 3 car   garage as well as a large pole  barn featuring  a bath room , all  with a large paved driveway  and parking  . Cal and I would open a pretty  antique store and also sell cool  hand made goods . HINT HINT I would love to feature many of  my  blog land friends work in the shop !!! Such as wearable art,( Deb Hodge this mean You!)  jewelry,( Sharon???) hand made beads( Denise ??) and art work So many of you are so talented I have not the room in this post  to list you !!!But you come to mind. I would  also teach art classes and bring guest  instructors in  for weekend retreats . All could stay in town at   the Fabulous  Delano  Band B !! .We would have a small organic garden and chickens( black  and white ones of course, Cal said no to pigmy goats ) . Cal is going to take upholstery lessons so he can help restore our  finds . I hope he likes working with  Belgium linen , natural duck cloth,   and my beloved black  and ivory check . Oh how I   love Ballard  design  and the new Restoration hardware line!!!I have always wanted to do    hand painted furniture  in the Tracy  Porter and  Mackenzie Child style  !!!  We would open  for spring, summer and fall  on weekends only  and could also  have a  cute tea/ coffee house on the site . Many people come up from Chicago( 2 hours drive or ride amtrak) to Allegan for antiquing as it has one of the best
antiquing markets held  once a month at the county  fair grounds and the town is sweet as can be in a northern small town way , close to many  beautiful lakes as well as lake  Michigan and wonderful Saugatuck Mich.  a super tiny resort town..  The  only thing  is THE COLD SNOWY WINTERS and my  past growing up issues.... I could not wait to leave!!! And would my Mom give her  OK to this idea, she is thinking  on it now .  She has not lived there   in 15 years  but has  had a caretakers / tenants   living in the place for the last few years  they would have to move out  and I feel bad about that as thay are  family friends .  I would love the feedback and yes I know this is   a very  bad time to do this in a recession and in MICHIGAN one of the hardest hit areas economic  wise in the country!!!!!! But on the other hand the building  and home  site set up for this is already in place, perfect and  just ready   to stage  and  it is a very inexpensive place to live  .Please tell me your thoughts,  are we CRAZY??? Nothing  ventured nothing gained ?!











 A baby painted turtle from an Allegan Lake . My mom tells  a story about me as a little girl.  After I had found a turtle ,I was  told  to give it to my friend .I said no to this with the response that " you can always have a friend  but not a  turtle" . How do you spell Brat ??? J-U- L-I-E

Thursday, January 6, 2011

homeless but not hopeless





Well in everyones life a little rain must pour , but in our case it came from  the sprinkler system pipes over my studio on the 2nd floor. While we have been in Bisbee the pipes froze and broke in  our condo back home   in Santa Fe and tons of water  poured down and the  ceilings caved in .  The condo maintenance  man saw water running  out the doors and truned off the main valve .  Our friend Fred took these pictures after we called him for his help . I have not had the courage to go  home  yet and see the mess, but am letting the pros handle everything.  We have been advised that these types of total  losses are very emotional  for home owners .Water flooded down the  stairs and walls to the first floor . The entire  place now  needs gutting as all the walls are ruined  and many furnishings and electronics   are ruined  too. Our insurance company sent an emergency crew over  to start the salvage and brought out a  large container . Everything will be moved into  it and  then sent to a place to dry out what can be saved .Books and papers are  frozen and sent to Texas to a restoration place. Once everything is moved out the gutting of walls etc. can happen and  rebuilding  can begin. I am trying to figure out what the universe is trying to tell me . My gut feeling  is saying Santa Fe  is not for you "my Dear" ( My friend Renee would  agree I bet!!! ) as  it has done it to you again!! I have had past bad luck in Santa Fe but keep   moving away and then insisting on coming back!! I think it is time to let go for good and move on ... trust the universe to open new doors and walk through them to hopefully new opportunities . Any one have any  ideas ???? Cal and I are serious!!! If anyone knows of a good very inexpensive place to live and with opportunities for 2 creative people  let me know . Cal has great building and  handyman  skills . Any where in the country will do we are only looking for the open door of change !

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

New class Jan 19th at Paper tales in San diego

Paper Tales is excited to Announce 
Julie Haymaker 
and 
Terri Brush
together teaching here in 
San Diego.
Jan 19th Wed 4 til 9 pm 
$75.00 includes all art supplies and snacks in class. 

                                                      Regsiter here !!

My younger twin????

Yesterday's post was about the color "Orange" as I was photographing  on my walk  with the dogs  a women with red hair called  to me from over her balcony with a  question  about Scooty. I of course snapped  her picture  as she had "orange " hair .When I got home and loaded up  my posts  pictures, I looked at her image and told Cal  She kind of  looks  like me.?? Funny Rene thought so too  as she said  in her comment ...Julie you look so rested  .. Thanks Rene I do look rested in that photo as  a red head and  about 20 years younger tee hee .... Here is the photo of the woman  with red hair again and one of me .Yes all of us do have many " twins "  living somewhere  out there!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Think warm!!


 The second  color that stands out so much in Bisbee is Orange   another perfect southwest color..... 






































                                                                  I  guess I was inpired .