Happy New Year! We are offically relaunching our online store today by posting the awesome vintage record album cover journals created by my bestie, Lea Bowden of L-Bow Studios, for sale.
Check them out on our product page!
Now back to telling you about my best friend!
I met Lea when she accompanied her parents on a few trips to Pennsylvania to get tattooed by my boyfriend. She was maybe 11-12 years old. I remember finding it a bit odd that they brought a child with them, as the lifestyle we lived wasn't appropriate for kids (or guinea pigs). But me being me, I watched over her and showed her a good time. I took her to Pittsburgh, turned her on to bagels, gave her a goth makeover, dyed her hair purple and scared her nearly to death by driving the wrong way down a one way street whilst downtown Pittsburgh. That wasn't nearly as traumatic as when we found our ball python, Cleopatra Jones, on the cage of her beloved guinea pig, Oreo.
I had no idea the impression I made on that child back then. Like many people, my self esteem isn't the greatest. Fourteen years ago, Lea found me on Facebook and began following my adventures. We would check in now and again but lived worlds apart. 4 years after my divorce, Lea became a mom. 6 days after giving birth to her daughter, Lea's mom, Mama Rain, died from breast cancer.
Three years later I finally decided to embrace the artist inside of me and began on creating playing card collages for a monthly international playing collage exchange. Lea took interest in my work and we started messaging each other on a more regular basis. I remember telling Lea about how this was the first time that I felt confident enough to declare that I am an artist. She was shocked to hear this. She told me that she always thought I was the artist and my boyfriend was just the tattoo guy. She said the way I had decorated our home, she saw me as living, breathing art, or something to that effect. I was so touched by that. One of the greatest compliments I ever received.
Lea was doing some work with an after school program and had some honey with labels her students made. I had to have one so I met her and her daughter at the graveyard where the tattoo guy who brought us together is buried. There was an immediate connection between her daughter and I as we played together among the graves.
A couple months before Covid hit, I was traveling through the Mid-West selling collectable mugs with unlimited root beer refills at conventions. I was having the time of my life and sharing it with Lea. During that time, she had a major health scare, so it was a welcome distraction for sure. Then Covid hit. We spent our time in quarantine messaging each other all day, every day. Lea asked me if I would be willing to be a surrogate grand/god mother to her daughter. She made me a fairy grandmother, the greatest gift I've ever received. After my divorce I was so sad as I felt I had missed out on the opportunity to become a parent. Being a grandparent without the hassle of rearing children, absolutely spectacular. To protect her privacy, we call her Stu-Paco Frenchie. Stu-Paco Frenchie is my favorite little human. I get so much joy from being part of her life. Just in the past few weeks she's proclaimed that she trusts me more to pull her teeth than a dentist. I mean, that's amazing. What really got me in the heart the most is when she replaced the boobie button that she had on her boobie, with an Old Darb's button because she wanted people to know who we are.
I was ready to give up on this page, but Lea has fueled my fire to continue. We have found that it is too much for one single person, and together we can do anything. She has been doing so much hard work on this page, researching craft shows, developing products and inspiring me to create again.
I am so excited for this new year and all the things we are going to accomplish. So without further ado, please meet my best friend, Lea Bowden.
About the artist-
Apart from the period of her life where she and her hubs hiked that Appalachian trail, Lea is a life long resident of the Muncie Indiana area. She studied early childhood education at Ball State University and is using that education to raise an amazing daughter. She hosts outings for a secular home school group She likes to garden and try new things. Like most artists, she collects hobbies. Her aesthestic is cottage core, her work is earthy and green. She likes to use foraged items in her work, turning trash into treasure. She once suggested raising silk worms so we could make our own silk, a thought which makes me smile and say "That's Lea."
Check out her Recycled Vintage Record Album Cover journals in our online shop and be on the look out as we will be adding new gift items, home and garden decor.
Love Life. Be Art.
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