Red Lead inspiration

I actually visited Red Lead twice while I was in St Louis.  Once with my sister during the week and again on Sat to meet some of the ladies that were in the store for a make and take.  Chris and Sharon were welcoming and super enthusiastic about everything altered.  The store was just how I imagined it would be; full of charms and treasures, tons of alterable surfaces, custom rubber stamps (just what I was looking for), as well as a ton of inspiration for a girl like me.

see all the white bags hanging on the wall?  All custom rubber stamps made by Chris and Sharon.

Trinkets, trinkets...

and more trinkets, I love it!

lots of 7gypies bottles, labels, tags, paper packs and tissue.

do you not love this lamp shade made with old baby shoes?

As you walk to the back of Red Lead there is a stairway down to the classroom area.   Wish I had that room for my everyday creative space.  Flooded with light from the windows on the left, it is the perfect space to find your creative mojo...all I would need to add was some good music and I'd be set.

I brought a couple of my journals and the blog samples from the past few months to share.  We talked about what you do when your on a design team and the ladies asked some questions about 7gypies products.  At the end I asked if anyone had any questions and a very nice lady said, "Do you know Tim Holtz?"  I said I did and that he was a very nice man.  It is my one claim to fame...I know Tim Holtz! :)

I love all the boxes lined up on the back wall with old cameras, clocks, books and such. What a great way to fill up a big wall.  Makes me want to rethink a few walls in my house.

A surprise was waiting for me in the classroom.  It was my friend Lesley from California.  I first met Lesley at Gypsy Caravan a few years back and we continue to visit each year at the trade show.  When I saw her at CHA in January she told me she was moving to Missouri so I didn't know if we would meet up ever again.  Well, guess who stopped by to say "hi". 

thanks Sharon for the photo!

 Chris and Sharon gave me a fabulous gift for stopping by on Sat which was not necessary but very, very nice.  It was tied with beautiful hand dyed seam binding and inside was a couple more custom cling mount rubber stamps to add to the ones I purchased when I visited the store with my sister earlier in the week, as well as 4 tiny custom wood block stamps, trinkets and the fabulous patina metal swallows and disks that I totally missed on the first trip through.  I feel some creative time may be necessary in the near future!

As we were leaving we stopped to watch a local artist paint a street scene of the block that Red Lead sits on.  We chatted away for a few minutes and then found our way back to the car passing other artists along the way. 

 What a beautiful morning.

 Thanks again Chris and Sharon!

Lets Start at the End

Bet you thought we fell off the face of the earth...we didn't, but travel has cut into the blog schedule.  I thought about blogging from St Louis but then I decided the trip was about family time and that just didn't include blogging (it always takes longer than you ever expect when sitting down to write).    Anyway, the trip was great...I have lots to share, the visit to Red Lead (fabulous), historic St Charles, and some other fun shops.  

I have to start at the end of the trip and the visit to the St Louis Arch.  I have visited many monuments from Washington to Rio and the arch stands up to my personal litmus test.  Which is, "when you walk up to the monument does it take your breath away".  
It does.

A visit to the downtown waterfront park was on my short list of things to see in St Louis.  I wish I would have known to bring a blanket so my husband and I could lay on the grassy hill in the shadow of the arch and watch the clouds go by.  

The weather was warm, the clouds were moving fast, children were running and laughing, a bride was having her photo taken, a school group with bright yellow t-shirts crossed the lawn. 

All in the shadow of the arch.

We took the ride to the top in a pod of sorts (not too good for anyone who is claustrophobic) since there are no windows to see where your going. 
But the view when you get there...fabulous.

It was a great day at the park and the perfect end to a week in St Louis.