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Artist and Designer Aaron Christensen's Blog for Embellishments Studio.  Art, kids design, display, store design and pediatric office theme builder.
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LACROSSE  WALL  ART  DEBUTS - LIVE, LOVE & LAX!

5/24/2017

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Okay Lax lovers, here we go...  I proudly present my lacrosse wall art series collage.  Available as a one piece, nine image design or you can pick and choose any of the nine as individual prints in canvas and on archival paper.

According to Thomas Vennum Jr., author of American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War "Apart from its recreational function, lacrosse traditionally played a more serious role in Indian culture. Its origins are rooted in legend, and the game continues to be used for curative purposes and surrounded with ceremony. Game equipment and players are still ritually prepared by conjurers, and team selection and victory are often considered supernaturally controlled. In the past, lacrosse also served to vent aggression, and territorial disputes between tribes were sometimes settled with a game, although not always amicably." 

With it's rich history and evolution into one of the fastest growing sports here in the States, it's time to be wall proud and art up!  I hope you enjoy them, I'd love to hear your feedback.

Lacrosse sports wall art decor by Aaron Christensen available as stretched canvases and poster prints.
The nine image collage is available with a black or cream border in canvas and on archival paper.
Lacrosse Sports Art available in prints and canvases from Aaron Christensen.
You can also order any of the nine images as single prints or canvases. Use one or group several to express you inner laxitude.
Need some inspiration for your lax loving walls?  Here are three style mood boards to give you ideas and inspire.  Feel free to pin, post and print!
Lacrosse room ideas, inspiration for art and decor.  Perfect for the teen or boys room.
Lacrosse wall art and decor ideas for a sophisticated boys or teen room.

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Sports   Wall  Art   Round  Up  and  Round  Table

5/1/2017

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Reproducing and selling my own artwork direct and no longer licensing it out was the greatest of decisions.  One of the biggest rewards is the direct communication line to my customers.  Never before have I had so many ways to meet and discuss my art with those who enjoy it.    Within these live, phone, email and social media interactions I've heard a lot of feedback, requests and ideas that inspire.
As I hone my "to paint" list, I thought I'd put it out there that I'm open to suggestions or requests.  Many of my pieces were fueled by a flurry of requests.  So I'd love to hear from you if you have any sport, style or theme requests.
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    virtual  suggestion  box

    Take a moment and share your thoughts....
Submit

Here's   what  I  currently  offer

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I've been painting sports art for 15 years.  While many pieces are in private collections or are commissions, I enjoy selling my canvas and paper reproductions to the public.  I've touched on many of the popular sports and decor themes.  Some are more vintage some are more modern.  Many of my sports wall hangings end up in boys rooms, teen spaces and areas of the home where sports fans gather.   Given all of that, have you any requests?  Do you have a particular decor style or color scheme you'd like to see?  I'm painting now for my 2018 releases, I'd enjoy hearing from you.
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EMBELLISHING  A  HOME  SCHOOL  CLASSROOM

4/18/2017

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I love the opportunity to bring a clients vision to life.  When my clients, whom home school their children, moved into their new place, they called looking for my help.  You see, they had a huge room over their garage and wanted to convert it into a classroom for their kids and maybe other cooperative homeschoolers.   Waving his arms around Micheal, the owner, asked how can we make it bigger than life, something the kids would go crazy over.  Well... I was happy to oblige.  Here are some first round photos.  I need to go back with a wide angle lens to capture the entire room. 
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Creating a simple sketch to communicate ideas is a great start. Here is mine for this project.
This concept won their hearts.  It's a pretty grand in scale so I broke it down into parts.
Mural of historical timelines using events, people and pop culture references - By Aaron Christensen
A glimpse of the mural depicting around a hundred years.
One thing that is not illustrated in my sketch is the stair well leading to the classroom.  We decided on a mural starting at the base with the dawn of time, and winding up through the years as the stairs ascend.  Here I picked out some notable events, interesting facts and persons to illustrate a time period.  The video below captures most of it.

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Dr. Seuss Day - Confessions of a seussidian seussaphile and geisel groupie.

3/2/2017

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If I were to identify whom might be my number one influence in my artistic endeavors, it most certainly would be Dr. Seuss aka Theodore Geisel.  While Walt Disney the man, not the brand is close, Seuss was a bit more of a rags to literary wealth success story, which for me embodies the American dream.   He single handidly  changed the way in which young people learn to read and in turn see the world around them.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." - Dr. Seuss
On this special day acknowledging Mr. Geisel, please allow me to geek out for a bit and share some of my favorite Seuss and Seussisms.

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Built  for  two -  a  shared  girls  bedroom

2/1/2017

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The task:   Create a loft bed, fort, reading nook incorporating two double beds.

The clients:  Two young twins- one drawn to performance arts, the other drawn to horseback riding.  One wants pink, the other says yuck.  Ones a bit tidy the other not so much.

The challenge:   The mom wants something unique, more fort than furniture!  She loves modern yet has a rustic touch to her style.   The girls need organizers bulletin boards, space to stash their collections of things and an extra bed for sleepovers.

The result:   A studio built grey and white washed horizontal planked custom bed loft fort unit.  Custom wall organizers with pegs, dry erase, paper and storage.  Extras:  a display wall for art and a whimsical mount of their senior aged basset hound Clementine.

Shared bedroom for twin girls.  Loft, fort, reading nook with room for two double beds by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentskids.com
Custom loft, fort, reading nook bed unit for two double beds by Aaron Christensen
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NEW YEARS TREAT POPPERS DIY AND FREE DOWNLOAD

12/27/2016

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Make your own New Years Eve Party Treat Poppers.  Free Download from Aaron Christensen's Embellishments.
I needed a few New Years Eve poppers to display as a centerpiece, so I scraped up some of my holiday craft left overs and cranked up the computer.  Rather than have to adorn them with sequins, go glitter crazy and go through great efforts to use a  lot of fabric colors and textures, I scanned the ingredients and printed them.  The prints were super easy to cut up, fold, fan and glue.
DIY New Years Eve Treat Poppers with Free Download
A little bit of this and a little bit of that stuff like beads, glitter, tinsel ribbon and glass crystals were added to finish them off.

Prior to tying them off you could fill them with candy, glitter or encouraging notes for the new year.   If you're like me.... hiding treats in these might prevent bad snacking.  After all the New Years Resolutions start in less than a week. {yikes}

So don't recycle those empty  wrapping paper tubes and download yourself a set of the papers below.      


Free   treat   popper  ephemera   and   paper / textures  downloads

New Years Ephemera and Tags
Burlaps, Sequins and White Washed Wood
Glitter, Textiles and Vintage Paper
As with all of the downloads I offer, I ask that they be used for personal use only.  They are not for commecial use, all rights are reserved.  © Aaron Christensen 2016
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Rose Gold, Copper, Gold and Pewter - A Custom Mixed Metal Christmas Boutique Display by Embellishments Studio

12/15/2016

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My younger self was a professional window and holiday display designer and visual merchandiser for high end department stores.    20 years ago when I left that world to start Embellishments Studio, I retained a few of my freelance clients.  Flash forward to 2016, I've created dozens of trims for several clients.   The trims that quickly comes to nostalgic memory are the ones I've created for my client in Vancouver, Washington called Willows.   It's a clothing and accessories boutique.
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Holiday trim elements include mixed metal foliage, frosted accents and tons of lights.

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Full Throttle - Art for the Racing Fan

11/29/2016

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By popular demand, I've added a new series to my Speedway Racing Collection of wall art.  The new pieces explore the thrill of speed with images of a race car, mx motorcycle, mechanic type ephemera, vintage signage and more.  The works are available as individual images or combined into a nine image collage with either a cream or black grid border. 
Race Inspired Transportation Wall Art by Aaron Christensen.  The piece features vintage and graphic appeal perfect for boy's rooms, teen spaces and man caves.  Made in the USA.
Racing Inspired Wall Art Decor "Throttle" by Aaron Christensen. Available in a nine image collage and as individual pieces in stretched canvas and poster print.
Visit my shop's Transportation category to see this piece and many more race inspired pieces perfect for boy's rooms, teen spaces and of course the man cave. 
Racing and Transportation Art
Mx, Motorcycle, Race Car and Auto Ephemera Mood Board with ideas for Boy's, Teens and Men. Featuring wall art by Aaron Christensen
Mx, Motorcycle, Race Car and Auto Ephemera Mood Board with ideas for Boy's, Teens and Men. Featuring wall art by Aaron Christensen.
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SPORTS WALL ART - SERIES OPENER

11/10/2016

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INTRODUCING THE LINE UP COLLECTION
BY AARON CHRISTENSEN

We welcome the latest additions to our extensive sports wall art collection.   The Line Up series features term and imagery from the sports Baseball, Football, Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse, Rugby and Cricket.   Check out these and dozens of other sports pieces below.   Be sure to take advantage of our New Release November's free shipping offer.
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Soccer Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a soccer ball and terms used in the sport of soccer.  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for soccer enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Football Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a football ball and terms used in the sport of football.  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for football enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Baseball Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a baseball and terms used in the sport of baseball.  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for baseball enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Rugby Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a rugby ball and terms used in the sport of rugby.  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for soccer enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Cricket Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a rugby ball and bat, and terms used in the sport of cricket  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for soccer enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Home Visitor Arrows Sports Wall Art Decor for Baseball Football Soccer Basketball

$20.00 - $249.00
  • Vintage look Home and Visitor sign. Get ready to rumble and get rowdy!
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's hand painted originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars. The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • Other sports pieces in the series can be found here.
  • Coordinating fabrics are available in my Spoonflower shop:
  • The image is also available as a Pillow Cover.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Rough Game Scoreboard Sports Wall Art by Aaron Christensen

$30.00 - $179.00
  • A black, white and grayscale sports scoreboard rendered in a loose illustrative style that features icons, imagery and text from various sports. Available as a stretched canvas and archival print.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's hand painted originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars. The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • From the Rough Game Sports Collection
  • Coordinating fabrics are available from our Spoonflower shop.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Rough Game Allstar Sports Wall Art

$20.00 - $249.00
  • A black, white and grayscale allstar sports design rendered in a loose illustrative style that features icons, imagery and text. A perfect companion to the other Rough sports pieces. Available as a stretched canvas, framed print and an archival paperprint.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's hand painted originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep NW harvested finger jointed wood or .50 mdf stretcher bars. The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Single paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • Framed prints are mounted behind acrylic making them safe for the nursery and kids rooms.
  • Custom print sizes and framing options are available.
  • From the Rough Game Sports Collection
  • Coordinating fabrics are available from our Spoonflower shop.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Sports Wall Art - Rough Game Sports Motivational Poster Prints by Aaron Christensen

$7.00 - $15.00
  • Poster prints ready to hang or frame featuring "Stay Humble Hustle Hard", "Work Hard Train Harder" and "You Are Your Only Limit"
  • 12 x 18" heavyweight satin paper poster prints.
  • From the Rough Game Sports Collection
  • Coordinating fabrics are available from our Spoonflower shop.
  • © Aaron Christensen


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Home Visitor Sports Pillow

$32.00 - $39.00

My Home Visitor pillow cover is available made from 68% cotton, and 32% linen natural fiber (shown) or 100% Polyester Velveteen.

It is from my Sandlot series which can be found here.

Coordinating fabrics are available in my Spoonflower shop:

The image is also available as a stretched canvas or paper print.

Available in sizes 18 x 18 and 22 x 22".

We use YKK zipper enclosures. The pillows backside is a coordinating neutral.

Launder inside out, tumble dry on low. Iron inside out using your irons polyester setting.

Price is for enclosure/case only.

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Sports Art - See the Win Prints and Canvas Wall Art Decor

$25.00 - $189.00
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars. The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white borders forease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
  • From my Blitz Collection.
  • Coordinating fabrics and finished goods are available in my Spoonflower shop.
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Lacrosse Art - Line Up Collection

$30.00 - $169.00
  • Wall art depiction of a lacrosse ball and terms used in the sport of lacrosse.  Featuring graphic elements, typography and a vintage style. Perfect for soccer enthusiasts, players and coaches.
  • Handcrafted in the USA to portray the depth of color, texture and richness of Aaron's originals. 
  • Canvases are hand stretched onto 1.5" deep wooden stretcher bars.  The canvas sides are finished with a color or additional imagery, so framing is not necessary.
  • Paper prints have a .5" white border for ease in framing.
  • © Aaron Christensen
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Newly Vintage - the repurposing of old materials into new retail display props

8/23/2016

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Often when I design props for store displays or fixtures for merchandising they are purely from my imagination.  The challenge lies in bringing those ideas to life.  I recently proposed a farmhouse chic style trim for one of my apparel boutiques.  In my mind I saw old water/wind mills, old barn doors and abandoned relics.
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 To create vintage look props its easiest to find old wood and supplies to build them out of.  One of my local haunts, The Rebuilding Center serves me well.  There I can find treasures to build my ideas from.  For this particular trim I came across old packing crate supports, degraded galvanized flashing and oddities, old cast wheels and a ton of reclaimed  bits of wood.

Staring at the items in my checkout cart I decided to build a windmill out of the flashing, an old hoe and the packing crate supports which were rich with rusty character.

The wheels, some old mahogany wheelbarrow handles, old galvanized  channel and 2 x 12's  would become a vintage look florists  or fruit vendors merchandising cart.

Random chair parts, old wood, part of a tv roof antennae and miscellaneous bits of hardware would become an abandoned swift bird house.

A faux vintage birdhouse created from reclaimed wood and oddities by Aaron Christensen.  The piece becomes a focal point in a retail boutique's store window.
Old furniture parts, odds and ends, and reclaimed wood are transformed into a birdhouse. One that would be stationed by a field crop to be occupied by swifts or bluebirds. Weathered paint techniques and distressing turn the new piece into something that looks decades old.
Reclaimed metal flashing, old packing crate parts, a garden hoe and scrap metal are transformed into a vintage look windmill by Aaron Christensen.  The piece serves as a window display pieces for an apparel boutique.
Old rolled flashing is reworked into windmill blades. An old garden hoe, miscellaneous metal pieces and packing crate supports are used to create the functioning windmill. Distressing and weathered paint techniques age out the newly made piece.
Cut up metal channel, rusty metal railing, old wood, wheelbarrel handles and wheels are reworked and transformed into a mechandising cart, like those use by vendors.  The piece by Aaron Christensen was designed to serve as a seasonal store fixture for an apparel boutique.  The painted chalkboard sign reads
Reclaimed wood, old metal channel, a piece of metal railing and oxidized wheels become a rolling merchandising cart like a florist or fruit vendor would use.
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As Far As The Eye Can See - a garden mural grows

8/12/2016

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Garden mural project

It started five years ago when I was asked to paint a nursery mural.  The McClure's wanted something watercolor like, soft and indicative of their new hometown Portland.
We decided upon a park like landscape.  A flowering cherry tree (a Portland favorite) served as the focal point over the crib's location.
Baby Girls Nursery Mural featuring trees and forest handpainted by Aaron Christensen Embellishments Studio
Forest Tree Mural for a baby girls nursery painted by Aaron Christensen EmbellishmentsKids.com
Some happy inhabitants were added for whimsy and for future conversation with their daughter.
Flash forward four and half years, they called me back to help them with their backyard eyesore, a cinder block garage wall.  Their fresh landscape and beautiful hot tub gazebo and deck built by a friend of mine, Dave Izer were fantastic.  The backside of the neighbors wall not so much.  It was decided to cover the wall with a landscape that extended their yard visually.  
Garden mural to cover ugly exterior wall.  Handpainted by Aaron Christensen EmbellishmentsStudio.com
There of course was a special request by their daughter (who's nursery I painted).  She wanted a unicorn.  With Mom and Dad's nod, I tucked a sleeping one into the painting.   It's a magical surprise when you approach the mural but its not really visible from the house or deck.    That way the illusion wasn't affected by the appearance of a large mythical creature.
Exterior Garden Mural featuring a Unicorn by Aaron Christensen EmbellishmentsStudio.com
Below is a time lapse video capturing the evolution of the mural.  There were a few days with no cloud cover and I could not shoot into the sun falling behind the wall.  
In the evening the sunlight bounces off the house's windows and beams directly onto the wall.  You can see the almost round highlight in the tree below.   It will be interesting to see where those reflections point as the seasons come and go.  Could one hope for a beam of light on the unicorn....who knows.
Artist & Muralist Aaron Christensen of EmbellishmentsStudio.com
Exterior Wall Garden Landscape Mural by Aaron Christensen EmbellishmentsStudio.com
Time Lapse Video
Here's one reason I love my job.  When I completed the mural, it happened to be one day before my birthday.   Well, my lil' client brought me a card she drew and a mandala she colored in.   My heart melted.    Good thing it was the last day because nothing could top that moment.  Thank you McClures for your faith in my work and of course treating me like family.  You're amazing!
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Nautical Display and Reclaimed Glass Lights for Sale

8/14/2015

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The studio is filling up with projects, so I must be better about selling off a few things.  So, heres some gems from previous displays.  They are one-of-a-kinds.
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This one-of-a-kind anchor was built by the studio for use in a seasonal display.  It's in pristine but vintage looking shape.  How great would this be used as a photography prop, a signature decor piece or as a theme element in a restaurant.  Due to its size, I'd be hesitant to ship it.  I'd recommend it find a home in the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington metro areas.  For more detailed information:
ANCHOR FOR SALE
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These mixed whites fabric sales are a perfect photo booth backdrop, prop for a kids room or as an accent in a nautical themed space.  Due to the weight I wouldn't recommend shipping.  But then again anythings is possible.
More details:
Display sails for sale
The following three lights are available.  They are made from reclaimed glass containers and glass ware.  They're fun, vintage and bohemian. 
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REclaimed glass pendants for sale
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Living in the Moment- The Golden Light

7/19/2015

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Hell bent and intent on finishing my Saturday to-do list I let the day slip by.  Around 8:00pm I finally allowed myself to relax .  I thought I'd treat myself to an adult beverage and sit on the deck.  Having that in mind, I actually opened my eyes to the world around me.  I was awestruck, I put my ale down and had to grab my phone for some spontaneous photos.  The evening golden light had appeared for its brief visit.  My garden lit up like a paradise.  I'm a bit of a plant geek so seeing my man-made tropical oasis light up made me proud so I wanted to share it with you.   Know that its too cold for most sub-tropical plants here in the wet and cold wintered Northwest.  So I worked hard to recreate that look using plants that would survive here.  Some marginally, so I baby them through the winter frosts

Shhhh, just between you and me... I live in a neighborhood that has quite a feral gardeners who grow nothing but native plants and I think the term native is a rebrand of the term weeds and crab grass.  In this high heat summer- a freakishly long stretch of temperatures in the 90's, their yards are burned to a crisp and mine is a lush paradise ,except my lawn. Good thing I planned ahead and planted my yard prepped for global warming.   Now if only I could grow pineapples and coconuts...
These are not the best photos as I really do not know how to use my SLR mimicking cell phone camera.   And the light was dwindling so some are grainy and I apologize.  Thanks for indulging me in my moment of pride as my garden comes into full "tropical" splendor.  As a plant geek, who likes to share, I'd be happy to answer questions. 
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Smart Art Give-a-way- Let's hear it for the geniuses!

7/9/2015

 
As we start contemplating the concept of Back to School, let's not forget the whole reason the children are there- to become smart, capable members of society.  Well here at Embellishments I've created an homage of art for the brainy ones that are on that path.  In their honor let's make it easy to decorate their rooms with a give-a-way.  Although this is about them, you can make it all about you, if you want.  Any of my art is fair game, choose something for your living room, the kids rooms or your vacation home that's perched along side a cool lake somewhere (wishful thinking?).

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CLICK READ MORE TO SEE HOW YOU CAN WIN THE $100.00 SHOPPING SPREE

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A Cementitious Occasion - Faux Bois

6/27/2015

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The workshop is hot today.  Not only are we hitting weather highs in the nineties , I have found myself under a welding mask creating fireworks welding.  I have to be careful I might just slip on my own puddles of sweat.

I'm welding together framework for a faux bois table.   You often see faux bois in historic gardens as benches and archways and in theme parks as railing and fake trees.  
faux bois tables chairs and close ups
I'm using these images as references for my faux bois creation. Notice how each of the pieces replicates wood from different tree species.
While I've sculpted many things in my life, this is my first attempt at cement furniture.  Hey, I just dive in with both feet.   I've worked with cement before.  I sculpt trees from other materials all the time.  Why not combine the two? 

This table is destined for a retail boutique.  It will be merchandised on as a fixture.  I'm personally handling the store design for the owners.   I want a variety of textures, finishes and hand wrought signature pieces throughout.  I'll journal about the store soon, as we are just beginning construction.

Here's my finished armature.  I will be wrapping it in metal mesh to provide stability and a surface for the cement to adhere to. 

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As a feature in the garden, faux bois was very popular in the 1940's. If you own a vintage piece you are very lucky.  Given most pieces were exposed to the elements, many have degraded and sadly disappeared.

I'll pop back in and update this journal entry with progress pictures.   I'd love to hear from you if you own a piece.  I'd be curious how you came to own it.

Update- July 3rd

faux bois in progress aaron christensen
Two coats are visible: The first is the coarse coat on the branch in back. The finer coat that is sculpted is in the foreground. This is were the wood details are added.
I neglected to take a picture of the piece wrapped in metal lathe.  I was just so excited to get into it.  The first coat of cement was to cover the rebar and the lathe.  I also shaped the first coat to start creating some of the twists, turns and scars one would see on an old branch.  In the photo above you can see the rough first coat in the back (the darker horizontal branch)  The two foreground branches are after the second coat which is a finer mortar mix.  Once that mortar sets up a little I started carving, brushing and stamping details.  I'm excited how much they look like old driftwood with the natural cement color.  Once the finished piece is stained they will look more like a wood in tone.  More updates soon...

update - July 7th

The legs have dried thoroughly so it was safe to finally flip it right side up.  Now I will start applying mortar to the top and sculpting it.


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Shop top selling  wall art, paintings and prints for boys, boys rooms,  kids, teens, adults, tweens, nurseries and rooms by artist Aaron Christensen.  Vintage sports art, racing art, scoreboard art, rock and roll art can be found in our shop. View works by interior designer Aaron Christensen, whom specializes in children's spaces, theatrical and themed spaces, pediatric office and retail environments. Based in Portland, Oregon. All images, text, DIY's and art copyright Aaron Christensen. All rights reserved.

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