Happy Weekend!

I have spent my Friday slaving over a table that I am refinishing for the same lady who's chair I reupholstered. After a hard day of laborious work, I'm off to clean up and start a great weekend! Happy weekend to all!

The Rain Song

I attended Camp Alleghany for girls in Lewisburg, WV for eight years of my life. Some of my most wonderful memories are from camp and I can't tell you how special my camping days are to me. It has been several years since I have returned yet I still find myself getting "campsick". Anyone who has ever experienced the beauty of summer camp knows exactly what I'm talking about. I still yearn for rest hour, floating down the river, lunch under the apple tree, assembly, the beautiful setting, I miss it all. One of my favorite "songs" at camp was the Rain Song. Although a string of rainy days was frustrating, I did love how much this song truly sounds like rain. Today, while "playing internet" I came across this video, and it is the rain song! If you take away the stage and fancy lighting and place yourself in an old play hall nestled in the Alleghany mountains with lots of smiling girls ranging from eight-year-olds to who-knows-how-olds, sitting on ancient chairs that have been written all over, then you are at Camp Alleghany. Oh how I miss these days...

For some reason, I can't upload the video, but click here to experience the rain song!

Taylor Swift

I just think this girl is so dang adorable. I'll be honest, when I first heard Our Song in the summer of 2007, I poked fun at its silliness, but I quickly grew to love it along with most of her other songs. I was a closet fan of Taylor's for quite a while and now I proudly embrace it, I even converted Evan who is the king of pop-punk. Taylor is a very talented young lady with a good head on her shoulders. I much prefer her to be the background of my 16 year-old brother's cell phone than some of these other Hollywood stars. I am excited to watch Taylor and her career continue to grow. She's the first female solo country artist to have written or co-written all the songs on her Platinum-selling debut and the album has since sold over 3 million copies. At only 18, she's set the world on fire, what will she do next?

I think that she's especially adorable in this video that she and T-Pain taped for the 2009 CMT Music awards.

Finished.

A little over a week ago, I posted a before picture of my upholstery project and I am happy to say that I finished this morning! I had never reupholstered anything aside from covering the seats on dining room chairs, which is a piece of cake. This project, however, was a doozy. I was nervous when I agreed to do it but my mom convinced me it was definitely something I could do. After studying several upholstery books, I felt confident until I found out that they fabric I was using cost $55 a yard (remember someone was paying me to do this). Woah, talk about pressure! After many hours of frustration, an achy back and crampy knees, I am finished and quite pleased with the results! However, I think it will be a while before I tackle another upholstery project (at least until I forget what a headache this was!

Before:

After:

*the chair owner wanted the gold paint to look distressed

Cloche Hats

Since seeing Angelina Jolie in Changeling, I am dead set on getting a classic 1920's cloche for this winter. After doing a little shopping online I was surprised to see that they're a little hard to find, but Anthropologie didn't let me down, they have the most beautiful hat, the only problem is the fit... I just wish my brain wasn't so huge! Really, I've just inherited the ginormous Shaw head.

The look that inspired it all.

Anthropologie.

Nordstrom.

What To Wear...

Both my closet and drawers are overflowing with clothes, most of which I love, yet it seems that always have the hardest time finding something to wear. In the summer, I attribute it to Richmond being so hot and humid and me not liking to show a lot of skin. In the winter, I attribute it to all of my outfits looking the same, winter clothes being so much more expensive, I freeze all of the time, and no matter what, I feel bulky. Yet, each summer, I anxiously await winter to sport my winter fashions, and visa versa. So, how do I solve this dilemma of never knowing what to wear? The other day I was listening to the radio and heard the statistic that the average woman spends close to a year of her life deciding what to wear. OH MY GOSH! That is way too much time wasted! Yet, I found myself trying on 30 different outfits (an exaggeration) in the 45 minutes before my mom got here. Was I going to see anyone other than my mom? Nope, I just wanted to look and feel good... I'm not sure I'll ever solve this problem. Maybe I'll just walk around in my bra and underwear, but that would be mortifying! Le sigh. Any advice?

Darryl Carter

I discovered Darryl Carter while thumbing through his book The New Traditional, a beautiful book about home decor and Carter's signature style of combining traditional with modern. Carter carefully selects and combines beautiful pieces using a simple color palette, often with a punch of color or rich dark woods for contrast. His work is eye for design is incredible and I couldn't put the book down until I had looked through the entire thing, absorbing each beautiful room. Carter has a great website that includes environments he has designed, products, contact information, etc.- you won't regret taking the time to click through it. So please, enjoy his beautiful work!

Back!

I disappeared again this weekend, and what a wonderful weekend it was! We headed down to Hampton, VA early Saturday morning to Christen the Whites new amazing boat! I had never been on a boat like this before and it was incredible! I couldn't get enough. We spent Saturday afternoon out on the water and slept on the boat Saturday night (a first for me, and quite an experience) then went out early Sunday morning. We didn't get home until 9:00 last night- I had a BLAST, but cannot tell you how exhausted I still am. I am so looking forward to many more weekends on the boat. Unfortunately, for some reason, my computer isn't reading my camera's memory card so I can't post pictures at the moment. So, for now I'll post some of my favorites of Austin's pictures... but mine will be here soon!

The Boat!

Me and My Dudes

An awesome light house we passed in the middle of the water, Rowan knows the people who own it and has eaten dinner there!

Cute Coats

It may be the end of July, but its still July. I went into work this morning before 7:00 a.m. to prepare the store for our Fall collection. Hard to believe! Since I went into work early, I got off early and have spent the day relaxing and shopping around a bit. I've been curious about what other stores have out there for the fall. I was very impressed with Boden's fall coat collection. So many beautiful classic coats with a nice vintage feel or quirky touch. All of the coats are available in great colors- I especially love the kelly green Parisienne Coat. Enjoy!

Parisienne Coat

Marching Band Coat

Carnaby Trench

Marylebone Coat

Preppy Knitted Blazer

Ooops!

The more I get into blogging, the more I play with the format, settings etc. Eventually, you think I would learn when to stop... oh nope, I keep going. I accidentally changed my URL, not an easy thing to do, right? So I lost my subscribers, etc. Sorry guys! I can be an idiot. Please keep reading!

Orange Slice

Once again, while clicking through Modish, I found these incredible jewelry pieces by Orange Slice. Orange Slice is a company based in San Francisco who is

"committed to being as low impact and as environmentally friendly as possible. Oh and [they] also take some pride in making unique, well crafted FANCY items."

Being a woodworker (even though its been a few months), I have a deep appreciation for wood. I especially adore the organic form of wood grain. I so appreciate it when artists enhance or further highlight wood grain. Orange slice does just this with their incredible detail work (thanks to the help of a laser). The intricacy in each of these pieces is captivating. I may have to save my pennies for one of these beauties!

Walnut Hardwood Laminate Teardrop

Acorn Necklace, cherry wood

Like Lace Earring, cherry (gold)

The Head

My twin cousins Jack and Mike have played music for years. I have always enjoyed listening to them and watch them mature over time. They have been in several bands including Fez, The Beacon, and currently The Head. I still have their very first CD from when they were in 5th or 6th grade and its so much fun to see how far they have come.

The Head is based in Atlanta, Georgia and has three members; Jack Shaw (guitar, drums, lead vocals), Mike Shaw (bass, keyboard, back-up vocals), and Jacob Morrell (guitar, drums, back-up vocals). They have played at parties, events, etc. Check out their myspace and enjoy their video!

Their logo/ t-shirt design

Fun The Head Chucks designed by the Head

Westward Bound!

While I have been super bummed that France didn't work out for this summer, it seems as though things are falling into place. Now I will be in Paris around Christmastime AND get a full week of Martha and Jesse time!!! Martha and Jesse are two of my closest friends from high school, but since they both live in Utah, I rarely see them. I see Martha a little more than Jesse (I haven't seen Jesse in over 2 years!), but whenever I do see Martha her time is limited because she always has a million people to visit when she comes back east (I guess I understand that family takes precedence). I'm heading out to Utah in August and I will get to hog Martha and Jesse all to myself for an entire week! I can't tell you how ecstatic I am! yay!

Some pictures from my last Utah trip...

Martha and I enjoying delicious candy apples in beautiful Park City

More Park City!

My favorite silly picture of us!

New Volvo!

I'm moving up in the world of Volvo's! After quickly realizing that my poor old 1991 Volvo station wagon couldn't handle all of the driving I do here in Richmond, we decided it was time for an upgrade. We weren't looking for only Volvo's but it just seemed that they were popping up everywhere we looked... as of today I am a proud owner of a 1999 black Volvo s70! I can't wait until my mom drives it up Monday!

Nancy Blum

One of the many benefits of being a student in VCU's School of the Arts is the incredible exposure we get to other artists. We have visiting artists on a frequent basis (if not a weekly basis), giving us the opportunity to see what other people are doing in the art world and have conversations with them about our artwork, how they got where they are, any advice they have, etc. The art world is an interesting, exciting, competitive, and scary world. As students, we're all trying to find our niche and figure out how to "make it". No one really wants to be a starving artist- now I'm not saying that we all want to be famous or millionaires, but its nice to have the comfort of food and shelter. As for me, I want to find some way to incorporate my art, design, and the opportunity to be creative into a career. Who doesn't want to look forward to going to work everyday to do something they love?

So now that I've rambled on I'm going to talk about Nancy Blum, an artist who has worked extensively with VCU Crafts graduate students. She has won numerous prestigious awards, has taught all over the U.S., and is well published. Her intricate work is truly beautiful, her attention to detail is truly breathtaking and you can't help but get lost in the beautiful patterns and very clean lines within her work. Check out her website, and I truly hope you enjoy her work as much as I do!

Hanging Butterflies (please appreceiate the incredible shadows)

Hanging Butterflies, detail

Butterflies

Butterflies, detail (and isn't this detail incredible?)

Tip

Tip, detail (is this not incredible?!)

Moss, detail (beautiful colors!)

Paris in December

After several months of anticipating a summer in Paris, I'm bummed to learn that it's not going to work out. I spoke to the mother of the family who is moving to Paris last night and it turns out that receiving work visas, getting school, and a house lined up, and all of the other things that go into such a big move, are taking much longer than planned- so, by the time they get there, classes will have started for me. BUT- we are already planning a trip to France over my Christmas break in December! While I am bummed out because I feel as though I have wasted my summer away, I am ecstatic to experience Paris around Christmastime. It should be beautiful!

Fun Outdoor Furniture!

Within the VCU Crafts department, woodworking is the primary skill used in furniture design. While we are encouraged to design furniture that would call for other materials, our professor (being a woodworker) pushes us to use wood in unexpected ways. Wood is an incredible material with many great properties and has the ability to be both delicate and bulky. While I acknowledge that many different ways that would can be used, it is not the ideal material for all furniture. Obviously. Especially in the case of these beautifully delicate outdoor chairs from Anthropologie. I have admired these chairs numerous times in the store and the last catalog captures their elegance perfectly as they are displayed on water- they truly look like floating flowers. If only I had a cute garden or patio. *le sigh* If you do, they're on sale and you should absolutely check them out!

Cookie Afternoon!

I love to cook, but really love to bake. There's nothing like a delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie and I have yet to find a recipe better than the Toll House recipe. With a little tweaking of the recipe I have come up with some pure heaven. I know I sound a little cocky but- I am confident in my cookies. Today, a rainy afternoon in Richmond, was the perfect afternoon for baking. Yum!

Yummy Fryes!

I have been longing for a pair of Frye Harness Boots for years- freshman year of college, I ordered a pair, admired them, wore them around my room then returned them because of my intense sense of sticker shock. I think this fall will be the season to make the purchase- if I have wanted them for this long I am confident that I will get great use out of them!

The Fox Hunt

I love love love blue grass and folk music, and I love The Fox Hunt even more. I was introduced to them about a year and a half ago and can't get enough. I saw and met them at The Camel in Richmond, last October (a few days before my birthday- so perfect). They are really great and incredibly talented guys and pretty cute too- especially Matt Kline, he's got that 1950's adorable Jake Gyllenhaal look from October Sky. They have a great website with a nice bio:

Serving up dirt-laden tales of substance abuse, lonely highways, infidelity, damnation, and redemption, Martinsburg, WV’s the Fox Hunt play a brand of music anyone can identify with. Their strong writing and instrumentation is rounded out by a raucous live performance, making them as comfortable in a rowdy punk rock bar as they would be on your back porch.

Singer/songwriter John R. Miller portrays an image of triumph over adversity. His writing plays on the failures and anxieties that exist in the hearts of human beings. Themes of defeat, loss, and missed opportunity abound in the apathetic wonderland his songs create, but by championing the underdog and reminding us that we are all human, his songs allow us to go on feeling more self-worth, unified in our shortcomings. Miller's characteristic doom-and-gloom writing style is countered by the band's creative contra positive, Matt Kline. While often times bleak, Kline's characters are optimistic and hopeful, and while he deals with such universally hard-hitting topics as alcoholism and abandonment, he often does so with forgiveness and an insightful tinge of humor. This emotional roller-coaster is bridled by the driving musicianship of Matthew Metz and Ben Townsend, whose musical influences range from string band music of the early 20th century to indie, and from D.I.Y. punk to arena rock. Utilizing the mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, the two emphasize both traditional and contemporary concepts to bring the songs to life.

Equipped with an interesting and eclectic sound, the Fox Hunt meld the bright harmonies and acoustic instruments characteristic of early country/folk with rough, smoky, rock and roll lyrics and arrangements. Their debut full length, Nowhere Bound, is now available at shows and through www.thefoxhunt.net, CD Baby, and iTunes!

Please, please, please take a look at their website and myspace, I would HATE for you to miss out on them!

Summer Weekends!

There's nothing like the summer. No homework or class commitments- I can leave my work at work. I have quickly realized how much I will miss the freedom I have each weekend. I have had many wonderful weekend trips this summer. This past weekend I headed home and spent some great quality time with my Mom, just relaxing and doing crafts. I started reupholstering a child's chair for a lady I work for. Whew. I have never upholstered before- talk about some serious work! And, it doesn't help that I am completely anal and the slightest mistake bothers me. (this may not be a bad thing- I'm just driving myself crazy). But- I'm half way there! Here's a "before picture", I'll post an "after picture" when I finish!

Evan and our Australian friend, Rowan have been on a North Eastern U.S. road trip for the past week. They've been to many places, clocking over 30 hours of driving in a week! Their plans fell through for their stay in NYC, so after an impromptu trip to Philadelphia, they headed down to Lexington on Saturday for some relaxation in western Virginia. What a wonderful surprise! The Rockbridge Regional Fair was going on and Rowan must experience an American fair, so we spent some time wandering the premises checking out all the is America. As always, it was great and Rowan captured many great photos. Today we spent the day at Goshen (always beautiful) and grabbed some Sweet Things Ice Cream before we hit the road. Yum!

Austin is way up on that tree branch, can you see him?

The dudes.

Silly Forrest.

Such a great weekend with special people! I am now counting down the days until next weekend's Christening of "Sea Cure" the White's new boat!

Oh p.s. I've been wanting a fedora but have yet to take the plunge, and I'm not sure I have the guts to wear it. I took the plunge this weekend but will i wear it out? We shall see... thoughts? (i know, i know- my brother is pretty cute too)