My First Custom Weaving

Here's something exciting: this weekend I completed and delivered my first custom order! It was so fun to work with a customer to figure out what they're wanting, create the tapestry, and see the reaction. She said she loved it!

She selected the colors, and I think it turned out really well. She promised to send me pictures when she gets it hung in her home.

Here are a few pictures I snapped at my house before I delivered it.

I sure would love to do a custom order for you too! Just click the word SHOP at the top of the blog if you're dreaming of having a custom woven wall hanging of your own. :)

Ch-ch-changes for the Etsy Shop

Good morning! I'm trying out a new idea with my Etsy shop. I can't say yet if it will stay, since I'm not completely sure if I like it. But I kind of do.

Anyway.

I've added vintage items to my Etsy shop. I also playing around with adding the words "& Vintage" to my Eck Art shop name, although I'm not loving that name part now that I've tried it. I think I just want Eck Art, but I like the idea of putting my vintage finds in the shop, since I just don't have room to keep it all. And believe it or not, I sometimes find good stuff.

I closed up my flea market booth, by the way. Not only was it too much work hauling stuff over to the booth and dealing with broken or misplaced items, but it also just didn't match my goal. I don't want to be a junk dealer. I want to sell art and vintage items to make homes prettier and more interesting. The booth wasn't supporting that dream, so it's done.

So I stuck in a few items that I'm ready to part with. Just a few random home goods that would look nice in the same home where a tapestry would fit in. Maybe someone out there has the same taste as I do!

All this really brings attention to what I consider my biggest weakness: photography. Especially product photography. It's hard!

I spent all last weekend playing around with a white background  I did a little staging by removing the dust covers from some books and using them as props. I also tried using a falsa blanket as a background, but I think it ended up being too busy. Next, I want to try just photographing the items in my home, where I would put them, but that requires a lot of light and a clean house.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my inventory so far. And I've got a lot more to add. I just need to get up the courage to try photographing them again.

Papa's Dresser is Finally Mine!

This past summer was one of the best summers I've had in a long time. I always enjoy summer, but this one was packed full of all my favorite things, and I'm confident I didn't waste a minute of it. My days were spent enjoying family, weaving, sleeping, reading, photographing, playing and traveling (I have pictures of my trip to NYC to share with you soon). I grew some food, caught (and missed) a plane by myself for the first time, and acquired some fabulous new furniture.

And now, four months after my summer vacation ended, I've finally managed to clean my bedroom enough to photograph that fabulous new furniture. (Bad house blogger...)

Feast your eyes on my new treasure up there.  Isn't it beautiful? This furniture is great just because its shape and style, but it is extra neat-o because it belonged to one of my favorite people ever.

When my grandma passed away in 2009, all the furniture in her home was given out to the kids who needed it. My college-aged little sister needed a bedroom set, so Papa's set went to her. I really wanted it, but I already had a bedroom set that had belonged to Rand's grandpa, and he didn't want to part with it. So basically, I was stuck with a set I didn't like.

I painted it and added DIY leather knobs, you know the story. Even though I like how that other set turned out, it still doesn't measure up to Papa's furniture, so when my sister decided to upgrade to other stuff in her home, I snagged it.  Our old set has moved on.

Unfortunately, Papa's set showed signs of living in a college student's apartment. It needed a little love.

I really didn't want to sand down and restain this set. The odds that I would get the stain to match perfectly were slim, and also, I just don't like it. I prefer the original, even if it's imperfect. In order to revive, but not redo this furniture set, I dug around for Morgan Satterfield's great post on refreshing old wood furniture.

Side note: Does anyone know what happened to Morgan? She's disappeared from everything, even her online store. I don't know her personally and it's none of my business, but I miss her.

Anyway, I followed Morgan's directions to the letter. I also switched out the itty-bitty knobs for some bigger, louder ones. Two original knobs were missing and the drawer pull from the middle drawer was gone, so I just replaced all those places with my new knobs. I like how it looks cohesive and a little quirky now.

Rand likes all the drawer space. I like the mid-century shape and beautiful wood. And that it was Papa's. And free. Win/win on this one.