New Job and Home Tour

Well it's been a bit long time since I last posted. Seven months almost! I started a new job at the Cincinnati Art Museum working in the Marketing and Communications office. It's great to be able to see art on a daily basis. There are so many amazing pieces that I can imagine hanging in my own space. It has got me thinking about the artwork I choose for my walls. Mostly, I have cheap prints or photographs or works cut from books hanging on the walls. One day, I'd love to be able to actually invest in original pieces.

Recently I came across this stylish, yet classic home. It is the home of Meg Lonergan of LeSueur Interiors. I love how she mixes traditional pieces with modern fabrics and art. Check out these images and you will understand what I mean. I covet those Audubon prints.

World Market Rocks!

I could seriously furnish an entire apartment or house with housewares from World Market. I always loved this store even before it was cool. But lately they keep coming out with new furniture and housewares that are spot on with the current trends and also well-made. My husband and I got our desks from there a few years ago, and they are still holding up very well.

Here are just a few on my wish list. How great is that chaise in picture 5 below!

Odette New York

Today I am featuring the very talented jewelry designer, Jennifer Sarkilahti, of Odette New York. Founded in 2006, Odette jewelry is designed and crafted by hand in her Brooklyn studio. I knew Jennifer from George Mason University, where I worked in the School of Art as she was completing her MFA in Painting.
Her abstract paintings were very well received by students and faculty, and now her jewelry line is making the rounds. Her large swallow necklace was even worn by Taylor Swift! Nice work, Jenny!


Arrow Earrings




Bullet Hole Earrings




Bullet Hole Necklace




Fox Claw Bracelet




Arrow Ring




Relic Earrings




Spear Ring




Sundial Earrings




Large Swallow Necklace




Photo by Jennifer Causey for The Makers Project



Handmade

We recently moved from our home in Virginia to Cincinnati. I am in love with this town, even though it was a difficult transition after living in Virgina for close to ten years. Cincinnati is full of vintage shops and artisans. I just attended the Crafty Supermarket, which was up the street from our place. I wanted to buy everything I saw, but since I'm still unemployed, I had to restrain myself. I feel I have a renewed appreciation for handmade items. The first three here are not from the Crafty Supermarket, but I still love them!

Leigh Viner vintage restored photography print

Caroline Wright's Migration No. 14

Joya's Handmade with Joy leaf necklace

1337motif's cutting board

Sarah Hyland's Ohio

Local Repurposed Glass

IKEA Docksta

I have been thinking about the Docksta table for months and went online today to check it out again and see how it might look with some Craigslist chairs I've also been eyeing. Alas, no Docksta!!!! Does anyone have any idea if they are discontinuing this table? I haven't been into IKEA yet, but probably should very soon! It's such a great table and pairing it with some cane chairs is just what I had in mind...

New Persian Rug

I found this great handmade persian rug on Ebay for only $50! It's about 2.5x4.5 so it's not huge but it's a great size for our small office. Right now I'm debating on the colors. The red is fun and adds a little something to the mostly neutral room but it's red. And ever since I painted a wall red in one of my first apartments, I've stayed away from the color. So is it really true what designers say--that every room needs a punch of red?

One Strange Day

Today the Virginia and D.C. area experienced the largest earthquake since 1944 (measuring 5.9). People as far as New York and Ohio felt it! The last time I recall an earthquake was when I was a young girl in the mid-80's in Indiana. I don't really remember much except for the dishes rattling and shifting inside the china cabinet.

After evacuating the art building where I work at George Mason University, we all stood around wondering what to do next. It was a small earthquake, comparatively, but still it shook everyone up. Then I began to worry about my apartment and if anything was damaged or broken. My co-workers said, "well if it's broken, then it's broken." And I was thinking, yeah, you're right, but inside I felt like, oh that's "my stuff, my stuff." Terrible, I know. What if it had been worse? When I came home to apartment, this is what I found:

Nothing broken, nothing severely damaged, all was fine. And we were all safe, which is honestly, all that really matters.