Redmond Arts Festival

Limewall participated in the Redmond Arts Festival last weekend (July 7-9) at Redmond Town Center. Great weather, the festival itself and Redmond Derby Days brought in a fabulous crowd of people, and it was wonderful connecting with the art enthusiasts. These three days just flew by talking art, getting to know some beautiful minds and their crafts, looking at happy, carefree weekend faces, listening to live music, and getting lost in the vibrant colors of children's chalk art. It was fascinating as always to hear what stories Limewall art pieces told my visitors and I am beyond happy to see my work finding homes locally and internationally.

As much as I love interacting one on one with my customers in the festivals, I also ardently look forward to meeting other artists and learning their stories. In the very short time I got to take a tour around, I met some pretty amazing people. Across from me was Monica Arche who does stunning abstract painting. Her work exudes this raw energy that seems to explode on canvas and leaves room for diverse interpretations.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dorothy Paun, Asssociate Professor at University of Washington. She made the most exquisite paper bowls out of simply paper and water. She has a fun shop in Amazon Handmade named Dr Dot's.

I was drawn to wood artist Bill Hodge's booth seeing all the amazing textures he created on reclaimed plywood. You can either hang the pieces or leave them standing. The designs were brilliant; I don't think I have come across anything like his art form or technique before.

Artist Twyla Dill's jewelry was like a breath of fresh air. What I found unique about her designs was her use of crochet. Her vibrant collection looked beautifully clean and modern.

Last but not the least, I found artist/musician Wolff Bowden's paintings absolutely captivating. His work is a whimsical combination of colors, textures and imagery. There is a mystical quality to his work that is bold and at the same time simple in its portrayal of the beauty around us.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience and I hope to be a part of a few more shows this year! :) Let me know if you have any show suggestions for me:D

xo

Farzana

Guest Room: Holiday Ready

Holidays are here and a big part of this festive season is entertaining overnight guests. My husband and I moved to our new house earlier this year; we recently got around to finally setting up the guest bedroom. When I think guest room, the words that instantly come to my mind are welcoming, comfort, getaway, simplicity, relaxing and cheerful. With those words buzzing in my head, here are some things I did with the room-

1. Color Palette: This is the first thing I decided upon before proceeding with purchasing accents and other items for the room. My wall colors are white and I like that they add brightness to the room; a much needed thing around this time of the year here in the Pacific Northwest. For adding the seasonal warmth I played around with colors like bronze, beige, brown and cream for furniture and hardware. If you are starting with a blank slate and are fixated on a furniture item that you absolutely love, you can always work your color palette off that. I believe there is no hard and fast rule as long as you feel there is a nice flow and a sense of cohesiveness.

2. Furniture & Proportions: My guest room is modest in size, so I did not want it to look crowded with large sized furniture or too many items. The bed is queen sized and has a Victorian style dark bronze metal frame with clean lines. I paired it with creamish side tables in wood on both sides. On one of the corners next to the window I placed an accent chair with vintage French fabric in beige. It came with a cute little ottoman just perfect for my limited space!

3. Window Treatment: I love layering up windows. It gives your window depth, adds texture, allows for controlling light and in general makes it look more interesting without overpowering your room décor. For this room, I used neutral roller shade underneath grommet curtain panels.

4. Wall Art: Here comes my favorite part of home décor. Surprise, surprise! For me, a room feels incomplete without wall arts. It's as if it does not have a voice, or character, or mood. I chose the Parisian shot -Walkers and Observers from my Passenger collection for my focal art here. Going for simplicity, I did not want a collection of art pieces to accentuate the wall. I wanted the art piece here to transport my guests someplace, if only momentarily.

5. Other accents: Accents are great ways to bring in pops of colors in the room. I chose cheery shades of green for the lamps and armchair pillow; they tied in neatly with the drapes. Little items of holiday décor will also add tons of fun colors, if you are in the mood to extend the festivity to your guest room as well. I put in some magazines and bestsellers in a wicker basket to keep my guests engaged when they retire to the room. I may add in some late night munchies or sweet treats to the basket when my visitors are here.

Guest room all set, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing some long missed friendly faces, the inevitable long chats by the fire reminiscing good old times, little food indulgence, and the laughter that follows. How are you updating your guest space this season? Please share your ideas! Hope you all have wonderful holidays and a fantastic New Year! :))

Friendship, Food & Art

On Saturday, last weekend, my husband and I hosted a small party to celebrate the launching of Limewall. Framed pieces from the Passenger collection were exhibited; there were bites to transport our senses to different corners of the world and a beautiful buzz in the air from the joy of connecting with friends! What really stood out for me in the event was how all of us from at least 10 nationalities spoke the same language of our love for art, richness of mother nature, and flavorful variance in cookery from different parts of the globe.

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung said, "The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed." As the wonderful evening rolled on, I stood ruminating on how each of these incredibly talented individuals I call 'friend', has inspired me, motivated me, and enriched me as a person. Here's to friendship, food, and art!

- Farzana