Nesting and painting

Hello everyone
I had a rare weekend without a wedding so I took a few days off just just to putter around my house and try to relax a bit.  I feel like I have been on a continuous wild ride since March!  I have been doing better I guess.  Up days and down.  The downs are not quite as low which is good.  Having such a beautiful home that is so nurturing helps.  I can't believe it has been four months already since I moved in!  Time is strange for me right now.  Sometimes it seems to crawl along and then there are times when it just shoots past!  In those rare quiet times I have been trying to rediscover some of the things I used to enjoy doing... like painting.  So today I thought I would show you a few pictures of my home and a couple of the paintings I have been working on.
This first picture is of my front porch.  My front door opens directly onto this area.  It is where I meet clients, have my portfolio and a few samples of my props.

This is a cabinet on the porch with some of my containers and bits and bobs I use for weddings.

some details

The light is perfect for ferns and other house plants.

I also have set up my easel and all my painting supplies here.  

I have been spending some time lately painting.

One particular day I was so down and so utterly sick of being down that I just didn't know what to do with myself.  I was actually somewhat frantic, thus launched my first painting.  It was all I could think of to do.

I kind of lost myself in the process of painting, it was wonderful.  It feels like time sort of suspended for a while.

One of my favorite painters of all time is Susan Seddon Boulet.  I tried to work within a similar style.

Here is another painting that I haven't quite finished yet.

Sorry about the quality of the picture.  Shadows from the window panes of the porch are on the painting.  When I finish it I will take better pictures and show you.

I am so grateful to be painting again.  I actually haven't done it that much.  In college I had a wonderful class with a local painter by the name of Robert Frame.  He got me started and I discovered I loved it.  Life gets so busy that I really didn't paint much since then.  I have probably done 10 paintings in about 25 years!  So glad to be back.  No more long breaks!

When you walk from the front porch into the house this is what you see, my living room.

My couch is an old grain bin that was rotting in a building on a neighboring ranch.

Mike took the front of it off and I had a cushion made for it.  It is so comfortable and fun.  Mike didn't want it so I happily took it.  It took six men everything they had to grunt and groan in into the house!  It wouldn't even fit through the front door with out cutting the legs off it.  Once inside we put it back together.  Worth all the effort but then I wasn't carrying it!

Below are some of my vintage Indian saris with a children's top from Afghanistan and the Green Man's mask from my Faerie wedding shoot.

A collage of pictures.  The faerie/woodsy lady is a copy I drew of one of Brian Froud's art pieces.  

This is looking back towards the front porch.  I love how there is a window with in the house that looks into another room (the porch).

Some details.

Isn't Mr Wolf a lovely old puppet?  I found him in a thrift store along with the three pigs and a stage with back drops and props!  It was quite a find!

Below is an Afghanistan wedding dress.

Below is collection of Indian pots and other Native American art on my fireplace mantle.

Into the kitchen.  Below is my kitchen table with one of my Steam Punk wedding props on the wall (the clock).

The three little pigs that came with the Mr Wolf puppet.

One of the piggies.  I thought it was appropriate to put them in the kitchen!

My built in china cabinet.

My old work space had a ton of storage which is where I kept a lot of my wedding props.  The work space I am building at this house is very small so I have moved a bunch of props into the house as this house is much larger that the old one.  There is enough cabinet space in the kitchen to house all of my dishes.  I have a vintage china collection that I can feed up to 250 people on.  I have used them in several weddings.

Some of my china.

My tea collection.  I am a nut for tea!

Below are the wings of the bride from the Faerie wedding shoot.

I have my wings in every room.

Below is going from the kitchen to the back porch area heading towards my room.  This cabinet has some of my Mom's Mexican Trees of Life on top.  I definitely come by my love of collecting naturally!

Again, the back porch.

Looking from the back porch towards the kitchen and the living room beyond.

Now turning to the left and heading into my bedroom.

It's definitely all girl : )

Below are some of my Magnolia Pearl bags.  I got them long ago before she was really discovered and they were a bit more affordable.  I got one from her and the rest on Ebay from someone who was selling some of her personal pieces (I know...  gasp!!!)

Like I said...  wings everywhere.

Details.

Below are some baubles from Mom.  She loved bling too.

This is where I spend a lot of my time.  Even though I have an office I just love sitting in this chair with the view and a kitty curled up on my legs.  It makes paper work a bit more tolerable.

I hung all my hats up, some are part of the costumes that I rent.  Now I can see everything!

The view from my bed.  This is what I wake up to!

More wings.

My bathroom.

Going back to the back porch and looking out towards the deck.

I know you are all probably on overload so I will show you the deck, my office and guest room later, as well as the outside.  There was no garden here when I moved in so I have been digging and planting away.  It is coming along beautifully, especially with all the hot weather we've been having.

You have all probably lost your sympathy for me having seen my beautiful home.  I do feel so lucky to have such a lovely cocoon.  It is way nicer than anything I have ever had before.  I will tell you though that as lovely as it is and as big as it is I still feel a gaping hole.  The feeling of someone missing is huge.  Sometimes I still feel like this is someone else's life.  The good news is that those times are less and less.  I love my home and I am starting to live in a few more rooms now, like the front porch where I do my painting.  Little by little...

Blessings to all of you

Tricia