Projects, Portfolio Work and News for Embellishments Studio

WHAT MAKES A Joshua Tree SO MAGICAL

2/9/2022

With its other worldly vibe and b movie ready vignettes, what makes joshua tree so magical?

In 1994 Joshua Tree was designated a National Park, having only had Monument status since 1936. One might wonder what the difference between the two is. A monument usually protects a singular resource of physical, cultural or historical value. That designation can be granted by a President. To earn the designation of National Park it takes an act of Congress. That later being awarded to protect land, ecosystems, habitats and vulnerable places. In 1994, the National Park designation for Joshua Tree protects nearly 800,000 acres and the plants and animals that make it a wondrous place.
The park's namesake, the Joshua Tree is something akin to a Dr. Seuss illustration and the perfect specimen for a "B" alien.

Dr. Seuss' Truffula tree and a Joshua Tree photoshop comparison by Reddit user Exsplore. https://www.reddit.com/user/exsplore/

A Joshua Tree featured in the movie "It Came from Outer Space" 1953.

Beyond book illustrators and movie directors, the Joshua tree has caught the attention of a new generation and their Instagram-able moments. If you follow the hashtag #joshuatree you will see elopements, weddings, family outings and wilderness wanderings set against the backdrop of the mighty Joshua. Who would have thought this giant relative of the asparagus would command such insta-fame. Are they sought out for their spiny silhouette, their mysterious wavy arms or the you-can-overcome and thrive spirit they embody sprouting up from the harsh desert conditions?

The magic and mystery of JTNP drew 3 million visitors in 2021. The eclectic village of Joshua Tree, which borders the west park entrance comes alive at dawn with locals and visitors hitting Joshua Tree Coffee Company for some caffeine. Travelers join the caravan of vehicles winding the small road up to the park entrance. After you greet the fee booth attendant, the road through Joshua Tree becomes seemingly smaller and smaller as the vistas of open land grow larger. Waving their bristled arms up in the air, the Joshua Trees greet you like a socially distanced crowd. While they do appear in groups, most seem to like their personal space standing lone in the desert sands. Their frequency and sprawl is hard to capture on camera.

Cresting from the ground, corralling the Joshuas are huge rock and boulder formations. They look as if giants stacked them. Many of the outcroppings have been named due to their unusual form, indentations and shapes such as Skull Rock, Cyclops Eye and Heart Rock.

Joshua Tree at night is just as spectacular. It is rated 10th in the list of National Parks designated as night sky parks. Views of the milky way, asteroid showers and lunar events draw thousands.

So what does make Joshua Tree so magical? In my personal opinion it's scale. These amazing trees dot the landscape farther than the eye can see and boy can you see a long way. The JTNP desert landscape while diverse on a micro ecosystem scale is rather featureless on a grand mile to mile scale. The landscape rolls forever blurring into a shade of gray green and brown. The trees and the earth blend into a tapestry of hard desert life. As an individual, it reminds you how small we. We are just a dot on the landscape dwarfed by the population of Joshuas. It can be very peaceful and humbling. Traveling through and seeing the dotted Joshua Trees come into view, turning from blurry shadowy forms into larger than life ornate structures of lancet leaves, blooms and curving branches is exciting. Their distant friendly arms waving turn away from human-like form into an otherworldly coarse and rugged collections of pointed leaves and desert dried bark. They are both threatening and delightfully whimsical. Their beauty in whole outshines. Heck, if you could hug one, they look as if they would hug right back. The park entrance sign should read- "Joshua Tree, we welcome you with open arms. Just don't take us up on it."

My love for all things Joshua Tree, has had me inspired to create some new art and decor. While most of my art has a travelers heart coming through, this is the first series with a single destination in mind. And with that addition to my collections, I foresee heading towards more National Park art. If you are a fan of my work please consider subscribing to my newsletter. New subscribers get a 10% off coupon code.

Joshua Tree National Park Poster, JTNP Poster, Joshua Tree Wall Art

Joshua Tree National Park Poster by Aaron Christenen available in canvas, archival and poster prints.

Joshua Tree National Park Pennant, JTNP Pennant

Joshua Tree National Park All Felt Pennants by Aaron Christensen

Joshua Tree Pennants by Aaron Christensen.

Joshua Tree National Park Sign - Customizable Studio Made Wall Art

Studio made custom Joshua Tree National Park signs, perfect for weddings, elopements and as a souvenir celebrating JNTP visits.

Joshua Tree Seeds in a packet featuring JTNP art by Aaron Christensen

Joshua Tree Seed for sale featuring art by Aaron Christensen on the packet.

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Baseball Wall Art Decor New Releases

6/4/2021

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The Baseball Back Then Collection

When I create a new collection, it is a process. It's one thing to create one piece of art and poof put it up for sale. It's another to try and create a mood, a setting or in better terms to imagine a space and build towards it. Having designed many, if not hundreds, of kids room since starting my studio, I can't help but envision the reveal. What will the client not just see but feel?

So, I've been working on designing more ingredients to add to a space. While there may seem to be some matchy, matchy going on when you first glance, realize the most people will pick a couple items from a collection and then build from there. Maybe they like a particular fabric for pillows that may go with one piece of art.

The Baseball Back Then collection en masse.

So the goal that I've set for myself is to give customers some options. Give them choices that they can incorporate into their existing space or create a whole new one. A piece from Aaron, a homemade craft, a piece from Home Goods, an antique thingy and that one gift from the mother-in-law (you have to display it...ha!). Put them together to create the vibe or feel that's desired for the space.

Personalized Pennants with a vintage baseball feel.

Old time handwriting font with a whoop de do.

So, in this latest collection, I first decided on a general idea. I wanted something in my vintage vibe but refreshed with a little modernism or lean towards trend. The elements of the current trend-o-sphere I plucked for this collection are use of a limited color palette, boho vibe watercolor washes, stains, paints, heavier textures, handwritten type lettering, rustic finishes and to no surprise beads and tassels. They are concepts that could work within a modern farmhouse, that mid century minimal pad or a rustic converted warehouse condo.

Putting the studio fabric printer to use, pickling beads and making tassels. All in a days work here.

While I'm excited for all the pieces, there is a concept I was stoked to bring to life. I wanted a piece of wall decor shaped like a baseball home plate. Well, that's not original you say. And of course you are right, it is not. But I wanted a piece that eluded to baseball without being so literal, emblazoned with red baseball stitches and painted white. I'd be one of a million with that old concept. I wanted something a little more wall decor less baseball. So has it, last year I bought the studio the equipment to do some fabric printing. Not screen printing, but actual infusion of ink into fabric. It's called sublimation. I can print out art and imagery and using heat I can transfer it by chemically fusing it with the fabric's fibers. Sounds cool? It is! The image doesn't sit on the fabric it literally becomes the fabric. It won't fade, it won't peel, it won't wash out. Even if you tore the fabric apart you would end up with fibers and thread with the image intact.
By fusing the inspirational phrase - It's always good to be home to the "inspired by trend" heavy texture, open weave linen look fabric, I have the perfect print to staple over my stretcher bar home plate shape. It took a little trial and error to figure out how to wrap and staple the fabric around that shape. To update it, I added some ever popular washed wooden beads, tassel and a burlap twine hanger. I hope you like it. While some little league outfielder may look at it and shrug, a mom, dad or interior designer who wants an updated look on the tried and true baseball room hopefully will enjoy it.

Custom Pennants of wool felt from EmbellishmentsStudio.com

Customizable wool felt pennants by EmbellishmentsStudio

The studio introduced pennants a few years back to complement the wall art I create and they have been welcomed with open arms by our customers. So for this collection I gave a wink to the golden oldie days with a swoosh, a ribbon a non-text thingy ma-bob that acts as a tail off the end of a word. Such a classic Coke thing. Added to that is a handwritten style font that we use to personalize them.

Baseball Fabric for crib, child and baseball fan bedding, home dec and gift making.

Samples of my Back Then Baseball Collection of fabrics.

Fabric is a huge part of room design. It often sets the tone for everything else. One builds a nursery or bedroom around the bedding, it's rarely the other way. So, to take the lead on the collection, I created 29 prints and variations for this collection. It explores the baseball theme with classic shapes and patterns but updates them with a limited color palette, modern use of "white space" and yet still has a vintage appeal. While I'm still on the hunt for someone to produce my bedding and home dec ideas directly for my site customers, I maintain a Spoonflower.com shop to vend my patterns and sell some of their finished goods with my designs. I'm a stickler for quality and the accuracy of the reproduction of my imagery. Spoonflower does a great job with the printing and offers a wide variety of fabrics. They offer finished goods like pillows, tablecloths, duvets and such with my designs on them. It's a win, win for now until I have my own produced. I can see so many combinations of the pieces that would make wonderful crib or boys room bedding.

Baseball Minky Quilt using Aaron Christensen's fabric design.

Ashley Budge's minky business CountryStitched.com and her version of a blanket using my fabric design from this latest collection. She paired it with a dark blue lux minky. Click the photo to learn more about her company and their live sales.

Baseball Blanket made of minky printed with Aaron Christensen's fabric design.

Amber Jenkin's paired my Baseball Back Then cheater quilt design with a camel colored lux minky fabric the blanket she sells through live events. Click the photo to learn more about The Designer Minky Company.

Minky Business

A quick shout out to the hustling and bustling industry of Minky blankets. These small business owners have created a retail setting for fabric designs like mine to hit the market using Facebook live and other live platforms. Customers across the world seek out their customized blankets from the tiny lovey for babies to cuddle to giant sized ones for family night on the couch. Check out these two bomb businesses and their blanket bonanzas. The Designer Minky Co ,
CountryStitched

Top left is my really big original. Top right is a color sample on canvas for color checking. Bottom is a print of my cheater quilt from the collection on 100% cotton for a color check.

Pushing myself out of the usual size ratio I work within on my paintings, I decided to go with a tall and skinny version of a baseball player. His popped collar, wooden bat and probably not very comfortable heavyweight fabric uniform are definitely vintage, but I made it more modern by keeping it painterly, in a limited color range and as minimalist as portraiture can be. I guess it's still portraiture sans face or is it torsotraiture ? Ha!

Baseball Wall Art Scoreboard by Aaron Christensen of EmbellishmentsStudio.com

The Back Then Baseball Scoreboard is available in archival print posters and stretched canvas prints.

What would my baseball collections be without a new scoreboard? I realized the other day that it's been almost 18 years since Pottery Barn Kids launched a line with my very first scoreboard. As far as I was told, it was the first painted depiction of a scoreboard anyone had offered in the retail catalog industry. Now, years later with Pinterest, Etsy, DIY'ers and knock off bloggers, they're a little more common <eye roll>. I spot the occasional too close for common sense copycat who forgets to change the scores. What are the odds that our games had the very same scores...<double eye roll>. Ha! Well, flattery being what it's not, all's good. I'll just keep painting more until I don't. In this version, I wanted the charms of what a scoreboard might look like back in the early mid 1900's. I envisioned it painted on some old fence in a dirt field where rag tag leagues played on the big nights and broom handle and homemade ball wielding children filled in the gaps.

I've procured some vintage zinc plated numbers as accents for the collection. $12.00 w/shipping

As I write this and think about baseball nostalgia, I would love a trip to yesteryear with a little box of Cracker Jack to indulge in. It used to be sold in little cardboard boxes that you immediately tore open to find a prize. Prize first, eat second. That sweet popped corn and caramel smell fills my mind. I wonder if I should ever include tasty treats or confections in a collection? Heck, a Cracker Jack scented candle would suffice, I'm hungry...ha!

In closing, I'd love to think that the market will continue to steer me. That I'll continue exploring new things, trying new techniques all for the sake of expressing my creativity. Please know that I couldn't do it without the fans of my work. Without you it would be a failed business venture obviously, but it's the comments, the sharing, the photos you provide that keep me inspired. Feel free to offer suggestions, critiques, comments and ideas. Please continue to share, post, Pin and tag with wild abandon, it truly does help my and other small businesses. Thanks for reading. - Aaron

Baseball Player Wall Art - The Back Then Collection

$25.00 - $162.00

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With its other worldly vibe and b movie ready vignettes, what makes joshua tree so magical?

The Baseball Back Then Collection

Minky Business

Baseball Player Wall Art - The Back Then Collection

Custom Felt Pennants - The Back Then Baseball Collection

Baseball Wall Art - Player Stats - The Back Then Collection

Zinc Galvanized Vintage Numbers - The Back Then Collection

Do Your Best Felt Pennant - The Back Then Baseball Collection

Baseball Scoreboard Wall Art Rustic - The Back Then Collection

Baseball Wall Art - Field Positions - The Back Then Collection

Baseball Wall Art - It's Always Good To Be Home- Home Plate Decor - The Back Then Collection

Rough Game Sports CollectionTHe Rough Game Sports collection

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INTRODUCING THE LINE UP COLLECTIONBY AARON CHRISTENSEN

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Rough Game Scoreboard Sports Wall Art by Aaron Christensen

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Sports Wall Art - Rough Game Sports Motivational Poster Prints by Aaron Christensen

Home Visitor Sports Pillow

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INTRODUCING THE LINE UP COLLECTION
BY AARON CHRISTENSEN