J.Crew Bags

I'm obsessed with J.Crew's leather purses this year. They come in great neutrals including a beautiful gray! The campo bags are my favorite. If you're looking to invest in a purse, you should definitely check these out- they're beautiful, durable, and have great organization!

Sparky Jones

In case you didn't know, my new obsession is hats. I'm still searching for a cloche hat for fall, but- I did come across these adorable hats made by Sparky Jones and I'm in love. I absolutely love the color and pattern combination not to mention the cute shape! Definitely check out Sparky Jones' Etsy shop, there are many other adorable accessories in addition to these hats!

Time

The concept of time is one that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. I'm feeling particularly nostalgic after realizing that Thursday morning marks the end of my last summer as a college student and the beginning of my senior year. This time always seemed so far away but has come so quickly. Today was a horribly long day as I traveled home from a wonderful week with two of my closest friends in Utah. I never thought that today would end and that I would make it home, yet it's surreal that an entire week with two wonderful people passed so quickly that it felt like minutes. I think that time is something that will continue to boggle my mind. The only thing I can do is manage it by never trying to compete with it, never wishing it away or wishing for it to linger, but take advantage of every moment, sad or happy, stressful or fun. Then, I guess, you being to not only manage time but life as well...

Utah Bound!

I will be leaving shortly to fly out to Salt Lake! I can't wait to see my loves, Martha and Jesse! I'll post periodically over the next week when given the opportunity. Until then...

Kent Perdue

I have been wanting to blog about Kent Perdue for quite some time but have not had photos of his work. I finally stumbled upon some photos of his latest work which I'm pretty excited about. As an advanced woodworking student, I was lucky enough to have my bench next to Kent's. Although his work intimidated me and he always took over my bench, it was great having him near me. I was always in awe of what he was doing and embarrassed of my work next to his. I am still so curious about how his mind works and the ideas he comes up with. Most of Kent's work recycles old materials, furniture, found wood, etc. He has an incredible talent of combining different woods and finishes, something I was always jealous of.

This past year, Kent was awarded the Windgate Fellowship, a prestigious award given by the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design. Kent is the first undergraduate student in VCU's Crafts and Material Studies department to receive this fellowship. Currently, Kent is a resident at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Upon finishing his residency, Kent plans to do the following with his Fellowship:

I will travel to Japan to study and document traditional architecture, furniture and Asian art forms unfamiliar to my western aesthetic. I will take three workshops at Anderson Ranch and Penland to hone technical skills to learn techniques for curved construction and visit prominent museums related to wood in Philadelphia and New York. Following the building of my studio, I will showcase a body of work developed from the Fellowship experiences.

Keep an eye out for Kent Perdue, I have a feeling his name will become well known in the art world. And please, take a look at his online journal here.

An expandable table in its expanded form, it folds up beautifully, I wish I had a picture.

Bench (I love the legs)

Chair rings, I'm obsessed. He still owes me one.

Poor Bike Tires.

Today was a fun filled day! I went with a few friends to my first watermelon festival which was fun but very hot. After eating plenty of refreshing watermelon, we rode our bikes to Texas Beach to meet my family. The river was beautiful and perfectly refreshing. After a nice long swim I hiked back to my bike with my family (while my friends stayed a little longer). As I started riding my bike, I quickly realized that my back tire was flat. hmph. Luckily, I was able to catch a ride with my dad. A little while later, I find out that my friends had flat tires too- someone had slit our tires. Our guess is that in one swoop, someone came along and slit the tires of our bikes that were locked together. What a bummer, inconvenience and act of plain meanness! I guess I forget that there are those people out there... But- they didn't get the best of us! We continued our great day with a yummy Mexican dinner to celebrate my brother and step-sister's birthdays.

Carytown Watermelon Festival

This Sunday is Carytown's 26th Annual Watermelon Festival! The festivities start at 10:00 am and continue until 6:00 pm. I have missed this event the past two years but have heard great things about it, I can't wait to experience it for the first time. Come and enjoy the festivities!

Dress Nightmare!

I treated myself to a dress from Anthropologie that I have been eyeing for quite some time. After I bought it, I had a bit of buyer's remorse since I am usually such a bargain hunter. Last night, I tried it on to see if I really loved it as much as I thought I did. As soon as I put it on, I was convinced that it was a good investment and that it was worth every penny. As I turned to the side to look in the mirror, I heard a SPLIT (I didn't even bend over, I was just standing there!) I felt the back of the dress to find that the zipper had split. guh. My mom and brother tried for a good 30 minutes to work with the zipper to get it off of me- all with no luck. After 30 minutes of patiently standing there, I started to freak out and feel super claustrophobic since I was literally trapped in the dress. We called Anthropologie and they said to just cut the dress off and bring it back. So, needless to say, that's what was done. Whew. I still am completely in love with the dress, but maybe this is a sign that its not meant to be... 

All Things Round

I have come to realize that I am completely obsessed with circles. I am drawn to  them everywhere I am. I love round pieces of furniture, round pillows, round patterns, etc. I realized that most of the work that I blog about (including some of my own is round). I thought I'd make a post in which I bring all of the round friends together. Funny how we are attracted to  certain shapes and aesthetics.

Tracy Melton

Noah Scalin

An original, by me!

Emily Wright

POAPLUM

This is just a sneak peak for my love of all things round... come to think of it, most of my pieces take on a round form.

DIY

One of my favorite blogs, ish & chi posted this picture of her DIY project today. This reminds me of a piece I did last semester. I bought and refinished a Danish style chair similar to this one and then dyed and embroidered my own fabric as a covering. I'm home in Lexington right now and don't have access to the pictures of my chair, but I'll post them this weekend! 

Regardless of whether you create the fabric or not, this is an affordable way to give a cheap, old chair that you can pick up at your local antique store a new look! If you're feeling adventurous, you can even refinish it! Fun fun projects!

POAPLUM

 Once again, Modsih has introduced me to an incredible Etsy shop! I am completely obsessed with POAPLUM's work! This is what she has to say about her work:

"My pieces are made from both discarded and brand new things, but the main material I use is cardboard. It allows obtaining the most various and original forms: roundness, volutes, unexpected volumes… All my works are original and one of a kind designs."

You definitely should check out her page, you will drool!

Big Brothers Big Sisters

I have been a part of the Big Brother Big Sister organization for over a year now and it has been such a wonderful experience! I signed up for it in Spring of 2008, it took several months to complete my interview, background check, and to match me with someone but it has been the most rewarding experience! Big Brother Big Sister is the oldest mentoring program in the US and has been around for over 100 years, they obviously have it figured out. The match support specialists do an incredible job pairing the child and mentor. I have an adorable little sister Cache, and aside from both loving art, we have so much in common and always have a wonderful time together. I encourage anyone who has a few extra hours every week or two to look into this program, you won't regret it! Interested? Click here for their website.