Taking Time to Breathe

I love being creative, but sometimes I need a break and this weekend I will take a nice long one. My husband's parents, brothers and families are coming down for the weekend and to watch my nephew play soccer against DC United. Yep, my nephew is a professional soccer player. He was one kid who had his dream come true (he worked very hard to make that dream come true). He plays for Chivas out of Los Angeles, so we don't get to see him play in person (but, we do watch him on television). So, this weekend, all 13 of us will be wearing our Zemanski Chivas jerseys and cheering on Ben!

In the meantime, here are a few of the things I've been working on.. I finished an old vanity that I've been working on forever. I found this sweet little vanity at an auction and it was in terrible shape. I took on the challenge of stripping it to the bare wood, sanding it, priming it, adding a piece of wood and a wood embellishment to the back. I then painted it a beautiful shade of creme. It is distressed, so it has a shabby, but oh so chic look! I added antique crystal knobs and some fun black trim to cover the imperfections and to add a touch of glamor.


The collage on the right is one of my favorites. I created it on a wood block that I painted and decoupaged. I then added some vintage finds -- a brass letter "C," an antique bobbin, antique buttons, some vintage beads and twine. It's for sale, but it's also hanging in my art room.

Linking to: 

It's that time of year...graduation!

A friend of mine commissioned me to design a very special present for a very special Navy midshipman whom she has sponsored over the past four years (providing a home away from home). I'm almost finished, but I'll let you take a sneak peek. What I did: Painted a wood jewelry box I found at an antique sale; then I used a special embossing pen to write the equations and calculations (she was a math major). I now know more about equations and formulas than I ever wanted to know!
The inside is really cool, too. I used vintage math books, graph paper, cards, music and arranged them to form a collage. Then I decoupaged them into the interior. I love how it turned out. Now, I just have to finish by adding the drawer knobs and add another coat of protective finish!

I also (finally) completed a child's beach-themed table and chairs that I've been working on forever, in between other projects. It's so vivid and cheerful and I can see it brightening some little kid's play area! 

Soon, I'll be posting a very shabby, but chic vanity for you all to see...it's looking good, but I've got to find the perfect drawer pulls...yard sale anyone?

Back from Brimfield

Picked up my son in Massachusetts last week and made time to stop by the renowned Brimfield Antique Show on the way up. It was overwhelming to say the least. There were hundreds of vendors carrying everything from rusted old screws and latches to fine antique furnishings. I only stayed an hour and a half, so I only managed to cover about one fourth of the show. I bought a small antique ruler for 50 cents. Yep, that's it.

Meanwhile, back at home, I scored big at the local garage sales and flea markets. I found all sorts of neat things for my vintage shop (and for me)! Really cool Egyptian napkins, a bunch of books in Hebrew and in Arabic (great for creating collage backgrounds) and a gigantic old fashion wood bird cage (for $2)! So cool! You can see some of my finds pictured here.

I am finishing a really fun, but tedious custom project for a midshipman's graduation gift this week. I can't wait to post it, but I really have to wait until I show my client first. All I can say is that it involves mathematic equations, storage and music. Curious? Stay tuned.

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my kids and a visit from my sister and her kids. I also received a phone call from my son at college! Yes, it was beautiful in Maryland today and I enjoyed an Americano (coffee) and flowers from my thoughtful husband, a nice long walk with my dog and my sis, a day of crafting with my sis and her daughter and watching my son's team win at soccer. This week, I'm heading up to Massachusetts to pick up my son from school. I'm actually looking forward to the long drive up...I'm going to take my time and top by the famous Brimfield, MA antique show. Then, I'll head up to have dinner with my son. So, I'll see you all when I get back! Have a great week.

Busy, busy, busy

Spring is always bustling and busy for me -- especially with kid's sports, concerts, recitals, field trips, special days at school! It seems like everyone is trying to pack everything in before summer begins, add to that trying to make a living at home, and I may never see my pillow again! I have been extremely busy with my work -- finished my client's two bookshelves, another bookshelf (above, for sale) working on another client project, almost completed a children's beach-themed table and chairs and created many new collage works (they are so fun). I even sold one of my favorite collage pieces to a new friend the other day...very exciting! So, please forgive me if my postings are few and far between for the next couple of weeks...you can always check my website and etsy shops (yep, shops) to see what I've been up to! My etsy shops can be found at www.wherethegrassisgreen.etsy.com   and  www.countrytagsale.etsy.com

Here is the link to my website: http://web.me.com/rzemanski/Where_The_Grass_is_Greener/Welcome.html (you can also click on the picture of the dresser drawer to the right). Right now until May 31, I'm donating 20% of all proceeds from website (sorry, not Etsy shops) to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Why not give that graduate (or anyone) a special, meaningful gift from the heart and help JDRF in the process? (Okay, that's it for my sales pitch.) Here's one sample of what you'll find:

Inspirations

I was very busy at my sister's house last Friday and ended up staying busy all week so that I could put more things on my website (click on picture of dresser drawer all the way to the right). The Juvenile Diabetes fundraiser is this weekend in Pittsburgh and I'm offering 20% of all profits made from the website to JDRF. I suddenly realized that I really didn't have enough stuff on the site, so I went to work. Most of the creations were inspirational art collages such as the ones pictured above.  As many of you know, there is also hand-painted furniture for sale on the website. I’m busy trying to get two adorable sailboat mirrors finished so I actually have something to show in my “Mirrors” section.

On another note, if you live in my area and want a fun place to visit and shop this weekend, go visit the gals at The Barn Show. Open four times a year (every season), this small “upscale yard sale” event offers an eclectic mix of fun finds -- galvanized Vermont syrup buckets, antique chairs and other furniture, country signs and architectural salvage -- just to name a few. The beautiful setting, a barn in the middle of the Davidsonville countryside, makes you feel like you've stepped into a Martha Stewart magazine spread. For more info., visit www.thebarnshow.com. Some of my treasures include three unique containers/boxes and a really heavy wood panel from an old cabinet. I’m going to make it into a chalkboard for my office…someday.

Creating in an Artist's Paradise

I had a wonderful weekend visiting with my sister and her family and my parents. We were all celebrating my niece's first holy communion. Maddie looked so special and beautiful in her flowing white dress and she wore the tiara that my sister and me wore on our first communion and my mom wore on her wedding day. 

Before the festivities (and after) my sister and I spent quality time creating in her amazing jewelry (craft) room. While my sis created her beautiful and unique pieces, I enjoyed "shopping" her incredible selection of supplies. Every time I said, "I wish I had..." she would say, "look over there" or "It's in the box marked..."She has a plethora of inks, papers, embossing tools, vintage jewelry...well, you name it, she's got it! I created so many fun things (which I will share later this week).

Her craft room is super organized, which inspired me to spend hours organizing my little space. As you can see in the before and after photos, I worked hard. If you know me, my house used to be organized, but with three boys and a messy husband, I had to surrender! I just manage to keep it clean, but it is cluttered. So, I asked myself after visiting Stacie, "since I have this little space in the back of my closet, why not strive for organization there?" The results are amazing. That's not to say that I'm neat when I'm creating, (ask Stacie) but now I have a place for everything and when I'm finished it looks great (for the back of a closet, that is). BEFORE and AFTER: