Barn board crosses.....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mini-Vakay

We're fresh off the road from a trip to the lake that I didn't even know I needed.  I took my camera with big plans to capture the event, but the weather was so nice I only thought about enjoying it.  This picture is the view from the deck that I took back in the fall.

I clocked in a lot of hours here chatting with the fam, reading, thinking.  It was warm enough outside that  we canoed in short sleeves.  The one & only picture I took this weekend was from my phone...  

(Sorry about the dog in bed thing Mom... I put the sheets in the laundry before we left)

I'm refreshed & ready to take on the week now!

And here's a barnboard, just because I'd like to pretend I got some painting done.

Learning Photoshop

I bought Photoshop Elements in 2009 and never did much of anything with it.  I put up a mental block on learning how to use it for some reason.  My sensei has been prodding me to use it for some time now.  The week of Mart I was looking at my portfolio and suddenly felt an urgency to embrace photoshop. It was a little too late for me to get everything in order that week, but I'm now working on restructuring the way I present my work.  It really does make a huge difference.  

Instead of just showing an art director this:  

I'll show them my ideas of where this little birdie could be used & how it would look:

 Baby steps!

I'm an auntie x7 now!  Ollie Pearl is the new little girl around here.  

My brother & sis-in-law welcomed this little lady into the world 01.24.12.

My Friday Happys

First of all, it's pouring outside....

You can't really tell in this picture, but it is.  One of my sis-in-laws calls me a vampire because of my love for cold rainy days.  I am my happiest on days like this.  Not to mention the rest of this awesomeness....

Produce delivery day! Viking Produce makes me so happy.  Every other Friday I come home to a bin of organic vegetables.  It's not all local produce, but it is organic.

The fact that we have flowers in our yard that bloom in January.  It's hard to beat a camellia bush.

Drinking hot chocolate out of a mug made by a local potter (I'm a sucker for handmade mugs) while sifting through my vintage button collection.  I have no idea where they came from, but I've had them for as long as I can remember.  Aren't they cool?

I hope you find your happys this weekend!

The good thing about my blogging hiatus...

is that I have a backlog of art.  I really liked the way this turned out..

Had to start somewhere....

I'm fresh off the road from a trip to the Atlanta Gift Mart.  I was thrilled to see my first licensed work in the Ohio Wholesale showroom.  I'm looking pretty cheesy, I know...

As excited as I was to spot my painting, I was also a little bummed to realize that the other two pieces didn't make the cut.  They'll hopefully be in their catalog and fingers crossed someone will be buying for their stores through that.  

It's so cool to see the trends before they hit the stores and it's so inspiring just walking around taking in the scene.  Two trends that I can confidently report are all things maritime (driftwood, shells, coral, boats) and bright patterns (especially ikat and anything tangerine tango (2012 pantone color of the year). 

Fun idea....

I made this for a lovely lady as a gift for her parents.  She found something similar on pinterest and enlisted me to execute the idea.  The one she found was on a plain ol' board, but of course I have the really cool barn boards :).  It's simply clothes pins glued to the board and embellished with paint & buttons.    I thought this was a fun alternative to a cork board, magnet board, or wire/twine with clothes pins.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Yesterday I struggled with joy despite my circumstances.  Not that my circumstances are that terrible, but sadness over not being able to have a baby creeps up on me out of nowhere.  I think I've got it under control and then.... boom!  It's on me like the weight of the world.

After cleaning my house, my attic, and part of my photo files I managed to feel a little more in control of my life.  I bought hydrangeas for the table and lit a lot of candles.  I painted.  My little corner of the world made sense again & I was happy to be there.

God spoke to me through my devotionals this morning.  I read two completely separate sources and they were both about time.  I love the above verses from Ecclesiastes.  And of course I can't help but to sing The Byrds' 'Turn, Turn, Turn' when I read it.  The secret to peace is accepting God's timing as perfect.  In Beth Moore's study of Paul she says, "When we continue to resist what God has for us, we may cripple our ability to understand how the pieces of our puzzle fit together.  We will constantly single out our experiences rather than understand them as parts of a whole."

There's an 80% chance of rain today and all I have to do is paint and go on one design appointment.  I LOVE the rain, I've got my head straight again, and I know it's going to be a great day.  I hope it is for you also!

Interior Befores & Afters...

This should just about wrap-up the posts on interior projects you've already seen.  

~Before~

 ~after~

~Before~

 ~after~

A few bathroom

Building on the previous post, here are a few bathroom remodels I've had to pleasure to work on.  It always amazes me how much you can spend on small spaces.

Those beautiful marble tiles & custom tile work....

The fixtures...

 The cabinetry...

And this is an all-time fav.

I've got a new website....

 

{lmharrell.com}

   I'm trying to simplify.  I've made things way more complicated than they need to be over the years.  Instead of 'painted.', 'painted by lauren', or 'art and interiors' I'm just 'lmharrell'.  I did feel a bit guilty abandoning my maiden name (since my parents put up with my shenanigans for so long), but what can you do. 

Anywho, I love my freelance interior design jobs, but I wanted my website to focus on art.  So, I'm moving my design pics to the bloggie-blog.  Please excuse the quality! 

 I was not in support of the red-orange accent wall, but overall this kitchen turned out great.  It was a tight space, but utilizing the back of the peninsula that faced the living room made the kitchen feel a lot larger than it actually was.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Before the building boom came to an end I worked with a high-end builder out of Atlanta.  She always had a huge budget and great ideas.  Needless to say, her projects where a lot of fun.  She bought old houses in downtown Atlanta and completely gutted them.  They always included building out a new space for a kitchen & master bedroom.  I wish I had pictures of this entire house... it was amazing!    

 ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Another one of her Atlanta projects in progress...

 Never under-estimate a fresh coat of paint, new countertop, and some tile.  

Check out these before & afters:

~before~

~after~

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I curse the day I didn't take a 'before' of this kitchen.  This was a tiny galley kitchen in an early 90s ranch.  The homeowner went for a super sleek look.

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Another project with no blank-idy-blank before pictures.  This client had a pretty definitive look that she wanted... I just helped with space planning.  

Believe it or not, this is in a small brick ranch built in the 60s.