Thursday, June 30, 2011

Monthly Photo

Thought it would be a fun idea to post a favorite photo each month so this is my first entry for June as it comes to a close.  I took this photo in Jennifer Blue's store in Santa Margarita.  Love the simplicity of the vintage shoes and little bird.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Altered Jewelry Box

Friend Sue found a little jewelry box at a thrift store for a buck and gave it to me.  Ummm . . .  first I papered the outside lid, added some embellishments but was not satisfied with the results.   Instead of displaying jewelry maybe a button box would be a better idea!  Cream and black toile paper and a music napkin was applied to the lid with Mod Podge. The fun part was selecting all the vintage buttons, flowers, beads, etc. and gluing them in a circle onto the lid with tacky glue.  Buttons and a few rings were placed inside the box.  Everyone has a button jar so select a  box or other surface and start gluing on your favorite paper, buttons and trinkets.  Enjoy the photos.



Friday, June 10, 2011

Meeting Jenny Doh

While in Costa Mesa my friends and I visited Piece Makers, a country store filled with vintage items, fabric, wall art, candy confections and much more.  This store offers classes in many categories of art year round.  To our surprise author Jenny Doh was there to sign her new book Signature Styles. She is an amazing and talented gal and we loved her outfit!  Check out crescendoh.com.


Here is a pic inside Piece Makers.


And of course, an album of our journey to CREATE had to be created.



Saturday, June 4, 2011

CREATE

Friends Mary Jo and Sue made reservations to exhibit their crafts at the Artists Faire, part of the CREATE mixed media retreat in Costa Mesa May 18-22.  I was invited to tag along and display some altered books.  We arrived at the Hilton and peeked in on the numerous art classes being taught then set up our items in the vendors area.  At six pm the doors opened for buyers and they came in abundance.  There was so much acivity, laughter and harmony in the room, it was amazing.  Below is Mary Jo's beautiful silk items.


... and Sue's creations!



 

Of all the art displayed this was my personal favorite, the "Sea Woman" made from gourds.


Mary Jo sold a lot of silk, Sue's tags sold like hot cakes and my books were admired by all.  It was a great time.



 



Thursday, June 2, 2011

"White Gowns," an altered book

Wow, I actually have a blog site thanks to my bff Sue who encouraged me and came up with this page design.  The opportunity to share my craft with others and network with all the artists out there is going to be amazing!
I love to make altered books and my latest one, shown below, is "White Gowns," a collection of photos I took at an exhibit last April at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art.  Four ladies from the central coast created elegant gowns made from vintage fabric and new pieces, a lovely collaborative effort producing beautiful gowns.


Yesterday, Sue and I drove to Santa Margarita to meet one of the designers, Jennifer Blue who owns Something Blue.  She designs wedding gowns of extraordinary beauty.  I shared my book and she shared photos of gowns she made and stories of the brides who wore them. Check out Jennifer's web site www.somethingblueandtrue.com.