Vera Makes a Bold Appearance

I visitied the Vera show at the Goldstein Gallery at the UofM's St. Paul Campus (my design school stompin' grounds). She created over 20,000 pieces in her career. Here are a few--all arfully displayed.

Purple walls made a stunning backdrop.

Incredible florals and color combinations.

Some were based on her travels.

I like how she invented her own icons.

Show runs through June 29, 2014.

My Holiday Decor Didn't COST (plus) Much

Last year after Christmas I picked up these placemats at Cost Plus World Market for a buck 29.

Wonder why I picked these out?

After 3 attempts at new decor last year, I decided to try something new. A banner in the entryway would be cool. I found this really thick yarn in the basement to attach the placemats to.

 Once I removed the label it was a tangled mess. An hour later I had this. Miss you KITTY!

I measured the door opening and marked the center points with twist-ties.

I spaced them with glue sticks, working from the center point out.

Don't cry supermodel. I'll get this done.

I still had more placemats left.

I usually swap out the art to my holiday drawings.

I even had new material from my class to use but wanted it all to match.

I put on my scrapbooking hat and made these with our old xmas cards.

Feeling a little left out Mr. Westie?

When Antiques and Crafts Collide

 Junk Bonanza is twice a year at Canterbury. It's a show that combines antiques and crafts.  There were booths with just plain ol' antiques. 

This vendor had a great selection of items.

But it was the painting that blew me away.

Some booths had a mix of repurposed items used in creative ways.

Simple, but so pretty.

I've always thought it would be neat to make new versions of old signs. This booth did just that. Good font choices. Well done!

Slideshow lampshades. The epitome of hipster craft.

The woman who wrapped this ironing board with tape measures was quite proud of it and deservingly so. She's not on the internets so don't go looking for her.

What really drew me to the event was the design competition on the 2nd floor. Love this steampunk style lamp.

This title is quite fitting as I wondered if there was a table to get a booster shot in the entryway.

Funny that the homeowner's address was on the bottom of the oil can that this trailer is made from. 

This hanging fixture was really impressive.

I bet this mosaic was heavy.

My favorite at the show by far was Paul Larson. 

I love a good collage that tells a story. Reminds me of Chris Roberts Antieau's work, except she uses fabric.

Paul Larson had a booth selling fabulous collages.

I'm not sure if Paul won one of these cool medals. My vote was for him.

PS you can view the winners here.