Posts from — April 2008

I know I have promised you pictures of the festival this weekend, and I will deliver! I haven’t had the opportunity to add everything to our website in addition to the blog, so for now, here is a little teaser for you.

A lot of our favorite frames and items come from what actually was a mistake. This happens a lot in our faux finishing as well. We originally intended for this frame to look much different, but in the middle of the process, we saw something else come forth. Does that ever happen to you artist’s out there?

The Cross Heirloom Frame was actually inspired by Amanda, the owner of Classic Trends. She had come to our studio a while back wanting a collection for her own home, and wanted several Scripture Frames and a frame with cross’s on it. Jaime actually designed the cross’s you see here for her and we fell in love with it.

Hope you enjoy this sneak peek. The sun is shining bright today and we are off to faux a garage door and shutters. Thank goodness it’s Spring!

I want to take a moment and say a big THANK YOU to all the lovely people who sent well wishes and encouragement our way for this weekend’s festival. You know who you are and we love you for the support. We had an absolute blast chatting with so many people and enjoying the April sunshine.

I am still working on the pictures of the festival, as soon as I get them, you will be the first to see! After a long week, we took the Monday off to relax. So I am headed out the door to have lunch at school with my niece Reagan! Those are the moments that life is all about, right? Shhhhhhh. It’s a surprise though, so don’t tell her.

I thought I would leave you with some pictures I got from the Tracy Porter catalog. I just love these. My all time favorite color is green, in all shades. These two outfits are so lush and the colors are just gorgeous. If you haven’t gone over to Tracy’s website yet, you must!

After spending a long, but so much fun, couple of days in the studio, I came home to see this on my computer. For those of you who know me, this is no surprise, for those who don’t… this is my weakness! I love all things chocolate. Well, let’s be honest, if it has sugar in it… it’s for me! I found this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie over at Bakerella.

There is nothing like a good does of something gooey and yummy to give you that burst of creative energy you need!

Jaime and I sometimes turn to sweet little indulgences like this for that little pick me up we need while plugging away in the studio. Does this work for anyone else, or are we just crazy?

Arlington In April is right around the corner and this Saturday, Jaime and I will be at Classic Trends with owners, Lynn & Amanda. We had so much fun last year, we are really looking forward to meeting everyone and showing off our new designs and new frames.

This week, we’ll be working hard in the studio to be sure everything is ready for the show. We’ll have a light week on the blog here, but we will try to get you some sneak peaks every now in then as we get stuff done.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some of the books that are on my nightstand right now. I love when I make time for a good book. I have those quick reads that are inspiring and I have those that I read daily for growth and enlightenment.

*Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller is a fabulous read if you are wanting to be inspired and challenged, in addition to having a good laugh. Donald Miller has a great way of exposing the Gospel from a relational point of view. Here is a great description in the authors own words,

“I wrapped this book up in a bar on Hawthorne and that night I felt like I was losing it a bit. Essentially, I had begun to wonder if had misunderstood the gospel of Jesus, thinking of it in propositional terms rather than relational dynamics. The latter seemed too poetic to be true, but the former had been killing my soul for years and was simply illogical. If we hold that Jesus wanted us to “believe” certain ideas or “do” certain things in order to be a Christian, we are holding to heresy. In that bar on Hawthorne, I finished the last paragraph and felt a kind of sickness at the thought of whether or not I was telling the truth. But after further consideration, and after rewriting the book, I realized the formulaic version of Christianity was irrational, and for that matter, unbiblical. True Christian spirituality mirrors relational dynammics more than the workings of a free-market economy. This seemed to open up an entire new world to me, a world where every thought and feeling operates as a kind of living metaphor for the workings of the Godhead.”

*What Jesus Demands From The World by John Piper has been on my nightstand for a while. I try to read at lease a chapter of this a day, though, I have to admit its hard to do. John Piper has dissected the New Testament and given us a run down of every single command given to us by Jesus. Each chapter goes through one demand at a time, referencing scripture and explaining how Jesus meant for it to affect our lives. I write in books when they speak to me, so almost every word is underlines. It’s very colorful now! Break your journal out for this one, for sure!

What books are on your nightstand right now? Do you have any favorites?

Better Homes And Garden offers some great solutions for turning old trash or trinkets into marvelous solutions for home organization. And besides that, I just love the way these look.

Need to organize your desk drawer. Try using a muffin tin or a popover pan is even suggested for deeper storage.

“Fork Clips” to hold everything from photos to business cards. What a great way to show off your miss-matched utensils that are too pretty to store or throw away.

Have a favorite mug, tea cup or demitasse… display it on your office desk for inspiration. It can double as a holder for your pens, paper clips or thumb tacks.

I love this one. Old drawer pulls make excellent hooks for your reading glasses and keys. Curtain clip rings are pictured here holding papers and business cards. You could even use this to display your favorite photos.

I love finding beautiful silver pieces when I am out garage saling or flea marketing. Put these pieces to use on your desk to organize everything from mail, check books, stamps and spare change.

Last week we gave you a sneak peek on one of the jobs we were working on for our clients, Stacy and Jeff. I must say, this was a fun one!!! We had the privilege of dressing up the nursery walls for the couples soon-to-be little girl along with giving their shutters a little umph! The house looked just fine before, but as you can see, a little attention to detail really can make your home stand out from all the others.

[Read more →]

As faux finishers, we often are asked and required to pick paint colors for the home, whether it be for walls, cabinets, furniture.. you name it.

One company we know we can rely on at any time is Benjamin Moore. They have always had a vast array of colors, & when they teamed up with Pottery Barn, the selection became even better. Their Spring 2008 selection offers 28 amazingly vivid colors created specifically created by Benjamin Moore for Pottery Barn.

Now at PotteryBarn.com, you can customize your room or gain some decorating inspiration by clicking [Read more →]

Thanks to everyone for the lovely birthday wishes this weekend. As I entered my last year to enjoy in my 20’s, I’ll admit that at first, I had a difficult time. Has anyone else experienced getting older to be somewhat hard?

But as the weekend played out, and I was surrounded by my friends and family, God just overwhelmed me with a sense of THANKFULNESS. I am alive and healthy, I am loved, I LOVE OTHERS, and most importantly, God has created me to bring Him glory. So why should turning another year older be so bad?

This weekend, I spent a lot of time reflecting over my life. As I did that, God really walked me through a lot [Read more →]

Since we’re all about creating, dreaming and delighting here, I wanted you all to meet an artist who I have gotten to know well in this blog-world. Dianne has created some wonderful pieces that inspire others because she herself was inspired when creating them.

Please tell us about yourself. I have been given a great gift by God, the ability to paint and draw anything and everything. I see painting as an act of faith, a journey inside both the artist and the viewer. For me painting is a form of prayer. I love the process from beginning with a drawing to the end result with color and texture. It always tells a story,the layers of my life and the way I see the natural world are exposed. I am a visual and tactile learner. So much so that I often use my fingers to paint.I need to feel what I am doing inside and out.

[Read more →]

Jaime and I are up to our ears in cabinet doors and shutters this week. So while weare in the studio painting away, I thought I would let you all in on some of ourfavorite sites on the web. We go to these sites

for inspiration, information, and even to shop of course! Hope you’ll find these to be just as good and useful as we do. Enjoy! Be sure to check back for what these cabinet doors and shutters look like after we’ve put our Off The Wall spin on them!

Information For Everyday…

Parents, Geeks & God: This is a great resource tool for all things having to do with parents, teens, technology and God. Right now, Bart is in the middle of posting a series titled, “Parents, Kids & the Art of Communication.” Be sure to sign up for the feed here if you are interested in some great insight and tips on family and teenagers. [Read more →]