Cool Things
Seriously? 1/2 pack rat, 1/2 organizational genius. I neeeed one of these. Actually I need two of these because J. and I must have the "have you seen my cell phone? what about my gum?" conversation at least 4 times a week.
Kind of reminds me of cubbies from kindergarten. Beautiful little cubbies, but cubbies none the less.
via oh happy day
I love s'mores. The gooey barely burned marshmallow (who am I kidding. I love catching them on fire and blowing them out. yes, I know this has to be bad for me...), the melted chocolate... all held together and balanced with the crunch of sweet graham crackers. Yum. (Just last week I went and stocked up on chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers "just in case." Looks like we need to plan a camping or lake trip asap.)
So on that note, I saw these over on Oh Happy Day! and had to share. What a wonderful idea for a party, wedding, whatever. If only we'd had a fire pit at the wedding...
Enjoy!
via arboreal paper
I found this board yesterday and fell in love with the various purples and whites. I might be a little biased since one of my pieces is in it, but I think that is out weighed by the fact that I'm not normally a purple fan. It's amazing to see how other people view my work, though! When I painted that piece it was part of a multicolored collection, and seemed very vibrant and colorful. Here though, it seems very calm and subtle. Think I'm digging it's multiple "personalities!"
My work is on Oh So Beautiful Paper today!!! Ahh! I love. love. love. Nole's site and can't believe she shared my work. so exciting. Thanks so much, Nole!
Also, Laura Beth over at The Share Bee sent me a sweet email letting me know that she wrote about me as well. Thank you! I really really appreciate you sharing my work! It means so much to me.
You know who else I appreciate?
You all. Thank you so much for all of your support of my work and for spreading my name around. I couldn't do it without you! And if you haven't already, I'd love for you to follow me on twitter and/or become a fan on facebook!
*squeal* Talk about a great way to start off the week!!!
J. and I are hosting a couples picnic in the park and given that I love invitations (never would have guessed, right?) I knew facebooking this just wouldn't do. Also, since the guest list is small I knew I could really go over the top with materials etc. without killing myself with the price or the workload. This is the final product (read on to see how I made them!)
copyright courtney khail stationery and design
First, I hit up Lowes. Thanks to a really nice man in flooring, I picked up a (rather large) sample of AstroTurf for free. Luckily though, AstroTurf really isn't that expensive so even if I had to buy it, it wouldn't break the bank.
Second, I headed to the fabric store and found a plaid that would fit perfectly with the decorations for the picnic and bought 1 yard of it.
At home, I cut the AstroTurf into invitation sized rectangles (really really messy btw) and then cut the fabric into smaller (but still proportional) rectangles. After that I cut small pieces of scrap watercolor paper I had and hand wrote the main information for the picnic on them. I then hand sewed the fabric to the AstroTurf and then hot glued the info onto the middle of the fabric. (I have yet to master the hot glue gun. I always burn myself!)
If you have ever looked at the back of AstroTurf you'll see that it is REALLY ugly. (Add not so straight hand sewn threads and it's just that much worse.) To hide all of that, I covered the back with regular kraft paper. (I had a huge roll of it thanks to my mom since she knows I like to wrap all of our gifts in it.) In addition to making it look cleaner, the paper also gave me the space to write a little more about the party on the back (like direction info, what to bring, etc.) without cluttering up the front.
Lastly, I slide them into envelopes I had hand addressed in black ink, sealed them up and mailed them out!
What do you all think? Do you like them as much as I do?
I'm huge fan of all the beautiful and unique picnic bags popping up lately, butcouldn't bring myself to buy another bag when I already own too many (I'm really working on the "less is more" philosophy.) Instead, I decided to take an old canvas tote I already owned and make it over. So here is how it turned out!
via personal collection
Step 1: Get a plain tote. This one (from LL Bean) used to be my grandmother's, but she handed it over to me awhile back because she never used it. Instead of taking off her initials (which I kind of like) I simply turned the bag around to the blank side. If you wanted though, you could pull out the seam ripper and go to town removing the monogram. I just didn't think it was necessary.
via personal collection
Step 2: Sketch out what you would like on the bag in pencil. I went with the whole "looking into an open picnic basket," but you could draw out wine bottles, loaves of bread, herbs...whatever you'd like. I'm a big proponent of drawing from life though, so I pulled out the mismatched flatware, the wine opener etc. to make sure everything would look close to how it should. (For me, this was most important for the buckle around the plates. I drew a blank when trying to remember what it should look like and had to bring out a belt!)
via personal collection
Step 3: Trace over your sketch with a Sharpie. You could probably use a fabric pen, but I didn't have one handy. (As an artist though, I always have sharpies around!) I decided to use two sizes- thick and thin- to create more depth in the objects. Pick where you'd like the light source to come from (thanks to studying scientific illustration, I almost always have it coming from the top left) and use the thick Sharpie on all of the areas that should have a shadow. For me, that meant I used it on the right side of my objects. Once that's done, use the thin Sharpie to finish the other parts and to add delicate details to the flatware, plates etc. I kept going and added more values to the straps etc, but that's not necessary. I just thought it made everything pop a little more!
Step 4: If you feel like it, erase your pencil marks. I didn't care if you could see the sketch so I didn't worry about it, but if it bothers you, feel free!
via personal collection
Step 5: Step back, marvel in your handiwork, and get to planning a picnic so you can show off your new bag! Hope you all enjoy!!
via project wedding. made by Jordan Ferney
ceiling decor? check. bright strips of paper? check. Easy and cheap? check. I need these hanging about our table at our next dinner party. Or next Tuesday. I think this is capable of turning a regular old day into a celebration.
via design sponge
Amen. I love this poster and I know someone who needs/would greatly appreciate this poster.
I don't need these, but something in me really (really) wants them. Could you imagine getting these cleaned and disinfected though? Eh. I don't care. They rock and would look beautiful on my counter.
via black eiffel
Sometimes I think we forget things really are this simple.
via quirk gallery
Porcelain legos. A classic made even more amazing.
via personal collection
look what showed up in the mail this weekend! The photos online didn't do these beauties justice- they are so beautiful in person! I've already rocked 3 of the 5 and love the edginess they bring to an outfit. Thanks again to both the BSP and Candace!
via Saks
Something else that showed up via my electronic postman today was this super cute bag. I'm a HUGE picnic person (J. planned one for our first date and recreated it when he proposed so I have a soft spot for them) so this bag is right up my alley. And even though the price tag is not "right up my alley," it did give me a great idea, so stay tuned for my take on this one. It'll fit right in with a project I'm working on!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday!
via 100 layer cake
I love custom wedding dresses. They hug just where they should hug, fall when they should fall... there is just something special about having it made to fit you. (This is why I love tailoring as well.) So when I saw this, I HAD to share. This bride has her wedding dress made to look like her favorite sun dress. And the best part- it's made out of white bathing suit material (hence the killer surf board shot.) Awesome.
via oh happy day
It's a grey type of day here and despite the numerous projects I need to do, all I want to do is curl up with a blanket, my husband and a good book. Oh! or a good movie. Like a foreign film type of good movie. So when I saw these, I had to share. They are perfect for cloudy days like today!
"devastated rumor rope" via Candace's site
I've talked about BSP before, but today the ladies who make it all possible get another shout out. First, if you haven't gone to the site, go now; I'll wait.
Awesome right? Everything day a new item (generously donated by the artist/designer/creator especially for the project) is posted along with a question for us visitors to comment on and *fingers crossed* win. I personally check the site almost every day, comment on pretty much everything (since I love it all) and check the winners box every Wednesday (to no avail.) That is, until now.
Two weeks ago, I left a comment to win a $500 gift certificate to Candace Ang's webshop (check her work out here just in case - like me- you don't live in NYC and can't visit the nearest Bergdorf's or Barneys to see her pieces in person.) Seen in magazines such as marie claire, Lucky, and Cosmo, as well as on celebs such as Kelly Ripa and Kim Kardashian, her jewelry has been getting a lot of attention. Edgy, unique, and just a little dangerous, they were definitely on my "if I had $200+ to spend on a necklace and not have feelings of guilt on whether or not that $200 should go into savings, this would be it" wish list. Of course, my practical side pretty much always wins out and that $200 goes into savings. (hey. doctorate programs aren't cheap and we're saving for a house!)
But today, my unpractical side got a present. Between launching the new site, advertising, emailing, and orders, I (gasp!) had NOT checked the winners box to see if my name was "up in lights" for over a week. Luckily the lovely Miss B let me know that a) I HAD WON and b) my time was running out to claim it (as in, I would lose my prize in less than 12 hours due to the 1 week to claim deadline if I didn't respond RIGHT THEN.) I sent my email confirmation within 30 seconds.
And of course, I then headed straight to Candace's site to spend some quality time "oohing and ahhing" and letting my indulgent side have a ball. And it rocked.
But now, I have two things I need to do.
First, the thank you's. A huge thank you goes out to Candace for offering up a very generous gift certificate for some of her beautiful pieces. It's always wonderful to have people share their talents, but this level of generosity is kind of humbling. So thank you! I can't wait to rock your jewelry.
The next thank you goes to the lovely ladies of the Bright Side Project. They work tirelessly to bring new work to the public AND give you the ability to win those awesome works. I have discovered so many wonderful pieces and artists through the site and fully support all they do. Oh and did I mention they do this on TOP of their 40+ hour work weeks? That's right. This isn't for making huge profits- this is really to "spread sunshine daily." Which leads me to the second thing I need to do. Ask a favor.
(I can hear you all now. "seriously? you JUST won something and now you want a favor?!")
yes I do. and I promise it's won't be too hard and it won't cost a dime. All I ask is that you spread the word about the Bright Side Project. If you're an artist/designer/etsy entrepreneur and would be interested in being a contributor, send them an email. Don't fit into those categories? No problem! Just become a reader. You'll get introduced to new talent, be asked fun and/or thought provoking questions, and who knows, maybe you'll luck out and see your name in the winners box!
happy Wednesday everyone!!