Happy Easter!

I was thrilled with the way these Easter vignettes turned out for Table Seven Antiques. This gorgeous shop in Ghent has been a client of mine for years and lucky for me has turned into a wonderful friendship as well. The backdrop for these photos is a late 1800's bread board. Stunning, right? Just take a few minutes to look around and there are photo backdrops everywhere!

We featured themed basket ideas the week leading up to Easter and it was a big hit.

. . . for the craft cocktails lover

. . . making Good Friday great

. . . basket essentials

. . . for the manly man

. . . for the foodie

. . . must have basket sweets

March Self Portrait

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon the #marchmeetthemaker challenge, but I am pretty proud of the outcome of what a few extra minutes each morning can produce.

I won't bore you with the detailed explanations of all the photos, but if you insist...then check them out at Instagram. I will say I have two favorites of this exercise. Second row/photo five, Third row/photo one. These two best sum up who and what fairview place is - a beautiful mess. Haha, I'm only slightly joking. It's easy to get caught up in the photos of perfectly manicured studio spaces, cute storage essentials, gorgeous product shots and so on. How a person can create such beautiful things and not make a complete mess? I find it completely refreshing to bring out my boxes of findings, a pile of felt and a glue gun and have half the room torn apart in a matter of minutes (I would imagine that the hubs feels completely refreshed when it's all put away at the end of the night ;).  So, moral of the story? Quit obsessing over the perfect photos and do what comes naturally!

Poster Board to the Rescue!

Today's #MarchMeetTheMaker is photography, which I thought was a great theme. Product photography is something I've struggled with for years. I had the good fortune to befriend many photographers in college who taught me about composition and editing, and I like to believe I have somewhat a good eye . . . but in the world of products? I have no clue!

So, recently I invested a few bucks in a couple sheets of poster board and I've been making photo studios all around my house. I've also been making use of some nice natural textures, like our wood floors, seats of our dining room chairs and various trays (see below). Of course, the only catch is you need natural light and to be in the right room at the right time. But, I think I'm finally getting a hang of it. 

after photo here

Our guest room is painted yellow. That plus the morning sun bouncing off the neighbor's white siding is a perfect concoction for nice photos.

after photo here

One of my go-to's is the landing for the back entrance to our house. Looks a little shady - and is definitely cold in the winter, but it does the trick every time. As long as the dryer isn't on ;)

after photos here, here and here. oh and here!

This trusty bamboo gift came from our wedding registry, but I think it's been used in more fairview place photo shoots and brooch transporting than for kitchen needs.

after photo here

My favorite chair was the scene recently when I caught some innocent light coming in our living room very early one morning before work.

New Brand!

I've decided it is time to focus on fairview place. Hopefully that's been a little obvious already. Everything just needed a face lift, cleaned up and simplified. I needed to give the brand the attention it deserves. So, I give you the new logo.

And the new emblem.

Although the paint chip business cards were a huge hit, I just received my new cards and postcards in the mail. Previously I had designed, printed, cut and assembled all my marketing materials. While it was cute, it was also very time - and space - consuming. I'm simplifying by using my business card as my tag, and possibly the postcard in some tagging fashion as well.

The next big step is to get the Etsy shop back up and running. I've made my photographing process very straightforward and am working on launching later this month with a small collection of my best sellers. 

So, some really exciting stuff going on around the shop. I hope you'll stick with me along this inspiring journey!

Raw Materials

stems, sprigs, foliage or "garnish" and I think I'll start calling it.

I'm participating in the #MarchMeetTheMaker Instagram challenge and today's theme is raw materials. My collection of materials has become pretty extensive over the years, since I've pretty much tried every craft project under the sun. But, I'm pretty proud of it.

buttons galore! aren't they beautiful?

Years ago estate sales and flea markets became my number one shopping choice. I scored loads of vintage buttons and fabrics. I once found the mother load of antique silk and paper flowers, along with rare and expensive branches and other foliage at an estate sale just down the road. I still have ribbon and bias tape from my grandmother (and friends' grandmothers), and lots of other special findings that make fairview place creations truly one of a kind.

all the bases to my accessories.

Now it's not to say I still use Michaels and other craft stores for some materials, but it's mostly for the brooch backs, elastic, and other accessory bases. I really strive to make sure no two pieces are ever alike - unless of course that is what is wanted :)

ribbon, bias tape and feathers for brooches and the twine for wrapping the bouquets.

Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek at the materials I use. Follow along as I post all month for the #MeetTheMakerChallenge over here.

and last, wool felt of course!

Salad Sunday

I've been trying some new salad recipes in attempt to shed the winter weight I picked up in the last few months. I thought it would be challenging to jazz up the same old salad routine, but of course Pinterest came to my rescue and my salads have been quite interesting this week. For this kale salad, I'm totally digging the curry and honey dressing and will definitely make it a regular on the menu. 

What you need:

1 bunch kale
1 15 ounce can chickpeas
4 mini yellow, orange or red bell peppers
2 green onions, diced

for the dressing1 tsp honey
1 pinch paprika
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Mix everything for the dressing in a glass shaker. Chop the onions and add to the dressing to marinade. 

2. Chop the peppers in rings. Cut the ribs out of the kale, and chop the remaining leaves. Combine in a large bowl.

3. Drain and rinse the chickpea then add to the veggies. Pour the dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper. Eat right away, or let the dressing soak in for a few hours for a better taste.

Ask and you shall receive.

The only request I had for our California itinerary was to see a Flower Market like this:

{credited to @subi_ann}

My sister, who was our very own personal tour leader for the trip, responded with “I’m totally in.”

Boy, did she deliver. She found The Original Los Angeles Flower Market, located at 754 Wall Street, in downtown LA. For just $1 (on Saturdays), you could peruse the hundreds of vendor stalls with absolutely stunning botanicals. It was remarkable to see so many types of flowers I have never seen before. And finally get to drool over these marvelous blooms in person, instead of just Instagram.

I've taken a stab at some of the flower names, but maybe about 20% are actually correct? Feel free to chime in with edits at any point. 

Orchids

Mums

Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Eucalyptus Silver Dollar

Roses

Heliconias, Bird of Paradise and Gingers (the bizarre basket cone)

Tuberose

Mixed Bouquets

Seeded Eucalyptus (top left)

Snapdragon

Leucadendron

Bottlebrush plants

Pincushion

Banksia

Protea

Ornamental Cabbage

Ranunculus

Green Rosette Red Cone 

Gladiolus

Leucadendron