Great Saturday!!

okay...today was great yall! I vended at Will Rogers Cattle Barn I. The Funky Finds Spring Fling was next door at the Small Exhibits Bldg. It was so colorful, creative, inspiring, and interesting to look at all of the artist's creations. There was the pet adoption also. I almost adopted another little bobtail kitten just like Lily. Couldn't quite make up my mind so I called in friends for their advice. They all loved the kitten. I still haven't ruled him out. I was surely in a quandry.

Well both events were swarming with people (the flea market and the Spring Fling.) There was also a gun show and antique show. It was great seeing people I hadn't seen since I had the store. Many anxious to start workshops again. ME SO HAPPY!!!

Will report back on the kitten...have a great rest of the weekend. xoxo

Check out he post below to see the pictures of the last workshop.

GREAT Creative Saturday

May 2014

Saturday was a blast! This was the day to introduce my studio and workshop to ladies that had done workshops with me at my store. It began about 10am with Fruit Smoothies, Bloody Mary's, Brown Sugar Cinnamon bagels, chocolate cupcakes with Bavarian creme icing, and pretty little Rum Rosettes. Delish! We got reacquainted and shared our latest creative ideas and interests and then went into the workshop to get started. We captured the essence of the expression "Women are like buttons, they hold things together." I put up an inspriration board with laces, trims, buttons, images and more to get us started. Then we pulled out the stamps, paints and glues. The images were from an old book I have from the 1880's called Godey's Lady's Book, stereotyped by The Enquirer P & P Co., Lancaster, PA. It depicts fashion, handcrafts, novelties, stories, lessons, and information in general that would interest the ladies of the 1880's. The scissors and paper were flying! Such divine little confections they created.
After the "Women Like Buttons" workshop was finished, we took a break to enjoy some homemade turkey chili with cheese cubes, a whole wheat pasta salad, and organic blue corn chips. Yumm! Of course another little sumpin to drink and another trip to the dessert table.

So need I say that it was a very busy, stimulating, and glorious day.
I will be posting the dates for future workshops in the next week. They include Basic Soldering, Reliquaries, Felting, Encaustic Wax, and Cigar Box Collage. If you are local to the Dallas/Ft.Worth metroplex I hope you will come join the fun.
P.S. Mary drove all the way from Plano, Tx for the day. She has several shops on Etsy, one of them being Mary's Madness. She sells gobs of everything from frozen charlotte dolls to old watch parts. She will be at the Funky Finds Spring Fling coming to Ft. Worth March 12. You can't miss that. It is at the Will Rogers Center in the Poultry Building. For more info just go to Funky Finds website or click on the little dog widget on my blog to get you there. If you are an artist or elite crafter, you shouldn't miss it. See you there.
If you have enjoyed this post, please drop me a comment. I love your comments!

Day Trip to Canton First Monday

Pretty day! Went to Canton First Monday Trade Days today. Found some pretty cool stuff, including 3 vintage 30's ladies cotton and crochet gowns, old black jet glass buttons, old wedding photos from the 1920's, 1915 water color of ash trees and pink sunset, and some really sweet little Easter cards from the 40's. All in all it was a pretty good shopping trip. Would have loved to found more garden stuff, but the market is tough right now for garden stuff (Spring coming on).

In just 3 weeks I will be selling at Round Top/Warrenton. Got some really great things to take and sell. Should be good. The Spring show is always good!

Take care and enjoy the day. xoxo

Busy Busy Busy

Good day to you. I am very busy this week getting ready for a double workshop on March 5. I am introducing my studio and workshop to probably 10-12 ladies that have taken my workshops before when I had my store. There will be food, beverage, fun, little gifts, and creativity. I cannot reveal what the workshops are because they are a surprise. My friend Angela, who also does workshops, is co-hosting with me. In my studio I am tweaking this and that and re-arranging the workshop a little. I cannot wait. I love my workshop and studio and can't wait to show it off. I posted alot of pictures in the Where Bloggers Create blog event last year. If you type in "Where Bloggers Create" in my search bar, you can go to that post to view the pictures.

Now it is time to present in person, so I am off to start my day.

TEXAS SNOW !

The snow was a great experience for me. I sprinkled extra bird seed out for my birds and they showed up in great numbers. I love it! I also went out and took some pictures of the Serenity Garden. Hope you enjoy.


March 5, I am having a free workshop for all of the ladies that have taken at least two of my workshops. It is going to be a surprise workshop, but I am sure they will enjoy. I will have bellinis and food for brunch. It is also an introduction to my new workshop and studio. I posted alot of pictures of both for the Where Bloggers Create event last year. Can't wait to post what we create and pictures of workshops to follow.


Talk to you soon. I love comments and I love my followers. Thank you. xoxoxo

LIVING LIFE WELL

This is a new year and most of us use this "new" period to set some goals for the new year. It is encouraging to start anew with some new goals. Today I went to a Woman's Wellness at the Baylor Hosp. here in Ft.Worth. I went with my friend Patty. Not only was it some great "girl time", but it was very educational healthwise. I want to encourage you to think about your health and it might be helpful to find a friend for encouragement. I need to lose 35 lbs. and Patty needs to quit smoking. So there you have it. This Woman's Forum was free at Baylor Health. I urge you all to make one of the free events in your area. They make you feel empowered to do something about the new you in the new year. I am so glad I made myself get up on a Saturday at 5:30 a.m. to attend this event at 7:00 a.m. It was so worth it! So that is what I did today.

Cheers to the New Year!

Happy New Year to you all. It is almost 2 weeks into the new year and I am pondering what I will make of it. Another year to work on being the best I can be. I need to focus on health especially. I am keeping a food journal (started today). I have been at this health thing so long I really don't need a journal to keep up with what I eat. I pretty much eat healthy all of the time. My weakness is a "venti cinnamon dolce latte iced with whip cream) every Sat. and Sun. OOOh so bad but soo good. Gonna work on that.

Second I am focusing on my workshops. Haven't had a workshop since late last year. I have a great workshop area and a great studio. I have got to get some workshops on the table. Soldering will probably be the first and then nuno felting. Both workshops were a great success. This spring I am incorporating a garden luncheon into the workshop day. I have been occupying my time this past year with putting in a serenity garden and beautiful, relaxing backyard with deck. That is how I have spent my time so I wouldn't think so much about the loss of three loved ones last year, including my son. I am going to give you a peek into the garden so you can see what I consider serenity.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I know I did. I had a party for my friends and then a party for my family. We had a great time at both parties. Besides the big tree I dressed in the living room, I put a small tree up in my studio with a lot of my antique Christmas ornaments, houses, brush trees and Santas. Take a look.

Here comes a New Year! Be blessed, be wise, be prosperous and kind; live big, laugh loud, love hard, and nurture the ties that bind.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Ummm! Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I am sitting here tonight smelling the two pies I have in the oven. They should come out in about 10 minutes. I don't know how anyone cannot feel blessed in some way this Thanksgiving. Are you having a nice meal? How about friends and family, shelter, so many kinds of freedom, and upmost a God who loves unconditionally.

I hope you will take the time to count your blessings. Have a great Thanksgiving.

Ferns, Camelias, Japanese Maples, OH MY!

Isn't Fall wonderful? Perfect days, turning leaves, expectations of the holidays, and of course parties and great food. These days I am thinking about something else wonderful to me. My backyard. It was nothing but a pecan tree, dead tree stump, and weeds, but is getting a major overhaul. I have added (with the help of a friend/landscaper/gardner), lots of ferns, decor grasses, camelias, beauiful evergreens, columbine, and lots of other perrenials. Today I am going for more including a Japanese Maple and a Dogwood. The landscaper and I have designed flagstone walkways, mossy rock steps, and little venues for birdbaths and statuary. I have planted bushes, trees, and flowering plants to invite butterflies and birds. It is a wonderful sanctuary that rivals any small English garden. I think we all need a special little place that delights, inspires, and relaxes us. It is even better when it can include part of God's outdoor creation and little creatures He has given us to enjoy. It can just be a small area, but a place where we can sit and read, meditate, or have coffee with a friend. I can't wait to invite you in by way of pictures. Of course if you are a local friend reading this, you are always welcome to come by.

I hope you all enjoy your day and fall festivities. Let me hear from you and watch for pictures if you like. Blessings.

Buchanan Antiques Show at Market Hall - Dallas

I will be selling at this show in Dallas this weekend, Nov. 13 and 14, from 9-5 on Sat. and 11-5 on Sunday. Market Hall is located in Dallas, off Stemmons Frwy., Motor St. exit.

This show is normally for antiques, decorator items, and collectibles in general, but this weekend it is labeled "Garage Sale". This is when dealers and others clean out, weed out, sort out, and sell out items at garage sale prices. The items are not necessarily garage sale items though. It is a very interesting weekend and I always find lots of stuff to buy. I will be there selling my weeded out items plus lots of interesting stuff. I hope I will see you there. Leave me a comment if you have any questions.

Be sure and check out the post below this one for the Funky Finds Experience and some of its artists.

Funky Finds Experience

THE FUNKY FINDS "EXPERIENCE" WAS A BLAST! I could not wait to get to the Amon Carter, Jr. Center in Ft. Worth, Texas (my most fab city to live in), to see if my favorite artists were going to show again. Yes, they were there! The Experience venue was laid out beautifully. Each artist had a very special display space. All could be seen very well. The music was fun and funky. I loved it! Made shopping even more fun. The benefits were going strong. The mood was funky and fun. Joe and Jessica Dougherty really know how to throw an extravaganza. Thanks Joe and Jessica for a fun shopping Experience.

I am featuring just a very few of the artists displaying there. Some are repeat artist friends and some are new to me. There were so many artists and this is just a very small portion. I hope you enjoy these and visit their websites and blogs for better detail of their works.



Marla Cook is the artist of Uncommon Vessels, celebrating the synchronicity of life through art. She creates through gourds and other objects found in nature. I took two pictures of her art so that you could get a real closeup. Visit her at uncommon-vessels.com.

Sandra Feasel is the artist/designer at 7th St. Studio. Her creations are devine. I am sorry my camera did not portray her works at their best. Visit her at 7thststudio.blogspot.com.

Sarah Zamora is a mixed media artist. Her works are very original and expressive. (Sorry for the camera reflections). She was painting as I was talking to her. This is only a small sample of her technique. I hope you will go to her site at: originalyouth.com and get inspired by her individuality.

Sher Chappell "ESSA" is the artisit I want to introduce to you here. I am so glad she decided to show at the Extravaganza. She is an amazing person and artist, creating fascinating and inspirational icons. I have included three pictures so you could get a good look. The pictures don't do her icons justice, but they are made of many medias including old metals, paper images, rosaries and vintage prayer cards. I bought my first piece, from her about 3 years ago at the Warrenton, Texas Antique Show. I have it displayed proudly in my studio. I also have several small pieces she made. How surprised I was to see her in Ft. Worth. Please read more about her and her unique studio at: http://www.iconessa.com/.

Here is a picture of me and Mary of Mary's Madness. She is so talented she has to have 3 etsy shops and 5 blogs to show it all. Check out her "What's in Your Drawers" (asking artists to show what interesting items they have in their supply drawers.) I have bought many items from her including watch and clock parts, vintage images, and German frozen charlotte dolls. She is alot of fun and really is wacky mad about art.

Luna Azul Studio is home to the artist Karen Rester. She works with acrylics, collage, mixed media and weaving. She was showing some of her handwoven Gypsy Scarves. She uses many colorful yarns to weave and create her scarves. She has really, really, long scarves that will just wrap and wrap. Very unique style. Visit her at lunaazulstudio.com

Katy Toohil

Katie Toohil of Two Hills Designs is a fiber artist demonstrating her spinning and also displaying her hand dyed clothing and handspun yarn. She also dyes and decorates dreadlocks. Her dreadlocks can't be seen, but they were outstanding. Katie@twohillsdesigns.com.

Natalia Veronica is the artist/owner of NV ArteWear. Her very unique style of painting translates wonderfully to wearable art. You should visit her website for a wonderful browse of her pieces. My pictures don't do it justice. natalia@nvartewear.com.

Joyce Hazlerig is the artist of Gypsyharte, Fantasy Fiber Creations. Featured here is her nuno felting. She is not just a nuno felter, she felts wonderful cuffs, necklaces, little woodland animals and many things of a whimsy and fantasy nature. I was very glad to see her return to the Funky Finds event for the fall. Visit her blog. gypsyharte.blogspot.com.

If you click on my "Workshop" , you can see examples of the nuno felting workshop that I held earlier this year. It was very fun and I plan to have more soon.

Joe Art is the master of metal creations. I was very glad to see him again at the Experience! I have four of his pieces in my studio and he is going to create several large pieces for my personal serenity garden. I can't wait. I would say above all, that Joe is my favorite artists to shop with. I love his tri-colored hair and his free spirit is very catching. Please check out his work at: joeartgallery.com