On beauty & coffee...

I have said before that coffee is a beautiful thing. It is one of my weaknesses, (as are wine and cheese). Yesterday I happened upon the most beautiful coffee I have ever seen.

This masterpiece was created at Fluid Coffee Bar in Denver. I was struck with how art was infused into their shop and into their art. Without being overbearing, they have touches of art throughout their space; and without making a big deal about it, the barista presented me with this little piece of Latte art. They are truly promoting artful living.

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The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life. -Frank Lloyd Wright

Eggs, eggs, eggs

With Easter fast approaching, Kerry and I were looking for a fun project to do in the studio. We were looking for something that encompassed creativity but could also serve as a decorative item. So we started looking for ideas, turning to the trusty Martha Stewart, we found several ideas in the Easter section of her website.

We purchased wooden, Styrofoam, and papier-mache eggs from Michael's and Hobby Lobby. We pulled various stickers, rub-ons, origami papers, printed tissue papers, paint and glitter from our stash of supplies. Of course we added the ever-present Mod Podge, and a few foam brushes. We gathered our materials, and started a round of speed crafting.

With one set of Martha's directions at hand and lots of other ideas, we got started. Here's what we came up with:
As soon as we got started, we were on a roll. We could make monogram eggs, eggs with dresdens, butterfly eggs, painted eggs, and glittered eggs. Won't they all look pretty in a centerpiece? Using a little faux nest or a pretty glass bowl, they will be a nice addition to our Easter tables.

We want to invite you to join us for this project, next week. Come to the studio for a FREE class.

Here are the details:

• Wednesday March 19 or Friday March 21
  


• 9:00 am - 11:00 am



• We will provide collage and decoupage materials, paint, glitter, glue, paper, and lots more!
  


• You bring your own eggs and decorate as many as you wish. You may bring wooden, papier-mache or Styrofoam eggs. If you prefer real ones, please hard boil or blow them first.



• The class will be at the studio. Leave a comment with your email if you need directions.

Bowl Me Over

Last week Kerry shared about our interest (read obsession) with dishes, both large and small. She asked you what you would use these cute little IKEA bowls for, and you all had great suggestions. Remember, they are only 2 inches by 2 inches. Here is what I use them for:

Spice containers while I'm cooking.

Holding sprinkles for decorating cupcakes.

Office supplies.

Tea for two.

Breakfast.

And if I run out of bowls, I have a few back-up options. What are your useful collections? And how do you use them?

A Functional Project & Practical Tip

Practical Tip:

Line one cupboard or pantry door with cork. You can use a roll of cork, or cork tiles that are easily found at stores like Hobby Lobby or JoAnn Fabric. Use this newly corked door as a place to hang things that are important to keep at hand. It becomes a mini-office in the heart of the kitchen. We hang the school lunch menu, coupons and our take-out menu pocket. It is even a handy place to hang art work that comes home in the kids' backpacks.

Sometimes I am bound by a need to make things functional, not just pretty. I think this is an mental battle I wage: can art or craft just be for art's sake, or does it also have to be functional. It is nice to make some of our functional objects also artful.

My project for the day is a Take Out Pocket. This is where I keep all those Take-Out Menus and Coupons so that we can find them when I have the urge to order instead of cook.

The process is quite simple. I used a plain manila folder. I folded additional paper and glued it in place to close the sides of the folder and create a pocket. Then, I collaged the folder with varoius papers, letters, vintage stickers and stamps. Of course, I used a food motif. I "aged" the paper with a brown ink pad. I sealed the whole thing with a few layers of
Mod Podge. Sealing it with Mod Podge will both protect the collage, and strengthen the pocket since it may be used frequently.

Back to the idea of form versus function. Should the items in our home be only functional? Can we also improve their form with our artistic touches?


What everyday items have you put in your home that share interesting or artistic form and useful functionality?

comtemplation

I spend a lot of time making combinations.... thinking about color...

thinking about pattern...

thinking about texture...

What will all of these combinations become?

Weekend Project

Looking around my house, I am itching to bring spring inside. I am tired of the cold, the wind, the snow and mud trudged through my kitchen. I can't wait for the tulips to peek out, the robins to start singing and the birds to come to roost on my front porch. I am itching to make beautiful things to have and enjoy in my home. Making bright and beautiful things is one way I try to battle the winter doldrums.

My weekend project, which encorporates two of our goals --using our materials and living a more artful life-- was to recover two of the little foot stools I had sitting in our living room. Reupholstering furniture, wait, is that part of this blog about craft and art? Stay with me here, it is not as hard as you might think.

These stools were old and frayed, to say the least. They certainly didn't yell out, "I come from an artful home." They are the ones who put the shabby into shabby chic. Actually, there was no chic there.

Maybe I could rescue these two before they ended up at the dump. I had two fabrics in my stash that would make great new covers for these old stools. A smart red chenille and a springy yellow brocade might do the trick.

First, I gathered the tools I would use to do the job. I needed a Phillips head screwdriver, a staple gun with mid- to heavy weight staples, pliers, wood glue, new batting, scissors, and fabric.

Next, I removed the legs from the stools. Each was attached with screws. Then, I used pliers to remove the upholstry nails and staples holding the old fabric in place. I used the old fabric as a pattern template for the new material.

Each stool received a new layer or two of batting to improve it's cushy nature. I trimmed the batting and secured underneath with staples. Then I fitted the fabric. The rectangular stool was a bit more challenging, I had to sew seams at the corners to create the fitted look. Once the fabric was in place on each stool and secured with more staples, I reattached the legs.

I am pleased with the results. The ratty-tat stools have new life. The bright red chenille picks up the bright reds of our living room rug. The yellow brocade, with it's springy pattern of flowers and leaves looks lovely with my grandmother's antique chair. The touches of red, green and blue are nice to break- up the yellow background.

So, I think that I have successfully re-habed these two; they are no longer destined for the dump.

Tell someone how you feel....

Way back in January, our blog-friend Kat told us that we made her day! It was such a nice sentiment. We are thrilled that anyone looks at our blog, much less thinks that what what we have to say contributes to their day. How nice!


We are just now passing along the same good wishes to our blog friends. Kerry and I read some of the same blogs and some different blogs, so we came up with this list together. (If you aren't on the list this time, it doesn't mean we love you any less...) So, these blogs make our day--

Flea Market Studio

Pamela Garrison

Poppy Talk

Sally Jean

Abundant Curiosities

Living Out Loud

Art Junk Girl

Kari & Kijsa - Designing for Life

House on Hill Road

A Very Mary Design

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Thank you for making our day a bit brighter with your creativity!

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If you are on our list, please choose 10 of your own Make My Day recipients and pass along the award.

(and, here is a shameless plug for our friend Mary Ann, check out her blog and then vote for her in this contest. She entered a beautiful collage and needs your support. Good Luck Mary Ann!)

Quick and Easy Project

In our New Year's quest to finished unfinished projects and use already purchased supplies (# 13, #17, & #19), we have found the fastest sewing project yet! Kerry found this easy kid's tote bag on Martha Stewart's wonderful website. I decided to give it a try.

Because I can never follow directions completely, I made a few changes to her well-put directions. First, I felt that the bag might be a bit small for my kids, the model shown was about 4 or 5 years old. I added 1/2 inch to the width and 3 inches to the length. If you do this, don't forget to add several inches to the cording as well.

Her directions call for a water proof nylon to line the bag, not having any nylon in my sewing stash, I decided to use an inexpensive cotton for the lining as well as the out side of the bag. This is where you can use the fun and funky prints found on the discount racks of your local craft and fabric stores. I enjoyed mixing the prints and colors.

The cording I used was a very inepensive cotton cording found in the ribbon section of my Hobby Lobby. I found 2 of the fabrics I used on their clearance racks for $2 per yard. (Nevermind that I vowed not to buy more until I used what I have. I couldn't resist-- you won't tell, will you?) On the third bag, I used ribbon loops at the bottom of the bag to anchor the straps. This is another way to encorporate more detail and color in the design. On an adult bag of a similar style it would be easy to encorporate more mature fabric patterns and a colored cording for the straps.

From start to finish, I think that each bag took about 30 minutes or less. The time and money invested is not bad for a quick and easy project. And the kids love their new totes!

10 Things I Learned

Fall is that funny time of year, I look forward to all that it is, cool, colorful, changing, crisp, cozy, but it has its bittersweet bits as well. It is a nostalgic time of year for me. Looking back, I have been thinking about all the things my mom taught me. I never got to thank her for these lessons. With my gratitude for her, I will share them with you:

1. Save everything, you never know when you will need it. I think our studio was meant to be. Kerry and I certainly had a head start getting it set up, with all the wonderful art supplies that my mom had collected over the years.

2. Surround yourself with beautiful things, in the garden, on your walls, in your home. Those things don't have to be expensive, just put care in what you do and how you do them.

3. Never save the good china, silver or crystal for a special day. What is the point of having all those special things away in a cabinet, or in a box?

4. And, if it breaks, that’s okay. After all, they are just things.

5. Always have enough good food and drink in the house to entertain at the drop of a hat.

6. Everyone is beautiful, in his own way. This one drove me nuts as a teenager. I actually think it was part of a song lyric from the 70's that my mom tormented me with--does anyone recognize it? Always the optimist, my mom could find beauty in anyone or anything. I appreciate it now.

7. Be inclusive, the more the merrier. Holidays and parties were grand affairs at our house!

8. Never turn away a friend. Whatever a friend or relative needed, my mom was sure to try and accommodate.

9. Laughter is necessary and contagious. My home was always filled with laughter and happiness.

10. Be kind, it’s that simple.

It has been almost 9 years since my mom died. It was too soon, too sudden, and we had way too many plans for her to go. But her legacy lives on in our studio. And I hope that I learned enough of her lessons so that I can continue her vision.

-R

More Decor -- Black and White

Oh -- I feel like I have been absent. I have been an absent blogger, certainly. But, today, I return!
As Kerry told you in the last post, we both strive to live artful lives. What is an artful life? There are so many aspects I can think of; hanging fabulous, original art on the walls of your home; wearing unique clothing items; carrying a fun purse or tote bag; making art (for art's sake); owning a pair of crazy shoes (and wearing them); making and sharing beautiful food; choosing or making home accessories that reflect a sense of artful style. I am sure there are many more ways to let art filter into everyday life.

Taking pictures around my house, to look for the sense of artful life, I found myself in the bathroom. What, the bathroom?!? you may ask. Yes, even a bathroom can reflect a sense of art and style. I have used my guest bathroom as a display for various black & white objects and pictures that I already owned. It is amazing what an impact things can have when grouped together. I framed a number of old black & white photos and art pieces in black frames and hung them together. Some of the photos are family shots, some of them are vintage finds. The sketch is one my great uncle did. I love the overall effect.

I looked for a tissue box that would complement the vintage theme. I had no success. Why buy one, when I could make one? Using a wooden tissue box from Michael's Craft store, and vintage images from Dover Publishing, Somerset, and others, I created this box. I love it! It really completes the look I was trying to achieve. The candle is one I made, also. I used black and white tissue paper on a tall white, prefilled candle.

I, too, will continue to look for ways to let art be a focus in my life. As I find those ways, I will share those worthy of photos. In what ways to you live an artful life? Let us know how you express your creativity.