New Blog!! RuPiper Designs

Hello All!

Thank you so much for coming to and reading my blog.

I have decided to blog solely under my business name: RuPiper Designs.

Please visit and read about all my new adventures in design at

http://RuPiperDesigns.wordpress.com

THANK YOU!!

A Dash of Red: Custom Signs for Shelly

{A Dash of Red}

About a month ago, Shelly from Stockton contacted me about creating a couple custom signs for her home. She wanted to feature on one sign her favorite wineries of her area and on the other her favorite restaurants.  Most people contact me about making signs of their favorite places in the Napa Valley, not Lodi, so I knew instantly that this was going to be fun. The signs are 30×36 inches and hang vertically on the wall.

Her special request was a add a dash of red to each sign. We love the way red looks on these signs. Our technique allows a modern red to vintage/age to a beautiful, delicious dried cherry red. It looks old, vintage and natural.  The hard part was picking which lucky word on each board received the honor of being painted red.

The only problems had with these boards was that they looked fab in our studio and we wanted to keep them!!

Shelly was kind enough to send us a picture of the signs hanging in her beautiful home and I can see now why she requested that dash of red. Thank You, Shelly!

~Natalie

Shelly's Dining Room: Wineries on Left, Restaurants on Right.

Close Up: Wineries

Close Up: Restaurants

Wine Country Memories for Matthew

{Wine Country Memories}

Matthew contacted me via Etsy to create a board with the wineries and restaurants he visited during his vacation to the Napa Wine Country. This sign is 24 x30 inches and hangs vertically on the wall. He requested 2 icons: grapes and fork spoon knife and a lighter grunge/aging to fit better with his decor.

We love the way this sign turned out.

Thanks, Matthew!

Wine Country Memories

Treasure Island Flea: Part 1

{Treasure Island Flea}

Over Memorial Day Weekend, RuPiper Designs was blissfully selling our wares on a gorgeous day in the midst of the San Francisco Bay. This 2 day event was the first of its kind to happen on Treasure Island and setting up in the morning fellow vendors were excited and anxious, but everyone we met had great hopes and full of smiles.This location is perfect. It sits in the middle of the ocean between San Francisco and Oakland. A 20 minute drive from Marin County, 30-40 minutes from Sonoma, Napa and Alameda Counties. It’s location was beyond ideal for any seller, and we are so excited at its success.

Set up was a breeze and for any vendors out there, you know that set up sometimes can be a painful and arduous task – I hate it in January and February when it still dark out at 5am – this time of year sunrise is early and it makes your day feel less grueling.

Since becoming a vendor 2 things have happened: I seen just as many sun rises as sunsets and waking up at 3am is not a nightmare, it gets easier every weekend. The only downside to this life style is that by Sunday night after creating, packing, lifting, unpacking, selling, packing up again, driving home, and unpacking, a glass of wine has slowly become to 2 to ease the stress of the weekend away. I think I will start worrying when the 2 glasses becomes 1 bottle. At this rate, I expect that to occur sometimes around January 2012.

No matter what show we attend we always meet the most amazing vendors. We have made great acquaitances with many of the food and antique vendors and we see them regularly on “SF Loop”. That’s what we call it, because it seems we are on a continuous circuit of shows literally around the SF Bay: Alameda, Candlestick, Treasure Island, Petaluma, Napa, Sonoma, San Rafael, and Novato.

Lately I have been making an effort to walk around the shows, go past our nice neighbors and venture past what I can see from my booth. I do this to find inspiration for new designs. I look at clothing styles, the sceanry, even the food. Every place has a unique vibe – i love the way the world ignites and inspires.

I was able to take a few snaps of vendors at the Treasure Island Flea this weekend. I found the way the sun hit the colorsin their booth interesting or their design enlightening. I wish I could have taken everyone’s picture, maybe over the coming year I can slowly feature all the amazing vendors we work with every weekend.

San Francisco Skyline And Bay Bridge from Treasure Island

Living in the North Bay we hardly ever see these views from the Oakland side of the Bay. These pictures were taken at 8am and as you can see it is perfectly clear, most unusual for this time of year. Fog is usually present and thick, so this was a welcomed change to this time of year.

Bay Bridge

San Francisco Skyline

{Pfister’s Perennials}

Located near the Santa Cruz Mountains, they had the most beautiful flowers for sale. I loved the green window for the display, it looked so beautiful with the morning light and riot of colors around it.

Pfister’s Perennials are having Plant Sales the 2nd and 3rd weekends of June at 9580 Central Ave Ben Lomand. For more info Call Time or Julia @ 831.336.2770 or 831.246.4767 Email: pfistersperennials@sbcglobal.net.

Pfister's Perennials at Treasure Island

{Korrupt Label}

We first met Henry and Theodore last November at a Harvest Fair in San Jose. My mother and I were walking with a crap load of stuff doing our set up thing when we happened past this amazingly constructed booth with the MOST amazing art work. Usually in the midst of a set up  blinders are on, your mission to set up and get out. It’s tedious boring and you know it will be a long weekend and you want to enjoy a quiet night before the chaos ensues. We stopped dead in our tracks. My mother said: “Holy Shit”.

With that we met 2 of the nicest guys: Henry and Theodore and fell instantly in love with Korrput Label. Out of West Oakland, Henry has created amazing works of art that adorn sweatshirts and T-shirts and also patches you can apply to your own clothing in your own style.

When setting up for Treasure Island, I was wondering if I would see Korrput Label again. I thought I spotted someone wearing their sweatshirt but at closer inspection I saw it was not Henry’s work at all, not nearly the quality or ingenuity. I turned the corner after grabbing a cup of coffee and like a beacon in the skyline I ran right into Korrupt Label. YEAH!

Take a look at Korrput Label’s website – for lack of better words – totally cool. For those who know me, this is not my style of dress but I am so wanting a Korrupt Label Sweatshirt!

Korrput Label T-Shirt 2

Korrupt Label T-Shirt

Devonshire Hoodie

Korrupt Label Booth

 

More to come….

{RUE}

New Ribbon: GrosGrain with Handstamped Designs

GROSGRAIN RIBBON

I love making my ribbon and I love adorning grosgrain ribbon.

Grosgrain has wonderful texture, it is durable, flexible and is supremely elegant when wrapped around a package or vase. I am currently coming up with new designs to put on my grosgrain ribbon and I hope to add more colors and widths over the next few months.

Colors: Golightly Blue, Paloma White, Louis Light Blue and Trousseau Cream. All in 2.25″ width.

Thanks!

~RUE

Tiffany & Co. on Golightly Blue

Regency Cameo & Candelabra on Paloma White

Fleur de Lys on Louis Light Blue

La Poste on Trousseau Cream

Custom Board for Sadhna: Family Food Favorites

When Sadhna contacted me via Etsy to do a custom board for her I was thrilled and then when she said she wanted  to feature her family’s favorite foods I was super-intrigued. I have create boards for people featuring their favorite pubs, beaches, restaurants, family vacations, and honeymoons, but never favorite foods. YES!!

It was an amazing game of word Tetris that made me hungry!

I especially loved “Peanut Butter Anything” and “Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese” – phrases and foods that were so personal to the family and really reflected who they are as a family. Even though it is focused on food, it is the most personal board I have made so far, for food is very personal to the individual and to the family dynamic. Who knew all this could be reflected in a board of favorite foods!!

Sadhna was kind enough to grant my request for pictures of this board residing in her lovely home. It is displayed beautifully on a shelf with adorable tiny chairs staggered around it and a great dining table filled with family pics.

Thank you, Sadhna it was an honor to create this for you!!

Wreath Made Perfect: Lauren of Alabama

This has been an exceptional week for me – I have received many pictures from some of my customers featuring my products hanging or being used in their homes. It is always an honor to know they are featured in someone’s home, part of a person’s daily life. I love knowing the item I created has brought  joy to those who buy my designs.

A couple of weeks ago, an order for one of my Natural Jute Burlap Wreaths came through Etsy and that night I sat down with a cup of tea and bit of junk TV and created a lovely burlap wreath for Lauren of Alabama.

Lauren has been so kind as to send me pictures of her wreath which lovingly hangs on the outside of her front door. I love the way it looks next to the weathered, red bricks of her house with a apple green ribbon and I adore the black and white photo.

A big thank you to Lauren!

Custom Board for Susan: Hints of French

About a month ago I was contacted by Susan via Etsy about creating a custom board for her and her home. She wanted it to reflect her husband, her son and herself. She sent me the names, places and dates she wanted featured on the board and after locating the perfect piece of salvaged wood, the process began. It took over a week or so to create but the board itself turned out perfectly.

It would have arrived perfectly too, had UPS not banged the crap out the corner! So angry!! Heart Logistics, my ass.

Anyway, the corner was lovingly and gratefully fixed by Susan and it now hangs so beautifully in her home. And she was kind enough to send me a picture. I love getting pictures!

Thank you, Susan! It was an honor to create this board for you!

~Natalie

Sistine Chapel

During my first year at University, I met my best friend, Rachel in a Historial Archaeology class where we were chosen to partner up to do an archaeological excavation/survey of the Catholic and Protestant Churches of Tomales, CA. We hit off instantly and have been besties ever since. Some might think it is weird to only know someone for 8 months and then decide to travel the world together for 6 weeks; but it worked for us.

I was planning to particiapte in an archaeological dig in Ireland that Summer, but Rachel and I started talking about Italy and France. I told about my adventrues there the previous Summer, how I wished to go back and thus our plan to spend 6 weeks kicking it around London, Paris, Rome, Sorrento and Florence was born. Six weeks. Six weeks of wonderment and awe and wine.

We had a fantastic time. We fought only twice – Not bad. We were always in good spirits, how could you not be walking around ruins and amongst works of art you have only heard about or seen in books. The internet still wasn’t as big as it is today and some things were still unimaginable, something that is not really possible now with the way information and pictures and videos stream with such ease. I am lucky to have had no expectations, but only those of my own making.

One of the most memorable days was the day we spent at the Vatican. We stood in line for over 3 hours just to get within the gates of Vatican City and then 3 more once within its walls. I had taken an Art History course to complete my undergrad, so I knew of Michelangelo and Bernini’s Colonnade and St. Peter’s Basilica, but I did not KNOW what majesty and opulence it held in person. I stood in the Sistine Chapel (cool and quiet – blessing from the roar of cars and 100 degree heat) along with 200 other people- sardines in a gilded can. Time seemed to slow down, music came my head like a scene from a movie and I turned and turned, head up, head down. Turn and turn and turn. Slowly looking at it all. It was overwhelming. It was breathtaking. It was emotional. It was a moment forever etched on one’s psyche. It was perfection.

Sistine Chapel: aerial view

It seemed like an eternity until we were shuffled out of the gilded can into the sunlight and into the shadows of St. Peter’s. How could anything top the awe-inspiring sight of the Sistine Chapel?

It is was in that moment that I knew I had to study art. I could not draw worth the damn, I tried so many times to learn, but I gave up and accepted my limitation. Instead I started to look at and study art. I would buy and borrow books about every art and artist I could find. I was addicted.

When Rachel and I got back home we started our last year of Anthropological studies. Fresh from our trip, school was last thing on our minds, but somehow we pulled it together. Just before Christmas, Rachel announced that she and her boyfriend were getting married; I suspected our trip and her absence helped to push the proposal (my own deduction). And I announced that instead of graduating with Rachel that Spring for Anthropology, I would continue on a complete another Bachelor’s – this time in Art History.

I don’t think either one of us knew the impact that trip had on us until we returned home, got our heads back into our lives, that we realized how profound those 6 weeks were to the shaping of our futures. We often talk about that trip and we hope to one day go again. Granted, it can’t be for 6 weeks now that Rachel is a mom and I run my own company, but someday, someday soon we will return and have another amazing adventure.

I saw this interactive photo today and even though I am thousands of miles away and several years have pasted, I looked  and listen to the music accompanying the interactive photo and it takes me back instantly to that moment. I am in the Sistine Chapel surrounded by hundreds of people in amazed silence. I can still feel it all within me and it comes to surface looking at this rotating photo. If you haven’t gone, go. If you have gone, go again. If you won’t/can’t go, then know this interactive photo is pretty much to closest thing to being there that I found so far.

Enjoy.

SISTINE CHAPEL

NY Mansion Linked to ‘Great Gatsby’ to be Razed

NY Mansion Linked to ‘Great Gatsby’ to be Razed – Yahoo! Real Estate.