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Camellias & Copper

A Southern Girl's Blog About Life

Impact Uganda : Jewelry For Sale!

by Filed Under: Art, Fashion Leave a Comment

Hi Friends! Today I want to introduce you to Noonday Collection – a socially responsible business that uses fashion to create meaningful opportunities around the world.  My childhood friend, Lindsay, introduced me to Noonday and their jewelry a year or so ago.  Lindsay is one of their Ambassadors, and is an advocate for socially responsible fashion, whether clothing, jewelry, shoes, bags, etc.

I really want you to know about the incredible sale they have going on, called Impact Uganda Sale – it’s a giveback sale going on this month and so far, $100k in Ugandan product has been sold.  What does that mean? $10,000 in additional funding for social programs!!13443986_10157030425080305_925124783_n

Bonus!  Every week of this month there is an Instagram contest with a different theme, and the winner will receive all of the new pieces from Uganda when the new fall line launches!  What a great gift!  To follow Noonday, click here: NoondayCollectionIG

For Lindsay, she set a personal goal to sell 36 items this month – you see, this month she turned 36 so what a great birthday gift for herself and for those for which she is striving to make a difference!  As of today, she’s sold 23 items, so will you be one to help her reach her goal of 36 pieces?

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Just so you know, I personally have a couple of their necklaces and they are carefully and beautifully made by the Noonday artisans.  Last year I bought a few of the Dainty Paper Bead Necklaces {the colorful one pictured above ↑} and gave them out as Christmas gifts, and of course kept one for myself :)

I hope you’re able to check out the website and find something pretty for you,your mom, a sister, a friend, a neighbor…and know that as you’re picking out these unique pieces of jewelry, you’re making a difference in the lives of many!

Magnolia : A Gift

by Filed Under: Art, Decorating/Remodeling Leave a Comment

Way back in February, when it was my birthday, some super sweet and incredible friends that I work with got me a gift certificate to Magnolia Market.

Magnolia, as most of you know {or should know…} is Chip & Joanna Gaines’ shop in Waco, Texas.

If you don’t know who Chip and Joanna Gaines are…well, we just cannot be friends any longer.

Kidding.

They are just mine and Andrew’s couple-twins and they are living our dream in real life.  Oh, and they also have that fabulous show on HGTV, Fixer Upper.

Now, you know who they are.

So, I got the gift card to Magnolia and from time to time I checked things out…what would I buy?? I wondered.

Hmmm.

I debated several things.

I even put things in my cart and then removed them.

As you can tell it took me close to 3 months to decide what I would purchase.

Tonight I got my box.

Giddy, I brought it inside, got the scissors out of the drawer.  Reynolds helped me open the box…001

First impression.

    1. They use black and white striped tissue paper on top.  Classic.
    2. There is a picture/thank you card from Chip & Joanna.  We’re bffs, they just don’t know it.

003 I bought one of Joanna’s signature candles because I loved it so much and burned out the first one I purchased {more on that in this post}.  I also purchased a “Toilet” sign for our new powder room.

But the best thing was yet to come…in it’s own envelope…

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With it’s own black and white tissue paper….007

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Oh, the signs! I love all of them but there is a saying that Andrew and I have when things go awry…”at least we’re together”.

So when I saw this sign, that was it.  This was the one big thing I had to have.  I’m not entirely sure where in our home it will end up, but out of the two ideas I’m toying with…one of them will surely be fantastic!

Drew, at least we were together.  I forget the rest. ♥

Columbia Open Studios : Forest Acres Tour

by Filed Under: Art, Events Leave a Comment

I hope you read my post last night about Columbia Open Studios this weekend…tonight, check out this great itinerary my sweet friend Chloe put together for me in preparation for Saturday.
This itinerary is how my family will explore our neighborhood route of Columbia Open Studios this year. It covers the way we’ll hop to and from artists’ studios in Forest Acres – with some of our favorite places to grab breakfast, lunch and dinner along the way!

How will your family explore Columbia Open Studios? Check out the artists in your own neighborhood online at ColumbiaOpenStudios.org, then answer in a comment below to be entered to win a pair of tickets to the official Columbia Open Studios Preview Party, Thursday, March 31, 7-9 pm, at 701 Center for Contemporary Art in historic 701 Whaley!

→MORNING←

Start your neighborhood tour of Columbia Open Studios with breakfast in Trenholm Plaza on Forest Drive: Settle down with a stack of housemade pancakes and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice at one of our favorite family-friendly spots, Original Pancake House, or grab brunch at the trendy Tazza Kitchen to try their Spicy Sausage & Black Pepper Honey Breakfast Pizza, huevos rancheros or crabcake benedict – and a mimosa, if you’re a passenger on this self-guided tour!

Want something quicker to eat on your way to artists’ studios? Pick up a scone or muffin at neighborhood bakeshop, Ally & Eloise, further up Forest Drive; or a healthy pressed juice and fresh granola, yogurt and fruit cup from local health-nut haven, The Fresh Market back in Trenholm Plaza.

Making your way down Forest Drive, start your tour at mixed media artist Lyssa Harvey’s studio (24). As well as working as an artist, Lyssa is a therapist and runs the Art and Play Therapy Center of South Carolina, a nonprofit that helps children through counseling, art therapy and play therapy.

Next, visit the studios of Scotty Peek and Sally Peek (42), creative couple extraordinaire. If you don’t have a Nana by Sally bag, you probably know someone who does… and guess who makes those? Sally Peek! Her husband, Scotty, draws and paints, so you’ll get a diverse experience visiting their home studios.

Next up is Lee A. Monts (38), mixed media artist and painter who focuses on natural scenes, and also works as an illustrator for novels and poems. After that, visit the studio of Alicia Leeke (34) whose work is inspired by French Salon painters and how they captured history, social conscience and architecture by painting the people and environments surrounding them.

Continue on to the studios of Mike Donkle (12), painter and photographer; and Mary Ann Haven (25), who specializes in Tromp L’oeil and is often commissioned to produce elaborate, beautiful murals and decorative finishes in residential homes.

→MIDDAY←

For lunch, stop by one of our family’s favorite spots: Groucho’s, a Columbia institution for more than 70 years, for one of their famous sandwiches; The Happy Café for a locally-made, veggie-packed salad; Village Idiot for a quick and yummy slice of pizza; or the local fast-casual staple Zesto for a burger and fries, with one of their iconic vanilla cones for dessert (add rainbow sprinkles for extra fun!).

After you’ve filled your bellies, venture down to Lake Katherine and Heathwood to check out the working spaces of pottery maker Jane Schwantes (46) – and maybe even pick up a piece of her homemade porcelain tableware – then Angel Allen (2), who makes mosaics with found objects; and Jan Swanson (49), whose paintings are created layer by layer.

Head down to Garner’s Ferry Road to get your jewelry fix at the joint studio of jewelry maker Betty Evans and handmade bead crafter Carolyn F. Ramsay (16). Then, visit artist-of-many-trades Patrick Parise (41) to see drawings on copper and zinc plates, paintings on glass panes and more, before getting on Beltline Boulevard and heading back up to Forest Acres to cap off your tour with a delicious dinner.

→EVENING←

You’ve finished touring the art studios of Forest Acres! Hungry? Head back toward home and stop in to The Pizza Joint for a brick oven-fired pie and beer; Tombo Grille for a contemporary Southern meal (often with live music in-restaurant!), or the neighborhood upscale Italian favorite, Rosso Trattoria, for a handcrafted pasta dish and a robust red from their extensive wine list. Cheers to you!

Where will you explore on your Columbia Open Studios tour? Don’t forget to post your answer in a comment below to be entered to win a pair of tickets to the official Columbia Open Studios Preview Party at 701 Center for Contemporary Art in 701 Whaley on Thursday, March 31, 7-9 pm, with cash bar, complimentary small bites, a preview art exhibit and a chance to meet the artists of Columbia Open Studios!

Columbia Open Studios, presented by 701 Center for Contemporary Art, will take place Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, April 3, 12-6 p.m. across the City of Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties. For online maps, artist bios and more info about Columbia Open Studios and the Preview Party on March 31, 7-9 p.m., visit→ Columbia Open Studios.

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Explore The Artists’ Studios! + Preview Party Ticket Giveaway

by Filed Under: Art, Events 4 Comments

This is for my local friends {sorry everyone else!}, in and around Columbia, SC….

Starting this Saturday, you have the unique opportunity to see our local artists at work.  In their homes, their gardens, their garages, their lofts, etc. AND buy their art, with 100% of sales staying with them.ColumbiaOpenStudios2016graphic

This is really great!  For a couple of years now, Andrew and I have seen the signs in our own neighborhood but never took the time to actually get out of the car to see what was going on.

So, if you’re interested {like me!} and want to know where to start with this tour, there is a 32-page guidebook with maps and full artist list, with work samples, available at 701 Whaley – in the Center for Contemporary Art.  Or check it out here: Columbia Open Studios.  Also along the routes, there are tons of restaurants supporting the the tour: Open Studios: Restaurants – so you can stop in between homes to grab a meal, a snack, a beer, whatever!

You could totally make a day of this either Saturday and/or Sunday, with 70+ artists available to check out.

photo by H. Gordon Humphries

Open Studios II

For a sampling, check out these top picks for cool new artists to visit:

  • J Renee – “reverse glass painting,” African-American female artist who has exhibits in Nola, NYC, CHS, DC (and at Columbia College!); work was feat. in Haitian exhibits at United Nations, MoCADA Museum, CCCADA Art Institute all in New York; work is in collections of Southern University of Louisiana in Baton Rouge; W. E. B. DuBois Museum in Ghana; & McKenna Museum of African-American Art in Nola
  • Caroline Harper of Chi Design – indigo textile dyeing; Crafty Feast “best in show” runner-up
  • Dylan Critchfield-Sales – drawing & painting; was a 701 CCA Artist in Residence
  • Jason Jaco of TexasStreetWorks – he’s a blacksmith! We believe the first to participate in Columbia Open Studios.
  • Billy Guess – installation, mixed-media & sculpture. As a friend of Tracie’s, he’s known as off the wall & very entertaining. You never know what you’re going to get when you visit his studio.
  • Jason Kendall – video, installation, photography; did The Dorothy Project, based on The Wizard of Oz, that was featured in 701 CCA’s Biennial exhibition; films “obstruction art” videos like “The Cat Video”
  • Lauren Greenwald – remarkably beautiful landscape images from photography & printmaking work. Asst. Professor of Art and Photography at USC, and part of Rosewood Press group studio.

Full details of the tour:

Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday 12 – 6 p.m.

For anyone looking for a fun party to go to, there’s a great preview party Thursday night at 701 Whaley 7-9 p.m. – tickets are $10, and I’m giving away a free pair!  Anyone interested?  Please leave a comment below and be sure to share with your friends! :)

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