Blog
Hello from the Studio
Heidi Shenk "etsy shop" "studio"
I've been in overdrive these past few weeks as the holiday season is upon us. The shop has been busy and I'm preparing for two shows-- one at Fort Meade this coming weekend as well as the Richmond Craft Mafia's Handmade Holiday on December 14th. In addition, I've still been hard at work launching a few new products here and there and getting my new newsletter in order, so I thought it would be fun to get a little peek into my studio.
My studio is located in our historic Baltimore row house. I get to enjoy lots of natural light coming in from both a large window and a glass paned door that leads off to our second story deck. One wall in the studio is exposed brick, and Andrew put up salvaged wood shelving for storage. It is definitely a space that helps keep the creative juices flowing as well as being tranquil and relaxing.
And of course, arranging to have all of these photos taken was no easy feat. Andrew was my sort of fabulous photographer, which involves many photos being taken when you're not even close to being ready or ok with the fact that he is snapping the shutter. And then, my friends, you end up with this.
After all was said and done, there were obviously many photos that were still salvageable. I was able to use some of them, including a new head shot, to update my Etsy shop About Page, my Twitter profile, and my Instagram profile. In addition, you may see some of these photos pop up in an upcoming feature that I am excited about! It feels good to have a little more cohesiveness across the board when it comes to all of my outlets.
Do you have any photos of you creating in action? I love getting glimpses into the studios of other artists!
My studio is located in our historic Baltimore row house. I get to enjoy lots of natural light coming in from both a large window and a glass paned door that leads off to our second story deck. One wall in the studio is exposed brick, and Andrew put up salvaged wood shelving for storage. It is definitely a space that helps keep the creative juices flowing as well as being tranquil and relaxing.
And of course, arranging to have all of these photos taken was no easy feat. Andrew was my sort of fabulous photographer, which involves many photos being taken when you're not even close to being ready or ok with the fact that he is snapping the shutter. And then, my friends, you end up with this.
After all was said and done, there were obviously many photos that were still salvageable. I was able to use some of them, including a new head shot, to update my Etsy shop About Page, my Twitter profile, and my Instagram profile. In addition, you may see some of these photos pop up in an upcoming feature that I am excited about! It feels good to have a little more cohesiveness across the board when it comes to all of my outlets.Do you have any photos of you creating in action? I love getting glimpses into the studios of other artists!
Cockatoo Island
Heidi Shenk "Australia" "travel"
When I last wrote about our trip to Australia, I left off with some beautiful photos from Bondi. The following day, we spent some time strolling throughout Sydney. We took the metro into the city and went exploring. In the afternoon, we decided to take a ferry out to Cockatoo Island. Cockatoo Island is located in Sydney Harbor and has a history as both a convict prison as well as being an old shipyard in which they drafted plans and built ships. The entire island's history was incredibly interesting to learn about and the remnants of the buildings left for some pretty fantastic photo opportunities.
After our day at Cockatoo Island, we headed back to Sydney for some record store shopping so that I could snag a few records that I can't get in the US. We took the metro back to our apartment, took a nap (we were ridiculously tired and the jet lag was catching up big time!), and then got ready for dinner. We headed to Manly, again by ferry, where we had a delicious meal and beer, of course, at a local microbrewery called 4 Pines. The next morning we would leave to fly into a totally different part of the country for a new adventure.
After our day at Cockatoo Island, we headed back to Sydney for some record store shopping so that I could snag a few records that I can't get in the US. We took the metro back to our apartment, took a nap (we were ridiculously tired and the jet lag was catching up big time!), and then got ready for dinner. We headed to Manly, again by ferry, where we had a delicious meal and beer, of course, at a local microbrewery called 4 Pines. The next morning we would leave to fly into a totally different part of the country for a new adventure.
Christmas Pencils and a Big Thank You!
Heidi Shenk "etsy shop" "holiday"
Now that Halloween is officially over, I'm even more so in the mind set of the upcoming holidays. I shared with you my holiday card line last week, and this week I was up to a little fun with the hot foil press and have two new sets of pencils in the shop that are perfect to use as stocking stuffers.
I had a lot of fun pressing these! Not only will they be in the shop this holiday season, but you'll be able to snag them up at a few shows that I'll be doing in the upcoming months.
In addition to sharing these pencils, I also wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for such an amazing October! This past month was the third busiest month I've ever had, right behind January and February. That says a lot since January and February are truly the busy season with Valentine's Day cards being the big thing. After some really unexpected issues cropped up after our trip to Australia, I worked the hardest I ever have on my shop to try and make the best of it, and it paid off.
I am feeling incredibly lucky to have such amazing customers that continue to come to shop with me, and to be able to realize this big dream of mine. I wasn't sure that this would work as a full time endeavor because it was such a huge risk, but two months into the school year, I know now that I made the right choice not to go back to the classroom. I'm looking forward to even more exciting things throughout the holiday season and into the new year!
As a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, I want to pass on a 20% discount to you all. Use the code THANKYOU20 today only on any items in the shop. You guys continue to make me feel grateful to be able to do what I love and what makes me happy!
I had a lot of fun pressing these! Not only will they be in the shop this holiday season, but you'll be able to snag them up at a few shows that I'll be doing in the upcoming months.
In addition to sharing these pencils, I also wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for such an amazing October! This past month was the third busiest month I've ever had, right behind January and February. That says a lot since January and February are truly the busy season with Valentine's Day cards being the big thing. After some really unexpected issues cropped up after our trip to Australia, I worked the hardest I ever have on my shop to try and make the best of it, and it paid off.
I am feeling incredibly lucky to have such amazing customers that continue to come to shop with me, and to be able to realize this big dream of mine. I wasn't sure that this would work as a full time endeavor because it was such a huge risk, but two months into the school year, I know now that I made the right choice not to go back to the classroom. I'm looking forward to even more exciting things throughout the holiday season and into the new year!
As a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, I want to pass on a 20% discount to you all. Use the code THANKYOU20 today only on any items in the shop. You guys continue to make me feel grateful to be able to do what I love and what makes me happy!
Being Late, Being Too Busy, Or Being 'Cool'?
Heidi Shenk "daily life"
In the last few days, this article about being late, from Greg Savage on the Huffington Post blog, has made the rounds on social media almost everywhere I have looked. The question at hand as made obvious by the headline-- How did it get to be 'ok' for people to be late for everything?
Savage hits the nail on the head with something that I have noticed with growing annoyance. People showing up half an hour late for meetings, friends always running behind for a dinner meetup while I'm sitting solo at the bar waiting for them, and having to purposely schedule dinner parties to start a bit early, knowing that the guests won't arrive on time. Am I guilty of some of these things too? Absolutely, but I don't make a habit out of it, nor do I continue on without apologizing first. And, in most instances, I strive to be a few minutes early because the thought of being late induces incredibly anxieties.
While Savage discusses the routine lateness as being rude, he doesn't delve much deeper into the reasoning as to why this is a growing trend. I stopped to think about why this might be, and thought about the instances in which I was late. In the past couple years, I would say that the majority of my lateness occurred with weekend plans with the same couple that are good friends of ours. Unfortunately, and horrifyingly, the lateness always occurred with them. It had nothing to do with them as people (we love hanging out with them!), but all about the events leading up to whatever it was that we were doing with them.
I have found that in instances of recent lateness, our schedule for the day was so full of things that we thought we could (or rather Andrew thought he could) fit into one day, but in reality was just too much. I'm not one to try to fit everything in. It's too hectic and intense for the introvert in me. Andrew, on the other hand, is like a motor that doesn't stop. If he has an idea, he'll add it to the list of things to do, or start in on it because he thinks he can squeeze it in before we leave.
In our last instance of lateness, were were 45 minutes late to the aforementioned friends' house because an hour before we were supposed to leave, Andrew started waxing his car. He thought he would get it finished in an hour despite my suggestions for him to save it for another day. As we hopped into a freshly waxed car, 25 minutes after the time we were supposed to have arrived, I remember saying over and over again, "I can't believe we're going to be so late! I hate being late!"
This makes me wonder, is our lateness due to the fact that we are leading lives that are too busy? Should we be taking this lateness trend as a sign to slow down? What if we just got rid of one or two things a day in our busy schedule to be done at a later date? What if we said no sometimes instead of yes?
Thinking from the other side of the fence, I have been in the shoes of those who are waiting for late friends or colleagues. Some are apologetic and sincere, and others come racing in, smart phone in hand, and a quick "Oh my god, I am just so busy these days!" which is their sort of version of an apology.
For the latter, I think being late is cool. You're cool when you're late because it shows that you are busy. If you're busy, then you must be super duper cool because all of those people and places need you. This, I think, may be one of the greatest reasons for lateness being "ok." It is almost like common knowledge these days that the "it" people are just simply so awesome that they are always busy and because they are so awesome that makes it ok.
When did the number of activities, meetings, events, dates, and all of those wonderful things bring about a social status that makes one friend better than the other? And when did the busy lifestyle trump being on time and respecting the time of others?
In general, Savage's article really provoked a new idea of living a happy lifestyle. It made me embrace the fact that I like slowing down, and that in a society where we stress to live every day to the fullest, maybe we have gotten carried away by our daily lives a little too much. When I think about my day to day life, I'd rather spend an hour at lunch with a friend, arriving on time, rather than dealing with the stress of trying to cram one more thing in beforehand, in hopes that I'll save time later. The reality is, slowing down and taking a breather just might make us all a little happier, especially if that means being on time becomes the new cool.
How do you feel about people being late? What are your reasons for being late? Do you think we should all slow down too?
Savage hits the nail on the head with something that I have noticed with growing annoyance. People showing up half an hour late for meetings, friends always running behind for a dinner meetup while I'm sitting solo at the bar waiting for them, and having to purposely schedule dinner parties to start a bit early, knowing that the guests won't arrive on time. Am I guilty of some of these things too? Absolutely, but I don't make a habit out of it, nor do I continue on without apologizing first. And, in most instances, I strive to be a few minutes early because the thought of being late induces incredibly anxieties.
While Savage discusses the routine lateness as being rude, he doesn't delve much deeper into the reasoning as to why this is a growing trend. I stopped to think about why this might be, and thought about the instances in which I was late. In the past couple years, I would say that the majority of my lateness occurred with weekend plans with the same couple that are good friends of ours. Unfortunately, and horrifyingly, the lateness always occurred with them. It had nothing to do with them as people (we love hanging out with them!), but all about the events leading up to whatever it was that we were doing with them.
 |
| via Hairbrained Schemes |
I have found that in instances of recent lateness, our schedule for the day was so full of things that we thought we could (or rather Andrew thought he could) fit into one day, but in reality was just too much. I'm not one to try to fit everything in. It's too hectic and intense for the introvert in me. Andrew, on the other hand, is like a motor that doesn't stop. If he has an idea, he'll add it to the list of things to do, or start in on it because he thinks he can squeeze it in before we leave.
In our last instance of lateness, were were 45 minutes late to the aforementioned friends' house because an hour before we were supposed to leave, Andrew started waxing his car. He thought he would get it finished in an hour despite my suggestions for him to save it for another day. As we hopped into a freshly waxed car, 25 minutes after the time we were supposed to have arrived, I remember saying over and over again, "I can't believe we're going to be so late! I hate being late!"
This makes me wonder, is our lateness due to the fact that we are leading lives that are too busy? Should we be taking this lateness trend as a sign to slow down? What if we just got rid of one or two things a day in our busy schedule to be done at a later date? What if we said no sometimes instead of yes?
Thinking from the other side of the fence, I have been in the shoes of those who are waiting for late friends or colleagues. Some are apologetic and sincere, and others come racing in, smart phone in hand, and a quick "Oh my god, I am just so busy these days!" which is their sort of version of an apology.
For the latter, I think being late is cool. You're cool when you're late because it shows that you are busy. If you're busy, then you must be super duper cool because all of those people and places need you. This, I think, may be one of the greatest reasons for lateness being "ok." It is almost like common knowledge these days that the "it" people are just simply so awesome that they are always busy and because they are so awesome that makes it ok.
When did the number of activities, meetings, events, dates, and all of those wonderful things bring about a social status that makes one friend better than the other? And when did the busy lifestyle trump being on time and respecting the time of others?
 |
| via minthouse |
How do you feel about people being late? What are your reasons for being late? Do you think we should all slow down too?
My Style: Wedding Edition
Heidi Shenk "fashion" "my style" "wedding"
As you know, this past August, Andrew and I got married. We decided that a big wedding just wasn't us, and opted for a short and sweet courthouse wedding with a close friend in tow as our witness. After our wedding, we decided to take an epic trip to Australia instead. For us, traveling seemed to make much more sense in terms of where to spend our money. Travel is something that we both enjoy immensely and we knew a trip would make us a lot happier than a wedding that would be over in just a few short hours.
However, despite our quick wedding affair, we still decided to have fun and be a little classy. Many people commented on our wedding photos and loved our color theme and attire, and some even asked me to do this post (you know who you are...). To be truthful, we always travel on a budget, and our wedding attire was also on a budget... ok, except maybe not the shoes. Buuuuut, would you expect any less from me? So without further ado, here's the breakdown.
Her /// Dress - Nordstrom, $148 // Sandals - Kate Spade, $228 (splurge!) // Clutch - Milo and Molly, gift (similar) // Earrings - Target
Him /// Pants - Express, $59.90 // Shirt - Michael Kors via TJ Maxx, $19.99 // Tie - Macy's, $49.50
The total new cost of our attire was $445.49, which was half due to my splurge for shoes. We had a little money left over from our budgeted travel expenses, and Andrew insisted that I get the shoes and dress that I wanted. He knew that the shoes would be worn more than once and get some good use, so despite my qualms, he insisted I get them. This in itself is amazing as he most recently was heard saying, "You already have too many shoes!" as we browsed the new DSW that opened up nearby. I also say "new cost" because Andrew already owned the pants as part of his work clothes wardrobe.
I chose the mint cork wedges and tie to compliment the clutch that Kristen made for me as a wedding gift. I had initially found a mint dress at Nordstrom Rack that I was going to wear, but in a last minute fit of wedding panic (I say this jokingly of course, as this was the most stressful part of our wedding and it wasn't even really stressful!), I decided it'd be more fun to do a traditional white dress.
For me, this was a bit more than I wanted to spend on our wedding, but at the same time I realize that our entire ensemble cost less than all of the actual "wedding" dresses I looked at. I'm not sure why they can charge more just because it is dubbed as a wedding dress! And with a mere $15 needed to use the courthouse for 10 minutes, why not splurge a little?
Were you on a tight budget for your wedding? Anyone else out there do a courthouse wedding like us? What were your splurge items for your wedding attire?
However, despite our quick wedding affair, we still decided to have fun and be a little classy. Many people commented on our wedding photos and loved our color theme and attire, and some even asked me to do this post (you know who you are...). To be truthful, we always travel on a budget, and our wedding attire was also on a budget... ok, except maybe not the shoes. Buuuuut, would you expect any less from me? So without further ado, here's the breakdown.
Her /// Dress - Nordstrom, $148 // Sandals - Kate Spade, $228 (splurge!) // Clutch - Milo and Molly, gift (similar) // Earrings - Target
Him /// Pants - Express, $59.90 // Shirt - Michael Kors via TJ Maxx, $19.99 // Tie - Macy's, $49.50
The total new cost of our attire was $445.49, which was half due to my splurge for shoes. We had a little money left over from our budgeted travel expenses, and Andrew insisted that I get the shoes and dress that I wanted. He knew that the shoes would be worn more than once and get some good use, so despite my qualms, he insisted I get them. This in itself is amazing as he most recently was heard saying, "You already have too many shoes!" as we browsed the new DSW that opened up nearby. I also say "new cost" because Andrew already owned the pants as part of his work clothes wardrobe.
I chose the mint cork wedges and tie to compliment the clutch that Kristen made for me as a wedding gift. I had initially found a mint dress at Nordstrom Rack that I was going to wear, but in a last minute fit of wedding panic (I say this jokingly of course, as this was the most stressful part of our wedding and it wasn't even really stressful!), I decided it'd be more fun to do a traditional white dress.
For me, this was a bit more than I wanted to spend on our wedding, but at the same time I realize that our entire ensemble cost less than all of the actual "wedding" dresses I looked at. I'm not sure why they can charge more just because it is dubbed as a wedding dress! And with a mere $15 needed to use the courthouse for 10 minutes, why not splurge a little?
Were you on a tight budget for your wedding? Anyone else out there do a courthouse wedding like us? What were your splurge items for your wedding attire?