My workspace

I've had a number of friends comment about how much they love my workspace, which always seemed to surprise me. To me, it was just my home office that I took over. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely an upgrade from being squeezed into my bedroom sitting area, but I never really felt like it was "my space." I am slowly taking ownership though by adding my own touches, and I do love the creative energy that I feel when I enter this room. I am so lucky to have this space, and I thought it would be fun to share some pictures to show how I've made it my own.

Right now I have a couple of 2' x 4' tables set-up in the center of the room, but I'm hoping to switch it out for our old counter height kitchen table. That table has already been beaten up by my kids (think forks being stabbed into the table over and over and over again) and hubby (spray painting without covering the table - really??), so I think it would be perfect for me. That way, I won't have to worry about protecting the surface when I paint (which means less clean-up for me), because Lulu = lazy like that. 

Entrance

I picked up some 100+ year old windows and screens that I had planned to use for a display booth, but they turned out to be a little too short. I put the screen door on the desk to hold patterns and other materials (love it!), and use a window screen to hold a couple paper wall wreaths (1st photo).

Across from entrance

My brother-in-law- Ryan C. McGinley - (who takes amazing photos, including the one of me on the beach in my header and my profile pic) helped me set-up a table top photo booth. I have BIG dreams to set-up a photo studio in my basement whenever it gets finished... someday... somehow...

Makeshift photo booth 

Storage, storage, and more storage!! There never seems to be enough (notice the piles creeping their way onto the floor). Storage in the corner...

Random secondhand storage shelves for materials

against the window... under the photo booth table...

Storage for products, display items and materials

under the center tables... Sheesh. Before long there won't be room for me to walk!!

Art supplies and more materials!!

I spend the majority of my time in front of my sewing machine (which you can see in the 1st picture). I like to keep adding little meaningful things to my wall, all of which were given to me by friends.

In love with love

Angel cards have become very meaningful to me over the past few years. I received the top row at a one-day soul retreat with Bridgette a mere 5 DAYS after my grandmother passed away. Notice the cards that I randomly drew - Comfort, Gentleness, Sensitivity, Hello from Heaven, Patience... it never ceases to amaze me. When I look at these cards I feel connected and, in a way, looked after. 

Wall 'o angel cards

And finally, a great quote about authenticity by Brene Brown, given to me by my friend, Erica. It's a little bit of a read, but so worth it.

Choose authenticity

So there it is! My wonderfully messy, jam packed, chaotically organized workspace. I love it!

Who am I??

I know, I know... the title of this blog it sounds like I am on a soul searching mission to find out who I really am, but fear not! That is not what I am going for here. One of the reasons I started this blog was to give everyone an insider's look at me, Lulu Bea, outside of Lulu's Upcycling Lounge. But first, a little background...

You can read more about why I started my business here. When I launched Lulu's Upcycling Lounge in 2010, I didn't want my personal life to mix with my professional one. I took deliberate measures to keep parts of my life (and even my face!) hidden. Over the past few months, my perspective shifted. I made the decision to go for it... to put myself out there and to make my business a success (in whatever form that means to me). With that decision, I knew I did not want to hide any longer. I am here! I'm Lulu, and you will see me and all the wonderful craziness that it entails. It's my perfect life of chaos, creativity and community. It's perfectly imperfect.

So who am I besides an upcycling artist?? I am a mama of 4 - 3 crazy boys and 1 girlie girl. I am a host mama of 1 teenager (as if 4 kids aren't enough to keep us busy, why not add 1 more??) I am the wife of 1 (hee hee!) and he supports my dreams and ambitions. It's a great thing to have my guy in my corner. I  am a volleyball player and still play competitively... I am a fitness fanatic and am at the gym 3-4 times a week. 

Apple picking with my crew.

Balancing an active family life, while still setting side time for myself (and I like a lot of time!), can be a tricky thing. The one thing I am learning is to not worry or stress about it. Worrying serves no purpose - an enlightening message that I learned a couple of months ago. Seriously... think about it. Worrying can not change an outcome. It is energy wasted instead being channelled into a more positive direction. Life gets crazy, life gets messy... that's the wonderful part of paying admission to ride this roller coaster! 

Us mamas have a lot of roles to fill, and a lot of people depend on us. For me, I just try to do the best I can, and that is good enough. It. Is. Good. Enough. My house is messy, the dishes get piled up, library books get lost, and that is o.k. We'll all be just fine. I'm living the best I can, and I'm grateful for every messy, chaotic, lovely, busy moment that I'm able to live it.

We are...

I am amazed at all the negative self talk that we give ourselves - I am not good enough; I am not talented; I don't deserve happiness. Where does it all stem from? Why do we think the sky is limited?? Those thoughts, those feelings, those self imposed limitations need to go. Goodbye! So long!! You're no longer wanted here.

Replace the put downs with lift ups. You are beauty. You are love. You are special. You are happiness. You are worthy. You are amazing. Simply amazing.

You. Are. Limitless.

A beginning

So here it is! My venture into the world of blogging. What do I have to say? Hmm... not sure. All I need to know is this; it is going to be an adventurous journey, and that journey starts now. Right here. Conditions do not have to be perfect. Timing does not have to be ideal. You just need to start. The rest will fall into line at the right time.

As far as my Lulu's Upcycling Lounge goes, I am in the middle of transitioning my website to another format, or to another service, or something or other... not really sure! Haha!! It's all so confusing. So many options out there for selling one's art. Ah well, not going to worry about it right now! I am excited about what's in store, so I will keep that feeling of happiness as I muddle through the details that are involved with running a creative business. I'll get there... I know it... so I'm going to enjoy the journey.

Here's me... 

basking in my happiness.