JULY

This July has been a complete whirlwind. The month kicked off with my art show. I had 15 pieces of my newest style using gold leaf and epoxy on display the entire month of July in the Vine's upper gallery.

The night of the show, we had an absolute blast. We met so many amazing people, and obviously had a copious amount of Pinot Noir (it is also a wine bar after all). But the coolest part of the night was the ending. After the show, Myself, Chris and his cousin, Pat (who is from Chicago and practically lives in our basement because he visits the lake so much), stayed afterward to hang out with the owner of the Vine, Craig Sturdevant. We drank a lot more wine as he brought out bottle after delightful bottle, and talked about the future of the Vine. He had just lost his most recent manager, and the Vine was in a critical state. It needed updating, social media/website management, and gallery operations. After a quite lengthy discussion and brainstorming session, Craig asked me if I would be willing to help out. With a very enthusiastic yes, I agreed to take over their website, social media accounts, and the art side of things! I built them an entirely new, modern website to reflect the trendy, metropolitan vibe of their incredible space.

I love web/graphic design. It is my next favorite thing to do besides making art, taking pictures and eating. Ha. I'm such a loser, I already know - so please don't remind me! Also, if you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please do me a solid and follow and interact with their accounts. I need all the help I can get! It gets lonely out there when you're only talking to yourself day in and day out:(

Ok so that has taken up a lot of my time so far, as you can tell. But on top of that, it was also my kid's FIRST BIRTHDAY on July 18. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that just 365 day prior to July 18, 2015, I had an 8lb 11oz human fall out of my body? I mean. This tiny (well maybe not so tiny at the time...) human is quickly growing into a bigger human. And it is flying by so incredibly fast. Since I've started staying home with him and working out of our home, I feel the time is flying by so much faster. It can't be stopped. And I feel an even greater amount of pressure to pursue my passions and make the most out of this time while I can, so I won't regret it later in life.

After his party, I was a whirlwind of emotions. We had a Where the Wild Things Are themed party, which was very woodland/nature themed to keep things a tad grownup/classy. I've neve been a fan of bright colored,cheesy kiddo stuff anyways, and that just wouldn't reflect the vibe I wanted for our party. We ended up having to rent tables and chairs because it quickly grew into such a big event, with around 50 people RSVP-ing and coming to the lake from all over Missouri and Illinois. So it kind of turned into mini wedding reception. It was also a bit more of an adult party, with a margarita stand and all :) My good pal, Destyni, took photos of the event so hopefully I can post those at some point. All in all, it was an amazing time, but INCREDIBLY overwhelming to plan and throw together. I'm not even slightly joking when I say I felt like I was planning my own wedding all over again. But it was so incredible to see all of our friends and family, and we're so grateful everyone could make it down. We had no idea so many people would be able to attend and for that we are so happy.

I'm also planning paint and wine nights at the Vine, beginning August 5th. These will be beginners painting classes (with wine of course!), held every first Wednesday of the month. Getting nervous, but excited for that newest adventure. More to come...

Next up on the agenda, I've been getting ready for a big, important art/photography project, collaborating with an interior designer/furniture restylist from Kansas City, the incredible Shawna Hampton from Love + Home Interior Design. I found her website on Houzz and fell madly in love with her furniture restyling. She finds vintage pieces and reworks them into a modern/glam/glitzy amazeballs wad of awesomeness, wrapped in a bow of eat your heart out. They're so swoonworthy they will make your heart skip a beat. On a whim, I contacted her because I just had to see if she would be interested in collaborating. And thankfully, she was more than excited about the idea (I breathed a sigh of relief from the moment I read her first email--as she seems to be just like me!).

So Chris and I are going to Kansas City this upcoming weekend to work with her. Originally, we had planned an interior design styled shoot here at the lake. She was going to bring all of her swanky, amazing furniture and interior designy stuff in tow, and we were going to have a photo shoot of her work plus mine in a gorgeous lake view mansion. But when the mansion fell through at the last minute, we found ourselves scrambling to come up with a last minute alternative location here. And we were already both so busy. Then Shawna had an awesome idea (thank God!)...she has a new storefront in KC in the West Bottoms. Think old, vintage buildings with amazing, industrial style brick and concrete. Rich, delicious photo goodness. The store is owned and operated by Goldie and Myrtle's, and we are so grateful they are letting us shoot in their interiors! So Friday night my mom is coming down to watch our little guy, and Chris and I are heading up to indulge on some KC bbq, booze, and artsy fartsy. MY.KIND.OF.WEEKEND.

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Oh and we had some folks looking at our house this month, so that's been a pleasant nightmare of cleaning, home repairs, and the like. Like I said, this month has been a whirlwind.

Ok, that's all! Have a fantastic coffee filled Monday.

NEW ORIGINAL AVAILABLE: CLASE AZUL CHASER

"CLASE AZUL CHASER"

48x60 inch

acrylic, gold, glitter, epoxy resin on canvas

Buy the original

Buy prints/reproductions

25 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

1. I'm insanely shy unitl I really get to know someone and feel comfortable around them (then I act like an idiot once we are cool). But it often comes across as "stuck up," I've been told.
2. I have a one year old son.
3. I call a lot of people my friend.
4. I have a younger sister: Jessica.
5. I used to be OBSESSED with Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boys. I was pretty certain I was going to marry him.
6. That obviously didn't happen, thank the Lord. But I am married to THE most amazing husband/father: Chris.
7. I try to donate blood every chance I get. FUN FACT! Did you know that donating blood burns a ton of calories, because your body has to make a lot more blood (about 500mls) to replace what you give. Which is about as much blood that's lost in a vaginal delivery by the way. But the caloric burn is not why I do it, it's just an amazing benefit of saving three lives:)
8. I can't stand judgmental people.
9. I'm currently in a music rut, and I can't find anything to keep me content. My Pandora is spazzing me out right now.
10. I have a strong urge to give up everything and go and live somewhere tropical/secluded, surrounded by nature, sunshine, and the beach. I wish I wasn't too scared to do it. I wish my husband wasn't too scared to do it.
11. I was a molecular biology master's student once and at the time I wanted to pursue a doctoral degree and go to medical school (to become an MD Ph.D.), so I registered for the MCAT. I sat in the parking lot of the testing facility the morning of the exam pondering life, and decided right there that I didn't want to spend the next 10 years of my life in misery. So I left. A few months later I left my graduate program, my paid lab assistantship, and moved to St. Louis where I later obtained my BSN. So now I have two degrees.
12. I often look overdressed, rather than underdressed. But it is really because I am a poor judge of the formality of the occasion. And I went through that weird "pajama wearing phase" in high school, and regret every second of it. Maybe subconsciously I am compensating for my poor fashion choices as a teenager.
13. I love creating beautiful things with my hands. I can sew, saw, hammer, nail, paint, photograph, photoshop, illustrate, design, build websites, cook, hot glue anything like a banshee. I just can't grow plants. See #14.
14. Just once, I want to grow a successful garden.
15. I am obsessed with coffee, wine, and ice cream.
16. I can't commit to exercising. I hate running. I go through yoga and clean eating phases, but otherwise I am a potato.
17. I was at the DMV with my dad to get my driver's license the day of the 9/11 attacks.
18. As a kid, I was an incredibly picky eater. I would only eat chicken strips and spaghetti noodles without sauce. Now I will try anything once, and most of the time I end up loving it.
19. I can honestly say I have learned more about myself in the last year than I have my entire life.
20. I like to think I am an optimist.
21. I think that people who put you down for liking what you like, or being who you are -- these are the worst kind of people.
22. I am a spiritual person and I believe in God. However, I am not a fan of organized religion and church segregation/judgment on humanity. I believe God is the only one that can judge someone for their decisions, and it is not fair for someone to say what is wrong or right and persecute another human being for their wrongdoings (just because they attend church).
23. I make New Year's resolutions every year. I sometimes keep them.
24. I do not have any tattoos. I have several piercings, however :)
25. I HAVE AN INSANE DESIRE to create something really crazy. I've only talked to handful of people about it, at the risk of being committed to a mental health facility. But if I ever get the balls to really do it, I hope you will hear about it, and I hope it is amazing.


If you actually read all of these, I seriously love you to pieces.

NEW ORIGINAL AVAILABLE: PINK CHAMPAGNE AT MIDNIGHT

"PINK CHAMPAGNE AT MIDNIGHT"

48 X 48 acrylic, gold, glitter, epoxy resin on wood

Buy the original

Buy prints and reproductions