The Country Living Fair 2011...The First Feature of the Series!

I have returned from The Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain, Georgia and Wow, what an extravaganza!  This year, there were more vendors and even more of a variety of wares!  I will be featuring highlights over the next week, including several talented artists from the fair and many beautiful photos of the booths and artwork.

Today I want to include several photos of the entrance and welcome area of the Fair.  Upon entering, you immediately walk into a stone pavilion with a giant fireplace. This area is beautifully styled and it sets the tone for the aesthetic of the fair, overall.

Enjoy...as you enter the Country Living Fair 2011.  

Did you go to Country Living Fair this year? If so, what was your favorite part?  What did you buy?  Did you discover any new artists or vendors?

Check back for more Country Living Fair highlights throughout the week!

Got Fabric? Today's Featured Artist Does! And We Are All Grateful, Thank You Ann Wood

In the past, I have shared the exhilaration and wonderment that I feel when I discover a new artist! (when I say new artist, obviously I mean new to me..) There have been moments when I turned the corner at a gallery and literally gasped at the impact of a painting.  There have been pieces that I couldn't get out of my head for months, and times when I have researched online for hours "googling" partial names from a few letter combinations I could make out at the bottom of a painting!

We all have those moments when we "hear angels singing and see bright golden lights."   Okay, so I am exaggerating, but I think you can get the picture.  Art and artists are my thing, maybe yours is shoes...or wooden surfboards...or poetry.

Today, I am featuring an artist whose works I DID gasp over when I turned the page of a magazine to see them.  Her name is Ann Wood.

Ann Lives in Brooklyn, New York and works with found and salvaged materials, mostly from vintage and antique garments to create ships, owls, birds, bats and more.

I am amazed at her talent and creativity.  It inspires me to see what beauty can be created from fabric scraps.  With Ann's touch, old gowns and garments can become special again...treasured by a new owner and enjoyed by new admirers in a completely different form-and yet the history within the fabric endures.

Please check out her website at www.annwoodhandmade.com.  I first discovered Ann Wood from "Cloth Paper Scissors" magazine in September 2010, where they featured her works with some amazing photographs.  If you would would like to see more of her pieces and learn more about her, visit www.clothpaperscissors.com.

The Ultimate "Sourcebook" for Home Products!

Thanks for your patience!  I have been a little under the weather and am happy to share one of my favorite resources with you, if you have not already been introduced!

Well if you check in often, you are already aware of my love for Houzz.com.  You can even see some of my favorite rooms and products featured on Houzz by clicking on the Houzz widget in the right hand column!

Okay... if inspiring Home Decor Resource websites were a family, then Houzz and Remodelista would be the supporting branches of that family tree.  Remodelista is a website rich with features that inspires AND delivers. It is the ultimate destination for sourcing products.  Both sites have a lot to look at, but Houzz is THE place to go for inspiration in room decor and photos, where Remodelista is the place to go for products for the home.
Again, both are full of different features, but this is what stands out for me.

One of my favorite parts about sourcing from this website, is that you can search for products in so many different ways and once you click on the product you would like to see, there is a direct link button to take you to the website to see more if you wish!

Be careful, this is another site in which you can lose major chunks of time! But oh.. how worth it, it is!
I recently searched for lighting and here are some great finds!

I hope that you enjoy this site as much as I do!  Take a look!  www.remodelista.com

Simple Design For Small Prices! MUJI Delivers.

We all need a little "city in a bag"...right. So I need to introduce you to MUJI. Muji is a company with a design aesthetic based on simplicity, an overall approach that is devoid of frills and extras. They aspire to modesty and plainness in a way that makes every girl want to be a "little" more plain.

Muji focuses on simplicity in both design and packaging, opting for product packaging that is not wasteful and free of excess decoration which in turn, keeps prices down and makes it a lot easier for us to buy more for less!

Muji designs office supplies, interior decor, furniture, housewares and gifts. And all of their items are beautiful in their simplicity and clean lines. Even better, they are very affordable, for example the small sofa below sells for $330.00.

Take a look at www.muji.us/store to discover some impressive designs for surprisingly affordable prices. Maybe Muji is just a little too simple for you? Well, then maybe only one aspect of your life needs editing right now, such as your home office supplies or cosmetic and toiletries storage. This would be a good way to take some of the chaos out of your life, add some well designed organization and- achieve it on a budget!

Well, I will leave you to your quest for simplicity in good design and I will be leaving to order some kraft paper notebooks and aluminum pens. Thank you Muji!

okay, and maybe some baskets...

You Never Know When There May Be A Camera Involved! Stay Pretty, Even When You Are Scared!

As we all know, Halloween is right around the corner, (remember the part where we anxiously await the end of the night so that we can raid our kids' candy buckets?)  This time of year, along with the anticipation of hoarding candy, many of us visit our local corn maze or haunted house.  I remember visiting haunted houses as a teenager and getting the "you-know-what" scared out of me.

You always have the chainsaw wielding, Jason mask-wearing scary man, and the ghosts and murderers jumping out of dark corners...If you think about it, there is only so much variation on the themes of a haunted house, and only so many scenarios in which to enlist, but year after year we continued to be frightened by the same things like it is the first time.  It is a bit like the typical scene in a horror movie where the girl hears a noise in a completely blacked out home with no cellphone coverage,  and always searches for the source of the scary noise in the darkness asking "who goes there" as she approaches her doom. We are all victims of our own need for adrenaline in the "safe" fear of haunted houses and horror flics!  So maybe part of the anticipation of Halloween is sugar coma...but the other part is an adrenaline rush from haunted houses!

Well. I don't know if you have ever had a photo taken of you in mid-scream?  If you have visited a good theme park with scariness, they usually have the hidden cameras to snap the photos and let me tell you, it is pure gold.  There is nothing like watching someone "lose it" and fall ungracefully (unhurt, of course) to bring about a good belly laugh, but there is the photo of someone's genuine fear response that is classic and also arouses a good bout of laughter and finger-pointing...

Thank you Nightmare's Fear Factory for that camera in the darkened corner...




Okay, really?







Now you see what they mean by a picture says a thousand words?







Just make sure if you get a little spooked this Halloween, that you look good when you scream your head off, because there may be a camera involved...






Happy Halloween!  And if you want to see an entire collection of pure funny, then go to Nightmares Fear Factory facebook page!  This Haunted House is located in Niagara Falls, Canada and it looks like they may have a little variation on that theme I was talking about earlier.  Or maybe not, maybe these faces are a response to a chainsaw wielding teenager with a Jason mask on, in a dark corner....

Fire Up The Grill, It's Time For a Fall Backyard Barbecue!

It's Fall Y'all!  Lets get together in the back yard and have a barbecue party!  Today's treasury includes many of the staples for a festive backyard barbecue.  Take a look at some of my amazing finds on Etsy this week.

Release Your Creative Mojo! Wool, Felting and Pumpkins Oh My!

Well it is time to pull that felting basket back out of the cabinet and start teaching myself how to felt!  At the end of last year, I entered the world of felting by purchasing 2 needles and some felting wool. I came home, watched a 5 minute video on YouTube ( you can learn to make anything from a youtube tutorial) and  30 minutes later, I had created a little bluebird.  I was blown away. Now granted, it was a scary little bird, but it WAS a bird.

Well things got a bit busy for me soon after, so I put my basket aside to pick up at a later date.  While that basket sat in the cabinet, my imagination ran wild and I had several ideas about items that I could create...and today I opened up that door to give myself a little refresher.  Now I have only created that one famous bluebird, so my version of a "refresher" actually means, I need to teach myself how to felt because I have some ideas that I want to get cracking on! I thought I would start small, literally.  A pumpkin sounded good...here goes...

So here is my masterpiece!  My first pumpkin...I know, I know, I have a long way to go, but most of the ideas that I have only include a small amount of felting and I will need to use my "jewelry making" experience to execute the rest.  I need to keep practicing so I guess I will be attempting all sorts of creations to get some techniques down....I have a  feeling I will have my own version of a pumpkin patch before this is over.

Well, I need to get back to the pumpkins, but I want to share some photos of the inspiration that occupies a corner of my studio...calling for me to get started on these new ideas that I have been pondering for quite some time! As you will see, it is quite hard to resist. Just a big bowl full of goodness...

Well, stay tuned...Hopefully over the next month or so I will bring my ideas to fruition and I will share them with you here...and if all else fails I will have a collection of pumpkins, right?

Do you knit, crochet or felt?  I would love to hear from any amazing fiber artists out there!  Aww, come on, don't be shy!  Also, do you know of any good classes?  We are certainly surrounded by some wicked good talent, so if you have participated in any notable classes in Western North Carolina or Upstate South Carolina,  please comment!

Stay tuned to see my ideas come to life. What are you creating right now?

I Have Always Chosen Cornbread over Biscuits....Cornbread Anderson that is!

Today's Post is an Artist Feature...one of my favorites, Cornbread Anderson!

Okay, so the truth is, I would be remiss in recognizing the origin of my obsession with  Folk Art and Outsider Art if I did not dedicate a post to Cornbread Anderson!  I discovered Cornbread's art over 5 years ago in the Asheville and Hendersonville, NC areas.  This marked the beginning of the end for me, and I soon realized I would not get a good night's sleep until I owned at least one painting.

www.amerifolk.com

Over these last 5 years, Cornbread's artwork has continued to gain interest and recognition throughout the country and his paintings command higher prices every year.  If you are not familiar with John "Cornbread" Anderson, you might want to take a moment to google his name and you will quickly discover his talent and his popularity.  Cornbread was raised on a farm in rural Lumpkin County, Georgia and began painting in 1995. His paintings are easily recognizable and feature guinea hens, foxes, birds and fish, among other woodland animals. His paintings have bright colors, a graphic quality and even display an interesting sense of humor.  And I warn you, his works can become quite addictive.

www.jtfolkart.com

Even after viewing hundreds of his paintings, my favorite subjects are the guinea hens for which he is so well known. Now don't get me wrong, I have my other favorites...like the raccoons and cardinals, but once you have seen a painting with his guinea hens, you will want one!

www.amerifolk.com

Oh and by the way, I did get a painting by Cornbread several years ago, as a gift from my parents and my sister and her family!  And so yes, I do sleep a little better at night....Thank you Mr. Cornbread...

Fall At The Mountain Farmer's Market!

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to visit the Farmers Market. Years ago, I began visiting Asheville, NC in the fall to see the beautiful leaves, the gardens at Biltmore, and enjoy the crisp fall air downtown! Years later, I worked in sales across Western North Carolina and I was able to enjoy my favorite season by visiting beautiful mountain towns in the midst of all this autumn color like, Boone, Blowing Rock, Franklin, Sylva, Waynesville,and Nantahala every day of the week. And let me tell you, during the months of October and November I just didn't want to leave these areas to head back home!

I had the opportunity to visit every cool farm stand and roadside market and made some incredible discoveries, not to mention enjoyed some of the best homemade apple cider, boiled peanuts, and pumpkin bread. I continue to enjoy all of these places and several years ago, I added the Asheville Farmers Market to the list. I really just enjoy the energy of the market and all of the vendors as much as the pumpkins, flowers, bittersweet, fresh fall produce and apple cider!

I made my first fall visit the other day and it happened to be a big delivery day! I was parked alongside many farmers bringing in their pumpkins for market. I saw some incredible pumpkins of every color, from the deepest orange, pale greens, creams, golds etc! There were some beautiful oversized buckets of cockscombs, and all forms of bittersweet from sprays to large wreaths. The entire market was bedecked in Mums of every color you can imagine! I can never resist getting Mums in the fall, because they are so representative of the changing seasons. They are essentially a beautiful teaser of the exact colors that we can expect over the upcoming weeks!


Here is a photo of the Cockscombs that I purchased! I plan on visiting the Market several more times, so my next visit I will purchase a larger bunch and create a large Fall Arrangement with them!

I also some purchased several pumpkins, bittersweet, 3 ears of indian corn, and a small Mum. I found the small child's wagon at The Screen Door for about $20.00. As you know, older wagons, especially wood ones and/or painted ones are extremely expensive when you can find them, so I was thrilled to find this, as I can use it for many different displays in the coming years.

I literally placed all of the items in the wagon and voila! I did not use any adhesives, or pedestals. I wanted it to be very simple and organic! No over the top "arrang-ery." I think I just made that word up, but you get the idea. One visit to the farmer's market, all "real" produce, and one magical, inexpensive fall wagon!

I may place next to the back door, or I may leave it in the kitchen area!

Have you made a visit to your Farmer's Market lately? If not, it is time to carve out a few minutes of your day to head to the market to breathe in some fresh air, pick up a pumpkin or two and take a look around...it is a great way to get inspired for the season!

A Little Halloween Decor...

Well Hello October!  So we are just a little closer to that chilly weather that I have been anticipating...and now officially in the month of Halloween!  did someone say candy corn?  Okay, so why can't adults do a little trick-or-treating?  We all know that we enjoy "borrowing" our kids' candy and who doesn't like a little superhero costume every now and then?  At least as adults we could "make up" for that one awesome costume that alluded us as a child, or it could be an opportunity to don that wicked cool costume that your best friend wore in the third grade when you were forced to wear the hand-me-down scarecrow costume for the second year in a row!  Let's face it, it would be like a life time full of therapy, one night a year...I'm just sayin...

Well for some reason I am feeling a little more festive this year and decided to dress up a couple of spots in my home for the upcoming Halloween night (Okay, lets be honest,  I started reading Harry Potter and am beyond addicted-hence a renewed interest in everything Wizard-ish and reminiscent of Hogwarts).  Nothing fancy or ornate, just a little spooky.

I thought I would share a couple of photos of my "spooky."  How do you decorate your home for Halloween? Where do you get ideas and inspiration for your decorations?  What is your favorite decoration for Halloween?  Oh and of course, more importantly, what is your favorite candy?

I already had a large gray weathered bird cage and a small metal cloche cage, so I just purchased some crows, webbing, deer moss, and metal chalkboard signs at Michael's for a total cost of about $15.  I used some branches from the yard and just placed the items together carefully, no glue gun or adhesives.  This way I can use the items again and everything comes apart easily. I haven't painted the black chalk board signs yet, but they will say something like, " Do not make eye contact with the birds" and for the bigger bird, "Bird $25.00" and then I will cross out the $25 and write in "free."
    After Halloween...my gray cage is utilized year-round, empty, as decor in my home and the small metal cloche will have a small live plant grouping placed under it!  Bye Bye Birdie!

And remember, one bag of stretchy spider web fabric from Michael's goes a VERY long way-  If you are on a budget or maybe you just want to keep it really simple and realistic.  You can create some monumental spider webs in just a few focal points in your home and around your front door...then when it comes time to clean up, just pull them all off in less than 5 minutes!

Happy Decorating!  and let us know about your favorite decor and candy...