Schoolhouse Tunic Finished!

I went to the Schoolhouse Tunic class at Fancy Tiger and had a blast! I finished my tunic and went home all giddy about it. Here's a picture of me in it this morning-it's early, be nice.

I'm really proud of the craftsmanship. It's the little things that make it look good, like matching up seams and taking a little extra time to make sure that all of the edges are finished. We had a really good instructor and it was a super fun class. I'm already planning which class to take next (hello kimono robe)!

I didn't prewash my fabric before class (i totally know better than to do that too), but it ended up working out to my benefit. The tunic was just a bit too big on me, and after a good wash it fits perfectly. Not tight, not too loose, just right. Can't wait to show this off at work today!

Enjoy!
Rachel May

Washburn Residence: Dresser Redesign

I've been helping out a client(finally using my interior design degree) with a few selections for her home. She had already purchased an unfinished wood dresser for her bedroom (top left is a look-alike) and wanted it painted. She wanted red, but we needed to narrow down what she meant by that, so I came up with this mood board.

click to enlarge

I created this to help the client and myself get on the same page as far as what "red dresser" meant. That's a big deal-people have different perceptions of things. We decided which dresser we liked best (all images found on Google after searching "red dressers"), the bottom right was our favorite. I used that selection and a rug as inspiration to select the paint colors/finish look on the piece.

I'll make sure to post updates as I move along on this project.

Enjoy!

Rachel May

Schoolhouse Tunic

Today, I'll be here, learning how to sew this. So excited!

Rachel May

Happy Saturday!

Last night I did something really weird..got into cooking mode and baked squash, made pizza (from scratch), baked chocolate chip cookies (from scratch), and threw together a salsa (scratch). Why? I have no idea, I'm just odd sometimes.


I intended to make pizza for dinner. The rest was for...the rest of the weekend, I suppose?

Result: Cookies and coffee for breakfast today and squash for lunch. Maybe I should rethink this and cook healthier items next time (although everything else was pretty healthy...but I can't resist the cookies).


Rachel May

Art by Craft

Hello! This is what I was up to last night: volunteering for the Denver Handmade Alliance at an amazing art opening and exhibit. It's called Art by Craft, runs through the next two weeks and can be visited between 12 and 4. Very cool-I highly suggest it.

If I were smarter, I would've taken pictures, but I didn't. Oh and funny story-I took the light rail to get to the event and took the wrong one to get back home. Not very funny last night, but I'm ready to laugh about it now. Took an hour and a half to get home, but I did make it, and I got a lot of book reading in. I made sure to sleep in this morning to make up for that adventure.

So if you're smart enough to know your route there and back, definitely go:)

Rachel May

Paint Swatch Organizer

You know those clear plastic business card sleeves? You could use them for business cards (standard), but you could also use them for TONS of other things. I was trying to organize some paint swatches for a client and thought of this idea. Using a business card as your template, cut the paint swatches to size.


You can cut the name off and use double stick tape to adhere it to the back, or cut it so the name shows on the front. See?


Very nice-and it looks so clean an professional. I'm pleased with the results! I'm sticking extra smaller paint swatch scraps in there (no need to throw them away) in case my client would like to keep them for reference, or if they're unsure of which color to choose. Also-if they don't like a color, it's easily interchangeable! No commitment whatsoever:)

Enjoy!

Rachel May

More Wabi Sabi Goodness

I took the Wabi Sabi article (mentioned before here) into work this week for our staff meeting to share with my coworkers and it went over really well. It seemed to really make an impact on the people I work with and I was SO excited to be able to share something that really enlightened me with other people.

Our office culture is really changing in a positive light which makes all of those hours spent at my day job so much more enjoyable. It's so easy to start overlooking things at work and get frustrated, and to let that frustration build day after day. I'm so glad we've noticed it and are taking action to work towards a more positive, accepting culture. If you want to check out the Wabi Sabi article, it's in this month's Whole Living (a Martha Stewart Publication). I highly recommend it.


In the spirit of Wabi Sabi, I found the best Wabi Sabi coffee cups at Caribou Coffee the other day. They look handmade and have the neatest little circle handles on them. And, at 50% off, I bought two. Can't get much more Wabi Sabi than that.

Today I'm doing some interior design research for a client (can't wait to share more on that topic with you!) and soaking up a creative day. What are you up to?

Enjoy!

Rachel May

Sketchmania #14

Here's my card for this week's Sketchmania challenge!

I tried to go for more of a collage style, but I think I'm too linear to craft like this. I'll stick to what I usually do:)

If you want to check out other cards, go to Dee Dee's blog.

Enjoy!

Rachel May

Whole Living: Wabi Sabi Your Life

I was hanging out with my sister yesterday and she mentioned an article that she thought I'd like. It's titled "Wabi Sabi Your Life" and it's in this month's issue of Whole Living (pg. 103). I read it tonight and really felt the message, it's exactly how I want to be and what I strive for now. Here's the basic idea:

"Wabi sabi is the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, the antithesis of our classical Western notion of beauty as something perfect, enduring, and monumental."

My very own Wabi Sabi: handspun yarn. The first thing I'm embracing as imperfect yet absolutely beautiful.

Wabi sabi celebrates imperfection and flaws and embraces that. I really feel like this is something that everyone can take into their own lives. We worry so much about the laundry not being done, our home not being "perfect" when we show it off to others, or our bodies never being skinny enough.

On the contrary, it doesn't mean letting everything go, living like a hoarder and never bathing. You still need to have some sense of control and order in your life, but it's about embracing those things/people/ideas that you cherish, and giving them recognition and value.

I would highly recommend picking up this issue and checking out the article, SO inspiring!

Enjoy!
Rachel May

Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market

Happy Saturday! Today I ventured out to the Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market. It was awesome! Here's what I found:

Handmade Soap by Clean Getaway in Almond Vanilla (mmmm)

Earrings made using recycled skateboards by Mukee (perfect fall yellow color)

I also purchased an event tote bag, the new Fancy Tiger Class Schedule, some granola and coffee from a shop called Cake (whoever was the genius behind the whole coffee-at-a-craft-fair thing is my hero).

I saw some other cool shops that I want to check out as well: Presents for Pirates has cute notebooks and things, Dandy Social Club makes me want kids-cutest kids clothes ever, Bluedoor had an amazing sewing machine painting that I REALLY want, Vital Industries and Tomte Craft (same place) were also there.

Such crafty success! So glad I attended.

How's your Saturday going?

Rachel May

My Bedroom: End Tables

I'm working on a bedroom redesign for mine and the Boyfriend's bedroom. It's going to be awesome. Right now I've only gone as far as to purchase end tables (couldn't wait!) that go next to our bed, and to assemble one of them. Here's what they'll look like:

Room Essentials Nightstand in Espresso, Target $59.99 (each)

We've had a file cabinet and an Indian-style carved nightstand next to our bed since I can remember, so it's super exciting for me to have end tables that match AND go with the style of the room. I can't wait to turn it into the fun-but-relaxing space that I know it should be!

You also might remember my bedroom "befores" from when we were building our bedroom shelving, that's here. The "afters" are here.

I'm on a very tight budget, so I'm working on a design board to post and show you and I'll be revealing my budget, how much I've actually spent, what worked and what didn't, and progress along the way.

Enjoy!

Rachel May