One Thing Leads To The Other... Hastypearl

One Thing Leads To The Other...

Hastypearl

As you well know by now, 

half of my heart resides in the Hill Country, in Texas, 

and the other half belongs to the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado.

Right away, you can see that I have Great Taste, right? :)

A while back, one of my favorite Art and Business Mentors, 

(I have quite a few), 

told me to start submitting my art, 

and One Thing Would Lead To The Other.

 I took her advice.

After all, What Would I Have to Lose? 

While I always know that Providence is in control 

of everything 

that happens in my life, 

including the good AND the bad, 

I still love watching it play out.

For instance...

A Colorado Home Owners Association reply letter from me 

and sent to a neighbor Betty Bradley,

with my Hastypearl Etsy and Blog addresses in the signature, 

led her to explore my Etsy shop.

After that, 

she asked if I would submit a piece of my Mixed Media Art 

to a fund raiser for a ministry, that we have known about for years.

Of course I said, Yes!

I didn't know that she was the President of the Redstone Art Foundation, 

that holds an annual Art Show, to raise money for 

Art Scholarships for High School students 

headed to Art Schools.

She asked me to participate in that Art Show

....my very first Show Ever!

Again, I said, YES! 

See?

One Thing Leads To The Other...  

I'm sure that you have had similar things happen to you, both large and small.

This past 2015 Labor Day weekend, was when the Redstone Art Show took place.

It wasn't easy long distance preparing, shipping and setting up

...but I am So Glad that I did it.

It has given me a total new respect, 

for those of you who do this on a regular basis.

Now I can see what you guys go through :)

It was a wonderful learning curve and I feel so much better for it.

I am thrilled that I have been invited back,

 and even asked to make the name tags!

So, while I worked Many hours daily at the Art Show, 

I also found time,

 to practice shooting in Manual mode with my camera

...another wonderfully steep learning curve!

Lets face it, every where in America is beautiful, 

so all you have to do is look around, and snap!

Below, are various photos that my husband took of my space.

The weather was all over the charts, 

but the fantastic enclosure that it was held in, was not only charming, 

but also very safe for the Art.

At closing time, we enjoyed the great restaurants in the Redstone area, 

and as Always, found a few necessary minutes out in nature.

One day at the Art Show, was funny hat day.

I had a hat, but didn't have the Funny!

Larry suggested that I find and attach something that I had made, 

so I used my handmade leathery envelopes and lavender filled pouches.

The side benefit was that it smelled great :)

I'm not sure how people Actually took me serious, but I had to get in the game!

Larry took the following pictures of me with my customers.

I was actually Emotional when I downloaded them and saw them for the first time.

Whether they were buyers or not, it gave me such joy, 

to expose people, and some for the first time, 

to my idea of story telling with Vintage Items.

It was a brand new concept for many.

I told them, that I have a philosophy, that Art doesn't have to be Flat!

And, that there are more kinds of art than Oils and Watercolors

...both of which I love.

I want my Art to reach OUT AT you and beg you to touch it.

I want it to Move.

I want it to flutter in a breeze.

And most of all, I want it to do that Over and Over again.

I have had patrons tell me that they can see something new 

in my pieces, every time that they look at it.

High Compliments...the Best !

So, Look at their body language as I help them find their own stories.

If that is all that I came away with, it would have Been Enough.

Makes me soooooo happy!

These Mixed Media Angels, are a few of the pieces that found new homes.

I was Thrilled to learn that the angel above, named Beauty, was featured in 

Both the Aspen and Glenwood Springs newspapers.

With so much great art to choose from, 

I was Really Honored.

I was surprised when my friend Janette, still wearing her pajamas,

 appeared at my door with one of the newspapers one morning !

Beauty, was sold to a customer, that didn't know about the features!

I have another theory that can be Patience Testing.

Maybe you already know about it.

The piece above, was called, Thimble Heart and 

was far and away, my most "Favorited" Art item on Hastypearl Etsy.

Way over 1000 people gave me the thumbs up on this piece.

The cost was unbelievably Affordable.

(I have a friend on Etsy that tells me that I should raise my prices:)

So, why hadn't it sold?

Poor SEO? Too much Art on Etsy to choose from? Some other reason?

No.

Here's my theory... 

I think its because it was WAITING for its owner.

I've finally learned that Everything that I sell, 

has a special owner just waiting to find it 

and it makes me Crazy Happy 

when I can introduce them !

I had a wonderful time visiting with literally hundreds of people 

from the Aspen area and Much farther afield.

I made New friends, which was High on my trips Goals list, 

and I visited with others that I had already given my heart to.

Wonderful things happen to ALL of us.

Sometimes, we can believe the lie, that things like "That" just don't happen to me, 

but if we live long enough, Things like "That" happen to ALL of us.

For me, this past weekend will be one that I wont Ever Forget.

My Biggest THANKS to All of You that 

contributed to my Very Happy Weekend! xo 

Thanks as always for stopping by my blog...

I'm so glad that you did !

 Laura aka Hastypearl

...please check my shop as I will be listing many new pieces of Art and Vintage Parts.

It may seem early, but many pieces that I sold this weekend, 

will be gifts for the upcoming seasons!

It gave me great Joy, to hear my buyers say that they couldn't 

wait for their loved ones to see their one of a kind, finds!

How Many Plates Can You Spin? Hastypearl

How Many Plates Can You Spin?

Hastypearl

Most everyone has been to a circus, or has  

seen someone spinning plates!

Its a race against time, that the spinner doesn't let one fall and break.

It can be Dizzying for sure, but if done well, the spinner can win.

Observers certainly hold their breath and cheer the spinner on!

Have you ever thought about the phrase as an applicable analogy for your life? 

With say Activities being your "spinning plates" ?

There are lots of plate "spinning rules", to consider.

First, are you Inclined to spin or are you more comfortable with an observers amblers pace?

Do you like the thrill of spinning two plates 

or being an Experienced spinner 

do you want Lots of plates to spin?

Do your plates need to spin quickly, 

or do you like the thrill of catching a wobbly plate, 

right before it falls?

Do you see someone with less spinning plates than you

 and judge them for not having as many?

Do you like to have helpers spin With you or 

are you a solitary spinner?

Do you feel guilty if you don't have lots of plates?

Are your plates all one color and size, or are they patterned, 

different sizes and chipped?

I'm pretty sure that I could go on forever with these questions!

Its really fun to think about.

Of course, there are no right or wrong answers but in a way, 

they are pretty revealing, about who we are.

I am in a time in my life, when my kids are grown and gone.

I am through with most of my Required goals.

From here on out, (and I plan on that "out" being quite a ways a way :), 

most of what I do, is really optional pleasures.

For that, I am extremely blessed.

When we are young we think... 

I wish I could just have some quiet time, and maybe sleep late.

Be lazy.

Do nothing for a change.

I guess there's really nothing stopping me from doing just that!

However...I'm finding that how I am choosing to live my life, 

is exactly the Opposite.

I cant WAIT, to get up every morning and see what the day brings.

I am experiencing an EXPLOSION of creativity, 

not only in art made, but also in ideas in general.

Ironically, only ONE thing that has happened to me in the last 5 years, 

was actually something that I imagined doing.

The rest, has just Happened!

(or...Providentially Happened)

Occasionally, I will say...

I don't have a good enough Imagination to have 

Dreamed Up the things that are happening in my life.

And I think that I have a Great imagination!

Its all actually been quite surprising!

So, back to the original questions that I asked and some of my answers...

I don't spin a lot of plates at a time.

Well, I probably spin more than I credit myself, 

but compared to some people...I don't.

I like spinning by myself.

My plates are different sizes and colors,

 and chips are NO problem for me.

I think wobbling is fine. 

I'm OK with restarting a dropped plate.

I'm not competitive about spinning. 

I'm happy for you to have hundreds...or none.

Or, for you to get there long before I do.

I can be hasty(pearl :) about starting to spin a new plate...

I love to try new things.

I mean... 

I Really Love to try new things!

I was thinking about this topic while photographing 

in the garden this morning.

The morning was cooler...our days are brutally hot right now.

There were some clouds.

It was VERY quiet. Which I love.

I have been spinning the photography plate for what seems 

like a very long time now, 

but truthfully, its probably not as long as it seems.

Inch by inch, I have learned Just What I Needed to, 

to keep me coming back for more.

As I was photographing the garden, I would see weeds.

I would question myself and it sounded something like...

Why are you playing (with your camera) 

when you should be pulling these weeds, or pruning?

Apparently, I felt like that the garden plate needed spinning.

The garden plate ALWAYS needs spinning :) 

Happily, the questions weren't so compelling to me, 

that I was in danger of stopping snapping these pictures!

It was time to for me to relax and let the (gardening) plate go, 

so that I could practice shooting in Manual mode, 

like I knew I wanted to.

Maybe you are like me...

when you are doing something that you love, you THINK!

When our minds clear, it seems like we can sort through things easily.

Its good to have daily, monthly, yearly and lifelong goals, 

but we cant let our goals be what Control us.

Sometimes, we have to grab and stop some of those required plates 

and instead, do some things that Feed us.

That bring creative growth to our lives.

I think its actually those special things that we love, 

that refuel us and energize us to grab a stick and start those 

necessary plates back up again!

I hope that you have wonderful, beautiful, gently spinning plates, 

in your life... 

that Feed you!

I would love to know what they are!

Thanks for stopping by for a while...

I Hope to see you again, soon.

Laura aka hastypearl 

p.s.....if you are in the Redstone/Aspen Colorado area, Sept. 4-7, 

I would love to meet you at the Redstone Labor Day Art Show 

at the Redstone Inn.

I've heard that the art coming is fantastic!

Its not too early to start filling your gift lists.

A Walk In The Forest Hastypearl

A Walk In The Forest

Hastypearl

I suppose its true for everyone, but when your familiar environment lacks something, 

its such a welcomed novelty when you finally see it somewhere.

A mostly dry South Central Texas where I live, seldom sees mosses growing on rocks.

We have some wonderful lichens on our trees and stones, 

but nothing like you see in a moist and cool environment.

We were blessed to purchase a home in Redstone, Colorado in 2013.

Those words still ring Fresh and New, to my ears. 

I hope that they always will.

I'm working really hard to ensure that they do, 

along with other things when we travel there.

Like, when we step out of the airport building, in Aspen, 

I always breathe in DEEPLY the fragrance of ancient foresty smells.

They are always there waiting for me.

While, many of the days during our trips, 

are still "working" days for me, I try to make my 

way outside as much as possible..

This year, was unseasonably cold for us.

We had snow sometime during every day but two, 

even though we are headed for June.

This is the Walk In The Forest, 

down to the Crystal River right behind our house.

I thought that you might enjoy seeing the things that I LOVE seeing.

Its not a long walk, but it starts right behind the house.

It falls steeply, but zigs and zags along the way.

Happily, the native plants are all still on the property, 

and were just waking up with their beautiful fresh colors.

I cant help but study the tiny living plants growing on each rock.

Just think how many microscopic residents there are.

The sun was stretching its rays as it crept over the side of the mountain.

This pointy rock, reminds me of the snow capped mountains nearby.

*

*

*

This is a spot where you can stop and rest a bit. 

Cook a fish.

Listen to the river rushing down, down, down.

I guess it wouldn't be fair, not to show you our bit of the Crystal River.

Snow melting, hurrying somewhere else....

Everywhere you look is amazing and is another world, for me.

We happily share this property through Vacation Rentals By Owner(VRBO)

It brings me great joy, to read the signed guest book 

and hear the stories of staying there and what it has meant to our guests.

You are welcome to click this link, or the one on the right, 

to see if taking this Walk In The Forest, is for you :)

I hope that it will be !

I say on VRBO, that the house is perfect for a Group or just Two.

You can use your imagination:)

Thanks for stopping by...

Its good to be Back with you.

Laura