So, construction on the art studio is well under way and I can barely contain my excitement. I really underestimated the scale of this project…it’s a BIG job. I’ve decided to wait to post photos until I can reveal it completed in all it’s glory. Already, though…it is totally rad.

As I eagerly await its completion, I am busting at the seams with inspiration. There are so many projects that I can’t wait to begin. Case in point, my good friend, Kathy, and I have talked about taking an upholstery class for a long time. We are both such salvage artists that any time we drive by a piece of furniture tossed to the curb it’s all we can do to not stop and rescue it.  (That’s not to say that we haven’t rescued a few things over the years…and thank goodness for her garage.) Now it’s time to actually learn how to turn that trash into treasure!

Initially, I had a hard time finding a formal class or even someone willing to teach us, but we finally found an instructor who taught lessons at a local Joanne Fabrics, so we signed up. Over the weekend, we scoured thrift stores and Craig’s List for a few chairs in need of a makeover.

I chose a small chair that I think would work well in the studio…and Kathy chose a monstrosity of a wingback!

Clearly, Kathy is an overachiever...

On Sunday, we loaded up our soon-to-be-fabulous chairs and went to our first class. Our instructor, Frederick, is a true upholstery craftsman. He’s built a family business around upholstery and along with taking individual clients also does work for local restaurants, hotels, and offices. He teaches on the side as a way to keep the appreciation for the trade alive.

Needless to say, we’re in good hands.

He started the lesson by going over everything (and I mean everything) we needed to know about upholstery; supplies, tools, fabrics, glues, what we needed and where to buy it. Then, we got started on the initial step in the reupholstery process: deconstruction. You’ve got to destroy the old to create the new, right? I really enjoyed learning how my chair had been assembled and learning the proper technique to take it apart.

Here are some images from Sunday.

starting the 'creative destruction' process

the seat was a snap

Frederick showing me how to manhandle the back section

I got it!

disassembled and ready to be remade

So, she’s disassembled and ready for a makeover. I’ve already started shopping for new fabric and I have a few ideas on how to update her arm rests. Will keep you posted, for sure.

The class runs for 5 weeks. I already can’t wait to go back….and it’s going to be REAL hard to not scoop up every-single-thing I see tossed to the curb between now and Sunday.

Last year, my sister gave the cutest little desk calendar. Each page offered an inspired quote on friendship, family and the joys of sisterhood. It was such a cute little thing and I really enjoyed reading each day’s quote. Along the way, I started saving some of the more memorable ones, mostly because I just couldn’t bear to throw them in the trash.

Recently, while trying to organize my art supplies and find a place for them in the new house, I came across all of the tiny calendar pages with the quotes that I loved so much. It had been a while since I indulged in a random act of craftiness so I sat down and decided to do something with them.

Eric mentioned that they were the perfect size to be magnets, so I ran by the craft store to check out my options for magnets and some sort of backing to use. I found some foam board that I thought would be perfect since it was so lightweight. And I bought two different kinds of magnets; individual magnets and some on a roll. Pretty sure both would work equally well.

Here are some photos of my crafty indulgence. It turned out to be really cute! I’ll probably make a bunch of them and give them as random little love gifts…the first one going to my sister, of course!

starting supplies

I had to sacrifice a few so I could have extra flowers to use.

cut the foam board and glue it to the back

using ModPodge glue the flowers around the edges

brush a light coat of ModPodge evenly on the top and on the undersides of the flowers that hang off the edge

ta da! Cute as a button!

Recently, while browsing good ol’ Facebook, I spotted a neat craft project by my friend, Denise. Actually, she is my sister-in-law’s sister-in-law…I know that technically doesn’t make us family, but we clicked the minute we met and I’m happy to be “related” to her even if only thru marriage.

This project shows that she’s not only creative, but one resourceful lady! Using some pretty basic supplies, she created a really cute mirror for her bedroom.

Check it out!

Here’s what you’ll need:
Round mirror (could be fancy one from Target or Home Goods or you could pick one up at Michael’s for $5)
Gorilla glue
Spray paint (high gloss is best)
A piece of cardboard (larger than your mirror)
Flat thumbtacks
Masking tape

Bamboo skewers ($1.50ish at any grocery store)

Paint stir sticks (check your local hardware or paint store)

Here’s how she did it:

Step one: tape off back of mirror using 16 pieces of tape

Step two: glue paint stir sticks onto the mirror lining up the stick with the tape.

Step three: glue bamboo skewers (she used five between each stick) at varying lengths from the center.

Step four: after about 15 minutes check the position of the sticks…they might have shifted. At this point the glue is tacky enough to hold the sticks in place, but flexible enough that you can reposition any sticks that have shifted. Wait approx. 1 hr 30 min for glue to dry.

Step five:  cover the mirror with tape and break out the spray paint! (a few light coats so the paint doesn’t get too thick)

Step six: After the paint has dried, cut a piece of cardboard to cover the back of the mirror. Use flat thumbtacks to fasten cardboard to the paint stir sticks. Attach a simple hanging bracket from an old picture frame. The mirror is lightweight so you don’t need to find a stud or use heavy hardware.

Hang on the wall and enjoy!

Nice work, Denise!

I’d love to feature a project that you are proud of! Email me at emily@eclairecreations.com

Last night, some friends & I participated in a really cool service project for a local charity that’s making a difference in the lives of Atlanta’s teens. One Love Generation is a non-profit organization that empowers Atlanta’s youth to create positive change in the community through service projects and social awareness. The program partners local teens with professional artists to collaborate on art projects centered on environmental and philanthropic issues facing our world.

It’s an incredible group…and needless to say, it’s right up my alley. So, I was really excited to be invited to participate.

For this service project, they partnered up with Sole Plus, yet another totally awesome organization that uses art as a tool for social entrepreneurship by giving young artists a chance to create shoe designs and then giving the shoes to those in need.

We sat around tables piled high with Converse sneakers, brushes and paint pallettes and decorated shoes that were designed by and will be gifted to the homeless, teen mothers and patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

It was so much fun. We made new friends and collaborated on colors and designs. I even got to meet one of the One Love Generation students, Trevor…a soon-to-be 8^th grader so cool he has his own theme song:  “Everything’s better with Trevorrrr!” When asked what his favorite art medium was he replied, “All of it. I just love to create.” Right on, Trevor. Me too.

Here are some photos I snapped along the way.

soon-to-be masterpieces

as intimidating as a blank canvas...luckily, the girls who will be receiving the shoes gave us some tips on what they like, favorite colors, etc.

gotta love a girl after my own heart, she wanted pink & purple!

getting started...

the finished product!

with our friend (and one of One Love's leading ladies) Kelley Hagen

Encouraging youth to discover and cultivate their artistic talents is such a noble effort. It builds self-confidence, improves social skills and helps with academic performance. I encourage everyone to learn more about One Love Generation. Check out their website. Like them on Facebook. Follow them on Twitter. If you’re in Atlanta, watch for upcoming events. Get involved by volunteering or making a donation.  They’re making a difference in the lives of Atlanta’s youth. You can make a difference, too!

Oh how times flies!

Life has been really fun and exciting lately, not that any of you would know since I have been completely M.I.A.  So sorry about that!

Here’s an update:
Last month, Eric & I bought a new house! I didn’t really talk much about it because in this real estate market, it’s not a sure thing until you’re sitting at the closing table. I just didn’t want to jinx anything! It’s a newly renovated 1940’s ranch in one of our favorite intown neighborhoods of  Atlanta. When the original owner had decided to move out, an local designer bought it and transformed it entirely. He must be the last “flipper” in the real estate world. He took down walls, totally renovated the bathrooms and kitchen…and basically turned it into a new house.

We took one look at it in photos and immediately knew that it was meant to be our house. We went to look at it on a Saturday and made an offer the following Monday. In all, it was on the market for three days. Throughout the entire period of negotiations, I was a nervous wreck  that someone would try to buy it out from under us. Thank goodness we had a very patient and reassuring realtor…more on her in a bit.

We moved in a few weekends ago and have been incredibly busy turning this house into our home. We are fortunate that everything on the inside of the house is top-of-the line, ready-to-go. (In fact, it took us a while to figure out how to operate the microwave…and I still think it’s smarter than me) But, there is just SO MUCH to do…order window treatments, buy a washer and dryer, install shelves, hang artwork, etc. Our to-do list somehow gets longer each day….and I simply couldn’t be happier.

The outside of the house has required a little more sweat equity. While in negotiations, the inspector recommended we get an arborist to examine the red oak tree in the front yard. Sadly, what he thought were just a few dead limbs actually turned out to be much worse…the tree was very sick and would be coming down; either by a tree service or by a strong storm. The slope of the lot positioned the tree to fall away from the house. We knew as tragic as it would be to take down this magnificent 100+ year old tree, it would be far more tragic to see it come down and hit a car, neighbor’s house, or worse. So, the tree who we named “Big Red” came down…and left us with a HUGE pile of mulch.  We’re tackling it, one wheelbarrow at a time, spreading the mulch in beds around the yard. It’s a slow-going process but I’m realizing how much I enjoy yardwork…even the manual labor part of it!

So, needless to say, my tools lately have been rakes and shovels instead of glue guns and knitting needles. The scope of my “creations” will be changing for sure.  This new stage in life has inspired me to take upholstery classes, start a vegetable garden, and I think we’re even going to design and build a work shed/art studio in the back yard. I’ll keep you all posted, for sure!

In the meantime, here are some photos of the work-in-progress. We are simply in love with our new home.

pansies & a church pew

main living area (dining room table coming soon)

our favorite room in the house

Um, yea...that's a wet bar. Totally ridiculous.

our little patio

lower backyard

upper backyard (I've got one word for you: POOL)

Finally, I do not possess enough positive words in my vocabulary to describe our realtor, Kate Burke. She should teach a course on how to be a powerful negotiator. She’s that good. What’s even more impressive was her complete objectivity. Regardless of the price of the house we looked at (and we looked at a LOT of them) she remained driven to find the best house for US. She would be the first one to point out possible ‘cons’ on the higher priced homes as easily as she shared excitement in the lower priced homes. There was never a doubt that she was sincerely looking out for our best interest. She’s totally fabulous, and someone I now consider a friend.

So, if you are looking to buy or sell a home in Atlanta, you gotta call her.

Kate Schneider Burke
Dorsey Alston, REALTORS
404-441-5283
kateburke@dorseyalston.com

necklace-making nirvana

not your dad's tacklebox...

I'll be honest, I had no idea where to start...

so I started in the center and worked my way out

making some progress...

I actually liked the way it was turning out!

The finished product! (Not as lovely as my friend, Laura...but I was pretty happy with it!)

I really like the necklace and I even got a few compliments on it…but the hours that it took to make it gave me an appreciation for why the price tag was so high on the one that I found on Etsy!

My sister is getting married this weekend!! We are all so excited and I’m pretty thrilled to officially be getting a brother. He’s totally awesome and immediately fit right in with our family. There are a lot of traditions built into weddings, but my sister and her fiancée are really making this experience their own and I’m really looking forward to all the unique touches and individual features their wedding day will include.

They are also a very humble couple and were pretty certain they didn’t want any parties or showers or the obligatory gift-giving….so, we simply threw them a surprise engagement party! And yes, we showered them with gifts! We are a sneaky bunch, when need be…

I saved all the ribbons and bows so I could make her a bouquet for the rehearsal, but I knew I wanted it to be unique. So, instead of pulling out a paper plate and creating a big mess o’ ribbons I decided to make roses out of each one and fashion them into an actual bouquet. There are countless blogs and video tutorials out there with instructions on how to do it, so it was actually quite easy. And I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

Here are some photos of the process:

We had dinner with the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. last night and I gave my sister the bouquet. She really liked it and it made me happy to be able to create something for their big day.

My goodness, where have I been? I’m so sorry for the silence on my end. Life has been extremely busy in recent weeks…but, there are a few wheels in motion which might lend themselves to a serious evolution of this little blog of mine, so please bear with me while the wheels keep spinning!

Realizing I never gave everyone the final update on my little pottery experiment…apologies for that!

I was able to finish the little pieces I had been working on. Love them! I will say that the glazing part of the pottery process is by far my favorite. Choosing color combinations and glaze finishes is such a task though! It’s just hard to choose. To get a feel for different combinations, I tried to mix it up and I’m glad I did. Now, when I am ready to approach the potter’s wheel again, I’ll have the finished product in mind.

Here are some photos of the last phase of the process…and of my cute little creations! Some have already been given as birthday gifts (partial reason for the delay in this posting!)

waxed on the bottom and ready to be glazed

the Wall O' Glazes

my little pots

not a bad first batch...ready to make more!

Back in December, my good friend Kathianne and her husband welcomed their first child into the world! Kathianne is one of the founding Crafty Chicks and even though she no longer lives in Atlanta, we wanted to do something special for her, and for her new bundle of joy. 

So I stocked up on little white cotton onesies, fabric markers and stencils and we all gathered at Brittney’s place for a night of ‘fashion design’. We shipped them to Kathianne and she was thrilled when they arrived. We made sure to use different sizes so the little one can grow into them. 

Here are some photos of the process and the finished products!

basic supplies

bloom, baby.

you're never too young to accessorize

good advice

baby bugs

perfect for a fasionista-in-training!

These would make a great gift idea/project for baby showers…just make sure to use fabric markers, which are non toxic. Happy designing!