I love interior design/home decor (just ask my Pinterest page, ha!) and it's so fun to see my art utilized in different rooms in different ways. Of course, now all I want to do is go redecorate a room or two...
In an effort to clear space in the studio for all my new pieces, all in-stock embroidery hoops are on clearance at 50% OFF in my Etsy shop! Shop now for early Christmas and holiday gifts!
I got sick of the blank wall above our bed and decided to use some washi tape to create a little work of art.
Benefits: 1. free (I already had the tape). 2. removable (seriously my favorite thing about washi tape). 3. easy (took about an hour). 4. my wall is way cuter!
First I stuck up the "frame" which stretches almost all the way across the king bed. I determined the height of the bottom by how high our pillows sit (wanted it to be visible above the tops of the pillows) and chose the height at the top based on what looked good. For the flowers, I just free-handed it, starting with the larger flowers to the leaves to the smaller flowers. I stepped back every now and then to make sure the colors and light-balance looked good.
I may have been subconsciously influenced by Dorothy Draper, as pointed out by my sister-in-law....
I am excited to announce that I am officially painting custom house portraits! After having done several over the past year or so by special request, I figured I should open it up as a regular offering.
(I can also paint a building -- the place where you got married, a building at school, or a favorite museum, like shown above)
I am offering 2 sizes - 8x10 inches and 11x14 inches, painted lovingly in watercolors on Arches 140 lb. paper.
I can also "fluff up" the surrounding landscaping and lawn a bit so your home is presented as its best self. (note how green the lawn is and how each bush and tree is at full bloom).
There's still time to order one for the holidays! See listing for details.
I LOVE Christmas! Hands-down, it's my favorite holiday. I love the meaning behind it, celebrating our Savior, the warmth and glow it creates, and sharing that love with my friends and family. (and also cookies. Man, I love cookies).
Unfortunately, our apartment is just too small for a tree this year (boo), but I thought I'd share the rest of our holiday decor.
We have tall shelves in the living room, and this is what they looked like originally:
I really like my fauxpiary (faux topiary - totally stole the term from Sherry of Young House Love), but I thought it looked too naked up there, so I decided to make a garland.
Inspired by this garland from P.S. I made this, I made mine out of pretty fabric I had lying around and rick rack (rick rack rocks!). I pulled my color palatte from reds, pinks, blues, greens, and yellows to create a fun, colorful swag. I cut 8-inch by 1-inch strips of fabric with pinking shears and tied them onto an indoor light string (the LED light string is from Target).
However, I was told that my female nutcrackers (Clara and Alice) were too girly (thanks, Mom) and I needed to make my Christmas decor more man-friendly. So off to Target I went!
I
replaced the ladies with a wooden reindeer, a geometric white ceramic
fox, and a cool metallic nutrcracker. Much more gender neutral. Also on
the top shelf are two of my Moravian stars. I LOVE Moravian stars. The
multi-faceted points are so pretty; I went to grad school in
Winston-Salem, a city founded by Moravians, and these stars were always
everywhere.
On the next shelf down, there is another one of my Moravian stars (this one was a gift from a friend who bought it in Historic Old Salem), a frame of fine paper that I switch out with the seasons, a white ceramic 5-opening bud vase, kraft letters spelling out "Noel," a tiny wooden chest I got from a super cool secondhand shop in North Carolina, and a small globe sitting upon a mercury glass holder (a little nod to world peace).
The third shelf features my original Nutcracker. I got him when I was 8 years old after my mom took me to see The Nutcracker for the first time, danced by Ballet Met in Columbus, Ohio. I fell in love and all I wanted for Christmas that year was my own Nutcracker. Isn't he a handsome fellow? I used to sleep with him like a teddy bear (definitely not very cuddly, though). Next to him is a teeny artist nutcracker that my mom got me while I was in grad school - so cute.
On our coffee table, I placed this Christmas house dome - it's so sweet and reminds me of It's a Wonderful Life - my favorite Christmas film. I'm a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart.
I also added some lights and pinecones to the barcart and some small ornaments on our other shelves.
Though we don't have room for a tree, I really wanted some real pine in the apartment this year, so we got a fresh wreath from Whole Foods and adorned it with salt dough ornaments painted by Jason's niece and nephew. Too cute. And it smells a-mah-zing.
