Art in Craft Media

 

A few weekends back I went to visit my parents in Buffalo, NY.  My mom's artwork was in the new art exhibit at the Burchfield Penney Art Museum - Art in Craft Media.  My mom's art deals with her recent experience with breast cancer.  Breast cancer used to be a death sentence, but thanks to modern medicine breast cancer is one of the most treatable cancers now, but going through the process of treating cancer is no easy task.  I really admire her strength.  Creativity, art making, and the support of friends helped her to cope.  Her artwork in the show was a sculptural dress made from upcycled coffee filters and cancer cell images.  I'm so proud of her!  

Her prints are now for sale at the Burchfield Penney Art Museum gift shop and online

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166925260/coffee-filter-dress-print-dressing-gown?ref=shop_home_active

to view more of her artwork

www.carolannricerafferty.com

Art in Craft Media

 Next weekend is the opening!  To see more of Carol's art CLICK HERE!

Burchfield Penney: Exhibition Opening

OPENING CELEBRATION  |  ART IN CRAFT MEDIA 2013

Saturday, October 12, 2013, 6–8 pm

Join Mrs. Sylvia L. Rosen and the Burchfield Penney Art Center for the opening of Art in Craft Media 2013.

Art in Craft Media 2013 features 75 works by 55 artists in wood, clay, fiber, glass and metal, all current or past residents of Western New York. The exhibition jurors for the 25th anniversary Art in Craft Media exhibition were Nancy Belfer, Sunhwa Kim, Stephen Saracino and Robert Wood.

Artists include:

Jozef Bajus
Diane Bond
Leeann Catanzaro
Linda Collignon
Norman Cramer
Missy Crowell
Josh Dewall
Laurie Dill-Kocher
Lynn Duggan
Hillary Fayle
Tom Ferrero
Marcelo Florencio
Nathaniel Hall
Allison Hoag
Kevin Kegler
Jeff Kell
Veronica Keymel
William Keyser
Christine Knoblauch
Bethany Krull
Temi Kucinski
Anthony Locane
Scott Losi
Ashley Lyon
Elizabeth Lyons
Gail McCarthy
Stephen Merritt
Mitchell Messina
Dan Mirer
Anne Mormile
Barbara Murak
Tara Nahabetian
Dennis Nahabetian
Lynn Northrop
Ginny O'Brien
Carol Ann Rice Rafferty
Shirley Rosenthal
Taeyoul Ryu
Fabiano Sarra
David Schnuckel
Leslie Schug
Betty Stephan
Colleen Toledano
Victor Trabucco
Lawrence T. Schopp
Myung Urso
Leonard Urso
Nancy Valle
Aric Verrastro
Tina Vu
Jesse Walp
Liaung Chung Yen
Gina Zetts
Chu Zhenwei
Craig Ziper

Statement Pins

For Fall 2013, it's all about rich colors, ornate artistic arrangements, and mixed textures. A statement pin is a great way to stay on-trend without breaking the bank.  Add the pin on a blazer, sweater, or on a purse to create a different look.

Shop here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty?section_id=6579570

Davey O

 

My husband and I went to see Davey O live at Chunky Monkey in Cheshire, CT last night.  He did such an amazing job!  He's from Buffalo, NY and specializes in folk music.  He is AMAZING!

http://daveyo.com/

Time for Velvet!

 

Velvet is one of the most luxurious fabrics.  It's my go to fabric for autumn and winter.  People often associate velvet with evening parties, but velvet can be a fun contrast to casual wear as well.  I LOVE the look of denim jeans, t-shirt and a velvet scarf - so boho!   

Pictured above:  One of a Kind Wearable Art - hand dyed and handmade burnout velvet devore scarves



https://www.etsy.com/shop/ricerafferty?section_id=6565971 -->

Rustic Wedding Beauty

Last weekend we went to a friend's wedding at Hurd Orchards.  It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen in my life. 

The bride and groom work in the advertising industry so their attention to detail was impeccable.  Their wedding made the guests feel relaxed and cared for.  They provided shuttles for the hour ride from Buffalo, NY to the orchard and they were greeted with glasses of iced tea with fresh peach slices, a dash of cinnamon, and paper straws.  They had signs greeting the guests, signs directing the guests around the property, lawn games, and the entire wedding decor was filled beautiful late summer/ early autumn colors.  I'm so in awe!  The food was farm to table and the owners barter with local farms to provide items on the menu that they couldn't provide.  I had the honor of designing the bride and bridesmaid headpieces.  The bride had the perfect balance of glamor and rustic style for an orchard wedding.  Many of the guests said the wedding felt like a movie star's wedding and I couldn't agree more! 

I worked on a custom design for her consisting of three fabric flowers made from tulle and silk, layers of yellow and white fabric, with white pearls stitched in the center.  For her bridesmaid I made three white flowers that coordinated with the bride's headpiece, but they were smaller in size and place throughout the bridesmaid hair.  They both looked fabulous. 

It brings me such joy to see two wonderful people coming together with loving friends and family.  It was a day filled with happy tears.  Congratulations!!!!

CLICK HERE to see our shop!

 

They made their own beer and bottled it for all of their guests!

The decor reminded me of the Terrain or Anthropologie

Such an adorable couple!  You can feel the love in this picture!

CLICK HERE to see our shop! 

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50 Shades of Blue

Good morning!  The summer weddings are wrapping up.  We're working with our autumn brides now.  For one of our very high fashion brides we're designing custom 1930's inspired hats for her bridesmaids - 50 Shades of Blue and a custom veil for the bride.  Her bridesmaids are wearing all custom dresses (by Anatomy) made from different fabrics she hand picked in the NYC fashion fabric district.  She wanted us to design mixed match hat's like a runway collection to coordinate with the bridesmaids dresses.  We designed each one emphasizing different sized flowers and fabrics with sequins, russian netting, tulle, and beautiful blue silk fabric.  Here's a sneak peek of the work in progress!

Click here to see our online shop and message us for custom designs!

Click here to see our online shop and message us for custom designs!

Custom Veil Design for Kate

 

Best wishes to our bride Kate and her husband!  Recently we designed a custom headpiece for Kate.  Her wedding was at historic Chautauqua Institute, located on Chautauqua Lake. It's a breathtaking campus known for its performing arts programs and I highly recommend visiting.  

Kate wanted to incorporate the light pink silk chiffon material from her bridesmaid dresses in her headpiece.  Kate wanted a traditional look with a modern twist.  We designed an ivory bubble veil for her to wear during the ceremony with her headpiece.  Afterwards, she wore the pink and ivory hair clip.  She looks so gorgeous!  It was a pleasure working with you, Kate!  xoxo

www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

New Buffalo Bride Photoshoot was Published!

We're over the moon!  Our bridal accessories and veils were featured in the Buffalo Spree Magazine today!  I was a graphic design intern for the Buffalo Spree magazine almost 10 years ago and now one of our photo shoot collaborations was published in the magazine!  I love when life comes full circle.  

www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

Shoe Dialogue

 

 

 

 
Artwork Created by Carol Ann Rice Rafferty

Shoes are very personal. Actors often use shoes as a prop to begin building a new character.  These shoes were designed by my mom.  They're constructed of wire and paper pulp.   

"Rose shoes represent the main character expressing both softness in the pinks, beige and leaf green stripes of ribbon. She also reveals a hint of sharpness and danger from her wire armature. This contemplative woman is not weak or helpless. By creating shoes placed within an environment I eliminate the figure in this vignette." 

- Carol

"The viewer is invited to reflect on a moment in the characters life." - Carol

To see more of her work click here www.carolannricerafferty.com 

Bohemian Bride

One of my favorite bridal looks right now is pairing a short wedding dress with a long veil.  This look pictured here is very Gatsby inspired with the lace embellishments in the dress and the 1920s style Juliet Cap Bridal Veil.  It's so confident and high fashion.  This shoot is featuring our Bohemian Juliet Cap Veil.  At Rice Rafferty our goal is to make your wedding dreams come true.  We special in custom designs, so if there's something on our site that we don't have feel free to send us a message.

Men's Wear : Get Dressed
Makeup: The Makeup Parlour - Stephanie Signorelli
Hair : Elizabeth Dugan Freelance Hairstylist and Makeup Artist
Accessories : Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories
Florist : Woyshner's Flower Shop
Photography : City Lights Studio Photography 
Women's Wear : made by anatomy 
Location : Buffalo NY

DIY Devore Burnout Velvet

Have you been curious how to make that beautiful velvet burnout called devore? Now you can! Easy to read velvet burnout instructions, as taught in college fiber program.

Make your very own Devore Burnout Velvet NOW with rice rafferty e Instructions - very detailed. Complete with photos of finished product and photos of the process

This purchase includes your own step by step guide of how to make your own devore burnout velvet.

Velvet devore can be made into scarves, shawls, wraps, wearable art and art objects, etc. Great for aged costume designs.

www.ricerafferty.com

Handmade Bouquet and Boutineer

Handmade fabric bouquets and boutineers are a fun eco-friendly alternative that can be enjoyed again and again!  They cost about the same as real flowers, but you don't have to throw them away after the wedding!  The bouquet is a really great centerpiece after your wedding day.  We can make any colors or size you wish.  Check out Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories!

Flashback Friday! Veil Trick!

Welcome to my NEW Feature //// Flashback Fridays ////

Here's a great wedding trick we learned from one of our brides. One Rice Rafferty birdcage veil - worn two different ways - from ceremony to reception.

We'd love to hear your suggestions!

Fun Wedding Veil Idea

This year is flying already!  I hope everyone is having a good winter.  I wanted to share with you a fun idea for how to wear switch up your veil from ceremony to reception.

We LOVE when our brides teach us fun wedding tricks.  For our bride here we designed a custom veil for her - white russian netting bandeau veil with a bleached peacock feather and rhinestones.  For the ceremony she wore the birdcage blusher and at the reception she simply took the veil off, wrapped it around to make a circle, and pinned it on the left side of her head with extra bobby pins.

How cute is that?  It's a great idea for wearing your wedding veil again and again!

www.ricerafferty.etsy.com

Buffalo, NY - Downtown Wedding - Hotel at the Lafayette

Boutique Bridal Party

We're so excited to share the news - this February, Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories will have a table at the Boutique Bridal Party with our favorite wedding vendors in Buffalo, NY!  We will have a table with all of our most popular accessories - wedding veils, garters, bouquets, and adornments. This is no ordinary bridal show.  There will be cocktails, appetizers, music, and a fashion show, so come with your girlfriends!  I wish there was an event like this when I was engaged a year ago.  

All the vendors are local and run small businesses. 
Come join us at The Hotel Lafayette in downtown Buffalo Feb 28!  We can't wait to see you there!
http://www.boutiquebridalparty.com 

Upcoming Bridal Events

2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year indeed! What's ahead? A photo shoot with PEAR \ Planning, a bridal show - Boutique. Bridal. Party. an exclusive indie bridal show in Buffalo, NY at the historic Hotel at the Lafayette, and a wedding event at The Buffalo History Museum.

We're so thrilled!  We're very grateful to be part of such a creative and supportive arts community.

Featured above is our Birdcage Veil with Russian Netting - Rice Rafferty Couture Accessories
Photo credits: Tiff Photography
Dress: Anatomy
Thank you Pear Planning!