My Talented Friend Carson

One of the highlights of my trip home this summer was getting to spend time with a talented friend and relative, Carson Price.  We officially met years ago when we both lived in Richmond and instantly bonded over our love of interior design and our shared affection for a local midwife, Nancy Giglio, we both used for our home births.  Come to find out, we are even related--third cousins once removed!

All of that to say, it was so fun to reconnect with Carson and get a peek at what she has been up to lately.  She has gotten back into painting, and I'm so glad she did!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this gorgeous painting of what I'm going to guess is the James River.  

She focuses on nudes, landscapes, and abstracts.

I love the way she uses color in her nudes.

These are just a few favorites I pulled from her website.  When I visited her at her home in Richmond, I could not help but snap a few pictures (with my phone…definitely not the best quality to capture how truly beautiful it all was!) of her lovely home!

What is truly amazing is that so much of what you are seeing are DIY projects Carson has completed.  You know you have got some skills when it looks like you paid a professional big bucks when really you whipped it out on the cheap!

That credenza?  She lacquered it herself!

Not wallpaper my friends…Carson hand stenciled these gorgeous walls.  Do you spy that nude over the potty?  Love that dark background...

She has a show coming up at Ruth & Ollie in Richmond on October 1 from 6-9 pm.  Her home is bursting at the seams with beautiful pieces that will be on display there.  As if I needed another reason to miss Richmond…

Lucky for me, I got to bring home a little piece of Carson with me to California.  Check out my very own Virginia-inspired landscape!

I love it!  The bright colors are so happy!

(To anyone checking out my bookshelves…of course I've read Systematic Theology, cover to cover baby..where is that winking emoji when I need it?)

Be sure to check out Carson's website and check out her work at Ruth & Ollie starting in October!

Getchu Some Art! {Susie Bettenhausen}

I have so many amazing, new (to me) artists swimming around in my head, and I often think to myself, "I must share about such and such on my blog!"  It's really quite wonderful all of the talent you can discover through social media.  I kind of want to sell every non-essential thing in my home and fill every square inch of my little home's walls with original art.

Today I'm sharing some work by a friend (she counts as a friend in my book if you've "known" her through Instagram for two years!), Susie Bettenhausen, who is as lovely as she is talented.  She and her cute family split their time between the panhandle of Florida and way down in south Florida, where she creates the most beautiful art.  I love the color combinations she chooses.  To me, her paintings feel both energetic and exciting, while at the same time refreshing and calming.  Susie just released pictures of new works that will be available TOMORROW on her website!  Here are some of my favorites, all of which can be seen (plus many more!) on her website under the 'journal' tab.  

Give and Receive Art

Back before Christmas, when Philip and I were thinking through gifts for different family members, I became really excited about a few pieces of art that I thought would be just the thing for some of our loved ones.

We gave this cool nautical print of Charleston to my brother (this brother :)   

Don't they say something about how it's common to want to give to others what you want to receive?  I think I realized that was the case because I stopped whatever it was I was doing, looked at Philip and said with the utmost seriousness, "I want to give art!  And I want to receive art!"  It was probably the kind of thing you where you had to be there, but just trust me, it was quite funny.  Even I could admit that it sounded rather strange, but what can I say?  I tell it like it is.  I wanna receive art! :)

We got this print for my brother, Andrew, who graduated from Virginia Tech.  Ellie Sibiga did prints of several Virginia colleges right before Christmas. 

In honor of my desire to receive art*, I am going to share with you one of my new favorite artists!

I was introduced to Hayley through Instagram (oh how I love thee).  I stalked looked through her pictures, and I was blown away by her work. I clicked over to her Etsy site and found even more goodies.  In fact, thanks to a little anticipated tax refund moolah, I am hoping for my very own piece from Hayley!

I love the faces and people she does.

"Swimmers" (I spent so much of my childhood swimming, so this one really speaks to me.  In fact, part of me thinks I really should buy this one, and now I'm posting it here so I'm kind of afraid one of you will buy it instead!!)

Find this striking face here

I love the color combinations she uses in her floral paintings.

"Margo"

And I'm crazy for her abstracts!

"Dream Sequence"

Her prices are really affordable too. Really can't be beat for original work.

found via her Instagram (@hayley_km)

*I actually was the recipient of some treasured pieces of art for Christmas!  I hope to share them here soon, just need to find the chance to take some photos!

A Very Special Birthday Gift

Last year, when we sold our house in Richmond by owner, we said we'd "gift" ourselves a commissioned painting of this, our first home.

The four years we spent in this house held many treasured memories--the start of Philip's new career as a student in dental school, the birth of Wade and Holland (Holland was literally born in the house!), and the forging of many cherished friendships.  We learned to be neighbors here, where we were thankful to live amongst people with whom we had much in common and those who were very different from us.  It's where I experienced both joy and difficulty as I adjusted to my new life as a mom, and it's where I developed a love for decorating and DIY projects.

Needless to say, this was a place to remember (and really, aren't they all?).

Unfortunately, like so many things, commissioning someone to paint our home became yet another thing it seemed hard to justify doing.  There were so many pressing things going on as we prepared to move and subsequently tried to quickly get settled in our new home in Illinois that we never got around to making this dream happen.

In the meantime I discovered that a friend of mine from growing up, Kate, had quite the artistic talent and she had recently gotten back into spending time painting.  Reading through her blog, I was smitten with her work!  I love watercolor, and I think Kate has such a knack for the way she captures her subjects on paper.

Check out some of her work:

all images taken from Color Me Happy

Being the subtle person I am (cough), I suggested to my sweet mom that "Gosh, I sure would love a painting of our house by Kate!  I think she's really talented and how cool to have a piece done by a friend!"  My mom being the doting mother she is, took note of my suggestion :)

Can you imagine how excited I was to open this belated birthday gift tonight at my parent's house?! (We are finally in the great Commonwealth visiting our family before we head west to Cali!!)

I snapped the picture really quickly with my phone and there's a bit of a glare, but isn't it lovely?!  I think she captured our home so beautifully.  I'm already scheming about how I'd like to frame it.

Thank you Mom (and Kate!) for this gift I will treasure forever!  Be sure to check out Kate's blog and join me in asking her to keep on painting!!  :)

Fun Frame Source

Last week, I received a fun little treat in the mail.  {side note:  I was particularly happy for this little pick-me-up because of the morning I had just had.  Trying to be the fun, adventurous mom I want to be, I packed my kids up with lunches for a "hike" that was about a 30 minute drive from our house.  No sooner had we started out on our little walk did my four-year old begin to break down in inconsolable tears over the heavy load of monster trucks that was strapped to his back.  Of course I suggested the rational plan of action--let's take your backpack back to the car and unload the dozens of trucks just so he could walk a little easier.  He refused, and so we promptly returned to our car for the 30 minute drive back to our house, having "hiked" all of 20 yards!  Serenity now!}

Moving on.  This beauty is small--very small--but I loved her from the moment I saw her while perusing one of my favorite etsy shops--Painting Well (I wrote about the shop here too.)

"The Way," 5x7, $30

"Slow Edge," 5x7, $30

"Pale Noon Rising," 11x14, $135

What also caught my eye this time was a photo the shop owner included with her listings for some really interesting frames.  You know I am all about some inexpensive framing options!

These frames are sold by the shop Signed and Numbered and are each hand built.  I love all the colors and the weathered look of the frames!  Don't they beautifully complement the art?!

10"x10" frame for $31.50

8"x10" for $22.25

8"x10" for $33.50

8"x10"s for $20.25

There are literally hundreds of options and sizes available, including custom orders.  What's great is you could totally use one of these frames for a high quality oil painting by simply removing the glass.  Of course you could leave the glass in place depending on the type of art you were framing.  They also sell frames with matting, should your piece need it.  As long as your painting is done on a standard size canvas, you are good to go!

Of course gold frames are always a safe bet when framing oils, but for a different, more casual look, I am definitely going to file away this shop for future use!  You can't beat these prices either!