Journal

Hello Again ♥

At the beginning of the year I set some big goals for myself (as I do every year).  I as I suspect is true with a lot of people, I rarely keep them.  This year, I. AM. DETERMINED.

Ok, Ok, yes I broke one of my resolutions right out of the gate.  I admit it.  My plan was to work with the materials I have already hoarded and not buy any more until absolutely necessary.  I have a problem.  I recognize that, but when it comes to beads, I just can't help myself! (So if you are a beader, stop in - There is a lot of new bead stock!)

However, on all other accounts I have been sticking quite well to my goals.  I realized at the end of last year that I was letting my focus drift away from the creative side of my life. Sometimes being a business owner you get caught in the updraft of many other callings.  As wonderful as they may be, they have distracted from the true draw of my business - my creative endeavors.  I decided to get through the Christmas season and then hunker down in the studio and open my mind again.  I needed to gain back that side of me before it withered away completely.  I needed to start taking the time in the evening to sketch again.  I decided in order to achieve happiness again within design I needed to start experimenting with different techniques.  Even if that meant throwing efficiency out the window with trial and error. It seems imperative to get back in the state of mind to create something new and exciting again.  In order to do all of this, I needed to invest in myself again, to narrow the focus a bit.  (I just noticed I used the word NEEDED four times in a row.  It is a strong feeling, the need to fulfill the creative desire.  To me it is almost like breathing, or some other element of survival).  I spent the majority of January getting those ducks in a row.  Boy, am I having a blast and I think it is starting to show in the new work I am beginning to produce.   Most importantly, even if no one else feels the same way about these pieces I am creating, I feel like I am breathing again.

So far I have been delving into the world of mixed media. Recently I have been highly influenced by different artists I have come across and follow on Instagram who weave beautiful earthy wall hangings.  It truly sparked a feeling and memory.  When I was studying at Syracuse I was fortunate enough to take many different fibers classes alongside my metalsmithing work.  Much of my portfolio actually consisted of experimenting with the marriage of metals and fibers.  I thought that might be a good place to jump back in with both feet.  Oh how I have missed it.  I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of something that I will enjoy exploring through the next few months.  

Here's to a continued new year filled with wonderful possibilities and creative endeavors.  Stop back often to check out the new creations or follow my daily journey on Instagram.     Below are some work in progress photos from my new adventure!  

See you soon!

xo ~E

Initial Sketches 

Next I needed to saw out the shapes from jewelers brass. This piece actually yielded three pendants.  Yippee!

It has been 14 years since I have worked on the loom.  So I had to pull deep from the memory banks.  Not only that, but I don't own a loom....sooo....where there is a will there is a way right? I decided to play MacGyver and make a mini one out of parts I had lying around. 

Not bad for a first attempt.  Wishing I had some more interesting fibers though.  Looks like I have a trip to Expressions in Needleart in my near future. :)

Finished Product.  I added some hand painted golden acrylic to tie the whole thing together.

Here is a detail.

While we are at it.  Here is the finished piece that was also in the sketch above :)

Both pieces are available online while they last!

This year the pressure was on for the Holiday window.  Everyone loved the window so much last year, I had to make sure this one was as least as good ;)  EEEK!  Right? So I toiled over what to do.  I have been trying to plan this since the beginning of September and...well....nothing.  I was totally blank.  No ideas....period.  Nothing worse than hitting a wall.  Writers block so-to-say.  Time was running out.  I needed to have these windows in place before the Downtown Holiday Open House / Christkindle weekend.  Then, like magic one week before the deadline, it hit me.  As my personal facebook friends read, "That moment when the inspiration you have been waiting for lights up your brain like a clear night sky far away from the smothering incandescent haze of civilization." It finally came to me.  :)  My inspiration was a little complicated, but made perfect sense to me.  It was Art Nouveau  - meets a Victorian Parlor with a Moorish influence  - meets  - the natural beauty of our local great outdoors. Sounds a little funny I know, but in my brain I could see it as clear as coulde be.  Finally!  lol.  

So I immediately set out on my adventure.  My fist step was to pull out all of my supplies that I already had to work with from previous displays.  Some could say I'm a hoarder, some could say I'm resourseful...I prefer the latter.  It turned out that I had almost everything I needed already.  How wonderful.  Next step was to go out collecting.  I lucked out with a holiday weekend and the most beautiful weather to gather all of the items on my nature list.  Grapevine, Cattails, thistles, osage oranges, horse chestnuts, pine cones of different shapes and sizes,  and acorns.  It took the majority of the day, but with my family in-tow, we managed to find everything we needed and almost all of it within the city limits.  Yes I was the crazy lady jumpling out of my car to load it up with what most would consider garden garbage, but hey, you gotta do, whatcha gotta do! (And I had the cutest helper ever. ) 

Next step was to go purchase the few things I did not already have for the project.  Some twine in red, green and natural, and some silver, gold, white, and black spray paint.  (All of which are now in my stock pile of supplies for future projects)  The weather was beautiful so spray painting my newly found pine cones and thistles along with my freshly created grapevine wreaths was no problem at all.  The paint dried quickly which this time of year is a huge gift.  I went home and promptly set to work on the hand made creations that were going to be accompanying the natural and found items.  I made a series of feathers as well as some black and white "tile" out of paper and some lush tassels.  They were super fun to make.  I love working with paper, it can become almost anything you can dream up.

So Wednesday morning, I got right to it and started the window painting.  I discovered how much fun this process was about two window displays ago, now I can't seem to complete a display without the glass being painted.  This time the paint was where the Art Nouveau reference was going to be most obvious .  It is acting as a framing device for the whole window scene just as it would in a poster from the same influence.  It also is where you will find the first hint of that Moorish inspiration.

From there it was all just a matter of arranging, hot gluing and tying.  That part went together in about two days.  I felt like a bit of a contortionist this time around since this design had to all be done in place.  I was squished up against the glass for most that time...not the most flattering I'm sure for passers by...lol...but once again...you gotta do whatcha gotta do!!! All in all,  I'm pretty happy with how everything works together.  You will have to stop by to see all of the details in person.  They are hard to capture in the photos.  

Hello, hello!

I can't believe that it is almost time for the big party! So many little finishing touches I have to tend to with what now feels like such little time.  I am getting very excited. I found my dress this weekend and suddenly it all got real.    I love an excuse to dress up and feel fancy.  In my life, those moments are few and far between, so I'm going to go all out.  I am hoping all of you have as much fun with dressing up as I do - and hey, also remember no worries, you can come in jeans if you want.  Anything goes. :)

So in my preparation I want to give you all a little glimpse of a couple of the treats that will be at the party.  First and foremost because those of you who know me KNOW I love baked goods.  It is a real problem actually...teehee.  I will be featuring amongst all the hor d'ourves lots of wonderful sweet creations from Rachel Herendeen.  For those of you who may not know, Rachel is the twin sister to my incredible assistant Hannah.  (Hannah is the greatest - just in case you were not previously aware....♥)  Anyway...  here is a little info about Rachel and her business: Truly Scrumptious provides you with the highest quality of baking. She specializes in wedding cakes but also provide cakes for all occasions. In addition, she provides cupcakes, pies, and pastries: featuring homemade puff pastry. "Nowhere does it say that delicious food cannot be beautiful and that has always been the motto I bake by"-Rachel Herendeen: Owner and Baker of Truly Scrumptious-

Next I would like to tell you about the live music I will be hosting during the party.  I saw them at an event early in the year and thought they were a perfect backdrop for a party.  Of course I had to find out if they were available for my date and yippee! to my delight they were.  Here is a little info about them: Classically trained guitarist and composer Sean Doohan has combined musical forces with classically and jazz trained drummer, composer, sound engineer, and producer Matt Battle. Matt has trained in Los Angeles and Rochester. The duos mellow jazz vibe is full of improvisation. With constantly evolving interpretations this groups original music never fails to intrigue listeners.   

Also in addition to the red carpet entrance/photo op (to which my wonderful father will be handling) I will have Michele Kisly photographing the event.  I'm sure many of you have seen her work. She is an amazing professional photographer who does an excellent job at capturing those unpredictable candid moments that really memorialize the tone of an event.  I'm very excited to have her join us, and very much looking forward to sharing both her photos as well as the red carpet photos with everyone.  

Until next time (and hope to see you at the party!  Oct 25th from 5-8)

~E

Hello again!  

Looks like I'm making a habit of this blog thing.  (Finally getting it together....lol).  

In case you have not heard yet, I am aporoaching my 10 year anniversary!  To those of you who may be new fan of Adorn, I started out on Coy St (right around the corner)  so no I have not been in my current location for 10 years . I have been confusing all the newcomers with this announcement :) Anyway....to celebrate the best 10 years a girl could ask for I am throwing a big party and everyone is invited! 

It will be held at the store on Saturday Oct 25 from 5-8.  There will be yummy goodies, raffle items, live music and a red carpet entrance - if you want to wear something dazzling - lets have fun with it! Now comes the good part.  During the party hours I will be donating 100% of the total sales (a few small restrictions apply) I will be splitting the donation between the FLCC Foundation and the Wood Library.  

So why these two organizations you may ask.  I believe they both are a huge asset to our community. They both offer so many ways to learn, grow and build the confidence of anyone who takes advantage of everything each place has to offer.  When we build this confidence we in turn build a better community.  One where people are not afraid to take that next step to success.  

This is where my personal story fits in with my envolvment with the FLCC Foundation.  I attended FLCC in 96-98.  It changed everything for me.  It was there that I realized my full potential.  It was this almost magical place where I was able to pursue every creative outlet I desired.  The small size allowed me to spend the whole day bopping from painting to designing on the computer to practicing the piano and back to work on some photography etc.  The professors were masters of their skills and always available for mentoring.  I was given the chance to focus on all the things I loved and gained a priceless amount of experience.  I moved onto Syracuse University with great confidence, and have never forgotten the superior education I recieved at FLCC.  It has been my mission to champion the place that forever changed my life.  So please check out http://www.flcc.edu/foundation/ and see all the ways your contribution will help the experience of the students there.  

Next up the Wood Library.  It is truly a staple in our community, offering amazing programs to everyone of all ages.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful resource in our midst.  You really should take a look at the website to see all this organization offers to the people in our area.  It is astonishing and too much for me to write out here. You should check it out for yourself http://woodlibrary.org

So come out, have some fun and support our community! 

Hi All!

It has been a while.  I promise to try and be a better pen pal :) I always have lots of things I wish to share with you, but always seem to run out of time when it comes to sitting down to the computer.   Darn life always seems to get in the way....lol.

So today while waiting for my daughter to finish a class, I figured out how to access the blog via my phone.  This opens a whole new chunk of time for me to write!

Two big things have been going on.  First, I recently redesigned my studio work space.  This is super exciting because my creativity has been rejuvenated and I have been cranking out some brand new ideas.  It is amazing what can happen when I know EXACTLY where all of my tools and supplies are.  I'm hoping I will be able to ride this momentum for quite a while. Here is a peek of the new studio while it was in progress, along with one of the fun pieces that followed its completion.

Because I'm away from the shop and on my phone, I will sneak a couple of photos from my Instagram page. ( www.instagram.com/ericabapst ) feel free to follow me, it is a whole different point of view.  It is a little less all business and a little more of a peek into my world.  Check out what inspires me! )

Anyway, the next big thing I have been working on is the big 10 year anniversary party, but since that is another whole topic and my daughter is now ready to go, I will expand more in that subject next week!

Until then.  I will see you in the shop or maybe on Instagram

later my dears,

 ~E

First I want to thank all of my loyal customers.  It is you who have made this possible. ♥

This has been a long time coming!   It only took me nearly 10 years to finally offer online shopping for my store!  This has been a huge undertaking, so please bear with me as I get all of the little kinks worked out.  I know there are not a lot of items listed for purchase at this very moment, but I was so excited to share this development with all of you I just couldn't wait to make the changes live.  

Please check back often as it is my hope to add items daily.  

Happy Shopping!