art

Slowly Embracing Fall

Date: September 15, 2018
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: art, decorating, inspiration

The temps are going to hit 90 degrees today…..thoughts of sweaters, boots, and pumpkin flavored food makes NO SENSE!

Why is it that people seem to get euphoric over the fact that Autumn is upon us?

 

I imagine that if you have been trying to manage the schedules of a bunch of kids on summer break, the idea that the school system will take over is NOT a bad thing!  That is a good reason to say Hurrah Fall.

I imagine if you live in a place where the temperatures and humidity are oppressive for many days in the summer, the arrival of cooler days is NOT a bad thing.

But….for me….no kids to wrangle any longer….and living in a state where Autumn can mean SNOW….I am not so quick to jump on the pumpkin wagon!

Source

I LOVE summer!!!  Let me repeat…I LOVE SUMMER!
Alas…there is not much I can do to stop the calendar pages from turning.

This year I decided to make the transition SLOWLY!

I am slowly packing away the summer decor around here and putting out some touches of the Autumn season.

I stitched up some new covers for the chairs in the family room.  They are quite a bit more fall like than the turquoise and blue ones that were there before.

Away went the starfish and beach scenes by the fireplace.

I used a photo editing app to turn this fall photo into a watercolor look.

 The coffee table arrangemen is just some spheres with interesting textures and cotton bolls.  Nothing a Grand can’t touch and explore!

The baker’s rack has autumn tones with the copper items. 

The bowls are filled with some artificial produce…..yup…I am turning into that dotty old woman with WAXED FRUIT! 

But hey….the Sweetwater Grandgirl loves to put the food in her grocery cart and push it around.

 The wreath on the front steps lost the patriotic red, white, and blue.  Sunflowers and dried grasses have a nice transitional look.  I even broke down and added a couple of scarecrows and pumpkins.

These little nods to the season are just enough to head toward Autumn.

It is supposed to stay really warm around here for a few more days…
And just so you know…..I am still wearing my WHITE JEANS….2 weeks after Labor Day…So There!

Summer “Ain’t” over until I decide it is over!

Have A Wonderful Day!

Round Up of Inexpensive Wall Art

Date: February 8, 2018
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: art, decorating, framing, gift idea, inspiration, photography, Stuff to buy at Good Will, thrifty

 Finding great looking things to hang on the walls without spending a fortune can be a challenge.

But NOT having great looking things to hang on the walls would be just SAD!

When we travel, I love to shop in all the fancy art galleries we see.
I should clarify the word “SHOP” and change it to “LOOK”.
Oh, how I would love to rationalize spending thousands of dollars on unique pieces of art!
Alas, I just can’t do it!
My thrifty alter ego reminds me that there are other ways to have pretty things on the wall.

I decided to do a post about the many ways and many places you to find great “art” for you walls.
Since I have been doing this for more years than I want to tell you….I will take you on a “art walk” around Sweetwater as well as share some great ideas from some other thrifty folks.

First though…..about frames and framing.
One of the best sources for frames is the thrift store. 
Look past the questionable “ART” in the frame and imagine it with your own.
A little spray paint or touch up with a sharpie can make a battered frame look new.
If you don’t have access to a mat cutter, look for standard sized frames.

One great source for art is those vacation photos you take.
This is an enlargement of the view from our hotel on our trip to Hong Kong.  I used a photo effect program for my iPad called Waterlogue to create the watercolor effect. 

Look for coffee table sized art books at the thrift store.  You won’t feel bad tearing out a page that has a fabulous image.  Adding an oversized mat allows the image to look larger than it actually is.

Note cards or greeting cards with a theme can make a nice tryptic. I have to confess that since I wanted the images from the purchased cards to be bigger, I scanned and printed them larger.  It probably doesn’t exactly follow copyright law…but I did buy them and didn’t make them that much bigger.

Wrapping paper come in many beautiful patterns.  A lot of boutiques sell single poster sized sheets of paper.  This chocolate themed paper will be perfect as subtle valentine decor…althought the “real” thing might be tastier.

Framing a tea towel is a similar way to have a large image on the wall.  Keep an eye open for these when you are boutique shopping. Here are two different towels switched out for the season with new mats in the same frame.

Those of you who are frequent readers know my obsession with fabric.  Using a fabulous print as a wrap around a frame is a simple way to create large interesting pieces of art.

I did a little looking for some other sources for interesting and inexpensive art.

Check out  https://www.posterhaste.com  
There are really wonderful options for personalized art here.

Mr. S got this print as a gift from the Sweetwater Daughter.

She ordered it from this site.
https://grafomap.com 

You just type in the place and a cool looking graphic is generated.


I think I might do one for our current location in blue.

Here are a couple of other people’s blog posts about “cheap” art!

www.apartmenttherapy.com/cheap-art-frame-ideas

https://www.pinterest.com/favillephoto/unique-things-to-frame 

So….anyway….that is my roundup of ways to have “luxury” art on a budget.
What are your suggestions?
I would love to hear from you!

Instant Spring in Ten Minutes for Ten Dollars!

Date: March 8, 2017
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: 10 min. project, art, flower arranging, flowers, garden, simple pleasures
This is the time to start looking for signs of Spring!

One of the sure signs of Spring is the arrival of the Primose plants at the Home Depot!

 Mr. S and I were there yesterday!

Ah Hah!  There they were.  2/$5

I figured it was worth spending $10 on a little bit of Spring that would last longer than the usual bunch of tulips.

The copper bowl (from Goodwill) was the perfect holder for the four little plants.
It was a simple matter of plopping them in there and adding a bit of Spanish Moss.
Spanish Moss is one of those “little things” that is great to have around to add a nice touch to planters.
Primrose plants need to have the spent flowers picked off to keep them blooming. If I am lucky, I will keep these around until it is warm enough to plant them outdoors….wish me luck!

There you have it…..Ten Minutes…..Ten Dollars…..Instant Spring!

Have you ever wondered about the old saying about being led down the “Primrose Path”?
  
The primrose path refers to someone living a life of ease and pleasure. Not to be confused with “led up the ‘garden path'”, which is an idiom suggesting that one is being deceived or led astray.

It would be nice to think that at Sweetwater we live that life of ease….and frolic down the Primrose Path…..but sometimes I think it is more likely that the garden path is our destination!
www.barbclarke.com

 Think Happy Spring thoughts today….it is only about 2 weeks away!

Link Parties
Happiness is Homemade
Create With Joy 
Life On Lakeshore Drive 
Nifty Thrifty Things 
The Fabulous Party

Goodwill Love

Date: January 24, 2017
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: art, collections, goodwill, thrifty

Sweetwater Style is all about thrifty shopping and Goodwill is definitely one of my favorites.
In fact, I even have a tab called Goodwill Hunting that gives tips for shopping this great thrifty source.

I realized that it has been a while since I shared some of my “finds” at the thrift store.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t been to Goodwill on a regular basis! In fact, I try to get there at least once a week.
I usually go on Wednesdays and join all the other “seniors” for the 25% discount day!
Or…I take a load of donations and use the 25% off coupon that you get with your receipt!

 
My latest trip to “Boutique Bonne Volonté” (that is Goodwill for the uninitiated) was pretty successful.

That sweet Fitz and Floyd canister is a perfect addition to my growing collection.  Almost everything here is a Goodwill Goodie!

The copper pot/vase was another great find.  I am thrilled to have it to add to the baker’s rack display.

Remember….Bar Keepers Friend is a wonderful copper polish that will keep all of this stuff gleaming.

Those cute little wooden hearts will soon get a coat of copper spray paint and be a “classy” addition to the display.

I am really thrilled with these two skeleton leaf prints.  They are in perfect condition.  They are framed in the perfect frames with a taupe mat that matches our new family room paint color.
What a find!

Yup….the “Boutique Bonne Volonté” price was hefty at $14.99…..but still a deal compared to the list price from Kohl’s!


I am waiting for delivery of a floating shelf for over the television in the family room….

Won’t the pictures look nice leaned against the wall on the shelf?

Oh yeah….and the media cabinet that the tv sits on was a “Boutique Bonne Volonté” deal too…$20!

It is only 2 days until the next Goodwill Senior day….Can’t wait to see what is “in store”!

Have a Wonderful Day!

Free Graphic Design Tool

Date: January 16, 2017
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: 10 min. project, art, computer tricks, photography, technology tools

I have always been fascinated by graphic design.
I admire people who can DIY their own beautiful graphic designs.
I am NOT one of those people!

That is why I am so in love with CANVA!
This on-line graphic design tool is free with sign up.

What Is Canva?
Canva is a free tool that is available over at Canva.com which you can use to create graphic designs.

The tool is designed to make designing simple and provides templates that are very professional looking.

There are posters, flyers, cards, facebook headers, instagram, and so many more.

I am obsessed with the photo collage and the posters.

You can also make a custom sized graphic for almost any purpose.

Canva is a simple drag-and-drop type of software and that’s all there is to it.
There are a variety of options that are so fun to pick from.
In fact…..knowing when to stop “picking” and get on with it is probably the biggest down side.

As you can see from the images, you can select from a lot of features to help you create your design such as: text, layout grids, backgrounds and objects.

The best thing about having a CANVA account is that you can upload your own photos and images.  CANVA saves them so you can use them any time.

Here are some of my Canva designs.

Somethings just don’t have to be complicated.   Creating simple blog graphic or a social media post should be simple and enjoyable.
I really recommend that you check it out.
I bet you get hooked too!

Have A Wonderful Creative Day!