Lily of the Valley | Jewelry & Art | Berea, KY

An update is long overdue!  So much has happened over the past few months.  Matt and I bought our first home!  We love our new house, and it’s nice to be back in Lexington.  Being close to neighbors took a little getting used to at first (our dogs barked at everything that moved!), but everyone seems so nice and things have been peaceful. Sometimes I miss the peacefulness of my former home, but I’m enjoying the modern amenities (central air, dishwasher!).

The Old Oxford House

Our new house is split level/split foyer style, as was popular around the time it was built in 1978.  I love the floor plan, it flows well and feels spacious, and there are lots of great nooks and crannies for storage.  The great thing about this house was that despite being built in the late 70s, it’s like walking into a new house. The previous owners did a fantastic job of remodeling and added beautiful tile work, custom shelving, modern lighting, and lots of other neat features. I love the huge flowerbed out front!

Last weekend, I painted the exterior doors.  They had been that hunter green blue-green color that was super popular in the 90s.  We went with a deep berry red with olive accents.  I love how the complementary colors worked out.

Before

After, please pardon our mulch and recycling bin!

Now that we are getting settled in, I’ve been enjoying my new craft room tremendously.  It is much smaller, maybe a third of the size of my previous room, but it’s very efficient.  I’ve set up three stations- sewing area, painting area, and jewelry area.  The jewelry area is fantastic, there is a built in desk inside the closet and plenty of shelving for boxes of beads and supplies.  I added cork boards inside to hang projects on.  I’m considering rearranging the rest of the room to see if I can squeeze in more shelving to help contain my fabrics.  It is more than a little out of control!  I’ve been working on some new things to bring to Mayfest Arts Fair (May 12-13 at Gratz Park in Lexington, KY).  I will still be selling some jewelry, of course, but I’m focusing much more on sewing now so I’ll be bringing a great selection of handbags, wallets, headbands and other accessories.  The air conditioner is broken in my car, so these headbands have been a life saver for keeping my crazy hair under control with the windows down!

I’m also working on some adorable re-purposed leather wallets and phone cases.  This is the new card wallet I’ve been carrying for a few days now, I’m loving it!

Flower Card Wallet with leaf closure

I just finished several clutch purses for Mayfest in a variety of great fabrics.  They are slightly padded to protect your goodies and just the right size; small enough to be stashed inside a larger bag for those don’t-want-to-lug-around-a-whole-big-purse moments, yet large enough to hold all of your essentials.  Perfect for trips to the farmers/artists market!

Can’t wait to see you at Mayfest!