street art inspiration

I'm currently gearing up for one of my largest freelance projects yet. I am so excited about this opportunity, and the freedom I have within the given direction, but I'm also a little intimated by the scale and installation itself. I have actually been asked to create a few installations within a kids' bonus room. The intimidating part is a large wall mural inspired by Mr. Brainwash. So, I've been heavily researching and prepping images and ideas these past few weeks. While the inspiration, and likely direction, is very specific to the client's desired aesthetic, I've stumbled across a few images that make me melt a little. I wanted to share them with you! What makes you melt at it's site?

Holly Dolly

Would this not be dreamy behind your headboard?

source

I love the feminine & detailed line-work, as well as the teal in this!

Hubby and I stumbled upon this one while honeymooning in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

a little bubbly in a sparkly glass

I was a co-maid of honor for my dear friend's wedding. To make sure she felt as super special as she truly is, we planned a sparkly evening of festivities for her bachelorette! I can't wait to share photos with you of the fun that ensued, but for now I have some fun little projects I created for the night. Inspired by my mother's work I painted the bride, and each bridesmaid a special glass, of course marked with their initial to be sure we knew who's was who's!

Have a variety of paint bush sizes at the ready! I like working with smaller brushes, because it is easier to control, or rather, squiggled less of a mess for me to later correct.

You can find Gloss Enamels at Hobby Lobby, or most craft stores. There are other brands available, just be sure to read the directions for baking or curing the glassware. There are some available that require it to sit for 21 days before using! Gloss Enamels can bake in less than an hour in your own oven.

Chose a font and print out the initial you wish to paint. Cut it into a small piece that will fit into the glass.

Tape paper to the inside of glass, making sure it's positioned straight before you start painting. You can just trace the printout with the paint.

Make sure to keep you brush wet before dipping in paint, this will help for a smooth application on the glass.

Dip only the tip of the brush in paint, you do not want globs.

 

I lined the top rim of the glass, to finish it off. 

I coated the base and stem as well, this took two applications to make sure it wasn't streaky.

It's looking good, but not quit done! I think some polka-dots will do the trick!

Using a flat round cylinder object, such as an eraser, is perfect for the little detail!

Gently press it against the glass. You may need to twist it slightly as you pull away, to keep the edges crisp and clean. I alternated between silver and black dots.

Let the glass dry a bit before handling. You can place multiple on the oven rack, just make sure none are touching! Follow the paint's label instructions for baking. 

Check back, and I'll have some final shots to share of our festive setup to celebrate my friend and her soon-to-be nuptials! 

DIY ornament or decorative spheres

Start with a styrofoam ball, size of choice and a few packages if thumbtacks. I worked with silver, and white for my spheres. Use Elmer's glue to give a little extra security to the tacks hold, once you start to layer them like fish scales, they'll be tightly locked in place! Start on one side and work your way around to give a cyclical pattern around the sphere. I worked in small sections at a time, but sure to top the ball off at the point opposite of its bottom.

 

crossword puzzle love

How much I love this, I can not say. I may have to recreate this in some way!

I found this through here.

Earth laughs in flowers

I don't understand things like this. I come from a family where we buy things. We don't sit and make blankets [or flowercrowns].
-Somara, fellow bridesmaid

Last weekend, I had such a wonderful time visiting old friends from college. I spent Saturday traipsing around NYC with Kathleen, who just moved there after landing a job with a photo studio, and her husband, David. Then we traveled out to Princeton to visit our friend and bride-to-be, Gina, who hosted us for a pre-wedding weekend of fun for all the bridesmaids. One of these said pre-wedding festivities we partook in was creating lovely flower-crowns before we embarked on a day full of surprises. Gina has a mix of girls with art backgrounds, and non-craft oriented backgrounds. There were lots of laughs and merriment as we helped each others crowns come to life. I wanted to share with you some pictures of the crafting that took place!

We created the structure of the crown with two pieces of floral wire twisted together. Snipping the buds off, leaving about an inch of stem, we then used jewelry wire to secure it to the crown. 

We had a table full of supplies at the ready. Whatever could possibly be needed. Ribbons for sweet bows, hot glue for finishing touches, paper clips for.... who knows?

 

Kathleen donning her crown.

 

  And me smelling the roses :)

Curiouser & Curioser

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”

-Alice in Wonderland                                           

This past year, I was commissioned to create a few pieces for a family in Charlotte. I was contacted by a women at work, who was by far the most fun grandmother ever! She helps to decorate her grown-up daughter's house, and has filled it with whimsical items and lively colors. Walking into the family's home you can see how playful their spirits are. It took a while to complete all three projects, but I can finally say they're done! It was such an exciting experience for me, I certainly grew and learned a lot during the process. Since it was the first time I've accepted a freelance commission, one lesson being that I probably won't be doing such large scale freelance for a good while. Who has the time with weddings to attend practically every other weekend in the summer and trips every month or so for work?? However, I am excited to share with you the finally completed projects!  

The first project was inspired by a piece I had constructed for the store, chairs with exaggerated height to hold hanging apparel. So, we pulled that idea, and tweaked it to create shelves for the little girls bathroom, to hold her towels and trinkets.

This is the original sketch I drew for them, when first asked to create this installation. It's not all too common that the actual execution looks better than the original sketch, but I think it does in this case! Hello- poor scale, and awkward height.

The final piece is perfect for the little space between her water-closet and sink area. As you can see, the room has adorable pink illustrated paper, with pink and white stripes in the water-closet. They added the polka-dot ribbon to edge the shelves, which just makes it even sweeter. I'm obsessed with the white and block checkered floors! With all these special details, and the rabbit print in the background, how perfectly Alice in Wonderland does this feel?!

long overdue!!! tent DIY: part 3

Seriously. It's been more than a year. At this point, your tent skeleton has been assembled in your living room for 14 months, awaiting walls, a top, and the finishing touches! So drum roll please... I finally bring you the last portion of the tent DIY!

Use an embroidery hoop that is about 15-20 inches in diameter. Cut a strip of fabric and wrap around both loops. You will use this to connect all the sheets and to add the pitch to the tent roof. 

I found some fun floral and striped fabrics with similar colors at a local junk store. Each side took a double bed top sheet.  Decide which patterned sheet should go where, by draping the sheets from each post. Standing inside of the tent post will make the next part easier. You can see where I pulled the front sheet off the frame for me to step in. Teaching out a hand underneath with the interior loop for the sheets to rest on, pull each to cross the center. Sandwich the fabric with the exterior loop on top, and begin to tighten.

Don't pull the fabric tight as if you were to actually embroider it, but leave it loose in the middle of the hoop. Use a needle with a large eye to thread yarn through the center of fabric. I tied the yarn to the fan to pull up the roof. Not everyone's lucky enough to have a fan to tie to, so you may want to think about hanging a hook or just pulling the tent ceiling taught and flat.

I wanted the inside of the tent to feel magical, so I cut strips of fabric with pinking shears and tied a single knot around lengths of yarn, spacing each fabric piece a few inches apart.

I then tied each length of fabric to opposite horizontal poles, allow for a little bit of swag to happen, giving the space a softer feel with a little more depth.

I allowed for some fabric to drape from the front of the opening, tying it up in the center of the pole and pulling it to the side for a soft swag. Bunting around the front side of the tent added another whimsical touch. Mismatched pillows and throw blankets created a cozy and inviting feel. Candles lit in a varied collection of glass containers, also found at the local junk store, helped to give a little magic!

Chris' gifts were wrapped with craft paper, and touches were added in a black, red and white theme. I'm all about color schemes for gifts! The picture was a photo booth shot of us from New Years.

With the lights out, the candles gave the needed twinkle!

Chris loved that I had blocked him out of his living room and couldn't wait to see the surprise I was constructing, though the noise I made at some points had him a little concerned! Despite all the pink action going on, he still had the tent up several days later, as you can see below when Ellie, my dog, came to visit him later that week :)

What special touches of whimsy will you add to your tent?