Upcycled Trunk

 

After my last post, which was a bit of a rant -

I figured I would get back to "art". :)

 

This is a piece which I recently completed.

A wonderful commission piece for a co-worker.

It is a box - a mini foot locker.

It measures about 18" square on all sides.

 

This client called me one day and said she had this box...

"it's kind of ugly", she said.

"I really don't want it in my house...but my grandfather gave it to me and I can't bear to part with it."

 

I agreed to see what I could do with it.

When she brought it to me, I was a little doubtful.

It is made of chipboard.

The outside of it had been covered with a heavy paper that was decorated with really lovely blue geese.

Can you say "1980s?" LOL

Not pretty.

Once finished it would be residing in her library room.

 

A good priming coat of black, some bright colors and design and...

it has been given a new lease on life.

A sun and moon and the admonishment to enjoy all that a good book has to offer.

 

And some day - if those lovely geese come back in style -

she can remove the paint and let them come back out to play...

or not.

 



Over the Rainbow...

I can't remember the first time I saw the movie "The Wizard of Oz".

I just remember that it was an annual event.

Of course...

I am of the era that grew up with no dvd's or big screen plasma tvs or cable television.

If we wanted to see a movie, we went to a movie theater or

we waited for it to be played on television.

If we watched it on tv, the disclaimer that it had been "edited for television" always preceded the start.

This meant that minutes had been shaved off the movie to allow for plenty of commercials.

But there were no other options, so we endured the commercial breaks.

 

The "classics" were usually broadcast once a year -

"The Ten Commandments" was always played around Easter.

Sometime in the winter, they would play "Gone With The Wind" - over two nights!

"My Fair Lady" was usually a holiday movie.

And then there was "The Wizard of Oz".

Life stopped and schedules were planned around these special movies.

The whole family gathered with large bowls of popcorn sitting in our laps.

 

And the movie about the wonderful land of Oz was always a favorite.

The music.

Dorothy and Toto.

The witch.

Glenda.

But the best part...the transition from black and white to color.

Magic.

 

I remember, when I was in my early 20's,

a local movie theater that was known for playing only "classic" movies

had a showing of "The Wizard of Oz".

On the big screen.

I went.

And the movie took on a whole new feel for me.

 

Let's face it - today's movies are much more spectacular from a technical standpoint.

My children have a hard time appreciating some of the older "classics" because they are so used to the perfection that is achieved through computer technology.

But for me, the magic of the "Oz" remains to this day.

 

One of the most enduring aspects of that movie is "the" song....

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...

In my humble opinion - one of the greatest songs ...EVER!

The melody.

The simplicity.

The complexity.

The message.

 

I don't know what it is about that song in particular.

But being a music person - and a music person that really appreciates great lyrics -

this one speaks to me on a deep, almost spiritual level.

The idea of a land where everything is perfect;

the feeling of possibility, of longing, of hope, of dreams...

 

The song was magical to me as a child.

As a young mother, I sang the song to my children as a lullaby.

As an adult, I have sang the song for weddings as young couples began their new life together.

I have sang the song for funerals as family members have said their last goodbyes.

As a recently seperated married woman, I sat at my piano and sang the song with tears running down my face, as a way to find solace in my new uncertain world.

And now - as a divorced woman looking to the future,

I sing the song with an eye on possibility for greater things to come.

New adventures, new dreams, new roads to travel, new destinations...

anywhere my wings will take me.

 

Birds fly over the rainbow...

and so can I.

 

 

 



the Story of the Red Boots...

The Red Boots - photo by Vicki Cane of Grace Photography

When I was in the sixth grade, boots were big.

Especially cowboy boots.

I wanted a pair and at Christmas, I put in my request.

I got a pair of boots, but they weren't what I had envisioned.

And they never really fit quite right.

I eventually grew out of them and they went away.

I had other boots here and there - but never another pair of cowboy boots.

 

Then I moved to Idaho for school and also spent some time in Montana.

There were cowboys everywhere.

And boots were worn every day as a clothing staple.

They lost their appeal to me.

Until...

the movie Footloose came out.

Remember that movie - the original?

Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer?

And Ariel, the main female character, wore those red cowboy boots.

She wore them with everything -

And I fell in love with them.

Or maybe I just fell in love with her feisty attitude, which I never could master when I was young- but the boots seemed to be her trademark - and therefore, I associated those boots with feistiness.

Yes - they were cowboy boots.

But they were RED boots!

 

I still love boots.

But I am very practical with my boots.

Basic black and brown.

No heels.

Nothing trendy or fancy -

Just basic.

And that works well.

I wear them to my day job almost every day during the colder months.

 

Late last summer, I was in the midst of dividing up assets and liabilities and preparing to be officially "single".

I felt...ok, I'll just say it...old.

I tried to appear and seem ok with the change I was in the middle of, but the reality was, I felt lost and scared and wondered how an almost fifty year old woman starts over?

Visions of the spinster aunt with her hair up in a bun sitting alone night after night started dominating my thoughts.

 

Then one day, I was looking online and I came across red cowboy boots.

My heart leaped and I got a little giddy.

I revisited the web site over and over and kept looking at them.

I had multiple arguments with myself -

These are not my style; these aren't practical; what if they don't fit; what would you wear them with; blah, blah, blah...

Then I found myself in October.

The month that final papers were to be signed and things would become "official".

I was going to be single.

No longer a "we".

I was starting over.

There were some tears.

 

And then there was a glimmer of hope.

And then there was ...

excitement.

I started recognizing that although much of my life was exactly the same...

I still got up and went to my day job; I still had to grocery shop; I still had errands to run; I still had custom orders to fill and bills to pay and a dog to walk and laundry to wash...

There was a sense of wonder and excitement at a world full of opportunity that I had never allowed myself to experience before.

There were friends to reconnect with.

There were adventures to be planned.

This was only an "end" if that is what I chose it to be...

 

Instead - I chose to see it as a new beginning!

I needed to somehow commemorate this new chapter.

Something to symbolically congratulate myself for moving forward and not wallowing in self-pity.

To reward myself for facing each new challenge head on.

A trip? An adventure? A purchase?

I began a quest for the perfect symbolic gesture...

And then...on the sidebar when I was surfing the web...the picture of the red boots.

And I knew. Instantly.

That was it!

What else would mark this change better than something I had wanted since I was young?

Something that was just enough "out of character" for me to say..."things are new and different?"

So I bought the red boots.

They arrived on my doorstep on a day when I felt completely overwhelmed.

I opened the box and they were better than I had hoped.

I slipped them on and, not only did they fit perfectly - but I felt so proud in them.

 I felt strong and empowered and ... anything but old!

 

The red boots have become a symbol to me of strength.

Of courage.

Of feistiness.

I find myself wearing them with anything and everything -

If I wake in the morning and feel a little cranky - I wear the boots.

If I know there are challenges ahead in my day - I wear the boots.

If I am going somewhere or trying something or doing something that is out of my comfort zone...

I wear the boots.

The red boots have gone to my day job, to hear live music, to meet new people, to sign my house over to new owners...

They have become a precious symbol of the power that exists in me . . .

The power that exists in each and every one of us.

 

Superheroes wear capes...

I wear the RED BOOTS!

And when I wear them - I know that I can!

 

What brings out the superhero in YOU?

 

 

Close Your Eyes and Make a Wish...

Wishes...

As a child I made wishes a lot.

I wished on stars.

I wished on the rainbow.

I wished when we drove through tunnels.

I wished when I blew out my birthday candles.

I wished when I threw a penny into a fountain.

But I would panic if I told someone -

because we were always told that if we shared our wish,

it wouldn't come true.

 

Wishes were important and I took them very seriously.

 

I still do -

I believe that in order to achieve anything -

you have to put it out there.

You have to think about it and visualize it and believe that it can happen.

 

As a grown up we call them goals.

I went to classes and heard lectures about goals and goal setting all through my growing up years.
I was instructed in the steps of goal setting.
Think about your goals.
Write them down.
Identify, develop and write down the steps required to achieve the goal.
Give each of the steps a deadline.
Review the list regularly.
Blah, blah, blah...yada, yada, yada.

As a teenager and even as an adult -
I didn't really buy this.
It just seemed like busy work to me.

And then several years ago, I wanted to open a business.
And I was asked for a business plan.
What the heck was that?
I took a class.
I researched.
And then I realized...a business plan was really a series of really big goals.
So I started writing things down.
And as I did it - I began to feel empowered.
Especially when I started to see the checkmarks that started accumulating as I accomplished individual tasks.

Goal setting...or wishes...are a big part of my life now.

There is a little girl inside me who still believes in wishes.

Who still likes to see the magic in things.

Who still believes in magic.

I make wishes for all sorts of things.
Things I want to accomplish, new adventures I want to try, places I want to visit...
I create "vision boards" - usually just a series of pictures and words that I put together on a blank piece of paper.
I tuck them into a sheet protector and tape them to my bathroom mirror and look at them everyday.
And it makes me feel excited and full of purpose.
But I also realize that a magical fairy is not going to come along and make the wish come true.
No genie is going to come out of a bottle.
I have to do the work myself.

And when I accomplish something...
it IS magical!
The big difference is this....
I believe in the magic of wishes - I just don't believe that they are free.
I believe that I have the power to make them come true.
And that...makes the whole process even more magical and special.

 

So embrace your inner child...
Look up at the night sky.
Close your eyes and make a wish.
Just don't forget - the magic is already right inside of you.