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How a Costa Rican Yard Sale Opened My Art Studio: the Tale of Two Nightstands

7/2/2024

Angeline Marie Martinez

drawing and painting artist

Catalog photo of a taboret

Front, back, and underneath the nightstands or file cabinets, before making into taborets. Garage sale find.

Upcycling Nightstands into Artistic Taborets in a Small Costa Rican Town
In the heart of a small, picturesque town in Costa Rica, nestled between lush green hills, banana trees, rainforest, and vibrant flora, stood a new home’s guest room with large windows that welcomed streams of natural light. This is Angeline's new art studio, a sanctuary of creativity and inspiration. Angeline, a passionate painter, had transformed the clean space into a colorful haven filled with canvases, paintbrushes, and endless ideas. However, she was missing one crucial element: proper furniture to organize her supplies and provide storage for her growing collection of art materials.

Studio before taborets, right after moving into this guest room now art studio.

Painted top of new taboret, ready for the missing plexiglass paint palette

Discovering Treasures at the Community Yard Sale
One sunny Saturday morning, the town held a rare community yard sale, an event that brought everyone together in the town square to buy, sell, and trade treasures. Angeline decided to go, hoping to find something she could use for her studio. As she wandered through the eclectic mix of items, she stumbled upon a pair of old nightstands. They were sturdy but worn, with chipped wood finish and a missing drawer. An idea sparked in her mind: she could upcycle these nightstands into the taborets she needed!

Transforming Nightstands into Functional Taborets
With excitement, Angeline purchased the nightstands for $15, a fraction of the cost of new taborets, and brought them back to her studio. She envisioning how to transform these humble pieces into functional and fun taborets. Angeline left the wood color alone, except for one nightstand. The top of this one she painted neutral gray to serve as her paint palette. Her husband Andy added caster wheels to the bottom of each nightstand, ensuring they could be moved around the studio with ease. To make them truly functional as taborets, she installed small recycled boxes inside the drawers as dividers, hooked plastic and metal tubs along the sides, and added a plexiglass top to the gray-painted one. Even the one with a missing drawer is being used for maximum storage space, holding rolled stencil material. As she finds stickers, she places these randomly on her easel taboret. The stickers are from refrigerator warnings, food labels, and stickers that she’s given and finds.

The Final Touch: Bringing the Taborets to Life
As time passed, the nightstands transform before her eyes. The once tired and forgotten pieces of furniture are now fun and purposeful, ready to serve a new role in her creative process. Angeline felt a deep sense of satisfaction and pride in her handiwork. Finally, the day came to place the new taborets in the studio. Angeline positioned one next to the easel and the other next to her working table, just as she had imagined. They fit perfectly, both in size and style. The taborets added to the cheerful ambiance of the studio, and the newly installed shelves and drawers provided ample space for all her supplies.

A Studio Filled with Personal Touches and Practicality
Angeline stepped back and surveyed her work. The studio felt complete, infused with a blend of practicality and personal touch. Every time she reached for a brush or mixed a palette of colors, she felt a connection to the effort and creativity she had poured into the project. As Angeline painted, surrounded by her new taborets, she felt a deep sense of contentment, knowing that she had created not only beautiful art but also the perfect space to nurture her artistic dreams, with Andy’s help.

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PS: This blog post was inspired and crafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
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PSS: The other titles I loved from ChatGPT was "From Nightstand to Taboret: One Artist's Furniture Fairy Tale" and "Painting with a Purpose: The Tale of Two Nightstands"

From Flush Fears to Trash Basket Tears: The Toilet Paper Odyssey

6/11/2024

Angeline Marie Martinez

drawing and painting artist

Open Toilet LOVES Toilet Paper: FLUSH IT! Thanks! acrylics on canvas 4x4 inches by Angeline Marie Martinez

What do you do with your used toilet paper? How do you dispose of it?

American Toilet Etiquette: Toss and Flush
In the USA, we wouldn’t even think about this. We just toss the used dirty toilet paper into the toilet and flush. Of course, the trash basket is for other things that shouldn’t be flushed, especially in the ladies’ restrooms. This is automatic behavior to us. No thought given. No fear of toilet pipe retribution and upchucking. Toss and flush, exit stall, wash hands, leave restroom.

Costa Rican Toilet Customs: Basket or Toilet?
In Costa Rica, what to do with your used dirty toilet paper is a question at every public restroom. Most restrooms want you toss your used dirty toilet paper into the trash basket. Most local businesses around Costa Rica have a sign asking to use the basket. The toilet will back up when it has too much toilet paper. You’ll find this basket usually full, bursting through required lid.

Some restrooms won’t have a sign at all. Assume that you use the basket. Toss into the toilet. Most places built in more recent times DO have the pipes to handle dirty toilet paper along with biological issues.

No sign means you’re excused from blame. If they had a sign, you’d do your best to follow it.

Navigating Signage (or Lack Thereof)
At someone’s home, it’s polite to ask. Every home is different. If it’s an older construction, assume that you use the basket. If it’s a newer construction, hmm, ask anyway. I dislike asking at the local businesses and my friends’ homes. Please, a sign would be great!

The Sign That Started It All
The sign that began this little collection of mostly digital works was at a friend’s home. Taped firmly above the toilet paper roll was a sign reading “PLEASE FLUSH YOUR DIRTY TOILET PAPER,” written with a blue ballpoint pen.

I’ve since run with these signs, making a small collection for those who want to basket or toilet.

I even made up these silly signs for all of our guest bathrooms. This avoids a yucky conversation and my later having to deal with taking out disgusting trash.

Surprising Customers: The Little Boys' Impact
So far, my best customers are little boys. LOL. The boys will see my sign from afar and have their parent buy one. The parents look at me, bewildered. I get thrilled they are buying art for their boys!

Available Sign Options for Every Need
Visit my Etsy page for more quirky bathroom décor. You can print at home!

If you’re visiting me in Costa Rica, you can buy a full-page laminated sign, with hanging tape, for $6. I’ll also have some 4-inch by 4-inch hand-painted signs, ready to hang, available for $15. I can ship these, too, if you'd like!

Our Septic Tank LOVES Dirty Toilet Paper: FLUSH IT. with lots of little monsters underground, acrylics on canvas 4x4 inches by Angeline Marie Martinez

Our Septic Tank LOVES Dirty Toilet Paper: FLUSH IT. acrylics on canvas 4x4 inches by Angeline Marie Martinez

Why Are Blue Pens Hiding? The Elusive Blue Ink Ballpoint

5/27/2024

The last few times Andy and I looked for decent blue ink ballpoint pens, we only found black ink ballpoint pens. We found lots of packages of black ink pens, but blue ink ballpoint pens only came in packs of rainbow colors.

From Costa Rica to Florida: The Pen Hunt Continues
I've looked for super cheap pens through super nice pens. I’ve visited stores in Costa Rica and in Florida. Amazon has many blue ink ballpoint pens, but Andy and I prefer retractable and don’t need a 100-pack! We kept finding just black ink. Eventually, we bought a huge-to-us pack of blue retractable pens from Amazon and took it home with us.

The 2020 Blue Paint Shortage: A Possible Cause?
In 2020, the paint color blue began to face a supply problem. Manufacturers stopped mixing blue. Blue pigments were not mined or mixed. Maybe this affected blue ballpoint ink pens, too?

Investigating the Blue Ink Shortage
I’ve spent a few hours researching all kinds of questions with the same theme: why are stores carrying almost only black ink ballpoint pens? Why can’t I find packs of blue ink ballpoint pens at the stores?

OpenAI Shares Non-Answer
According to an AI model developed by OpenAI (2024), there could be several reasons for a localized shortage of blue ballpoint pens, including supply chain disruptions and increased demand.

OpenAI then pointed me to a few trade magazines. I found nothing about a blue pen ink shortage anywhere. To me, it seems it’s a marketing and sales choice to sell mostly black ink pens. After about an hour of searching for more info, I gave up to do other things like write and paint, lol.

What About You?

What color ink do you prefer in your pens?
Do you like retractable pens, caps, or just don’t care?
Have you noticed that most pens, especially in packs, are black ink?
See my post How to Buy a Pen for Drawing

References

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How to buy a pen for drawing - 12 Questions

9/28/2022

Pilot-Decimo-capless-fountain-pen-in-hand-of-Angeline-Marie-MartinezPicture

My favorite pen, ever, besides the Cross one I would steal from my Dad: Pilot Decimo.

Buying a super special pen for drawing means asking a bunch of questions!

You would think buying a pen to use for drawing all the time is easy? Here's some considerations as you reach for that cheap pen...

1. What color ink do you want to use most of the time?
2. Do you want the ink to be permanent or wash in water?
3. Do you want to buy cartridges to replace the ink, or use a bottle to refill the ink?
4. How are you carrying the pen? Are you carring it in a backpack or leaving it on a desk?
5. Do you like caps on you pens? Do you like the push button pens?
6. Do you like “heavy weight” or “light as feather” pens?
7. Do you want gel, ballpoint, fountain, or calligraphy pen? How do you want your pen to make lines on your paper?
8. Do you prefer plastic, metal, or wood for your pens? Is a combination of these materials ok with you?

I spent a lot of money on my Pilot Decimo pen, but I LOVE drawing and writing with this pen. This pen makes me feel special, even while drawing what I think is junk.

My Decimo Pilot pen is "retractable”! No cap to lose, no ink stains in my purses or pockets! I can refill the permanent dark blue ink easily by using its converter cartridge and a bottle of ink. It writes on all types of paper. I can use it make all kinds of lines, from think and heavy to thin and light. It’s a joy to use this pen. The medium weight and shiny blue and chrome metal makes me happy. This fountain pen is a luxury.

My pen makes me happy and I use it all the time. If you're into dollar cost averaging, this pen has been the best artist tool investment for me. Even my husband and better half Andy agrees with me about this pen!

If you're interested in seeing this and other pens, I invite you 411pens.com, the website for Cincinnati's store Appointments.

Below are a few more of my special pens...but my first choice for drawing and sketching is my Pilot Decimo!

Favorite-pens-photo-of-FaberCastell-Lamy-Pilot-Cross-by-Angeline-Marie-MartinezPicture

From left to right, FaberCastell caliigraphy pen; Lamy fountain pen, Pilot Explorer fountain pen; vintage Cross ballpoint pen

Hummingbirds are the newest design for Paint Your Own Classes!

9/14/2022

Hummingbird paintings by Angeline Marie Martinez for painting class examples

Four hummingbirds I painted for fun and as samples and guides. Each is 8 by 8 inches, acrylics on paper.

Besides the design, the hummingbird paint your own class will be very different than painting a sloth.

I enjoy helping new artists paint their own sloths. You all help me learn how to be a better painter and a better art teacher, too.

With the hummingbird, you have more options of how to use the stencil.

I’ll show you how to use the stencil and then you decide how to paint your hummingbird.

It’s your painting, done with your colors and your way.

I’m just a guide for your artistry.

I’m excited to learn what you decide to do when you paint your hummingbird.

This hummingbird was done with a combination of options. I did use the stencil, but I also did some freehand painting.

You might want your hummingbird like one of my designs, or you can pick your own colors and design your own hummingbird.

These are only ideas as…

YOU can be the artist when I have the class.

I've decided to bring my Sloth to Uvita at the end of September. The hummingbirds will be waiting in the wings, lol.

In the meantime, if you're on my email list, you already know that I try to post news there, first. If you found this blog post on your own, welcome!

For more information about classes and scheduling of them, please visit my other page Art Classes in Costa Rica

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