Floral Crown

 I have to admit I am absolutely crazy about the floral crown trend that's happening right now. I have always been in love with floral haloes.  When I went to prom my Junior year of high school I had real daisies pinned into my hair. If I could I would wear real flowers in my hair everyday.  But fake flowers work as a nice substitute.
I had been eager to try to make my own floral crown so when a friend mentioned wanting one it was enough to get me to see what I could do.
Last night I started working on this one with tiny flowers. Because the flowers were small it was a little bit of a pain. You have to wrap wire around each flower and I didn't want there to be large gaps so I was trying to pack them in pretty tight. I then wrapped some floral tape over the wire to cover it up.

I stopped about halfway around the circle because I liked the idea of this being more a headband than a halo. I felt like that was more wearable.  I pinned this in my hair with bobby pins but I'm debating attaching ribbon on either said so it can be tied around the head. Figuring how how to nicely attach the ribbon might be tricky so I'm going to sit on it for a few days until I come up with a good solution.  I have millions of other projects happening in my studio right now so I feel like I can take a little break from this one.

I am super excited that I made this!  It was kind of a pain but really wasn't so bad. I'm sure the more I do the easier and faster it will be. I got a great tutorial for it at bleubird vintage so check it out if you want to make your own...Or custom order one from me and I will make it for you!

Happy Sunday!

The Perks of Being a Teen

Today I was driving around running errands and feeling like a grown-up when on the radio they  mentioned a review for the upcoming movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  I knew this movie was coming out eventually but it still hit me right in the gut.  It made me realize why I feel so reluctant to grow up and that is because it seems like it is such an amazing time to be a teen right now.

When I was a teenager I was a bit of an outsider.  I never thought I was that drastically different from others but I certainly had my fair share of being picked on for how I dressed.  It sucked but I also didn't want to change, either. I wanted to wear what I wanted to wear and be who I wanted to be.  And then The Perks of Being a Wallflower was published and when I first read it it felt like my perfect little secret. I read it over and over again and only shared it with my closest friends.  We bonded over being "outcasts" and found solace in the characters that make up this book. I underlined quotes, my friend Clint made cds for us that featured all the music from the book. My friend Michelle made a huge banner and we hung it up in the little movie theater where we all worked and we had a private party that celebrated this book but also celebrated ourselves for being who we were/are.  It was a perfect.  

 It's weird to see this movie being made.  I know I am being a little bit of an angsty teen but this book always felt like it was mine and only mine.  I read it pre-internet and in that world it felt like you were the only person who existed. Now I can do a quick search for this book and see countless of people raving about it and it's just so bizarre.  But it also makes me want to start over as a teen.  It seems as though the community for those who feel different is much larger and more connected.  You don't have to stay up until the wee hours of the night anymore to watch Alternativenation and 120 Hours to hopefully find out about cool new music. And movies are now embracing Nerds and Weirdos and people who dress differently and telling people this is normal and okay.

 Another great thing happening right now is Rookie and Tavi Gevinson's blog.  The things she and her crew are doing is so amazing for girls.  I know it sounds hokey to say but I feel like we are truly living in a time where you can be anyone you want to be and it's ok.  Of course I'm saying this as a 29 year old who is no longer in high school.  I'm sure there are still the usual cast of characters making life miserable for certain people.  But I think what Tavi and crew are doing with Rookie is letting girls know they are not alone.

 When I look at all the great things these gals are doing I really truly want to start over as a teen and be as motivated and innovative as them.  I want to take pretty pictures and draw more and write more and make my clothing even weirder and quit caring as much about boys and start caring more about art and books and music.

But on the flip-side I am also very grateful I did not have social media like Facebook when I was growing up.  I would have been terrified.  I still get a little nervous when I see "Private Number" on my caller ID because it reminds me of when mean girls used to prank call me.  I would probably be even more nervous to log into my facebook page everyday.  I am also grateful to not have an internet recording of all my horrible teen girl angsty poetry and writing. Oh so embarrassing.

I originally sat down to bemoan how great teenagers have it today but I know that the grass is always greener. And the more I think of that Perks of Being a Wallflower party my friends had the more I remember other great moments and I know that my teen years were fine.  Even if I had all the perks teens have today I probably wouldn't have been any cooler or any more motivated. I would have still watched too much TV and written angsty poems about boys.

I am absolutely happy this is all happening. It makes me excited to raise kids and teach them these great things and encourage them to be themselves.  I may have been a lot to handle for my parents sometimes but they let me be myself and I appreciate that.  I can't wait to do that for my own kids. I just hope my future daughter doesn't mind being named Maybelline.

Feather Critique

So I may be sort of procrastinating by writing here instead of doing work but I feel sort of stumped. It's times like these that I wish I had a crit group to work with. Or a teacher that was coming by during class time to look at my work.  But isn't that what this blog is for? Please help!

As I mentioned in my last post I found a pretty nifty tutorial for making feather garlands.  I started working on some and thought I would combine the garlands with one of my painted sticks.  So I did just that... but something isn't quite right and I can't put my finger on it.  I feel like maybe I potentially hate the look of the metal findings.

 I tried to cover them up with little tissue paper banners and I almost like that but not quite.

 Here is tissue versus no tissue.  Something just feels off. I am also thinking that maybe the stick is just too small for the bulk of feathers.  That could be throwing everything off.

 There will be a bird on the stick and maybe even two.  Maybe that will help with the balance.

 I am going to play around with hanging different types of garlands across the feathers but I thought maybe you would have some input, too. My husband told me to just leave it as is and someone might just like the feathers but I can't do that. If something feels off to me I have to keep messing with it until it's all better. But maybe that's me over thinking it.

Here are some beautiful feathers in bulk.

I would gladly hear what you have to say. If you think I should just scrap the whole thing and start over I'll hear that, too. But I will probably still mess with it for a while. ( :

Ten Minutes Later... an update.

I think maybe this works!  I tried to make a smaller garland to string across the whole stick but the bulk of the feathers made it awkward. But these little scallops cover the feather tops pretty nicely. They aren't glued down yet. I may get a couple of larger birds for the stick, too. I still think balance is a problem.

Ok but still, feedback is very much welcomed! I have to admit that the picture is not a good representation (when is it ever?) but I think you get the idea.

Phew. It's like a look inside my brain. ( :

My Studio

Hi, y'all.  Today I was taking a pic of this new feather garland I'm working on and I decided to take some photos of my studio to share, despite the fact that it's so mega messy right now.  

So here is the feather garland.  I got a great tutorial for it here.  I have since put all the feathers on a string and attached them to the purple stick but I'm not sure if I'm loving it. I'm wondering if I should have not used the stick. More on that later.

 These next to pics are some better photos of some of my other stick banners.  I realize now how much better camera pics are compared to my iphone. Sorrrry.

 This is the mess I'm working in. If you can believe it I straightened it up a bit...

 These are some arrows just waiting to be glittered.

 I made this little object the other day. I'm not sure what to do with it yet. If I ever got a tattoo I would want it to look like this. Sea urchins, balloons, feathers and flowers are currently my favorite things ever.

Check out those cutie-pie chalk animals!

 A pink horse and a horse animal jar. And a fancy pitcher holding pipe cleaners.

 Artwork by people I love.

 This is where I'm storing toys for my future kids.

 My mask wall.

 An attempt at being organized...

 Inspiration wall.

 More inspiration.

 Works in progress.

 Books.

 Yep, those are Cathy comics. Jealous?

 Paint collection.

 The other side of the room. Slightly organized here.

So that's what I'm working with. I'm serious about being on a TLC show. Anyone want to submit me?

Art on Walls

Hi! First I want to say that I love all the input I received from my last blog. Whether you commented here or on Facebook or in real life I really appreciated hearing your stories and knowing that what I am feeling is normal. It's not often I get that good news!

In my days off lately I have maybe been procrastinating a bit.  Sometimes when I have a big deadline looming my ability to move forward starts to slow down as I become nervous about pulling everything off. So what that means for me is that my house becomes more orderly.  I see that as a plus.  

My husband (still weird!) and I have a lot of artwork and things to hang on the walls but were being slow to get them up because the decisions seemed pretty final.  Finally I got too tired of the bare walls so we started hanging some work.

I got these three sweet art boards as a wedding gift.  They are perfect for extra color in the kitchen and so far are matching all the squash in our hanging baskets.

You've seen this before but I was proud of myself for making the bed so I thought I should show it off. You can't tell but there are definitely hospital corners...(Thanks, Mom!)

Across from the bed we hung some Happy Birthday banners that have been floating around for a few years. I took the word Birth off each one and now we have Happy Day signs. I was proud of myself for figuring that out. Besides these handy banners the bedroom is still pretty bare. I think I want to dye the curtains above the window (seen in the mirror reflection) and we want to frame the mirror somehow. It seems too stark. Any suggestions?

We hung this banner above the TV to keep things festive. I love that when the TV isn't in use it's a clock.

We also hung a pom pom up in the corner and an awesome piece of artwork printed by Cannonball Press. The beautiful painting on the left is a sweet wedding gift from the amazing artist Charlotte Rollman.

Jeremy's parents were cleaning out the attic and brought us some of his stuff including those beautiful horses.  They are my favorite! I love this little corner.

One thing that makes me bananas is all the electrical cords. I feel like on pinterest when you see perfectly styled homes there are never flaws like electrical cords. How do they do it? How do I fix this ugliness?

Here are a few little vignettes that are currently happening. I love making little arrangements.  I think the following groupings are finally where I like them.

The drawing of bunnies was done by my very talented friend Jessica Robles.  We used this image on our wedding fan programs.  The sweet wooden bunny was an awesome find by my just as sweet boss.

 These Anthro animals will be part of my life forever. They watch over the house.  The background painting is by the always amazing Jane Ryder.

 This is the most neutral I will ever be. Ever.  That lovely wooden block was made by Michele Bozak.

 More neutrals if you can believe it.

 I adopted this little monster piece from Carrie Schumacher.  I'm proud to have it in my collection.

 My mom sent me a pic of herself so I made it part of this pink set. There are a couple of cuty shrinky dinks made by Michelle Moode.

 I love these snow globes forever.  I wish I knew who these people were.

So that's it for now. Let me reassure you that every other part of my house is a mess! My studio is so wrecked right now I'm not even sure how to fix it.  I am always in this bind.  I really wish I could be on a TLC show where someone gave me fashion and  organizing tips.

What's your favorite part of your home?

Growing Up is Weird

Good Morning!  I think I've been writing this blog post in my head for a couple of days and it seems now that I'm able to sit down and write I'm not sure what to say.  So here are some pretty pics of what I've been working on while I figure out my words.

 Do you ever have moments where you honestly just don't know what you want to do with your life? I'm asking this in a very black and white way I guess.  I've always made plans since I was little. I'm going to grow up and move to New York or LA and live in a loft or a bungalow and beeeeee famous! The ways I would be famous have changed frequently; singer, actress, artist.  As I got older I dreamed of moving to Nashville or Ashville and some how figuring out my way there.

 Now I think I'm the age where I'm supposed to be doing one of those things.  I have no idea what I want anymore. I feel like I am in some sort of growing-up limbo.  We have our house and I was grumbling about all the noise from cars on the road and neighbors listening to their music so loud and I was dreaming about living on a farm in the country and having kids running around.  And then when I really thought of that it didn't feel like me.  Part of me wants to own a building downtown and live in the top and have a studio/store in the bottom and raise kids in a more "urban" way.  But that makes me feel like I would crave a back yard.  I hope I don't sound whiny.  It's just weird to not know what I want because I have always been someone that was so sure of that.

 Yesterday I was roaming around Target and I overheard a couple of girls shopping and one of them said she needed a good "going out purse."  It made me feel oldddd because I have not felt like I needed one of those purses in a long time. I miss needing to buy small clutches to hold my keys, phone and money.  But I also don't particularly miss a lot of the things that come with that kind of going out.  Growing up is weird.  Nostalgia is weird because it can be so warped.

 Again I really hope I don't sound whiny and debated deleting this post. I am trying to be a little more personal in my blog and that means working out some of these weird feelings. I am so very grateful for my present and my past.  I try to not take anything for granted.  Maybe it's just fine to have a big question mark in the future.  Maybe my control freakiness about the future was just a clutch for getting through the present.  Maybe I should drink more coffee and spray paint more animals.

What about you guys?  How do you reconcile growing up?  I would really love to hear your stories.  

Have a great day today. Eat some pizza if you can.