Handmaker of Things: Local Loves

Local Loves

08/31/2015

KC Loves: Inspired by Nickel & Suede

When I heard that Kilee, owner of Nickel & Suede was looking for bloggers to work with, I assumed she meant style bloggers. However I started formulating something unique in my head. I love her business, and the simple, beautifully hand made (not to mention feather weight) suede earrings they create. I wanted to work with her, even though Handmaker of Things is not about fashion. I brainstormed and came up with an idea. A series of blog posts and projects inspired by Nickel & Suede's earring of the month.

August's earring of the month was olive green, a total no brainer. Greenery has been a huge trend in floral design in the last few years, much the same as the color olive green has in fashion. This was the perfect opportunity to embrace all things lush and green. I had so much fun styling these images, and playing around with different combinations of succulents and greenery.

Also as a bonus each month I'll not only be sharing these styled images, but also a DIY project or floral recipe that I've created, each inspired by the Nickel & Suede earring of the month.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow to see part two of this lovely collaboration and check out the simple DIY I've got in store (it's one I think everyone should know how to do).

xo - Emily

(this post is created in collaboration with Nickel & Suede)

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09/04/2014

Let's Take a Tour of West Elm Kansas City

I know that I'm not the only one who is BEYOND excited that West Elm is back in Kansas City! I love this brand, just take a look at this Thanksgiving tabletop inspiration I put together with them last fall. I got the chance to enjoy a private viewing the day before the grand opening, and let's just say I wanted all the things in the store (no, I'm not exaggerating either). So without any more delay, come along, let's take a tour of West Elm Kansas City!

I walked in the front door, and BOOM, there it was, the Peggy Sofa. Good thing I have absolutely no more room for another couch in my house, because this beauty would've been coming home with me. I love the clean style lines, and she comes in a wide variety of fabrics and colors.

If there's one message I got during our tour it was that West Elm loves to work with artisans who hand craft their pieces, whether local or international. They want to bring the personal touch that comes along with hand made items to their products.

I absolutely loved that gold and white light fixture hanging over a table near the entry.

In addition to collaborating with hand made artisans, and local businesses, West Elm loves working with designers in all different realms, including fashion. For example Steven Alan, a mens wear designer, teamed up with them to create their Stripes collection.

The styling in the store perfectly showcases West Elm's products so it's easy for shoppers to picture them in their own home. Their visual merchandising team also created some fun, hand made pieces like this beautiful muslin chandelier dip dyed for an ombre effect.

I was inspired by the woven piece below in the front window, definitely going to give it a try in my own home.

And of course the very best section in the whole store featured the work of local artisans including Convivial Production (above), Ruff House Art (prints and cards below), Happy Habitat, Ampersand Design Studio, Tad Carpenter (prints below), and Axel Co. (arrows below).

Here's the pretty stuff that I walked away with that day. A throw I had my eye on from Happy Habitat, an & print from Ampersand Design Studio, and a gold leaf frame to put it in. Yay! And it turns out I was the very first customer to make a purchase EVER! A huge thank you to West Elm for having me for a visit, the store is gorgeous, and I can't wait to continue to bring your products into my home.

xo ~ Emily

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07/07/2014

Everyday Flowers Number Five

I was contacted recently by Emily Reinhardt, an amazing local Kansas City ceramics artist. She sells on Etsy, and her business is the object enthusiast. I've been a fan of her work for awhile, and love following her on Instagram. She makes the most gorgeous pieces, I honestly could fill every shelf in my house with them. So you can imagine my glee when she offered me a piece of her work to incorporate with some of my floral designs. Obviously I said yes. I wanted to make this really special, so I decided to do an Everyday Flowers post, three different ways to style a vase. Below is the piece she gave me. She uses lots of gold in her work, a woman after my own heart!

I created my arrangements in the spring, one of the most lovely times of year for flowers. For this first look some of these blooms aren't something you'll find in your local grocery store, but check out a flower shop in April or May, and you're sure to come across some. I'll give you the names too, so if you want to, you can know what to request. From left to right pictured above: poppies, mint leaves (from my garden), sweet pea, peonies (from my garden), spray roses, astrantia.

To get the basics on prepping and arranging your flowers visit this post.

I love using herbs when arranging, they add a lovely fragrance above and beyond the flowers. I find that mint is a nice compliment to the sweetness of flowers like roses, and peonies.

Poppies are super delicate, and a little tough to get sometimes here in the midwest, but when you can get them it's totally worth it. They make quite a statement.

For the second look I wanted to keep things super simple. This is a look that literally anyone can style. One large bloom in a vase, you really can't go wrong. Of course I used a peony, they are the queen of spring flowers. This one's from my garden, but you can find them in abundance in the spring, sometimes even at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

Boom! Gorgeous, no?

Greens are a huge trend right now in the floral world. I've done tons of weddings this season that incorporate lush wreaths, and garlands. It's no longer all about big fluffy balls of flowers, but interesting foliage in all shapes, sizes, and colors. And of course succulents, I'll never tire of those. I think the greens really compliment the beautiful vessel, and let it's beauty shine (literally).