Illuminating Candle Holders,Mercury Glass and More

Candle light creates many moods and emotions: quietness, love, peace, romance. I love using candles when dining with my husband, family or friends, but I also use them to create a sense of repose when I walk in the door after a long day's work. I like taking a deep breath and slowing down once I enter my home. Lighting a candle really works. I highly recommend it.

I think my fascination with mercury glass candle holders came from following Rachel Ashwell. Her Shabby Chic style inspired me over the years and has guided me towards other designers to love and admire, like Brooke Giannetti  and her delightful Patina Style. Each designer has a penchant for the worn and tattered, items aged to perfection, and in Rachel's case perhaps a little bling thrown in for good measure. The bling for me is the glow that illuminates from several silvery votives scattered about a table or mantle -- subtle, calming, and oh so pretty.

Here are some cool vintage-style candle holders we just received in the shop this week. Do any of these speak to you?  I have always been a little candle-crazy and I love them all. The white bone china votives are modern and fun, and when lit cast an ethereal shimmer. I am especially drawn to the mercury glass-style pieces and look for unique designs every season to keep things fresh and exciting. My shop is filled with lots of sparkle right now.

Some of these lovelies can now be found on our website, but you can also call us toll free to purchase: 866-503-2334. We also offer French Dripless Candles from Point a la Ligne that work beautifully with our candle holders. Mais Oui!

Les Fleur Glass Votive Holder

Mercury Ball Votive Holder

Mercury Chalice Candle Holder

King's Crown Mercury Votive Holder

Display in the R.H Ballard Shop:  Mercury Demi John, Glass Boule Candle Holders, Mercury Candle Holders

Mercury Vine and Ball Candle Holder

Peeking inside the front shop window @ R.H. Ballard

All photos by Joanie Ballard

Links of interest:

Mercury Glass:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_glass

Silvered Mercury Glass: http://www.go-star.com/antiquing/mercury_glass.htm

Antique Mercury Glass Information: http://www.collectics.com/education_mercury.html

Pictorial Guide to Silvered Mercury Glass (Illustrated) http://www.amazon.com/Pictorial-Guide-Silvered-Mercury-Glass/dp/1574324756

Rappahannock County Farm Tour Sept. 24 - 25, 2011

 

Cotton Patch Geese from Crowfoot Farm

My shop & gallery is located here in Rappahannock County, Virginia, and once a year they have a wonderful "Farm Tour". Sheep-guarding llamas, heritage breed chickens, honey bees, heirloom fruits and vegetables, and native plants all take center stage.

Rappahannock County, Virginia is located just 65 miles west of Washington, DC in some of the most scenic countryside of Virginia, and I highly recommend a trip out to this part of the world.

This popular, self-guided, family-focused farm tour emphasizes sustainable practices and incorporates farms, wineries, orchards, plant nurseries and farm schools into its weekend menu of events.   Eighteen venues will offer tours and presentations, some selling local, fresh food products. Learn about sustainable “mob grazing” and pick up helpful tips that can be applied to urban gardening situations.  Rappahannock County students will share their unique experiences combining farming and academics.

Bigger than ever, the popular “All Things Rappahannock Market” will feature 25 vendors and organizations, selling local products and offering eco-friendly presentations at The Link Community Center in Sperryville, which also serves as Farm Tour headquarters.   Register for the Farm Tour, pick up printed tour programs, buy local products, and learn about nature stewardship at The Link.   You can also register to win an overnight getaway in Rappahannock County, a heritage turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and more!

Admission is a $5 donation per person, ages 16 and older.  Purchase tickets for the Rappahannock County Farm Tour multiple ways:  at Farm Tour Headquarters at The Link Community Center in Sperryville, the historic Sperryville Schoolhouse, 12018 Lee Highway (Route 211), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on both Saturday and Sunday; online at FarmTour.VisitRappahannockVA.com; or at three venues on the Farm Tour, which include Narmada Winery (Route 211 at the eastern end of the county); Mountain Laurel Montessori Farm School (Route 522 in Flint Hill), and Belle Meade Farm, (Route 231, south of Sperryville). 

Local inns, cottages and B&Bs will offer special packages for the weekend.  For more information, visit FarmTour.VisitRappahannockVA.com or call the Rappahannock County Visitors Center at 540-675-3153.

Journal Love: Turning the Pages

www.craftster.org

We live in a technological world, but sometimes there is no replacing the joy of actual paper and the turning of pages.

I have been collecting unusual and beautiful journals for a few years now.  I use them mostly for jotting down design ideas for my shop, organizing imaginative displays, drawing new floor plans, and keeping track of new products or home furnishings on the market.  I also love to have them with me on my trips and enjoy collecting items along the way to place into them.  Here are a few from my own personal collection:

My bookshelf at home stacked up high. Great for recipes, daily musings and work/design ideas.The cute windmill was a New Year's Eve Hat gift from St. Germain.

I love anything with fabric or embroidery along with handmade paper. The prettier the better.

My poppy-covered personal journal which is hand-embroidered in silk and cotton. I use this as my diary and dream journal.

This is an example of a large travel journal in the making. I've collected lots of bits and pieces.

I purchased a few of these at Anthropologie (which always has a nifty and cool journal selection), and several I just picked up on trips and have saved for future use.  Some are half used, some are specific to one project, and some are meant for my purse (got to have a handy way to jot down my thoughts on the run). The red leather one below is my all-time favorite as I purchased it on a trip to Paris and it was the first one I ever used to document my shop ideas. Most of the ideas I drew up in this journal have come true.  A nice thing I discovered was that "if I draw it, it will appear", or at least some form of it will appear.  Thoughts, feelings, then action, often all come together. I highly recommend this method if you are stuck with an idea or thought and want to finally see it come forward.

I heart Paris stationery shops....

One of the first drawings I did of our current gallery was placed in a red leather Paris journal. I was trying to visualize the placement of objects and art. We did not end up using "Galleries Ballard" as our name but that's fine.  Our real name, R.H. Ballard Gallery, works just great.

I also often use Moleskine for my go-to journal, and use the larger more ornate ones for when I am alone with my creative thoughts and want to dream and imagine new possibilities in my life and work. Here are some amazing journals I found. You can use these ideas as a starting point for creating your own journalistic masterpiece. Take a peek. These little gems are artful, crazy, unique and inspiring. 

Handmade House Journal from etsy.com

www.writeclickscrapbook.com

Tools of Antiquity Journal, www.poketo.com

nestifyonline

foundpaperco.blogspot.com

dispatchfromla.typepad.com

teeshaslandofodd.com

Chairs: Conversations with Family & Art

"Ghost Chair II" by Robert H. Ballard

In October of last year my husband/artist Robert H. Ballard and his daughter, master quilter and author Alethea Ballard, collaborated on a unique art exhibit in our gallery.  The subject was "Chairs: A Conversation". The exhibit was well received (meaning they both sold a lot of work) and I wrote about this event in Virginia Living Magazine.  I am re-posting it here (with more artwork images) because I love them both so much and I want more people to see their work. Enjoy!

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This is a post about family and art.

"Lupe Arm Chair", by Alethea Ballard, Maverick Quilts

My husband, artist Robert H. Ballard, and his daughter, master quilter and author Alethea Ballard, will present a unique art exhibit, “Chairs: A Conversation”, opening Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, at our gallery R.H. Ballard located in Little Washington, Virginia. This father/daughter art exhibit is unique in itself but the subject is also unique: “Chairs”.

"Genosese Chair" by Robert H. Ballard

Robert’s chair paintings have architectural specificity, texture, emotion and place, and Alethea’s art quilts are wild and lively, exuberant and full of movement. The juxtaposition of these two art forms, with “chairs” as the subject matter, along with this unique father/daughter collaboration, creates a surprisingly fresh, fun and engaging exhibit.

"Milano Chair" by Robert H. Ballard

 Robert started painting images of chairs while we were on a visit to Paris four years ago. There was a French armchair in our Paris rental apartment that he just sketched one day. It was a comfy, crème-colored chair that faced some pretty French doors. We both loved sitting in it. He came home from that trip and began researching chair design and its history. He did more drawings and more paintings that we in turn sold successfully in our gallery.

A couple of years ago, Robert sent a chair painting as a present to his daughter who lives in California. Being a quilter, she was inspired by it and began creating chair imagery in her quilts. She loved doing it so much she found herself creating more quilts using the “chair” theme. Around Christmas time, Alethea sent Robert a present of an art quilt that was inspired by his chair paintings. It was a small 12 x 12 quilt that was stretched over a wooden frame with a fanciful image of a chair designed with vibrant fabrics. We were both so impressed by it that I encouraged him to have a collaborative show of both of their works the following fall. So, for the past year, he and Alethea have been communicating back and forth, from east coast to west coast, viewing each other’s art work and being further inspired.

"Julian Lopez Chair' by Alethea Ballard

C&T Publishing was also impressed with Alethea’s work and wanted to publish her quilt designs in a book form. The result was Dream Chair Quilts, 7 blocks for Whimsical Wall Hangings, a new appliqué pattern pack that will be out December 2010. She is now finishing her second book, Maverick Quilts, Using Large-Scale Prints, Novelty Fabrics & Panels with Panache, and is in process of working on a third. She also hopes one day to create her own line of fabric designs.

"Yellow Peacock Chair" by Alethea Ballard

Alethea has lived in the East Bay Area of California most of her life. She lives and breathes fabric and quilting. She is a teacher and does instructional workshops on her quilting style. Alethea’s impatience with convention has pushed her towards more spontaneity and joy with her designs, allowing for more unexpected results. Her introduction to art as a child was first looking through artist's books with her father. The many hours spent with her father on trips to galleries and museums are fond memories. She enjoyed watching her father paint as she grew up and always felt influenced by his paintings. She’s delighted to be able to share this love of painting and quilting with her father through this collaborative exhibit.

"Yin Yang" by Robert H. Ballard

Robert’s paintings of chairs began by chance, but as he began studying the structure of chairs, he discovered how they also communicated feeling, memory and place. Something as simple and ordinary as a chair is elevated to regal status because it is the solitary subject featured on the canvas -- it is the landscape, it is the portrait and it is the main event. The viewer comes to each artwork with their own past experiences and the chairs ultimately take on that view.

"Van Gogh Chair" by Alethea Ballard

A chair could be for sitting, meditating, reading a book, a job interview, or talking with friends. A chair could spark memories such as “dad’s favorite chair” or “my therapist’s chair”. Chairs have historical significance, such as the iconic Louis XVI chair. Famous chairs grace the Smithsonian Institution (Archie Bunker’s TV chair,) and in 1996 one of JFK's rocking chairs sold at auction for over $400,000. Numerous museums like the Museum of Modern Art have workshops and exhibits on the evolution of chair design, which Robert and I enjoyed this past summer. Strangely enough, chairs have immense purpose and significance in our lives and yet they are something most people take for granted.

Exhibit Information: “Chairs: A Conversation”, Oct 23 – Nov 14, 2010. R.H. Ballard Gallery, 307 Main Street, Washington, Va. Hours: 10am-6pm Daily, 540-675-1411, www.rhballard.com.

LINKS OF INTEREST
Alethea Ballard, Maverick Quilts
Robert H. Ballard, Chair Paintings
Dream Chair Quilts, C&T Publishing, Dec. 2010
Alethea's Blog
Alethea's Publications

R.H. BALLARD ANNUAL SUMMER SALE

 

JULY 23 - 30 

20% - 60% OFF

French Tablecloths, Art, Rugs, Lamps, Purses, Scarves, Jewelry, Dinnerware, Glassware, Soaps, Lotions, Perfume, and MORE!

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Sale In-Store Only

Phone Orders Accepted

540-675-1411

Castleton Festival & Le Jacquard Francais

I was recently honored to be chosen to design and decorate the Cafe for The Castleton Festival, a spectacular musical event which takes place here in Rappahannock County, Virginia, for four fabulous weeks every summer. Their first choice for the cafe tablecloths? Le Jacquard Francais "Provence" in lemon-green, which is sold through our shop, R.H. Ballard.

Now in it's third year, the Castleton Festival  brings together "top virtuoso's from the world over," and Maestro Lorin Maazel has created an extraordinary experience for both performers and audience. Situated in idyllic surroundings of Rappahannock County, Virginia, the Castleton Festival showcases young and upcoming operatic and classically trained musical talents from all parts of the globe. Stunning guest performers are also included in the mix, such as opera superstar Mezzo-Soprano Denyce Graves.

Stay tuned for more photos and festival news!

Maestro Lorin Maazel

Castleton Performance Schedule

Castleton Festival Founders: Lorin Maazel & Dietlinde Turban Maazel

WETA Pre-Performance Conversations