Twist on a tradition

something old
the historic chapel on campus

This past weekend Monty and I traveled to upstate Massachusetts for the wedding of his second daughter Lauren.  The wedding was held outside of a small New England village at the secondary school where Lauren met her future husband Thomas.  The chapel on campus was the site of the ceremony.

something new
the bride & groom - Lauren and Thomas Unsworth

Lauren and Thomas had known each other for years before they decided to marry.  For them, the event was about family and commitment and not about spending outlandish sums of money on superficial things.  Simple, classic and heartfelt were guideposts for planning the event and evident throughout the weekend.  It also set the perfect tone for their new life together.

something borrowed
the weekend accommodations for the wedding guests

Moore Cottage on the school campus was the original house for students in the late 1800's.  Today is a guest house for campus events.  Since the wedding guests were a small group of 15, it was the perfect setting to let the Futch and Unsworth families get acquainted.

something blue
Lauren's bridal bouquet

All of the flowers for the wedding were provided by Isabel, Thomas's materal grandmother.  Not only did she gather the flowers from her garden, but solicited her gardening friends to contribute which they were happy to do.  The florals were charming - cottage roses, feverfew, hydrangea, lavender and asparagus fronds - all lovingly arranged in simple glass vases.

It was a beautiful wedding, an enjoyable weekend and an inspiration for the future.  Many blessings to the happy couple!

Red & green is not just for Christmas

I love the combination of red & green - especially in the summer.  The green of bright leaves and the brilliant red of poppy petals is classic.  I took this photo in my garden and then manipulated the image on my computer.  I've been using this process with several of my new artistic card designs - I love how the colors pop.

Likewise, I put together a red & green vignette at my spot yesterday at Faded Elegance.  These vintage diner dishes are perfect for a picnic - they are indestructible!

You can see just a corner of the green bistro table I made
- there's a matching bench too...

Just a few of the metal type words left...this is a great combo

be sure to stop by Faded Elegance soon - there's lots of inspiration for summer fun and entertaining.

Can't believe I waited this long...

Had my first professional pedicure today...what a wonderful experience!  Come summer and sandal weather, I had always painted my own toenails - quick, easy, done.  Since we are going away to a wedding this coming weekend, thought I would go professional.  Last week I heard from a friend about French Nail and how much she enjoyed it.  I knew there were several locations in the Seattle area and sure enough, there was a salon just a little north of where I live.  I have no idea if this is a local venture or a national/regional chain but it is well worth finding one in your area.  Not only do they paint your nails - but you get to sit in a massaging chair, the manicurist massages and moisturizes your feet, ankles and calves, there's soft lighting and gentle music - a thoroughly relaxing time.  Best $25 I ever spent...I'll be back!

In the spotlight

I am honored to be interviewed by Amy of Junkologie (and Whisperwood Cottage) about my blog.  I have been following Amy and her two blogs for the last year - I have felt such a connection to her (is it a name thing?  or a Midwestern thing?  or maybe just a junking thing!)   I have admired her design eye, her sense of humor and her enthusiasm.  When she started a blogroll, I was one of the first to sign up.  Through a link on her Junkologie blog, she is interviewing some of the bloggers on this list.  In the short time that I have been blogging, I have enjoyed meeting other creative souls through the process and Amy has certainly been one of them.  So - check out the interview (CLICK HERE)...and then add Junkologie to your favorite blog list!

A weed is but an unloved flower

This giant thistle is growing in my neighbor's front yard.  It is the largest thistle I have ever seen.   I'm not sure if
A)  they haven't seen it yet since it is behind the rose bush in their yard...
B)  they have seen it but it is now too scary & big to be dealt with any tool besides a machete...or
C)  they think this is some sort of flower.
Beauty certainly is in the eye of the beholder!

I came across some botanical prints a couple of years ago - they were beautiful, they were old, they looked hand-tinted, the text written on them was Scandinavian - and they were drawings of weeds - dandelions, vetch, crabgrass.  But they were still beautiful.  Here are two versions of the single print collages I designed.

Here is a collage quartet that I completed using 4 more of the original prints.  I used vintage wooden cigar boxes for the base and embellished each individual collage with interesting metal found objects.

This quartet as well as other multi-media collages, will be for sale at my booth at Fresh Paint, an art festival held at the Everett Marina from August 21-22.  Mark it on your calendar now to save the date!

The Weekly Fluff

It has been raining, raining, RAINING in my neck of the woods. Finally the sun came out. And now everything is green, green, GREEN! So when I was at Faded Elegance today to fluff my space, my eye gravitated to green!

 



















 














Faded Elegance
Historic Downtown Snohomish
fadedelegancestyle.blogspot.com

Transformations

My sister Stacey bought her first house last summer - and was one of the recipients of the first-time home buyers credit.  She has been busy planning improvements to her backyard - she is the gardener in the family while I am not!  As you can see from the picture above, there was some work to be done to the fence between her yard and the neighbor's.

So the work began...tearing out the old fence, removing the grapevines, researching garden shed designs.  Her neighbor contributed not only sweat equity (have you ever tried to remove grapevines...I hear that it is not an easy project!) but gave Stacey the windows for her shed.  He had replaced the windows in his house and had kept his old windows, thinking there might be a use for them.

Finally, the construction work is done...new fence...













new shed...

Now the fun begins...decorating the inside, planting the vegetable garden along the back, getting ready for summer relaxing!

And the best part of all of this - the President's idea of spurring on the economy worked; Stacey bought a new house, several local businesses (including Miller Barns of Yakima) benefited from her home improvements - and the added bonus - old materials were re-used and given a second life.  I can't wait to see the shed and the backyard when I visit in July- there'll be more pictures then!

Update 6-12:
Stacey sent me this picture of the iron patio set she picked up today at a yard sale - 4 chairs, table and umbrella - all for $40!  and they delivered it to her house free of charge!  That backyard is really shaping up!

Creativity & Champagne

Two weeks ago was my Fabric Flowers and Button Blooms creative workshop at Faded Elegance.  (I know its a little late on the posting but was so busy with the Artist Garage Sale!)  Using fabric remnants, vintage buttons and a little needle & thread, this lively group of 23 women made beautiful posies to pin on a lapel, clip in their hair or tie up a dinner napkin. 

There were tubs of fabric, platters of buttons and a suitcase filled with ribbon...where to begin?  so many choices!

It was a congenial group - sharing ideas and opinions...

Then it was down to business...cutting and hand-sewing...

with a sip of champagne in between stitches...

 

a sampling of the finished florals...

 

 

a proud artist!

My next creative workshop, Garden/Travel Journals will be on July 15 from 6-9 pm - call Faded Elegance to register at 360-568-5333 - hope to see you there!

The day after

The Artist Garage Sale held yesterday in Everett was a great time!  It was a wonderful day with the sun shining and the temperatures beginning to creep into the 60s - it has been a nasty, cold spring in the Pacific NW.  The sale was held in the unfinished first floor of the new art center in town.  The first floor will be gallery/workshop space while the top floors are live/work lofts for artists.   Here's all the excitement of setting up Saturday morning...

 











I was happy to have my booth next to artist friend Wendy Lee Lynds, a fabulous collage artist - gave us a chance to chat between sales!  Of course we had to trade...she grabbed a bunch of ephemera, including three watchmaker repair journals from the 1960's - she's going to use them as the basis for a multi-media memento project. 

I selected this unframed piece of her art...something about the orange grabbed me. 














I also purchased a necklace to wear with a special outfit for an event at the end of June.  I'm not much of a jewelry girl so wanted something simple and beautiful - this fit the bill perfectly!

The artist is Tammi Sloan of My Brown Wren- her designs are stunningly simple and elegant.  Her etsy shop showcases her designs if you're unable to attend one of the Pacific NW art shows she'll be at this summer.  And the felt pouch with the handstamped bird motif is so charming.  Tammi is relatively new to the art fair circuit but I imagine I will be seeing her at quite a few shows in the future.

Sorry there are no pictures of the sunny weather or other vendor art - I was too busy in my booth to get out and experience the show.  I unloaded much ephemera - it feels good to lighten the load!

Artist Garage Sale!

Artists' Garage Sale - June 5, 2010
Time:        9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location:   2900 Block of Hoyt Ave
                 Everett, WA
                 (the location of the future Schack Art Center)
Spring cleaning is underway - and that means it is time for artists to clean out their studios and start afresh. So, if you are looking for a good deal on some great art, or are an artist in need of some art supplies – this is the place to be! There will be a smorgasbord of art that includes: watercolors, oils, pastels, acrylics, glass, found objects, cards, sculpture, ceramics, photography, garden art and much more.

My booth will be inside the art center building.  I'll have a whole lot of ephemera for sale as well as seconds and old stock all at fabulous prices. If you stop by my booth (I'll have my four corners design banner up so you can locate me) and mention that you read about the sale on my blog, there'll be a freebie for you...hope to see you there!