The Rabbit Hole

Where does this door go to and what does the sign on it mean???

 It is my "reclaimed" Garage Studio" 
Where I can do my messier, more intense and dirty metal, wood, torching, hammering,
firing, soldering and doll art work.
I am also going to be teaching classes from The Rabbit Hole.
 
One might ask..."reclaimed garage"?
What does that mean?

  

 
Many years ago, while married to my first husband. 
We lived in a tiny condominium, 1100 square feet
with three young boys.
Half of the garage was mine.
It was my escape in which I discovered myself, started making art and selling it.

When my marriage was crumbling and the divorce was decided, I rented the coolest little studio above
a coffee house named "Java Jitters" in Old town San Dimas and moved
out of the condo garage. 
The new studio had great light and gave me the opportunity to spread my wings
and build my Mural business.

It was there that I met and fell in love with my second husband John,
who I had my daughter Emily with.

 
When John and I married, my studio moved out of the coffee house
and back to our home.
But John was a contractor and fine woodworker and wasn't
about to share his HUGE three car extended garage with me.
So, my studio became the really cute loft area on the second
floor of the house we rented.
I was happy.
 

When we bought a home together, John still kept his garage
and my studio became what most people call a Family Room, which
adjoins my kitchen.
 
When John died 7 years ago,  I sadly got the garage back.
Still feeling John's presence, it was always kind of hard for me to work out there, but
I did as well as created an exercise area for my sons and I.
The garage is pretty cool with black/white Race Deck flooring that the boys and I installed.
It is a sealed garage with ac/heating.
Come on, what woman wouldn't LOVE an aqua garage?
 

A year and a half ago, my Beau Rob moved in and I gave up part of said garage to him
because he ran a business out of the home too.
It was a squeeze to say the least.
A bookcase, a huge executive L shaped desk, two file cabinets,
the workout area, toolboxes, workbench, shop vac, engine jack, etc, etc..
It was a MESS.  Being that I still needed a place to store my shipping supplies, show supplies
and a place to do tool work, because you don't do that stuff in a Studio next to the kitchen...
we had to share the space and it was tough.
Rob is a very supportive and infinitely laid back guy,
so we were patient with each other.

Recently Rob joined a new company and started working at an office.
The day he said he would sell his desk and move his files to the new office,
I JUMPED for joy and gave him a BIG HUG & KISS.
I got my Garage Studio back and now have a place to teach classes
and really work on some larger pieces.
Business has thankfully been good and I really do need this space.

So, where did the Rabbit Hole idea come from???

Well, a few weeks back while preparing for Glitterfest...doll parts were laying all over the place
and morphing themselves (with my help of course)
into Spiders, Tin men, Gumball Machine babies and Bling Babies.
Completely amused with myself while creating and singing along to
Danny Elfman's Willy Wonka Soundtrack....Rob entered the garage after work...

he aptly placed a large picture frame before his face

and said...

"Welcome to the Rabbit Hole"

We laughed and the new name for Studio 2 was born.

He thinks I live in Wonderland...

He is right,
I do live and create in a world of my own...

and I am Happy!!!

XO,
Lisa