Jen Bowles Design

Sunday Scenery: The Beach in Winter

In Winter, the ocean beach takes on a different mood.  Still beautiful but feeling more open and vast...

And yet everything remains comfortably the same.  The rocks, the shells, the treasures waiting to be discovered...

Just beyond the seawall, the winter sun illuminates a variety of textures of a beach town in the off-season...  In winter, there are fewer distractions and more time to stop and notice the details...


At a nearby harbor, seagulls gather...
Fishing boats sit idle...
And dry docks are stacked high.
Here too, there are details waiting to be noticed...

and captured.

Just keeping reminding yourself...

Source: etsy.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Happy Tuesday ☺ !

 

Winter Cloche

It's stormy today but here along the coast we're just getting rain.

I can't say that I'm too upset about that.  I've decided that I'd be happy with a mild, make that very mild, winter.

The other morning we did wake up to a light dusting of snow.  The kind of snow you can just sprinkle some ice melt on the steps and call it clear, no snowblower required.  It was also the kind of snow that made a lovely backdrop for photos of my new winter cloche.

My Mom participated in the 12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas mini workshop offered last month by several talented artists/bloggers.  Lucky me, I had a birthday and was gifted this wonderful winter cloche my mom created during the workshop.

My favorite thing is the blue silk bow around the glittered deer's neck

I also really like the {bleached} white bottle brush, pearl bedecked trees.

And the fence is adorable.

As is the sparkly, pearly topper.

Yep, I love it all.

And really, I'd be happy if this cloche was all the winter I experienced this year!

{Another} Visit to Tinsel Trading

How could I take Ebby to New York City and not take her to Tinsel Trading?  I mean really, what kind of mother would I be?

Ok, fine.  This was my stop and she was along for the ride.  Don't feel too bad for her though-- afterward we spent a solid half hour the Forever 21 in Times Square.

Back to Tinsel Trading.  The shop was decorated for the holidays with lots of glittery Wendy Addison goodness.    

Wonderful nest themed cloches

I loved this display of glittery star and bird wands

Not all of the seasonal treasures were Christmas related.  I love the color of the pumpkins on these Autumn boxes.

Of course no matter what the season, Tinsel Trading is always a feast for the eyes.          

Unfortunately unlike the last time I was here in December 2009, we didn't run into Jenn from Sweet Eye Candy Creations--though I did look around for her :-).  I did see something new though:  this wholesale area chock full of more Wendy Addison creations.

So many amazing and beautiful vintage glass beads and faux jewels.   Love the patina and the packaging.

Inspiration by the yard indeed!

 

Fort Point Open Studios

Recently I made the trip into Boston to attend Open Studios at the Fort Points Arts Community.  As it is, I've barely been making it into my own studio space, so why not check out the spaces of some talented artists and soak up inspiration for the afternoon?

Good plan, because there was plenty of inspiration for the soaking.

The buildings we visited were working studios, most were actually working and living studios which made for some very cool spaces.  Wanna see?

Inspiration No. 1:  Greetings and Doors

Hello, kitty

Great "house" numbers

Atelier sign on a white beam.  So artsy, so lofty.

Of course even during Open Studios some spaces have to be kept...

Inspiration No. 2:  The tools of the trade

Brushes.  Paints.  Sigh.

Is it wrong to be enamored with a sink?  It has 3 faucets for goodness sake.  Awesome work sink.  Reminds me of elementary school and washing my hands with the powdered/granulated white soap from the dispenser and then drying with the brown paper towels that absorb pretty much nothing.  Good times.

Inspiration No. 3:  Collections

It's always fun to see what people collect and how they display their treasures.

Beautiful vignette with fall flowers and beach finds

Detail of an incredible wall of vintage tools at Laura Davidson's studio. 

She also collects tin toys.  So fun!

More beachcombing finds, this time displayed in a printer's drawer.

Inspiration No. 4:  Living Spaces

Not only did we get a glimpse into several working artists' studios, we also saw their homes (or at least their crash pads).

This whimsical seating area was tucked behind a screen of vintage doors and surrounded by book filled shelves.

Loved this detail:  a simple wooden board as growth chart

Bookcase in Lisa Knox's studio, fun see all her trinkets on display

Inspiration No. 5:  Artwork

Why, yes, we did actually see some artwork as well.

Tin chicken by Laura Davidson

Works in progress by Susan Anderson

Assemblage dolls

Inspiration No. 6:  Fort Point neighborhood

Authentic.  Urban. Interesting.       

Definitely a well-spent afternoon. 

And I made it home just in time to watch the Patriots game.  Art and sports--good priorities, right??

Urban Art: Boston's South End

One day in July Ebby and I spent the afternoon exploring Boston's South End.  We visited several shops, a bakery and an art gallery.  Along the way we saw a couple of great examples of colorful, outdoor, urban art. 

Painted by Japanese artist and current South End resident Yuko Adachi, this electric meter housing warranted a special trip across the street so I could inspect it up close. And photograph it.

The colors and patterns are at once whimsical and psychedlic.  Pretty rad combination.     

This mosaic wave wall is near a playground/dog park/ball field.  Love the quasi-ombre effect of the small square tiles.  

Finally, this amazing mixed media mosaic wall, otherwise known as the Betances Mural.  The project was a cooperative effort that involved artists, residents of the Villa Victoria housing complex in which it is located and local children.  The mural depicts Ramon Betances, 'father' of the Puerto Rican nationalism movement.  The collection of ceramic tiles is full of incredible details.  We could've spent all afternoon examining and enjoying the wall.     

I loved stumbling upon such great public art in one of my favorite cities.  And discovering it with Ebby?  Double bonus!

 

  

 

I Want to Ride this Bicycle

I knew it was Bike Week on the Outer Banks but this isn't what I expected...

It's way cuter!

This awesome creation was on display at Lighthouse Garden in Corolla Village, parked outside on the porch.  What a great combination of elements: garden flowers, beachy, and whimsy.

All the little details are so fun.  Ribbon and fabric strips wrapped and tied all over, hand painted chain guard and I absolutely love the bike basket.  How can you resist starfish-on-a-pink-stick and glittered paint sticks?!  There's even a bit of funky costume jewelry in the mix. 

I love this idea and I love this bike.  I'm not sure exactly what you do with one of these if you don't have a quaint storefront to display it at but I do know that the next time I see a bike at the swap pile...watch out!

 

 

House Tour: Ebby's {Teen} Room

For a long time, Ebby had a pink room.

Here's Ebby's room in 2003. 

It's ok to be jealous of the mottled brown shag carpet.  This room also had louvered folding doors that led out to a bizarre Juliet balcony over our family room.  Perfect for a 6 year old. Not.  And the walls--pink.

In our next house, here's Ebby's {Tween 1} room.  It's still pink, but we jazzed it up with pear green and bold polka dots.  Ebby really liked this room because it was big and had a walk in closet.  Can't blame her really.

When we moved into our current home in 2008, Ebby's {Tween 2} room was an ivory colored box.  The former owners had used it as a guest room for their grandchildren. We discussed the wall color for a while.  Ebby picked out 4 colors and wanted one color on each wall.  Unpacking from an interstate move into a house where every wall was ivory?  I just wasn't up for that.  So she chose one color.  You guessed it:  pink.   (The messiness in some of the before pictures is purely for effect)       

Last summer Ebby officially became a teenager.  For her birthday she wanted a bedroom makeover.  No more pink.  I agreed and we designed a room to coordinate with her 13th birthday party--or did we design her birthday party to coordinate with her new room?? Hello turquoise, lime and aqua!

For the wall paint I used Valspar Signature paint & primer-in-one from Lowe's in Rapids. I was a bit unsure of the color when Ebby picked it, it's bright & saturated.  Once it was on the wall, I loved it.  Her room gets plenty of light (when the shades aren't down...) and it looks great.

Overall the size of her room here is small (10x11, maybe) so furniture placement is a bit of a challenge.  The location of her Expedit shelving unit was non-negotiable.   We did however swap out the pink bins and replaced them with turquoise and  brown.  Her new bedding is from Target.  I found a great desk hutch at Jordan's Furniture clearance center which gives her some nice additional storage.  And yes, she actually uses her desk.  The pinboard was recovered with the brown polka dot fabric (from Joann).  A couple of months after the re-do was completed, Ebby got a pet chinchilla, Charlie.  Lucky for him, his cage color harmonizes with the rest of the room ;-).  Ebby really wanted a butterfly-type chair and we found this one at Target last summer, along with the turquoise faux croc cube next to her bed.   The quilt is the one my mom made her for her birthday.  The small shelves over the headboard hold a few special trinkets and some word art.  I love that we used the giant E from her birthday sweets table. We added this little accessories nook after my mom gave Ebby the wire jewelry hanger for Christmas.

My favorite part of Ebby's room is the ceiling decor.  Once again, I reused decorations from her birthday party.  A few months later I sewed her several long paper circle garlands and we added those to the mix.  For some reason Ebby gets annoyed with me when I go into her room, lie on her bed and stare at her ceiling.  I can't help myself, I find it endlessly fascinating to look up there.

So there you have it, Ebby's {Teen} room.  I should probably refer to it as Ebby's {Teen 1} room.  She's already asking to move the furniture around.  So restless, always wanting to change things.  I have no idea where she gets that from...

Quoteable...

“She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short.”

(photo taken in August 2003)

Happy Pinning or Pin Happy?!

Are you familiar with Pinterest?

If not, here's an explantion directly from the source:

Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.

People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.

We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world.

I first heard about Pinterest a few months ago on twitter.  I took a quick peek but decided not to delve in.  First there was the matter of needing an invitation.  Then there was the matter of already having several online social media sites to interact with.  Hello flickr, tumblr, my photo a day tumblr??  Not to mention my semi-neglected blog ☺.

Then I received an invite from my friend Candy (of Candy Howard Photography).

It was all over.

At this point, I'm pinning more than a bunch 4 yr. olds at a birthday party (4 yr. olds that are playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey...).

Wait, did I say Party?  I have a board for that.

Also beginning with the letter P, polka dots.  I have a board for that.

I love flowers and am longing for spring.  Beautiful Blooms?  I have a board for that.

My favorite board has to do with the beach (shocking!):  Sea of Love.

I have a board with Inspiration for Creating and Home Inspiration.  21 boards in all, with more being added all the time ☺

Really, the possibilities for boards are endless.  And inspiring.  And delightful.

One of the great things about Pinterest is that each pin links back to the original source (!).  No more uncredited photos or forgetting where you saw a great idea.  And of course there's seemingly unlimited inspiration and eye candy!

So, c'mon along and feel free to follow me on Pinterest.  If you're not on Pinterest and you'd like to be, no problem.  Just leave a comment or send me an email and I'll hook you up with an invite.

Happy Pinning!