Anybody else have an oldie sewing machine that's still kickin?
Meet my sewing machine. Well, technically, it's really my mom's. I've just kidnapped it and have hung onto it for about the last 5 years. It's a Genie, although not the kind that comes in a bottle. It's too heavy for that. I've been fighting with it recently, so last Friday I took it in for a tune-up. I turned her on last night, and she's singing a new tune! The guy at the sewing shop chuckled when he said it's good for another 10,000 miles. Let's hope so. This machine is probably ... oh about 30 years old, maybe older. Those orange and yellow flowers on top don't scream 1970's, do they? It does the trick for me though, well, most days it does ... when we're on good terms with each other.
Anybody else have an oldie sewing machine that's still kickin?
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I may have some crazy dreams at night, some scary, some involving strange haircuts, dogs who wear clothing, and buckets of fish guts ... yeah ... don't know what's up with that. BUT when it comes to my waking life, I'm living the dream, a good one filled with paint, a messy studio, and open windows with natural light ... ahh. Contentment. We need more crazy dreamers in this world. What's yours? I have been teaching art for the past 4 years at a local elementary school. For those of you who didn't know, I applied for and was granted a one year leave of absence and won't be returning this fall. After doing some reflecting, praying, financial planning, and talking with my husband, we decided to pursue this little dream of mine. Ever since I was a little girl, I've had a love for and interest in art. If you would have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I typically responded with "an artist ... or a zoo keeper." I guess I like me some adventure! When thinking about the question, "If money was no concern, what job or career would be ideal for you?" this is it. Putting a creative twist on someone's junk and transforming trash into objects of beauty and purpose is something I can spend hours doing (and I have been doing for some time now). And although sometimes it's hard to part with these newly renovated treasures, I really enjoy seeing other people use and find beauty in them. Selling and actually making money from this is always fun, AND giving part of that money away is even more fun for me. Back in 2009, I signed up to go on a missions trip to Manaus, Brazil. In order to fundraise and spread the word about what we were doing, I organized a one day art sale. I was hoping to sell a lot of what I had brought (which was indeed a LOT of artwork in a range of media), rake in enough money to cover the second half of my trip fees, and be able to give the rest to support the different Brazilian ministries that we were going to be a part of. Surprisingly in rural Wisconsin, the art sale was a big hit, and I was able to give a substantial amount. Wow! I went back to Brazil the following year, and once again had an art sale ... another success. My aim is to make, sell, supplement our income, and give. I know it will be a bumpy road, not an easy one, filled with hard work and challenges, but hopefully sprinkled with joy, satisfaction, and the reality of living the dream. My sister-in-law gave me a call and asked if I would do a shoot (photo shoot that is ... don't worry, no guns) of her kids (our 2 nephews) and their 4 cousins. Have I done kids portrait photography before? ... nope. So, naturally I said yes, of course.
The night before "the big day" I looked online for some tips on shooting kids ... but actually didn't really use the tips I found ... had good intentions too, ah well. I also took a good look around our basement to see if I could find a couple of props to bring along. I stumbled across a big beaten up frame. I took a little white paint and dry brushed it over the raised parts to hide its unsightly blemishes. I happened to have an old chair in the kitchen that I painted red earlier this summer. So, Friday morning, I stuck the chair, frame, and camera in my car & drove off for my photography date. I spent an hour shooting. I filled my memory card a little prematurely actually which meant I had to frantically delete some shots in order to make room before the young attention spans were done for. My memory card holds a little under 500 pictures ... that's a lot. When I got home, I was feeling good as I plugged my camera into my computer. I was anxious to see the pictures, knowing that we had captured some sweet little moments with these kids. About 10 minutes later, I was breaking out into a sweat and a full out panic. Apparently, my memory card had become corrupt and my computer seemed to be on the fritz as well ... pretty awesome start to the morning, I must say. A couple of hours and an expensive recovery software purchase later, my computer was working, I had a portion of the photos saved, and the sweating was starting to subside. I spent the rest of the day ... until 5:00 editing the shots, and I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. Now it's time to start shopping for a new memory card. Boo to that, but it could have been worse. The day turned out to be a good experience with some decent results. The pieces are starting to fall into place, little by little. I've been plugging away on organizational tasks while seeking out treasures at garage sales (or from those FREE curbside piles), painting, playing with hazardous materials, matting, framing, and experimenting with my sewing machine ... not to mention enjoying the process and really soaking up this glorious "summer off!"
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Nikki SaugstadOnce upon a time (which happens to be NOW) a crazy lady decided to take a leap of faith in order to pursue a dream. This is the story of a teacher jumping out into the art world (with the help of her loving husband & his "parachute"). Welcome to my adventure. Archives
August 2015
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