create - the Barn Owl Primitives studio

from an early age, i was drawn to art.  while my dad was coaching my brothers in sixteen different sports, my mom was driving me across town to art classes.  pastels,  drawing, clay, papier-mâché, paint.  i was happiest when i was making a mess and creating a masterpiece.  

it wasn't until i was in my late thirties, a stay at home mom with two kids, that i was again drawn to art.  my husband was busy working for an internet start up and was rarely home.  i turned to art to fill the evening hours when our kids were sleeping and i was waiting for him to come home.  i opened a shop on Etsy and after a few months, things started to pick up.   i was shocked and thrilled.  and a bit overwhelmed.   how could i paint that many products at my kitchen table and still pretend to serve my family dinner?   so i moved my tiny operation from the kitchen table to the dining room.  after all, the dining room was the least used room in our home.  and it had the best light.   

painting in your dining room, with carpet on the floor, takes courage.  and a touch of stupidity.  apparently,  i had both.   so after a year of splattering paint on the carpet, walls and furniture, i wised up.  i wanted to create a functional and pretty place to create.   we installed hardwood floors, removed the dining room furniture and painted the walls a lighter color.  

then I could splatter paint on the new hardwood floors, Martha Stewart Living craft room furniture and the freshly painted soft white walls.   seemed like a great idea at the time.  

as our Etsy shop grew, so did my need for more space.  since being able to continue to work from home was important,  i sprawled into the living room and created an even larger studio space.  because you can see our living room and dining room as soon as you walk in our front door, i needed to create a cohesive and pretty space.  a space that would inspire me and all who entered.  a place where imagination and creativity could live and thrive.  

our home studio is our happy place.   it's where we create.

i love color.  i believe that it breathes life and adds energy to a space.  so i worked to weave color into our studio in a way that would allow it to flow with the rest of our home and still keep it happy and full of life.  

two years ago, my husband resigned his executive position to join me on this creative journey.  it was a bit of a transition for him, leaving corporate America after having spent the better part of two decades behind a desk; managing hundreds of people,  analyzing data, solving problems and initiating change.  but it didn't take long for him to realize that being a maker is just as rewarding.  more so even.  that creativity is contagious.  and that designing and creating products by hand is fulfilling.   

we are excited to offer several of the products that you see in our studio in our shop.  now our inspiration can inspire you and your family and all who enter your home.

do you have a creative space at home?  where do you go to be inspired?  
leave us a comment and let us know where you go to make and create.   

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