passion & paint

stop motion = amazing

katherine — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:25:58 +0000

I wonder how long this took to plan on storyboards?

passion moment 5/17 – what i love most

katherine — Tue, 17 May 2011 08:02:52 +0000

Inspiration for today: go bold or go home.

Photo Credit: Design*Sponge

and then there was light

katherine — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:18:51 +0000

I’ve been pretty M.I.A. lately with all my projects around the house. I thought I’d get so much done on my maternity leave, but my baby girl has pretty much consumed my every breath, in a very amazing way!

My parents saved their old brass lamps from the 1970′s all these years – it’s a good thing my dad keeps things like that. My mom said they paid a good penny 30 years ago – around $150 each – so I can’t even imagine what they’d cost today! They graciously gave me the lamps since 2 of 3 of mine had broken recently, which I repainted with a champagne-silver metallic paint.

The lampshades were another issue because I needed them to be 14″ tall, which is a hard size to locate. We found these round drums with very small pleats at Lowe’s for a extremely low price and my husband wasn’t feeling the pleats at all. I told him I can cover/update the shades, but it was the size I was more concerned about and these were the perfect height. So we brought them home and once we actually put them on the lamps, we both loved the look they created and decided to keep them as-is for now. The height they add to my tall living room is fantastic and they just lighten up the space and help reduce the “asian” feel my room has accidentally taken. Turned out to be an easy and cheap project!

passion moment 5/15 – in my studio

katherine — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:20:40 +0000

Photo Credit: Design*Sponge

fair trade

katherine — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:20:06 +0000

Last summer I went to a Fair Trade marketplace with my Mom – it was being promoted at church one Sunday and we decided to check it out! The whole principle is instead of creating dependency on aid, Fair Trade uses a market-based approach that gives workers fair prices, safe conditions, and entire communities resources for fair, healthy and sustainable lives. Certified goods are paid fair prices and wages, work in safe conditions, protect the environment and receive community development funds to empower and uplift their communities

For me, I think the most important thing is just being an informed consumer. People are going to buy thousands of products in their life, from groceries to clothes, jewelry and Christmas gifts. If everyone made a conscious effort to buy fair trade when they can, it can go a long, long way.

Just Googling it brings up numerous resources, vendors and information about this international marketplace, including some really great online shops! And you’d be surprised how many local places already stock Fair Trade products on their shelves – be sure to look for the official certification logo on the products!

Here are a few of my favorite places that I’ve come across in my research:

World Shoppe – artisans from South Africa, fantastic jewelry pieces – I want every necklace in their gallery!

Global Exchange – this jack-of-all trades website offers pretty much anything you need and at some reasonable prices. I love the authenticity and ethnicity of many of the pieces – I would be happy them in my house!

Ten Thousand Villages - this is a convenient online store because it has gift ideas in suggested priced ranges and also allows visitors to create gift registries – perfect for letting family and friends know exactly what you want! It also tells you where each product was made!

Earth Divas – their products are handmade, natural fiber, fair trade accessories made by women for women from around the world. I love the quality of handmade apparel!

space? yes please.

katherine — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:26:13 +0000

Working on some new lamps, chairs, house accessories these past few weeks and decided that my husband needs to put an addition on our house and make me a studio space where I can get messy, organized and spread my projects out – I’m feeling cramped.

Either a new addition (a girl can dream, right?), or just finish our basement so I can have a real space to work in instead of the corner of the unfinished room that I have claimed as my own. I need space with proper ventilation, heating, way better lighting and wiring for electrical outlets – not too much to ask for, is it?

Photo Credit: Home-Designing

Photo Credit: Mr. Biggs

Photo Credit: Material Girls

passion moment 3/7 – go bold or go home

katherine — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:18:51 +0000

When I run my own business one day, I would love a conference room like this:

Photo Credit: Material Girls

living in a cave

katherine — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:38:21 +0000

Right now, my living room is a dark cranberry color on the walls and because it’s such a bold, beautiful color, I do get compliments on the paint choice when someone comes over for the first time. My biggest issue with the color is this: although I have 9 ft. ceilings, I feel like with black furniture, I’m living in dark cave. Granted, 2 of 3 of my lamps have recently broken, so I have one dinky table lamp lighting the entire living space, which doesn’t help the situation.

I’m fighting the urge to paint the cranberry walls because I know what a pain in the butt covering all that red will be. And my decor is very specific, so I want to pick a color that allows me to keep the majority of my pieces (with a few additions!) without spending a ton of money. I also really love my most of the things in my living room, they fit my personality and style – I just want to lighten the room up and give it a more airy feeling.

My living room opens right into my kitchen, which is a gold color. So black, red and gold colors (and various patterns) fill this space. I think I figured out a new paint color that I can use on my dark walls – I’m considering a lighter gray color that will offer a neutral, light backdrop. The good thing about a gray color is I already mix silver & gold in the room in little ways, so it’ll play off that.

Although this computer color is not as exact as a paint chip – thoughts?

Love this example of mixing these colors from Decor Pad

And this cool color combination from The Lennox

the working proof

katherine — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:30:20 +0000

I was reading the latest edition of Better Homes & Garden and saw this blurb about The Working Proof and it immediately caught my eye! The Working Proof is an online “art meets charity” print gallery and shop that offers awesome original, limited-edition prints (at a reasonable cost $25-$35).

With 15 percent of the sale s from each print going to the charity of the artist’s choice, the main objective is to promote a variety of charities and to expose them to new supporters through the appreciation of art and creativity. With my possible living room “refreshing” in the works, I may just need to add a few of these pieces to the space. And what a great cause to be a part of!

project glass

katherine — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 19:30:28 +0000

My parents bought me for my birthday last month a glass fusing kiln and I can easily say it’s one of my favorites gifts I have received! I finally had some time this past week to unpackage it and experiment with some test pieces. The project ideas are already coming and I can’t wait to work some more to perfect the process.

My very first attempt was a simple necklace pendant and when I first pulled it out of the kiln, I really thought I over-fused it and ruined the project. I gave it 45 minutes to cool, and although it’s not perfect & the edges are a bit rough, I at least can say that I definitely didn’t ruin it!