Ghoulish Halloween Dinner Party

Amanda Cutler is a Dallas area photographer and Halloween enthusiast. Every year she sets her dining room table for a motley crew of nightmarish figures. This year, she sent me some incredible photos of her morbid feast table. Amanda, you've outdone yourself - this is spectacularly scary!

All photography by Amanda Cutler

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Part Two: Studio Feature at Our Style Stories

This morning I installed my art series, entitled Neuroplasticity, at a pop-up gallery space! The location for this show is perfect. It's a long, wide, blank hallway that shares space with Om Balance, a yoga studios and Serving Life Chiropractic in Snider Plaza in University Park, Dallas. There is also a great lobby at the front end of the hallway with windows over looking the plaza. These photos don't quite do it justice, but you get the idea:

And remember yesterday, Hilary Walker featured my home at Our Style Stories? Today, she's going coming back for more with a special post about my home art studio. Bonus! Check out her full article and all the lovely photos HERE.

Featured at Our Style Stories

In August, Hilary Walker of Our Style Stories visited my home to take photos and interview me for her ongoing series of lifestyle posts. I've written about Hilary before (HERE) and also highlighted her home on Houzz.com (HERE). It's been such a pleasure getting to know her this fall... so please head over to Our Style Stories and show Hilary a little love. Her blog is a gold mine of great design and unique perspectives.

Read the full article HERE. 

Thank you, Hilary, for the beautifully written feature! 

I'm so honored.  xo

This Week in the Studio

 I load in my art show on Wednesday and the opening reception is on Saturday!

If you're in the Dallas area, come take a look.

More info HERE.

Here are a few of the many works that will be on view...

Neurogenesis  -  24 x 24 acrylic on canvas

Eden  -  20 x 48 (two parts) acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

While You Were Sleeping  -  36 x 36 acrylic on canvas

Patio Complete

My patio portion of the backyard project is complete! Cement is laid, cracked tiles replaced and grouted and everything in it's place. We are in the process of turning our back yard into a wheel chair accessible spot for my son, Charlie, in addition to making space for raised vegetable beds, a chicken coop and of course an out door seating and al fresco dining area. So here is phase one complete with 'before' and 'after' photos!

You'll notice in the before photo there is a pile of bricks to the right. This is where my Uncle Fred smashed open the walkway so we could get Charlie's wheel chair our back door and through the gate to the car. And now (see below), smooth sailing for Charlie and his wheels.

We took down the small two foot wall and added five new feet of patio space with our concrete pad.

And below, our new four-foot-wide walkway that will lead to our new gate (phase two). The new gate and fencing will go in before Thanksgiving!

So here's what the rest of the year looks like:

Phase One: patio COMPLETE!

Phase Two: Fence and Gate repair and installation

Phase Three: raised beds and landscaping

Phase Three: coop and chicken run fence

Getting there...

Decay at its Finest

Halloween is fast approaching so I wanted to share the work of photographer Niki Feijen, an urban explorer who specializes in abandoned spaces. The following photos are from his book Disciples of Decay. I find this series of photos both completely creepy and oddly beautiful.  See more of the pictures HERE.

Glass Shower Ideas

Bathing my son is kind of a crazy ordeal. He's a strong kid with very little coordination and a little unwieldy when wet. We've crossed over from baby to boy and now bath time is becoming more and more infrequent. So with his particular disability we're thinking - just thinking, mind you - about retooling our shower / bath situation. There's not a lot of room (or money) to work with, but I think if I planned it well, we could come up with a solution that wouldn't break the bank. Here's what I dream of - something super stylish and completely handicap accessible - a walk-in style situation with a bench and room to maneuver.

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But the bathrooms above are kind of out there for my real-life budget. They live in the land of dream bath. Since my budget is small, I may end just up doing something with a glass shower screen and a new shower head like the pictured below from UKbathrooms.com.

Showerlux Designa Shower Screen

October in the Studio

Last spring I had this crazy idea to have a small solo art show. I was already creating a body of work thematically based on my son's stroke and wanted to manifest a space to share those ideas. Charlie's chiropractor offered her lovely lobby space for the exhibition and bam! Here we are a week away from my first ever solo show. Needless to say, it's been a big month in the studio. I have 12 completed pieces and 2 more awaiting completion. 

Of course, I want everything to go smoothly and be perfect. But I'm also holding space for mistakes and set-backs. It's been a wonderful process so far. Right now, my head is filled with all sorts of final details like creating the art key with photos and descriptions of the work, marketing materials, etc. The show just went up on the KERA Art & Seek calendar, which is Dallas' public radio connection for local arts. 

If you're in the Dallas area, I would LOVE to see you at the opening reception on November 2nd from 7-9pm. Come have a glass of wine and take a look at the work. You can RSVP via Facebook. The exhibition will be on view through November 26th. Click HERE for details. 

Lynsey Purl | Dallas Design Consultant

Dallas based stylist and design consultant, Lynsey Purl, loves autumn's cool weather. It's also her favorite time of year to decorate her family's outdoor spaces. "I love fall and the feeling it evokes," says Purl. "Childhood memories, college football and the anticipation of Halloween and Thanksgiving give me a warm feeling inside."

Instead of changing her outdoor decor for each new holiday, Purl creates a single concept that can transition from autumn to Halloween to Thanksgiving. "By keeping my autumn decor broad I can set it up in September and not have to really change a thing until Christmas," she says.

Last year I featured her home on Houzz.com and her adorable pink and gray nursery went viral. This year she decked out her front porch for Halloween and I'm so excited to share it with you! I've also included some of Lynsey's tips on how to create her DIY painted pumpkins. Thank you, Lynsey for letting me take photos of your handi-work.

How to Paint a Polka Dot Pumpkin

1. Cover the stem with painter's tape.

2. Spray the pumpkin in the desired color and let dry.

3. Place round stickers randomly over the pumpkin. I used a sheet of price tags from the dollar store.

4. Spray the pumpkin with a second coat of a complementary color.

5. Let it dry and peel off the stickers and tape.

 How to Paint a Monogramed Pumpkin

1. Cover the stem with painter's tape.

 2. Cover the pumpkin with paint (I chose a cream color).

3. Let the paint dry.

4. Choose a letter stencil and coordinating paint color (The "P" is for Purl) to create your monogram. 

How to Create a Studded Pumpkin

This is the fastest and easiest transformation.

Push thumbtacks in a random pattern into the pumpkins for a textured, studded look. Experiment with different patterns.

The Purls recently recently renovated their back patio and created an outdoor kitchen. I want to do this at my house! Purl says, "We were fortunate to be able to tie into our existing plumbing outside which was perfect for our outdoor sink." The flagstone was mortared in with a dry stack appearance to add color and texture, which ties in beautifully with the home.

Lynsey also added a little Halloween flair to her children's play house! The kids also got into the pumpkin painting act and decorated their own for the holidays. I love the hot pink one that Lynsey's daughter created. Who says you have to go orange and black for Halloween?

Interested in Lynsey's work?

Check out her website HERE. 

Glass House | Nick Olsen & Lilah Horwitz

I keep coming back to this story I read on Yahoo last week. Maybe I'm struck by the couple themselves or maybe it's what they've made. Or maybe I just love the idea of saying yes to inspirational whims. Whatever the draw, I thought I'd share it here with you.

Milwaukee based artists Nick Olsen and Lilah Horwitz built a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. They quit their jobs in the city, rented a U-haul and began collecting materials for their endeavor. The structure they created is entirely hand-made and cost the couple 500 dollars to build. The crowning feature of is a wall of reclaimed windows.

Here is a short film by Matt Glass about the couple's glass house: