OMG!

I had absolutely no idea what to title this post, so forgive me for the "OMG!". Since I couldn't think of a clever title, I just went with my reaction to the subject matter.

For 2 weeks now my new guy has been telling me about this gift he bought me. He was so excited and said he had never put so much thought into a gift before and that he was so proud of himself. (This was incredibly cute by the way.) Every day that we spoke on the phone he would mention this gift and try to give me hints as to what it could be. I honestly had no idea. His hints were so vague that I was completely clueless.

Saturday evening, after a 3 hour drive from Knoxville, he arrives at my apartment. He calls me from outside and tells me to go in my room and to not look out the window or come out into the living room until he said so. The anxiety was too much!

I'm sitting on my bed and I hear him open the front door. I hear him rustle around and then he appears in my bedroom doorway. After the hugs and kisses being glad to see each other he covers my eyes and leads me to the living room. I believe he counted to 3 and then uncovered my eyes. What I saw was this....

He bought me an Audrey Kawasaki giclee print!!!! (This is where the "OMG!" comes in.)

He knew Audrey Kawasaki was my favorite artist and has been for years. I even made him sit down with me one evening to look at her work on her website. He's not a fan, but he humored me.

Original pieces of her artwork cost thousands. A giclee print can cost between $100-$250 on ebay.

It's a 14x18, signed and numbered print called 'Two Sisters'.

My reaction was exactly how he expected it to be he said. I was so shocked! I think I literally sat down with it and starred at it for an hour. I couldn't believe it. I finally had my very own Audrey Kawasaki.

He did so well!!! I am so proud of him! :)

Forecast: Foggy & Wet

It's been nothing but foggy and wet here this past week. It's definitely a bit of a damper on the spirit. Not to mention it's made me realize I need to invest in some new windshield wipers! None-the-less, the one thing I can think of where fog might be welcomed is for taking photos.

I've been checking out a local blog called Nashvillest lately and she's been featuring some very cool photos from local artist that best captures how it's looked around here these days. Today I came across a photo that took my breath away. Allow me to share:

This beautiful piece of art is the work of Chris Wage.
Naturally I had to stalk him and go on a link frenzy finding out who this Chris Wage was and what other stuff he had done. Just my luck, he had a web page, a Flickr account and a blog. I was elated as I found more photos like these and could not wait to share them with my friends (You). So I emailed him, asking for his permission to feature his photos and here you go!

One thing you may not know about me is that I love downtown Nashville. I've sat in the isle of bookstores flipping through the books of photos documenting the history of Nashville. (I love history too.) So when I come across a great photo of my hometown, I get so excited.

Enough about me though. Here are the rest of the photos in the series that Chris took this week. They're amazing!

And here is one of the Shelby Street bridge that I love just as much, although I don't think it was taken on the same night, just to clarify.

photos via: Chris Wage

Craft Time!

I'm one of those people that loves crafts, but if it ends up looking homemade then I'm not going to bother making it or I'll do something with it after I'm done, like hide it. I think that's the perfectionist in me. I have painted many a canvas in my day, drawn beautiful pictures, made lovely craft projects, but you would never know this if you walked in my home because I don't keep them out in view. I have either given them away to friends and family or stashed them away in a box in my closet. It's sad really. I see so many people making their own art to decorate their home with and I love it. And yet when I attempt it, I see the imperfections, know that I made it, and put it away. I am not sure why I do this.

What's really interesting is that I was talking about something similar to this yesterday with my sister and also with my friend Liz. I had someone tell me Tuesday that they were really surprised to hear that I was passionate about interior design because they had never heard me talk about it before. And then Liz was shocked to hear that I had an SLR camera at home. She thought I only shot with my small digital. Apparently, I may not be all that much of an open book as I thought I was.

When it comes to my passions or my interest, I don't talk about them much. If I died today and someone, besides my family, went through my house, they'd probably wonder if they knew me at all. Boxes and boxes of photographs that I've taken over the years due to my love of photography, an SLR camera and accessories stashed in a case in my closet somewhere collecting dust. Boxes of art supplies and art projects literally stacked in the very back of my closet appearing as if I don't touch it at all...but I do. A guitar that no one knows I pick up and attempt to play almost every other night. A baseball glove and softball that is sitting on my shelf in my bedroom, also collecting dust. I love to play catch. I think it's one of those past times that I remember with my dad when times were good. I just don't know anyone else who enjoys that so I don't ever say anything. And my collection of art that I've collected over the years...spending way too much money for handmade pieces of art off the internet because I love it. :)

Yeah, I guess I just don't talk about this too much with friends. I'd like to think that I talk about it more here than anything though. If you went through old posts you'd good sense of what I'm into. I guess I'll try to work on this more.

Wow, I believe I just rambled on and on about something that was not even the intention of this blog entry. What I wanted to really talk about was this...

SNOW GARLAND!

I came across this lovely craft project over at Design Crush. She got the idea from Evie-S and they in turn got the idea from Craft Stylish. I love it. I think it's perfect for the holiday party Liz is hosting this year and so we plan on making it together to decorate her home with.
All you need is white floss and 1 inch, white, garage sale stickers. Go to Craft Stylish to check out the step-by-step tutorial if you need it.

They are beautiful, aren't they? I cannot wait to see how they turn out when Liz and I make them. I'll be sure to post some photos.

I love a good craft project! And this one won't be in my home, but in hers, so in some way I justify it. I'm weird...

Hope everyone is having a good day!

photos via: Craft Stylish

Word!

Thanks to How About Orange, I visited Wordle and input my blog's url and vwhalla! This is a very cool creation made up of the words I use in many of my blog posts. I love it. Go check it out yourself and see what creation it will come up with for you! You can even print it if you wish.

Edit: I'll make the photo larger when I get home. I don't have fancy programs on my work computer to change it. :)

Etsy Craving

Here are a few of the things I'm craving from Etsy for my new place...

And I'm breaking my own rules here, but I'm thinking of doing a beach theme in my bathroom. BUT, a vintage beach look. Nothing super cheesy, just some vintage looking photos of the beach in white frames and a nice seafoam green or aqua color shower curtain. I am doing this because for some reason my apartment is reminding me of a beach condo, and so I thought it was fiting.

letterpress

Browsing through many of my favorite blogs, I often hear a lot about letterpress. At first, I had no idea what letterpress was. Then, thanks to Elise, I came across a blog and actually saw what everyone was talking about and I realized that I did in fact know what letterpress was, I just didn't know that's what it was called. :)

I actually work right down the street from one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, Hatch Show Print. Once I put two and two together, I got really excited. Maybe I could take a workshop or class or something to become more familiar with the letterpress. That would rock!

Anyway, I wanted to take a moment out of my day to share with you all this lovely blog, Heart Handmade, and Elise's contribution to it about her letterpress experience. I thought it was very informative and even inspirational. I can't wait to someday try my hand at letterpress. I may even buy a few blocks just for decoration around my apartment. How cute it'd be to have a few blocks spell out something atop one of my bookshelves.

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. And don't worry, pictures of my apartment will be here shortly. Just have to recharge my camera batteries and finish unpacking. :)

::image via google search::

I've been framed!

So I saw this lovely photo of a cupcake shop over at Armelle blog, and instantly had an idea. What if I went to one of the local hardware stores, got them to color match my new duvet, and painted and hung some empty frames above my new headboard in the same color blue?

Or, my other favorite color is the tuscan orange. What about frames in this color?


I don't know. If I'm going for a calm, peaceful feel, I might want to stick with the blue. Either way, I'm excited about this because it's fairly cheap and easy. I mean all I have to do is collect a bunch of old frames (thrift store finds), and then get the paint and vwhalla! So even if I end up not liking it, I didn't really spend a ton on the project.


Man, I have so many ideas. Here is a cute DIY tutorial for a jewelry holder, from Whip Up. I am thinking of making a rather large one to put as my entryway right when you walk in the door to hold my keys and etc.

I ran across this photo today on Mixed Plate and laughed as I related instantly.
I love to create stuff and attempt projects but with the way the economy is these days and being on such a budget that I feel as if I can't even afford a trip to the local art supply store. These days it seems you have to either chose between if you'd rather eat that week or pay for gas.

::images via Armelle Blog, Apartment Therapy, Whip Up, Mixed Plate::

Things that make me happy.

So I decided to bring my camera everywhere with me yesterday and take photos of things that make me happy. I stopped after the first two things because after that I forgot all about my little project. So although it appears not much makes me happy, I just forgot to photograph the rest. :)
1) McDonald's Sweet Tea. Yummy! I'm sure it's a southern thing.























2) The inside of Yogi Tea boxes. I love the henna look! I get inspired every time.

































And as for the rest of my picture-less list:
3) Skipping lunch because you weren't all that hungry! I love that! :)
4) Wearing my new bright yellow top, even if it makes me look pregnant. hehe
5) Wednesday evenings, because that's the day I go to class!

Speaking of, I don't think I've made any mention of the class I'm taking this summer at Watkins College of Art & Design. It's a 9 week class and we're already going on our 4th week. I love it and love being in the art college environment. Once my class projects are done, I'll show you what I've been doing.

Alright, back to work I go...

My First ETSY Purchase!

Although I'm supposed to be saving my money for my Chicago trip this week, I couldn't help but splurge a little and buy this lovely 8x10 print from OrangeBeautiful. (All thanks to 100 Percent Cottam who blogged about it first by the way.) :)

I actually bought it in that tan color seen in the picture also. Although I'm a fan of the white, I thought the tan would look really good in a black frame with a nice white mat around it. I could be wrong, but we'll see. Of course I could have gone with any one of the other colors, but I figured the tan would go better with my home decor. My apartment isn't modern enough yet to be throwing in bright aquas and hot pinks at the moment. Maybe one day...

So I'll add this print to the collection of prints I need to get professionally framed. I attempted once to mat and frame a print on my own, and it just turned out all wrong. So i think with important things like this, I will go the professional route. I'll be sure to post pictures up of the final product.

Here is the amazing print my sister gave me for Christmas that I still haven't managed to get matted and framed yet. That's why I said I'd add the above to my 'collection'. :)

The lovely print is called Pistachio Ice Cream and is by Vanessa Tam. You can find it and other great prints at Thumbtack Press.

God...I love art! :)

Have you discovered Etsy yet?

For those of you who haven't heard of/discovered Etsy yet, I strongly recommend it. I check Etsy every day looking for something I just can't live without.

Etsy is a website where artist of all mediums sell thier creations. If when you hear the word "art" you also think "expensive", you can put that thought on the backburner. You can find stuff on Etsy for $1!

So, if this hasn't sold you on Etsy yet, allow me to share with you some cool stuff I found today.

In Jewelry: Armelle Jewelry sells lovely pieces like this...

In Paintings: Gorjuss sells lovely prints like these...

Suzanna Ana sells these really cool 5x5 painted blocks that I am in love with. They sell for $25 each and you can create your own wall art with them.

In Mixed Media: Galerie de Illuminata's shop has beautiful pieces like...

Bags & Purses: Vonica Designs sells cute bags like this...

In Paper Goods: Carambatack Design has cute postcards like this...

Are you convinced?
www.etsy.com

Willowing

Sweet and simple: I love this girl's videos. They are always so lovely. I am in love with her music choices. :) Here is her latest. Sometime soon I will post the one that really inspired me. Enjoy!

It's been a while; (but I have been busy).

I admit that I'm not the best at this blogging thing. But maybe I should stop trying to do it for an audiance and only do it for myself. Then maybe "they" will come. :)

So as like most, I have been Christmas shopping, Christmas baking, Christmas decorating and etc. Everything Christmas. It's usually a hectic time of year for me. When I have a lot on my plate, many things tend to go neglected. Like my blog and laundry. :)

Hope you all are enjoying your Christmas season. Unlike most northern and western states, Tennessee hasn't seen any snow, but maybe soon.

Here are just a few random pictures of what I've been up to lately. (One day I'll have better photos as well as a better blog.)

I got the idea to make these really cute and fun Christmas ornaments off some site I saw a couple weeks back. I know I should give credit where credit is due, but I have completely forgotten now what site that was. (If you know, please leave a comment.)

Anyway, I went to the craft store and bought several different colors of metallic card stock. I loved that I found the metallic because it gives it that shine that makes them that much more special. I made the ornaments, cut out some stars and then some little squares and hung them all with nylon string at work, infornt of our big window that faces the main buildings foyer.

TO BE CONTINUED.....(HAVE TO RUN)

Nashville "Craft" Fair

FINALLY! I have found a local craft fair. So if you're in the Nashville, TN area....check it out.

Crafty Crafty

So I finally decided to start doing something with all these great art ideas I get from the great blogs I visit daily. You'd think after a year or so of "oooohhhing" and "aaahhhhing" over all the ideas I would have done something by now. Better late than never though.

Thanks to Threadbangers, I decided to make my own screen print.

Embroidery hoop ($1.19) +
Mod Podge ($1.29) +
Tights (had already) + image from computer (free) =Om!
My very own screen print! Once dry, I'll turn it over and lay it down on a shirt and squeegee on some fabric paint and vwhalla! It's obviously backwards now, but when it's ready to be turned over and used on a shirt, it'll turn out just right. :)
I'll post pictures of the end result when I'm done. Hopefully it will be this weekend.

Also thanks to Threadbangers, I'm working on making my own beads out of magazine pages.

I used the bottle cap just to show the size. And no, I won't be using sewing thread. That's just what I'm doing to hold them all together while I make them all. Once I'm done I'll go to the art store and actually get beading thread and jewelry clasps.

Man...this is a lot of fun. I'm finally doing something and it feels great! :)