Hello,
So, I have always loved thrifting but this guy is awesome!!!! He is Rashon Carraway and I first saw him on the Nate Berkus show. I found his website today and am hooked!!! Take a look at the great things he does with thrift store items!!
Take a look at his blog and you will be hooked!!!
Stay creative,
Charmel
http://www.rashoncarraway.com/
Friday, December 9, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
flower headbands
Greetings,
I realized the other day that I am obsessed with FLOWERS!!! I attended the Nutcracker Market a few weeks ago here in Houston and was analyzing the booths and patrons. I noticed that booths that sold items related to little girls were very popular. Also, over the last year, I have noticed the flower headbands on newborns and little girls. Well, I took a leap and decided to make some. I ordered some flowers about a year ago and they have been sitting in my closet and I realized they needed to be put to use. Last week I pulled them out, bought some headbands from a local store and went to work. I am really pleased with the way they turned out and they were super easy to make. Here are some pics of the finished product.
They can also be found on my etsy shop....www.etsy.com/shop/mclester78
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| yellow flower headband |
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| blue flower headband |
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| pink flower headband |
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| animal print headband |
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| green and black animal print headband |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Emma Amos
Greetings,
I just found a great article about a wonderful artist, Emma Amos.
Painter, printmaker, and weaver Emma Amos was born in 1938 and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where her parents owned a drugstore. She began painting and drawing when she was six. At age sixteen, after attending segregated public schools in Atlanta, she entered the five-year program at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She spent her fourth year abroad at the London Central School of Art, studying printmaking, painting, and weaving. After receiving a BA from Antioch, she returned to the Central School to earn a diploma in etching in 1959.
Amos’s first solo exhibition was in an Atlanta gallery in 1960. In that same year she moved to New York, where she taught as an assistant at the Dalton School and continued her work as an artist by making prints. In 1961 she was hired by Dorothy Liebes as a designer/weaver, creating rugs for a major textile manufacturer. In 1964 she entered a master’s program in Art Education at New York University. During this time Hale Woodruff invited her to become a member of Spiral, a group of black artists that included Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, and Charles Alston. She was the group’s youngest and only female member.
She married Bobby Levine in 1965 and received her MA in 1966. She had a son, Nicholas, in 1967, and her daughter, India, followed three years later. While the children were small, Amos focused on sewing, weaving, quilting, and doing illustrations for Sesame Street magazine. In 1974 she began teaching at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and in 1977 she developed and cohosted (with Beth Gutcheon) Show of Hands, a crafts show for WGBH Educational TV in Boston, which ran for two years.
In 1980, Amos was hired as an assistant professor at the Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University. She earned tenure in 1992, was later promoted to Professor II, and served as chair of the department from 2005 to 2007. She continued teaching there until she retired in June 2008.
Amos’s work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the New Jersey and Minnesota state museums, and the Dade County and Newark museums. She has won prestigious awards and grants.
She continues to create work in her studio in NoHo, New York City. She lectures and participates in symposiums, and shows the work nationally. Emma Amos also serves on the Board of Governors of Skowhegan and in the National Academy Museum.
Here are some pieces by Emma Amos, notice that she has a variety of work. There is a piece that is acrylic painted on tapestry and the hook rug at the beginning of the post is my favorite.
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| Harmony rug, 2002 |
I just found a great article about a wonderful artist, Emma Amos.
Painter, printmaker, and weaver Emma Amos was born in 1938 and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where her parents owned a drugstore. She began painting and drawing when she was six. At age sixteen, after attending segregated public schools in Atlanta, she entered the five-year program at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She spent her fourth year abroad at the London Central School of Art, studying printmaking, painting, and weaving. After receiving a BA from Antioch, she returned to the Central School to earn a diploma in etching in 1959.
Amos’s first solo exhibition was in an Atlanta gallery in 1960. In that same year she moved to New York, where she taught as an assistant at the Dalton School and continued her work as an artist by making prints. In 1961 she was hired by Dorothy Liebes as a designer/weaver, creating rugs for a major textile manufacturer. In 1964 she entered a master’s program in Art Education at New York University. During this time Hale Woodruff invited her to become a member of Spiral, a group of black artists that included Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, and Charles Alston. She was the group’s youngest and only female member.
She married Bobby Levine in 1965 and received her MA in 1966. She had a son, Nicholas, in 1967, and her daughter, India, followed three years later. While the children were small, Amos focused on sewing, weaving, quilting, and doing illustrations for Sesame Street magazine. In 1974 she began teaching at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, and in 1977 she developed and cohosted (with Beth Gutcheon) Show of Hands, a crafts show for WGBH Educational TV in Boston, which ran for two years.
In 1980, Amos was hired as an assistant professor at the Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University. She earned tenure in 1992, was later promoted to Professor II, and served as chair of the department from 2005 to 2007. She continued teaching there until she retired in June 2008.
Amos’s work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the New Jersey and Minnesota state museums, and the Dade County and Newark museums. She has won prestigious awards and grants.
She continues to create work in her studio in NoHo, New York City. She lectures and participates in symposiums, and shows the work nationally. Emma Amos also serves on the Board of Governors of Skowhegan and in the National Academy Museum.
Here are some pieces by Emma Amos, notice that she has a variety of work. There is a piece that is acrylic painted on tapestry and the hook rug at the beginning of the post is my favorite.
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| Sand Tan, 1980 |
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| Twined Flowers, 2009 |
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| My mother was the greatest dancer |
Monday, November 21, 2011
Crocheted Earrings!!!
Good evening,
As I sit and crochet I can become impatient when it takes a while to finish a project. Therefore, I have now started making accessories that don't take as much time and are very fun!!!! I had been toying with the idea of making some earrings for a while, but every time I tried, I couldn't get my gauge correct. One earring would turn out larger or smaller than the first one the I made. I was on etsy one day and saw someone that made some earrings and they used the hoops and crocheted into them. I was a little hesitant at first, but after I made my first pair I was hooked!!! I am thinking about spicing them up a little by adding more things but it's still in the making!!!
Check out some of my latest earrings and I am also working on other accessories as well.
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| Extra large red and black earrings |
As I sit and crochet I can become impatient when it takes a while to finish a project. Therefore, I have now started making accessories that don't take as much time and are very fun!!!! I had been toying with the idea of making some earrings for a while, but every time I tried, I couldn't get my gauge correct. One earring would turn out larger or smaller than the first one the I made. I was on etsy one day and saw someone that made some earrings and they used the hoops and crocheted into them. I was a little hesitant at first, but after I made my first pair I was hooked!!! I am thinking about spicing them up a little by adding more things but it's still in the making!!!
Check out some of my latest earrings and I am also working on other accessories as well.
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| Extra large black and silver hoops |
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| Large hoops made with gold crochet thread |
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| Actual look of the extra large earrings when worn |
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Newborn photography props
Hello,
I recently joined Etsy, an online community for crafters. For you all that are unfamiliar with Etsy, you can create an account to sell your handmade items. My friends have been telling me for over a year to set up a shop and finally did. Well, as I was browsing through the other shops, I realized that I needed some professional pictures on my site. I was trying to decide where I was going to find a photographer and DING, a light bulb went off. One of my childhood friends that lives in D.C., told me that she recently started a photography business. So, I sent her a text and asked if I could send her some items to use as props in exchange for me using the pictures on my site and she agreed. Who would have known that bartering still exist in the world today!!! I took some pics of the items that I made for her and am going to share them with you. All of these items were made for baby photos and I hope that you all enjoy them!!!
My etsy shop address is: www.etsy.com/shop/mclester78
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| multicolored baby hat |
Hello,
I recently joined Etsy, an online community for crafters. For you all that are unfamiliar with Etsy, you can create an account to sell your handmade items. My friends have been telling me for over a year to set up a shop and finally did. Well, as I was browsing through the other shops, I realized that I needed some professional pictures on my site. I was trying to decide where I was going to find a photographer and DING, a light bulb went off. One of my childhood friends that lives in D.C., told me that she recently started a photography business. So, I sent her a text and asked if I could send her some items to use as props in exchange for me using the pictures on my site and she agreed. Who would have known that bartering still exist in the world today!!! I took some pics of the items that I made for her and am going to share them with you. All of these items were made for baby photos and I hope that you all enjoy them!!!
My etsy shop address is: www.etsy.com/shop/mclester78
Stay creative,
Charmel
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| baby hat in pink |
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| baby mat, beanies and booties |
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
crochet ties
Good evening all,
I know I have been M.I.A. lately, but I am back again. I am trying to get more inspiration for items to crochet. Recently, I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine that had been to a fashion show. He told me that there was a young lady there that had crocheted some items and they were awesome!!! He then asked me to crochet him a tie!!! I was a little reluctant at first but I found a pattern over the next few days and took a shot at it. The pattern was very easy to follow and the tie only took a couple of hours to make!! When he received the ties, he was very elated!! Here is a pic of one that I made last week. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or leave a comment.
Stay creative,
Charmel
Here are some snapshots of the tie:
Monday, September 12, 2011
My newest love!!!
Greetings,
So, as all of you all know by now, I am addicted to crafting!!! When I was in Tyler this summer for a retreat, I was introduced to decorating canvases. I can't draw a straight line, so this was a great way for me to be creative using items that were already made. The canvases were made for my best friend's daugthers that live in the DC area. Their mother knows that I like to create things, so when I called her to ask her the color of their rooms, she was immediately suspicious. They did arrive via the US Postal Service but they did have a few dents and bruises. She was able to patch up the canvases and they worked out perfectly.
These are super easy to do and embellish with different stickers and other miscellanous items that can be found at your local craft stores.
So, as all of you all know by now, I am addicted to crafting!!! When I was in Tyler this summer for a retreat, I was introduced to decorating canvases. I can't draw a straight line, so this was a great way for me to be creative using items that were already made. The canvases were made for my best friend's daugthers that live in the DC area. Their mother knows that I like to create things, so when I called her to ask her the color of their rooms, she was immediately suspicious. They did arrive via the US Postal Service but they did have a few dents and bruises. She was able to patch up the canvases and they worked out perfectly.
These are super easy to do and embellish with different stickers and other miscellanous items that can be found at your local craft stores.
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| Madison's canvas for her room. Check out the yarn on the side, a cool accent!! |
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| McKenzie's wall canvas. Check out the pearls on the side and the button..... a few items you could have laying around the house!!! |
Stay creative,
Charmel
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