BLACK HISTORY MONTH & an ETSY ROUND UP!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH & an ETSY ROUND UP!

A sample of powerful and fun embroidered stamps found on ETSY by BLOOM EMBROIDERY…
BLACK LIVES MATTER
PREMIO EMBROIDERY also has a great selection of empowering embroidered stamps.
BLACK LADY EMBROIDERY
And some body candles by Lush and Lavish Home – an Etsy top pick!
A wonderful Black History apron featuring vintage buttons from the Civil Rights Movement, available from The TRINIGEE on ETSY.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Fashion can be more than an aesthetic statement…
END RACISM
Smudge sticks for cleansing…the burning of white sage is an ancient ritual known as smudging. It can be used to cleanse negative energy lingering in your home or office, or to cleanse your own spiritual body. Use the healing power of flower petals and sage to clear your mind, ground your energy and set intentions.

7 Chakras White Sage Smudge Bundle

SMUDGE STICKS
Loving these Star Earrings…
STAR EARRINGS
A great resource for t-shirts…SEAMS TO BE SHIRTS
T SHIRT
There’s a sale on…
sale on studio Tullia
This has been a popular pillow from STUDIO TULLIA.
EIGHTY THIRTY TOXIC

Eighty thirty

This print on linen celebrates 80 years of the Maison Pierre Frey and 30 years of Toxic’s career as an artist. As one of the pioneers of graffiti art in the 1980s, he took the walls and trains of New York as “canvasses” for his early work. Like his peer Jean-Michel Basquiat, Toxic uses art to denounce discrimination and violence against the black community. He was named a major artist by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2006. – Pierre Frey

TOXIC

eighty thirty toxic
TOXIC PIERRE FREY
And some vintage silk pillows, also on sale, in so many fun accent pillow and lumbar sizes with unique custom trim details, tassels…

XOXO,
SUZANNE

ORC Spring 2016 – Here we are at Week 4!!!

ORC Spring 2016 – Here we are at Week 4!!!

Things are getting real here, folks, with only a couple weeks left. Our goal is to have electrical, painting, curtain installation and most of the furnishings in place by next week. That will leave the last week for bed linens, art, styling and the photo shoot.

Check out the GUEST PARTICIPANTS HERE

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And check out the FEATURED DESIGNERS HERE

 

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There are some wonderful projects going on so take a peek.

SPLATTERED CURTAINS

If you recall, we have been discussing Charlotte’s curtains and I had some serious concerns about the outcome…

Well we decided to dive in one recent afternoon.  Starting with the three neon paints dyes (with glitter) I made her do a few practice runs, trying different brushes and splatter techniques.

We put a tarp down in the back yard and laid the two cotton curtain panels on it.

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We got out the neon dye colors:

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And, here she is giving it a whirl.

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Lots of mixing going on…

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After a few practice runs on scrap fabric, and before we even started on the curtains we had to run back to COLLAGE, our local crafts store to get more paint!  IMG_3187.jpg

By the time we got back with SEVERAL more fabric dye colors, it was starting to get dark!

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The paints and splattered textiles were even beginning to glow.  We had to hustle as I was not setting all this up again. I didn’t want her to over do it anyway.

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She was able to get it all done before it was too dark and we were really happy with the results:

IMG_3241.jpg I am also making a euro sham for her bed out of a couple of the scrap pieces.  All in all it took about two hours.

UPHOLSTERED STOOL

We needed to find some sort of small chair or stool for her room and I came across this one while shopping at FABRIC DEPOT.  I picked it up to look underneath and drum roll please… it was from IKEA!

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So back to IKEA I went and got this for $35.

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I had some leftover white fur from my pillow line on ETSY so I am using that to cover the stool.

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Here’s the fur we used although it is more white – Arctic Fox white. We are going to decide later if we want to paint the legs or leave them black.

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Here it is…what do you think?  This puppy could use a little trim/combing, but not too shabby:

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TEXTILES & PENDLETON:

 

I was shopping at Pendleton Woolen Mills and came across this interesting turquoise plaid that I thought might be a colorful blanket.  So I am keeping that in mind at $60/yard.

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Here is one of the PINK CROSS pillows available at STUDIO TULLIA on ETSY that we are planning to use on her bed.

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And I am just starting to think about art, although she already has quite a bit of her own to work with.  I just think these are lovely.

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And lastly, think it would be fun to paint her door this rose quartz when we get to the hallway outside her room.IMG_3239.jpg

 

Wishing everyone a great few last days of the week.

 

And, thanks for reading!

 

Best,

Suzanne

 

ORC, SPRING 2016 – HERE WE ARE AT WEEK #2

ORC, SPRING 2016 – HERE WE ARE AT WEEK #2

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Well , here we are at week two of the ORC.  Old houses always require more prep than you think. My husband and I agreed to not spend a month on the ceiling like we did in our bedroom. Still, there were some cracks on the ceiling and a few holes in the walls that had to be addressed.  My husband got that done and the floor prepped for painting.

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PAINT

Charlotte has chosen lilac walls and light cherry blossom pink for the ceilings with white trim.  This is where we are headed:

First Light #2102-70 by Benjamin Moore

First Light BM.jpg    and, Spring Iris #1402 also by Benjamin MooreIris BM.jpg

We started with METRO PAINT, which is a local paint supplier in Portland. There paints are all recycled and very affordable.  My father in law (who is a contractor) uses their paint all the time and recommended I give it a try. I love their MOUNTAIN SNOW – which I used for my HOME OFFICE.

metropaint_paint_open_cans_colors.jpgSo, we bought a gallon of CARNATION (for like $12!) and we have been methodically adding MOUNTAIN SNOW to try to get close to light pink we might like.

FYI, Metro Paint has a limited palette of colors, but in reality if you have the time and gumption, you can mix and match and come up with some pretty nice colors.  They haev lots of examples and formulas in their store.  It can make painting a house almost affordable.

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Charlotte with CARNATION, untouched.  Too pink as is as you can see.

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After painting the entire ceiling with a lightened pink, it is still too pink.  So, we’ll add more white. I think we are close though.

SLIGHT TANGENT

The lilac bush is blooming outside of our house  – I used the flowers to decorate the twins’ birthday cake this week. A little much for Arthur. Oops.  Charlotte and I tinted the icing lilac.  I guess we are in a custom color mixing mood. The lighter part of the lilac petals are such a perfect color.

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I came across this cherry tree in bloom the other day and had to share this.  There really is nothing like Portland in the Spring.

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There were 3-4 inches of pink petals on the ground!

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LIGHTING

So, I am also thinking about lighting.  She needs a pendant light and a bedside lamp. Or ultimately a sconce by her bed. I am a big fan as they leave your bedside table free and provide nice light. Here are a few possibilities:IMG_9969.jpg

With a gold sconce from Visual Comfort:

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Here’s a sconce from IKEA:

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A new pendant light from IKEA:

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It does cool things at night:

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Is this vintage glass pendant light stunning or what?

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I even like this Chinese paper lantern for $12:

 

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CURTAINS

And here are some basic white curtains with grommets for a modern look.  Grommet curtains are super easy to use. And these curtains will be used daily.

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I am leaning toward sheers behind the curtains rather than shades.   The windows are sort of odd and need to be replaced ultimately so the sheers should offer some coverage for now.

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Charlotte has some ideas of her own about the curtains. She wants to splatter them in a ROTHKO-ish way. I have my concerns, but nevertheless, we bought the paint at COLLAGE in Portland:
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I’ve been looking at Pinterest for ideas:

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So, we will cross that bridge soon enough.

 

Well, I better stop for now.   Thanks for joining.

Follow along with the ORC Featured Designers

and

Follow along with the Other ORC Guest Participants

Thanks for reading!

 

Have a great Friday and weekend!

Best,

Suzanne

 

THE ORC – ONE ROOM CHALLENGE & CHARLOTTE’S ROOM

THE ORC – ONE ROOM CHALLENGE & CHARLOTTE’S ROOM

 

download.pngI am going to take the challenge (as I often encourage my kids to do) and participate in THE ONE ROOM Challenge organized by CALLING IT HOME as a ORC Guest Participant.

My 6 week project will be my daughter Charlotte’s room.   Here are a couple inspiration palettes we came up with.  Soft pinks and lavenders, with neutrals and maybe a few punches of color like green or yellow so its not so pinky sweet.  The cherry tree in our front yard and the whole neighborhood in fact is blooming gloriously.  That has been our primary inspiration as far as finding the right pink and lavender for the walls and ceiling.

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She is nine so she still plays with dolls…maybe for another year or two…

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Just to give you a little background on the room and my daughter…she and her twin brother have moved out of their shared nursery which is now my HOME OFFICE and moved upstairs into their OWN ROOMS.  Charlotte’s room is really small. It could be a walk in closet; it’s that small.  There is another room that’s a decent size available but she has chosen this one for the coziness factor.

Here is a quick floor plan of the room.  The dimensions are 9’5″ X 7′ 3″ .

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As you can see there is room for a bed, a dresser, a small accent chair and a side table. That’s it.  The ceiling height is 7’10” at the highest point but 6″10″ where the roof line intersects with the window frame.

Here is a before shot of the room. This is what you see when you walk in. Two windows. There is a little more to the room on the left wall where the bed will go and that’s it.   There are also issues with the double-paned windows as you can see.

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So, here is a list of what we are hoping to accomplish:

  1. Patch old plaster and paint room.
  2. Select lighting for the room; a ceiling fixture and small lamp for bedside table.
  3. Design and fabricate Window Treatments
  4. Slipcover existing side chair we own
  5. New bedding – cover, shams, accent pillows
  6. Select and hang art
  7. Either re-carpet or find a throw rug.
  8. Address double pane window fogginess issues.

Think this is do-able?  I guess we are going to find out.

So follow along with the twenty designers and design bloggers who will each be sharing room makeovers from start to finish over the next six weeks. And there are many more guest participants, like me,who will link to the CALLING IT HOME website.

See you next week!

Best,

Suzanne

 

Follow along with the One Room Challenge participants!

• Claire Brody • The Curated House • Design Manifest • Driven by Decor • Honey We’re Home • Hunted Interior • The Makerista • Making it Lovely • My Sweet Savannah • Pencil and Paper Co. • The Pink Clutch • Savvy Home • Simplified Bee • Sketch 42 • Jill Sorensen • Orlando Soria • Thou Swell • The Vault Files • Waiting on Martha • The Zhush • Media Partner House Beautiful • TM by CIH

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cupcake Tower at Zach and Elsa’s Shower

The Cupcake Tower at Zach and Elsa’s Shower

I wanted to share a recent event I hosted for relatives who are expecting a boy.   Elsa was craving genuine fried chicken and cupcakes so I gave her an affair to remember.  Being East coast and southern rooted, it was a bit of an indulgence for myself as well.  Let me recount the cupcakes: chocolate, coconut, red velvet, and lemon cream.

I wasn’t sure how to display the cupcakes so I began building a tower out of various cookie tins and pans that I then covered in blue paper and further embellished using strips cut with decorative cutting shears I had found at an estate sale.  The colors turned out to be green and white  polka dots, blue and lavender checks and lots and lots of hydrangea from my in-laws’ garden, all of which was pretty on the veranda. Did I mention the mint juleps and pitchers of iced tea and lemonade? The food was prepared by another relative Patrinka who is an extraordinary, adventurous cook.  She brought the fryer to place on our driveway for the buttermilk herb soaked chicken on the day of our event. Need I say more? The blue cheese iceberg chunk salad, the corn, the buttermilk biscuits.  OMG.  It was indulgent and it so worth it.  That was the end of the Summer creative blow out.  Just  fun.

News from the blog Making a Mark – how to feel less helpless about the OIL SPILL and how we can help.

News from the blog Making a Mark – how to feel less helpless about the OIL SPILL and how we can help.

Art for animals and birds in Gulf oil disaster

Today is Day 56 in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster.  Yesterday I was told about an art blog initiative which aims to raise funds to try and help those the animals and birds which are themselves completely helpless in the face of the ravages of the oil affecting their bodies and the environment in which they live.

We don’t have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward.

On June 3rd Kelly Light created a brand new blog called Ripple specifically to benefit the birds and animals affected by the oil spill.

Each sketchcard on this blog is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Every penny is donated. The two Non-Profits that are benefitting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center. You can purchase a card if you donate directly to one of the non-profits and email me the confirmation and your address to ripplesketches@verizon.net. The artist will mail you the signed card.

Here’s Kelly’s explanation of why she started the blog Be the Change you want to see in the World

So, Ok. Here is me , NOT doing nothing. I don’t want to feel helpless and hopeless again. I feel I’ve spent the last ten years of my life feeling that way: 9/11, The Iraq War, The Tsunami, Katrina, The Economic Crisis, the earthquake in Haiti – my entire 10 years as a mother – my thirties – flash by in a string of overwhelming catastrophes.

Why this? Why Now? This Oil Spill is so big, so terrible, we will all be altered. Species will go extinct. When we poison our seas – we poison ourselves. -I’m really torn up about it and didn’t want to go inward with these feelings. So I’m out here – asking for help to help them.

These are small sketch-cards. 2.5″ by 3.5″. They are done quickly. They can be yours for a small donation of $10.00 to The International Bird Rescue Research Center. I have no affiliation with them. I just looked them up. You can donate directly and email me the donation confirmation OR you can email me- and I will send you a Paypal link and I will donate for you. You will be sent a confirmation. Every penny will go. Send me your address and the card will be mailed to you.

As of this morning there have been 188 blog posts with 308 images which to date have raised over $2,000.


To give this some context

at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Penelope Dullaghan picked up on it and has made Ripple this week’s topic on Illustration Friday.  You can also see people who have produced Ripple illustrations

This is an extract from Penelope’s announcement of the theme for the week (my bold).

“It’s hard to make ripples in oil soaked water. But throw enough stones and you will!

It’s not about the politics or the corporation. It’s about the animals. It’s about not feeling helpless in the face of an overwhelming disaster. We’re illustrators. We don’t lose touch with that kid inside who marvels at the creatures who swim below and fly above the sea. We draw them. We are inspired by them. We need to help them.

The Ripple blog was started on the 45th day of the Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe. The oil spill in the Gulf is now over 50 days old with no sign of stopping. We may be too small as individuals to do some grand gesture- but together our small gestures can be grand.

This week’s Illustration Friday topic is “Ripple” and I ask you to consider creating your work this week as a small 2.5″  x  3.5″ sketchcard. The subject should pertain somehow to the Gulf – the oil spill – the oceans and the creatures that live in it and around it. The cards can be submitted to ripplesketches@verizon.net  as a jpeg along with your links and a few sentences about you (ie: where you live, etc).

These will be made available for a small donation of $10.00 to either The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (http://www.imms.org/);  The International Bird Rescue Research Center (http://www.ibrrc.org/).  I have no affiliation with them. Every penny will go. When the cards sell, We ask for a donation confirmation and you will be asked to sign the back with a thank you. Then mail them to the address you are sent. If we all do small acts together- we can cause a ripple- and it can grow. We can DO SOMETHING.  Thank you, thank you for checking this out and thinking about it.”

Kelly Light

Any questions or need clarification? Please send inquiries to Kelly at // <!–[CDATA[//
var a = new Array(‘on.n’,’es@v’,’lesk’,’ripp’,’etch’,’eriz’,’et’);document.write(““+a[3]+a[2]+a[4]+a[1]+a[5]+a[0]+a[6]+”“);
// ]]>ripplesketches@verizon.net

Tonight Barack Obama will make his first address to the American people from the Oval Office, underlining the scale of the catastrophe now unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

Many thanks to Alecia Goodman (Alecia Goodman Illustration) who let me know about these two initiatives.

Thanks also to photographers like Charlie Reidel who are covering this disaster and highlighting the impact on the animals.  His work will make the cover of next week’s Time Magazine

Let me leave you with an image of how you can help.  Please tweet the Ripple blog and/or this post and/or or mention it on your blog if you’d like to help spread the word.

washed at the Fort Jackson, LA Oiled Wildlife Center. May 14, 2010
International Bird Rescue Research Center (http://www.ibrrc.org)

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