Pencil Me In... slipcovers for you. 

I took a little trip to High Point and visited the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library.  It is a complete research center devoted to the advancement of knowledge of furniture.  In addition to housing a remarkable collection for research, there are more than 800 titles available for sale, with topics that include interior design, textiles, home furnishings, furniture design, and history.  I took this opportunity to restock my own personal library.  My favorite find was "Textiles Today - a global survey of trends and traditions", by Chloe Colchester.
www.furniturelibrary.com

While I was in High Point, I met my friend, Jenny Brewer, for lunch. Since Jenny is a real estate agent and since I am a furniture buff we took the scenic route so I could see this really cool property.  Ever dreamed of living in chest of drawers with socks?  It is for sale or lease.  Let me know and I will put you in touch with Jenny.  She is the one waving in my bug.  http://www.jennybrewer4u.com/

I am pleased to announce I will be co-hosting Slipcover Summit June 2012 at the Hickory Furniture Mart.  The only event of its type in the country totally devoted to the art and profession of making slipcovers for furniture.  Organized by Karen Erickson, this event moves around the country each year, and I am excited to be bringing it to NC for the first time.
http://www.slipcoversummit.com/

I can’t wait to cover this old wing chair in red & white check in time for Christmas!  I love working in red and white and some of my favorites come from the GP&J Baker beachcomber plaids & stripes collection.

Scenes of cotton in Edgecombe County are a part of the Thanksgiving homecoming tradition.

These are my sweet new shoes.  I was the highest bidder at a live auction to benefit NC UM Camp and Retreat Ministries.  Chelsea Masters hand painted the shoes and created them especially for the Sweet Dreams auction.  Chelsea is studying art & design at NC State University and has been custom designing shoes for several years.  

Pencil Me In hosted the Triangle WCAA August meeting.  Together, Jackie Soderling and I presented the program on “Covering it With Slips - What it is Really Like to Run a Slipcover Business”.  It was a fun morning of conversation with this great group of Small Business Owners.

I had so much fun with this colorful project!  Karen brought me a basket full of vintage table linens to be incorporated into her slipcover.  I used a printed border tablecloth for a gathered skirt and paired it with GP&J Baker’s lifestyles beachcomber check in apple.  An old drying cloth was stitched into a pillow.  To the ribbon ties on the neckroll and the back, I added some cool birds hand crafted in clay by Gilda Aita.  Maybe these birds are partridges for the pear print?

I love sunflowers.  I love art.  I love my garden.  I love my daughter Katherine.  And I love the new sunflower art in my garden by artist Katherine Meeks.  On Campus Creations Online Store.  Portfolio.

Recently I needed to charge my creative energy so I took a little road trip to Aita Studios in North Wilkesboro to visit my childhood next door neighbor and longtime friend Gilda Aita.  In addition to teaching art education in Wilkes County, Gilda has worked in clay for over 20 years, creating spiritual art.  I came home fully charged and with a prayer pot to boot that I proudly display in my workshop.  If you are interested in seeing more of Gilda’s clay art, visit www.aitastudios.com.