I know taxidermy as decor has been over used and over done, but hey I still love it anyway. Imagine my delight when I discovered the work of Rachel Denny while looking at one of my favorite art and design blogs, My Love for You... Vintage blankets and sweaters formed to look like animal busts, and a snake encrusted in disco ball mirrors. Yes please!
See these and more of Rachel Denny's work here.
My friend recently bought a new house. She's had to do a lot of work on it to get it to the point where she can move in, and it's been a long and troublesome journey for her. For a housewarming gift I wanted to do something that would be extra special. She's an art history major, and all around lover of all things hand made. I think she owns more of my jewelry than any other person I know.
My original idea was to paint some pots and put plants in them. The plants were all on sale so I thought, maybe I should get a table for the plants, and then I though maybe I should just paint the table.
I found this table at a local antique store. It was not expensive but I liked the detailing on it, such as the top edge and the bevel on the lower shelf. The wood laminate on the surface was starting to peel off from water damage, so I just went ahead and began ripping. I was going to get rid of all of it, but thought it might be an interesting design element.
I sanded and spray painted it an off white satin.
I painted all the "exposed" areas of wood in a bright gold.
I painted some floral silhouettes in a deep Prussian blue color. I referenced one of my favorite pattern makers, William Morris for some inspiration. I wanted it to look like this was what was underneath the top layer when it was pulled off, kind of a buried treasure.
I added some detailing in white. I'm really happy with the results I think the white outlines really make it pop, however I almost liked the plain silhouettes more. What do you think?
Finished with the plants I bought for it. I hope she likes it!
It's a little late in the week, but I thought I'd share some of our 4th of July anyway. We got to spend the day at three different parties with some of our favorite people.
The Boys, and no they didn't plan their outfits.
Cuddling up with the little guy.
Perfect timed pool party pic.
4th of July from Emily Walters on Vimeo.
What's your favorite thing about America?
Hello lovelies, it's another week, does it feel like the summer if just flying by to anyone else? I'm going to have a friend in from out of town this week, so I'm trying to get all my blogging done ahead of time.
One of my favorite things about summer is the flowers that I'm able to grow. So many different kinds, and each year I plant a mix of seeds in the circle in the middle of our backyard. It's always fun to see what comes up each year.
Flynn's quite camera shy, he never wants his picture taken.
Hazel however is quite the ham...
And Ollie is always busy standing guard, ever the ferocious 10 lb watch dog.
First zinnias of the year.
Thanks for looking at pictures of my garden. Tomorrow I'm sharing a fun before and after furniture project. Stay tuned!
One of my friends from college, Joanna, got married on June 19th in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was my first ever out of town wedding, and probably second biggest I've done to date. Although these elements, combined with the fact that I didn't have my trusty assistant/mom there to help me, made me quite nervous, I have to say everything turned out beautifully. I couldn't have done it without my husband either, who gave me infinite amounts of help and patience. Also thanks to Cutts floral wholesalers for the amazing flowers, some of the best quality I've had this year, and the customer service was outstanding.
Joanna was such a joy to work with, she knew what she wanted, but also gave me full license to design. Their whole celebration had a casual vibe, with attention to little details that made it special for all their guests. Here's a few pics I took at the reception (which of course I attended), and some I snagged from one of the bridesmaids Facebook pages. I'll post some professional images as soon as I get them, but for now enjoy:
The sweet bride and her bouquet. She had ostrich feathers on her dress which we incorporated into the bouquet as well. So fun!
Bridesmaids bouquets in green and white.
Our friend Lauren and a beer bucket o' bouquets.
Tall arrangements in green, white, and brown.
1/3 of the tables had these little bell jars on them with a mix of bud vases around.
Little plants potted in vintage glassware, an idea I actually found on Design Sponge. These were also great because we encouraged guests to take them as favors. I'm big on minimizing waste as much as possible in my centerpieces.
Joanna also commissioned me to make hair pieces for her and all of her bridesmaids. I made a few different designs so the girls could choose what they liked with a special one for the M.O.H.
Joanna gave me a vintage rhinestone button of her grandmothers to be the center of the flower.
I love this picture of the bride and groom. Congrats Andy and Joanna, and best wishes in your new life together!
The Honeypot Shop event was this past weekend, and despite the raging heat (hottest day of the year so far), and being up against the World Cup U.S. game and the Royals vs. Cards we had a decent turn out. New shows are always tough to gage, but for it's first time I feel that is was fairly successful. If nothing else I had such a good time with all my fellow artists, and designers and even made a few new business connections/friends. Seeing what my other peers do and make always inspires me to work harder on developing my own business. Here are lots of lovely pics from the event taken by the Wedding Hive member Melissa Lin Ellis.
Thanks again Melissa Lin for capturing the day for us! If you missed the Honeypot Shop come see me at the Ric Rac Roundup, July 24th in the parking lot next to bon bon atelier. I'll be rolling out a whole new batch of hand made goodness just for you!
Hello lovelies, and happy hump day to you all. Of course 4th of July is coming up this weekend, what are you going to do to celebrate it? Fireworks are some of my favorites, and of course any excuse to get together with friends and family to celebrate is always welcome.
I've been a busy bee creating work for last weekends Honeypot Shop and now I'm posting some of my unsold items on Etsy. I did a little photo shoot with my bad self yesterday. Look for new items everyday in my shop, here's a little taste of what's already up:
Mums the Word floral disk necklace
Navy and Gold Vintage Lace Necklace
Tie Me Up bow applique necklace
Chevron Patterned Skull cloisonne enameled necklace
