Teena Flanner

Babies, lilacs, life!

My life has been rich and bountiful, joyful and like any life well or otherwise lived, has had sadness. My mom died in March and we all memorialized Elnora Marjorie in Colorado.  My son-in-law, Joe , drove his very pregnant wife Katie, 2 year old Jack, sister-in-law Susannah and me ( his mother-in-law, yikes!) across many, many hours of black ice in Iowa. I thought it was a wonderful tribute to a grandma who has not recognized any of us for years , for all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren to assemble as family. My son Chris chose to drive  instead of  fly, from Nevada , so we could all meet his "newish" 12 year old german shepard Miranda. Color group photo is "us" in Colorado at one of our favorite, corny,  fun places.

On April 9 our newest and still sleepiest ,little person arrived, Abbey Jane. A doll of course!

My shops have been patient because at this stage of my life and career, I shut down my studio for long periods to enjoy and experience life. After my long ago divorce in 1991, I did nothing but work and take care of my children , as their sole support. Now I work when I wish, plant and garden, travel a little bit, get up in the morning and walk my dogs or today, pick huge fresh bunches of lilacs, tulips, iris, some transplanted from my home in Virginia. What I am trying to say is that during the long, cold days of winter I may work all night, when my grandbabies are busy I put in long hours . I love my papier mache and will probably never stop creating new and old pieces.

My largest order for this month came from a lovely shop in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, Christina's of Stone Harbor. It was great fun, all mermaids and patriotic children and fun, summery stuff. Christine's in Mountain Brook Alabama ordered some lovely wedding pieces, the flower basket from my book and the beach children.

so now some photos to accompany the words above!!!!

This season is so beautiful that I can hardly stand it....

Papier Mache Treasures

The response to my new book has been great! Lots of readers buy it for eye candy, much as I would a jewelery making book.It is available from me or Barnes and Noble online, Amazon etc. I included projects in which you don't need  a mold so you may just experiment with the papier mache process as well as molds. Molds can be bought on ebay and well, it has been fun!

teenaflannerstudio@yahoo.com

I had to pick which way to spell papier mache (paper) ....and stick with it! search engines , you know! I decided the fancy way, after all writing a book was very fancy for me!

If you purchase the book and have questions, feel free to ask me, I will try to help. If you send me a check for $19.95 , plus $8 for priority shipping, ($8 can ship up to 5 books) your address, how you would like it personalized, I will be glad to send you a book! My studio address is

820 Kurtis Drive

Elm Grove,WI 53122   

Teena                                  snowy winter, gorgeous!                                           if you purchase my book, would you mind rating it on Amazon? that would be very sweet!

www.amazon.com

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Happy holidays to mall!              

some of these creations now live in North Carolina with my new friend Susan............My son, Uncle Chris, reading to Jack ABOVE!

icicles over my studio..................................

Teena                                                                             Midwest Santa

My late July garden

I think that I can name the things I am really good at doing on one hand. Gardening is one. It definitely shows that I need to be passionate to succeed. When my grandmother in Texas was 109, she still gardened. I am certain that she did it on a tight budget. I can picture her as clear as day. Always wearing a cotton print dress, her long hair up in a loosely formed bun. I grew a rose in cold WI for years that i had taken from her Sequin, TX garden. Virginia garden is pictured too, the brick courtyard.

My gardens are a great joy to me. I buy my plants on sale and randomly work on it. I am not strong enough to haul enough mulch actually I am strong enough but being single I get so tired of carrying heavy things! My dogs roll in natural fertilizer, still they are gorgeous. If I had extra money I would hire clean up help in spring and fall but would always find joy in the actual maintenance and placement, myself.My gardens are a bit shaggy and I leave the tall stems , for the birds, finches in July and whoever stops by in winter.

In early July, it was all overgrown perennial bachelor buttons, a somewhat messy wave of true blue. I let them take over and then just pull them out. They will return soon enough. Now it is several varieties of phlox, daisies, hydrangeas and rubedekia and other fun stuff.

Photos are from a few minutes ago. I rarely take the time to coil the hose and the walk is usually unswept, but well, whatever!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day and February! There are days when

...sugar cookies from an old fashioned recipe are just the right activity...

days when the decorating is the "thing" and  skipping the preparation and going to a store bought cookie dough is just the right activity...

What is about today that Mom is making the school Valentine's extra special ,from ideas on a homestlye t.v.show? Isn't it about the kids? Isn't it about a little table, scissors, glue, doilies and lots of pink and red construction paper? Oh, dear, the competition!

Snow

How lovely it is in Elm Grove today.Fresh snow each day makes me want to just stay in my studio and have a fire all day long. Sort of a lull in my life, before the book staff arrives(tonight), before my 70 year old elm is felled (Monday)and before my youngest daughter and her enthusiastic dog, Norman, comes to town, tomorrow.He tries to play with my old Charlie and I give him an "A" for effort but Charlie doesn't get it.

I will put up a couple of photos of ideas I have for the book, preliminary shoot ideas. I will try to be more interesting next week!

We are doing 4 seasons so I have a Thanksgiving and autumn room set up, Winter with Christmas and winter ideas, a Summer room(the hardest on a snowy day of Feb 1 and Spring with lots of bunnies, daffodils and vintage millinery. Spring is always so easy to imsagine in Feb as the days are getting longer and flower markets, even the local giant Pick 'n Save has bulbs growing in little pots. My forced narcissus have all wilted so I am going to purchase a few plus summer garden flowers.

This book has been fun and a lot of work. Have a lovely February  .

Teena