Bag it!

Hello friends!  Hope you are doing well.  If you are a longtime reader of my blog (thank you xo), you know that I am a supporter of buying from local artisans.  In that spirit, I'd like to introduce Northeast Ohio designer/artist eoxtraordinaire Jeff Segal.

If you are a shopper who is thoughtful and likes to gift non mass produced objects, may I suggest one of Jeff's handmade bags?  You can never have too many bags, right?  Jeff's bags are all lovingly made by hand with exquisite attention to detail. They are beautiful inside and out, as well as being totally functional. Each bag sports niches and pockets which allow the perfect organization of those important digital devices we all rely upon.

And they are not just for women!  They are perfect for stylish men as well.  Each bag is unique and of recycled materials.

Jeff's approach to upcycling is non-literal.  To quote Jeff:  "I enjoy reducing items to their core, to reduce the superfluous and to amplify the common."

Common materials, perhaps.  Common bags, absolutely not.  Why not treat yourself or a loved one to a new and unique form of wearable art?  Here's a sampling. I apologize for not properly photographing the inside of the bags.  But believe me, they are beautiful inside and out.  All handles and clasps also made by Jeff.

If you are in Cleveland and attending the 78th Street Studios Art Walk this Friday, I will be sporting this bag.  Be sure to say hi!

This is one of my favorites, made from vintage fabrics.

Jeff is a multi-talented designer and makes many other beautiful things as well.  Stay tuned for more art from J Segal designs.  In part two of this series, I will be showing a sample of his gorgeous furniture.

Contact Jeff @JSegalDesign on Instagram.

Happy Holidays dear readers!

I

Places to See in Akron: Hazel Tree Interiors

Hazel Tree Interiors is a place downtown, Akron that I have driven by many times but never had the courage to go in. You know the kind, a high end gallery where nothing is in your budget. But hey, I love art and I'm curious. Every time I drive by, the cute building catches my eye - so I'm proud to say that I finally ventured in last week. The place itself is absolutely gorgeous, with white brick and a loft. It would make a great house!  Here's a few things of interest that I saw:

I just can't get enough found and upcycled art.  This fab piece, entitled the Red Castle, is by Michael Marras.  Michael's process is so fascinating, I plan to do a post about his work in the near future.

Oh yeah, never enough lamps. This one is made from pipe and an antique beer bottle, by Peared Creation.

Beautiful lighting display using vintage insulators.

Gorgeous industrial chic dining set. I could see this in an industrial loft. The moral of the story? Never be afraid to go into a shop. I was treated well and enjoyed my visit.

Shop Local, Part II

My second stop on Black Friday was the new location of J. Paris Designs in Cuyahoga Falls. This was a particularly gratifying experience. Just what shopping should be. I had been to J. Paris Designs' previous location, so it was exciting to see the store grow. The lovely owner, Jessica, and I chatted it up. We talked about repurposing, art, decor, color, etc. It was great fun! Everything that Jessica puts her hand to turns to gold. Not only is she a great artist, but she is a great businesswoman. So exciting to see a young woman know herself so well, and to be so brave. Jessica is a great example of following your dream.  She's doing what she loves and making it happen. Jessica, you go girl! There were so many beautiful things in the store, I was there for a while. I should have taken more photos, but don't worry, there are photos on J. Paris' website, and I plan to go there again soon!

Look at this dresser!  Swoon! I hemmed and hawed about buying it. It perfectly fits my modern aesthetic, my love of gray and would look great in my bedroom. The price was reasonable too. I am totally in love with Jessica's take on ombre.  The drawers are done in a light to dark ombre.  The handles are the exact opposite, done in a dark to light ombre. Genius!  I never would have thought of that. I agonized over my desire for the dresser and my desire not to spend money (what am I doing shopping?). I measured the dresser, discussed layaway and delivery terms with Jessica. Walked around the store and seriously debated the dresser in my mind. I may be moving (yes, again) and am trying to hold off on buying anything big. I knew full well the dresser wouldn't last. I didn't buy, and it sold that night.  Ah c'est la vie. It makes me happy to know that someone is loving it.

This piece also caught my eye.  It's a bit ornate for my taste, but I am so digging that deep turquoise color and the skillful application of paint. Jessica and I had fun arranging these gorgeous pillows on the chair. This piece didn't last either. In fact, a customer who came in just a few minutes after me bought it.

This lovely gray cabinet is done by one of the vendors of the store. Even though I'm not really into the washed look of shabby chic any more (this was a look I did for a long time), it's a great piece. I found myself fantasizing about arranging my tea pots and pottery collection on it.

Now here is something more my style, and I dearly love it.  Love the retro look and the simplicity of this desk. There was so much I wanted in this store, including some of her fab fixtures which I neglected to photograph - oh well next time.  I did buy a couple of unexpected items for my apartment.  So, of course, this prompted another rearranging of my apartment.  Stay tuned, I will show you my new stuff in an upcoming post.

I Love...Duct Tape!

The artistry of people never ceases to amaze me!  They can take anything and make art with it.  I love all the art made with duct tape I've been seeing.  Have you seen the amazing colors the tape comes in?  I also love art made from unexpected materials and  the whole upcycling thing.  Here's a few great examples:

Chair purse and suit all by Emilie Autumn.  How amazing are these pieces?

My niece Maggie makes amazing creations out of duct tape.  Here she is modeling a fab pair of sandals she made.

She made me this adorable clutch bag for Christmas.  It's even in my favorite color!  I love it.

I love this photo of Cindy McCain by Adam Bouska.  This isn't exactly what I was thinking about when I decided to do a post on duct tape, but I like to sneak in a little political message whenever I can, and I've been saving this picture for a while.

As you know, I've been obsessing about having a silver ottoman forever, but it's not in the budget.  Perhaps this is a way I can have one!  I'll make one with duct tape.  It could start a whole new obsession, though.  If you like to see a lame DIY I did with duct tape, click here.  Stay tuned to see my new experiment in duct tape.

Akron Art Museum

I know it sounds crazy, but I still get homesick for Cleveland.  However, there are a few pluses to living in Akron.  One of the biggies is that I get to spend more time with my nephews.  This is a good thing because they are growing up so fast!  On a recent outing my nephews and I went to the Akron Art Museum.  It's a wonderful museum and here's a few pics from that day.

A big pink sculpture by Claes Oldenberg greets you in the lobby.  I love large installation pieces taken out of context.

Another shot of the lobby.  With a mountain of milk tin lids, by El Anatsui.

Even the polyurethane furniture in the lobby is art!  I'd love to have this furniture for my balcony.

These may look like mountains, but they are actually bags made completely of newspapers.  They are very tall, I think the tallest one was about 8 feet high.  I love the irony!   Mountains of newspapers.  If you ever get a chance to see an exhibit of Anatsui's work, you simply must.  It's incredible!  He turns detritus into large shimmering pieces of art.  There were areas of the museum where photographs were allowed, and areas where it wasn't.  Anatsui allowed photography of his exhibit, but I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted.  My nephews were getting embarrassed.  :)

Here is a pic I took on the down low.  It is, of course, a Mark Rothko.  Rothko's work seen in real life is almost too much for me to bear.  It gives me heart palpitations.  The combinations of color, the simplicity!  Swoon.  I wish I had painted this!

Here is an interesting Mermaid sculpture in the permanent collection.  I think she's cool.  My nephews weren't as impressed and told me to put my camera away before we got kicked out.  It was a great day!  Two of my favorite things:  my nephews and art.  It doesn't get any better than that.

from drab to fab

Dear readers, as you know, I am addicted to pottery.  I love simple forms and I love experimenting with placing it like sculpture in my home.  Below I wrote about my love of painting and upcycling vases.  I'm obsessed.  I go to the Goodwill and I want to buy all the ugly, orphaned and unloved vessels.  I have a limitation though.  I'm not very good at spray painting, although I love it (see previous post here).  And I don't have a studio space right now so have no where I can make a mess.  So I am limited to vases that are porous in texture because they can be brush painted.  This is the story of how one orphaned vase became two new fresh pieces of art.

I found this vase for $.99!  Perfect shape, perfect texture.  Horrible color, horrible press on flowers.  This little vase is in need of a face lift.  I sandpapered the flowers.  Then lovingly applied neon pink paint.

Here is the after.  Much better!  The vase is fresh and new.  I love it.  I also created a digital art piece from the photographed flowers.

Here is the little vase taking a place of prominence in my apartment, along with other vases I painted.  I love it.  I'm hooked.  Now I am on the hunt for other vases I can paint.

Here's a little experiment with the digital art over my sofa.  Hmm.  Maybe I'll have it printed on a canvas.

Upcycled Vases

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you already know that I am obsessed with vases and vessels.  I've always loved the look of upcycled furniture, nothing gives new life to a tired old piece like a coat of paint.  The same is true for vases!  I am seeing tons of exciting vases given new life.

If you love thrifting, you already know that milk glass vases are everywhere.  I find them a little boring, maybe because they are so common.  But give them a coat of paint in an exciting color and they are fresh again!  There are a lot of great selections of upcycled vases at Etsy, these ones are from Eiffel Studio.  Love that orange vase!

These hobnail vases actually look modern in this lovely aqua shade.  From Rustic Prairie Cottage.

Love these teal pieces!  A simple wood bowl and a candlestick become sculpture.  And how fabulous is that teal pineapple?  Available at RetroPops.

More funky painted milk glass.  From Nashpop.

Here's a simple but impactful idea.  If you are a fan of mosaic, but want something a little easier, how about a paper mosaic?  Love it.  From Badcandy.

Here's a great idea for all those little, orphan plates you see at the thrift shop.  Tape them off.  Spray paint.  And instant freshness!

I need these vases.  Above two images from My Attic.  Have you seen this blog?  It's awesome.  The author is extremely talented and creative.  And she is amazing at upcycling!  I adore her use of neon, and she is working on a project that I dearly love called "Neon vs. Pastel"  (see previous post here).  As you know, spray painting vases is difficult and she does it with ease!

Need something quick and easy for your summer table?  Here's a simple idea.  Just add tape!  Duct tape comes in all kinds of fun colors.  The tape can be changed on a whim, so your vase always matches the mood of your table.  Sorry, I don't remember where I got this image.  My bad.  Please contact me if you know the source.

Love the simplicity of these form juxtaposed with the pop of bright color.  Image via The Cool Hunter.  Excuse me, I have some vases to paint.

A New Obsession - PVC Pipe

Like many design bloggers, I am addicted to HGTV.  My new obsession for PVC pipe came from HGTV.  I upcycled materials, and materials used for an unexpected purpose.  The first time I noticed PVC pipe was while watching Antonio Ballatore's show (I love Antonio.  See previous posts about Antonio here).  I really dig this coffee table he made.  PVC pipe cut at various heights and a piece of glass on top.  Simple but very impactful.

I am itching to experiment with PVC pipe.  I think I'm going to take a power tool class.

Bex Hale from Design Star, Season 7 used PVC pipe in her white box challenge.  I think it would be awesome to make a room separator using PVC pipe.

For an 80s inspired Hollywood lounge, Hilari Younger used PVC pipe to create the illusion of separation while keeping the space open.  Groovy.

Do you read the fabulous blog Vintage Revivals?  If not, you must!  Mandi, the author, does the most amazing renovations of vintage pieces.  She gives great instructions on how you can do the same.  I love this dresser she embellished with pieces cut from PVC pipe.  I will be adding Vintage Revivals to my link list.

Ya'll know I love me some vases.  These spray painted PVC pipes used as vases are too fun!  I think I will steal this idea.  Sorry, I don't remember where I got this image.  Please contact me if you know the source.

I found a shop close to my home that sells PVC pipes and connectors.  I think it would be totally cool to use these as vases in a garden.

They even had pipes in a beautiful turquoise color!   Slap a piece of glass on there and you have a cute end table!  Perhaps I have found the table for my balcony.