{In My Blue Room}

The Art of Craft at French General

2012-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

{Pam Garrison's fun embroidery, would love to get to this level!}

French General, is a wonderful little shop tucked away by a freeway underpass in Los Angeles near the Silverlake district, it small only in size. Owner Kaari Meng has it filled to the brim with her fabrics that she designs for Moda. Along with that are tons of vintage beads, millinery, vintage paper, ephemera, and the list goes on. This is the second year that Kaari has hosted the Art of Craft weekend at French General, and it just so happens that they always fall near my Moms birthday. Now attending has become a tradition and as long as Kaari hosts them, we will be there for Moms birthday. I chose the Sailors Valentine class with Charlotte Lyons and Pam Garriosn. I like to do things a little outside of the box and I am NOT a embroiderer although I do enjoy sewing. We started off with a little instruction and then were cut loose to hit the "share" table. A table filled with goodies that we could use for our projects. After the initial throngs cleared away, I went over and chose some stuff for my heart. I did bring some of my own vintage fun though. I bought this baggie full of vintage fabric covered buttons and have been looking for someplace to use them. As usual I was speed crafting, I just have this thing that I must finish the project, because I find it hard to get motivated to finish them when I get home! Mom, didn't get as much done, but I know that when she gets home she will be "playing" with it and putting her own spin and little touches on it. Here are some pics from the class. Can't wait until next years classes!

{okay this was so wierd, the open seat had a book on it that said "Hahn", then when i looked up higher were the words "DE VENISE" which is reallly close to my name!}

{hey, who made this mess??????}

{Me and my Mom}

{the share table..oh la la!}

{My little heart and vintage buttons}

{Moms work in progress}

{my girl Terry, we were at different tables, but I see her ALLL the time!}

-Follow Kaaris blog and the French General website for info on upcoming events.

Valentine Crafting

2012-01-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

I think Valentines Day is second only to Halloween for me when it comes to crafty inspiration. Pinks, creams, whites and reds! I just love the colors that Valentines Day brings. Here are a few of my creations. I made them at our girls crafty Sunday. The last Sunday of the month each of us hosts craft day at our homes. This last Sunday was at Holly Stinnetts lovely home in Los Angeles. I dont really have any pics of the day though....why you ask? For some reason when I bring my camera I feel sort of like a reporter for my blog instead of a guest just enjoying the company. Does that make sense?

{this first little banner is easy and fun to make}

Cut out some .25 inch foam board into pennant shape

apply modge podge with a foam brush

lay tissue paper on top and gently tap down

set aside to try

Cut smaller pennants out of vintage book paper

ink the edges

After your pennants dry distress the edges with ink

stick on vintage book paper

Punch holes in upper corners

attach letters

string seam binding through, making sure long enough to hang

{now where to hang it?----too busy here}

{too up high here}

{ahhh just right! The door to my craft room}

{here is another cute one I made from Vintage valentines Holly provided for us}

{so cute, a little doggie banner}

This one is super easy to make

Cut out 5 like sized hearts from decorative paper

cut out card stock in a rectangle, big enough to show from behind your image, yet small enough not to cover too much of the heart base

Ink edges of everything

find some cute vintage valentine images using google image search- print and cut out

assemble using foam board pieces or pop dots

add a little glittery flower embellishment between the valentine and cardstock.

Punch holes and string with ribbon or seam binding

And then this cute little book I made with goodies that all the girls brought! Of course we all bring extra little goodies to share with each other. After I finished my banners I decided to make a little scrapbook to put all of the goodies in.

{I hade everyone sign my valentine!}

{inside here are some of the goodies!}

{Holly gave us these cute little red and white straws, I just had to incorporate them!- I used a binding technique I learned in the book. ReBound.

{as always it was a fun day topped off with tasty birthday cake for Holly and Erin. I feel so fortunate to have all of these girls in my life!}

-Denise

Featured on Crescendoh

2012-01-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

This week I have the honor of being featured on Jenny Doh's amazing blog here:
http://blog.crescendoh.com/art_saves/2012/01/balancing-boxes-by-denise-hahn.html

I thank Jenny for all she does for artists and this wonderful community we are all a part of-
Denise

Jewelry Kits on Sale!

2012-01-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

I have a few of my jewelry kits available and have reduce the price to clear some space for more! My goal this year will be to offer a kit or class each month. So look out for my next kit in March.This kit comes totally complete, everything you need to make it is inside....beads, headpins, clasps etc. And the best thing, is that it is TWO pieces in one. Wear it as a charm bracelet or attach the extension and wear it as a necklace. Fun and easy to make, you just need to know how to wire wrap. There is even room to add some of your own jewels if you really want to bling it out! Here are some samples and they are only $17 each!

PInk Convertible click to acces the listing!

Teal Convertible click to access the listing!

Quick and Easy Bracelets!

2012-01-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

In my haste at the local jewelry supply I grabbed some wire. When I went home to start using it I was so irritated. This wire would just not bend! When I clamped down on it to force it, it finally did, but I was never able to get it just straight! What kind of piece of crap wire is this??? I picked up the package and realized it was some funky "magic" wire. Well the magic wasn't working on me! I tossed it aside and moved on. As I was doing my lengthy craft room cleaning I ran across that demonic wire and figured, maybe I can do something with it...... how do you keep the beads on? On the package it had some little round balls that required special "magic" glue. I'm thinking- forget it!!!! That is until I was at Athena jewelry downtown. That's where I pick up my bulk supplies. I asked the employee where I could find those little balls and glue for that weird magic wire stuff. She replied, oh you dont need that, just take your round nose and loop it off. You can even add a little charm on the end. She then showed me this elaborate bracelet made of turquoise beads. It was impressive. Thanks I said, and dropped off the obligatory 100 bucks. When I got home I whipped these up with just left overs....I have to say I'm likin' the magic wire! Quick, easy, cute and a great way to mush together all those little leftover beads and buttons..... try some for yourself!

{Okay already, I love skulls! Especially juxtaposed with these lovely vintage creams and whites.}

{I used little tiny beads in between the buttons to make them spaced properly-see the drop pearl on the left and the glass flower button on the right}

{I loved how the buttons worked, just need to figure out how to use the ones without the back stem}

{I even sqeezed a few charms in there, like this little bike!}

{here is the second and more straight forward one, using a mix of grey pearls and smoky crystals}

{Just used a vintage focal button in the middle}

-These were just too much fun! You must try the magic wire you can find it at Michaels!!!

-Denise

Class Sample

2011-12-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Made one if these yesterday for a private class for Valentines day. I am finally going to put some stuff in my etsy shop. It's seems so easy but it can be a lot of work!

Girls day out for Christmas!

2011-12-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

{Kim Caldwell and me}

Okay so we have to admit, Christmas is pretty much all down hill from the point you turn 13 until you spawn kids of your own. Tyler and I have pretty much decided Christmas to us means cuddling on the couch watching our favorite shows, sipping coffee and making a nice dinner for two with a nice bottle of wine. We don't buy gifts really...other than to make an excuse to buy ourselves a big ticket unnecessary item (this year Me= 2012 Subaru Outback, He=a core drill of some sort). I know some of you might say, what about the new Macbook Pro he bought you....but to call that unnecessary? Never! But I digress, a little old fashioned fun and anticipation does exist for the over 13 crowd and it comes in the form of Kim Caldwells annual Christmas soiree. Girlfriends, crafting, food, desserts, swaps, gifts, are you kidding!? I truly look forward to being giddy each year, so thanks you Kim for hosting this wonderful day for all of us. Now onto the pictures! I will blog about the swaps and gifts in another post, because I have like 50 pictures!

{Kim made these table setting from salt shakers filled with little bottle brush trees and angel wings, so cute!}

{table gifts and supplies}

{feathered center pieces}

{Kims sweet decor}

{and this little sweety too!}

{Holly, Jenny and me, table mates}

{Kims always beautifully attired dress form}

{me Terry and Holly}

{Andrea; LIKE seriously, how do I unwrap this??}

{my sweet little decoupaged birdie}

Class was taught by Karla Nathan, she was so generous with her tips and ideas, thanks Karla! Please click on her name and check out her blog and shop- A-mazing!

{more of Kims decor}

{one of Kims trees! Oh how I wish I could have a big tree! No room and Juno and Pippi would destroy it when they play fight!}

{one of my dearest friends Andrea}

{and this was a little extra gift from her, I saw when she blogged about these cuffs she made and not-so-secretly wanted one!} BTW it came and an engraved box-hugs Andrea- I love it!

{Me and Cheryl}

{and the desserts! To die for especially to the lemon bundt cake in the front, took half of that home with me and refuse to share!}

One last look at Kims beautiful sugary sweet Christmas decor. Being in your home was like being in a Christmas Fairytale Kim, Thanks so much!

Can't wait until next year

-Denise

Victorian Stocking Swap-hosted by Sherry Bamsey

2011-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Okay So I am totally cheating, we were all supposed to open our swaps tomorrow, but I am driving to Colorado and juts HAD to open mine a day early so I could ooogle over my goodies and hang my stocking by the chimney with flair! I was sooo lucky to get my friend Julie Gordon Weller as my secret stocking maker. Actually I would not have minded ANY of the fellow swappers stockings, but I know Julies style so was excited to get a box from her! So without further adieu and before we hit the road, here is the precious stocking that Julie made me... a stocking I am sure to treasure for years to come:

{sweet anticipation!}

{love the vintage card inside...so cute!}

{what a great detail, a vintage lady skiier, nice job Julie! Swaps are always so special when there are those little personal touches}

(a bigger pic}

{loves these little vintage lovelies peeking out!}

{a box full of vintage cupcake pics, now Julie is the cupcake queen and I love she added a little of herself into this!}

{I just love these little guys had to do a close up!}

{she added lots of fun vintage embellishments, loved these unique cards}

{more fun embellishments and beads}

{more vintage treats to create with, I loved the spool you cant really appreciate the shiny thread on the spool, can't wait to create some fun ornaments with all of this!}

{here is my stockings honored home, below my memorial to my sweet Temper that passed away last year}

Julie I love my stocking and everything you filled it with, a big virtual hug to you and I hope you and everyone else has an wonderful peaceful Holiday!

And thanks Sherry for hostessing this great swap!

-Denise

New Workshop? Bracelet made with Vintage Finds..

2011-12-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

If you will remember a few posts back I went on a weekend girls trip to Cayucos in the central coast. Andrea took us to this amazing store filled with vintage buttons and trims called Lena G's. I bought this bag of goodies (above) and I FINALLY made the piece to go with it. Thinking about doing this one as a class....only have enough for 5 kits though.....thats how it goes with Vintage you just can't run down to Target and buy 10 more!

Pale pink vintage trim, a great vintage pink pearl button, antiqued gold finish metals and hand-wired rosary chain. This looks so good on too, but for some reason the pics of it on my hand looks all weird. *Note to self, look at fashion magazines and learn how to shoot a bracelet on a wrist!

Let me know if you might be interested in a workshop the make one!

Denise

Handmade Stocking Filled with Joy

2011-11-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say this stocking is mine, well it is sort of. I made it for someone. Who? Now that's a secret! Yes this sweet Christmas stocking is for a secret friend. I made it as part of a Victorian Christmas Stocking swap being hosted by my dear friend Sherry Bamsey. It was a collaboration with my Mom. (If you call going to my Mom's house robbing her fabric stash, then making her sew it, a collaboration!) I took my stocking home finished it off and filled it with some precious stash items. I think I did good, my rule of swapping is, that if you don't want to part with it, its good!! I hope my secret friend loves it!

{I probably will not be able to fit all the goodies inside!}

{yes, parting with this amazing avon mini perfume bottle}

{bags filled with ephemera both paper and dimensional}

{vintage goodies}

{Christmas ephemera}

{just the stocking}

{i am glad it looks good hanging, I didn't even think of it while I was making it, if it would hang nicely!}

-I have some more swaps to share but can't spoil the fun!

What are you creating for Christmas?

-D

For the Love of a Friend and a Frenchie

2011-11-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Okay so I finally just admit that I love to make jewelry. My passion for mixed media and altered art has somehow led me here, and I know why... I get to wear all of those little pieces of art. Now I find that instead of hoarding all of my beloved flea market finds, I just make them into something I can wear. Although I always am inspired by my precious found objects, nothing is more inspiring than creating special pieces for my friends. Lately I have been using these glass hearts I found at a floral supply. They are imperfect little blocks of glass that magnify and distort whatever you put behind them. Here is a piece that I made for a sweet friend Terry Frias. Terry is the proud momma to three pups, but the one I always remember is Max, her french bulldog. I fell in love with a frenchie at the dog park and have wanted one ever since. I have two pitbulls and it would be hard to talk my husband in to a tiny pooch, but those frenchies pack a lot of muscle in those tiny bodies, I think it would be a great compromise! Anyway, enough about dreaming of doggies I need another dog like I need a hole in the head! Here is the soldered piece I gave to terry for her birthday:

-Denise

Glitterfest 2011 Photos

2011-10-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Once again Glitterfest was an amazing show. Thanks to Dianne and Cheryl from Whimzy for hosting this spectacular event. It was so great to see new faces and old friends. Glitterfest is hard work though and the energy that goes into it it makes me totally exhausted! So here I am today my first "real" day off since the event and my craft room{s} are once again a disaster. Luckily my Mom is coming over to help recover from Craftageddon. Here are some pics of my booth from the show. Other vendors just loved my chicken wire arch I made, I gave out the recipe to several ladies!

{my top saleslady!-Mom}

{my booth}

{the chicken wire arch, great for hanging things!}

{my kits}

{my jewelry}

{vintage button bracelets}

{skelly girls sold out too!}

{my collage house kits}

{my beeswax collages}

-Denise

Glitterfest is here!

2011-10-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Glitterfest info click here!

If you have never attended Glitterfest, now is your chance! This is an amazing mixed media art event and you will find everything from original art works, jewelry, to clothing and even supplies. I of course will be vending and have a lot of artwork, jewelry and some amazing kits. Glitterfest is famous for it's crowds! There is always a line around the block to get in. SO here is my advice- if you are cool with the hustle bustle of crowds and want THE best picks of the day-get there early. If you are okay not getting the MOST amazing pieces, get there an hour or two after they open...but again a lot of the coolest goodies might be gone... but then again, still a lot of amazing stuff left. I can't wait not only to sell and meet everyone, but to BUY! So hope to see you there, click on the pic above for all of the info!

Craft for a Cure Event Photos

2011-10-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

First and foremost I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all of my friends new and old who supported this fundraising event. From the decorations to the food and amazing projects, everything was donated. Thank you to Tara Wilson and Karin Smolinski for donating all of the supplies and kits for your projects. Thanks to Blanca Paredes, Andrea Villareal and Julie Gordon Weller for the food and desserts. Kim Caldwell, Tara Wislon, and Andrea Villareal for their guest goodies. And to Jenny Doh, Kim Caldwell, Holly Stinett, LuLu Kellogg, Tara Wilson, Nan Trujillo, Paper Tales, Karin Aguirre Smolinski, Cheryl Stoneham, Sharon Hughes, and Teresa Penrose. I hope I didn't miss anyone! Also thanks to my Mom for letting me take over her home for 3 days. Here are the pics, it was so much fun and we raised $1875 for Breast Cancer research and prevention. To read about where the money goes please read this press release!

And I also want to thank everyone who attended including three dear friends who came all the way from Arizona-

Colleen Jew

Sherry Bamsey

Annette Dutson Schwab

and my local gals:

Kim Caldwell

Cheryl Stoneham

Terry Frias

Kimberly Neilson

Andrea Villareal

Ruby Walker

Priscilla Cerda

Julie Gordon Weller

Denise Hahn

Diane Maxfield

Blanca Paredes

Tara Wilson

Karin Smolinski

Marilyn Goodman

Thanks again ladies and we hope to have everyone back next year and more.....

{little table yummies-some of the girls used the skulls in their cake projects! I love it when that happens!}

{my handwired dress forms, I used as center pieces will be for sale at Glitterfest}

{I added some factoids about breast cancer and hang them from each dress form}

{Julie Me and Terry}

{my Moms house was the perfect backdrop}

{Karins cake kits}

{all three projects, cake, earrings and skelly girl}

{hard at work}

{Glittering outside}

{Taras Skelly girl}

{Priscillas skelly girl}

{more}

{Andreas amazing salad, the balsamic she uses is to die for}

{lunch time}

{me and Ruby- look at the necklace she is wearing, her own creation! Beautiful}

{cakes a bakin'}

{glittery fun}

{me and my etsy team member Marilyn}

{Julies amazing cupcakes!}

{Annette having some fun}

{Andrea deep in thought about her earrings}

{Priscilla love her skelly!}

Me and Blanca my Assistant from work. So glad we got to spend the day together away from our usually stress filled enviorment!}

-Hope to see everyone back next year!

-Denise

Jewelry Affaire 2011 is on the stands!

2011-10-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

I am so honored to have some of my jewelry pieces published in the Fall Jewelry Affaire. I didn't have a chance to scan the pages so if you happen to be in Michales or Joanns pick up a copy. This issue is filled with inspiring ideas from so many wonderful artists, it's a must see!
-Denise

Craft for a Cure is here!

2011-09-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that this event has finally arrived, I have 18 women joining me tomorrow and hope it will be a fun day of creating and community. Here is the class sample for Blinged Out Skelly girl class. She came out super cute. I have brought all kinds of goodies to create with so everyones will look different. Off to finish the last minute detail, will be back with pictures soon!

Denise

Girls Road Trip- Cayucos 2011

2011-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend me and 3 of my girlfriends went to Cayucos for a weekend of shopping, crafting and relaxing. Why Cayucos, well Andrea owns a little condo up there that has been a family vacation getaway for years. The condo itself was adorable, but the VIEWS were amazing!

Andrea and Annette on the deck, a glass of Chardonnay and an view

Andrea at a stop in Arroyo Grande

Earleen getting her shop on!

Annette in shopping Bliss!

The next morning, kicking up my feet and waking up to the sound of waves crashing....

Some of Andreas beautiful solder work. Her home away from home is filled with beachy eye candy.

The bottle to the right was a new edition found on the way up in Arroyo Grande

My little hostess gift for Andrea. I know from her reaction that she loved it. Yay!

her adorable wall art

bedroom decor

We followed all the rules, well except for eat seafood....that was the hardest part of the trip for me. I am not a seafood eater and I actually even have a hard time with the smell of seafood, but it was a small sacrifice to hang out with these girls...my husband was like, "And I can't get you to go to Market Broiler with me???? No Right!"

Love this shop in San Luis Obispo called Vintage Etc.

Vintage Etc.

Our lovely hostess, I could see she loved this shop too as I saw a lot of goodies she already had back at the condo

Me and Annette hanging outside the Brown Sugar Cookie Company in Cayucos.

Earleen scoring some Brown Butter Cookies! These cookies are kind of hard to explain, they are like little flat round balls, that you bite into and are sweet on the inside but are somehow dusted or sprinkled with salt to give you that delicious salty sweet taste I love! Yummmm

The tide pools below the cottage

Annette spied this lovely red starfish, and picked it up for further inspection and photography.....then when she put it back it didn't stick back on the rock. Earleen claimed "you killed it!!!" But Andrea assured us, that starfish love to just tumble in the water and our little star will hook back up with a rock when she feels like it!

The next day we went to the shop we were all anticipating. Lina G All the Trimmings shop

umm filled to the hilt with vintage lace, trim, butting, ect

a bit overwhelming....

vintage flowers anyone? Where does she find this stuff??

so preciuos..

Then you can dig in all of the drawers...

my little goodies bag.....I have a lot of ideas of what to make with my finds! Lina does not have a web site, she sells on ebay here!

we swung by the shell shop...

look at the smile on Andreas face, that girls loves her some shells!

we stopped at Robins for lunch the next day in Cambria

me and Andrea

Then on to more shopping. This shop was too cute! Called Home Arts, such a cute shop. But all over the place were little signs form the owner "don't steal me I am only $11", " I know you think your getting one over on "the man" when you take something, but you are actually stealing form a woman who works hard to keep her business going". It was weird....like she is assuming everyone is a thief, but then again maybe a scumbag who would think of stealing might think twice about it. Such a shame that people steal... maybe I should put some signs up in my store..."please don't steal my razor blades, when you do I have a bad inventory, then I have to write an action plan on how I am going to stop you, then I have to go to a meeting and have a big entourage of people come to my store to investigate what I am doing wrong...when you are doing wrong..." tee heee

umm homemade sugar body scrubs...yummmm. Cant remember the name of this shop but its right across from Home Arts!

A walk on the pier before dinner

nothing clears the mind like the smell of the ocean...

I like this pic of Earleen, the look on her face like she is going to say something that will make me laugh!

Sunset in Cayucos....

I love these pics, Annette in her top siders, Earleens "there no place like home" clogs, my shoelace-less cons, and Andreas cute flip flops.....all a little piece of who we are.

Cayucos gone, but not forgotten. Thank you to my dear friends Andrea and Annette who this summer opened up their families vacation treasures to us. I am so glad to have these memories, thanks girls!

-Denise

Beheaded Kit listed for Sale

2011-08-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I relented I am putting a few of these kits up for sale. A limited supply as I need so for sale at Glitterfest!!! Link is to your right--->

This kit includes all of the pieces to make this necklace. It hangs about 14 inches long and is designed as a lariat style, just slips over your head. This is a kit for those with previous soldering experience, not for beginners.

you get:

1 inch glass bevels

chain

rosary chain

assorted beads

wire

headpins

rhinestones

skull bead

full tutorial with pictures and video

you need:

soldering set up: flux, copper tape, burnisher, iron

safety gloves

clothes pin or other clamp/holder

E6000 or other strong hold glue

Novocan Patina (optional)

Denise

Weekend Away!

2011-08-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Some of my dearest friends were getting together to work on a kit project they had all purchased earlier in the year. We got together at our friends house in beautiful Coronado Island, Ca.This was a weekend of sitting in jammies, no make up, no cameras (okay so I cheated a little). Just being friends and creating together. So I am totally cheating by blogging about it! But it was great fun and my friends house was so amazing I just had to show the pics. I also brought a surprise project along and snapped some pics of them. Enjoy this amazing house!

{everyone made amazing grab bags of goodies}

{loved this little starfish bag}

{okay who do I have to kill to get this kitchen??}

{super cozy family room off kitchen}

{my table for the project}

{looking out to her jacuzzi}

{beautiful staircase}

{here is where we spent most of our time creating away}

{yummy baked goods}

{one of her beachy collections}

{my guestroom}

{her hallway}

{looking down into the foyer}

{loved this spa like bathroom}

{our collage project}

everyones came out a little different, we just passed the pieces around and added out own touch each time we got it.

Thats all for now, I made some pretty cute soldered projects that weekend I will share later.

-Denise

Craft for a Cure Announced!

2011-08-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to be hosting this great event. I have been doing a crafty fundraiser for the last 4 years since my Mom was diagnosed. This year I decided to do it on a grander scale! I hope you will join us! Please click on the link to the right for info and to register! Visit the blog here for pics and more details!

Denise

I am getting published again!

2011-08-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

Just got the email yesterday and this time I am going to be a featured article for Somerset Studio Gallery. I get 800 whole words :)
"Congratulations! Your 4 witches in a cages have been selected to be featured as a technique-based article in the Winter 2011 issue of Somerset Studio Gallery, which will hit newsstands December 1, 2011." One thing I learned was to take pictures of my submissions. Duh, it seems very obvious, but I really don't take pictures of everything I make. I had to ask the editor to send me pics so I knew the exact ones!LOL! Oh well next time..... I haven't taken anything else down but I need to, it really is fun to see your work in print.

{this is an example of the birdcages being published, I DID get a pic of at least this one!}

-Denise

Halloween Has Arrived!

2011-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's here. Halloween has arrived. How do I know? Just walk into the craft and dollar stores and there it is, right in front of you. I swear we retailers really are friggin stretching it! As it is, I get shipped my Valentines candy before Christmas is over. Then before Valentines has even happened make way for Easter. There was a time and day that you didn't even see fall colors until after Labor Day. Oh well. This is one Holiday I look forward too. NOT because of costumes, I HATE dressing up for Halloween. I love it for what it does to the environment; the spicy smells, the pumpkin lattes, the candy corn, the Gothic decorations, and most of all when Disneyland changes the Haunted Mansion over to the Haunted Holidays version filled with its Tim Burton-ness! I also enjoy creating my own decor for Halloween and this year I have been creating a lot in my blue room. Of course in anticipation of vending at Glitterfest fall. I have made a ton of artwork and jewelry AND I have created kits....lots of them! So why haven't I posted any of these goodies? Well I have been waiting for Halloween to arrive, and HERE IT HAS-according to Joanns, Michael's, and Dollar tree!

{I have created a series of "Make it in a Mason "kits. They are Papercraft and jewelry kits. This one is a Halloween mini banner all tucked away in a sweet little mason jar!

{includes everything but the glue!}

{so cute on a door way}

{loving Halloween!}

Oh and how would you like to make this little monster?!!!!! This kit will come with a FULL tutorial including pics and video

{I tiny little scull encased in beveled glass and soldered, with required bling attached!}

{found perfect little 4oz Masons for this kit}

{Oh and I have a bunch of these collage plaques that look so cute hanging on doors! I have made a bunch and will be selling cut and primed blanks as kits}

So excited and having so much fun creating......onward I may have to start making Christmas soon!

-Denise

Belt Buckle Bling Class This Sunday at Whimzy in Santa Ana

2011-07-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

{design by Andrea Villareal}

Click on the pic on the sidebar to sign up. This Sunday I will be teaching my second belt buckle bling class. I bring all of the goodies and you get to make your own unique design. If you don't wear buckles these look great hanging from a ribbon or around pillow. They also make great gifts for friends. But the best part is always the socializing! 1pm-4pm at Whimzy! Click here to see pics from my last class!
http://inmyblueroom.blogspot.com/2011/04/class-photos-belt-buckle-bling.html

hope to see you there!

Denise

Dig Daddys Antiques, Downtown LA, and Bottega Louie- Final Birthdaycation post till next year!

2011-07-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

So I ended my Birthdaycation last month with a lovely day trip out shopping with the girls! We started at Dig Daddys antiques in LA, and lets just say they had some amazing things at some amazing prices, and I don't mean that in a good way! I really couldn't afford to even look in that place, but their certainly was a lot of eye-candy to go around. After that we headed to are some of my usual haunts in downtown LA, Bohemia Crystal, Trim 2000 and the trim place that I don't think has a name but the owner Bijan is super nice. After that we headed to Bottega Louie. Nowe I usually head to Tiara Cafe myself so I was excited to check this new place out and I was NOT disappointed! Great Italian fair and an amazing pastry shop attached. The only downside is that it is so big and clean that there is a terrible echo in the place, it is really LOUD, but that's okay we just jumped right in and joined the loudness. Some of us couldn't make it to the shopping trip so we invited Freida and Audrey to tag along! Tee Hee..... Enjoy the pics!

{i cant go without thanking my friend Earleen for the wonderful Birthday gift she gave me}

{pretty package}

{pretty awesome contents!-Thank you Earleen}

Now some eye candy from Dig Daddys Antiques:

{printers cabinet}

{this birdcage was like 7 feet tall}

{another amazing birdcage...there were lots and many with live birds}

{hmmm i think i could do something with this}

{this thing hand Andreas name written all over it. It is filled with scientific shell specimens, unfortunately it also had "SOLD" written on it}

{gorgeous}

{every drawer was filled with shells}

Onward to downtown!

{one of Kims fav button and trim stores}

{me and Earlene}

{me and Kim}

{the flower store}

{I love this pic of Cheryl by all of the fresh flowers, it smelled so good on that street}

{Kim on her way to Botegga Louies}

{macaroon anyone?}

{pastries! I got the key lime tart it was divine}

{even the bathrooms were cool at Louie's}

{Andrea's cupcakes}

{my glass of chardonnay, my friends must think I am a lush, but I just love wine!}

{Beautiful Louie's!}

We were all completely pooped from the heat and walking, but we had an amazing day together. I am so fortunate to have such wonderful friends, I really do cherish them. Thanks Gals!

-Denise

Lisa Kaus Collage Classes Day 2

2011-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Day two with Lisa we focused mainly on painting and shading. It was very hard for me to create something on such a big scale. With day 1 gridlock project, I felt like the painting was small and not so out there...You could kind of hide behind it, but this one there was no hiding! I chose to paint a scared heart. Why do I love scared hearts? I have no idea, I am so not the religious type, I just love a flaming heart! Anyway, here are the pics from the event. I took a lot away from these classes, the exposure to watercolor crayons and graphite pencil. The use of beeswax, and just some general composition ideas. I have already started creating a series of spooky houses using some of the techniques... but it's a wee bit early for halloween so I will share those later! As I am writing this I just got back from another "outside the box" class with Pam Garrison now I am really inspired! (stay tuned for blog post about Pams class)

{the start of it}

{Terry Frias and her amazing purple Frenchie!}

{C-Flo -----Cynthia Flores!}

{Cheryl Stonehams}

{Kim Caldwell very hard at work}

{Cupcake herself Julie Weller}

{Anna Crutchfiled}

{watercolor crayons}

{Me Cynthia and Terry!}

{my finished project}

{your scared space is where you can find yourself again and again}

-I like to find myself in my blue room!

-Denise

Lisa Kaus Collage Classes Day 1

2011-07-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

The next part of my Birthdaycation was to attend one of Kim Caldwells Artistic Affaires. She invited artist Lisa Kaus to come and teach us some collage and painting techniques. I love learing new techniques and have already gone out and bought watercolor crayons, graphite pencils, and beeswax! I will let the pics speak for themselves!:

{our welcome bucket filled with goodies!}

{a bright sunny room with lots of light and color}

{Kims table settings were just so fresh and juicy looking!}

{supply table}

{goodie bag spilled out!}

{My trusty tool box!}

{Michelle from Hold Dear had the funnest goodies bag, please check out her shop: http://www.holddearshop.com

{my sweet friend Andrea baked me this amazing chocolate cupcake in a coffee cup, it tasted divine!}

{here is what I picked out for my collage}

{originally I liked this little dear, but she got nixed!}

{fluid acrylics...kinda like watercolors}

{here is my 11x17 board almost covered in paint and paper}

{oh and the nails, I loved the nails! Had to go buy a bunch of my own today at Home Depot}

{we made a big sweet mess!!!}

{Andrea "i dont paint" Villareal}

{Earleen stepped out of her Tim Holtz style and into some pretty lovely bright colors}

{Terry Frias, can actually PAINT!}

{Starting to come along. What I realized is that with collage you can't pre plan out everything then assemble, you have to start with a focal point and just let it go from there.}

{Andreas Seashore theme was lovely}

{and so is she}

{put your back in to it Earleen!!!!}

{I love this lady, she makes me laugh and is kindhearted yet brutally honest at the same time}

Some of the other students...:

{Cheryl and Jenny Doh in the back there...}

{Miss Flores!}

{I am not the only mess maker!}

{Julie Baxleys...one of my favorites!}

{teacher sample}

{My finished collage, I just love it!}

some details of it below:

{and a little surprise Birthday gift from Earleen!}

{WOW}

-so thats day one...day two coming soon

Denise

Grease Sing-A-Long Hollywood Bowl

2011-07-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

I truly love the Hollywood Bowl. I have a fond memory of my father from the Hollywood Bowl. You see they stack park you there... like bumper to bumper so you hope that everyone comes out to their car after the show in a timely manner or you can get stuck! So my Dad graciously took me and my friend Gary to see the Thompson Twins (Sept. 29th 1994, a Flock of Seagulls opened for them), and he took our old tan Van... that conveniently had our trailer hitch attached to it. My poor dad had to sit in the van for two hours while we rocked out to "Hold Me Now", but apparently he got a lot of joy from concert goer's slipping through the stacked cars and bashing their shins on the trailer hitch! We had a fun time on the drive home hearing my Dad repeat back all of the cursing her heard and what they said. He even said one of them kicked the van then ran when he saw my Dad was still in it!LOL. I miss my Dad and his sense of humor. Isn't it funny the memories we keep? I can't recall a single fight I ever had with my Dad, although I know we did. I only remember quirky funny little moments... the ones I most cherished. Okay ON to GREASE. Definitely one of my all time favorite movies. Basically they just play the movie on the big screen with karaoke type words and you sing your heart out! I was sort of expecting this event to be filled with a bunch of 40+ women, gays and trannies, but NO! It was like a total family event. how do these kids even know Grease? Well they do, every word! It was fun singing out loud and it being okay! They also gave us some props, a comb, and yellow "scarf", a Reidell pom pom and bubbles....my favorite during beauty school dropout. I went with my friend Angelica and my girl Shyrell from the rink. We had a lot of fun, so whats next? Maybe Sound of Music?

Shyrell aka Dangerous on the Long Beach Hot Broads!

{Thousands of bubbles were blown and floated through the movie light, very cool. This was during beauty school dropout}

{me and my favorite science teacher Angelica}

{poor Jeff Conway passed away a few weeks ago, drugs were not kind to him}

{DiDi Conn actually was there presenting the film}

It was a lot of fun, we had wine and cheese before and took the shuttle so it was pretty easy.

-Denise

Tim Burton at LACMA

2011-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

me and Terry outside LACMA

Terry at the Entrance!

I spent the first day of my Birthdaycation with my sweet friend Terry Frias. She joined me after work for the Tim Burton exhibit. One thing I realized after visiting the exhibit is I was a Tim Burton fan long before I knew I was a Tim Burton fan. You see in high school I was a drama geek and as drama geek was always interested in indie films and short subject movies. One of those movies I fell in love with was called Frankenweenie. A story about a boy whose dog is hit by a car and he is so distraught that he decides to bring him back to life, basically Frankenstein with a boy and his dog. It came out in 1984, before Tim Burton was "Tim Burton" and it was not until I started seeing the Frankenweenie images at the exhibit that I realized it was Burtons creation. Then I got extremely excited to see that in 2012 Burton is remaking Frankenweenie into a full length stop motion feature. Needless to say I am thrilled! What is evident from watching Tim's career unfold, is that he always had a brilliant imagination. But he did get formal training and you can see his artwork change and progress over the years. That is probably what inspired me most, was that as an artist you are always learning, morphing and progressing. It encouraged me to learn some more fine art techniques like drawing and painting. I want to thank Terry for getting me the exhibit book as a little bday present, I love it! I also love my Pincushion Queen shirt I got as a little gift to myself.

Back to Reality

2011-06-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today is my last vacation day, and I have reserved it for the cleaning and organizing of my craft room. It seems I am in a perpetual mode of cleaning this room, but I guess that is all just part of the process. I find when I am working on projects I have pin point focus; that is I only look at what I am working on in my hands... everything else simply gets, put aside, pushed aside, piled upon, scooted over, laid on top of, you get the picture! Pretty soon I have amassed a mess of epic porprotion. But the reality is, I really can't work like this, I can only cope with this "while" I am creating. Getting started on a new project is impossible in this mess. And I have left my week totally and completely inspired! From the Tim Burton exhibit, to the weekend art event with Kim Caldwell, to the shopping trip downtown, and even eating at Bottegga Louie. But more about that later, rule is... I can't do anything until I clean this room. No creating, no blogging, no Words with Friends, no shopping for newly discovered art supplies, Nothing! So I better get going, one surface at a time, because I have So many great pictures to share of my "me" week vacation!

{yikes, my desk...makeup, pajamas, paperwork, trash, oye!}

{banana box of Halloween stuff, and things I have no room for on any other surface}

{my work table, no work going on here!}

{believe it or not, under this pile, is the start of some organizing I was doing two weeks ago and never finished!}

{my jar shelf, but there are more than jars there now }

{holy crap, supposed to be my found object trays, but now they are piled over, with other "found" objects}

{Stampington returned my published art work...yippee, but here lies the box...still}

Well time to stop blogging and start cleaning!!

-Denise

Another Birthday gone by....

2011-06-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

June 21st has came and went. I am now officially 42 years old. At 42 I can say that I find myself very happy and fulfilled. Life is very far from perfect, but in the end its all about your attitude towards what happens around you. I have tried to create my own little Drama Free zone. I stay away from toxic people, I don't overwhelm myself with commitments, and most of all I try to put myself first. I know it may seem selfish, but when I am happy, so are the people I surround myself with. So for my Birthday this year, I am taking a week of of work to spoil myself an do everything I want to do. So what's on the itinerary? Today I will work, because I have to! But after work the Birthday pamper begins with a trip to Burke Williams Spa. Then Thursday morning I will head off to my Moms and we are going to go to Shinoda Design Center... I have actually never been! Then Mom and I will have lunch. Then I am driving out to LACMA to see the Tim Burton Exhibition with my sweet friend Terry Frias. On Friday me and my friend Shyrelle and hopefully two other friends will be going to Hollywood Bowl to the Grease Sing a Long. Then on Saturday and Sunday I am joining my good friend Kim Caldwell and so many of my other good friends for a weekend of creating art at Kims Color My World event in Manhatten Beach. Saturday night I will be having dinner with the girls. On Sunday after my workshop ends, its off to Ruth Chris Steakhouse with another dear friend Sandra and her hubby Bill. Then Monday is girls shopping trip with Kim, Andrea, and Earleen. And in addition to all this fun I bought myself a few gifts; an ipad and a new pair of skates! Oops I have spent way to much time blogging and now I am late for work......! I will be back in a week with plenty of pictures and stories! See you soon!

Published

2011-06-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have always dreamed of being published in any of the Somerset Magazines. When I first started reading them I never would have though my work could be good enough to grace the pages, but after meeting so many friends who have had their work published and have encouraged me, it has finally happened! Not the way I imagined, but still it happened! One of the things I learned about getting published, is you HAVE TO SEND YOUR STUFF IN! I thought the magic magazine Genies just saw your blog and begged to publish you, but no, you actually have to submit your art work. Since I didn't want to part with any of my precious pieces, I decided to use the "calls for art" as inspiration. I created 3 canvases for their Fashion call, and one collage for their Poppy Perfection call. Months later the canvases came back in the mail, with a thank you but no thank you note. And to be honest I totally forgot about the little collage box. Then I got an etsy convo from my dear friend Marilyn Goodman. Please check out her etsy shop and blog: Cigarboxbeads.etsy.com and cigarboxbeads.blogspot.com AND her detash shop with great vintage finds at http://www.etsy.com/shop/suchandsort, and Marilyn was congratulating me for getting published. Whaaa??? Did I get published and not get notified? is it a mistake? not my artwork? different artist, same name? I had to do a little research, call the magazine, and sure enough somehow I slipped through the cracks, I am on Page 49! I never realized it because the Poppy Perfection issue had already been published and no "me" in there! I wasn't looking for myself anywhere else. I had actually browsed this issue and never saw myself in it, and it was a pretty good sized pic. So am I angry about it? No, I love Stampington publications and that issue had over 350 piece of artwork in it. I can see how I slipped though the cracks. So now I have the submission bug and hope to get even more of my pieces published. Do I NEED to be published in a magazine to feel validated as an artist? Hell NO but damn it feels good, like eye candy crack! As a matter of fact I can't wait until October when I have 5 pieces being published in Jewelry Affaire. Well I am off to check the latest calls for artwork, you can find them here: http://www.stampington.com/submissions/ I encourage all of you artists out there to send your work in! Here is my submission:

Denise

Handwired Birdcage Workshop Photos

2011-06-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

{Class Kit}

I always love having workshops at Andrea Villareals home. Andrea is about as close as you can get to a real life Martha Stewart. If you don't believe me, take a look at this lunch layout for class:

{yes that is an Oreo hiding in that fresh baked chocolate chip cookie!}

Okay, enough said, Andrea has it going on in the food department!

{Here she is the hostess Andrea, please check out her blog The Freckled Star, I only wish I could write as funny as Andrea does}

{I always bring my huge stash, that way everyone gets to make their own style and themed project}

{Elaine took one look at my ballerina sample and knew that's what she wanted to do}

{Tashias in progress}

{Amys}

{Terry works intently}

{although we all laughed and had a good time, there was a lot of silence as we were all concentrating very hard on our creations}

{Elaine, deep in thought}

{Tashia}

Below are the finished projects, I just love how everyones looks like their own personal style!

{Elaines}

{Susan Shintakus}

{Tashia Jacques}

{Damn this was the only one I got of Terry Frias' and its blurry. it was awesome though! Especially after she added her bird with rhinestones dripping off its swing!}

{Mine I made during class}

{Miss Amys}

{Okay so maybe I am partial to my gracious hostess but I just loved how Andreas came out!}

The workshop was a lot of fun, thank you to all the ladies who joined in today,it was so much fun, and as always I am inspired by your designs.

-So what's next?????? Not sure yet but stay tuned for our next workshop!

-Denise

Finding Found Objects

2011-05-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

{I love gumball machine containers, I have some ideas for these!}

Although I have resisted for such a long time, I think its time I confessed that I love making jewelry. Believe it or not, I have found there to be a lot of similarities between paper crafting, altered art and jewelry making. From paper crafting I use my knowledge of layering, depth and color mix. From altered art I use the juxtaposition of objects, composition and perspective. Put that altogether and you can just hang it on a chain and wear it! The hard part about jewelry making is that its very hard to be original. It seems that no matter what idea you have, somehow somewhere someone has done it, or something similar. But one thing for sure is that my personal style has come out the most in my jewelry. I love big, chunky, industrial, mixed metals paired with sparkly crystals and found objects. And speaking of found objects, even though I am suffering from a serious back problem right now, I decided to get out of the house I have been closed up in for three days now, and head to LB Flea and find some goodies.
So what do you look for and how do you find it amongst the hippy clothes, old tools and junk? Well here are some tips and tricks for navigating the flea and finding those sweet surprises.

#1- don't narrow your focus too much, the minute you start looking for "dragonflys" you will not a find a single one! Try focusing on a size of object, say no more than 2 inches high.

{I was looking for some small perfume bottles and was not disappointed for once, usually what I am looking for I NEVER find}

#2- Open boxes, jewelry boxes, tins, shoe boxes, I always find hidden treasures away from the naked eye.

{OMG, I love this tiny metal sewing machine, I found this in a sewing box with a bunch of old thread}

#3- Display case theories! If I see a vendor that has, say one display case and everything else out...I stay away from the case, as they are obviously pricier items. However if everything the vendor has is under a case they probably do that for ease of set up and storage... I usually find that the items in those cases are more reasonably priced. This is only a theory, but I found it to be true!

{found these under a display case, I love the eyes that are beads on the owl}

#4- Ziplock bags, oh boy do I love a good ziplock bag full of junk! Usually they are priced to sell. Not all of the items might suit you, but if you would pay what you did for even one of the items in the bag, you got your moneys worth!

{seriously, found these little barbie ballet slippers in a ziplock bag for $5. I just wanted these so I gave the rest of the bag back}

#5- Bargaining at the "catch all" box, some vendors have a sign that says everything this box, table ect is $1. I usually pick out 6-7 and then offer $5, they usually take it.

{keys are cool, but keys on tags are a buy!}

{here was a dollar table selection, I got 7 pieces but got her down to $5. I will be putting these inside some of my wire wrapped globes....oh did I tell you I submitted those for publication to Jewelry Affaire? Can't wait to see if they get published!

-Denise

Vintage Pill Tin Necklaces

2011-05-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have a little ebay issue. I like to get things in the mail, I like to track my treasures as they saunter across the country. I like to rush to the front door with sweet anticipation, and lastly, tear open the package like its Christmas morning. Who needs drugs when you have Fedex? However, I do watch "Hoarders" and have set some boundaries in place so that things don't get out of control. One of those boundaries I have set for myself is when I buy a lot of an item with the intention of making something out of it, I MUST make that something, BEFORE I buy more. Case in point; I was at Rosebowl Flea and saw these little medicine tins and fell in love. He wanted too much for his ($12 for one pill tin?) and I thought...EBAY! And sure enough the bidding began and soon I became obsessed with bidding on and researching little tins! I finally scored some and when they came, they were all I had hoped for! And now I want more! But alas, my own little "boundary" came into play, I must make something with the ones I have. So today I did just that. Here are my results. I just loved making these, they are like little altered art pieces on a necklace.

{by far my favorite }

{I used Tylers dremel to drill the holes}

{I got to use some buttons too!}

{this little bicycle one is my favorite, wait I said that already! Okay my second favorite!}

{i put some little vintage bicycle paper inside}

I have 3 more tins to go but ran out of chain. These were a lot of fun to make. I am thinking this could even be a workshop. But you have to bring your own tin, there's no way I am parting with mine! LOL!

-Denise

Terri Brush Soldering Workshop

2011-05-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

{me and my sweet tablemate Melissa)

I decided last minute to go to Terri Brushes soldering workshop at the lovely home of Joy Campbell. Although I have really mastered the art of soldering (well at least mastered my style) I really wanted to go to see my girlfriends. I ended up sitting at a different table, but it didn't matter because I still got to catch up with the girls and meet a few new friends. I especially enjoyed sitting next to Melissa, we have a common love of skulls and crossbones. Anyway, just got back from roller skating with my hubby again, but want to at least post the pics..so here they are:

{Terri}

{Cheryl-Inside the bubble}

{Jamie-Simply Me Art}

{Kim-Artistic Bliss}

{Andrea-The Freckled Star}

{andreas bottles)

{Joys Piece}

{hostess Joy}

{Melissas}

{my little bitters bottle-soon to be on a ball chain}

{my halloween piece)

{this one is for my Mom}

{made this little guy last minute, but love how it come out, it's open in the back for a little flower bud or some paintbrushes or pencils)

-No matter how much you solder you always learn great tips and tricks from Terri. I highly recommend her workshops check her out here:

http://www.terribrushdesigns.com/

Formerly known as; Mom

2011-05-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

I was a Mom, once. I know everyone is going to say, you will always be a Mom. But when I think of what a Mom is, I only qualified for about 11 years. I met Gil when I was 22 years old and was instantly thrust into his life full force. We were in "I can't spend one minute without you" love. Only this "love" came with two little children. Marilyn 19 months and Tyler 2 almost 3 years old. I liked the kids, but tried to stay away at first. But after a while it was doubtless that Gil and I were serious and headed toward marriage. Gils family was not all the happy about this girl coming into their lives and at first were resistant. They quit babysitting for us, so we were forced to move in together and that started my instant family. Nurturing came very easy for me. I fell in love with Tyler and Marilyn and a few years later Gil and I finally got married and it was official. Now although I loved them right away, it took them a while to come to me. I will never forget the first time I was called Mom. It was Marilyn waking me up in the morning, she said, "mommy, mommy, your're my mommy". I just scooped her into bed with me and held her tight. Tyler didn't come a long so easily... you see he remembered his birth Mom. She left Gil for another guy, and at first wanted custody, but gradually just left the picture altogether. Tyler finally caved in after throwing at fit at the grocery store. I dragged him screaming out to the car and he just burst into tears and called me Mommy. For 11 years I loved being a Mom, but I was very unhappy in my marriage. I think this was one of those situations where both people have different expectations about what it is to be married. I stayed for so long because of my kids, but after a while you realize you are NOT being a good parent, Gil and I did not always see eye to eye on how to raise them, but mostly I was just sad. Sad to be so unhappy, sad to have to fake being happy all the time. So I left, and what seemed very suddenly. Although I knew in my heart for years that I was not in love anymore, no one else really knew. Even after I left I still went to visit my kids, just like a weekend dad. But soon that would end when just a few weeks after I left, Gil found another girlfriend, and that changed everything. Now I was no longer welcome, and that was the beginning of the end of being a mother.
I have always tried to stay in touch with Tyler and Marilyn, we have all had some good talks and I have even tried to help them out here and there. The fact of the matter is, they are a VERY close family, there is always a support team out there when needed, and that made it even more awkward to stay in their lives, they didn't really need me anymore.
So flash forward to today- they are 24 and 22, they are living their lives, Tyler has a son himself now. I can't say that I have any regrets, I feel like I did everything I could to stay in their lives, and I am here if they need me. I do regret letting a silly argument between me and Tyler basically end our relationship. What makes me really sad is that I feel like he is probably having major "mommy" issues after being left by two Moms, I am sorry Tyler.

Miss Mar Mar

Tyler and his little boy, a blondie! Seems the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, Tylers Girlfriend must be a blonde.

I talk to Marilyn intermittently, she keeps me filled in on things, I would love for her to be more involved with my arts and crafts, she is super creative, but it's just not her thing. Marilyn, thank you for calling me today to wish me a Happy Mothers Day. Even though I don't feel like a Mom anymore, I have VERY fond memories of being one, to two amazing little ones that have a place in my heart forever.
-Denise

The Craft Wells have run dry!

2011-04-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

{some new jewelry I have been working on using appliques}

Yes, the day has come. Most of you who know me, know that my little craft business is self perpetuating. That is; I craft, so that I may craft. And I have let the well run a little dry so it's time to get back on the ball, have some classes and maybe even spark up the etsy shop! So what have I been spending my moolah on? Well in June I will be attending an Artistic Affaire. Not one of Kim's normal spectacular over the top events, but a more intimate technique driven affaire (I am sure there will be some over-the-top-ness from Kim though... I know better!). I believe there are still a few spots left for Kim's Affaire "Color my World" featuring artist Lisa Kaus. I am also attending a Journaling workshop with Pam Garrison at Jenny Dohs home, here is the info but I am afraid this one is sold out!
In the meantime, I am very busy working on pieces to sell for Glitterfest fall. Some wonderful Halloween and Christmas themed birdcages, some jewelry, banners, soldered houses, shabby jewelry boxes, and some amazing handwired dress forms-these are going be great! I am learning to weld with Tylers MIG welder to make them, this should be fun! That's all for now!
Denise

Class Announcement- Collage Made Easy!

2011-04-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's collage time at In My Blue Room! Collage can be intimidating at first, and this class will give you some basic tools and ideas to get you started. From concept, to layering, and what products and materials to use. This class is being offered for only $35 and all materials, beverages and a snack are included. Class will be held at the wonderful shop Bella Cosa Boutique in Long Beach. You will get to choose your design, either "Nurture" or "Sweet Life". You will also have the chance to choose all of your own colors and embellishments, no ones project will look the same, and they will be of your own creation! There are only 6 spots so reserve your place soon(click on the sidebar link)!

Happy Easter from the Hahns

2011-04-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

{look closely at this rare moment, Tyler smiling for a picture}

Today we are spending the day with our family Me, Tyler, Juno and Pippi. We decided to make a trip to the Long Beach Dog Zone. We didn't let the weather deter us. It was Pippis first trip to the beach and she absolutely freaked out when she started walking on the sand! Juno loves the beach and ran straight for the water. Even though it was rainy and foggy it was still a beautiful day for us. Later we are going to my Moms for dinner. Hope you all are spending your holidays with your families whatever they may be composed of...

{this says it all about Pippi, lively and playful}

{Pippi has the double jointed thing going on, so cute how she turns out her front leg}

{a boy and his dog}

{Juno also smiling for her picture}

{wiped out from running in the tide}

{rainy but beautiful all the same}

-Denise

Class Photos-Belt Buckle Bling!

2011-04-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

So I am always sooo worried that I will forget some vital supply for my classes, but this time I had it all.....except my camera that is. So I have NO good pics of class, however I do have some great DroidPro photos.....yeah I know, wah wah wahhhhhh. Here they are. The class went great, everyones personality came out in their projects and I got great feedback from the students. Andrea is always the best hostess, she made two amazing Mac and Cheeses and her home is impeccably decorated, thanks Andrea!
I will be having another class in June at Whimzy, details to follow!

Thats all for now, off to work I go!

-Denise

I'm ready for My Close up-Xyron Infomercial Debuts!

2011-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

It seemed to be serendipity when I emailed my friend Karin Smolinski Aguirre to ask her if she would donate her time and talents for my Craft for a Cure event, and she said, OMG do you want to be in an Infomercial for the Xyron Creatopia? She told me it shoots on a Thursday (my regular day off) and you get a free machine with all the goodies! Heck yeah I am in! Here are the pics, it was so much fun, we felt like princesses for a day, having our hair done, getting our clothes picked out. Of course my hair and makeup was soooo far from my personal style, but it wasn't the "Denisetopia" machine, so I just sat back and enjoyed. Here are some pics, I have to run to work!

{Karin and her goodies, please pop over to karins blog where you can see more of her amazing creations at Creative Chaos}

{my samples}

{wardrobe}

{Karin pre make up}

{me pre make up}

{Karin after}

{getting my hair done}

{me after with the make up artist, she did my all of our eyebrows for us, and believe me mine were a mess. So bad that she took before and after pics of mine!}

{backstage monitors}

{the crew}

{the set}

{our projects....}

{me karin and gail. Karins friend Gail was so sweet and funny I can see why they have been friends for many many years}

{Karins closeup}

{mine}

Well all in all it was a lot of fun., If you want to see us this Infomercial started playing Nationally. Today (4/12) It will be on the Food Network at 7am pacific time so tune in and watch us craft!!

-Denise

I will punch you in the FACE if you buy another BUTTON!

2011-04-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

This statement is of course said with all of the love in the world. It is the words of one crafty friend to another to spare her wasting money away on things she doesn't need. I first heard this little phrase at the Long Beach Flea Market shopping with my girls Annette and Earleen. It was said by Annette to Earleen, and has been repeated SEVERAL times since then. Why? Because we girls are addicted to buttons! Old, new, damaged, it really doesn't matter. The problem is, that we love buttons, we collect buttons, but we don't do shit with them. They tend to sit in cute jars to be admired. Maybe every once in a while we might glue ONE to something.
So after having lunch with my etsy friend Nan (check out her shop here, her jewelry is of impeccable quality) she showed me a sweet little spring themed bracelet made with buttons. I thought hmmmmm, I have buttons, a lot of buttons. Nan already taught me to wire wrap, I am going to make me some of those. Of course I put my own spin on them using a mix of old bracelet parts, new chain, old buttons, new buttons, charms and pieces of vintage costume jewelry. I am quite happy with the results. And now I find my place in the precarious position of running LOW on buttons, yes LOW on buttons! So Annette, Earleen take me off the banned from buying buttons list, it's ON!

{This one has a true mix of new and old. Also I love the big stone in the front, Nan gave it to me, I am sure it has some cool name but no exactly sure!}

{Orange, I am starting to like orange so much more, maybe because it looks so darn good with cream!}

{I am not a big fan of red, but this big vintage knot button was inspiring enough to make an entire red bracelet}

{I think this is one of my favorites! Although it has a lot of ewer buttons on it, the plastic clear ones with rhinestones just stand out}

{yellow, I loved the plastic white specked vintage buttons on this one. I also used a vintage costume jewelry bracelet, it was shiny gold but I put a patina on it that just came out great!}

-Denise

The truth doesn't always hurt

2011-04-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to show off this little collage I made to my Mom. I knew she was going to ooohhh and awww over it and want to take it right home! But not this time. She took one look at it and said, "No, don't like it". I just immediately removed the offending artwork and got on with my business. Now I know my Mom thinks she hurt my feelings, but she didn't. You see I can appreciate that my Mom has an opinion and is honest. If you have ever watched the auditions for American Idol, there is inevitably some poor kid that is crushed and can't believe that they are bad singers! Well behind that kid is a mother who can't be honest! Being honest about what she thinks of what I make, makes me more trusting and accepting of her opinion. So think about that next time you are asked your opinion by someone that you love and trust (however I don't recommend this for those, "does this make me look fat?" situations!).
So on to the offending collage. Personally I like it. It is very personal for me, I used my friend Andrea's word for the year "nurture" and I used one of my friend Michelle's trademarked red dennison labels. I used some of my favorite papers too. I like how it came out, and this is one piece of artwork I don't have to worry about my Mom stealing!

{this collage is the sample for a class I am going to do Called Collage Made Simple}

{love these labels!}

{I attached a twig with embroidery thread}

{used some upholstery trim to finish it off}

{some jute to hang it up}

{love this sweet bird!}

-Class info coming soon!

Denise

-Denise

Proof of Concept

2011-04-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

As per Wikipedia:

A proof of concept or a proof of principle is realization of a certain method or idea(s) to demonstrate its feasibility,^[1] or a demonstration in principle, whose purpose is to verify that some concept or theory is probably capable of being useful.

I bet you didn't know that with each and every workshop I hold, I have a Proof of Concept day. A day where I do my own workshop.... to see if it works! I make sure to write down what tools and supplies I used, I also take note of dry time and what, if anything I should prepare in advance. And if I am really worried about how it will go, I make my Mom come over and do a test class. A few weeks ago I had my Mom come over and make a birdcage, I could tell that she was struggling with the initial wiring of the cage shut, so I made sure to be very specific on that part. Today I worked on two POC's, one for my belt buckle classes already scheduled, and one for a NEW class I am looking forward to holding sometime, somewhere!
For my belt buckle class I wanted to make sure I was mixing my epoxy correctly and also how much epoxy should I mix; 2 drams will do just fine!

{I also played with the idea of making our own fabric belts in class, but as simple as it looked, that's a whole 'nother workshop!}

{Here she is, I mixed just a little too little, so now I know!}

So what about my new workshop project?... well maybe tomorrow I give you a sneak peek!

-Denise

Handwired Birdcage Class Photos

2011-03-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

First I want to start by saying I absolutely LOVED teaching a Bella Cosa in Long Beach. Christie Pardini has set up a wonderful class space in the back of her shop and I can't wait to go back and have more workshops there. I had some new and returning students so it was a lot of fun for me. Here are the pictures. I just loved how everyones personality shined through their projects. That's one of the things I try to do in all of my workshops, is make sure that there is room to make everything a reflection of themselves. Here are the pics!

Bella Cosa's craft room, I love the cement floors with paint and remnants of artwork on the floor.

Each station has it's own light!

Class kit, and they got to keep everything including the little vintage lunch tray.

A sink! A must for crafting!

Kathleen

the ladies had a great time digging through the goodies I brought to create with

I had them collect things they liked onto their trays for wiring

Robin

Tori

Janes, she did a little Halloween theme on hers

Julia

Julia made a little crown for hers....so cute!

Robins whimsical cage! I love the pom poms on the bottom!

Me :)

Me and Robin, thanks for coming all the way from Vista!

Tori, this was her first ever craft class and I think we got her hooked!

Kathleen and Julia

Me and Jane, loved her dark style!

Julias sweet cage

Janes

Tori's

I hope everyone had a great time, I did! I will keep you posted about when I will be doing my next class at Bella Cosa can't wait to go back.

-Denise

To Swap or not to Swap- that is the question!

2011-03-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

   I hosted my first swap ever at Kims Moulin Rouge event. I was so taken with a similar swap the Kims Les Sirenes event I know I just had to copy it! The swap was to get a vintage jewelry box, decorate it, if you want, and fill it will goodies, and or supplies for creating art.
   Now swaps can be quite stressful. Especially when it is one on one. You make something for someone and you have one person to please. Now with that said we all have our own likes, dislikes styles etc. so it can be very scary to see if what you created matches up with your "swapees" expectations. Sadly it seems there is always a few swaps that don't align right, and that's where you feel the pressure as the hostess. You want everyone to be happy and thrilled with their swap. When someone is disappointed, you feel it as the hostess.
   As the attendee of the swap you don't want to feel like you "didn't get it." I know there was one sweet lady who felt exactly that. She didn't want to give her box up because she felt it was inadequate after seeing all of the other boxes. The second I saw her sort of breakdown my heart just sank... how can I fix this, a swap should make you cry tears of joy, not sorrow??? Just at that moment, Kim rushes up to this sweet lady and gives her a big hug and tell her it was going to be okay. This is a supportive environment and I felt so relieved that Kim saw her and did just the right thing. And then we saw her box! It was very cute, certainly nothing to be embarrassed about and filled with very nice items.
   Swaps can be amazing and exhilarating, but there is sometimes disappointment that can come from any side of the swap. With that said, I want to share some of my wisdom that I have learned about swaps and hopefully will refer back to this post whenever I go to a swap filled event myself. So here are my tips for swapping! They are brutally honest and this list is MY opinion, it is in no way complete, I am sure a lot of you will have some .02 cents to say too so please feel free to leave comments.

#1- Swaps are not cheap!- Be prepared to spend money. I have spent over $100 on supplies for swaps I have done. They are not free. Even my Bijoux box swap...I pulled a lot of goodies from my own personal stash, but I also bought the box, the paint, ordered vintage papers off the Internet etc. Think about the cost. I did a charm swap and you think "oh a few bucks a charm...well if the charms were $5 x15 - now you are in $75 already and you haven't bought the bracelet, ordered the moo cards, mailed them ect. so THINK before you swap about the cost!
#2- Don't overwhelm yourself. Many of you work full time, have kids, or are running mini (and big) crafting empires. You can't do every swap. I would rather do one or two GREAT swaps, then do 6 or 7 and short change a swap or two because I ran out of time. Especially if you have to make multiples of things.
#3- Ask questions! Ask your hostess questions about your idea and if you think it will work if you are not sure. The hostess usually has a good barometer of what the swap "should" look like. But don't rely too heavily on the hostess to make decisions, use them as a guide.
#4- Personalize- If you are making something for someone else try to personalize it as much as possible to them, but also add a little of your own style in. I can tell you the swaps that are most touching are those that are personal, when the person took some time to know who you are. If the swap is not secret send an email or two (not one everyday!LOL!) with questions you may have for them. If the swap is secret stalk their blog or FB pages and see who they are, or just ask the hostess to get more info for you.
#5- Make it something you don't want to give away. This is my final and best piece of advice I can give anyone. If you have made something you truly love, it is probably going to be hard for someone not to love it too, and even if it wasn't what they were expecting, you can not mistake heart and soul being put into it.

SO a bad swap item would look like this:
Made from craft room left overs, looks like someone threw it together in two minutes, totally impersonal to you and the person who made it, and will go straight to the recycle bin or get re-purposed

Now a GREAT swap item LOOKS like THIS!!!

This is the box I received from Danielle Muller. Danielle's style is creamy and vintage, hey so is mine!

I am primarily a papercrafter and she had lots of paper ephemera for me

I also love baby blue and saw lots of little baby blues in here

more goodies

supplies! I love the colors she chose for me.

hey whats that? A D stamp..for Danielle and Denise! Hmm how personal!

seam binding, a vintage lovers ribbon!

I also love a little bling- look at this vintage belt buckle!

Danielle's blog is the Vintage Dragonfly, so this is what I am talking about personalizing it, something that makes me think of the person who created it for me.

another special piece.

OMG

it had writing in it from the owner I love that

and this great vintage image.

So you can see, Danielle used a mix of new and old, she thought about me and my likes, she added her own personal touches, she put some items of great value in there, probably some things she did not want to part with. Make sense now?

The really difficult thing about swaps is you will never really know if someone does not like your creation. No one is that insensitive to call anyone out, nor should they. Gifts should always be accepted with gratitude. So I am putting this out there as my own General Guidelines. I am not directing this towards anyone person, it is from my own personal experiences and those of the people I have talked to about swaps in general, trust me we have ALL talked about swaps, I am just laying it down!

So if you think this post is about "you" it isn't. I have appreciated every swap I have ever received and display them all proudly in my home.

For me swaps are one of the most exciting parts of any event. At 41 years old they are the closest I get to that "Christmas Morning" excitement I got as a child.

I highly recommend participating for that reason and I hope you will too!

-Denise

Moulin Haze is clearing!

2011-03-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

So where are you going again this weekend? It's a question I am often asked as the sweet anticipation of attending one of Kim Caldwells Artistic Affaire events approaches. "Well it's sort of an, art retreat, surprise party, banquet, dessert buffet, friendship making, gabbing, shopping, pajama party, martini drinking, weekend of bliss!" Does that explain it? NO? Well maybe a few pictures will! I took plenty and they sort of explain the whole weekend! Here we GO!

it started off taking these lovely ladies to my favorite downtown shopping haunts. From Left to Right: Michelle Geller from Oregon, Valita Baxley from Texas, and Rachel Velder (my sweet roomie for the weekend) from Nebraska.

I just had to snap a pic of the cutest little dress shop EVER! Make me want to run out and have a baby...okay NOT!

Rachel at Tiara cafe in the Downtown Fashion District

The first of MANY cupcakes on this weekend trip...Rachel and I have a passion for cupcakes!

Tiara Cafe

Boa shopping

and we ran across some other attendees who had the same idea! Robin Sanchez and Tina Capriotti

did you say you want to buy some buttons!

more buttons...

Michelle in heaven at the "so good they have to be locked up" button counter

it was super hot that day even though there was no sun out

how sweet is this pic.."Rachel declares! OMG E6000 is only 4 bucks here!"

and Miss Michelle so so happy to find these awesome little labels that have so become her trademark!

trust me, if you don't go here without focus, you will lose focus! Bohemian Crystal- Maple Ave.

ahhhhhh I love beads!

the back of the subie after shopping day!

our room at the Belamar Hotel, Manhattan Beach, Ca.

The Belamar

Michelle representing her company HOLD DEAR- Moulin vendor night, please stop by her shop, she has such wonderful finds

Lu Lu Max

I could kill myself for not remembering the name of this awesome vendor. I think it was maybe Linda Fitts, please correct me if I am wrong. She has some lovely items.

Ivey (Taras daughter)Me and and Tara Wislon from Lu Lu Max. I bought a great necklace from her and got compliments on it all day long at work. Thanks Tara!

Me and the magical Angela Howard, I friggin love this chick! She is funny and talented and so much fun.

This is a little taste of what you get when you walk into a Kim event. A velvet bag FILLED with killer goodies from the sweetest shops around!

A surprise gift with a sweet chocolate Eiffel tower from Teri Frias, I am so glad I got to know Teri better this time around. I needed this bag too, to haul away all of the projects and presents we get all weekend!

Its all in the details, Kim made these lovely ladies all trimmed in gold.

My trusty tablemates Andrea Villareal who's blog The Freckled Star is one of the wittiest you will ever read. And Sherry Bamsey my early AM facebook buddy (she is the only one awake in the am when I am on!)

First project from Shea Fragoso from A Gilded Life. Her Mom Debbie was on hand to help.

Michelle Geller, Cheryl Stoneham, and Valita Baxley

Kims lovely Can Can girl

Moulin Decor

The "Stage"

Holly Stinnett and Christine Rose Elle

My finished necklace

Loved meeting Lu Lu Kellog, Lu Lu I know you read my blog and it was so nice to finally meet you in person. I love my necklace I got from you on vendor night. Check out Lu Lu's creations at Coastal Sisters.

the food spread... impressive!

Tablemate Jenny Morgan. OMG Jenny is the neatest crafter I have ever seen, I bow in awe of you Jenny. Poor thing had to sit next to the messy crafter..me!

Earleen, she had to sit at another table, but that didn't stop us from socializing. I love hearing her laugh!

My sweet cupcake baker Julie Gordon Weller

Tina Capriotti and Robin Sanchez

Valita and Rachel working on the Jenny and Aaron project

Caydee and Shawn

Kay Ellen

Later we slipped away to Marmalade Cafe for dinner...me and Caydee

my two besties-Earleen and Andrea, but we were so missing our sister Annette, but someone HAS to go to Costa Rica for the rest of us.

Swap Tables-

Bling bracelett swap

pocket full of positivity swap

Paper Doll Swap

Julies Canvas swap

bling choker swap

yes more cupcakes! (behind that yucky fruit!)

Macarons- not to be confused with macaroons....these have NO yucky coconut in them! LOL!

My Bijoux Box Swap and little did I know at the time this one was mine!

this one was for Kim filled with goodies!

My amazing book from Michelle Geller. I have video of this one coming soon!

And below are a bunch of lovely ladies opening their boxes!

Kerry Lynn Yeary class a cute little dry erase board.

Andrea and her creation

Colleen Moodys class, wait till you see how this little extra terrestrial came out!

I gave her boots!

here she sits!

and finished in all her glory!

I changed her from a can can girl to a little witch, because I love Halloween!

And lo and behold! My girl Tina won my giveaway prize. I made a moulin rouge themed birdcage. now Tina has two of my creations, she was my swap partner during Kims Alice in Wonderland event!

So things got a little crazy Saturday night when we finished Collen class early and decided to drive across town and hit French GeneralSheas french beading class!

Valita looking all recharged after we ate at HOME in Silverlake

This is one of my favorite pics from the whole weekend!

and I made these...

...with these lovely ladies! Debbie and Shea. My Mom and I do a lot of things together so I can really appreciate how much fun these two must have!

uh and did I say I love CUPcakes, this one had mocha icing from HOME

And then the last day. I don't do the amazing field trips Kim has planned on the last day, because I am just too exhausted (as you probably are if you got to the end of this post!) to spend all day. So me and Rachel hit the Long Beach flea market..rain didn't keep Rachel from finding the cutest little vintage first aid kit to take home.

a mess! but a fun mess! And the vendors were dealing!

ready for the rain

Well that was my weekend in a nutshell. The best part as always is the friendship. I loved being able to spend time with Andrea and Earleen, but also got to hang with some great out-of-town girls, and also meet some more local friends. I always feel so enriched and inspired when I return home.

I want to thank all of the ladies that participated in my swap and also for the sweet hostess gifts you gave me!

Till the next event...oh Kim do tell, when is it? What will it be??

And most of all won't YOU join us?

-Denise

Moulin Rouge! Finally here!

2011-03-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

I am off to Manhatten Beach to attned this spectacular event... vendors, classes, goodies, giveaways, but mostly being able to see some AMAZING friends that I have met through attending these events. I also love making new friends, as a matter of fact I am even rooming with a sweet girl named Rachel that I will be meeting for the first time on Thursday. I mean seriously when you get to be in your 40's and maybe even in your 30's, not so much surprises or excites you like Christmas eve did when you were little. But these events come close, the anticipation is part of the fun. So this will be my last post, when I get back I will be showing you all the glittered at Moulin Rouge!

OH and if you are not one of the lucky ladies attending, please visit GLITTERFEST in Santa Ana! You wont be disappointed!

-Denise

Moulin Rouge Raffle Prize

2011-03-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to think of what to make as a giveaway item for Kims Moulin Rouge Event. I have donated something for the last two or three events and I always enjoy creating a themed piece of art. But since I am on birdcage mode, I created a little Moulin inspired birdcage, with an altered ballerina in the inside. Not a lot of time to gab, have to get to work so here are the pics. Maybe you will be one of the lucky winners! -Denise

{I was a little worried that I spelled Oh la la right, and YES! in fact it is not Ooh la la, en Francais it is correctly spelled Oh la la!}

faufiler coup d'oeil or Sneak Peek-Moulin Rouge

2011-03-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today I did some crafting with my girls that are going to Kim Caldwells Moulin Rouge Artistic Affaire in a few weeks. So I decided to share a few sneak peeks at one of my swaps. I know most of you know what a swap is, but for those of you who don't: This is a swap among a group of friends attending the event, we all made 14 pages for a journal, sent them to the swap hostess, and she puts one of each of our pages together into an amazing bound journal. This swap is being hosted by the very talented Michelle Gellar of Hold Dear. Michelle has an online store filled with amazing ephemera so make sure you stop by and check it out.
I am really not supposed to give away my pages, but here a few tiny peeks at what I made. After the event I will reveal my entire pages and those of the rest of the swap-ees! Denise

{Michelle has used these little glissine bags in some of her journals, so I decided to do the same as on homage to her. I heat embossed them and they came out great!}

{I love paper mechanics so decided to make a little pop out eiffel tower. The journal is supposed to be just that, a journal, so I inlcuded plenty of places to write in. I circled the "cloud" journal spots with sparkle gel pen}

{and of course what French themed journal would not be complete without a little Marie? I used these great little clear balls for Martha Sewart to cover her hair, I loved the way they highlighted it and gave it texture}

Workshop Announcement! Handwired Birdcage

2011-03-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to have a class at a new shop that just opened down the street from me in Long Beach called Bella Cosa, please check out her website, her shop is great with something for everyone. Christy Pardini the owner has also created an amazing class space in the shop and I can't wait to have you all there! We will be making a handwired birdcage made from wire fencing I found in my husband the hoarders storage shed (shhhhh don't tell him!). I have so many ideas to share with you from patinas, to glitter, to ribbons and wiring techniques. And add to that a glass or two of wine and great conversation too! This will be a fun class where you will get to use your creativity to make your birdcage your own. Don't feel the creative bug? Don't worry I will walk you though it! So join me... class size is limited so reserve your spot soon at the shop, my website or on the sidebar!- See you soon! Denise

Vacation Pic's

2011-02-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

Well this is how our vacation started out. We were here:

38°50'58"N 110°55'36"W also known as the middle of f@#king Utah. We just stopped to change drivers and Tyler decides to do a donut to peel out of the rest area, loses control and crashes into the curb. All fun and games until we realize the car is now un-driveable. One night hotels stay in Moab-$69, Car rental-$176, Subie repair-$915.... giving my husband shit about this for a lifetime....PRICELESS!

So instead of having my beloved subie to drive through all this weather we hit, we are in a stinky 2 wheel drive Toyota Camry.

Then when it seemed nothing else could possibly go wrong, I go to put the key in door to Tom and Sandies house and Sandie gave us the wrong key! Apparently our love of shopping at thrift stores and creativity aren't the only thing Sandie and I have in common! That is TOTALLY something I would do..(hey in Sandies defense I believe there was a City Market club card tag on the key)

But liuckily Tom had a hide a key- and of course Tyler had to break trail to get down to it..... In waist deep snow !

But finally here...and look at that amazing weather! Isn't Tom and Sandies home amazing? We are so lucky to have such great friends that let us stay here, but we did miss skiing with Tom and Sandie this time, but they were in New Zealand.. it must be nice to take vacation from vacation!

isn't it beautiful? This is the great room.

Love this kitchen too

And the couch and Toms chair...here is where we spend most of our time, resting up after long days on the slopes.

I love all of the vintage ski's and pictures that Tom has hung around the house

Dinner at the Dillon Dam Brewery

Matt and Tyler day one Keystone.

Me at my favorite place, Blue Sky Basin...Vail. Can you believe this spot is 9 miles away from the village we started at?

And of course we took our traditional hot dogs up to the back bowls and barbequed on the grills they have set up back there.

picnic at blue sky

my most brilliant invention- thumbless liner gloves-for cell phone touch pad use! Worked like a charm!

what a beautiful day at Vail.

The boys!

I miss this guy. So I drew a little memorial in the snow for him at the top of Game Creek Bowl-Vail.

Starbucks Vail Village

Since Tom was in New Zealand I decided to keep his chair warm for him, and read the paper. (Someone has to do it!)

Breckenridge!

Seriously no way in hell I would ever go up this T-bar, the runs this services some pretty steep walls.

The boys head straight for it!

This pic does not do it justice, these walls are near vertical!

Lunchtime at Breck

There is really just no way to look cool in my ski get up. Its all about being warm and being able to see.

After skiing I hit Magical Scraps.. this shop is so cute, it would be my dream to have a shop like this on Main street in Breck....AND it's right across the street from the Crepe Cart!

I got this cute belt for my friend Audrey who baby sits my doggies... the bag was so cute! That's all for now, one day left to get my craft room organized and get ready for Moulin Rouge, my next big Art event. I can't WAIT! Vacation had some ups and downs... but I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of having a good time regardless.... lifes too short not to enjoy vacation!

-Denise

Workshop Photos- Love Banner at Whimzy!

2011-02-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful time teaching my first class at Whimzy in Santa Ana. I had never been to the shop before even though the owner is also the producer of THE mixed media art show and sale GLITTERFEST. If you have not been to either Whimzy or Glitterfest they are both not to be missed! Sheryl from Whimzy had this great big farmhouse table set up with some delicious cupcakes to munch on. Here are some of my pics, but I took them with my video camera and they did not come out so hot. I can't find my charger for my Canon Rebel so I am dying without it. Today I am taking a much needed day off, I am sick, I am stressed about my real life job, and I have a ton of laundry to do. Oh an did I mention I have 3 swaps to get into the mail today? They are done, just need to mail. The next four days will be sheer hell for me, but then I am off to Colorado again for some much needed vacation time.

{Jane and Leslie}

{Andrea}

{loved this great big table}

{glitter glitter and more glitter!}

{banner stringing}

{Pam insisted she would not finish! But she did!-although she did wait to glue on her vintage buttons, so I guess she is technically right!)

{this was a bonus project a tiny little banner that says SWEET, inpired by the very talented Cynthia Flores}

{this was another bonus project, a sweet little salt shaker with rhinestones and ballerina}

I have recently been inspired by ballerinas after watching this wonderful documentary. I have always been in awe of ballerinas, I loved the little ones that sprung into action when you opened your jewelry box. I will have to start looking at some Degas for even more inspiration.

-Denise