Creating a Home: Antique Markets

Hello, fellow bloggers!

How many times a day do you look at Pinterest and wish that your home could look like the pictures featured on the site? Well, it can with a little bit of bargaining and hunting.

This weekend is the best time to head to Dulles Expo Center's antique show that goes until the 5th of May. Of course, there is a small fee to get into the expo: $8.00.

What should you expect?

Zebra Skull from Africa!

• Great people
• Decent prices that are negotiable 
• Amazing finds
• The perfect pieces to fill the empty spaces in your home!

How to prepare:

• Grab a tote bag before you leave the house!
• Set up a budget! 
• My budget was $200 and I only spent $140.
• Have an idea of what you want.
• Eclectic pieces?
• Midcentury pieces?
• Girlie vases and dishes?
• Furniture
• Take a car that can hold furniture just incase you find that epic piece you can't leave without!

Great midcentury table!

What did I find?

B and I went today to search for great mid-century furniture and small, eclectic pieces for our home. I had a decent budget of $200 and left with extra money <-- so I did great, right?

The painting was sold already, but who says an artist like
myself can't paint something similar?!

I spent:

My finds :)

• $20 on a lion door knocker for my front door.
• $50 on a decent copy of Milton's Paradise Lost with illustrations by Gustave Dore.
• I can't believe I found a copy!
• $10 on Explorations and Adventures in the Wilds of Africa by Henry Stanley.
• Amazing illustrations!
• $24 on a Chrysanthemum stone
• $20 on a yellow finch figurine.
• $25 on a birdhouse for a Mother's Day gift <-- handmade!

*** All of the prices came down from the original.

What do I plan do do with them?

• The books will be used to decorate my travel bedroom for the lucky guests that stay the night with us.
• The door knocker is for our front door.
• The rock is a beautiful touch for the travel room.
• And the cute bird found a place on my plant shelf next to my orchid.

Perhaps one day I will show you the end result of my travel room!

Me exploring my new book!

Until then, enjoy hunting for treasures at antique markets!

Artomatic 2012!

Hello, fellow adventurers!

A wise man once said, "Art is a microscope, which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul, and shows to people these secrets which are common to all."

*Warning, there is some nudity within this blog post. 

Your Mission:

Visit Artomatic.

Where:

1851 S. Bell Street, Arlington (Adjacent to the Crystal City Metrorail station)

When:

Now-June 23
Artomatic Event Schedule

Price:
Free

Description:

Artomatic is eleven floors worth of art (i.e. paintings, sculptures, photography, and musicians). Bring some cash with you because you are able to buy drinks and snacks (including alcohol).

Why:
Do you have empty walls in your loft? Well, this is the time and place to buy art to fill those empty walls. Or, maybe this is the place for you if you want to become more knowledgable in the art world. Whatever the reason, be sure to check it out!

Another talented artist creating a mural on the office building wall. 

A few of my favorite artists:

• Eye of Ra Photography: Rahul captures the beautiful essence of the human body.

• Duncan Guthery Legos: This lego art is done by a very talented 11-year-old boy!

• Melissa Burley: Melissa creates amazing showcases of technology and light.

• Jamie Downs: Jamie paints the beauty of nature.

**Artomatic was filled with plenty of artists that deserve recognition too, so maybe you can go and give them it! If you go, let me know what you liked! 

Artomatic

Have fun, fellow adventurers!

"Art is what you can get away with"

As the water runs, I wash off the brushes covered in the many colors of tonight's adventure. My olive skin is no more, but is dyed many colors. The once polished looking nails at the end of my long fingers are now pink, blue, and black.  This discoloration will not last long, but is one of the many consequences of painting. 

Every once in awhile, I feel the urge to paint and express myself. Tonight, my wanderlust struck and led me to paint my wants and needs...traveling the world.

 Materials:

-Canvas

-Pencil

-Paint

-Paint Brushes

-Cup of Water

-Paper Towels

How to Recreate:

1) Take the canvas you have and sketch (very lightly) a map of the world. I suggest sketching the map with a pencil. This is your creation, so don't worry if you make a small mistake. 

2) Set up shop. Take your canvas and lay it on newspaper or a plastic bag to avoid painting the floor. Then, line up a cup of water, paper towels, paint brushes, and paint.

3) Choose at least 3 colors of paint for this project. Again, this is your creation so feel free to choose more colors. 

4) Paint the canvas first. Try to avoid painting the map you sketched out because you won't be able to see the sketched lines as clearly when they are covered in paint.

5) Paint the map. 

6) If you choose, paint the phrase "let's get lost" on it or customize it with your own phrase.

7) Congratulations! Let the canvas dry. Then, hang that beautiful creation up for the world to see.

Nervous:

-Warhol once said, 

-Unknown

In other words:

-Be creative

-Have fun

-Be yourself

The Shadows Of The Past

Have you ever seen shadows lurking in the dark? Do these shadows scare or intrigue you?

Shadows

Andy Warhol has an exhibit that displays his artwork called Shadows. Of course, unlike the creepy shadow that you see on a dark night, the Shadows by Warhol are artistic. For the first time, all of the artwork is hung together at the Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C.  So, exactly how many Shadows are lurking around the Hirshhorn? There are 102 pieces or Shadows that are installed in the donut shaped museum until January 15, 2012.

B and I traveled to the gallery on Saturday to see the installation. B was not as impressed, but I found the two types of shadows that were repeatedly painted to be quite amazing. One word to describe it would be _______. How about you go see it yourself and fill in the blank for me!

What do you think of Warhol’s Shadows?

A Journey Through Time

Time Travel: traveling through time to the past or future

When I was about 10 years old, I remember sitting on the floor watching a black and white film at my Grandpa’s house. I can easily say that this may have been the beginning of my dreams to time travel. The crazy thing is that I can actually travel through time and so can you! Let me guess, you think time travel is a crazy science fiction thing, right? Well, I am here to tell you that you may not be able to travel into the future, but you can travel into the past.

4 Ways to Time Travel:

1.  Movies: Old films provide a window into the past. A few of my favorite films to watch are: The Seven Year Itch, My Fair Lady, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. However, if you are not into old films, then you can try watching Paris at Midnight or The Notebook.
2. Music: I achieve time travel quite often by listening to old music and occasionally having a glass of wine by the fireplace. A few of my favorites that you can check out are Bing Crosby or Cab Calloway.
3. Books: I absolutely love to read during my free time or while waiting for a class to start. A few great authors to check out are Fitzgerald and Hemingway.
4. Art: You can surf the web or go to a gallery and check out art by Picasso, Warhol, Monet, and Dali. If you are interested in time traveling through art, then D.C. has an art exhibit in honor of  Andy Warhol (Click the link for details!).

What is your favorite way to time travel?

Braving the Weather

B parked the car and we stared out the window. The wind was blowing and the rain was falling. The temperature gauge in my car read 50 degrees…time to bundle up and adventure out.

B and I braving the weather.

Crafty Bastards is an event that comes once a year on October 1st, so people are willing to venture into the crazy weather to find one of a kind art pieces (i.e. paintings, shirts, candles). This is not just a festival for art, but also a chance for breakdancing competitions.  (Click the link to check out a video!) The event is free to attend, but you need money for the snacks and art you may be interested in. Keep a budget in mind!

I was surprised how many people actually attended the event due to the weather. Each tent that was set up was crowded with people and many umbrellas. Within an hour, my tote bag was filled with neat things. I went a little over my budget, but it was worth it because I found some great art, a fox shirt, and an owl candle.

What neat things did you find at Crafty Bastards (if you attended)?