Wednesday, January 2, 2019

A Hop through Bunnyville

Well hellooooooooo and Hoppy New Year! I must say that I am really happy that 2019 is here. Last year was emotionally rough on me, but like everything, one lives and one learns. I'm headed into this year with fresh eyes and a little bit of sass to boot! LOL!!! ;)

David finished painting my studio! We moved into Bayfield Cottage in April of 2017. Slowly, we have been painting each room and the outside of the cottage too! My studio has had spackle all over for months, but now is fresh and clean and.... I looooooove it! What a wonderful Christmas present he gave me!

So here's a little hop around. As you head up the stairs, Blackie Bunny is there to greet you. He is the keeper of the gate. I pet his head on the way up as a ritual to get the creative energy flowing.


This is how the room looked before we painted. The green grey walls were waaay to dark for my liking. I don't like dark walls, especially in a studio. I need as much light as I can get.


Here's how it looks after a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams, Aged White. I know all the grey colors are in style now, but I'm not one to follow what everyone else is doing. Plus.... grey makes me depressed. I can't stand it. It makes me feel like I'm living in a rain cloud or worse yet, in the middle of a hurricane! LOL! Anyway, I love warm whites and this was the perfect color for my Calm, Clean, Serene aesthetic. I also purchased this kitchen island from a local family. It's custom made, super heavy and solid wood. I use this island to put kits together and package orders. I also sit on the stool and draw here.


This is what the island looked like when I got it. It was a distressed ivory color, which was nice, but I wanted to paint it black to anchor the room.


Sabrina is such a good girl and doesn't jump on any counter tops or furniture she not supposed to be on. She knows what places she is allowed to hang out. She loves this little hidey spot in the basket in the island.



The light coming into this room is absolutely wonderful. I'm going to make something to go in the frames.


As you look around Bunnyville, you will notice that I don't have a lot of "stuff" everywhere. To be honest, I can't function in clutter. I'm claustrophobic and if too much stuff is around, I can't work or be creative. My eye needs to rest on clean surfaces. Also, I practice the art of "Lagom," which means "not too little, not too much." I'm not a minimalist and I'm not a hoarder. I'm simply somewhere in the middle and choose to surround myself with things that have meaning. My supplies are tidy, organized and placed behind closed doors and cabinets.


So that being said, while I have a lot of artwork and gifts from friends, I decided to keep things simple here in Bunnyville, giving me good work surfaces to design and package orders. Here are some things I chose to display.

This hat box was painted for me by my friend Becky Wheeler in 1998. It says, "The Raspberry Rabbits Tea Room." When she gave me this piece, I said, "Oh wow... if I ever have a business, I'm going to call it The Raspberry Rabbits." Now you know where I got the name. ;)


I have always loved and admired the work of folk artist, Jo James of Cart Before the Horse. Years ago, I commissioned her to make this piece for me.


Esmeralda is my muse. She was painted for me by my incredibly talented friend, Jules Woolford. I have a lot of Jules' artwork in my cottage. She is one of my most favorite artists, not to mention a dear friend.


Buddha Bunny was given to me by my friend, Judy Currie. He always brings peace and positive energy to Bunnyville. I rub his belly for luck. ;)


This felted bunny was made by folk artist, Susan Pilotto.  My friend, Margaret Bouwmeester, gave it to me as a gift. Stitched on the pincushion in French, it says, "The Raspberry Rabbit." LOVE!


This tree of life is a new piece of art that I purchased this year. It is handmade by an artisan in Haiti. It is cut from an old oil barrel.


Ortega the bunny is an original piece of folk art I found in Savannah, GA. It's signed by the artist, Joe Ortega. The paper cut is a gift from my friend Lydia. I had it professionally framed by my friends, Mary Ann and Mary Kay. There is also a little wooden box from my friend, Sallieann Harrison.


Here's a close up of the little box,  I just love it.


Another treasured paper cut from Lydia, Charlie the rabbit sitting on my box of dreams, an antique pincushion and a real ivy plant. I prefer real plants or dried flowers over plastic "fish tank" looking greenery.


David bought this lamp for me many years ago for our anniversary. The plant is also real. It's baby tears. The pincushion was made for me by my dear friend Donna Liljegren. The coaster is my rabbit logo and was needle punched for me by fellow designer and friend, Missie Carpenter.


Time spent in Bunnyville is always time well spent. I purchased this clock from Pottery Barn Teen many years ago. It broke this summer and I found a company to fix it. It took a month to get it back, but it was worth it. I didn't want to throw it in the landfill. People throw too much away anymore.



Eventually, I will have all the carpet taken out and replaced with wood floors. Yes, carpet is another thing I can't stand. Dirty, dusty and the space between the carpet and baseboard gets so icky and is a pain to clean! Yep... I'm a clean freak. ;)

Thank you for visiting with me and for taking a hop through Bunnyville! I'll see ya back here next week.

Light, love and friends,
Michelle, the Bunnies and Sabrina kitty too




26 comments:

Therese F. said...

Congratulations on the revamped Bunnyville! Such a lovely workspace. I think Sabrina hanging out in the basket brings good juju to the room! Looking forward to all of your inspiration this year.

Quilt Rat said...

Absolutely LOVE your workspace.....a beautifuly serene spot to be....how wonderful. I am with you...I do not function well in cluttter....I actually will have anxiety attacks when things get out of hand......I don’t really even like much on the walls either....I do have a thing about drawers....love anything with drawers,doors, storage that can contain supplies in an organized fashion. I see many artists who seem to thrive in what appears to be chaotic surroundings....not me! Happy New Year!

Janet said...

The studio looks fantastic...what a great space to start your creative new year 👍😊

Stephanie said...

This room is so beautiful it inspires me to clean my incredibly messy sewing room!

Jeanette said...

Bunnyville is lovely & bright. The white paint is perfect. Love the photo of Sabrina, so cute. Hugs, xx

Susan said...

How peaceful...love all your bunny things.

Lana said...

What a nice place to sit and create... this year I am ridding myself of clutter too! I can’t wait to see what you create this year in Bunnyville!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Would love a dedicated room. This is so light and clean. Where you have your bunnies, I would have to have a touch of color.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

OH SHELL, your studio is DIVINE! The light. The tidy workspace, the color, everything is perfection.

Like you, I LOVE CLEAN, although the old cottage we live in has required some work over the last 21 years of our ownership. There are still three rooms that need our attention and I'm ready for it, but Mr. Bunny is NOT. How I would love for my old front room, that I also use as a photography studio, to look as clean in fresh paint as this.

I LOVE your alarm clock! tehehehehehe

Lori Ann Corelis said...

Such a lovely and serene space filled with sweetness. And, OH the light!
Beautiful!
Happy stitches,
L

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

What a beautiful space to create! I try to aim for just the right amount of stuff too - not too much or too little.

Createology said...

You dear have achieved Calm Clean and Serene! Your Bunnyville studio is beautiful. Being surrounded by only what brings you JOY also allows your creativity to blossom. Happy Hours designing in Bayfield Cottage Bunnyville. Sabrina is precious in her basket hide-away.

Laura Bullinger said...

Lovely place but you would still be "you" even without the knickknacks! - a tender hearted small critter lover who is creative with colors and skilled in her own style of needlework!
In any case, it's a nice tour! Thank you!

Erica said...

It looks amazing, so calm and serene!

Sherri said...

Michelle, your Bunnyville is so lovely!! I love the transformation! I agree the gray on the ceiling looked like a rain cloud! I just love all the items you have in Bunnyville with you, I can tell each one holds a special place in your heart! Enjoy your lovely space and create away!!

Anne-Lise at Rag, Tag, Bobtail said...

A beautiful room and calm workspace. The alarm clock is really cute!

Judy1522 said...

Your studio is so nice, I am sure you will have many hours of creativity in there. It will be exciting to see what is next for you. I hope you have a wonderful, creative and prosperous new year.

Draffin Bears said...

Happy New Year dear Michelle,

I enjoyed seeing your wonderful work studio and can see how happy you must be working here.
Also loved seeing all your sweet treasures all around.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2019, with good health and happiness.

Love and hugs
Carolyn

Susie said...

Hi Michelle I have just caught up on your posts and I so agree with you about all the social media things, great for businesses but can be so tiring.

We had a technology free Christmas and it was great, hence now catching up on all the Blogs. So glad you will be blogging a bit more.

Your new Studio looks wonderful and I will have one, one day!!! Perhaps when our youngest son leaves home, at the moment I am camping in our Eldest son's room but have not taken it over completely as he still uses it!!!

I think Henry is so, so cute and so lucky to be with you all.

Happy New Year.

Hugs, Susie x

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straythreads said...

Love your studio and feel the same way about grey. Its not a color its a mood and I don't want to be there.
also love all your rabbits especially the jackrabbits the favorite college mascot for South Dakota State
I'm adding you to my blog list enjoyed perusing your blog

Dawn said...

Looking Good, I love seeing your Bunny items and the stories with them.Sabrina is so cute hanging out there.

Jindi's Cottage said...

Great way to start the New Year...enjoy creating in your bright fresh space...love Sabrina's hidey hole, clever kitty...

Shelley said...

First..the black rabbit on the stairs...drool drool drool OMG lol
second..I love love the studio redo! I need to do mine and I'll just outright claim that I'm going to steal your paint color
third..as I was looking at my teapot today, I wondered "if I could peek inside, what would I see?'. Little bunnies and a momma bunny sitting by a fire sipping tea and carrot cakes...hhmmm :)

Crafty Green Poet said...

It all looks lovely, what a nice selection of bunnies and nice to see where the name Raspberry Rabbits came from! Sabrina looks very cosy in her hidey hole

JoJo said...

I would love to know who fixed your clock. I have one that I cannot toss because I love it so.

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