It's Friday, I'm In Love!- with My Blue Room

Okay, so it is a chaotic mess, but there is no place I love more than my blue craft room.  I actually took this picture because I was going to blog a before and after of the disaster that it is. This of course is the before, but I never made it to the after! I sat down an started another project and messed it all up again! 

This room is so important to me, my real life job is so extremely stressful, I need a place to unwind. Another thing I love is my piggy. Lucy L. Piggins her tag says. You can see her in the back left on the top picture. I got this at my store and although I am not in particular a pig collector/lover by any means, she just makes me smile. I also refer to her with many important creating questions like, "what do you think Lucy, blue or green?" !

Make sure you check out what everyone else loves this Friday at my girl Sandys blog HERE!

Thanks Sandy!!

A Big Big Banner

This banner was a commissioned by a jewelry artist named Michelle Yeaton. Michelle creates amazing jewelry from found items and vintage pieces. She calls her shop "Repurposed Relics". Her jewelry can be purchased at The Vintage Emporium in Long Beach, but this banner is for her 10X10 booth for when she does shows. She pretty much just told me to do whatever I wanted, which I loved!  I made the "relic" portion first and got the okay to keep going (16 pennants is a lot to make "wrong"). I created the pennants using thick grey board that you can buy at an art supply store. I then painted them, covered them in crackle medium, and painted again. I then cut some old molding my husband had in the backyard with my scroll saw. I created a theme for each pennant. I could have gone way more overboard but it was important to make sure the letters were legible!

{the R is a vintage ruler}

{I used one of my vintage watch parts for the top of the R}

{the O has a glass glittered starfish}

{the E is a bent vintage kitchen utensil}

{I think the O is my favorite}

{the P has some pretty vintage jewelry added}

{The U have some more vintage jewelry on it}

{Relics}

{I live the chicken wire on the E}

{The I is a brand new bolt I distressed}

{The C has some vintage children's school paper in the back, and the S my husband bent out of copper tubing}

I heard that Michelle loved the banner and I am soooo glad. I would have been happy to keep it though! I will be making some more of this style though for The Vintage, maybe one that says Garden and one that says Beach! Keep an eye out for them in my etsy shop!
-Denise

{TIME}

Although I always troll ebay for good finds, I am mostly daunted by the ridiculous shipping and "handling" fees people charge. Sure you bought an item for .99 but it's going to cost you 16.00 for shipping! Now not all ebayers are shipping thieves, and every once in a while I find the perfect storm; an item that with the shipping fees added in that is worth it! I had been looking for a lot of vintage watch parts only to be outbid, but I did find this little gem, 160 tiny 1x1 boxes filled with random parts. The picture below is only the top level of tiny boxes, there is another whole layer beneath! I can't possibly use all of these pieces and I am having a blast digging though them to pick out my favorites! The rest I will package up and sell in my etsy shop or at Kim Caldwells next event. Speaking of which if you haven't ever been to one, you must try it out! Check out the information here.

{I love these tiny cogs and lone second hands}

{There are little tin with tiny parts in them!}

{this tiny bag and another tiny tin in it, with an even tinier part}

-Can't wait to see what I can do with these

-Denise

Earleen is coming!

One of the things I love most about my new life as an artist/crafter is all of the amazing people I have met. One of those people is Earleen. I met her during the first Kim Caldwell event I attended. I really didn't see her much during the event, but afterwords she went to my friend Julie's shop, the Vintage Emporium, and cleaned it out! She was making me laugh the whole time, every time she found a piece she loved, or was indecisive, her comments just cracked me up. I immediately like her. I got the chance to see her again at Kim's Alice in Wonderland event. This time she and her friend Toyette were nice enough to invite me up to their room to do a little project finishing between events.  I have to admit I was feeling a bit of a loner as everyone headed of with their friends, and it was so nice of Earleen to include me. Now Earleen is headed back out here from Arizona to attend Kim's Jane Austen event. Unfortunately I am not attending this one, but luckily Earleen and a small group of friends including Maija Lepore (another AMAZing lady I met) have invited me out to dinner tomorrow. I truly enjoy the company of these ladies and am so inspired by them. Speaking of inspiration I made a few "Jane" items for Julie's shop as a few of the ladies will be stopping by The Vintage Emporium on Sunday. If they don't sell this weekend they will be up in my etsy shop soon!

----------------{I Read Jane" mini banner in Fabric}----------------

{another of my baby brie altered boxes}

------{yes this teeny book I made has Jane's actual words in it!}----------

Well off to bed, long day tomorrow!-Denise

Coney Island Brie!

So the fabulous grocery store I manage has a gourmet cheese bar. My cheese Chick likes to make these little baked bries. She wraps them up in pastry dough and decorates them, but alas she leaves behind a carnage of little balsa wood brie boxes. I though to myself, "Is there anyway I can NOT take these home and make something out of them?" The answer is "NO"! So when thinking of something to make I thought of the recent Project Runway challenge where the designers had to go to Coney Island to use the Circus as their theme.  So I took a little trip to Coney Island myself and dreamed up this little piece that can hang on a wall, cabinet, or door for a great little summertime fun!

Thanks for looking, I am working on a Jane Austen one now of course. I am thinking of making a starter kit to sell in my etsy shop for these. Luckily I have a somewhat unlimited supply!

-Denise

All About Jane

Okay so I have an absolute love of classic novels, so why did I never get into Jane Austen? How did I miss her? I guess it would come from the novels we were "required" to read in school and somehow Jane just never was on the list. Perhaps it was misogynistic male english teachers! So when I was at Kim Caldwells last Artistic Affaire event and Kim had told me her next event was Jane Austen inspired. I thought to myself... Jane, why have I never read her? So I picked up Pride and Prejudice and read away. I also read up on her life and immediately saw the draw so many have to her. So thank you Kim for introducing me to this amazing author. I can't wait to read more. Even though I won't be able to attend this event, I am sending forth a fabric art piece for Kim to give away. I love how it came out and look forward to making some more Jane inspired pieces. The ladies at this event will be swinging by my friend Julies' shop and I hope to have a few Jane pieces done by then. So what shall I read next for inspiration?

-Denise 

My best friends Wedding

When Sandra and I first met at work, it was rumored that we would be the best of friends or worst of enemies. We are both alpha type females, and everyone thought our personalities would clash. Luckily for us we became the best of friends. We have laughed together, travelled together, cried together, and have always been a person with whom we would allow ourselves to be weak in front of. I really never thought that Sandra would EVER find a life mate! Not that she wasn't beautiful, smart and had a great personality, but she was just so dammed particular! Whenever she dated someone there always seemed to be a sort of "deal" breaker. His job, or nose size, or the way he stood, or he had an accent, or whatever! But then along came Bill. With Bill there were no deal breakers! He was handsome, intelligent, kind, funny, sharp dresser, and had agood job, ect, ect! That doesn't mean that either of them did not come into it with their imperfections, but that to me is what finding a partner is all about. Someone with imperfections you find tolerable! We are all puzzle pieces and it's just a matter of finding which piece fits with you. Bill and Sandra are perfectly matched puzzle pieces! I am so glad they found each other and I wish them many year of happiness!

Me and my Puzzle Piece at the reception

a glowing bride!

I made the cake!

-sweet dreams to you and Bill