Time for a Change

If you have found me here thanks for visiting.  I am now at www.mishkablack.com
See you there.

Years ago I dabbled in portrait photography, using the skills I had for candid moments and got a few "clients" or my friends who were kind enough to let me use them as my learning curve and contemplated making it into a real business.  In the end I decided not to, there was enough creative leeway for me and it often frustrated when I would show people my work which was all candid moments and then when we went to do the shoot they wanted posed perfection.  Something, I am not a big fan of.  This was my type of photography.  Let me follow your kids around and see what I can come up with.  This image is of my girls 14 years ago, before digital.

I worked with two great photographers in those years of finding my way, one was Sena Zimmer in Glendora and the second as a second camera for her weddings ,was Florence Helmburger out of Altadena, CA.  I did this up until I was pregnant with my third child and son Carson.  Then I called it quits and stayed home with all three of our kids.

After Carson was born I still had the itch though, to get my work out there, practice my skill not lose my photographic touch.  I kept documenting my life and my circus I found myself raising...

This was taken with a PentexK1000 camera with Ilford XP2 film.  The flash is a bit harsh but the image priceless and no it was not posed.  I was in the office when Eric shouted to me, you might want to grab your camera and come here in the bathroom.  Carson was using his pretend razor he got for Christmas.  Once again I was grateful for the gift of capturing such moments.


Soon after this was taken I came up with the idea of starting a greeting card line, only I would have my cards printed on 100% pcw recycled paper.  It didn't matter the cost, I was making a difference.  I was excited and optimistic.  I, not being savvy in the business department at the time, had several of my images printed on cards in bulk to save money.  My husband tried to talk me out of it, but I heard it more as he was trying to keep me in the home and less about the practical side of inventory and have a cash flow.  Like most lessons I learn them but blazing forward and making my mistakes.  I managed to get my very small card line in two local stores and was elated.  However, I had 100 of each of my 12 cards and was beginning to tire of seeing the same cards over and over and over again.  Then the economy crashed...when times are tough people don't go out and buy cards.

Fast forward many years and as life would have it that dream did not fade, it has waited patiently and I find myself  resurrecting it.  My Mishka Greetings.  Mishka, why Mishka?  It is a nickname I have had for years.  When you have a common name and know several people who share the same name sometimes other's simply want to use a nickname, that's where Mishka comes in.  My rainbow flying friend Kat started the name and it has stuck ever since.

So with a blog design update happening as we speak, an Etsy site to feel the waters, and I now have a studio in which I can work in that dream is resurfacing with a passion.  One of the biggest challenges in this process, however was to have my family adjusting to me not being as available to their every whim and lost sock!  Then it was showing my husband that I can, in fact make money.  In the next coming months I will have more to offer on my Etsy site, you will see more of my branding style in the Knot Too Shabby store. (Not that she needs help with branding... that girl is on fire, but more to compliment what she already has going).

Today I am grateful for the Evolution of my growth, years ago I wanted it all immediately.  But some things are far greater and make a much bigger impact, when savored with what, only time can season with.  If I could go back I would whisper in my ear, "Its ok, your dream is simply growing you just don't see it yet.   Be where you are for this too will change."

My work...

As I move forward with my business I wanted to get an image that reflects the variety of my work and some of the image transfers I have done so far.  An overview if you will.  I even tested out my video Vine skills and did a couple of Vines for my personal facebook page.  These pieces are in front of the chalkboard calendar I made out of my Repurposed door to my studio. Because there was some termite damage we had to repair the size of the door jam changed and we needed a new door and new door jam to replace it.

These are all made from salvaged wood I have collected on the curbside, or was donated to me.  All Repurposed wood.  All Repurposed Awesome!

Road trip...

The mission... to get my daughter Taylor to her new college for orientation.  It was my turn, you see Eric had taken her to registration earlier in the spring, so now I was to take her.  For some crazy reason we had decided NOT to fly, but chose to drive instead.  I had always loved road trips and this one was not unfamiliar to me. I mean think about it. What better way to see a good portion of California and Oregon, right?  The challenge however, was that in between the time of planning the trip and us about to leave for it we both for various reasons had to be back right after her orientation.  No stopping and seeing family or sight seeing visiting favorite destinations. No, as soon as it was over we were blazing back home.  This of coarse made it less about the journey and more about the destination which is not my preferred way of traveling.  We made the most of it, however and I did manage to get in a few great photos.

Our first major stop was San Francisco, La Boulange to be exact.  We had heard that Starbucks was beginning to add its pastries to our local stores and they were in fact based in SF.   So why not? What better way to get the truth but go to the source and see what all the fuss is all about?  Believe you me we now know why!

Thinking that we could avoid any major traffic we pulled into town just after noon.  However, not used to driving its streets and remarkably attached to my daughters iPhone GPS, the one way streets kept me driving in circles until at last I found our destination.  (To be honest this is something I do anyway with or without a GPS to argue with!)  I could get lost in a fishbowl!

By the time we entered La Boulange we were starving and needing a rest room desperately.  Luckily they had both.  We ordered a few pastries to go, a dessert or two and lunch as well.  We can honestly say we know why Starbucks is loving La Boulange.  I was reminded of our vacation in Paris with one bite.

So after getting our fill it was time to get on the road, so we made our way to the car and beat the traffic...or not.

This took some time to get through and back to the interstate 5!!

The rest of the way is a blur of passing cars, stopping at various gas stations and rest stops, and eating way too much junk food to pass the time.  Not to mention the in and out of static radio stations to add ambiance for the drive.  

As we got closer to our evening destination Taylor realized we were about to pass through a town she had only seen on a t-shirt... Weed, California.  Yes its a real town and yes she bought the "I heart Weed" t-shirt and various souvenirs for her and her friends back home.

After Weed the last part of the drive was magical and we were moved by the incredible sunset that began to unfold.  I was reminded of God's canvas and thanked him for the ability to see and appreciate his artwork.

Or as my youngest daughter when she was little use to say whenever she saw the sun peeking through the clouds like this, "Look Mommy, its God."

Yes I took these while driving...is that wrong?

Seriously...GORGEOUS!

The next morning we ate at hit the road as soon as we could.  We eventually did arrive at her campus and the landscape changed dramatically.  I love the greens of Oregon!

Seriously where did the time go?  When did she become a young woman?

After she signed up for her classes, got her roommate, took her testing and got a feel for her new campus the time had come to hit the road again...only this time we had a lot of smoke filled skylines.

Fires had broken out in Southern Oregon and all throughout California on the drive home.

Lastly every once in a while you see a photo but don't have the means to take it at the time.  If you are lucky you have the opportunity to return to take it.  This was that photo for me, this sign. I saw it on the way up, but couldn't stop to take it at the time.  On the way home however, I told Taylor to please help me keep an eye out for it.  To my utter delight we didn't miss it and had time to pull over so I could take this photo.

The funny part was that after I had gotten out of the car and walked a little closer to get the right angle for my photo it suddenly occurred to me what this sign was actually saying.  Just then I said a little prayer, "Please don't let me go out like this..." and ran back to the car.

We have been back for a couple of days now and recuperated from our long drive.  My digestive system has even recovered from its over indulgence of chips and gas station beef jerky.  There is so much to see in between and through out both states,but I prefer a slower pace with time enough to really soak in what it is I am seeing and experiencing.  Next time...hopefully.

I'm a little bit country...

When I was a kid growing up I use to watch The Donny and Marie show and wouldn't miss an episode.  Now to some, I may be dating myself, but if you know me at all, you know I am proud to be as old as I am. I've earned this age and I think its about time woman embrace the age they are and stop buying into the incredible media pressure to stay twenty... but that's a different soap box for a different time.  So anyway, as I was saying I use to watch Donny and Marie show and one of my favorite parts was when they would sing, "I'm a little bit country..." and "I'm a little bit rock n roll."  So why the flashback... truth be told, I find this sentiment to really represent me in my life.  There are parts of me that love the open spaces, big beat up barns and old dirt roads and I turn my head in adoration whenever a beat up old truck drives by.  Then there is the part of me that is as my grandmother-in-law once described me as the, "city girl".   The love of culture and museums, expensive coffee and an appetite for quality cuisine and the hustle and bustle that a city can have.

My first flight on a plane I was headed to a Washington D. C.  What a shock that was, from Salem, Oregon to Washington D.C at 19.  Most my adult life I have lived in the suburbs of  major cities.  I've lived in Washington D.C, New York, Auckland, New Zealand, and have raised my family in Los Angeles, California.  I love the melting pot, and cultural soup that a huge city can offer, but I also don't like to be immersed in it on daily basis.  I like to have it  just close enough so that I can take mini adventures into it and find my way back home to digest it all.

These days however, I seem to be craving more country.  Long drives in open land.  I am drawn to flea markets and rustic wood, nostalgia, ephemera, vintage everything and a simpler life.  Setting down roots is no longer threatening to me, funny as that sounds but its a huge part of my own inner journey to being comfortable with life's choices.  The idea of settling in one place seemed to at one time represent that I was giving up on the adventure of life.  Little did I know I was actually creating a magnificent for my children as well as for us to thrive in.

So in this rustic country phase in my life and am in a sense returning back home.  I am often reminded of summers at my Aunt Pats house.  She lived just outside the city limits in a town that was founded by the timber industry.    A little town known as Drain, Oregon.  She has recently sold the house but I was lucky enough to return to it year after year even in adulthood and bring my three children to swim in its creek, catch wild little frogs and take long walks to the only grocery store in town, simply with the goal in mind to get ice-cream. We would pick fresh apples and blackberries alongside the road as we ventured and watch the deer every dusk eat the fallen apples alongside their dirt road.

Well these days I live in the suburbs in a Mayberrish town and I love it.  I am in the house I hope to grow old in and finally after 20 years of living in Los Angeles I actually feel like I am home.  I am drawn to the rustic sheds that are found along the alleyways from when the town was founded and like my dear friend Michele Rivard will break for garage sales and look for treasures.

Having known her and watched her turn something overlooked into unique furniture pieces to adorn and transform a house into a home, with I now have an appreciation for specialty paints and their applications for various affects.  One I have mentioned on occasion is the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint but the other is a paint called Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint.

Now I have tried using this paint but I tell you this is where workshops come into play and are so valuable.  I can read the directions just like anyone else but its the hints and learning curve I want to learn from.  I wanted the chippy look ignored the directions and created the paint according the consistency I thought paint should be and I did NOT get the same results.

So with that I think I will more than likely stick to what I know and what I have time to learn how to do.  The thing about being a DIYer is that sometimes, we just don't know when to let others do it for us and stick to what we are best at and get more joy from.   I don't have to do it ALL myself.

Because its a cool product and I've seen how it can turn something drab into absolutely fab I made the sign for Michele at Knot Too Shabby here in Glendora, California.  The great thing about Michele's store is that not only does she sell the stuffs she teaches you how to use it and how to prep your piece to get the best results.

Here's her sign...

                                I may have been born in the city but in my heart grows country.

Weddings...

Pinterest has helped me fall in love with weddings again.  The decorations, the invitations, the photo shoots, the details, serious... the ENDLESS amount of details it takes to pull off a gorgeous wedding.  We all want gorgeous weddings...deep down, although at the time oh what 19 years ago it was my husband that wanted the fairytale wedding more than I did.  However,that's another story for another time.

So as I have been getting more and more into my image transfer process and thinking of unique ways to repurpose this crazy amount of wood I have collected over the past year.  Some of it just cries for a sign to be made.  Having just made Robbie's Summer Rules sign I was was wanting to make more signs. I've just waiting for the right one, when all of a sudden I get a phone call from a very sweet friend Lisa.  Turns out her best friend is getting married and was wondering if I could make her a sign for the wedding?  You betcha!  She had already picked out the sentiment, but the rest was up to me.

Here's my sign.  Turns out I want to do more of them and rent them out.  And so it begins...Wedding Props by Repurposed by Michelle E. Black.

Here's the sign, hopefully she'll send me a photo of it in the actual wedding so I can post that as well.

I had cut a shipping pallet in half and the easel my parents got at a garage sale!

Now off the table saw... before I lose daylight.

Hermosa Beach, CA

Hermosa Beach, CA is a summer tradition of ours.  Every summer, for years now, we have come to stay at what we refer to as "the beach house".  Its in the family, well the extended family anyway.  Every winter I am oh-so-grateful that the "ladies" (my mother in law and her sister) make the  reservations for this co-op, awesome, family, home-away-from-home, so that this is a part of my children's childhood memories and my summer memories as well.

Its strictly woman and children who come with us on these trips these days.  It seems the men were voted out years ago and with the exception of my son, we kind of like it that way.  We take over the house for a week, planning easy meals, ice cream for dessert, and plenty of laughter. In the evenings after a walk to the pier, you can find us at the dining room table playing board games, laughing and poking fun at each others answers, sometimes with the rules, and sometimes not- so- much! 

There is an ease and a comfort in our vacation routine.  Its easy and we like it like that.  We are slow to rise and our mornings feel like a real vacation.  There's no rushing to get to whatever adventures that are conjured out of boredom and no pressure to make a dinner we don't have the energy to make.  We don't feel the need for too many activities and if we have spent a good few hours reading magazines and diving into a good book it is an afternoon well spent in our eyes. The TV isn't always blaring which truthfully is something that is music to all of our ears.  When the need to be antisocial hits there are enough corners in this vintage boarding house where privacy isn't an issue.  Then in a short time we emerge and are pleasantly rested and ready to play well with others again. 

Our routine goes something like this, after what seems that everyone has risen, toasted themselves a bagel and we have had our second cup of coffee, we start THINKING about getting dressed for a day at the beach.  Usually that's around 11 or so, once the clouds have burned off, and the summers sun is out to greet us.  If its later in the summer we don't have the marine layer as much and could technically start our day much earlier, but we don't.  Once it is felt all around it is time to hit the beach, we pull out the sandwich meats, cheeses, bags of chips, fruit and cookies with each our own paper bags and EVERYONE packs their own lunches, even the kids.  Then the sunscreen is sprayed, beach bags packed,  and flip flops are on, we start making the three block trek down the sand and lifeguard station one.  With boogie-boards in tow, a shovel and bucket for sand crabs, we make our way to edge of sand, just above where the tides have formed a slight ledge and plant our chairs close enough to see our own children at the waters edge.  

At the end of the day we head for a walk on the pier and look down to what are other's are doing on the very beach we had spent the afternoon on.

The girls are older now, craving even tan lines and littler and littler bikinis than the previous summer.  There is a sense of pride I feel for them, for they work so hard in their various sports and have earned the right to show off their lean and strong bodies,  yet I am often pulled by strong, protective instinct to shield the eyes of what seems to be droves of creepy onlookers at any given time.  I have adapted though... sort of... but let the girls know, that not everywhere are people so comfortable with so much skin.  One person missed on this trip was my oldest daughter...she now has a job...how fast things change and I am not always prepared for them.

My first link Party...

Its always nice to connect and see what other crafters are up to and find inspiration in most unlikely places.  I often do driveby's on other people's blogs.  I don't necessarily sign up for a blog but tap in every now and again.  Here is one that I have actually signed up for and am on the emailing list of.  Today is the first day I being in the right frame of mind decided to join what is called a "link party".
Here is her link if you want to check it out.
http://www.everythingetsy.com/2013/06/crafty-girl-linky-party-crafty-tote-bag-giveaway/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A%20New%20Linky%20Party%20for%20Crafty%20Bloggers%20at%20EverythingEtsy_com&utm_campaign=20130621_m116415345_Crafty%20Girl%20Linky%20Party%20Announcement&utm_term=Here%20is%20the%20link

Stockholm, Sweden image transfer

A couple of years ago, my husband won a trip to Stockholm, Sweden and Finland to visit a manufacturer of a product line he sold a lot of.  I was ecstatic to visit a part of the world that I had such positive connections with in my early twenties.  I had known and became very friendly with a group of women from Finland back in my days of being a nanny in New York and to see the country in which they came from was so exciting for me.  I even managed to meet up with one of my au pair friends in the city of Helsinki, Finland. We had a cup of coffee in a store cafe as if twenty years had not passed us by, a sign of true friendship.  It was a trip of a life time and I found the countries just as friendly and beautiful as the young women I once knew on a daily basis.

Yesterday I managed to finish a piece from a series of photos I had to montage together in Photoshop to create the panoramic I used for my piece.  This was taken in Stockholm, Sweden the view we could see from our hotel.  It was however, not one entire photo but several fused together to create the panoramic I desired.   To take this series we were actually on the water in a ferry going from one side of the canal to the other.  I simply took a photo every so often, keeping my hands still and focused on the horizon with the intention of blending it together.  A tripod would have been ideal but I was able to cut off the  uneven bits in Photoshop as well.

As for the background in which I transferred the photo to, I had used a cupboard face off of a piece of furniture that was an old cupboard.  It had some water damage to the bottom and would have been fit for the trash, however I salvaged a good portion of it.  The drawers house some of crafting supplies and the cabinet door face that was perfect piece for my panoramic.

Summer image transfers on Repurposed wood

Today was a productive day.  Over the weekend I was at a softball tournament for my daughter but I took with me several unfinished pieces to do in-between games.  As it turned out we had a break after one of the games from 10:00 a.m. until the next game which wasn't until 6 p.m. in the evening.  That gave me plenty of time to work on my image transfers.  Today I was able to do the fine tuning and finish some summer pieces.  These images are from Hermosa Beach, CA and the Dominican Republic.

Here is my show n tell.  I have posted one on Etsy and the others will find their home in The Knot Too Shabby Store.

#football #image transfer # Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

So every now and again Michele Rivard of Knot Too Shabby www.knottooshabbyfurnishings.com and I combine our talents and do a project together.  This time she had acquired a metal cabinet and wanted a masculine image on it.  I thought of immediately these great images I had of vintage football players and went to work.
First Michele painted the cabinet with Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Aubusson Blue with a Dark Wax finish.

Here it is prepped and ready for me to tackle

Here are the images I am trimming down to adhere to the surface.

Michele photo bombing the layout of the images 

Its looking good!

A fantastic metal cabinet that any one would love!  A total original!!

the inside.

Its on sale right now at the store.  It won't last long though, the last one we did sold within a few days.

Grandma Anita

We never realize the effect we have on another person, how lasting a memory can be or the impact we can have on one another simply by participating in each other's lives.  Its one of the reasons that death is such a powerful tool in life, it forces us to reflect upon the imprint we place upon each other's souls while we are living.

For me my greatest influence was my Grandmother.  I recently wrote about her in an article that is to be published this September in Somerset's Holidays and Celebrations magazine.  She was my creative touchstone.

One of my first collages I did I did while thinking of her.  In my early twenties I was rather nomadic.  I worked and traveled and then worked again to pay for my next traveling adventure.  I traveled across the United States by plane, by a crazy hippie bus and by car. I also spent a year and a half in the North Island of New Zealand.  I would write home often and in between adventures I would make sure I stopped into see my "Grandmo" and fill her in on my experiences and what I had learned.

She was the one that I had promised to visit a museum in every major city and because of that promise I have seen exquisite art all over the world.  After my grandfather passed she continued to live in her home for a few years and I would continue stop in and visit whenever I was in Oregon.  I would more than likely find her sitting in her favorite rose colored plush chair in the living room, listening to an opera or  classical music on public radio.  I would then come and sit on the couch next to her and tell her the tales of my travels.  As she put it, she was now "an armchair traveler" but travelled now through my adventures.  When I was done she would then pull out her latest poetry or any saved articles she had cut out for me.  It was our routine.

This photo was taken in her dining room on one such visit.  She had just finished a collection of essays I had inspired her to write, including the title, Forget Me Nots for My Granddaughters.  As she sat in dining room, the same one I had known my entire life and celebrated countless occasions in, I had that photographer's instinct to capture the moment I was in.  Using only natural light that streamed in through the windows, I pulled out my Pentex K100 camera with a few shots left on the roll of film and took this photo.  This would be the last time I would sit with her at her dining room table.

My love for Packaging...

So those who know me, know that I love PACKAGING.  Not the kind you can get at the local party store with the printed celophane bags but the creative kind.  The ones that have thought and inspiration combined no matter what the contents.  Something that simply makes you smile and want to pick it up because it is so clever.  With the onset of Pinterest I now have a place to collect visual examples and Pin them to my Packaging Board.  After scouring through hundreds of blogs and sites, the next logical step was to start incorporating them into my life.  Being a creative person I rarely copy what I pin, however I am inspired by what I see and create my own versions, sometimes looking nothing like the original inspiration behind it.

Truth is I've always been drawn to packaging.  As a consumer I've been pulled into buying a product simply because of how it was presented.  Cute packaging can go a long way.  The same goes to unnecessary and unattractive packaging.  Manufacturers take note!

When I was an assistant for a very popular local portrait photographer I saw how she presented the reprints to her clients. It wasn't an elaborate presentation, she simply put them in a water color type sleeve and with an organza ribbon wrapped around it tied in a bow.   Although simplistic, it was an elegant way to present her product to her clients.  Her feelings behind the presentation were that her work was a gift and she wanted them to unwrap it as such.  That has stayed with me throughout the years.

These days however, I like using repurposed items combined with new, to make something look beautiful.  This incorporates my love for ephemera and my new obsession with washi tape and baker's twine.  I find too many times we endorse newly manufactured items, when a repurposed one is not only just as beautiful, but also a step in the right direction when it comes to the environment.  Take these maps for instance.   I took them home from my Aunt's house while cleaning out my grandfather's office.  My grandmother had kept every map National Geographic put out and road maps from various road trips.  Although my Aunt would have put them in the recycle bin, I wanted them for something...wasn't sure what, until now.  I had just gotten an order on my Etsy site for one of my small typewriter pieces.  It was going to a very sweet woman in Florida, that I had reached out to with some photography tips.  This is how I wrapped it before I sent it out.

So this post is to tell you how much I love going into these stores.  I start to salivate seriously.  The things I could make, restore or find a place for.  I love metal file cabinets and old window panes, my doors for image transfers, you name it they have it.  There stock is rotating constantly with new donations every week.  I am grateful that this place exists, that there are those who know to donate their used household items there and that my dear friend Paula took me on an errand there a few years back!  I've been hooked ever since.  What's a twofer for me is that it is recycling at its finest and the money goes to building homes for the less fortunate.  

I've been meaning to post this for a while.  So the next time you are going to scout the local Hardware Super stores, look up instead the nearest Habitat for Humanity.  It may not be so close, but you just very well may be surprised that one is.  And once you find one, keep it in mind that whenever you finish your home improvement projects and have left over supplies donate them here.

The meaning a photo can have

How fast they grow.  In one hand as I take her tiny, precious feet, the other I am holding a Pentex K1000 camera with Kodak black and white film.  I would not see this image until weeks later.  So tiny, so precious... you can even see the little fuzzies between her toes, from the socks she was wearing.
I'm glad I took that photo.  What's even better is, I am glad I had it printed.  Today with the awesomeness of the digital world our devices are filled with our well documented lives, but lose a device and those memories can go with it.  Sometimes we are so inundated with visual images of our everyday lives, that reflecting for a simply a moment  rarely happens. We simply don't take the time to feel the power of what one photo can have on us.  To really let it sink in and savor its gift.

So today in the midst of everything I've got going on, I am revisiting this image.  You see this baby girl in the image is graduating high school next week and off to college in the Fall.  Her presence in my life has grounded me and introduced to me the true meaning of Unconditional Love.  Not only am I grateful to have had her as a daughter, I am so grateful I was present for the journey. Now have the ability and gift to share it with others I am starting to do so.

My challenge to you is get some of those awesome digital moments out of your devices and line your hallways with them or hang them in your bedrooms or put in a frame side table.  Don't forget to write the name and date on the back so that you have something tangible that can be passed down to others. Every now and again I pause in my hallway and look at the candid moments that make up a lifetime.

Because sometimes what may seem like only a short time ago, can be closing on 18 years ago.