Linwood Avenue

wishes and a blue bird

2012-01-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

latest peek into my studio for your viewing pleasure.

i'm on a roll friends, on a roll!

parties and photo opportunities

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

this newest tutorial is very close to my heart. personalized party hats were a prerequisites at both my munchkins birthday parties when they were little. really, you can't deny how cute a little kid is wearing a party hat while blowing out their candles.

since i never wanted to mess with buying elastic and the perfect type of card stock to make a hat from scratch, i would always buy the ugliest bag of hats found in the bargain bin to use as a starting point. transformers, sponge bob, what have you - the cheaper the better.

these can be customized to match any party theme and so very easy. click here to start the party preparations! and don't forget to check out the "make-it" link at the top for other projects :)

houses and character

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

i have been so inspired lately. honestly, i have no idea what i am going to do with all the stuff i keep making, but i guess i can't worry about that. it feels so good experimenting that i don't want to stop.

mixed media: wooden house, ledger paper, pattern paper, rapido-sketch, string and vintage button

dreams and introspection

2012-01-23T23:58:00.000-05:00

this is the last piece of my 3 orange/brown canvases. they are currently hanging in my bedroom and i just love them, i just love this new style i have discovered.

i think people get caught up in life and put their dreams on the back burner, they do this so often that they completely forget about reaching for the stars. it's always good to have a little reminder.

beaches and totes

2012-01-20T11:56:00.000-05:00

i am headed to the beach in a bit and was on the hunt for the perfect floppy tote. nowhere i went had what i was looking for. probably because there was a bug in the back of my head that kept telling me i should just make my own.

i designated wednesday as a sew in pjs' day with no other distractions and i was able to knock this out.

i am comfortable enough now to not follow a pattern exactly, so this purse is a mash up to say the least. the bottom portion is from an old oh frannson pattern that has been retired. it has a great pleat and a little loop that hooks onto the button and closes up the bag.

i improvised with the back and added a double pocket with snap closures. i am a sucker for a back pocket on a purse - it is perfect to slip your phone into so it doesn't get mixed up with everything else.

the entire purse is stitched from vintage sheets. i also dared to use some binding for the first time and it wasn't nearly as frustrating as i was expecting.

my favorite part is this little hook. it allows me to make the purse be an over the shoulder bag or longer as a cross body tote. i stole this idea from another bag i have and it is perfect for me because i am forever picky about where i want to carry all my stuff.

i just love mash-ups!

ribbon and a book

2012-01-18T23:20:00.001-05:00

it's time for a new tutorial! this nifty little custom notebook is my latest may arts creation. it is so easy and the best part is it can be customized for all you leftys out there

click here for instructions.

have you been to the may arts ribbon blog yet? they just went through a major face lift and the resident ribbon lady is offering a great give way. the paper packs are wonderful, but i am telling you - the scor-pal is so, so cool! head on over there for more inspiration and a great giveaway :)

happy crafting!

paint and chalk

2012-01-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

ok guys, i need your help. my dining room is forever being worked on and one of the last items on the list is the buffet. i bought this piece over a year ago at an estate sale and let me be the first to say it is a beast. measuring over 6 feet long, but with size comes all the storage i could possibly want, so it's perfect.

in the room redo, i painted the walls white because i want my accessories to be the pop of color this time around. the yellow chandelier will soon be moving to the laundry room and will be replaced by the crystal one lying on top of the table. i love the direction the room is moving, but the sore thumb is the buffet which is located behind the table. i want to paint it, but cannot decide which option to chose which is where you come in. seriously guys, i see that you are reading, now is the time to pipe up and leave a comment about what you would do, humor me. my options are to have it professionally painted a hi-gloss color like midnight blue (similar style to my sewing table). or jump on the chalk paint craze and do it myself in a grey/yellow combo or something along those lines.

i have one piece that is already pretty close to chalk paint, but my apprehension is that this technique is too much the "shabby chic" style that i am trying to steer away from. i did that years ago and i want to move my house into a bohemian cottage style. lots of color, lots of mix/matched items. but the appealing part is i can do it myself and i am always up for learning a new technique.

here is a close up of the doors that have huge knobs. once i am finished painting, i hope to find some reproductions of these drapery tiebacks to be used as knobs.

so there you have it, my decorating dilemma. what would you do - professionally paint or chalk paint at home???

aprons, hoops and lamps

2012-01-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

last night i worked my tooshie off and did a HUGE update to my shop. so. very. excited that it is done. woohoo!you can now find tons of aprons in any color way you could imagine.

i have also listed a lot of hoop art. these would be a perfect valentines gift to plant in your man's ear if i do say so myself.

and lastly, i have some new lamps to share with you. i have about 7 more sitting on my desk waiting to receive wiring supplies to finish and then they will be posted as well. i have a push and pull relationship with making lamps, but right now, i am LOVING them. i love collaging individual pieces together and making one of a kind creations for you to add a little sparkle to your home!

hearing and listening

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

do you all know about The Brave Girls Club daily emails? i absolutely love them and i know you will too. if you sign up, you get a daily inspirational email telling you various words of wisdom that you have probably needed at one point or another in your life. just a quick little read to set your day off on the right foot.

in each email, they share a birdie art piece from submissions they receive. last thursday, i was lucky enough to have this new canvas featured. so exciting! the more and more i travel down this art path, i am reminded that all it takes to get your work out there is to put it out there. simple enough, right? so why is it so hard to take the first step and write the first inquiry letter, the first submission letter?

if you have an email or a request for submission that you have been holding on to and have been hesitant to hit the send button, please, please just do it. push that button and send your dreams out into the universe. chances are you will be pleasantly surprised about what you receive back.

celebration and good cheer

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

i cannot begin to tell you how creative i have felt over the last 18 days. taking time off from my graphic design biz was the best thing i could have done. even though i work out of the home, i have realized that i still hold onto a lot of stress from the job. and that stress reflects in my creativeness.

i finished a bunch of wooden canvas pieces like i showed you last week and i managed to knock off another flower for my calendar. this time it was the poinsettia. since you only buy these one time of the year, i figured i better get on it :)

4 more to go and them i am finished. larkspur, gladiola, aster and marigold.

makes and minimizing

2012-01-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

this post is for everyone viewing my blog through some other reader (like flipboard, which is my latest ipad obsession). since you probably have not seen the changes i have made recently, i thought i would fill you in.

with a new year, comes a new look to the blog. i didn't change my logo or my branding, i just did a little spiffying up, a little minimizing of the eye candy you could say. the biggest change is that all the tutorials you could previously find in my left hand sidebar, have now been elevated to their own page. they are awfully excited about it as well, i assure you! 2011 has seen the creation of many new linwood avenue tutorials and they were getting a bit out of hand so you can now find everything you want under the "make-it" link highlighted in the top left of the header bar. as this section grows, i will probably break the items into sub categories, but for now they are all cozy next to one another.

if you make any of my tutorials, please send me pics, i would love to see your spin on things. also, i am a horrible typer (note: not a horrible speller), so if you notice any oopsies, kindly let me know that as well. i will quickly remedy the situation and not be offended in the least bit, i promise :)

so there you have it. download what you like and make your home a linwood avenue home in 2012!

angels and singing

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

my friend always talks about "angels singing" when she is on track, when everything is falling into place with an idea or decision. this pic is from christmas eve - not sure what these things are called, but it is a must on my holiday table. you light some candles and the heat from the flame makes these brass angels spin around and then bells start dinging. a tradition in my childhood home that has been carried into my adult home.

everyone always talks about resolutions or goals this time of year, but i choose to be more generic because i believe that if you plan too much, you plan yourself into a corner. instead, i only hope we all hear angels singing frequently and loudly in the new year :)

lace and trim

2011-12-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

so yes, i am estate sale addicted, but you know that already, don't you? so much so that in the hustle and bustle of christmas countdown, i headed out last thursday to my last sale of the year. it was advertised as a man's estate, so truthfully i wasn't expecting much.

it was pretty picked over by the time i got there, but i did uncover a small manila envelope filled with lace trim. i actually didn't venture into the envelope to see what it contained because the smell was so, so very bad. but at $1, i figured, why not.

when i got home, i soaked the trim in some very hot baking soda water overnight, then ran it through the washer on delicate. this is kind of my made up recipe to get smells out of scrap vintage pieces. obviously, you wouldn't want to soak an entire sheet in hot baking soda water, but for small things, it seems to work pretty well.

then out of the washer came these beauties! i couldn't believe the envelope contained all this. i think they were cut off of old pillowcases because most of the pieces are complete circles. any other idea why there wouldn't be a beginning or end?

itches and directions

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

inspiration has struck! i am so happy that i am finally able to say that. since i returned from portland in october, i have had some canvases sitting around the studio just waiting to be decorated. the problem is that they just kept sitting there, unadorned. last week, i had an itch to dive in and i am so happy i did. seriously, i could barely wait for glue to dry in between layers.

i have 4 more of these in the works and really am feeling such a rush of excitement. i know it sounds silly, but this past week, with all the stress of work lifted, i feel like a real artist.

green and goodness

2011-12-26T14:36:00.000-05:00

i am always touched when i receive thoughtful gifts from friends. you know, when you can see that someone really, i mean really, knows what you like and puts that knowledge into a gift. i received this as a hostess gift for my ornament exchange from my friend jenni and just love it.

it is a vintage sewing box that is in almost pristine condition and the best part about it is it's kelly green. LOVE!

joy and wishes

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

all i wish for you today is JOY in every minute. merry christmas!

love, me

stuffies and fleece

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

i am currently on holiday from my freelance design work until after the new year and i am loving the time i now have to putter around. the other day, i made a travel neck pillow from this tutorial over on the cottage home. do i travel much? not as much as i would like. do i need a neck pillow? no, not really. but it was so cute, i just had to space out for a few hours and put together this easy peasy pattern. plus, i think i learned a trick for life to avoid lumpy bumpy stuffie stuffing. want to know what it is???

add a layer of fusible fleece to the back of your outer fabric before you sew parts together and stuff. this tutorial didn't call for fleece fusible, just regular, but it was all i had in the house. it gave my piece such a smooth finished look, i am hooked!

what online tutorials have you been hooked on? i have 2 more weeks of this freedom and am all ears for more ways to spend my time.

boxes and gifts

2011-12-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

a new addition to my house is this beautiful long wooden box. my talented brother made it and i gladly scooped it up when i was in pittsburgh over thanksgiving. the addition of christmas greenery and ornaments puts a smile on my face every time i walk by.

parties and pics

2011-12-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

the sunday on the same weekend as my ornament exchange party, i joined in a little craft holiday showcase with jenni and joy. we set up at jenni's house from 1-4 and welcomed customers from all over atlanta (and a few from out of state!)

if you want to see more pics, head on over to jenni's blog. i completely spaced and took multiple pics with my camera on the wrong setting. i had 31 blurry, horribly lit pics and then the 32nd was this gem above. this necklace is part of joy's new crochet/chain collection and is just so beautiful. i am in awe of her tiny and precise crocheting.

now the only question i have for you is why do my eyes droop in photos??? seriously, this has been happening for over a year now and i am so sick of it. is there a trick out there in the universe to fix droopy eye pics. you know, like how you are supposed to touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth to avoid a double chin? any advice would be a true christmas gift to your truly :)

balls and blemishes

2011-12-20T14:27:00.001-05:00

so here a pic of the vintage ornament wreath i made. good and bad...

it is currently hanging in my hall bath which is painted green, so excuse the crazy bkgd color. so, instructions for these wreaths are everywhere and really, not very helpful. i started out shaping a wire hanger into a circle and stringing the ornaments onto it. such a bad, bad, bad idea. a wire hanger is simply too flimsy to make a wreath comprised of breakable objects. but, like a crazy person i kept moving on because i thought if i hot glued ornaments in the empty spaces that it would make a very strong finished piece. wrong again. not sure if it was because the ornaments are vintage, but hot glue and these beauties did not go together. after they released themselves from the glue, i was left with a lot of blemished beauties that you can see in the pic above.

i then went to the craft store and bought a 3-wire wreath frame. i attached the ornaments to it by taking off the tree hanger, pushing it through the back of the frame and then gluing the hanger back on to the top of the ornament. this was a bit cumbersome at times, but in the end, i think it worked pretty well. the only problem i have now is that you can see the frame through the ornament spaces. next year, i might add some greenery into the holes.

so as i said, good and bad. i'm glad i did it and it's definitely one of a kind :)

wishes and white

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

has this month flown by for everyone??? last weekend (a week ago) was so hectic and i knew once i made it through, i would be able to relax and enjoy the holidays.

i hosted my annual ornament exchange party last friday. i usually keep it to around 6 people, but this year, i had one too many drinks at one too many parties and somehow i ended up with 15 girls on the invite list. haha - the more the merrier! the final headcount was 12 people who had to make 12 ornaments to share. we had a wide range of creations and i LOVE every one of them. they all have center stage on my tree this year!

i went all out for this party because i am hoping to submit it for a magazine article. well, that is after i go through the 200+ photos i took. so i won't be showing you all the details, yet, but i did want to show you the ornament i made.

yarn wrapped wreaths have been all over blogs this year and i wanted to celebrate that in mini form. it's a bit hard to see in the photo, but the a white dove is sitting on a yarn nest and a sprig of greenery. i love. love. love them!

and as usual, one of these will go into the ornament boxes i keep tucked away for the munchkins to receive when they grow up and get a house of their own. it's my favorite holiday tradition hands down.

glow and lights

2011-12-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

this christmas, i am all about vintage - i can't get enough of it. i bought one of these ceramic tabletop trees at an estate sale last year on the request of a friend. i never paid them much attention, but now that i want one, i couldn't seem to find one at any sale.

imagine my surprise when i walked into my moms basement, looked to my right and saw one sitting on a shelf just waiting for me. it used to be my aunts which made the find even more special.

it is currently sitting on my desk where i can enjoy the vintage glow while i work.

fun and glitter

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

my brother loaded me up with these tiny plastic containers because he thought i might be able to store some supplies in them. during my 11 hour car ride back from thanksgiving, i thought up another idea. snow globes!

the munchkins rooms are filled with tiny trinkets from quarter machines at the grocery stores, not to mention all the christmas miniatures i have in my craft drawers. this was a quick and easy 3 step project to do with them and they were so excited.

1. hot glue trinket to lid of container
2. fill the container with baby oil and a small amount of glitter
3. screw lid tightly onto the container.

then you shake, shake, shake :)

ornaments and age

2011-12-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

over the past year, i have been collecting vintage ornaments from estate sales. and by collecting, i mean 2 HUGE bins of ornaments. one sale, i brought the bin of about 70 ornaments up to check out and one woman behind the table said to the other woman "see - i told you they would sell!!! and you wanted to throw them in the trash!" just cracked me up. true, some people think vintage ornaments are old and stained, but the cracks and discoloring are what i love.

when i got back from traveling to pittsburgh for thanksgiving, i promptly opened the bins and started spreading these lovelies throughout the house. i also attempted to make an ornament wreath which i am here to say is not fun - not at all! but that's a whole other post.

christmas and clutter

2011-12-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

munchkin #1 is having a sleepover for his birthday tonight and munchkin #2 is going to the movies which means that i am going to tackle this mess! lucky me, right? actually, this is just a very small portion of the holiday clutter waiting to be used. time consuming, but i LOVE the look of christmas throughout the house, don't you?

what i am most excited about is turning these paper doilies into a snowy winter wonderland. more pics to come...

sheets and memories

2011-11-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

a reason i love vintage sheets, besides their undeniable softness, is the memories that are attached to them. i can see a sheet from my childhood and instantly be taken back to the age i was when i slept on them. holly hobby will remain my favorite pattern, and after that, it would be the black and white cats with red sneakers? anyone else have those? i had completely forgotten about them until i spied them in the back corner of a closet at a recent estate sale. i might have to buy some the next time i see them - i think my boys would love the pattern!

i have a friend who is due with her first child any day now. the last time i saw her, she had just returned from cleaning out her late grandmothers house and had bags full of rescued sheets. she had her heart set on a baby quilt made from the sheets that held so many memories for her and i was all too happy to oblige. for her shower, i made a quilt comprised of fabric diamonds to showcase a lot of each pattern and as a surprise, i also made another sweet elephant out of a vintage tablecloth found in the stash. the elephants might have to be a baby shower staple for me since they are just so darn adorable - remember this one from last year?

ornaments and wishes

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

with thanksgiving behind us, i can now saw that i have officially begun my christmas ornament making. actually, i started in early october, but thought that would have been a tad premature to announce :)

do you make your own ornaments each christmas - what have your favorite ones been?

columns and quizzical looks

2011-11-25T09:56:00.000-05:00

have i ever mentioned that i live in a pretty conservative, not so artsy suburban neighborhood? well, i do. i always have some crazy idea of how i want to do some sort of home improvement and i usually get met with strange looks. we desperately needed a new deck, in fact, have needed one for the 5 years we have lived here. we found a lovely contractor and i showed him my sketch of what i wanted for the deck which included securing 2 vintage house columns into the front corners of the deck. he said not a problem, and even though it was a bit of a challenge for him, it ended up exactly as i imagined. my husband and some friends however, are a bit more skeptical.

but seriously, i jsut lvoe them. the deck eneds to be stained when the wood is ready and i am thinking a dark brown stain for the flooring and stairs and then a whitewash stain for the vertical parts of the railing to tie in the columns. then, i am going to screw in 3 hanging plant brackets around the top of each column for flower pots. and finally, i plan on stringing large globe twinkle lights to the tops of the columns which will travel back to the exterior wall of the house. can you see my vision, do you think i am crazy? well, maybe don't answer that ;)

calm and quiet

2011-11-21T15:28:00.000-05:00

the beauty of the turning leaves has not been lost on me this year. i keep finding myself being distracted by the beautiful colors that are surrounding me. most of us have so little time in our lives for calm and quiet, that i really welcoming this break in my day. my munchkins are off school this week, so i think i am going to take this chance to spend as much time with them as i can by simply getting lost in the beauty of the holiday season.

sprucing and cleaning

2011-11-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

i have some blog/website updating on the way and was checking to see if you all have any suggestions of things you wish i offered or organization you would like to see?

my tutorials keep growing and growing, so i am going to dedicate an entire page to them. the new section will be called "make-its" and will include everything that you see in the current left hand tutorial column. other than this addition, it will be a lot of sprucing up and cleaning out. nothing like spring cleaning in the winter, right?

ceilings and tables

2011-11-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

can you see this cool table lamp? it is created from a vintage ceiling fixture - genius! i actually have a fixture like this packed away in my attic waiting for the perfect project and i think i found it. i'm sure it won't surprise you that i will be spray painting mine to update it and probably covering the plastic protectors with fabric (a cool trick i just heard about). stay tuned for pictures!

metal and hoops

2011-11-14T10:04:00.000-05:00

i have decided that i am obsessed with the look of these vintage metal embroidery hoops. i love how they look with my vintage hanky hoops and i can't stop stockpiling them. the problem is they are pretty hard to come by. lots of people sell them on etsy or ebay, but typically they are bundled with wooden hoops which i am not interested in. i have bought some off of ebay, but have been outbid more times than i have won.

is it strange to ask you, my thrifting blog readers to keep your eyes out for me? i'm willing to pay a finders fee and shipping if you happen to come across any for sale under $2.

thanks!!!!!!!!

an advent and a tutorial

2011-11-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

my latest may arts tutorial is for a christmas advent calendar. this idea actually came from something similar that my mom made for us when we were younger, although mine always included butterscotch candies because i was a picky eater ;)

click here to create an heirloom piece that you can use year after year!

confessions and label reading

2011-11-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

while i was working in the oilcloth addict booth a few weeks ago, kirsten and i were talking about crafting. she was selling these sweet headbands that included flowers like the ones in the photo above and i asked her how she does it without burning her fingers. these have been floating around the internet for a while now and i know they shouldn't be super hard to make, but after 2, i was done. or i should say, my fingers were done as in burned to a crisp. all i wondered was "is everyone enduring this pain???"

she then asked me very sweetly if i was using a lo-temp glue gun. a what? this is so embarrassing to say, but i am not much of a package reader. when they stopped selling the oval glue gun sticks that were needed for my college glue gun, i went to the store and picked up another one.

the large navy glue gun on the left is the one i picked. i remember reasoning that i should have a heavy duty as it would be better and last me many more years. i just thought that the larger ones were for more serious crafters - not for hotter glue. haha!

so the other day, i went to the craft store, and sure enough, lo-temp glue guns really exist. seriously, what rock have i been living under? i have been laughing about my stupidity for a few weeks now. i put the small aqua gun to work and no burned fingers, that's all it took.

now i just have to find the time to go back to the store to return the package of glow in the dark glue sticks i bought by mistake because i didn't read the package well enough :)

cards and supplies

2011-11-07T18:26:00.000-05:00

i swear all i can do lately is buy art supplies. i find all these amazing pieces of paper, new fabric patterns, cool trinkets, and i am buying, buying, buying. how beautiful is this victorian calling card??? i want to add it into a canvas college to compliment one of my modern floral photographs. the copy reads "accept my unchanging love" - don't you wish sentiments like this were still uttered?

but, the problem with all this buying is that i am not making. i have grand plans for so many things, but never find the time to make. i know we all go through ups and downs with our creativity, and i am thinking this fall is one of my downs. i have a few weeks coming up throughout the holidays where there will be no graphic design work scheduled, so you can bet i will be in the studio making and wading through my piles of new "stuff".

entries and a winner

2011-11-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

it's that time! time to announce the "sewing with oilcloth" book winner...

through the randomness of the internet, the winner is...

PATTI! who said "This sounds like a fun book! LOVE the vintage look of the oilcloth. The colors are so vivid, plus it just hearkens back to the pre-vinyl good old days!:)" - i couldn't agree more.

patti, send me your email address and i will send this book out pronto!

silks and flowers

2011-11-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

with halloween and costume making behind me, i finally found time to actually look at what i bought at the country living fair. any guess what these lovelies are? they are about the size of a business card and the flowers are printed onto silk. still don't know - well, neither did i.

i spent a lot of time picking out the flowers i liked and was thinking i could use them in some collage pieces. they were priced at $1.75 a piece, but i got them down to 4 for $5, or i should say my friend joy did since i am a wimp with price negotiations. i know exactly what i want to pay for things, but i don't like asking:) anyway, when i paid for them, the booth owner let me know that they were called "cigarette silks". she said that around the turn of the century, these printed silks were included in cigar packages. wives and daughters would then take these silks and use them as embellishments to their sewn pillows or quilts. how cool is that???

after a quick etsy search, it turns out these images are quite collectible. they come in all types of subject matter, even some that are pretty risqué, especially for the time period. i also found out that $1.25 each was not a bad price to pay at all. score for me!

thanksgiving and a tutorial

2011-11-02T09:30:00.000-04:00

i am so excited to show you my latest project for leaf and ribbon place cards. with halloween behind us, i think it is the perfect time for a thanksgiving tutorial ;)

it's no secret that I love to decorate and i especially love to decorate my table for holidays. i am not much of a cook, so at least one thing that day is pretty, right? i want my thanksgiving guests to feel special, so i decided to create personalized placecards that they can take home as a small gift or even use as an ornament on their christmas tree. due to drying times, this project is spread out over a few days, but it is so worth it in the end when you see the shimmering leaves paired with beautiful may arts ribbon.

i am also thinking about making some leaves, stamping them with words like; joy, hope, love, and painting them gold for christmas tree decorations.

click here to be introduced to some projects you might not have used before and learn how to make this place setting.

tricks and treats

2011-10-31T09:30:00.000-04:00

happy halloween to you! the past week has been filled with halloween decorating and costume making. i am currently a mother to an airforce pilot and a smurf, one costume bought and one made. i am trying to hold on to their innocence as long as i can, so no blood and guts from this address, yet :)

a little green and a little yellow

2011-10-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

can you see it? can you see the yellow starting to emerge? three lemons have been growing on my lemon tree for close to 6 months and they are just starting to turn yellow. i was beginning to wonder if i was sent a lime tree instead. haha!

oilcloth and a giveaway

2011-10-26T14:29:00.000-04:00

through the small world of blogs and twitter, i was asked by the wonderful kelly mccants of oilcloth addict to help out in her country living fair booth. well, she didn't have to ask me twice! plus, the icing on the cake was when she said i could sell my aprons and hoop art in her booth. i said it to my friends all day long, and i will say it here - kelly is truly one of the most generous people i have ever met. the opportunity she gave me to be a part of this festival means more than she knows.

me (on left) and kelly braving the cold morning temps

so, i spent saturday cutting and rolling oilcloth for the thousands of people who came through the gates - um, can you say workout. seriously, i never knew that rolling oilcloth would make me break a sweat! i worked with 5 great women all day saturday and met so many fun people coming through the booth. i hope all of your oilcloth projects turn out beautifully!!!

did i mention that kelly was generous? she sent me home with a signed copy of her new book "sewing with oilcloth" from wiley publishing as a giveaway for one of my blog readers. just leave a comment here letting me know what you love about oilcloth. that's it! the giveaway will run for a week and a half, ending on sunday, november 6th. i will announce the winner on monday, november 7th. *be sure to leave an email or blog link so i can contact you if you are the winner!

country living and a fair

2011-10-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

did you know the country living fair came to atlanta this past weekend??? i definitely did and i made sure i arrived bright and early on friday to shop. but first i had to get my picture taken in front of the pumpkin patch before the area got too crowded.

there was so much eye candy, i didn't know where to start first. however, we did know one thing since we remembered the crowds last year, we decided to start at the end and work our way to the front.

this double shabby chic booth was amazing! (i grabbed a card, but no website listed :( if you know it, shoot me an email). it was done out in white and cream sheets and lots of vintage goodies. the styling was impeccable.

i rounded a corner and the skys parted when i came across a booth entirely of buttons. seriously, every kind of button and price point you could imagine. the woman who runs this booth also sets up shop at the new lakewood antiques north of the city.

vintage notions were available everywhere. i especially love this vignette because it gives me an idea of ribbon storage i can build.

the sisters on the fly girls were also there with two of their beautifully redone campers. isn't the custom painting amazing???

this is the inside of one of the campers. i just want to crawl inside and take a nap. actually it really makes me want to scour the internet for a camper of my own to redo and park in my back yard as a little retreat.

this was a sweet decoration that twiststyle added to a tree outside of her booth. genius way to attract customers as they round the corner.

i think i walked and shopped for 9 hours straight with 3 trips out to the car to deposit goodies. overall, i thought the fair was so much fun. i did wish that there was more individual art and less wholesale products represented, but still a great day.

check back tomorrow to see how i helped out at the fair on saturday, along with a giveaway you won't want to miss!

labels and country living

2011-10-19T09:20:00.000-04:00

i've been sewing up a flurry of aprons this past week. i shouldn't say this, but sometimes i get so burnt out on making them, the redundancy of it all, so there is a long time in between batches. but once i get going again, i love mixing together crazy patterns and seeing all the colorful fabric laying around my studio. the best part about this batch? they are the first ones that include my woven business label. i get very giddy over the professionalism of it all!!!

and...

they will be for sale at the atlanta country living fair this weekend at stone mountain along with my hoop art! i will be helping out the lovely kelly mccants in her "modern june" booth and she has graciously offered to sell my creations alongside of hers. i will be there all day long on saturday cutting up a storm of oilcloth and laminated cotton fabrics. and, who am i kidding, probably buying some as well. if you are in the atlanta area, swing by and say hello!

and...

did you know that kelly is the author of this new book? she is going to be doing a signing at whipstitch fabrics tonight if you can't wait for the weekend and want to swing by and pick up your very own copy :)

goals and dreams, a recap

2011-10-17T11:14:00.000-04:00

about a year and a half ago, i posted about my goals and dreams for linwood avenue. i thought it would be a good thing to revisit them to see where i stand. i try to be a very motivated person, and to actually put one foot in front of the other when i put my mind to something. looking back over the list lets me know where i have made strides and where i need to devote more time. so here goes...

small goals:

~~be published in a national magazine by the end of the year~~ - yay for artful blogging!
create a calendar with my botanical drawings and find a publisher for it. month to month in flowers, but with a modern, youthful twist - 6 more months to draw
~~purchase linwood avenue embroidered labels for my products regardless of cost~~ - loving these!
~~become a much better product photographer~~ - photos aren't yet where i want them to be, but i'm getting there.
keep my etsy shop update regularly - working on this
~~save money to attend an art retreat~~ - art and soul portland

big goals:

enter the world of licensing. would love to design and reproduce vintage inspired lamps
expand linwood avenue so it overshadows my graphic design business - not yet, but it is about half/half right now which is great!

blog goals:

~~have my blog become a place of creative inspiration for readers~~ - i think adding more tutorials has helped this.
~~build my blog followers~~ - thank you once again artful bloggging!
~~have a larger tutorial section~~ - my partnership with may arts has contributed greatly to this section.

that's it for now. i feel good about what i have accomplished and some of the items are almost there. overall, i really, really need to devote more time to etsy because i think that will overflow into some of the other goals. and i really want to finish the botanical calendar because i think i will feel such a sense of accomplishment after it is done. don't you love how freely you can breath after you have finished something that has been hanging around for a long time?

blooms and rain

2011-10-14T09:30:00.000-04:00

this is the piece i was holding in my post about the classes i took at art and soul. it was the first one i created in class that day and i am really so proud of it. it is sitting on the bookshelf which hangs above my desk and i can't stop peeking at it. it makes me happy, pure and simple :)

more estates and sales

2011-10-12T09:25:00.000-04:00

this has not been a good week so far. nope, not at all. i came down with an awful cold on friday and it has lasted clear through today with a minor trip to the ER on monday (don't worry mom, i'm alright). good news is i am on the upswing thanks to some great drugs that may or may not have been injected into my backside :)

so for today's post, you get to see some of my latest finds because, well, that is about all i can muster right now.

you all know my love for milk glass, specifically fenton, right? well, when i was in portland, we stopped at a random parking lot sale that was in the process of closing. i walked up and down a few aisles and then darted to this lovely platter. i knew it was fenton right away, but had to conceal my utter delight. i asked the guy how much it was, he went and asked his dad, and came back with $4. what? did you say $4??? let's just say i whipped my cash out as fast as i could and immediately walked away with a treasure in my hand.

this next piece i found at an estate sale near my house last week. estate sale is a bit of an understatement. it was actually a sale in a warehouse that included 9 full estates. can you say huge and overwhelming! anyway, after i pushed through my last aisle, i came across this vintage seltzer bottle. let me just say that i have been looking at these forever! with this one, the $10 price tag and the beautiful blue color sold me in an instant.

for a while i couldn't figure out if it was actually old or just a reproduction. once i got it home, i could see it a bit more clearly and realized that the straw inside is glass, so that means it is old/original, right? chime in if you know anything about seltzer bottles. i love it no matter what, so even if you tell me it is a reproduction, i won't be sad.

so, those are the treasures that have come into my home lately. i am getting very addicted and can't stop bringing things home. all i keep thinking about is how to stop my house from becoming an episode on hoarders???

friends and cupcakes

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

here is a new tutorial i created for may arts. i am on a serious roll lately with all my inspiration from their beautiful ribbon.

when I have friends over to the house, i love going the extra mile to add something special to the evening. we were hosting game night last friday and celebrating a friend’s birthday at the same time. i decided to make cupcakes for dessert because they are the perfect treat for kids as well as the adults, but i wanted to make them extra special. i looked around my studio and my eyes landed on 2 beautiful may arts ribbons and I knew immediately that i wanted to make some glittery cupcake toppers. these are super easy to make and come together quickly. plus, this tutorial could easily be adapted to different color schemes with all the color options may arts offers in these specific ribbons.

click here to get started!

art and soul, part three

2011-10-07T11:50:00.000-04:00

i was completely blown away by the flowers i saw in portland. i guess all that rain does something good! although i must say that in the 6 days i was there, i did not feel one drop of rain :) believe it or not, all these pics were taken in one grocery store. i was a huge dork and took over 60 images of all the flowers they had for sale - these are just the tip of the iceberg

the colors, the different varieties of peonies, the crazy plate sized flowers i had never seen before, all blew me away. if i lived there, i would forever have a pencil in my hand sketching everything i saw. and would probably only leave the house to go buy more inspiration!

this wraps up my trip to art and soul portland. it was truly such a fun experience. i am so excited to check this off of my list and i dare say i am hooked on art retreats. although next time i go back, i am hoping to do it as an instructor.

art and soul, part two

2011-10-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

on thursday, jenni and i were both free, so we used it as a day to explore portland. we rented a car and it was super easy to get around. believe it or not, we tackled much of the city and only clocked 30 miles on our rental car - crazy.

i loved taking random closeups throughout the day and i couldn't resist this bike. the rusty wear is perfect! i already have plans for this shot in a new piece of artwork that is floating around my head.

we started at the beginning of hawthorne street and went into this store first. you all know how i feel about the revival of swags - love it!!! if i didn't already have a bunch, a special little purple swag would have come home with me in my carry on. and the prices, holy cow, the prices in this city are so reasonable!

i have no idea what this place is, but the outside deserved a photo. this was taken jsut before a random sighting of a powell's bookstore. i'm sure jenni though me a bit crazy with my desire to go in, but i have read about this store for so long on my favorite blogs, that i had to.

the rest of this post is about food, oh the food. i knew portland had a ton of street vendors and i made it my personal mission to find some. how cute is this picnic table set up. i would have loved to have seen it at night with the lights lit.

we started with some poutine (which i thought only existed in quebec, silly me) and then out main course was this delicious fennel and sausage pizza. thank goodness jenni and i have the same taste in food and were able to share our meals or else i would have come home 10 pounds heavier.

finally, this peanut butter cake was the most amazing dessert ever! on friday night, we snuck into town for the best dinner and dessert at this restaurant. it was on 23rd street, but looking at their site, not sure if that is the east side or west side location. i split a fancy sandwich for dinner so i could devour this entire cake. so unexpectedly light and so, so, so good!

art and soul, part one

2011-10-05T08:35:00.000-04:00

i am back from a whirlwind 6 days creating and exploring in portland at the art and soul fest. i had no idea what to expect, but i am pretty sure the real thing was better than anything i could have imagined. oh, i have so much to share, so please forgive these image heavy posts that will spread out over a few days, because i don't want you to miss a thing!

my first class bright and early on wednesday morning was a painting class with lisa kaus. i've said before that painting is very intimidating to me, so i welcomed learning all about fluid acrylics and how to use them. we started out the day doodling with paint on a piece of loose canvas which we then cut up to collage into our final piece.

that's me with lisa and a portion of my final piece. truth be told, i am not super in love with the painting i created - it is lacking much needed depth of color, however, i will definitely keep at it as i love the techniques we learned.

these are two pieces painted by my table mate teri. aren't they amazing? (please forgive the horrible lighting caused by the conference rooms. ugh!). i could not believe when we started talking and found out that she lives in the small ohio town where i went to college. very random!

here is my new friend patti with her painting. i loved her color choices and the added collage elements! it is amazing how much the fluid acrylics resemble watercolor.

my class on friday was an amazing introduction to lazertran water decals in painting. the lovely sara naumann traveled from amsterdam to teach this class and i am obsessed with the product, really obsessed. this transfer product allows me to combine crisp, clean lines with painting. i also fell in love with pan pastels and ordered my first set today.

one friend i met in class was kathy and i couldn't resist taking a pic of her art supply carrying case. it is a vintage suitcase - hard shell and covered with travel stickers!

this is beth, a blog follower and friend of my brother who i finally got a chance to meet. we were lucky enough to have class next to one another on friday, so we met for lunch. i had to get a pic of her lovely piece created in another of lisa kaus's classes.

finally, here is a pic shot out front of the widmer brewery after class on wednesday night. teresa is farthest on the left, followed by my roomie, jenni horne. then there is me and sheryl is on the right. teresa and sheryl are twin sisters and were so much fun, seriously, their bright attitudes were contagious, i wish i could have packed them in my suitcase!

up next... what i did on my day off and then a post about all the amazing greenery in portland.

halloween and buckets

2011-10-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

in honor of october, i have a new tutorial for you! for this months may arts project, we partnered up with tattered angels. they make this amazing misting paint, glaze and glitter.

i was immediately inspired to create a halloween candy bucket with ribbon, paint, paper mache and of course a glittery spider. this project is super easy and your munchkins will love helping out with the paper mache part.

click here to download this tutorial and of course, check out the may arts blog to see all the fabulous projects our team comes up with.

thread and patterns

2011-09-30T09:08:00.000-04:00

have you checked out the we love french knots website yet? if you like fabric and stitching, you will definitely find some eye candy. bari j. has been highlighting various embroidery pattern designers and they are all so varied in their designs. this got me thinking about my own work and how my botanical drawings would translate to thread.

this image is a scan of my first attempt to bring my drawings to life on fabric and i think it turned out rather lovely. i used a vintage sheet as the background to bring in some more interest and detail, then went to town sewing. it came together really quickly and i think because i outline all my flowers in black ink, that they could translated to this medium very well. what are your thoughts? would you be interested in seeing me offer downloadable pdf patterns in my shop?

up next? my tiger lily...

trash and treasures

2011-09-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

this might only mean something to my fellow artists/graphic designers, but how cool is this box of super 77 spray adhesive???

my husband works in a solvent plant and they recently changed how they attach labels to their product. which resulted in him bringing me home an entire case of extra large cans. this stuff is pretty pricey (for glue) and definitely my most frequently used product. seriously, it is amazing - well, unless you accidentally spray your fingers.

he has definitely scored some bonus points with this gift :)

art and soul

2011-09-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

i am headed off to the portland, oregon art and soul retreat tonight. soooo excited! a week of doing nothing but creating art - i can barely believe it.

i have packed all the supplies i need for classes, plus i am bringing a bunch of other things to do in my free time. what is the checked luggage weight limit again? i think i might go over a teensy bit!

i do have to admit that i am bit nervous for the classes though. if you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that i am not a painter, not even a little bit. i can tell you practically anything you need to know about pretty much any art/craft out there. technique, product, i am a wealth of info. but paint? no way! it has never been a medium that i was interested in. i think the root of this is because i like the small crazy details of creating art. i like things to be controlled, precise, and to line up and with painting, that kind of goes out the window.

i will always remember an art professor i had in college who tried to shake this obsessive perfection out of us. we must have spent 3 weeks on a 24x36 drawing. major time invested in getting everything right, getting the piece to look exactly like we wanted it to. at the end of those weeks, we all had masterpieces in our hands. however, what came next was enough to send many of us over the edge. the professor told us to cut our drawings up into tiny 2x2 inch pieces and then we were tasked to make a collage out of those pieces. i swear that class has scarred me to this day!

in recent years, i have come to realize that freely expressive, over the top, explosive art is just not in the cards for me. and that is ok. so why am i taking 2 painting classes you ask? well one class was not intended, but was a last minute switch when the instructor of my original class canceled (reserving the awful rant that i could go into) and the other one, i found really interesting. and it really is ok to step out of your comfort zone once in a while.

so i am going in with an open mind and hopefully i will come out with some new skills and knowledge under my belt. oh, and some pretty canvases as well.

i have some posts scheduled for the next few days, but if you want to here about my adventures in portland, i will be updating twitter regularly!

canvases and frames

2011-09-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

inspiration struck this weekend and i created this fabric wrapped, embroidered canvas picture frame. the photo is a sweet black and white pic of my brother when he was a toddler playing in a field of flowers. i loved embroidering flowers on top of the real flowers and bringing them to life. to finish, i added some color with watercolor pencils and a 3-dimensional fabric flower.

now my obsession is taking over and i am scouring family photos to find more captured moments!

rearranging and reminiscing

2011-09-16T13:48:00.001-04:00

do you guys rearrange your house all the time? i am constantly moving things from one room to the next and sometimes back again. as a little girl, i remember always wanting to move my room around and that desire has never left me. i am a person that likes change and gets a bit restless living in a house for more than 5 years (crazy, huh?), so my cure is to rearrange and redecorate. i am drawn towards little moments in decorating - the unexpected when you turn a corner. i have my grandmothers spoon collection and recently it has landed in a tiny corner of the dining room. at first, it bothered me that it wasn't more predominantly displayed, but now, i really like this vignette. the spoons displayed with some of my vintage aprons work well nestled in between the white cabinet and the wall.

my next decision was to finally bring my collection of glass spice jars out of the attic where they were placed 5 years ago on moving day. i have been waiting to pull them out until i find the perfect spice jar labels. well, i hunt and scour the internet for labels, but none of them are quite right. i know i should just make my own, but i'm being a tad bit lazy in that department.

so up they went, completely naked and unfilled. in all their emptiness, i still find them awfully pretty. as long as they put a smile on my face, i don't need to rush to fill them. at least that is what i am telling myself :)

loveliest and beauty

2011-09-14T13:41:00.000-04:00

this week has blissfully been filled with embroidery, sewing, and shipping etsy orders. all of which has put a huge smile on my face. i managed to photograph 2 of my new hoops and put them in the shop this morning. i just think they are the sweetest things ever! (no modesty here ;)

i love, love, love using the vintage hankies as a background for my embroidery. you also get great discoloration in the fabric since they are so old. tea-staining can't touch what nature does on its own!

simplicity and a daisy

2011-09-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

happy monday! i finished another botanical drawing over the weekend - this time a daisy, the birth flower for april. i was struggling a bit at the start with how to draw a white flower on white paper, but in the end, it came together pretty quickly and i love the lightness of the piece. i am also in love with the leaf, because if you didn't know, i dread drawing leaves. it is really tough for me to get them to look dimensional, especially with this one because the leaves on my daisy were pretty old and shriveled, so there was a lot of improvisation.

up next is a gladiola for august.

beauty and life

2011-09-09T15:02:00.001-04:00

the sun has popped out of the sky today, but for the past week, it has been unseasonably cold and rainy. it has been the perfect weather for some embroidery, a blanket and a movie. due to my estate sale habit, i have an overflowing bin of vintage hankies that i absolutely cannot pass up. they are the perfect size for my small wooden and metal embroidery hoops and i love making little pieces of art with them.

how cool is the above oval hoop??? it is very old and uses a tiny spring as its tightening mechanism. truth be told, it took me more than a few minutes to figure out how to work it!
i am working on a batch of 10 of these sweet vignettes and will have them in the shop soon.

i wonder if square embroidery hoops were ever made - has anyone ever found one?

spin and sparkle

2011-09-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

i'm so excited to post my new tutorial for mayarts - a nursery mobile that spins and sparkles.

i love going to thrift stores and sales with my friends because i am always interested in what they find as well as what i find. sometimes you need your friends to help you think outside of the box. one of my partners in crime, joy, picked up a couple of bike wheel frames the other month to hang on her son's wall and i couldn't help think about how cute it would be turned into a mobile. i ordered some blue velvet trim and this amazing white iridescent ribbon to start my project and it all came together very quickly. i always cringe when i think about defacing books, but i had one lying around that had been scribbled with crayon and in all around bad shape. i think the only exception for cutting up books is if they are meant for the trash bin and you are transforming them into something wonderful!

are you decorating a nursery or heading to a baby shower? click here to download instructions for this mobile that will be sure to mesmerize any baby.

art and design

2011-09-05T12:49:00.000-04:00

since my days are my own again, i have finally found time to digitally finish my botanical drawings. yay for me!

my prints begin as fully finished colored pencil drawings, then i scan them in and add the words and border digitally. i love combining my two passions of fine art and graphic design to get something complete unique and totally me. this batch brings my total of prints up to 8 which means i only have 4 more to do before i have enough for my calendar dream. well, actually 5, because a hydrangea is not associated with any month, i just did that one because they are my favorite!

what is your favorite flower? i just might throw one into the mix as well :)

glitter and stars

2011-09-02T06:02:00.000-04:00

i'm working on a new tutorial for MayArts and i am so, so, so excited to finish so i can show it to you. i am editing photos right now and then it's time to write out the tutorial so everyone can make it.

the photo taking was quite hilarious! one of the ribbons i am using has these irredescent flakes on it, but my camera wasn't picking up the sparkle. enter brillant idea #1 for the day (possibly the week). i had a flashlight in one hand, shining a light on the ribbon, while taking pics with my other hand. all while standing with one foot on my couch and one foot on my bed. anything for the perfect shot, right?

now, any guesses on what i am making???

lamps and creations

2011-08-31T05:52:00.000-04:00

i uploaded a bunch of lamps to the shop this past weekend and am so excited to share my new creations. the one shown above is, hands down, my favorite! sometimes i have a hard time letting go of certain things i make and i imagine i will hold on extra tight before i ship this one out. although the though of it bringing beauty to someone's home makes the separation a bit easier :)

i love when i can find the skinny pipes of vintage lamp glass because they are so delicate that i am sure most have been broken through the years. luckily, this current upload contains 2 lamps with the skinny necks!

but the best part of this lamp is the beautiful floral base. i love the petal detail - it puts a smile on my face every time i look at it.

if you have been looking for the perfect lamp for a certain spot in your home, head over here to see what i have to offer. they are one of a kind creations lovingly put together by yours truly.

thrifting and treasures

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

the estate sales this past month have been good to me, very good to me. i typically don't find much in my community at garage or estate sales because the houses are just not that old and people have not spent many years accumulating "junk". however, i might need to rethink that after the stash i found last week.

this one house was amazing! i only wish i would have gotten there right when the doors opened. this woman had enough christmas items to fill up an entire room and i snagged a huge box of vintage ornaments. don't you just love the metallic crackling of color that comes with vintage ball ornaments?

this sweet bird also came in the box of ornaments. her tail was broken off and is actually stuck inside her body, but i don't care at all. i might leave her as is, or try to create a new tail out of some vintage ribbon.

i can never pass up these old jello molds. while i have christmas on the brain, i might turn them into some wreath inspired ornaments. time will tell...

and finally, how cool is this old wheelbarrow??? alright, maybe not everyone thinks it is cool, but i think it is AMAZING! the color, the shape, the huge wheels - amazing. we are working on spiffing up our backyard, and i think this will be perfect as a flower planter. so excited and inspired!

napkins and lunches

2011-08-26T05:29:00.000-04:00

since the beginning of summer, i have had "make lunchbox napkins" on my to-do list. i guess i was stalling, because i didn't know if my munchkins would think them dorky or if people would make fun of them for having cloth napkins in their lunch bags. then just last week, i read this post and decided to wait no longer.

i have a ton of this men's shirting fabric (like 10 yards each, no joke) that you might remember from these cuties. i think it is the perfect big boy fabric because let's face it, my 6 & 8 year old munchkins are teetering on young adulthood and won't want my handmade goods much longer so i have to use all the tricks i can.

i cut 12 inch squares and folded each end in a quarter of an inch and then folded in once again. then you sew up the hems. perfectly simple and a great beginner project!

original loves and shop updates

2011-08-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

festival season is upon us - are you ready? i love the weeks before a festival where it is a flurry of creating and planning, a whirlwind of excitement.

if you are in need of a vendor apron, check out my shop, i have lots of options available and always love custom orders!

biz branding and colors

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

i hope everyone had a good weekend! i managed to hang the chandelier in the dining room, but sadly, no crown moulding :(

in better news, i was recently interviewed over on oh my! handmade goodness about my love of craft fairs. head on over if you are looking for some tips and tricks to set your booth apart from the rest.

brightening moods and thoughts

2011-08-19T09:01:00.002-04:00

happy friday! this weekend has me hanging crown moulding in the dining room, hanging a new chandelier in said dining room, and all over relaxing with the family. oh, and i will most likely have a book glued to my hands, i cannot get enough of reading lately. if you ever need suggestions, check out the book links in my left hand sidebar. i put any book i am reading up there and while i can't recommend ALL of them, most are pretty good.

what have been some of your favorite books lately?

time and lists

2011-08-17T12:56:00.000-04:00

are you guys waiting for school to start so you can begin crossing things off your list? my week and a half of quiet days has helped tremendously. i feel like i can see the light!!!

in between my stressing over to-dos, i periodically wonder how we got ourselves into this mess. how did we become a society where to-do lists are mandatory to get ourselves through the day. i tell my husband all the time that i want one day with no lists looming. jsut a day filled with bright prospects of the unknown.

not sure if it was in "before sunset" or "before sunrise" but ethan hawke has an awesome line about all the time saving tools in our present day such as computers and email, etc. but the funny part about it is that we never take an extra vacation or time off. we never say "look at all the time saved by doing xy and z". funny, huh???

safe travels and lamps

2011-08-15T08:50:00.001-04:00

i am packing this lamp up for a very important trip this week. it's going as a large "calling card" for me to a very important building that houses the offices for a very special magazine. fingers crossed for me peeps, fingers crossed!

drawings and a new lens

2011-08-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

here's another small drawing to close out the week. i am really loving capturing the beauty of a single stem. not sure what these flowers are called, but i have been buying them a lot lately. they are full and colorful and last forever!

on another note, i bought a new lens and holy cow - it's amazing! it is a 50mm prime and while it took a bit getting used to, i think it is going to be my go to lens. my other lenses are all zoom, so my hand keeps grasping the barrel, trying to zoom, but hopefully that habit will die out soon. my favorite part is what they call "bokeh". it is what blurs out the background while making the foreground crisp and clear as you can see on the right side of the photo.

what is your favorite lens???

pillowcases and a little trim

2011-08-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

hi all! i have another ribbon project for you that can also be found in the tutorial section on the left hand side of my blog - embellished pillowcases.

as you know, i am no stranger to estate sales. i love seeing crafts that were popular during out mothers and grandmothers time. one of my most favorite are the decorated pillowcases and embroidered hankies. they are all so unique and so sweet. i think everyone needs a little bit of unexpected beauty in their lives.

so, this time around, i decided to embellish some pillowcases for my guest room. in our grandmothers time, they would sit for hours hand crocheting or tatting around the pillowcase opening, but in our crazy packed days, many of us don't have that time to devote. so i though, why not use crochet trim where all you have to do is sew it on. perfect!

click here to download the instructions and to start beautifying your room!

sunshine and school

2011-08-08T15:14:00.001-04:00

my munchkins just arrived home from school and they couldn't contain their excitement of the first day back. i know, i know, here in the south we start school really early. but remember that we get out early also. it is sometimes a little hard to grasp that the kids have to go back while there is still a month of prime pool weather!

at least for my household, the arrival of school is very welcome. while i love being able to spend time with them over the summer, i like spending time with myself as well and often that has to take the back burner. i feel guilty if i am not entertaining them throughout the day and most of the time, i can't. that's just a fact of life with a working mom, albeit, one who is blessed to work from home. so, with the arrival of school and routine, i breath a tiny sigh of relief. relief that i can balance and manage what i have to do during the day while they are learning and then i can be available at night for homework and dinner.

so for me, back to school is a time for finishing projects that have been lingering. i need to put up some crown moulding in the dining room, work on new items for the shop, scan in some new botanical drawings, etc.... oh, and also work on some graphic design projects for my day job - can't forget what pays the bills!

a quilt and petals

2011-08-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

my dining room redo is moving right along. i finally finished the table quilt and am completely smitten. i cut 8 pie pieces out of 4 fabrics from anna maria horner and tula pink. i sewed the pie sections together, then layered it on top of a white sheet for backing and low-loft batting in the middle.

i have not yet mastered free form quilting - instead, i stitched a line along each side of the seams. following along the seam created from attaching the pieces together, gives you a great ruler to ensure a straight stitch. then i measured out and added 2 more lines of stitching within each pie starting on the outside edge and ending in the middle.

once quilted together, i decided to scallop the edge of each section to mimic flower petals. i was worried about the binding going along the curves, but it turned out great.

this room is taking on a much more eclectic style which is so much more me than the formal room i had before. my tastes are always changing, but i think i will love this table quilt forever!

gardenias and sunflowers

2011-08-03T10:49:00.000-04:00

something inside of me has been dying to sketch lately. i am craving colored pencils as well as ink which has led me here. these are just some of my doodles of late - a gardenia and a sunflower.

with the kids still on summer break, i don't have much time, so these drawings are under an hour and the perfect little escape in my otherwise crazy days.

what do you do to sneak away from the noise of everyday life?

artful blogging and flying high

2011-08-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

i cannot believe i am about to type this, but... my little blog has been featured in ARTFUL BLOGGING! eeek!!!! my excitement is through the roof and i have had a permanent smile all day long. i found out i was selected a few months ago and proceeded to write an article, but felt i would be jinxing myself to let the cat out of the bag that early. i am not superstitious about much, but sometimes, i can't help it.

being featured in artful blogging is one of the biggest goals i have set for my creative life (as you can see in a sample post they printed with my article). i remember seeing a copy of this publication at my local jo-ann's early on and being completely mesmerized. print and web had always been two separate entities, then this publication came out and it made us as artists look at things differently. to combine the two worlds was genius!

what i think is important to tell everyone reading is that this did not come easy for me. they say that you have to work and reach for your goals, and this was no different. i submitted my blog 3 times. yes, 3 times over the course of a year and a half. the publishing world is hard because they get so many submissions, that often you get no response. that leaves you wondering if things got lost in the mail, or if they just didn't like what they saw. but each time i didn't hear anything, i said to myself "well, at least you didn't hear NO." so i gave myself a pep talk and then friends would give me a pep talk and i would submit again. then, something just clicked. maybe my blog has grown and evolved from the fist time i sent it in. maybe they were waiting for a compilation of artists that i "fit" with. all i know is i was chosen and i couldn't be happier. some people would never tell you the back story about how they became published, leading you, the reader to think that everything comes so easy to others which then makes you beat yourself up about not reaching your own personal goals. but all the cliches are true... it takes time, but with a little hard work, eventually you will achieve all you wish for.

so that's my story and now it is also in print :) head on out to your local bookstore and pick a copy up for yourself. you will not be disappointed! every page has amazing eye candy and stories that are equally inspiring.

thank you artful blogging and jennifer jackson for making my dreams come true!

cabinets and redos

2011-07-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

my dining room transformation is moving along. a bit slowly, but at least it is moving forward and not at a standstill. i was able to move my waterlogged, found cabinet in this past weekend and love, love, love it! you can go here to read about it's beginnings :)

i simply cleaned off any flaking paint and then dressed it up with some fabric and new handles. since i paid nothing for the cabinet, i completely splurged on the handles. they are from anthropologie and although i think both are prefect, i must say the branch pulls on the bottom drawer are my favorite. the back of the cabinet is lined with tula pink fabric and really ads a bit of fun to the room. i used super 77 spray glue to attach it to the back, but i think the wood still holds some water because when i went back the next day, 2 of the 3 panels had fallen down. to fix this, i ran a length of double sided tape along the top edge of each nook and this seems to have done the trick.

the cabinet originally had 2 doors on the bottom, but one was not salvagable from water damage. i decided to take the doors off completely and use this for open storage of my various quilts and bridge tablecloths. i can't wait to pile the cabinet up with all the crazy pattens i have collected over the years.

that's it for now. at the rate i'm going, it might be thanksgiving before the room makes it's debut, but i will keep you posted along the way!

love and hearts

2011-07-27T09:55:00.001-04:00

remember my post about paperclay? it was my first attempt with this product, so a lot of experimenting went on. i made 2 flowers that i was happy with and i finally found time to paint them. again, there was some experimenting with the paint as well. i only had a few bottles of really old acrylic in the house, so i was limited with the color, but all in all, i am pretty happy. at the very least - these pieces make me smile when i look at them, so i guess that means they are a success, right?

for each of the flowers, i watered down red acrylic and applied the color in a couple of coats to get a nice depth. when i finished painting them, i gave each piece a couple passes with triple thick spray glaze. right after i sprayed the glaze, i sprinkled fine glitter onto the flowers which made all the difference. even though the painting is super messy, i think they turned out really whimsical!

the "love" flower hangs from a metal safety pin which was put into place while the clay was wet. for the heart flower, i inserted a fabric covered wire into the back when i was making it. i just made sure to hook the end of the wire into a "U" shape so it won't pull out once dry. then i rummaged into my metal cabinet filled with crafting odds and ends and found these vintage leaves and berry that i used as accents.

next up is a trip to the store for more paint. that way when i make more flowers, i can have a multicolored garden when i am finished!

alignment and perfection

2011-07-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

i feel like i have been less than perfect in every aspect of my life this summer. i just can't get the days to evolve the way i would like. ugh! i really have to practice the art of letting go. i am trying, really trying to not take everything that happens to heart, but somehow i always do. and the result? i am in a serious funk. double ugh!

thank goodness i have found a few precious moments to create. and thank goodness for the small joy of perfect alignment. the shot above is the start to my dining room tabletop quilt. the fact that i managed to get all 8 pie pieces to match up in the center is pure perfection! hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.

how is your summer moving along, are you in a rut, or have you been able to accomplish all your goals? if so, tell me your secrets - pretty please???

summer and school

2011-07-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

this summer has really switched up my routine and i am kind of missing my old schedule. i am dying to finish working on some more botanical prints and embroidered canvases. to start sewing up some more aprons which have been selling like hotcakes! to make some more paperclay flowers (which turned out so cute painted, just wait til you see them). to being able to show this blog some more love. big things are happening here in the month of august and i want it looking ship shape for it's new friends.

the munchkins are back in school august 8th and while i love them, i am just a wee bit counting down the days til i have my routine back again :)

strawberries and salads

2011-07-12T10:51:00.001-04:00

i know strawberry salads have been making the blog world rounds, but i am convinced that this is the most delicious salad ever. EVER.

clearly i am not a food blogger since it took me getting halfway through the salad to think about taking a photo, so please excuse the messy plate :) however, i still think it looks amazing in all it's messiness. and it is making me really hungry just writing this post!

summer strawberry spinach salad

1 lb. fresh organic baby spinach
1 pt. fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

poppy seed dressing:
1/2 C sugar
2 T. sesame seeds
1 T. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh onion
1/4 tsp. worcestershire
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 C red wine
1/2 c vegetable oil

mix the salad ingredients, but if you are taking to a party, don't put on the crumbled blue cheese or poppy seed dressing until ready to serve.

i mix up the poppy seed dressing, and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. make sure the salad dressing is well shaken and dissolved as much as possible before tossing with the salad ingredients.

and for a real treat, toss in some grilled chicken. so yummy. enjoy!

relaxing and weekends

2011-07-07T10:34:00.000-04:00

i've fallen off the posting track and this is the reason why. summer is in full force and courtesy of some great friends, this is what most of my weekends have looked like. i have been bringing crafts, but never seem to get around to picking them up.

swimming, boating, tubing, grilling, drinking, sunning... i have been in heaven

what does your summer look like???

listings and more listings

2011-07-05T22:16:00.001-04:00

i have just logged 3.5 hours on my computer uploading to etsy. that's right, the store is fully stocked! i typically like to spread out my listings across a couple of weeks to get the most views, but truthfully, i haven't been able to find the time. my photos have been edited for weeks now, but well, it's summer and things move a lot slower for me :) the above is a pair of lamps that i am really having a hard time letting go - i love them so, but i really want to share the love by not hogging them for myself. the center band is wrapped with fabric from a vintage sheet which makes these lamps so very unique and cute, did i mention cute???

of course, you can always find my botanical prints. i truly cannot wait till my days are free again and i can get started on some new floral options. they are all waiting patiently in my sketchbook, ready to be digitized.

and there are also plenty of aprons covering all colors and tastes.

if you have any questions about the items in the shop, don't hesitate to convo me :)

bookmarks and boredom

2011-06-29T23:04:00.002-04:00

holy cow, anyone else feel like this summer is flying by? for those of us in the lovely south that have children who go back to school the first or second week of august, well our summer is about half over!

our days have been filled with swimming, movies and general laziness. but sometimes i have to do something constructive to fill in the gaps. when i start to hear "mom, i'm sooo bored" i know it's time for a project. so, anyone who wants a quick, easy craft to do with their munchkins - this one is for you!

the kids and i made some bookmarks out of what else, mayarts ribbon. i really have a thing about grosgrain - i can't get enough of it and usually have a lot lying around the house. if your little ones are too small to sew, no worries, there is always the fun tassel fraying bit.

click here for the downloadable pdf tutorial. happy reading!!!

labels and lists

2011-06-21T22:08:00.001-04:00

my personalized woven labels came in the mail a few days ago and i feel so professional now - watch out people!

seriously though, this is such a major step for me, but one that i really wanted to do. the labels are really very expensive for what they are and for the money i bring in, but they are definitely going to add something special to my sewn pieces.

the process was pretty easy, but i must say i am really glad that i am a graphic designer and can edit my logo any way i choose. due to size limitations, i had to edit my "hand-made home goods" tag by taking out the word "home". it took a few rounds to get it right with the manufacturer since i am so very picky, but in the end they are now perfect and i don't even mind the revise tag :)

now i have to run to the fabric store and buy some aqua thread. i only ever sew with white thread no matter the fabric color, but somehow i don't think that will pass for these beauties!

ps: my birthday is thursday so i might be missing for a few days while i am out celebrating. cheers!

wishes and books

2011-06-20T09:09:00.000-04:00

i cannot believe i did it - i actually wrote on the first page of a journal! back in this post, i explained that i have a thing about never writing on the first page because i feel like it is such an important page and i don't want to mess it up. crazy, i know!

anyway, i've recently finished the book "the wishing year" and it really spoke to me. it ended up being a book heavy on references and light on actual story line which wasn't great, but i did end up learning a lot about the art/history of wishing. i learned that in order to truly wish for something, you need to be very specific in your desires and very discerning. no wishy washyness allowed. no generalizations. wishing is heavily grounded in the laws of positive and negative energy. if you direct a lot of your attention towards your wish, you will attract positive energy into your life which will then usher in the manifestation of your wish.

when i finished reading, i decided i needed to do something about my own wishes - that's where my new journal comes in. the cover is really a bunch of doodles that came from my rapidiograph and colored pencils and i have already created a few pages of wishes the same way. so there you have it, a photo of "my very own wish book". but i will only ever show you the cover because after all, we all know that a wish told never comes true ;)

beginnings and mantras

2011-06-17T09:45:00.007-04:00

have i told you all my life mantra? it is simply "begin anywhere". yep, those two words are what moves me to push forward. the fact that it is never to late to start something new. you are never too old to change your course in life.

what phrase motivates you to do your personal best and to not let anything stand in your way?

buttons and batches

2011-06-15T10:35:00.027-04:00

so you all know my love of buttons, right? I LOVE THEM! what i don't love is cleaning them :)

my mom recently sent me a ton of buttons she found really cheap. and by really cheap, i mean under $7. more and more, i see old mason jars filled with buttons being sold for $20 +. crazy right? as beautiful as they are, i would never pay that much. if they are in an old mason jar at a flea market, chances are they were plucked off an old granny's sewing table after she passed and there is no reason for that price tag.

so i received this package of goodies in the mail and opened the bag and wow, did these things stink. i believe the most stinky buttons are old bakelite ones (correct me if i'm wrong). it is almost a burnt plastic smell. i don't have any formal recipe for cleaning, but i soak them first in a baking soda/water mixture, then i soak them in a bleach/water mixture for good measure. typically i will fill up a colander with the buttons and lower it into a bowl of my water mixtures. just make sure your colander has very small holes because some of these buttons can be teeny tiny.

after they soak in each mixture for a few hours, i lay them out on a white towel to dry. this is the best part because i can uncover all the beauties.

this batch contains a few of the beaded green shanks which are so spring like. i also love the molded flower found just above the green one. and hidden way in the background is a royal blue one that is spectacular as well.

what do you guys think, are you a button freak like me? any other tips for cleaning the stinky ones?

paper and clay

2011-06-13T09:38:00.035-04:00

after hearing a bunch of artists talk about the coolness of paperclay, i knew i would not be able to resist buying a block. as if i need any other art material, geez! it sat lying in my metal office basket catch all for a few months and recently i decided to give it a try. and i have to say that this stuff really is pretty cool.

i am still experimenting with it and since the package does not come with much in the way of instructions :( there are a few things i need to fix with my technique. the above is my first attempt at making a flower wall hanging. it is roughly 4 inches in diameter and when i assembled it, i stuck a large metal safety pin in the back for hanging. this is definitely a work in progress as you can see how a few of my mini beads have fallen off during the drying process. all the missing beads are safe and sound so i will glue them back on which won't be a huge deal. i have been advised that the best part of paperclay is that you can use a super fine grit sand paper to soften up the dried piece. thinking about taking an embroidery file and going to town sanding off all the rough edges. my favorite part is the "love" notation stamped into the center. not original by any means, but sweet none-the-less.

this piece is a free form flower that has been molded onto a piece of cotton wrapped thick wire which was lying around my studio. i think i have had my pack of 50 of these for about 5 years now and never had a use for them. i am dreaming about a whole vase filled with paper clay flowers. my only mistake on this piece is that i didn't put a hook on the end of the wire to really secure it into place. since the wire is straight, it might eventually come free of the bloom. but again, glue will fix it right up, so no biggie.

my next step is painting... i did some research and practically any paint will work on material. i am thinking about acrylic since it is what i have the most of, but i want to thin it out by half so it is more of a wash and not a solid color.

all in all, it was really fun to work with something new. i find that when i am in a rut, i need to go in another direction completely to get the spark back!

table covers and a new room

2011-06-10T08:20:00.005-04:00

remember when i posted this cabinet last week? well, it has sparked a complete dining room re-do and i am so excited. i went to our super special fabric store in town a few days ago for inspiration and it might possibly be my favorite place. this isn't just your average fabric store that carries patterns made by big corporations. no sirree. this fabric store carries all the big names... amy butler, anna maria horner, heather bailey - the list goes on and on. the store goes on and on as well with an assault of color wherever you turn!

back to the dining room - i have decided to paint the walls antique white and bring all the color in as accessories. above are 4 fabrics i chose to brighten up the space. from left to right, the first 3 are anna maria horner fabrics while the last, scallop pattern is by tula pink - a new to me designer. it is often difficult to mix and match different designers' fabric, but i think the scallop print compliments the other 3. in my opinion, they were made for each other.

the tula pink print will line the back of the white cabinet and then i big plans in store for the rest of the fabric.

this is a mock up of a crazy quilted table cover i came up with. we have a 5ft round mahogeny table in the dining room and when you include the chairs, the entire look is a bit wood heavy. i love the table and chairs, but really want to soften it up this time around. the quilt will be slightly smaller than 5 feet in diameter which means it will not hang over the table as tablecloths usually do. i will also use very low loft batting when pulling the quilt together so it won't be too puffy. i am so excited to start sewing and i hope it comes out exactly like i have pictured in my head. as every one well knows, this doesn't happen all the time :) however it turns out, i will be sure to document the progress with lots of before and afters.

thank goodness the munchkins have camp next week - between painting, sewing and hanging new crown moulding, my days will be packed!

mayarts and a new opportunity

2011-06-08T08:08:00.001-04:00

it's official - i am now part of the mayarts design team. woohoo! thanks for everyone who helped me along the way :)

i really am so excited about this opportunity. truth be told, i still need some clarification about what my position really involves (haha!) but i know it will mean getting my hands on some amazing ribbon. i am toying with the idea of adding a separate tutorial page to my website since i think that section will be getting filled up awful quickly. if i can get my act together, look for it in the next few weeks...

blue and pink or maybe purple

2011-06-06T09:27:00.003-04:00

i can't believe it has been so long since i posted a ttv photo. so for your viewing pleasure, here is a bloom from my gigantic hydrangea bush in the backyard. the blooms this year are so huge and plentiful that we have had bouquets in the house for weeks now.

the other day, i asked my husband what he thought about trying to change the color of the blooms next year and he looked at me like i was crazy. "don't you like the blue?" he said. well of course i LOVE the blue, but there is something so magical about being able to change the color of a flower. a sprinkle of this and a sprinkle of that onto my soil and my yard could be sporting pink blooms next year, i can't imagine not being intrigued by the thought!

cabinets and curbs

2011-06-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

it is no secret among my friends that i have an extreme need to rescue any piece of furniture left on the side of the road. no matter if i have room for it of not, that cast off is going home with me and i will do my best to refurbish it.

i recently scored a beautiful cabinet with a hutch and it is a real beauty, i promise! my friend had this cabinet in her dining room for as many years as i have known her. they moved last june and it didn't fit into the new house, so for a year, it was banished to the back deck to soak in rain water and wind damage. the thing is, i absolutely love the peeling paint that the water damage created. a slight ooh and ahhh from me and it was mine (little did my husband know :)

the munchkins and i went to work flaking off all the loose paint. then i mixed up a bleach/water solution and scrubbed it free of mold and debris. it will be a bit tight, but i am going to put it in my dining room as a storage unit for my new cake stand collection. the bottom of the cabinet originally had 2 doors, but since one broke, i am going for the open shelf look. this is where i am going to place some vintage quilts and bridge tablecloths that i have inherited from grandmothers. have i told you about my bridge tablecloth collection? that might be another post altogether ;)

hopefully full photos will come shortly, but since this little cabinet has actually sparked an entire dining room redo, only time will tell the actual completion date!

sweets and summer

2011-06-01T09:19:00.004-04:00

summer has officially begun in my household. the little munchkins of georgia got out of school this past friday (some even the friday before) and we immediately went into celebration mode with pool parties galore. i love making my munchkins an end of school treat, but with my littlest being gluten-free, my dessert recipe list has severely thinned down. this year i went with a quick and simple gluten-free cupcake and all were happy!

after a few parties, we headed out to our friends house on lake martin in alabama. i have been spending summer weekends here for the past 10 years and absolutely love it. when i was packing this time around, i was looking for a craft to take, but suddenly decided against it. may was such in insane month that i really needed to take a few days to do absolutely nothing. and absolutely nothing is what i did!

owls, totes and a tutorial

2011-05-26T08:33:00.000-04:00

yay! i finally finished my newest tutorial. it is a sweet owl tote bag created from a store bought canvas tote and lots of fantastic mayarts ribbon. this is my second entry into their design team challenge and i have loved working on this project. they will be posting the finalists soon for voting, so hopefully you guys can help me out a bit - i will keep you updated:)

i love looking at things different ways, so even though these suede leaves come in the form of ribbon, i couldn't help but see them as feathers. with that in mind, i was fixated on making a feathery owl. summer break is quickly on the horizon and i know i will be taking my munchkins to the library quite often, so what better thing to make than a fun library tote. don't need another tote? this owl could easily be applied to an apron or even used as a wall hanging.

want to make? click here to download - happy sewing :)

and another plate makes 3

2011-05-25T09:08:00.001-04:00

i have brought one more cake plate into the house, so now with 3, i definitely have a collection!

i spent a friday a few weeks back stopping by some yard sales and when i came upon this cake stand, i couldn't resist. there is a large festival in my neck of the woods twice a year, where dealers and homeowners set up tents along the way to sell their goods. this one particular glass booth is run by a very knowledgeable man and most of his prices are right on, which is pretty disappointing. when you are in an antique store, i think you can command market prices, but when you are set up on the side of the road, not so much, people want bargains!

anyway, i saw this sweet pink 10" pink cake plate and even though the $25 price tag was more than i would usually spend, i had to have it. i love the harp detail along the bottom and the little circles of glass that line the plate edge.

driving home, my friend started researching it on her phone, and holy smokes, did i get a deal. it is a "jeanette pink harp" cake stand and is actually pretty rare to find. the one site we found had a chipped one listed for $145. jeanette is for the town in pennsylvania where it was made which is actually very close to where i grew up - double cool.

the moral of the story is that there are still deals out there. even though someone seems very knowledgeable, they can't know everything about everything :)

oh, and the cake shown above is courtesy of my 2 sweet little munchins on mother's day. they tried so hard to make me a beautiful cake and i think it turned out just perfect!

wows and double wows

2011-05-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

wow, that was a very long and very unexpected blog break. really a break from everything online :) but i'm back now, back for regularly scheduled postings!

some things i have been up to:

having a quick out patient surgery that was supposed to be one day of recovery, but completely knocked me out for 13 days. WOW - completely unprepared for that!
trying to keep my house in order during this very crazy month of may. why is it that things are always so hectic surround the start of summer break???
escaping for a one night get away to celebrate 10 years of marriage. double wow - it really does go so fast :) we had the most amazing anniversary dinner sitting in adirondack chairs at the edge of a lake with our own personal butler (for lack of better word) and a very warm and cozy chiminea.

some things on my to-do list:

relish my last 4 days of peace and quiet before the munchins invade full time for 9 weeks of summer break
finish this sweet sampler that i started a few weeks back
write up my 2nd tutorial for the mayarts challenge i have been participating in. i can't wait to show you all what i have dreamed up.
start on this vintage sheet wreath. absolutely love, love!!!

that's about all the goings on around here. just so happy that i am back on my feet again and daydreaming about the start of swim season!

chandeliers and a collective decision

2011-05-13T08:58:00.003-04:00

a few months back, i took a poll on what color my next chandelier should be. the result? you guessed it - gray.

on a side note, i never know if gray is spelled "grey" or "gray". it gets me every time :)

anyways, there is something i absolutely LOVE about the understated grandness of this piece. it is crazy heavy and sports 5 full sized bulb sockets, not the standard flame bulb sized ones. what does this mean? maximum light, like twice as much of a normal chandelier.

this specific fixture was scored for me by an ohio friend. she found it at a yard sale and thought it would be perfect for me which i definitely can't argue with. we vacation together every other year, so i picked it up from her in north carolina this past summer and back to atlanta it came. in it's original form, it had crazy chains flowing off the center column. but the really strange part were the huge railroad sized nails that were attached to the chain. i immediately removed the crazy embellishments (after researching the piece to make sure it wasn't a valuable one of a kind), painted it and love the transformation.

i have not ever listed chandeliers in the shop because i know the shipping cost will be through the roof, but i might make an exception for this fixture. i really, really want it to find the perfect home.

hoops and hankies - round 2

2011-05-11T10:43:00.003-04:00

i am hooked and obsessively searching every thrift store in town for more miniature embroidery hoops! seriously guys, this project is so fun and quick, but gives you huge satisfaction. i'll whip up a tutorial sometime in the next few months, but really, grab a vintage hanky, a hoop and some embroidery floss and go crazy. for the hoop above, i stamped "remember the little moments" around the edge and love the sweetness of how it all turned out.

i didn't get a good side shot of this hoop, but i finished off the outside with some thin grey and red ribbon attached with alene's tacky glue.

if you are wondering how i embroider text onto my pieces, i will let you in on the secret - a disappearing ink pen found in the sewing section of your local craft store. they are fantastic! you can doodle on your fabric as much as you want til you get it right, then stitch on the lines you like. then, give it a little time and all your doodle lines will eventually disappear.

have you made some of these? i wold love to see what you came up with :)

festivals, fun and friends

2011-05-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

my big festival weekend has come and gone and i am pooped! but i did want to stop by and show you all what i was up to. it is stressful work prepping and getting set up for a festival, but once the crowds trickle in, you can't help getting swept up in the fun of it all.

first i would like to introduce you to scarlet. you have seen my assistant before, but not all dressed up in her sunday best. i found the crinoline during a yard sale shopping spree on friday and fell in love instantly. let me tell you, she was the hit of the weekend, especially with the little girls. one sweetie in particular gave her a huge bear huge while begging her daddy to buy it for her. priceless!

looking in, this is the back wall of the tent complete with prints, bookmarks and my felt wares. a favorite part of my booth are the pricing signs which are old barrister cabinet doors. i learned early on that it was a pain in the behind to individually price items, so i devised a chalkboard sign reminiscent of turn of the century shop signage.

another piece you have seen before, but this time, my blue bookcase was revitalized with new LA branding. i designed a banner, had it printed/laminated at the local office supply shop, and with a little double stick tape, it turned into a perfect display.

finally here is a shot of how i displayed my new framed canvases. old wooden screen doors lined with hardware cloth, then zip tied to the tent frame. i was most happy about all the love i received on these new pieces. really, warm the heart, huge smile on my face kind of love. two of them will now reside in the room of a brand new baby girl. perfect!!!