Obsessed with finishing the studio, my time is spent painting and staining along with all of the chores and hardware store visits that go along with finishing up a place. Luckily Lowe’s opens at 6 a.m. so I can enjoy dawn as I zip over the mountain pass with a list and a cup of tea. Plenty middle-of-the-night shopping sprees on eBay and other places have turned up bargains and a fun twist on normal stuff (like a toilet paper holder). The wide world offers much more interesting options than Lowes or our wee little Montana stores. I spent $8.00 for a bird embellished cast iron toilet paper holder on Ebay. The antique Mexican hanging light was 98 cents and my hand painted peacock blue Talavara sink a whopping $24.00. Fun stuff!

The studio itself is a soft winter white with plenty of ambient light. Ah the light!!! Dreamie. Churchee. Inspiring. Inviting – a perfect place for the Muses to play.

I have been giggling vivid colors onto the walls in the study, the bathroom and the nap room. Just think – for 16 years I have lived in a small log cabin which means that sheet rocked walls have never existed for me to splash color onto! Oh the possibilities!!! “Calypso Blue,” golden yellow and deep purple compliment the painted sink in the bathroom and transport the space into a south-of-the-border feeling. “Limelicious, ” “Limeburst,” and “Celery” combine to create a zap-happy study and kitchenette. Like a good dose of wasabi to my visual senses – the walls tickle my spirit. The nap room is tucked into the clerestory above the study and has just been renamed “The Nest.” Painted in a warm peachy light terracotta faux Venetian plaster – the room will be a restful haven complete with birds and buddhas. Behind the scenes - beneath the paint, the stain, the trim and the fluff churns new purpose, vision and direction for my creative life. Damn exciting.