Gathering Dust

Miss Bird Song II & Her Apron

I started stitching this little bit when I was in Texas with Karla for Paper Cowgirls.  At lot of the Texas gals were coming to Bird Song, and as we talked about it, I thought it would be fun to turn this into something I could use as a door prize for Bird Song.

It's ended up being an apron.  We'll have a drawing during my class and some lucky gal is going to have the pleasure of wearing this apron all weekend...well, only if they want to...

Besides stitching, I added a bird printed on fabric, and charms and buttons.

The top is finished with the edge of an old table cloth, some millenary flowers and a rhinestone heart.

I've wanted to stitch up an apron for awhile, so it was fun making this and then decorating it.  I think my next stitching project will be making myself an apron to wear at antique shows.

But right now, I have to put the finishing touches on the  display for my class- of course, Miss Bird Song II will figure prominently in it.

On the Road to Paper Cowgirls

Tomorrow, Karla and I are on our way to Paper Cowgirls in Texas.  This will be the first time in years that I've been in Texas when the temperature is under 80 degrees.  I'm hoping we can see some blue bonnets.

Karla and I are both teaching classes.  It's my first time teaching a craft class and my first time putting together a craft kit.  It doesn't sound hard, counting buttons, cutting ribbon, but it is.  I mean, it's not hard work like mining coal or pouring concrete, but I didn't realize how much went into it.

I followed Karla's advice and made extra kits.  She said "It's just as easy to make thirty as it is twenty".   When I get home from Texas, I'll be listing the extras in my Etsy shop.

Thank goodness BOTH Karlas helped me put my kits together.  Karla the artist figured out my presentation- tieing the papers and cloth together, and Karla the accountant meticulously cut ribbon and counted buttons.

And what did I do?  Mostly I whined "this is hard......"

One think I've learned about craft classes from both Karla and Lisa is that it's fun to have extras supplies so everyone in the class has a chance to customize their project.

I was planning on packing my supplies in a vintage suitcase- something I usually have "in stock"- but I sold my last suitcase a couple weeks ago, so  I decided to substitute this artist's case.  It's kind of like a wooden brief case- made to hold an artist's paints, brushes and canvases.  But it was UGLY plywood, so I did a little decoupage on it, using some of my favorite old papers- dictionary pages, old magazine, catalog and ledger pages.

Inside, I have lace, scraps from a stained Quaker tablecloth, ribbon and buttons.

Underneath, I've stored my class samples, extra background papers and vintage wallpaper.

The last time I was at Karla's she had her class kits stacked all together and they were so pretty- I had to get a picture.  That is some vintage goodness!

 

Chirp with Us: Birdsong II

Last year, one of the most fun times I had was the weekend I spent at Karla's Birdsong art retreat. Laughing, crafts, great weather, great decor, great scenery, old and new friends- it was wonderful. I wrote about it here.

Karla is doing it again and this year and I'm excited (and nervous) to be teaching a class.  This a peek at my project.

If you'd like to attend, there are still a handful of places open.  You can find more information here.

Lisa will also be teaching a class and Karla will be teaching two classes.  Here's a look at one of Karla's projects.

Karla's other project most likely will be jewelry- the last time I saw Karla, she was playing with beads- she has a plan for a beautiful and one of a kind piece.

If you're on the fence about attending or haven't been to an art event, feel free to email me and I'll try to answer your questions.  I think those last few places will sell out fast.

Paper Cowgirls Miscellanea

 
I haven't been able to figure out how to tell the "Paper Cowgirls Chronicles" in an organized way- should it be divided by category- crafts, parties, sightseeing, antiquing etc?  Or should it be chronological?  I don't know, so I just picked some random pictures I thought were fun.

First, I had to show one of the MOST amazing creations I've ever seen- Ann Denise Anderson's luscious frothy concoction of crepe paper, coffee filters, tissue paper, butcher paper and a lot of time.  Several times during Paper Cowgirls, I found myself just staring at it in amazement.

 
Dawn's shadow box collage and Dorthe's doll (all the way from Denmark) were raffle prizes.

 
Karla dressed up for the Paper Cowgirl's Prom.

 
Lisa, not dressed up for prom.  ( I didn't dress up either, we both dressed for shopping.)  In the background you can see other Paper Cowgirls shopping the streets of Waxahachie- what a darling town- and a lot of the stores stayed open late for so the Paper Cowgirls could shop.

 
There were a lot of great prom dresses, but Kristi's has to be one of my favorites- the skirt has cabinent cards under the tulle- kind of like a walking portrait gallery.

 
My two roomies, on their way to the prom- if only we'd had a fairy godmother to turn that luggage rack into a coach.

 
Lisa's shoe collection- not counting the ones she was wearing, because everyone knows that you need at least five pair of black shoes for a two night stay in Waxahachie.

(I hope that pictures doesn't put me on the banned for life roommate list.)

More pictures to come- of classes, crafts, swaps and the vendor night.  Can you tell I had fun?

Bird Song- Behind the Scenes

 
 
I've always know that Karla was a great hostess, but last weekend at her Birdsong event she outdid herself.  The decorations, the classes and the food were wonderful. Karla's Cottage, studio, fairy trail, garage, gardens & courtyard  and even bonfire pit were all put to use.

 
 
I was able to take pictures before guests showed up- this is the courtyard- Sat was perfect weather for eating and visiting outside.  In the background you can see Karla's signature disco ball- because it really isn't a party without a disco ball, right?

 
Karla's mannequin, Luwanda was all "birded up".

 
Each workstation had a bird gift/goodie bag.

 
The table covers were decorated with Karla's drawings, doodles and quotes- "Use what talents you possess".

 
Prettinesss everywhere- this is Lisa's sample project- a woven purse that I know I'll be making more of.

 
Carol's fringed paper flowers and tree...

 
... and a fringed paper wreath.

 
Even the supply boxes were pretty- this is a "Jolly Pets" cigar box full of buckles and buttons for Deb's lampshade class.

 
My nature journal swap turned out great- I was so happy with all the different styles of pages that the girls came up with.

 
Thanks goodness I had "the other Karla" to help me put the books together.  She had never been in a swap, or even used a crop-a-dile, but I wouldn't have been able to get the books together with the right number of pages without her.

 
Just so you don't think that to make everything so special, Karla must have been on high alert, running the event with the precision of a military operation- I think she was able to relax and have some fun, too- because she wore her bedroom slippers all day.

 

Low Color Crafts for Christmas

 
I'm still in love with burlap, tea stain and tattered lace in "low colors"- my Christmas crafts don't have any of the traditional red and green- or even my old favorite silver and blue.

 
Today is Christmas craft day at  Karla's, and we're doing an ornament exchange.  I couldn't decide between the ribbon and tattered lace skirted angel in the first picture or this:

 
...two girls happily celebrating the chill with fur wraps.  I've dipped this wall hanging in tea and coffee so many times at different stages in the process of making it that I think it would work as a tea bag itself in an emergency.

 
 
I can't decide between the two of them, so I think I'll bring both. 

One thing I won't be bringing is sugared pecans.  I made them this morning to go on top of a salad- mixed greens,  pecans, craisens, feta cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette.  Unfortunately, I packed the hot sugared nuts in my box to go to Karla's and found out that dogs really like the smell of nuts- and don't mind eating them out of a Baggie.  Our salad is going to have to get its crunch from croutons...

 
By the way, I've added some estate sale jewelry to my Etsy Shop- SugarPinkMoon.

Christmas Goods from Curious Sofa

 
Thur night, Deb and her crew at Curious Sofa put together a fabulous and inspiring Christmas house.  Of course, I was drawn to this display with brown transferware- a perfect fall display that would take you all the way to Christmas.

 
I love this little owl guy- he'd be a wise addition to any table.

 
Lot of soothing whites and neutrals.

 
Including the infamous chair, in all its rusty glory- perfect paired with a linen script pillow- and perfect on its own.

 
Glitter sprinkled keys, sparkly fruit and a touch of pink.

 
Reindeer dancing around a bird cage.

 
It's not all neutrals- check out this collection of beautiful felted floral pins and pink cushions.  Yummy!

 
Sock birds, sock elephants and a sock moose- classics.

 
And what did I get?  I'm not usually a "retail" shopper- I get most of my home decor, craft supplies, office supplies and even clothes if I can, at estate sales and auctions.  But I couldn't resist- these sparkling slipper ornaments were calling my name- along with the beautiful bouquet of vintage cream millenary flowers.

 
And I had to get one of those wool pin cushions- I love how it picks up the colors in this vintage game board in the bookshelf in my living room.

And the Fairies Were There

Thanks for all the feedback from fellow junkers,  antique dealers and treasure hunters- it made me feel better to know I'm not the only person that had ever had a "lull".

Last night my other friend Karla (no blog) and I went to a baby shower for Karla's soon to be here grandbaby.

Of course the decorations were over the top cute- I wish I'd taken more pictures- but I did get some pictures of the darling fairy tree Karla made.

Little babies with wings and accessories perched on real branches.

 
And on the dining table, she had picture paper dolls of the babies Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters on branches for a real "family tree".

 

There's still time to sign up for Karla and my Romantic Gothic Ghosts Halloween online zine.  We'll each be having a giveaway of some crafty decorative doodads, and to be eligible all you have to do is sign up for the class by Oct 31.  The sparklies in the picture above are my giveaway.

Crafting with Mermaid Friends

The classes at our mermaid get together were great- besides playing with new supplies- like clay- the classes and instructors were full of inspiration.

Melissa Phillips showed us how to make this sea themed photo album to keep our weekend memories in.

 Karla made this little glittered mermaid for me out of a vintage ballerina and paper clay and I added it to the cover of my album.

This Sirene of the Sea Coussin project was Holly's class project.

***Although it LOOKS like a pillow- I think a coussin is actually a pad- because the label on my puppy pee pads says Coussins Anti-Fuites- just a little bit of trivia for you- I can only imagine what fuites is*** 

These cute mermaids were made in Jenny Hernandez' class.  Jenny showed us how to make the figures from air clay.  The air clay takes a few days to harden and dry, and she wanted us to have a chance to take home a finished sea pixie, so she made a finished figure for everyone in the class and we had a chance to paint and decorate it.

My sea pixie is on the right, Karla's is on the left- and Karla's coussin is behind the pixies.  I made a deal with Karla- if she'd paint my pixie's face, I'd sew the trims on her pillow.  When everyone in the class saw what cute faces Karla gave our mermaids, they were lining up to have Karla paint their faces, too.

Luckily, Karla had enough faces in her paint box to give everyone a little bit different look, so we didn't end up with an army of Stepford Sea Pixies.

Our class with Julie Haymaker Thompson was suppose to be a mermaid inspired crown/headpiece.  Julie gave us so many different variations and ideas that I found myself making two completely different pieces- a small sea shell headband and a burlap backed seashell collage.  At one point I realized I was making one piece with my right hand and the other with my left hand- talk about two fisted crafting...

 
The event had several swaps, but I wasn't sure about signing up- I  kind of had that fear of committement.  Karla said you'll feel left out if you don't join one- so I signed up for the Beach Coquette Collier swap hosted by the very talented Christine Rose Elle.

 

Christine divided us into four groups and we each made seven fabric flowers and sent them to Christine.  Christine sorted, grouped and arranged the flowers and made them into beautiful neckpieces.

 
I made the pink ribbon flower- it was kind of a learning curve for me- I made a lot of different kinds of flowers before I found one I thought would work.  I even tried knitting flowers.

Here's another groups neckpiece.

Val with her new pretty.

Julie modeling her necklace. 

Sherry with her collier.

So what am I going to do with all my mermaid finery? 

I'm going to redecorate my bathroom- I was also lucky enough to win these fun prints by Danita-

...and they'll be a great starting place for a redo.

  

 

 

Mermaids All Around- Les Sirenes

 
Artistis Affaire Les Sirenes hosted by Kim Caldwell  was a wonderful get away. The weather was perfect, the classes were inspiring, and Kim spoiled us like crazy- I felt like I was at a craft spa.

 
Our hotel was only three blocks from the beach, and even though I was too busy to see the ocean, with all the shell and mermaid decorations, I didn't miss it.  Everyone's chair was decorated with these beautiful shell decorated burlap swags.  (The burlap came in handy- for a few craft projects, I just snipped a bit off the bow- I wasn't vandalizing- Kim let us take all the table decorations home!)

 
Beautiful mermaid and sea coral fans decorated every table.

Lola, Kim's artistic mascot was there- all decked out in sea colors.

Every time we returned to our crafting tables, there were new gifts waiting for us.  We were such pampered mermaids...

I could go on and on (and probably will), but the real world and big girl job are calling me away from the sea- but I had such a wonderful time that I wanted to share just a bit of it while I'm still reveling in mermaid magic.