Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Let's go OUTSIDE!

We have 4 very adorable and very inspiring cats.
Linus, Boots, Lily and Jack.

Now that the warm weather has arrived in Southeast Michigan they get to spend some time outdoors in our back yard. Every morning after breakfast they wait at the back door, giving Jeff and I big googly eyes, begging quietly to be let outside. They spend hours out there while Jeff and I work in our studio. Our studio is off of our kitchen and both rooms have very large windows that overlook the back yard so we can always keep our eye on them.
Being able to let them into our big backyard where they are safe and sound is a blessing. They love being outside and they get so much exercise chasing each other and running up and down trees. Lily loves to dig holes under the raspberry bushes. Jack loves to run up the trees and then wiggle his way back down. Boots loves to sit by the corner of the barn nearest the wood pile, listening for the slightest sound of movement so he can investigate. Linus just loves laying in the grass, catching a cool breeze.
We are vigilant to keep our eye on them at all times. They need our supervision even with a big back yard and plenty of space for them to run around in. A large turkey vulture flew over the yard about a month ago and all the cats noticed it before Jeff or I did. Lily was in the middle of the yard with no cover nearby and she immediately crouched as close to the ground as she could, keeping a cautious eye on the big bird the whole time. As soon as it flew by all four cats ran into the studio.
Being able to spend this precious time outside is so good for all four of our cats. It's good for Jeff and I also. It forces us to take breaks during our busy work days and that is essential!
Linus, Boots, Lily and Jack are the apples of our eyes and it makes us so happy to see them play and thrive. We love being able to see their funny antics from our studio and kitchen windows while we work.

They make our day every day!

Linus waiting to go outside.

Boots in a favorite spot.

Jack spies a bird.

Lily. Cute as a button in the yard.

Lily smelling the tulips.

Here comes Boots!

Lily getting ready to dig holes in the raspberry patch.

Lily loves to play with twigs.

Jack in the breeze.

Linus perched in a tree.

The cats have certainly made their way into our work. Here are a few examples from our shop:

Leaves of Grass - Vintage Marushka Textile Screen Print Art Wall Hanging

Summer Nights Shimmering Shooting Stars Sparkling Clear Glass Fruit Harvest Ball Mason Jar Chandelier Lights - Hanging Pendant Lighting Fixture

Dont put off till tomorrow what can be done today - 5 x 7 Original Fine Art Photograph

Vintage Sleek Black Cat Figurine

Monday, May 23, 2011

Inspiration from the Movies - Shelley Duvall as Millie Lammoreaux in Robert Altman's 3 Women

3 WOMEN is one of my favorite movies. It was released in 1977 and is directed by Robert Alman.
The film tells the story of three women whose identities blur, shift and merge in a psychological story of transference and dependence.

Altman's films are all about layers: visual, aural, and thematic, and 3 WOMEN is a fantastic example. The entire cast is extraordinary, with Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek both giving their finest performance ever.

Shelley Duvall is simply amazing as the self-deluded Millie, who's ignored by everyone except Sissy's character as she babbles on endlessly about TV commercials, recipes she collects from magazines, entertaining cheaply and her (non-existent) social life. The actress BRILLIANTLY makes Millie a pathetic yet gallant creature we somehow find inspiring.

Millie's convinced that she's got great style. Many tend to agree!

Here's the trailer to 3 women. It's narrated by Millie. Our favorite line is "I guess she's never lived in a decorated place before"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf8iKMG8yFI&feature=related

And here are some awesome vintage finds on Etsy that remind us of Millie's kitchen in the photo above!


from riverviewgems


from pumpkintruck

from our shop, bootsngus

from elizabethwrenvintage

from our shop, bootsngus

from june22

The Beginning.

I started writing in a journal over 20 years ago when I was 14. It was a way to get a lot of stuff off my chest and to organize my thoughts. It became a friend and back then, writing was mostly fueled by teenage angst.

I've been writing ever since then but I've been a bit stubborn when it comes to switching from hand writing in a journal to typing on the computer. But today things change. Today I begin a new journey here writing on our blog.

A few months ago I quit a very fast paced corporate job. Making the decision to quit was not an easy move for me at all. I've worked for a company for the past 20 years and made a good living. The problem was that I was miserable doing it. I was in a rat race situation and I felt my life slipping away from me. I gave the company so much more of my mental energy and time than I gave to my own life and family. It affected my relationships and my health in negative ways.

My dream has always been to work for myself and when my partner, Jeff, the other half of BootsNGus, told me that I should really strive to make that a reality, I started to do just that. Jeff and I had been selling on Etsy and loving it for almost 2 years at that point. It was more of a hobby for us but we are so passionate about the work we do for our shop that we decided to devote our combined energies into making our business a success. I wouldn't be able to do this while working 50+ hours a week for a company I did not feel passionate about. So, I found the courage to leave and I left. Leaving the very stressful corporate world I was a part of was the best decision of my life. Jeff and I have taken our ideas and made them real. His designs and our creativity and love for vintage and handmade needed an outlet and needed to be nurtured. Etsy has given us that outlet and we are grateful! It's certainly a journey and I look forward to sharing the experience here with our friends. I'm thankful that after 20 years of really hating what I do for a living, I can finally say that I LOVE what I do. It was necessary for me to stop living a hurried, stressfull, A.D.D life and to begin living a more peaceful, reflective and SIMPLE life.

I laugh so much more now and it's about time!!

So, I'll put down my pen and journal and I'll get to typing here at bootsngus.blogspot.com! Stay tuned. We're working on some upcycled planters and more upcycled lighting fixtures this week. We went estate sale-ing in Southern Michigan all weekend long for Jeff's birthday and, boy, did we find some treasures for our shop! Here are some recent additions to BootsNGus. Have a look!