CMM

back to the grind

There’s always a price to pay for the fun, huh? I had the most lovely, relaxing weekend with my family. My studios were closed on Sunday so my phone was quiet. It’s usually buzzing through out the day and I’m never quiet disconnected from work regardless of where I am. This Sunday there were no work calls or texts and it was a delight that I can’t even put properly into words.

I returned on Monday to a pretty rough studio. The busy, busy spring break week had taken it’s toll and my Orchards studio was in need of some serious TLC. To add to the madness I had some employee scheduling issues so I rolled up my sleeves and committed to opening and closing that studio.

My fabulous family brought me dinner and stuck around to help out. They were a huge help. They washed dishes, stocked shelves, took out what seemed like endless boxes and trash. I wish I would have snapped some photos of the before and after because it was quite a transformation. I’m very grateful for my crew and I’m certain we will all sleep well tonight.

painting | crystals

Our Wednesday art adventures continue! I must admit I’m having as much fun as the girls. The ideas are flowing right now and I have several weeks of projects for us already planned. I can’t wait to share them all. Check back with me in a few months…it may be a very different story…
This week we painted bisque “peeps”. The only thing I may enjoy more than these little guys are actual Peeps. They remind me so  much of Easter as a kid. Even as an adult my mom still spoils us with peeps. I think you either love them or hate them – I’m definitely in the love them camp!

 We tried out a new technique painting with underglaze crystalites. Oh my goodness, the underglaze is messy, messy, messy! We had it everywhere but managed to get a little on our bunnies too.

The crystals in the glaze “explode” in the kiln when they are fired and create amazing patterns. It’s hard to envision what they will look like when they are fired, but you just have to trust the process a bit. That can be a challenge for kids. Honestly, it’s a challenge for adults too.

Love the mess of it all!

I can’t wait to see how all these bunnies turn out!

The absolute best part of these artsy days is the time we spend together. It has evolved into so much more than a few hours of painting together. On Wednesdays they hop in the car and the first thing they ask is “what are we painting today?”. There is so much excitement for our afternoon together. They are eager to learn and be creative. There is a lot of patience and kindness and love at our little painting table… and let me tell ya, that ain’t a small thing around there.

As promised, Bunnies post kiln firing. 
They turned out so much better than I expected. We love, love, love them!

painting | bubbles and stencils

It’s spring break so I offered the girls a reprieve from our weekly painting session. They were not having it. They wanted to paint and they even asked to invite a friend along. 
This week we painted with bubbles. I wasn’t very confident with this technique. These girls were super patient as we worked out the best mix of paint, water, and soap. They loved blowing the bubbles and created super cool backgrounds for their “Under the Sea” stencils. I’m loving the little plates that they created. 
Completed masterpieces. They did so great!

paint day

Our plans were changed today due to an unexpected snow storm. Annabelle was going to head to Girl Scouts, Gwyneth to paint at Whimsy and I was going to try and get caught up a bit at my studio. 
Girl Scouts was cancelled so Annabelle asked if she could take a friend with me to the studio. Absolutely! I love it. The girls painted all different kinds of poop – yes, poop. I have quite a line of emoji poop items and I can barely keep them on the shelves. They are so popular. 
Gwyneth and Ella spent the morning at Whimsy painting unicorns. 
They did such a great job and had a blast. 
After a morning of painting we grabbed lunch at Hu Hot.
We spent the rest of the evening watching the Olympics and reading our books. I’m not sure we could ask for a better, more relaxing evening. 

field trip

I had a pretty special field trip for work today. I was asked to paint at the girls’ school. I painted with prek thru 4th grade and they made Christmas gifts for their families. 
The field trips are stressful for me. The stress mostly lies in the planning and getting the painted pottery back to the studio.  I enjoy spending time with the kids once I get there. This trip was even better because I got to see my girl. My first class was 4th grade and I got to paint with Gwyneth. She was awesome and I loved seeing her with her friends. Not a bad day at work, I must say. 

football day

We are in the heart of football season around here. Every Sunday is the same except for those pesky bye weeks. We prepare our favorite snacks and invite some of our favorite peeps over for the game. Today the Tyler’s joined us and we had such a great time catching up with them. Everyone’s schedules are so busy and I’m grateful we can find these afternoons to get together. Unfortunately today I snapped some photos of the food and Gwyneth with her Bronco M&Ms and then not one single picture of the kids playing together. Ugh! Next time for sure…

paint for dyslexia

Gwyneth was diagnosed with dyslexia two years ago. I never did post about her diagnosis out of respect for her. She didn’t want to share it with anyone. A lot has changed in two years. She is now more empowered and she is proud to be dyslexic. I will have to go back and share our experience now that I have her permission. 
Gwyneth has been very lucky. She has access to dedicated teachers, tutors and a wonderful education. She was tested and diagnosed early and she thrives in her studies. Many children do not have access to the tools that she does and it’s important to our family that we give back. One of the biggest issues we have found with dyslexia is the lack of education. Even teachers and administrators have so little information to help students. 
We wanted to raise awareness and allow others to get the help that Gwyneth has received. October is dyslexia awareness month so it was fitting that we did a fundraiser at Color Me Mine. We donated all the studio fees for the day to Made by Dyslexia. We are so grateful to all the customers who came to paint and especially to Gwyneth’s buddies who joined her for the event. It’s so amazing to see the support she has — this girl is loved! 

new studio

What have I done???
Just kidding (kinda…). I got the grand idea to purchase another Color Me Mine studio. The Aurora store was for sale and everything fell in to place. We closed on September 1st and I dove right in! Thankfully the Orchards store is fully staffed and I have a great crew there, because I have my work cut out for me!
After signing my life away, I mean the ownership paperwork, I spent the morning at the new studio. I came home to find my fabulous family waiting for me with the perfect gift. How well do they know me?

We spent the weekend in Aurora. The store is only 40 minutes away from our house but I was going in every day, all day. We decided to stay at the hotel by the mall to eliminate my drive time and let the girls swim, swim, swim. One of the perks of the new studio is that Don and Lisa live so close by. We were able to spend two nights hanging out with them and Kaylee even took the girls to the movies one evening while we visited the Wine Experience. I think this studio is going to work out great!

pottery painting and pool time

The girls have extended school days Monday – Thursday and then half days on Fridays. This is a new quirk that we are going to have to get use to, but in theory I love it. We can head out earlier for mountain adventures and travel or just have an early start to the weekend. 
Today their friend, Kenna ( a friend from their old school who has also moved on to a new school this year also) had the day off. They don’t start back until next week so it was a great opportunity to get together! I had some work to get caught up on (like I said, I still haven’t mastered this new schedule yet) and the girls requested a trip to paint. Works for me! 
They painted a few things and are mastering the silk screen painting. I love their creations and can’t wait to see them glazed and fired. Annabelle made this awesome camera plate and I even featured it on my studio instagram page. She was pretty excited about that. 

After painting we headed back to our house for an evening trip to the pool. We ordered pizza and waited for B to wrap up his party. Not a shabby start to the weekend! 

cupcake wars

We hosted an appreciation event for my Color Me Mine employees at Blue Mountain Kitchen. B was amazing, of course, and made us a delicious meal. We enjoyed gnocchi, hummus, and bacon wrapped dates…my favorites. 
After dinner we had a friendly game of cupcake wars. Everyone was so creative! 
I have a few employees heading off to college in a few weeks. It was a wonderful opportunity to say thank you and wish them well on their next journey. 
Annabelle and Gwyneth were big helpers too!
It was a great night and I’m so appreciative of these ladies. An extra special thank you to my husband who went out of his way for us on his day off. I couldn’t ask for a better husband. He takes such good care of us. He’s a pretty darn good chef too.