Cure For Natalie

Natalie is the sweet three-year-old cousin of a family friend. She was recently diagnosed with Juvenile Onset Diabetes (also known as type 1 diabetes). Her family is trying to raise money for research and every little bit is so helpful! Watch the video of this sweet girl and at the end there is a link to donate to the wonderful cause.

Fun Mugs!

I found this fun mugs at orange and pear, a cute website that sells everything from accessories to home decor. Check it out!

Cute Punches!

While reading decor8, a fun blog all about home decor, I discovered this awesome new Martha Stewart punches! I wouldn't necessarily use something like this, but I am pretty excited about the fun, delicate shapes that would make a great border on homemade invitations, place cards, etc.


P.S. At checkout, you can enter code PUNCH20 at the Martha Stewart Craft Store online to receive 20% off of your purchase- but I don't know how long this will last so hurry and get your punches today!

LOVE these shoes!

I found these adorable shoes on sale at Boden! How cute are they?!

au revoir

Friday night I said goodbye to Jeb and Mosby, the sweetest boys in the entire world. I have babysat for these sweethearts for the past year and I absolutely adore them. Their father's job is moving them to Paris, France, and I couldn't be happier for them as I know this will be an incredible experience. But- I can't help but be a little selfish; no child has captured my heart in the same way these boys have. I will miss them dearly and will think of them often. They always seemed to provide some sort of comic relief, even in the most stressful times. I count down the days until December when I get to experience Paris at Christmastime with them. How lucky I am!

Best Friends Day!

This weekend marks Richmond's 8th Annual Best Friends Day! Best Friends Day started out at a small event eight years ago and has grown into a weekend long event including several different events such as bowling, over 30 bands playing, a day at Hadad's Lake, a scavenger hunt, and much more! Last year was my first Best Friend's Day and I had a blast! I only attended Hadad's lake but I cannot tell you how much fun it was! People come from all over the country (or even the world) to celebrate their friends and the end of the summer. If you'll be in the Richmond area and don't have plans, you should definitely come by, its a guaranteed good time! For more information, check out BFD's myspace and webpage. Now here's a Best Friends Day 8 promo video created by RVA magazine:

BEST FRIENDS DAY 8 PROMO from RVA TV on Vimeo.

Refinishing Project

I refinished this table a few weeks ago for a "client" (I guess that's what she's called). I was super excited to have the opportunity to get my hands on such a beautiful table that was crying for help. The table top had a cheesy light blue, white, and gold painting of angels and other decorative designs that looked like it had been painted by a 5th grader. Then, someone had painted the inside of each groove light blue. Sheesh! After lots of sanding and tireless use of a dremel, I got all of that ugly paint off! The client wanted the table to look as if it had some character and a few years on it. So, after restaining the table top to look like the rest of the table, I covered the whole thing in a nice beeswax finish. Voila!

Ta-Da

A few weeks ago I posted about an easy, affordable, and oh so cute DIY project that the author of ish & chi created and blogged about. Her post reminded me of a similar chair I recovered and refinished last semester. For my chair, I hand printed and hand dyed then fabric, after rinsing the fabric I did some embroidery to accent my printing. After I finished the fabric, I recovered the cushion and refinished the chair, adding accents of red. Unfortunately I don't have before pictures, but the chair was pretty gross to begin with. I'm pretty happy with the outcome, thoughts?

An upclose detail shot, can you see the blue and yellow embroidery accenting the flowers?

Venturing Out

As an art student, I spend most of my time on the northern side of campus, rarely crossing over Floyd Avenue unless I'm heading to the commons. This morning I made the trek to Oliver Hall for a Children's Literature Class I'm taking. It is truly incredible how different people look on my side of campus versus the more southern side of campus (southern as in directions, not southern belle). Art students have the stereotype of looking more artsy, i.e. a little grungier, more eclectic, more body modifications, etc., while I constantly fight this stereotype as I tend to be more clean cut, there is definitely truth to it. Its always fun for me hang out in the academic buildings for a bit and people watch all of the "normal" people. Today was especially enjoyable as I watched dozens of confused freshman walking around with huge pieces of paper in their hands looking for their classes- I don't miss those days. Aside from the timid freshman and the disgusting humidity, I found myself both amused and excited by my surroundings. I plan to throughly enjoy my last year as a college student!

Sarah Seven

I discovered Sarah Seven's romantic custom dresses and had to share! Sarah Seven will be attending NYC's 2009 Fashion Week, so you definitely should keep an eye out for her. She has a great Etsy page that you should definitely check out, especially after Fashion Week as her collection is her priority now, not her Etsy page. Regardless, she creates beautiful romantic dresses, I am particularly obsessed with the light blue ruffled one. Enjoy!

Senior Year

Today marks the first day of my senior year of college... crazy! Its hard to believe I only have one short year until I enter "the real world". Yikes! Aside from being in disbelief, I am excited to start a new year! This year I will have more freedom to create what I want. As Seniors, we are assigned fewer assignments and encouraged to focus more on body of work. All summer I have been thinking of ideas of ways to combine my love for both furniture and textiles, and now that I know how to reupholster, the options are endless! Stay tuned this semester as I shift gears in both my work and my blog. I hope to blog more about the thought process of my work along with preliminary sketches, progress photos, and the final pieces! This should be a fun ride!

Jonny Cardboard

An old friend e-mailed me Jonathan Ro-Schofield's (Jonny Cardboard) and I was immediately taken by his work! All of Johnny's work is created by cardboard. His work has been used for window displays for stores such as Tiffany & Co and Hermes. I'm especially impressed by his furniture, not to mention his impeccable craftsmanship. Please take the time to appreciate his work, it is truly beautiful!

Grand Central Terminal Desk

desk detail

window display for Tiffany & Co.

William Kent Table

table detail

Window display for Hermes

More window display for Hermes