November 2013 - Veda House Veda House

Recent Work: Wedding Save the Dates

Studio Hours

The countdown timer says 170 days left….170 more days until I get married next May. Wholy Guacamole!!! These last 6 months of planning have definitely been a whirlwind of exciting milestones (like finding my wedding dress) and daunting tasks (like designing our wedding invites).

Now that the “Save The Dates” are out to family and friends, I thought it would fun to share with you the final pieces. I was SUPER lucky to get the opportunity to work with the very talented Maggie of Type & Title. I illustrated the florals and overall design and Maggie helped me hand letter some key pieces. The words “Save The Date” and our beautiful return address stamp were both created by Maggie and I couldn’t be more pleased.

If you need an incredibly talented (and beyond sweet) hand lettering artist to work with, please contact Maggie 🙂 You can contact her on her portfolio site in the link below. If you’re interested in the construction of the envelopes, please visit this post.

( Browse Type & Title Portfolio )

Giveaway with Maple+Mauve – Ended

giveaways

Hello everyone. In the spirit of the American Thanksgiving happening this Thursday, I thought I would host a special giveaway with the talented Sera of Maple+Mauve Jewelry to thank my readers for your continued support of my growing business and for all the chit chat we have each week. I’m feeling all the love and absolutely want you guys to know how important this space/and you guys are to me.

Maple+Mauve is based out of Seattle and is putting out some REALLY beautiful pieces. I’d like to think that my personal style (fashion-wise) has a little bit of an edge to it, with simplicity as the main focus. Sera’s pieces fit RIGHT into that aesthetic and I’m so happy to be able to share them with you.

TWO lucky winners will get a chance to add one of these necklaces to their holiday wardrobes. TWO winners will be chosen and contacted next Monday (December 2).

Here’s How To Enter:
1. Visit Maple + Mauve to check out the rest of Sera’s beautiful work
2. Leave a comment below telling me which of the two necklaces (cube or sphere) you like best and how you might style it 🙂

That’s it. It’s super simple.

Thank you so much for all your continued support and I’m wishing you all the very best Holiday season.

( Shop M+M, Follow M+M )

Inspired By: Father Rabbit

ART & DESIGN

It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a brand I’m loving. The last “inspired by” post was about Photographer, Carissa Gallo. I’m anxiously awaiting to find out if she’s had her baby yet. Anyone know? Wasn’t she the cutest pregnant lady of all the lands?

Today I’m inspired by the brand Father Rabbit. I’ve seen their products pop up once and while and every time they do, I swoon for days. Father Rabbit is a housewares brand based out of Auckland, New Zealand. Stop by their online shop to pick out a few gifts for the holidays!

( photos – kara Rosenlund )

Studio Hours: Our Wedding Place Settings

Studio Hours

Wedding update! Projects are being checked off the list! I’m sitting here in a Kansas city coffee shop on a business trip, but wanted to stop by and share our wedding place settings.

Aside from the invitation, figuring out what the table settings are going to look like at our wedding is a whole other debacle. Like most things I do, I’ve taken on hand selecting (thrifting) each and every items that will go on the tables. I know crazy. I do however love the attachment you get to items you’ve hunted down and I can only image that aspect will make our wedding day that much more magical. If you’re planning to tie the knot soon with your special someone as well, companies such as Designed Dream is Toronto’s best destination wedding planners, offering couples luxury, all-inclusive wedding packages in Mexico. We create a one-of-a-kind fantasy wedding using vendors from across the world.

Basically the settings are simple. One white plate, one antique plate, one fork, one knife, I amber colored glass, one napkin, and one sprig of rosemary.

You can keep reading for details about each item.

1. Antique plates – thrifted at a local St. Louis antique mall. Slowly gathering enough for 55 guests.

2. Amber colored glasses – another slow process of collecting enough for 55

3. Hand made linen napkins – with frayed edges for a little rustic charm

4. Fresh cut rosemary – our receptionvenue has lots of potted rosemary, so we are just continuing the hand picked theme to the tables

5. Wooden candle sticks – still need to find skinny candles, from the best scented candles you can find online for this.

6. Brass Candle Stands – should I spray paint these a hammered silver?

7. Door knob photo stands – See DIY post

8. Lace Table runners – for “family table” only

9. Blue Glass Water Jugs – recycled white wine bottles

10. Massive driftwood centerpieces (not pictured ) – like these

11. Overhead lighting (not pictured ) – See DIY post

SALE: Prop Closet Sale – Camera Gear / Part 3

veda news

This week’s sale is all about camera gear, new and old. I’m clearing out the pieces I no longer use or the pieces that are collecting dust! I’ve always been drawn to photography and the actual technology throughout the decades. I know quite a few of my readers share the same fascination, so here are some goodies for you. You can view previous sales here & here. (A few items are still available )

Here’s how it works:

1. Email Me: Shoot me an email letting me know what item you are interested in. Please send your home address in the initial email so I can calculate shipping costs. casspyle@gmail.com

2. Shipping Cost: If you are the first to respond to an item, I’ll email you back with an estimated shipping cost.

3. The OK: You’ll OK the final cost and I’ll send you a PayPal invoice to you.

4. Ship It: I’ll ship your item out to you asap!

If you have any questions about any of the listed items feel free to shoot me an email. Some of the items I have additional images I can share.
Shipping to US & Canada (additional shipping cost for Canada)

Notable No. 35 (DIY Edition)

FRIDAY FINDS & FAVORITES

Hey Everyone! This post was originally scheduled for Friday, but in an effort to make a little difference I participated in a blogger’s day of silence. If you missed the post about the Philippines, you can catch up here and donate here. I’ve got a really busy week ahead of me. A couple smaller scale photoshoots for blog content, client web projects, a packaging project and then traveling at the end of the week. I’m not quite sure how everything is going to get done, but’s let’s give it a try!

Notables This Week (DIY Edition):

1. Love this gift wrapping idea
2. Easy built-in shelving unit
3. Concrete looking spray paint!!!
4. This simple photo wall is so dramatic
5. Fun holiday garland ideas for your home

6. Amazing rope lighting
7. Still loving this flush mount light from Home Depot
8. Really beautiful dreamcatcher idea
9. Diamond pattern painted floors

Veda News: Help for the Philippines

veda news

Last night I was contacted by Lucia from Utterly Engaged magazine and creator of a lifesaving website called For Philippines With Love. She informed me that today (Friday, November 15) was going to be an official “bloggers day of silence”. This simply means that instead of posting our regular scheduled content, we’d share the word of For Philippines With Love and encourage donations to the cause.

I thought this was a fabulous idea and immediately jumped on board. Here’s a little snippet from Lucia.

” What’s happening in the Philippines is a terrible tragedy, and I’m not one to sit and just watch it happen. Our goal is $3,500 and we’ll be donating to ShelterBox (for emergency shelter) just because we know that daily living essentials are so needed over there right now.”

Here’s How you can help

1. Participate in today’s Day of Silence and spread the word!

2. Visit the official website & Donate today!

3. Purchase the first IN PRINT issue of Utterly Engaged to donate 10% of your purchase!

4. Explore other causes who are making a difference

Lesson Learned: The New Client Questionnaire

Freelance Journey

Hi guys! Wanted to start another freelance discussion on the blog today. Needing help from the peanut gallery! What would you say if someone asked you…”If your brand was an animal, what would it be?” Confused? haha

I’ve never formally handed out questionnaires to my new clients, but I’ve got a growing interest in creating a more formal process of gathering the who’s and what’s about my client, but in a really unique and unexpected way. Usually how I handle these things is I ask little questions throughout the entire design process, like “so what colors are you most drawn to” or “what brands are major inspiration to you?”. These questions are obviously helpful, but I have this gut feeling that I could know my clients on an even deeper basis by asking the RIGHT questions.

With that said, I’m creating a questionnaire to hand out to my new clients. It’s going to be a simple form (5-10 questions) that gives them the opportunity to think about themselves and their brand in a new way. Keep reading after the jump!

Recent Work: Anatomy of a Guest Room

Studio Hours

Ever since moving into our townhouse last spring, I’ve been attacking one room at a time and transforming it into a clean/inviting space. Megan Gilger described my vision of this room best in her blog post yesterday title “modern americana”. I wanted to keep this space super simple with attention to the finer details.

We checked the whole house for better improvements like for example, I use air release valves to avoid pipe materials collapse under negative pressure, and keep my house safe for my family or check for moisture in the walls that can lead to molds.Mositure Control or kelderdichting is very important for the longitivity of walls and also to prevent disease in the house. Mold removal саn nоt bе quoted оvеr thе phone. If уоur home hаѕ bееn affected bу a flood уоu know thаt cleanup efforts аrе lоng a tedious. Flood damage causes major expense tо homeowners аnd insurance companies. Get an insurance quote for your new home here, you will get the best insurance to your home. On tор оf аll оf іt іѕ thе hassle аnd inconvenience flood damage causes tо thе lives оf thоѕе affected bу thеm. Thе aftermath оf a flood саn leave homes susceptible tо mold, mildew аnd оthеr hazardous bacteria. Whаt іѕ a homeowner tо dо іf thеу fіnd thеmѕеlvеѕ іn thаt situation? Hеrе thеу hаvе taken аll thе tіmе necessary tо remedy thе flood situation оnlу tо fіnd thеmѕеlvеѕ knee deep іn аnоthеr problem. You will get best mold restoration service over here. A proper mold inspection іѕ crucial tо determine thе scope оf work thаt ѕhоuld bе written dоwn. Hоw muсh оf thе dry wall ѕhоuld bе removed? Dо wе need tо Ice Blast thе mold? Whаt іѕ thе best method necessary tо remove thе mold? Whаt wіll thе teams оn site follow? All thаt іѕ іn thе scope. You can see this website for the best mold removal company, do visit.

Thе inspection ѕhоuld help understand hоw thе mold growth occurred (what thе source оf thе mold growth was) аnd hоw thе causes оf thе mold саn bе fixed effectively tо make sure уоur indoor environment іѕ returned tо a safe аnd healthy оnе. Thе mold removal company уоu choose wіll hаvе оnе оf thеіr experienced аnd trained inspectors perform a free visible mold inspection аnd ѕhоuld аlѕо provide уоu wіth a free estimate. If needed a thіrd party hygienist, environmentalist wіll bе introduced ѕhоuld thе inspector think thе scope іѕ unclear оr bigger thаn anticipated. Thе 3rd party involvement addresses thе “conflict оf interest” issue ѕіnсе thеу аrе nоt paid fоr removal, thеу аrе paid directly frоm thе customer tо detect аnd scope thе problem. In ѕоmе cases, mold testing оr air sampling wіll bе required tо determine іf thе mold spores hаvе spread tо оthеr areas оf уоur indoor environment аnd tо ensure thаt уоur indoor air quality іѕ healthy fоr уоu аnd уоur loved ones. Mold spores аrе microscopic аnd wіthоut air testing іt іѕ impossible tо determine іf thеrе аrе аnу unwanted mold spores іn уоur indoor air thаt can’t bе seen bу thе naked eye. Thе 3rd party industrial hygienist оr mold certified expert wіll bе required tо perform thе testing, sampling аnd inspection аnd thеn create a detailed report wіth thе scope оf work necessary tо follow. Thе 3rd party mау аlѕо dо testing/inspection оn site thrоughоut thе mold removal process аnd uроn completion оf thе mold remediation.

In many cases the reason why you have mold at home is because of non attended leaking pipe, being this said, you can hire this plumber San Diego to verify that everything is working fine. For additional plumbing guidance contact Sharp Plumbing & Heating.

EACH piece in this room has a story. Anatomy of each piece below.

1. Artwork: Portrait of a friend from college, and my Fiancés father’s print, titled “Creative People”

2. Farm Ladder: Thrifted from my favorite antique store here in St. Louis – Rothchild’s

3. Vintage Clothing: Hat, vest and clothing hanger all collected over time

4. Copper Overhead Lamp: Thrifted by my father, then we hired a pro from Alex Trend Painters to give it a mini makeover with spray paint.

5. Dresser: Left from old tenants and completely refinished ( see before )

6. Skull: Found at an antique mall here in St. Louis

7. Copper Candle Holders: Made from copper plumbing connectors from Home Depot once installed by the local plumbers from Stollwerck Plumbing & Sewer – Greater Mukilteo and Everett.

8. Headboard: My dad and I found this on the side of the road before I headed to college 8 years ago

9. Platform Bed: Made recently from 2×4’s and a large sheet of MDF. Entire project cost $40.00!!

10. Iron Fan & Nighstand: Found over time at my favorite antique stores

Browse my HOME Pinterest board for more ideas!

Lesson Learn-ing : Defining Success

Freelance Journey

Thanks to one of my lovely online mentoree’s, I read an article in the NY Times that really struck a cord with me. I read it and knew I needed to share it’s message. As a creative individual it’s almost always hard to explain to people what you do for a living, especially when you are talking about measures of success.

When I tell people that I am doing what I love and that I will NEVER go back to a 9-5 desk job, I get a bunch of confused faces…especially from the older generations. You get questions like, “what about your 401K” or “what do you do without health insurance?”. Well there are Beautician Insurance are available which guides in a very good manner. People are VERY concerned about these things and the funny thing is…I still have a growing 401K and my health insurance is better than ever; I can profess this with confidence because with what Marketreview.com has to say about health insurance, a growing 401k is a healthy sign of a good health insurance. I always opt for the best deals and my health insurance also provides critical illness cover on moneyexpert.com

In this article, titled “I Want to Be a Millennial When I Retire” basically talks about doing what you love NOW, and not waiting until you are retired to seek out your dream living arrangement. When talking about measuring success, I loved with the article says “Maybe we need a word for “never having to sit in a meeting where someone reads long power point slides out loud.” I was like “YESSSS!!!”

The article gives you a good idea of where my mindset is on going for your dreams early. I’m not one to be ok with waiting until it’s perfect timing or for when my bank account is overflowing with funds. I want it NOW and gosh darn it…I’m gonna get it!

I suggest reading the full article –> here. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the topic!

( Photo )

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