Learning to Paint

July 23, 2014
by Emily
For anyone who knows me, you know I am not an artist.  Sure, I did a ton of crafting while in a sorority, but all of that was dependent on stencils and following directions.  Nothing I ever crafted will make it to the Met or the Louvre.  Hell, it probably couldn’t even make it into a third grade art fair.

Regardless, when my girlfriend invited me to a learn-to-paint class while I was at her Eastern Shore cottage, I figured I’d give it a shot.  The worst that could happen is I’d eat cheese and charcuterie

while dabbing paint on a canvas.  Sounds like a pretty great night to me!

Nicci opened Creative Canvases Easton several months ago and has already hosted a few painting parties like ours.  She did an excellent job of keeping us focused and helping us along with our paintings.  Check out the business’s website here and FB page here.
My friend Betsy and I about to start painting.  We have on our smocks and are ready to begin!
I was incredibly surprised to find out that not only could I turn out something half decent, but I could probably even do some companion paintings on my own.
My painting, “Best Friend Birds,” used a paper towel/dab methodology.  Only the tree branches and the birds required a more focused and detailed approach.  These pieces were so simple, even I managed to paint them.

Also below, the rest of the group’s paintings.  There were five of us and only one duo chose to do the same painting.  Even though they were the “same” they ended up literally being as different as night and day.
(I’m also taking a paste paper class next week with another girlfriend.  Stay tuned for updates!)

Have you ever taken a “learn-to-art” class?  Were you surprised by your success?

Point to Point Perfection

June 30, 2014
by Emily
In early May I was so fortunate to spend the day with close friends at the Point to Point Steeplechase races in Delaware.  It was such a great event and I loved spending the day picnicking and checking out all the Delawareans in their dresses, pastels and hats.  The women looked beautiful and the men looked so dapper.



I originally found my dress in early April at Dress Barn and was so excited to find a maxi that was an appropriate length for me that I decided it was perfect for P2P.  I also didn’t really own a hat that would be “derby” appropriate, so I was on the search for a great black or white one to wear with my dress.  (Check out the dress from my shopping post here.)
I was actually visiting the Winterthur museum the week before and the shop had the perfect hat to go with my dress (and hopefully many more over the years).  The look ended up being perfect and I loved the photo op with all of my friends.

Have you ever spent a day at the races?  What did you wear?

Obviously a close up of the hat was a necessity!  It’s all about the hat!

O

Grim Philly

October 20, 2013
by Emily
Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the day in Philadelphia with my three best girlfriends from high school.  We’re all so busy with work, other friends, traveling and other things in our 20-something lives that it’s really great when we manage to carve out a big chunk of time to spend together.  We took the train into the city, stopped for mini-lunches at Reading Terminal Market and then headed over to the Independence Center where our walking tour started.  We got to see some historical Philly places and hear stories about murderers, serial killers and other “historical horrors.”  Our tour ended at The Mexican Post with beer, chips and salsa – a great day!  We even had time to stop at Ross on our way back to the train and I scored a great pair of navy flats/loafers.

I decided to wear the purple jeans I bought a few weeks ago and I thought the look turned out pretty well!  I think it was perfect for a fall walking tour and was comfortable for train traveling as well as walking.

Sweater: Banana Republic Factory Store ($41)
Necklace: Kohl’s ($15)
Purse: Nine West from DSW ($20)
Pants: DKNY Jeans from TJ Maxx ($30)
Shoes: Steve Madden from Famous Footwear ($33)
Jacket: bebe (gift)

Of course, I had to take a historical reenactment photo.  This is “The Signer.”  I think I did a pretty great job recreating the pose.

Someone was kind enough to take a photo of the four of us at the end of the tour.  Loved hanging out with my girls in our comfortable and fashionable outfits!