AARON CHRISTENSEN - DESIGNER, MAKER, ARTIST
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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.

2020 REBUILDING CENTER SALVAGE SHOWDOWN

10/18/2020

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I'm happy to announce that I'm a participant in Portland's Rebuilding Center's 2020 inaugural Salvage Showdown.  My furniture piece is available for purchase by chance of raffle, with funds helping support the non-profits Constructing Hope and the RBC.  Please consider voting for my piece by purchasing a raffle ticket.  The project piece receiving the most raffle ticket purchases will be presented with their SCRAPPY award and bragging rights.
PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS for AARON'S PIECE
IFirst, THE BUILD:
During the Salvage Showdown, up to 8 individuals or teams will compete to build the most interesting/beautiful/creative/weird piece of furniture using only reclaimed materials from the ReBuilding Center. Builders work in their own spaces over the course of one month. Anything (really, anything) is possible!

Then, THE JUDGING:
Finished items will be on display in all their glory from October 17-22 at the ReBuilding Center and posted across our social feeds, where customers and supporters will vote for the winning salvage creation and purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of the finished pieces.
Finally, THE WINNERS:
On October 22, the ReBuilding Center will host a live Zoom event where all pieces will be raffled off to eight lucky winners, and the winning creation will be revealed! The winning team will receive The Scrappy, a custom, trophy hand-built by ReBuilding Center staff and guaranteed to be unique.
In recognizing the value of community partnerships, ReBuilding Center will donate 50% of the raffle proceeds to our friends at Constructing Hope to support their mission and participants!

MY ENTRY


The RBC accepted 7 builders, DIYers, artists, designers, and dreamers as Builders in the Salvage Showdown!

We had until October 16th to create a beautiful/weird/unique/unlikely piece of furniture that is at least three feet long in any dimension (three feet tall, wide, or deep).

The finished pieces will be showcased in the RBC store for one week and ranked by community vote. The builder of the winning piece will receive The Scrappy, a custom trophy hand-built by ReBuilding Center staff. Each piece will be raffled off to a lucky winner and the ReBuilding Center will donate half of the proceeds to our friends at Constructing Hope. Final pieces will be displayed in store and online for ticket purchasing starting October 17th.

Raffle Ticket Pricing
1 @ $15
2 @ $30
3 @ $40 (save $5!)
4 @ $55
5 @ $65 (save $10!)
6 @ $80
7 @ $95
8 @ $100 (save $20!)

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS for AARON'S PIECE

THE OTHER ARTISAN'S ENTRIES

Please show my fellow builders some love for their kind donation of their time and skills.  It's amazing how all of us came up with such different concepts all from the RBC's selection of reclaimed materials.
WOODEN TOP KITCHEN CART - Builder: Adam Zeek | Instagram | Website
HANGING SHELF - Builder: Ashley Krollenbrock | Instagram
LEANING DESK AND SHELF - Builder: Dana Luukko | Instagram
PLANT STAND WITH LIGHT - Builder: Daniel Goers | Instagram | Website
TABLE WITH VASES - Builders: Team Mayest | Instagram | Website
KITCHEN CART WITH DRAWERS - Builders: Team True North | Instagram | Website
For more information about the RBC please visit their website: RBC or drop by their retail location at 3625 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227
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STUDIO MADE FELT PENNANTS NEW RELEASES

6/25/2020

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We're happy to introduce the Bright Collection of felt pennants.  We make them, here in the studio, using a combination of our print on felt technology and precision laser cutting techniques.  The Bright series has three stock designs and one that you can customize.
SUMMER AND SUNSHINE FELT PENNANTS BY EMBELLISHMENTSSTUDIO.COM.
The collection features- "HELLO SUNSHINE" which is made from raised cut felt letters on a cream felt background.  The "GOLDEN" pennant is made using our print of fabric technology to feature a happy sunshine and cut felt letters.  The "HELLO GORGEOUS" pennant is printed with a beachy skyline with palm trees and an overlay of printed felt that's precision cut.  The "SUMMER" piece is available as show or you can visit our custom pennant page to create your own using the same curvy script font.  Design your own CUSTOM PENNANT.

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Spring Wonderland Display Window Featuring Paper Mache Animal Masks

2/20/2020

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My client sheepishly made what she thought was a strange request.  "Can we have animal heads for the store mannequins?", adding that she loved it when the big department stores did that for Christmas.  Well, of course I said yes.  That discussion lead to the idea of a Wonderland, minus Alice and all the trappings of red hearts, cards and royalty.  It would be a Spring garden party.
Alice in Wonderland Garden Party Spring Store Display By retail and display designer Aaron Christensen's Embellishments Studio
Within the Spring soiree, I designed and created some "Drink Me" potion filled bottles, an "Eat Me" faux cake and arranged it all among a scattering of staked chairs.  All of the chairs, including the upholstery were painted with a tried and true homemade chalk paint.  One dry, a glaze of pastel color washed over the upholstery to give it a fresh Spring feel.  Continued.....

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DIY - BLACK PIPE FOOTBALL GOALPOST

2/10/2020

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As part of my new wall art and decor collection entitled Blitz, I thought I'd include a do-it-yourself tutorial and shopping list for my pipe goal post. 
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Print yourself off a shopping list and head to the hardware store.  While I show it in black pipe, you can also hunt down galvanized and copper plated, if you prefer a different look.  Download below.

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Football Wall Art & Decor - The Blitz Collection

2/10/2020

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Football Ball Wall Art Decor for Boys by Aaron Christensen
Announcing the Blitz Collection!  Color is king, in this new series for the football enthusiast.  I wanted to create some pieces that wandered out of the traditional football color palette and introduced more color.  Featuring varied colors of football balls and some colorful accessories, these pieces would be a great add to a more modern home and yet, with the rustic leanings, they would also be terrific in a farmhouse or more vintage styled space.

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DMCA Reporting Links

11/5/2019

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What is DMCA?  Simply, internet retailers and sites that host products, posts and distributes information gleaned from the internet must provide a way to have the information removed if it is infringed upon.  This process, if adhered to by the site keeps them safe from lawsuits for infringement.  In most cases reporting means filling out a form that asks you to identify the material infringing and provide verification you have a right to report it.  Again, as this buffers them from lawsuits, they are usually quick and efficient in removing the infringing material.  This not only applies to sites, it applies to hosting companies that "host" sites that infringe.  Meaning, if xyz retailer sells infringed goods, and you can not get them to stop, you may be able to file a DMCA takedown notice with their hosting company ie.. HostGator, GoDaddy, Ipage, Shopify etc.  You can also report any links that Google provides in search results, image results or imagery within Youtube and have that taken down.  Meaning, if xyz retailer shows up selling infringed goods in Google shopping and there's a photo on Google image of it, you can have those taken down too by reporting to Google.

Special note:  If you are dealing with a foreign company infringement, many countries do not comply with US copyright law but you can work fairly effectively in tamping down their US sales by reporting the http links of which your property appears on social media, search platforms or sites that are located in countries that do comply with US copyright.

I am not a lawyer and this information is being shared purely from my experiences as an artist that has been infringed upon often.

More on DMCA-

https://www.dmca.com/faq/What-is-DMCA


Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/legal/ip/report

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/report/infringement

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/about/copyright/dmca-pin/

Google:
https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905?hl=en

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/634636770043106

Helpful Information

https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-submit-dmca-takedown-notice/

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SPORTS SCOREBOARD WALL ART NEW COLLECTIONS

9/20/2019

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I painted my first scoreboard back in 2004.  It was picked up by Pottery Barn Kids shortly there after, as the first they ever offered.  Since then, with the launch of Etsy in 2005 and Pinterest in 2010, the idea has been uh-hum copied, re-copied, butchered and even bettered.  So every once in awhile I like to bust out a new one, just to stir up the mix and see what comes about.  Instead of one, this year I decided to launch several.
Allstar Vintage Scoreboard Wall Art Decor by Aaron Christensen
The Allstar vintage look sports scoreboard. I simply features Home and Guest and scores so it can be used with any sport.
Sandlot Baseball Scoreboard Wall Art by Aaron Christensen
The Sandlot Baseball Scoreboard features a rustic style emulating an old board that one would see in a run down neighborhood sandlot.
Rough Game Scoreboard Wall Art by Aaron Christensen
The Rough Game Scoreboard features iconic imagery and text from a variety of boards and is portrayed in a "Rough" illustrative style.
If you would like to see all of my scoreboards you can see them HERE.
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Tropical Boho Store Window Display

5/15/2019

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Who doesn't love a good tropical vibe?  My latest installation for my client Willows, in Vancouver Wa. was a bohemian tropical trim.
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My client and their customers enjoyed the live plants, making them well worth the trip.  You see, Willows is in Vancouver, Washington just across the river from my home base Portland, Oregon.  Neither of these cities can play host to tropical plants, it's far too cold in the winter.  You don't really see great quality plants at the big box stores, so I needed to come up with some other option.
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So I hit the nurseries in Phoenix, Arizona and Palm Springs, California with a U-haul.  I partnered the trip up with some other business.  I rented a truck and began my quest for tropical boho beauties.

I'm an avid gardener and a bit of a tropical denial plant enthusiast.  I'm my Portland garden, I've gathered as many tropical looking plants as the garden could hold.  Many of them are knocked back severely if we happen to have an extreme winter but otherwise bounce back from our more mild ones.  Anyway, I've learned a lot about tropicals and selected varieties for the store that would endure the intense window light and the drier humidity of a store environment.   I also incorporated timber bamboo into the displays.  As a matter of fact, the timber bamboo is from my garden.  After a decade plus of growing freely, there were some great 3 and 4 inch diameter pieces to harvest.
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The addition of macrame added a bohemian charm to the displays.  There are a ton of great macrame tutorials online.  I found them easy enough to follow and I think  I came up with some simple yet fun pieces.  The lanterns were from different sources.  They were originally table top lanterns with glass votives to hold candles.  I tore out the inner workings and nailed in some plywood bases to hold a lamp socket.  The 10 ft. wiring follows the weavings and turns them into hanging lanterns.  
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The tropicals were planted in various pots and planters.  To accentuate the curated tropical theme and throw in a bit of on-trend garden love, I created various pot stands from a white oak and teak.  They smelt so good when I made them.  There's nothing better then the scent of wood shavings.
Pineapple hanging from a macrame hanger in a visual display.
It was amazing how much the plants grew during the 3 month display.  The store was looking so lush and event had the fragrance of the tropics.  You see, I also dangled a real pineapple in a macrame hanger.  The fruit gave off the perfect aroma.
Baby Pineapple Bromeliad
In one of the displays I also included a baby pineapple.  It was a great novelty to have a growing pineapple in a Northwest store.  It continued to thrive but didn't grow to more than 3 inches wide or so before it started to ripen on the "vine".  

The boho tropical themed summer display was a hit.  My client loved it and the customers were surprised and delighted.  

If your visuals need some help or you need some fresh ideas, I'm available for consultations and/or I can provide you information on my visual display services.  Contact Info

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Sports Wall Art decor launch - Rough Game series

4/2/2019

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You know how you can end up going down the Google rabbit hole?  Well, I was doing research for client and somehow ended up looking at old abandoned buildings.  One struck me, it was a Eastern European stadium.  It was an old Olympic training site.  Since its closure graffiti artists have taken up residence to cover the concrete with their art.  The loose illustrative style and the bold images in monochrome inspired me.   Announcing the Rough Game Series a collection of sports imagery layered upon chalky white, rendered in black, white and shades of gray.
Sports Art Gallery Wall featurings a scoreboard, acrylic name plaque and other art by Aaron Christensen
The 13 image collection offers baseball, basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey and golf as subjects as well as a multi sport scoreboard, a trophy piece and some motivational posters.  Presented in framed, poster and canvas options, they would make great statements in a gallery wall type presentation or showcased as individual nods to a sport.  To round out the collection, I've also included some studio made decor such as the personalized acrylic name plaque and the black canvas pillow.
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I'm honored to announce that I've teamed up with my artist friend Mari Robeson to dedicate 20% of the collection sales, during April to a cause dear to her heart.  Mari is the love and creative force behind the Louise Monforte Memorial Arts Scholarship.   Its mission is to financially aid achieving high school students in their pursuit of art and dance.  You can read more about Mari and her in memorandum scholarship born out of the love and loss of her sister Lou Lou on her website - LOUISE MONFORTE MEMORIAL ART SCHOLARSHIP
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Riffing off of the art collection, I've created a fabric series as well.  It is available from my Spoonflower.com fabric shop.  With their array of fabric choices, the patterns would be a great coordinate to the art as bedding and pillows.
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I hope you enjoy the collection.  Your interest in my art is appreciated and so are all the likes, shares, pins and comments!

Rough Game Sports CollectionTHe Rough Game Sports collection

$20.00 - $249.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$30.00 - $179.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$18.00
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$20.00 - $249.00
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$24.00 - $34.00
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Cut Paper Florals Spring Display

4/1/2019

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I have several of the branded blade cutters and haven't really got to used to using them.  Their software is a bit clunky for me.  I recently bought a Glowforge laser and decided to give it a go cutting paper.  The verdict is in, it did a wonderful job. Not only did it cut the sheets with precision, I was able to stack and cut multiple sheets at a time.  What a time saver!  Anyway, this isn't a commercial for laser cutting, nor is this a sponsored post.
cut paper floral wreath by Embellishments Studio
The laser uses SVG files just like the blade cutting machines.  I did have to play with the settings to prevent too much scald on the papers edges.  There's a little, but I don't mind it, it seems to help define the shapes. 
Spring Window Display featuring cut paper florals
The project was a window and store display.  I wanted to do something a bit bolder as large florals are all the trend.  Here I painted the backdrop with florals and featured one wreath.  Down below I placed galvanized orbs that I made from scratch using 3/4 light duty galvanized strapping and a spot welder.
Laser cut paper florals using the Glowforge by Embellishments Studio
For the wreaths I chose clematis flowers.  They're dimensional and easily to recognize.
Dyed Coffee Filters Backdrop
In another window I created a backdrop by stapling ombre dyed coffee filters.  You can use Rit dye in different dilutions to achieve the effect.
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More coffee filters were hung from fish line to dangle from the store's rustic reclaimed wood tree.
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Galvanized tubs become hanging planters filled with cut paper flowers.  Galvanized orbs round out the display. (Pardon the photo bomber, I tried waiting until she turned away, but she was probably curious what I was doing...ha!)

Glowforge Referral Program

If you're intrigued by the Glowforge let me know.  They have a referral program and I might be able to save you some $$$.
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Remaking dollar store ornaments into a vintage style

12/13/2018

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I love vintage ornaments and Christmas decor.  The patina of time just adds something special to them whether its a bit of fading, tinge of tarnish or the flattening of colors into a mellowed palette.  Sadly, the good stuff is expensive, fragile and gasp, you better not re-craft it into anything but its original purpose.  So, using some techniques I've developed over the years, during my stints as a department store visual designer, I cheat and make my own "vintage" using less than the best.  I'll use dollar store decorations.
The difference between today's ornaments and vintage ones is more than just time.  It's materials.  Many old fashioned ornaments were made from real metal, metal flake coated glass and cellulose lacquer.  Real metal tarnishes and cellulose breaks down, hence the ornaments become duller and loose their vibrancy.  Today's inexpensive ornaments are mostly blow molded plastics coated with mylar flake glitter and/or tinted with acrylic lacquer.  None of which will age, or dull naturally.
To recreate the vintage look we have to either create the illusion of age or deconstruct the finish somehow.  Here are some simple ways to do it. 

1) mimic age using pigmented paste wax

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I use Howards Premium Paste Wax in dark oak. The citrus fragrance is a bonus.
Age and distress cheap plastic ornaments to look like vintage treasures.  DIY by Aaron Christensen
Ornaments to the right are treated with the dark oak paste wax.
Using a soft lint free rag rub on a coat of pigmented paste wax.  The wax I use is Howard's in a dark oak color.  The wax dulls the mylar like finish and alters the colors to more of an antique hue.  Fake silver becomes more champagne and gold becomes more brassy.  The snow like mylar glitter starts to resemble glass and Mica glitter which was used in the early 1900's.  The paste wax can be buffed once it is dry and removed selectively with either steel wool or a scotch brite pad.  Notice on the mylar plastic tinsel tree and wreath how the paste wax makes the tinsel look like the old silver and tin used in days gone by.  I love it.
Paste wax is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.

2)  Distress the finishes using steel wool

A super easy way to age a plastic ornament is to rub it down with steel wool.  The finer the steel wool, the smoother the wear.  For rough scratches use coarse wool, for cloudy, milky effects use fine.  To preserve the original finish and turn it into a stripe or pattern, mask off areas using electrical tape. Due to its flexible nature electrical tape will bend and wrap with the shapes easily.  The steel wool will remove glitter, knock off the lacquer paint from raised details and uncover the original plastics silver tone.
Age cheap ornaments by rubbing down details, glitter and paint finishes on inexpensive plastic ornaments.  DIY by Aaron Christensen
Age cheap ornaments by rubbing down details, glitter and paint finishes on inexpensive plastic ornaments.

3) Use Rub-n-buff to mimic glass or metal

Using a rag, brush or just your glove covered finger, apply Rub-n-Buff to highlight raised areas, draw attention to details and mimic the wearing off of the ornaments lacquer, presenting a metallic or silvered glass like tone.  Rub-n-Buff is also a paste wax and is available in a huge array of colors and is stocked by most craft stores and woodworking suppliers.  I used silver for this demonstration. 
Paste wax is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.
Mimic vintage ornaments by using Rub-n-Buff paste wax to highlight and distress cheap ornaments by Aaron Christensen
Mimic vintage ornaments by using Rub-n-Buff paste wax to highlight cheap ornaments.

4)  distress using fingernail polish Remover

 Traditional fingernail polish remover will remove the ornaments lacquer finish.  It will also re-liquefy areas and allow the mylar metal flake to move around creating highs and lows in sheen.  With more pressure you can even remove the paint finish completely.  I used that technique in combination with masking areas using electrical tape.  The look it created is much like the old "shiny and brite" ornaments.  Think of the hazards involved in this technique, consider it the same as using wet fingernail polish.  If you get this on fabric, carpet or precious surfaces it may not come off.  Use caution.

Fingernail polish remover used in conjunction with electrical tape and paste wax creates a great
Fingernail polish remover used in conjunction with electrical tape and paste wax creates a great "shiny and brite" look ornament.
Fingernail polish remover is flammable and contains petroleum distillates.  Keep away from children, flame and heat sources until cured and always wear protective gloves and provide for fresh air ventilation.  It may also dissolve and soften some plastics.  Please test an inconspicuous area first if you are experimenting.
Using a combination of the steps above, I distressed a bunch of ornaments in a variety of sizes.  Most of them I bought from the Dollar Store, Target, Michaels and Wallyworld aka Walmart.   Keep an eye out for heavy discounting as the season moves on and start working on next years big wreath or faux vintage assemblage.   Using the ornaments from this post, here's what I created.  Share with me your newly vintage ornaments over on Facebook or Instagram or drop a comment or questions below.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from me to you!
Create vintage look ornaments using cheap plastic ones from the Dollar Store.  DIY instructions by Aaron Christensen
Other than the occasional seam, it's really hard to tell the difference between these ornaments and ones from days gone by.
Vintage look wreath created using altered inexpensive plastic ornaments by Aaron Christensen.
Vintage look wreath created using altered inexpensive plastic ornaments.
tree adorned with altered
Antiqued Dollar Store tinsel tree adorned with altered "vintage" plastic Christmas ornaments.
Distress and age cheap plastic ornaments to look like vintage collectibles by Aaron Christensen
Distress and age cheap plastic ornaments to look like vintage collectibles.
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propmaster Top picks for halloween

9/7/2018

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Halloween is probably my favorite holiday when it comes to decor.  As an experienced prop maker, I want to give kudos to some outstanding haunters of Halloween.  You can see these top 5 and all of my frightening picks in my Pinterest board "Embellished Halloween"

#1 Make up tutorials by madeyewlook

Seriously talented make-up FX artist Lex Fleming stuns with her library of tutorials.

#2 Deliciously deadly poison apples

Over on Wannabite Nate takes you through the steps to create these near black beauties.
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#3 ghosts by christopher mckenney

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Photographer turned Halloween illusionist Christopher McKenney captures the creepy.  Learn more about McKenney here or visit his Flickr to dig (get it) deeper.

#4 haunted hands

One of Martha Stewarts creative monsters offers up a DIY about casting hands.   Having created cast props, I do warn you it's messy but worth it's weight in ghouls.
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#5 creep the lights on for us

While the first photo is what captivated me, I couldn't find the source...broken link pinners, bad form!  But, I did find a similar look DIY from House of Dewberry, I guess Dewberry do good.
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For more haunted hits check out my Pinterest Board, it's to die for (get it)?
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Superhero Fabrics for boys, teens and baby  debut on spoonflower

7/21/2018

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Please visit my Spoonflower shop and explore the latest fabric designs I've added.  The latest are yardage that coordinates with my superhero line of wall art.  The fabrics are perfect for bedding, upholstery and crafts.  You can also buy finished good from Spoonflowers' sister site Roostery.  There you will find sheet goods, pillows, accessories and home decor all available in the fabrics I've designed.
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A Rooftop Garden fit for fairies

6/21/2018

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Faced with an awkward second story rooftop patio that had no practical purpose, my client hit me up with an idea.  "Can you build a fairy garden for my daughter?"  He asked.  Then the cementitious siding, synthetic decking clad box mulled through my mind.
An outdoor space devoid of purpose.
The patio oddly linked an upstairs bedroom to a stairwell over the garage.  While it overlooked the backyard, the 3.5 ft tall barrier half wall obscured the best view.   It was a tough space to find a purpose for.  Luckily for me, the stairwell it fed to was adjacent to the home school classroom I created for the client.  That gave us an opportunity.  Why not offer the space as a retreat for the kids during their school day and an opportunity to explore science lessons about flora and fauna.
It was a winning idea once it merged with their young daughters wish for a fairy garden and a new dog house for her puppy.
With this being a roof top garden of only 9' by 11', it needed to be petite yet mighty with content.  I turned to my themed prop illusions of faux rock and wood.  With some exaggeration in shape, color and texture, they will look like their straight out of a magical story book.  They became facades for the pressure treated raised planters.
Initial concepts reflect the "hobbit hole" doghouse, mushroom furniture and an arbor of faux branches.
Faux cement branch arbor
Rather than try to deal with real branches, faux cement theme park style ones offer limitless possibilities in shape for the arbor that will be home to trailing vines and magical lights.
Rooftop Fairy Garden for Kids designed with Mushroom furniture, hobbit-hole doghouse and plenty of fairy and fauna luring plants.
The rooftop garden ready for dancing fairies and gardening gnomes.
First and foremost, I covered the siding with a paper faced exterior plywood, so I could incorporate mural work to help with the illusion of a lush garden while we await the plants maturing.  Studio created pressure treated raised planter beds were clad with faux rocks and logs. Their daughters request for a dog house provided the opportunity to create a hobbit type home with a planted roof of irish moss, sedums and ornamental clover.  Flanking the four corners and meeting overhead was the ambitious idea of a faux cement branch arbor with a small Lexan roof to shield some of the NW rain from the mushroom table below.  The arbor will eventually become home to vines like standard and evergreen Clematis, Jasmine and Algerian Ivy.  In the meanwhile, wrapping it with grapevines and twinkle lights offer up some magic. 
Living roof fairygarden doghouse hobbit hole for a NW rooftop garden.
Living roof fairygarden Hobbit Hole Doghouse by Embellishments Studio featuring faux rocks and logs.
Being a bit of a plant geek, I had fun incorporating some of my favorites and offering lots of texture and color play.  For my fellow geeks you'll spot Aspidistra, Clerodendron, Echium, Persicaria Red Dragon, gigantic Ornamental Rhubarb and some annual Musque De Provence pumpkin.  Most of the plantings are perennial and winter hardy, although I did mix in some annuals for instant color gratification.
Custom rooftop fairy garden with magical ideas by Aaron Christensen's Embellishments Studio
While a picture is worth a thousand words, I imagine there are questions to be asked.  Here's what my friends have been asking.
1) Will birds use the birdhouse?  No, it's not properly designed to house babies, so the opening is just painted on.  Nested bird houses require annual cleaning and specific dimensions for the fledglings safety and survival.
2)  How is the garden being watered?   A drip system is installed throughout the garden and spans the space hidden inside the cement arbor.
3)  It looks crowded with plants, won't it become overgrown?  Yes, it is...(smile).  Given its somewhat harsh environment of reflected light, weather shielding overhangs and their life in a raised bed I'm planning on some fight or flight with even the most of reliable plants.  My idea is to let the garden evolve with some plants thriving as others may fail.  I'll revisit it next spring to see what there is to learn from the unique environment. 

Artist, Designer Aaron Christensen from Embellishments Studio romances the outdoor rooftop garden he's building.
Note on the reflected light- While the space is north facing, I personally learned how harsh the bounced light can be. This Danish pale freckled skin of mine quickly showed signs of my being roasted like a rotisserie chicken.

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4) Where did you get the little mushrooms?  We of course made them in the studio along with all the faux rock, logs and the cement mushroom furniture.  The little ones are made from a sculpted urethane foam, hard coated with UV resistant epoxy and painted with exterior grade paints.   The furniture set has a core of welded rebar wrapped in expanded galvanized cloth.  They were sculpt coated in cement and painted with an exterior grade cement friendly paint.  I used the same technique on some other furniture for use as store fixturing.
Kids fairy garden built on a rooftop patio by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentsstudio.com
The life size fairy garden is ready for a magical party.
Outdoor cement mushroom table and stools by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentsstudio.com
Made of cement, these fairy garden mushroom stools and table are perfect for impish parties.
Living roof, rooftop fairy garden dog house by theme and kids space designer Aaron Christensen of Embellishmentsstudio.com
There's room for a puppy or two in this living roof, hobbit hole dog house.
Adding to the garden's illusion is some artificial turf under foot.  No lawn mower required to be carried up to the second story.  It will be easy to keep up with the occasional sweeping.
I have yet to enjoy the space at night when I can see the full effect of the twinkle lights and the LED fireflies I hid.  I'll be curious to see if I can capture the garden by camera at night.  If I can, I'll post those pics too.

So, who's ready for a fairy, imp, gnome party?  Non-Twitter trolls are welcome too...ha! 

FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST FOR THESE AND MANY MORE FAIRY GARDEN IDEAS
Aaron Christensen's Fairy Garden Pinterest Board
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Tree thugging: Getting caught making counterfeit trees.

3/10/2018

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 People love to bring the outdoors in and I am asked to play Brutha Nature and create trees all the time.  Big ones, little ones, realistic and modern.  So here I am poised once again to create a one of a kind piece for a client, I had to go idea browsing.  We settled on the idea of a tree shaped bookshelf.  One that was modern and architecturally interesting.  So I gathered together a Pinterest board with a variety of tree ideas.
Children's tree shaped book case inspiration by Aaron Christensen
There are lots of ways to create a tree bookshelf system.  I found some that are modern, some folky, some rustic and some really to my liking by being unique.  The trick with most of the trees is considering the fact that they must hold the weight of books and of course the weight of an adventurous child deciding to climb them.  If I were to offer a hint to any DIY'er out there, be sure to add branches or branch tips that point in a downward direction to act like a bracket.  These will bear the weight.
Tree Shaped Tree Bookcase / Bookshelf Idea by Aaron Christensen, Kids space designer.
You can see in the tree that I built, there are angles and pieces that point downward.  These provide vertical strength, so the shelf can't be pulled down or tip down off the wall.
My client is a pediatric dental office.  The bookshelf is going to be used dozens of times a day so I made it very robust, the scale and size more suited for a service industry environment.   As you can see it's a series of branches attached to a trunk.  The trickiest part is cutting the angles to match branch and support.
Tree Shaped Book Case, Book Shelves shaped like branches for children by Aaron Christensen
I'm a bit obsessive with building things straight and true.  So this tree stands perfectly upright, the backing is all on the same plane.  Great you think...but no, I mean NO!  The wall I was to mount it to had been where a doorway was covered up, so it was really out of whack.  I had to loosen my branches to tip them back a bit.  This left gaps in my seams... oh hell no!  So I went through painstakingly and finessed bondo into every little gap, sanded it and primed it.    The final finish was to coordinate with a maple counter across the room so I faux painted the piece using a series of color washes and treatment with faux finishers graining tool.  A topcoat of shellac gave it that amber wood tone I needed as well as protect the piece as a non-toxic clear coat.  Shellac is safe for little nibblers that put their teeth and mouths on everything.  Remember this is a pediatric dental office.  I'm sure there's some little munchin munchkins giving it the beaver treatment as we speak....gnaw, gnaw, and gnaw.
Jump over to my Pinterest for these and other photographs of inspirational trees.  I've included the following tree bookcases we've made here in the studio.

Other  tree  shelving  ideas  by  Embellishments  studio

3D sculpted tree bookcase by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentskids.com
Tree Bookcase in a Science themed playroom by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentskids.com
3d sculpted Tree Bookcase by Aaron Christensen Embellishmentskids.com
Corner Tree Shelf
Corner Bookshelf out of Maple
Modern Tree Bookshelf
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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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