GLITTERFEST IS HERE!

Please join me this Saturday in Santa Ana California for Glitterfest! This event features a collection of creative folks who express their talent through mixed media art. It includes handmade jewelry, sculpture, primitive dolls, halloween & christmas items and much, much more! And for the first time I will not be shopping, but selling! Although I hardly doubt I wont buy anything! Here is a few last minute items I created. I saw these great blackboard sliver trays in a magazine a few years back and decided to make my own, but adding a little rhinestone bling of course! And above is a mixed media canvas I made. Hope to see you there, stop by and say hi to me and my Mom who is my fearless assistant, she helps me sell and keeps me from freaking out!

-Denise

Shops I Love- Mystic Paper

{what greets you upon entering Mystic Paper in AZ}

One of the things I love about traveling is visiting new shops. Even if it's the "same" stuff I can find out here, there is something fascinating about being in a new environment. When I visited Arizona recently I got the chance to visit some really great stores, but the one I love the most was Mystic Paper, definitely not the "same" stuff! The shop itself had all of these vintage photos as wallpaper, it was decorated so lovely. Not only did they have a great selection of papers and ephemera (including the full line of Graphic 45 papers!), but they had great vignettes set up all around the shop, I found them to be very inspiring. In addition, for Maijas birthday they set up a make and take for us. A sweet little pipe cleaner trick or treater made with wool roving, so creative! But why tell you about this amazing shop, lets take a look (click on any picture to enlarge)!

{I loved the wood floors and the aprons strung up across the ceiling, lots of nooks and crannies to explore}

{a vignette filled with Halloween inspiration- this is the shop where I found my little plastic skeletons that I made into ornaments}

{here you can see all the vintage photos that covered the walls-top back left}

{here we are crowding around the make and take, they were also having a class going on downstairs}

{it was so fun to see everyones creations, the same supplies-but they all came out totally unique!}

{Sherry Bamseys sweet little chica}

{Kelly Snellings little Halloween princess!}

{my little treater on the top, and Earleens on the bottom it looks like Earleens girl is going to kick my girls ass!! LOL!}

I named my little one Carol Ann, as her arms remind me of Poltergeist! Carol Ann go to the light! And just in case you have no idea what I am talking about remember this?:

Glitterfest Preview 3

Ghoulish Girlies! Fashion never goes out of style with these ladies! These oversized ornaments could hang on a door handle or on any wall. They are just to die for!

Stay tuned I might be offering these girlies as a class at the The Vintage!
-Denise

Glitterfest sneek peek 2

I am selling the kits to make these adorable little clothes pin Trick or Treaters, they stand on vintage wood dominos! And my piece de resistance- my soldered glass houses. I was going to embellish the insides but then I noticed how versatile they are if you just leave the bottom open. You can put them a top anything and change it as you like. I think the trick or treaters look awfully cute in them! However, they take a looooong time to make so my girlfriend Kathleen is coming over to have "solderfest" and we are going to bang them out!

-Denise

Glitterfest sneak peek 1

Okay so here are a few quick peeks at what I am creating for Glitterfest!
I am thinking of doing one of the banners for a class at The Vintage Emporium, stay tuned...

more sneak peeks to come!

-Denise

SuRpRiSE!!

Okay so I know I am just a wee bit late finally posting about Maijas 50th Birthday Surprise party, but better late then never. Looking over the pictures always makes you re-live the moment and I have at least two more posts about this fun weekend still left in me! So the party idea came up 4 or 5 months ago, some of Maijas friends (I am not sure exactly who, but you know who you are!) were in Arizona and were talking to Maijas husband Al. Al said he wanted to plan a surprise birthday for Maijas 50th, well that was all that was had to be said because the ladies just took it over from there. Since Earleen and Annette were hosting two of the festivities they invited me. I know I am not as close as many of the friends who attended, but when you meet Maija, you feel like you have known her forever! She is just that type of person. Here are some pics from the big surprise. Then coming up will be the classes and make and takes.

{surprise!}

{sweet hubby Al}

{ladies in waiting}

{this lovely apron was a gift from Joy Campbell and Joy made the adorable birthday crown!}

GIFTS>>>>

{One of Holly Stinnett's signature Art Dolls a la Maija}

{this gorgeous ornament was made by......? I dont remember! Please comment if you know who made this sweet little mason jar cap}

{this was my gift, a chunky gold and vintage button necklace}

{And the most touching gift of all Joy arranged to have a group of Maijas frieds make a panel for this wall hanging. Please visit Maijas blog here to see pics of the individual panels, they are great!}

Thats all for now, time to go to work!

-Denise

Girlfriends

I think the best part of being in a community of artists, is meeting amazing friends with similar passions. Any time I have gone to an event I always make a concerted effort to meet someone new. Sometimes they become aquaintances that wave hello and catch up with when we see each other, but others have become more. You never know what it is about someone that draws you to them. Two of those "acquaintances" have become true friends; Annette Schwab and Earleen Coburn. They were so nice to host me over the weekend for our friend Maijas surprise birthday. I have a ton of pics from the party but wanted to dedicate this post to these beautiful girls I have the honor of calling true friends.

First is Earleen, she picked me up to the airport and we proceeded to directly crash  a scrapbooking convention and shop at their vendor area! It wasn't really like crashing though as everyone knew Earleeen! Then we rushed back to Earleens beautiful home and started setting up for Maijas birthday party and class.

{Earleens hubby Kevin used to cater so she had quite the set up}

{sangrias, and an amazing chocolate cake made by Annette, and adorable bundtini cakes! I ate like 10!}

{view from the top of Earleen dramatic staircase}

One of the things I loved about Earleens home is she has all of her scrapbook and altered art projects out on display. I wish I had taken more pictures, I will when I go back in December for another fun class and to stay with her. We spent the night at Earleens and got up early then next morning to rush over to Annettes to prepare for brunch and shopping!

{the lovely Annette and her delicious chocolate cake}

{Annette also has a beautiful home in Arizona, I loved the way it was decorated}

Annette also has two adorable dogs, they were so sweet and I felt so at home in her house. She also has a guest house outside that had become her studio. Okay a full guest house! Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and huge living room over looking her amazing pool. Why didn't I get pictures! Oh yeah, I don't think she would have let me, just like me, she considered her room a mess! It was a beautiful mess though!(and really not messy at all) I also got to stay in the princess of a bedroom. Luckily for me Annettes daughter Denim is away at college and I got to stay in the sweet suite! The bathroom reminded me of my

blue room! I was right at home!

 

So how did we end up befriending each other? I think some of the things that we all have in common is this sort of a relaxed easy going lifestyle, the love of our husbands and families, and our warped sense of humor. I thank them dearly for hosting me and can't wait to visit again. Thanks girls!-Denise