[uhp-steyt fan-see] - adjective

1. not exorbitant or extravagent by city standards, however in a rural setting (like upstate new york) it is in fact, quite fancy.

2. a wonderful blog dedicated to art, design and other things that are indeed upstate fancy.

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Apr
09
Accessories
MEN’S WALLET roundup

Matt is looking for a new wallet. So I rounded up a few of my favorite Men’s wallets. 1. The Big wallet from Saddleback Leather 2. The Tie-fold wallet from the Narwhal Company. 3. The upcycled seatbelt wallet from Interrobang 4. Woody Wallet from Moxie and Oliver  5. Yeti Billfold from Gama-Go 6. Flock from Fluffy Co

Apr
08
housewares
NESTING babushka cups

Fred & Friends puts out so many great products every year. I’m sure you have seen the nesting measuring cups they did last year. Well to keep that momentum alive they have made nesting drinking glasses. These little Babuskups arrive as a set of three nesting drinking glasses. These would be perfect for a graduation gift for those moving out on their own. Check them out at Perpetual Kid and signup to be notified when they arrive in May.

Apr
07
eco-friendly
UPCYCLED GOODNESS that’s for the birds

I love love love backyard creatures! Birds, squirrels, chipmunks and all the other little ragamuffins that roam in our yards. Which is why I was so excited to see these unusual bird seed trays from Illuminated Bird. These stunning feeders are made of upcycled lenses from old stop lights. Which means not only are they functional but they also cast lovely shadows as the sunlight passes through them. I beautiful mix of form and function.

Apr
06
how-to
CREATE A backdrop for product shots

You don’t need an elaborate lighting setup or a designer apartment to take a great picture of your crafty endeavors. To me it’s all about working with what you have. I currently live in an apartment where we chose not to paint any walls in an effort to make moving out one step easier. But when I need to take some product shots of my new wall art pieces I thought hanging them on a painted wall was exactly what the shot called for. So working with what I had, I improvised. Here’s how you can do the same.

I took a 24 x30 piece of foamcore that I had ( I cut them down for packaging flat items) and spray painted it with my favorite shade of apple green. This creates an instant wall in any color of your choosing, and unlike a fabric of paper backdrop it’s sturdy and will never wrinkle. I looked around the apartment and decided that a bench we had would make a great surface on which t place the props, but a small table or book shelf would work great too. For props I decided on some flowers from the little shop down the street and a few of my favorite books.

For the setup, the spot with the most natural light happens to be in our stairwell through the skylight. So I used some 3m Velcro command strips to attach my new “wall” to the actual wall, and setup everything in an eye pleasing manner.  Using another piece of Command strip I hung the framed art to the foamcore. This setup is easy to rearrange and take away or add props as you see fit. Remember it’s all about the final shot, not the surroundings of your setup. So don’t worry if your shooting in your bathroom, outdoors or in your stairwell. Wrk with what you have and get creative!

Apr
05
crafts
NEW WALL ART in the peppersprout shop

During this long weekend I was able to take some photos of two new products I have available in the shop. These little 5×7 wood wall art pieces are just the tip of the iceberg in a small series of art that I have been working on. While I think they look amazing on their own, they also really pop when you put them in a 5×7 frame too! You can pick up one for yourself over in the shop. Stop back tomorrow and I will let you in on a little secret about how I got these great product shots! Hint: I do not have any green walls in my apartment!

Apr
01
eco-friendly
A NEW ALTERNATIVE to paper towels

We are always looking for new ways to go green. We have switched from Poland Spring bottled water to reusable aluminum water bottles. Now PeopleTowels brings us a new way to cut down on paper towels. “PeopleTowels™ is the newest concept in sustainability – 100% organic cotton, reusable personal hand towels that make going green as easy as drying your hands. Switch from paper towels to PeopleTowels to dry your hands in public facilities to saves trees and reduce waste.” Switching to PeopleTowels for 1 year will save 1/4 of a tree, reduce landfill waste by 23lbs and conserve 250 gallons of water. Best of all they have some really cute designs.

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