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Budding Floral Artists

Mary Beth Lopresti — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:47:16 GMT

Theresa recently took a "day off" from creating floral art to share her knowledge and passion with her youngest son Noah's class at the Charlottesville Waldorf School. Noah and his eleven classmates created a work of art that will be part of an auction at the school's Spring Beach Party Event on April, 21st.

Two years ago, Noah's second grade class created a floral heart for the annual auction. This year, Theresa felt it was fitting to celebrate the abundant flowering trees that line many of the streets in Charlottesville, Virginia. She provided the light blue mat for the sky, green cardstock for the grass, and made a tree trunk from some pressed leaves. The branches were outlined with asparagus fern.

Theresa brought the supplies necessary---tweezers, glue, and lots of colorful pressed petals. The students selected which petals they would like to use and placed them where they saw fit.

Waldorf education nurtures the whole child. An emphasis on art and natural beauty are very important in daily structure which blends well with offering a pressed floral art design by 4th graders.

The students enjoyed creating this one-of-a-kind work of art for the auction. Theresa reports that one of the boys exclaimed that he thought the highest bid would be at least $1000. A majority of the students enthusiastically agreed! One thing is for sure sharing an afternoon creating floral art with kids is priceless.

This signed work of art will be available during the auction portion of the Charlottesville Waldorf School's Spring Beach Party Event.

This video shows the all of the students in the class participating in the creation of this work of art---

DC in Bloom

Mary Beth Lopresti — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:07:01 GMT

Is it playing hooky if I am surrounded by flowers and some of my employees? Earlier this week Kathleen, my friend and All Seasons' bookkeeper, called to say that she and Chris, one of our flower pressers, were heading into DC to see the cherry blossoms. With no appointments on my schedule, I had a couple of free hours, so I jumped at the chance! I haven't been into DC during the peak viewing time in years and the scene was even more spectacular than I had remembered.

The view of the Martin Luther King Memorial and the
Washington Monument from across the tidal basin were classic DC.

We were pleasantly surprised to run into Erin, another of our flower pressers. She was enjoying her first visit to the cherry blossoms with her mother, who was visiting from Boston, and the adorable Sydney, the All Seasons mascot. What fun to see the blossoms with "first timers!"

The cherry blossoms and holly together look like spring and winter colliding!

Can't imagine how long it would take to press all of these flowers!

Good thing for us we won't have to find out since we were
"off the clock" for our outing and picking the blossoms is prohibited!

Recreating a Family Heirloom

Mary Beth Lopresti — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:08:05 GMT

Many brides have their bouquet preserved as floral art anticipating that the artwork will be passed down to future generations as a family heirloom. We often incorporate special keepsakes into the design like lace from the bride's, or her mother's, wedding dress. For one of our recent brides, we are recreating the heirloom as a part of her floral art.

Originally created for the groom's maternal grandmother, this fan has been incorporated into wedding bouquets for three generations of brides. Our bride, Nancy, is the 10th bride to carry the fan down the aisle.

The talented Maryam Eftekhari of Maryam Flowers in Fairfax, VA was the florist for Nancy & Quentin's wedding and did a fantastic job incorporating the fan into the bouquet design. This photo of the wedding day bouquet was used for inspiration as Theresa began creating this work of art.

The following photos show how Theresa created this amazing work of
floral art that recreated the bride's bouquet with a replica of the fan.

But, before the fun with flowers starts, there is some work to be done in recreating the fan.
It is shown here, without the flowers so that Theresa could see how to construct it.

The floral art also featured the program from the wedding. The program was placed
on the mat and this enabled her to create the fan in the correct size. She carefully
created the twelve spindles of the fan and wrapped them with white satin ribbon.

To keep the fan in place on the mat, she lined each of the spindles with acid-free
tape and placed a weighted glass on it so that the tape was fully adhered to the ribbon.

Like so many other tasks that we do, the prep work can consume a large amount of time.
All of this work was done before Theresa even touched a flower petal.
Now that the fan has been made and secured to the mat, it is time to do some floral art!

In order to properly press the flowers, we take the flower apart and press each petal
separately. Theresa takes those petals and glues them together to create a pressed flower.
In this case, she started with the Phalaenopsis Orchids.

Theresa then added the other flowers from the bouquet, painstakingly gluing each
and every flower and stem to the mat so that they stay secure over time.

The bride's mother picked up the artwork and was thrilled with all of the detail that went into creating this work of art. With Nancy, the bride, living in Wyoming, it will be a couple of months before she gets to see the artwork "in person." It is too fragile to ship, so she will receive it this spring when she comes for a visit. We are so excited for her to have this keepsake created with her bouquet.

Our New (and Talented!) Floral Artist

Mary Beth Lopresti — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:12:53 GMT

Finding a talented floral artist is no easy task. Think about it, do you know any? The good news is that finding someone who is artistic and passionate about the beauty of nature is not quite as difficult. Then, add in Theresa's amazing abilities as a teacher and we are getting somewhere! We know from experience that mastering the techniques of creating floral art is not something that can be done quickly. Each work of art has it's own unique design elements and every flower has to be reconstructed using pressed petals. In the six years that Theresa has been at it she has created hundreds of pieces of floral art and no two are the same!

We focused our search for a floral artist to the Charlottesville area. This would enable Theresa to work alongside the new artist to be sure that all of the proper "tricks of the trade" could be taught. We are very pleased to have added Leslie Lovelace to our team and wanted to introduce her (and her amazing floral art) to you!

After graduating from Salisbury State University in Maryland with a degree in English and a passion for poetry, she traveled to Costa Rica with her husband, Brad. Over a year later, they left for Europe with their first child and, upon their return to the U.S., they settled in the Pacific Northwest. While living there, she planted their entire front yard with a sprawling cottage garden, wrote poetry, walked the mountain trails, and the cold, wild beaches. She shared her passion for creativity with their four children.  

Over the past few years, she has discovered the joy of painting landscapes in oil, acrylic, and pastel. She loves walking and looking for potential paintings in Shenandoah National Park and on the campus of The Miller School of Albemarle where she and Brad live with their two youngest children, three dogs, and two cats.

We are thrilled to have found our artist and she has discovered that she has talent in, yet, another medium. Here are a few of her recent creations...

When looking at the floral art that she creates, it seems obvious to us that her travels have brought her to the place she belongs...a table with pressed flowers, glue, and tweezers! We are so thankful to have her working with us.

Taking this show on the road

Mary Beth Lopresti — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:11:33 GMT

With most of the year's engagements occurring between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, it is no wonder that there is a "bridal show season" to reach out to these brides. Bridal shows are a great way for brides to see what her area's vendors have to offer and these events come in all shapes and sizes. We have exhibited at three recent events and are scheduled for two more in the coming month. Here are a few photos and some details...

On January 22nd, we participated in The Washingtonian Unveiled Bridal Event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in DC. One of the perks of being selected for the Washingtonian Best Wedding Vendor list is that you are invited to exhibit at this luxury bridal event. Bill and Anne Holland, of Holland Photo Arts, were the photographers for the show and their blog shows how the vendors pulled out all the stops to make this an over the top event.

The following weekend, it was off to The Patriot Center in Fairfax for the Washington Bridal Showcase. With over 1200 brides in attendance, a show of this magnitude requires calling in all the troops! Our sister, Margaret, flew in from Rhode Island and my daughter, Sophia, also helped in the booth. Theresa, our beloved floral artist even stopped by. I'm sure she breathed a sigh of relief when she made her way out of the convention center and back into her quiet floral art studio!

The next stop was at The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia for an open house/tasting with R&R Catering. Not sure what to expect when one pulls onto the grounds of what used to be Lorton Prison, turns out I was overwhelmed by the beauty! They have transformed the property into a vibrant arts community. It would be a wonderfully unique wedding or event venue. The food was amazing as were the decor and floral designs by Bergeron's Flowers. Check out the photos.

That sums up where I've been...now let's see where I am going!

Sunday, February 26th ~ Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket, Virginia
Sunday, March 18th ~ Hunt Country Celebrations Bridal Show in Leesburg, Virginia

Pressed Flower Bookmarks ~ 450 of them!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:59:22 GMT

We are so excited to be participating in the Washingtonian Bride & Groom Unveiled Bridal Event on Sunday, January 22^nd. Trying to come up with a creative item to contribute to the attendees' gift bags was easy...making 450 of them was a bit more challenging! We called in the troops and got to work.

The first task was to get our hands on some beautiful hydrangea and get pressing. As luck would have it, our local Wegman's had just gotten a large delivery of blue hydrangea so we were off to a good start.

When creating floral art, every petal does not have to be in perfect condition since the petals are often layered when making a flower. Bookmarks are another story, every petal has to be in excellent condition since they will be shown individually.

After the sorting process to pick the prime pressed flowers, the gluing begins. Each petal is lightly brushed with herbarium glue and gently placed onto the bookmark.

With the glue dried thoroughly, we were set to tie the ribbons and call the bookmarks complete.

Oh wait, the bookmarks themselves were complete but way too fragile to drop into a gift bag on their own. Time to wake my college student and get him to stuff and seal some envelopes.

Many thanks to Chris for pressing the flowers and gluing them to the bookmarks, Kathleen (taken from her role as bookkeeper) for helping tie the ribbons, and Michael (taken from bed!) for getting them packaged and ready to go. We hope the brides love these handmade gifts!

A Beautiful View with Great Food Too!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:23:00 GMT

Last Wednesday's tasting at The Sunset Room at National Harbor was a wonderful evening of delicious food, lovely company, and a breathtaking sunset. I am always happy to receive an invitation from Anne at R & R Catering to join them for an event that will involve trying out their amazing fare. They serve a wide variety of food from appetizers through dessert. The way I see it, you can never go wrong when there is a Crepe Station involved!

Another nice feature of the tastings is that they invite one wedding vendor from each category needed to make your wedding day a success. The photographer for the evening was from Rodney Bailey Photography and their talent can be seen with some of the images of they captured of our floral art.

Our floral art samples give brides an idea of just a few of the possibilities for their bouquets.

These close-up shots show the amazing detail that goes into creating each pressed flower.

To see a slide show of all of the photos from the evening, click here. The photographers at Rodney Bailey are as nice as they are talented, so I highly recommend considering them when looking for a photographer for your special day.

May 28, 2011~ Could This be Your Wedding Day?

Mary Beth Lopresti — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:57:00 GMT

    Imagine, fifty guests gather on May 28, 2011 at 11:30 am at the Reston Town Center Pavillion for your wedding ceremony, with a reception to follow at the amazing Il Fornaio Restaurant.

Oh, and it is FREE!

     For a two girls who are not athletic (an enormous understatement), Theresa and I have been joining some great teams lately! In our latest adventure, we have teamed up with a fantastic group of wedding professionals lead by the wedding planners at A Splash of Elegance to give away A Fantasy Wedding.  One lucky couple will win a full wedding...including planning services, ceremony, reception, attire, flowers, entertainment, photographer, and more! We are going to preserve the happy couple's wedding flowers and frame them with a photo from their magical day.

    Brides can register until February 13, 2011 at any Reston Town Center participating merchant for the chance to win. Can't make it to Reston between now and Sunday? You can register online, and you don't have to be present to win. Drawing will be held at the Pavilion Ice Rink at Reston Town Center on Sunday, February 13 at 2:00 p.m.

We Said "Yes" to the Dress...and the Sea Urchins!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:57:57 GMT

  When Brandy Jones returned from her destination wedding in Nantucket this summer, she gathered some of her favorite "wedding things" and brought them to me along with her stunning bouquet. One of my favorite things is working with brides to come up with unique and creative designs for their floral art. When presented with the fabric swatches, sea urchins, ribbon, pins, a wax seal from the invitation, and the items seen here...



Theresa created this:

Brandy was thrilled with the stunning floral arrangements provided by Dawn Kelly at Soiree Floral. It always brings us great joy to preserve a bride's flowers so that she may enjoy them well beyond her wedding day.  If you are considering a destination wedding in Nantucket, call on Diane Whelden of Unique Nantucket to plan your special day.

Be Our Guest at The Washington Bridal Showcase

Mary Beth Lopresti — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:19:00 GMT

Do you have plans for Sunday, September 12th? We would love for you to be our guest at The Washington Bridal Showcase in Chantilly, Virginia. We have two tickets for the first 5 people who request them. Just contact me and I will send them right out to you. Come see pressed floral art samples, learn about our unique method of preservation, and get ideas of what can be created with your wedding bouquet. For a sneak peak, visit our website.

You will find our booth alongside our fellow members of Hunt Country Celebrations. Together, we create a "show within a show" where you can find the experienced wedding professionals you need to make your day complete. Check out a few of the members who will be joining us~

Celebrations Catering will be offering delicious samples of their gourmet fare.
For dessert visit Market Salamander or Capitol Chocolate Fountains ...or both!
Need a beautiful venue to host your wedding? You will have a tough time choosing between The Black Horse Inn, Stonewall Golf & Country Club, and The Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast.
To set the mood at your celebration, Capital Party Rentals has everything from linens to tents and Shelley's Floral can add the finishing touches with her amazing bouquets and arrangements.
Jake of Dream Day DJs knows how to get everyone on the dance floor.
Hunt Country Jewelers will clean your engagement ring while you peruse their stunning designs for wedding bands.
Saskia Paulussen Photography can help you remember the beauty of your day forever
Not sure where to start, or want some help along the way? Celebrations Made Simple will live up to it's name.

Whether you are just starting your planning, finishing up the details (like floral preservation!), or anywhere in between, you will find the wedding professionals who can make your special day complete. We hope to see you there!

Weddzilla.com is LIVE!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:15:00 GMT

The old saying that "necessity is the mother of invention" is very true in this case. Frustrated by the sites available when planning her own wedding, Kristen Hall felt that there had to be something better out there to help brides and grooms navigate the wedding planning process. When she couldn't find the perfect site, she and her husband, Aaron, set out to create it.

Weddzilla.com is now live and it is amazing! We are honored to be a Launch Partner for this fantastic new site that will help make the wedding planning process a fun one! Here are just a couple of the features of this innovative site:

    WEDDMARK: Stop clipping magazines and start getting smart. The Weddmark is revolutionizing the way you visually plan your wedding. You can get access to your Weddmark in your profile and use it with any browser. When you find an image you like on a website, just click and voilà! It magically strips all the text off of the page, only showing you the images. You select the image you want to collect, fill in some details, and it’s instantly added to your Collection for you to view later or share.

   YOUR COLLECTION: Every Nearlywed starts the planning process by searching for inspiration, but keeping all those great ideas organized is tough. Your Collection allows you to not only organize your inspiration but share it too. Think of it as your virtual binder where you keep all of your best ideas.

    VENDORS GALORE:  Browse an extensive, and ever growing, network of wedding professionals in your local area.   Check out our listing in the Unique Services category.

    Click here to take a tour of the site and check it out for yourself!

Memorial Day ~ Discount for Those Who Serve

Mary Beth Lopresti — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:39:00 GMT

Memorial Day only happens once a year, but we honor our clients who serve our country all year long! Just let us know that you are an active member of the United States Armed Services and you will receive 25% off the pressing fee for your flowers.

Our first bride to enjoy this discount (and was part of our inspiration for it) is shown here. She had two big events in Annapolis last May ~ her (then) fiance graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and the following week they were married there. Her red rose, white mat, blue ribbon, and gold framed floral art is a perfect keepsake from her wedding. Happy anniversary Morgan and Patrick!

Eat, Drink, and be Ferried...Engaged! in Washington

Mary Beth Lopresti — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:27:00 GMT

We just signed on to participate in this innovative bridal show event to take place this Sunday, March 28th from 4 pm - 9 pm! (It was originally planned for early February, but the big blizzard caused a rescheduling and now we can join in the fun.) Mary Beth will be showing samples of our floral art at The Willard Intercontinental Hotel, so start there and have Reston Limo take you to the other locations! All tickets must be purchased in advance...click here to find out more and order your tickets today!

Begin your tour at any hotel listed above - see bridal fashion, stay as long as you like to visit vendors, sip champagne, taste fabulous foods, have an engagement portrait taken, let make-up and hair artists work their magic, ooh and aah, and dance to the music!
Reston Limo buses will be stationed in front of each property to shuttle guests to each location all evening - at 30 minute intervals. No worries about parking!
Win a fabulous array of prizes (7 luxury honeymoons, a pair of Christian Louboutin high heels, a $500 Cartier gift certificate, a $300 J. Crew gift certificate PLUS a private shopping trip to the Georgetown store!)
The first 300 guests will receive a fabulous goodie bag!

PLUS...

Receive the "Love Pass" and the cost of admission ($65) will be rebated to attendees when they use the services of any of the vendors*! Use several vendors, the savings multiply! (*Some exceptions apply. See show catalogue upon arrival for more details.)

Don't delay....purchase your tickets and mark your calender! Engaged! in Washington will be a bridal event like no other!

Weddzilla Rocked the Launch...and Donated Some Money

Mary Beth Lopresti — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:55:00 GMT

     The Weddzilla Rock the Launch Party was a huge success! The National Museum of Women in the Arts was filled to capacity with people ready to celebrate the introduction of the innovative wedding planning website Weddzilla.com. In addition to incredible food, decor, and company, the evening also included a Silent Auction to benefit Childrens National Medical Center.


Mary Beth and the evening's emcee, Steve Kemble.       The silent auction table with our floral art.



The auction raised over $5400 for Children's National Medical Center.

    Congratulations to Todd D. of Alexandria, Virginia! He was the highest bidder for the auction package that included an 8x10 work of floral art donated by All Seasons Floral Preservation. He and his fiance will use it to preserve flowers from their upcoming October wedding. Thank you for supporting Children's National Medical Center!

     For more photos of the Rock the Launch Party, check out our Facebook Fan Page!

You Can Be a Part of a Flash Mob!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:26:00 GMT

              Who knew what excitement would come from being a Launch Partner for Weddzilla.com? As part of the festivities leading up to Weddzilla's Rock the Launch Party on February 25th, the amazing folks at Weddzilla are planning a flash mob. It will take place in a well-known public place in Washington, DC during a busy time of day. Our celebrity Flash Mob leader Steve Kemble (America's Sasiest Lifestyle Guru, Us Weekly Magazine Top Cop, TLC's "Battle of the Wedding Planners" winner, and Golden Globe Awards correspondent) will begin the dance and then our mobbers will join in!

                 Not sure what a Flash Mob is? Check out my favorite one with Julie Andrews singing in a train station---see it here.  Now you have an opportunity to join in the fun!  It is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 24th and all the details are here.  My two left feet will be participating...hope to see you there!

One Show Down...Five To Go!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:42:00 GMT

    The Washington Bridal Showcase is the first of SIX wedding events in which I will be participating this winter/spring! It was a huge success, and with over 1100 registered brides and 3000+ attendees we were busy all day. My sister, Margaret, came from New Jersey to help me handle the crowds and I was thrilled to have her in the booth with me. She is so enthusiastic about our floral art that that I often find myself wanting to step aside and let her do all the talking!   Our displays were seen in two areas of the show...one booth in the Green Bride Pavilion and another (shown here) in the Hunt Country Celebrations exhibit area.



      Hunt Country Celebrations is a premier group of wedding and special events professionals dedicated to providing unparalleled services to their clients. We created our own "show within a show" at the Washington Bridal Showcase. Our Bridal Bingo game was a huge hit and we gave away thousands of dollars worth of gift certificates to the brides who participated.


    In this photo, Jake Ritchie of Dream Day DJs and Norm Weaver our Bagpiper extraordinaire are showing how its done! Hunt Country Cebrations will be hosting our own Bridal and Event Expo on April 10th at West Belmont Place at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Click here for more info about the show, many of the smiling faces in the photo below will be there.

Hard Work DOES Payoff!

Mary Beth Lopresti — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:17:00 GMT

     Since Theresa and I started All Seasons Floral Preservation in 2005, we have focused our efforts on providing each client with outstanding customer service and, of course, beautiful custom-designed floral art. In addition to our brides (and their friends & families), we have met many professionals who play a part in making the wedding day a success.

       In 2009, we were awarded the Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award based on the great reviews our brides have written on that website. Recently, we were THRILLED to learn that we have been selected by Washingtonian's Bride & Groom magazine as one of the top florists in DC. (There is no category for "floral preservation" but we are among good company with our florist friends!)

                                                                       .

        We are well aware that our hard work only goes so far...it is the enthusiastic response from our brides and other wedding professionals that has gotten us where we are today. Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their love for their floral art with a friend, family member, colleague, etc. We couldn't do it without you!

Surprises Beneath the Christmas Tree

Mary Beth Lopresti — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:50:00 GMT

     As much as we enjoy creating floral art for our brides, it is a special treat to create artwork for people who aren't expecting it!  Recently we have had requests for floral art that would be created as a surprise gift for the recipients. Here are just a few of the photos of what these families found under the tree on Christmas morning!

From Brides & Grooms to their parents---



A gift for the bride from her two sisters (featuring a poem that was written by one of the sisters and read at the wedding)---



A gift for the bride from her mother...now she knows what really happened to her bouquet after the wedding!



   We were so happy to be a part of creating these beautiful and unique presents...it brought out the elf in all of us!

Packed to Perfection

Mary Beth Lopresti — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:21:00 GMT

    I received a phone call Sunday evening from Maggie M. inquiring as to how she should go about sending me the flowers from a wedding she had just attended.  I emailed her the packing and shipping instructions, then I began the agonizing wait to see how they would look after their journey.

    Well, if there was a Perfect Packing and Shipping Award, I think we would declare Maggie this year's winner! I know it is only October, but I dare say her technique won't be surpassed in the remaining months of 2009!  A picture is worth a thousand words, and I am thinking of sending these photos, rather than written instructions, to people who are shipping their flowers.


Instructions for the package handlers    Top layer of tissue packing                 The bouquet and boutonniere wrapped in tissue


            Bouquet wrapped in tissue in "newspaper nest"                   Calla lily bouquet--safe & sound in Sterling, VA

    I hope this helps our "out of town" brides who are anxious about getting their flowers to us in good enough condition for pressing. And, a BIG THANKS to Maggie for doing such a great job in spreading the word about us (this is the 3rd bride she has referred in a month!) and for getting the flowers to us in great shape!

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Mary Beth Lopresti — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:33:00 GMT

     I first met Erin at the Washington Bridal Showcase last February. She was taken with our floral art and knew then she wanted to preserve her wedding flowers.  By late June, she had confirmed the flowers that DaVinci Florist would be using at her wedding so we sat down to select the background mat, frame, and layout for her floral art. Everything was falling into place beautifully and with time to spare. Until 10 days before her wedding!

    Erin was tying up loose ends in her wedding planning and realized that will all of the guests and festivities taking place in D.C., she didn't have anyone to bring the flowers to me in Sterling after her wedding. She called with a very creative solution---her family was hosting a post-wedding brunch at The Mayflower Hotel in D.C. and she asked if I was available to come and pick up the flowers and, in return, she would treat me and a guest to brunch! We had gotten to know one another well over the past few months, so clearly she picked up on my desire to give outstanding customer service and love of great food!

    My husband and I enjoyed a delicious brunch at the hotel and got to see the glowing bride after her wedding...and, of course, we picked up the flowers! The event was undocumented since I forgot my camera, but here are photos of the flowers I took when I returned home.

                       .

  Erin's bouquet was a combination of hot pink roses, carnations, gerbera dasies, and dahlias.   The centerpieces featured all white flowers---roses, hydrangea, dahlias, and spider mums. The pretty light pink bouquets were carried by the bride and groom's mothers.

    Today we pressed the flowers and when she returns from her honeymoon she will select the wedding photo to be included in her floral art. I will be sure to post photos of the artwork when it is completed!