Asheville

We have been talking about going to Asheville for years. Finally, this year we made it happen! We left on Thanksgiving afternoon, made a pit stop in Charlotte, then spent the rest of the weekend shopping, eating and visiting the eclectic city. Of course, my favorite part was the gorgeous Biltmore Estates! The mansion was decorated for Christmas and it totally put me in the mood for the holiday season. I also really enjoyed being in a new city with such a booming arts vibe, lots of local establishments and exploring with my favorite boy. I have lots more to share about all the inspiration I found within the city, but that'll come next!

Battery Park Book Exchange. A shop full of books and lots of spaces to relax with some bubbly.

Carmel's Restaurant with a fantastic fried green tomato and cheese sandwich, with a hefty beer flight as well.

The Grove Arcade, reminds me so much of the Seldon & Montecello Arcades in Norfolk.

Gingerbread decorating competition.

Inside the Arcade

The Biltmore

Statues by the reflecting ponds

The Conservatory

Love that door with the wreath on it! And all the Christmas Cacti!

Airplants in a wreath!

Found this cutie among the poinsettias. 

The Grove Park Inn, which we'll be staying in next time.

Riverwalk Artist Gallery

Monday Musebles

Better Block: Round 2

Better Block is happening again! This time on 35th Street and Newport Avenue, and it's the biggest event to date with 12 pop-up shops, seven food vendors, three parklets, food trucks, outdoor (and indoor) stages and so much more. Fairview Place isn't popping up this time, but my partner-in-crime Glass Gardens is, along with Intelligent Lushes and By TAlyse. I was super excited to have the chance to design another map for the event. Colley Avenue Printers donated the printing and they look fabulous! All the festivities begin tonight at 5 p.m., better see you there!

Felt Flower: Christmas Collection

I know a certain someone who has already claimed this first Christmas Bouquet. She's made a pretty good trade offer and if the bouquet doesn't sell this weekend, I will just have to take her up on it. This was the second bouquet I made and it makes me want snow and hot chocolate and my living room to be lit up with Christmas lights (pretty impressive a few felt flowers can do all of that, right?). I used a variety of materials for this bouquet, including vintage buttons, burlap, 1950s tinsel garland, pinecones and yarn. Just makes you feel like turning on some Bing Crosby and snuggling by the fire, right?

For this bouquet, I experimented with some satin fabric I had left over from this dress (which I still have not worn). Turn out to be a nice and lovely addition to the felt. I used lace for the accent pieces and centers of the smaller flowers.  

Some of my flower arrangements are inspired by massive amounts of felt I never use, i.e. greys, blues and purples. You'll never find grey flowers in the real world, but here they look plain pretty! I placed the bouquet in a maple syrup bottle we got for a housewarming present, so you might just get a whiff of that sweet, delicious smell with your bouquet.

Felt Flowers: Spring Collection

The Spring Collection was the hardest for me, and I'm still brainstorming some other color combinations. My grandmother always had daisies growing beside her garage, so I definitely want to make a big daisy bouquet for all the Mothers and Grandmothers in May.

I played around with lavender stems and am pretty happy with them. They would make great housewarming presents, and since they are lightly infused with lavender spray, it's pretty much the real thing.

The great thing about felt flowers is you can have them in any color! In the real world, it's a little hard to come by real baby blue flowers. In the felt world, it's just another day in the studio.

I think these mini bouquets (about five inches tall) would make great Easter gifts for family and friends. The flowers can also be attached to hair clips or elastic headbands and tucked inside Easter eggs. Is it bad I'm already looking forward to the Spring and it's just starting to feel like Autumn? I guess another benefit of felt is I don't have to wait to for a new season to start working on my creations!

Felt Flowers Have Arrived!

The cat's out of the bag! I'm officially making felt flowers, boutonnieres and bouquets. It's something I've always wanted to try and after my successful attempt at the brooches, I figured, why not?! At first, the process was very tedious and, to be honest, a little frustrating. After of a weekend of practicing, trying different wires and strategies, I think I've got a hang of this.

This first bouquet was modeled after one I received on Sunday. Sonia brought me the lovely flowers (right) when the family came over for dinner. As I sat down Monday night thinking of what to make, I looked at the fresh bouquet and decided I would make those.

This would be a great idea for brides who do the traditional 'bouquet toss' at their reception. Instead of having an extra bouquet made, you could have one of these made, and it's also a great memento to the receiver.

The sunflowers are probably my favorite so far. I just love the big, bold presence of them, and they look great on a plain stem without even putting them into a bouquet.

The JMU Flowers...One thing that's difficult for me is not seeing team colors when I'm arranging the flowers. Is that weird? I think it is. Regardless, of your team allegiance, the purple and gold bouquet is quite a statement piece and would be pretty addition to any room.

This is the miniature variation of the Autumn bouquet, consisting of 7 flowers, instead of 13 (not including the leafy garnish). The mini bouquets would make great table centerpieces or lovely accents to a buffet or mantle. As you can see, I've been quite obsessed with this new crafty outlet... I'll be posting more throughout the day, including Christmas and Spring Collections :)

Monday Musebles

Are you ready for another Better Block? You better be, because it's happening this weekend on 35th Street in Norfolk. This time I opted out of a pop-up shop, but have been helping with the marketing efforts...including another MAP! I was making final edits to the map over the weekend and needed some photos of the neighborhood to finish up. I was luckily enough to catch these beautiful clouds after Friday night and Saturday morning's storm. Can't wait to see the Blocks come to life in just a few short days! For all the details, please check out the Facebook page here.