March FabUlousness!

I’ve got quite a few things happening this month, starting off with Kim Caldwell’s Artistic Affaire Moulin Rouge event which starts this Thursday night!  There will be French Martinis, FabUlous classes and amazing swaps, oh la la!  I've been busy gathering up supplies and finalizing the two swaps I’ve joined.  So, here's your warning . . . if you're in either the Bijoux Box Swap or my FabUlous Vintage Pocket Pillow Swap and don't want to see, STOP reading now!

First up, I'm hosting the FabUlous Vintage Pocket Pillow Swap.  This is a
one-on-one swap and I decided it would be fun to tell everyone who their partner
is so they have an opportunity to meet someone prior to the event.  The premises
for this swap is to take a vintage suitcase pocket, sew it to a decorated pillow form and add some French-themed FabUlousness.

 
My partner likes natural fabrics in neutral colors with shades of blue.  Voila, my creation . . .  I think she’s really gonna like it!

Next is the Bijoux Box Swap.  This is also a one-on-one swap but our partners are kept a secret.  We only know who we are creating for but not who is creating for us.  We are to take a vintage jewelry box, decorate it and fill it with our partner’s favorite colors and crafting supplies.  Here’s the decorated box, but I’m going to keep the contents a surprise.

 
Right after, and I mean immediately after as in the next day at o’dark thirty, I’m off to New Orleans to celebrate a very important birthday.  My second mom will be wait’in for me to hit the land of Mardi Gras so we can do it up right in the Big Easy.  And let me just say there will be some FabUlous eats go’in on while I’m there!

From New Orleans, it’s off to ROUND TOP where I’ll be gett’in crazy in Texas with a whole bunch of girlfriends and I’ve got just the right accessories in this here suitcase; what do ya think?

I’ll be at Theresa’s Blog party on the 27th and I sure hope to see ya’ll there!

I’ll be shopp’in at Roung Top til I drop for 4 FabUlous days and they tell me I’ll be plum tuckered out by the time we head home.  I’m not sure they know who they’re talk’in to here, so we’ll just see who drops first!  YEE HAW!

So, ya’ll check back in a couple of weeks and I’ll show ya my loot!  In the meantime, hope you have  some FabUlousness of your own this March.

8”ish” Things about Moi

Miss Cindy Crain of Lilly's Lace, has selected me as one of her Stylish Blogger Award recipients!  How FabUlous!

We are to share 8 things about ourselves that you, in Blogland, may not know and then pass this on to others.  I agree with Charlene that there are just too many FabUlous bloggers to choose from, so I'll just share my 8 and extend the award to anyone would like to share about themselves as well.  Let's see . . .

1.  I LOVE the color orange.  Of course, it has to be just the right shade, like the rose in my banner.  When I saw it at a local vintage shop, it was mine in a heart beat.  And of course, all of the rust tones go so FabUlously with my hair!

2.  Fine, I am not a natural redhead!  Yes, I pay BIG bucks for my FabUlous color, but I do love it.  I have my mom's green eyes and my natural color is a medium brown with a hint of red when in the sun.  Of course, that wasn't enough, so I went full out.   I've had several variations from auburn to strawberry highlights to full on strawberry blonde which was short lived because of the roots so I could only find my passport photo.

2a. I have BIG hair; it's who I am!  A few of you have witnessed the process (Ok, ordeal) and can confirm that it does take a village to achieve this FabUlous big hair.  My hair is naturally stick straight and my mom didn't believe in straight hair so, she gave me my first perm when I was 18 mos old!  Yup, and I fell asleep in the high chair.  From then on, I had some kind of curled big hair.  I went from sleeping in bottle brush rollers, to plastic ones, to those awful pink sponge things to electric curlers and curling irons; I've used 'em all.  Doesn't matter the current style, my hair always has some curl, no matter what! 

2b.  I am nothing without my hairspray!  I was channel surfing quite a few years ago and stopped on QVC for a minute.  There was a hairstylist holding up a very long piece of his client's hair and he teased it and sprayed it and let go.  IT STOOD STRAIGHT UP!  OMG!  Who is this person, what product is he using????  Nick rocked my world!  This stuff is the bomb and I CANNOT be without it!  I have it on auto delivery; I get 2 cans every 45 days, thank you very much!  (I added a link to the picture just in case you might need some too.)

3.  I am addicted to SHOES.  I absolutely LOVE them!.  At last count (which was several years ago) I had over 400 pairs!  My most prized pair is from Christian Louboutin.  DH took me to Paris for our 20th anniversary and my primary goal was to get a pair of these amazing designer shoes.  We went to the original store and I have pictures in front of the store, inside the store, trying on EVERY pair in the store and outside the store with my FabUlous purchase.

  

4.  My rule for gift shopping:  One for them and 2 for me!

5.  If it's out there, I'll find it.  I have this knack for finding things.  I have friends who call me when they're in search of something and I almost always find it, whether it's in the stores or online. . . It's what I do.

6.  One of my mottos is "I gotta have my stuff."  Doesn't matter what it is, I gotta have my stuff!  I'm gonna be the bag lady with the shopping cart except that mine will be a train (long enough to hold all my stuff) and I'll be pushing it wearing my FabUlous shoes and BIG red hair.

7.  BLING!  I LOVE it, I'm OBSESSED with it, I gotta HAVE it!  Go BIG or go home, Baby!

8.  I am 36.  Yes that's right, 36 ALWAYS!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So there you have it.  8 "ish" things about me.  The hair is a BIG deal, so it required a few sub-categories.  LOL  As you can see, I like to have a good time and don't take myself too seriously.  Laughter is truly contagious and I hope I've made you laugh at least once while reading this post.  Please blog it forward and share a little something (or 8 “ish” things) about yourself so we can get better acquainted.

A FabUlous gift from my Sister!

Little did I know that when my gal pal, Charlene, took an altered bottle class and showed me the photos, that this would be my Christmas gift!  How lucky am I!  I even unknowingly said “oh, you had us in mind when you were making it.”  I could not believe it when I opened the package, but I instantly recognized this amazing project.  Thank you so much my sister, love ya’ll lots!

Happy New Year!

This year I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to travel, attend some absolutely FabUlous art events and meet some of the most amazingly talented and kind-hearted women imaginable.  Thank you so much for all your kindness and willingness to share.  Blogland is truly a magical place.

May 2011 bring you the joys of family and friends, creative endeavors and laughter.

Hope You’re Having a FabUlous Holiday!

Swap catch up

Yikes, I’ve done quite a few swaps in the last couple of months and am WAY behind in posting about them so here goes . . .

September . . . I participated in Sara’s Charmed Heart Swap.  I had posted here about the heart I made for my secret partner and then I found out she was my secret partner!  I can’t tell you how excited I was to find out that we had been paired.  Robin’s heart is one of my most cherished swap pieces.

October . . . Miss Jodie suggested that I come up with a fall-themed swap so I created a fat book called Fall’in for Vintage Gloves.  We had 8 participants and each were required to use a vintage glove on their page.  I love how the books came together and how each girl’s page was so unique.  Yes, that’s me at age 7.  I asked each participant to send me a childhood photo so I could personalize each book.

Inside cover & my page  --  Back of mine /Charlene Gray

  Charlene Gray /Sandy Moritti  --  Back – Sandy Moritti/Pam Kern

Pam Kern / Jodie LeJeune  --  Jodie LeJeune / Sarah Huckman

  Sarah Huckman/ Joy Campbell  --  Joy Campbell / Karen DeCapite

  Karen DeCapite / Inside back cover

November . . . I had come up with an idea for a Silver Bella swap but was not able to attend this year.  I shared my idea with another Bella and she co-hosted it and represented me at this year’s event where the Vintage Bling Charm Swap was born.  The bracelets were absolutely FabUlous and have now become popular at other upcoming events.

I’m on break for the holidays, but I’m hosting a FabUlous Vintage Pocket Pillow swap for Moulin Rouge next March and it’s gonna be here before you know it.

It’s the most FabUlous time of the year!

I just love it when the local radio stations start playing Christmas music all day.  It’s puts you in such a festive mood.  In between eating, shopping, cleaning and decorating this weekend I’ve been playing with the new blogger templates with a little help from Susie Jefferson of 1st Floor Flat Blog0logy.  She has the most FabUlous free blog backgrounds, button & blinkies and amazingly thorough  DIY tutorials to help you get it done.  She also has an etsy site where you can commission custom designs.  So, how do you like my new holiday look?  I’m hoping to have a new blog logo and design by the first of the year, but I couldn’t resist Susie’s holiday freebies.

Hope you’re enjoying the season!

Giving thanks . . .

For FabUlous family and friends.  Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Welcome to Texas, Darl’in!

I spent an amazing week in Texas at the home of my dear friend, Charlene. 
Remember in my last post, she asked me to stay for a week?  Let me just say that
Miss Charlene is a fine representative of some MAJOR Texas hospitality.  She
spoiled me rotten and I almost canceled my ticket home.

“Sweet Cheeks” was waiting to welcome me upon my arrival to her beautiful home - WOA, baby! 
Each morning there was a knock on my door and then a sweet southern drawl said
"Morn'in Sunshine."  Charlene even had a laptop on my side table just for little 'ol
me.  We went everywhere and saw & ATE everything.  I think she put about
700 miles on her car runn'in me all over Dallas, Ft. Worth and McKinney just to  name a few of our destinations.   *Note:  There will be NO calories counted for this trip!  Charlene's hubby even made us dinner one night.  He looks and feels great after having open-heart surgery only 3 mos ago.  I'm going to break down our adventures day-by-day so I don't miss anything.

Thursday - Charlene & Hubby scooped me up from Love Field and took me to a restaurant called Celebration, a quaint family-style place where I had Cajun shrimp over gouda grits; I know!  And I'm not a big fan of grits, but they were FabUlous!

Friday - we headed to A Gilded Life's church for class and then Charlene
insisted on treating me to a night at the Adolphus  Hotel.  It's a beautiful hotel in downtown Dallas established in 1912 by the Busch beer family.  It turns out that the registration clerk may be a long lost relative of Hubby's.  You see Miss Charlene is a true Southern charmer & chatted it up with the guy who shares her last name only spelled differently.  He upgraded us to a suite on the 21st floor - Saweeeeet!

Saturday - After an all day class, we headed back to the house to pick up Hubby
& then it was off to Cleburne for an amazing Italian dinner at the Purple Turnip.

Sunday - After the last day of our classes we headed home to a delicious grilled chicken dinner cooked by Hubby.

Monday – With classes over, we headed out to Hobby Lobby & Michael’s for some “supplies” and then my hosts & very well informed tour guides treated me to the famous Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ in the historic stockyards in Ft Worth – simply amazing brisket- YUM!  Then we walked around downtown old town Ft. Worth.

Tuesday – Shopping day, well they were all shopping days, but we went to Sam Moon & Sam Mi.  They have everything known to man; it’s kind of like an upscale version of downtown LA shopping in one huge store.  Dinner was Mexican food at Fresco’s where they make fresh guacamole tableside!

Wednesday - We headed out to McKinney to meet the FabUoulsy talented Lisa McIlvaine.  We shopped at some of the antique stores and had lunch at Patina Green.  Lisa had posted about their "Le Toilette" and I think we could just all live in there - FabUlous!

 

On our way home, we swung by Cindy Craine's home and she shared her amazing studio with us – look at all the goodies; so much fun!

  

Thursday -  We headed to Dallas for the afternoon and had lunch at Dodie’s Cajun restaurant where I felt like I was in New Orleans.  I had their version of a muffaletta, called a "frenchaletta" and the most amazing bread pudding with bourbon sauce I've ever had!  Then is was time to head to the airport and I so didn't want to say so long to my sweet friend.

It took me quite some time to come down from my Texas adventures high.
The good news is, Charlene's headed out to CA in March for Moulin Rouge where we'll pick up where we left off and then a week later, I'll be meeting up with her at
Round Top!  YEE HA!

A Gilded Gathering

It all started with a phone call at work from my Texas gal pal, Charlene.  “Did ya see?  Can ya come AND stay for a week??”  Are you kidding?  I was so IN!  This post will be about the Gilded Gathering event and the next will be about our adventures in Texas.  WAY too much to tell all in one post & some of it is gonna stay in Texas!

A Gilded Gathering was another FabUlous event in Dallas.  Three amazing days of creativity and communion held in the amazing former church/home of Shea Fragoso & Debbie Murray of A Gilded Life.  They really know how to put on an event.  We were spoiled from the minute we walked in the doors of this truly inspiring venue from gorgeous name tags to beautiful table settings and FabUlous friends. 

  

Charlene and I met at the Gilded Life event last February and were instant friends.  LOVE this pic of us.  I had on 5 inch wedge platforms and with my BIG hair was just about eyeball-to-eyeball with this beautiful tall drink of Texas water.  Not sure what it is about Texas, but every time I go, I have some quite FabUlous Texas-size hair days!

Our first day was spent making one of their signature crowns -  beyond FabUlous!

This is the adorable Cindy Craine; check out her blog Lilly’s Lace.  Charlene had just recently met Cindy and let me  tell you, she’s a doll!  I’ll be talking more about her amazing studio in my next post.  And this is the yummy food display they had waiting for us each day.

On Saturday, we made their twist on the crown, the Crown-delier.  On the left is the class sample; on the right, a close up of my creation.  It still needs some finishing touches but you can see where I’m headed with the feathers.  Love it!

 

Sunday was spent learning a new layered glass, soldered box technique that we turned into a pendant and then finished with a beautiful, delicately embellished necklace. The top layer of glass is beveled so it’s a bit hard to see.   The scarf in the background was our gift as part of the kit!

A FabUlous time was had by all and I came home with 2 out of 3 projects completely finished!  Can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year.

Harvest Giveaway - Autumn Nests

Have you seen Vicki from 2 bags full autumn nests?  They are so me and she’s giving one of these amazing nests away!  You’ve got to head over to her blog to see all of her amazing work.  I know I’m throwing my name in the “nest” for this FabUlous giveaway!

Double Rainbows

This was the view on my drive home tonight!  I’ve never seen a double rainbow.  It stretched across the entire freeway.  We had a hot muggy day (not the norm for So Cal).  It was about 6:30 and I was headed east on the 91 at the 71.  It looked so weird; I took my sunglasses off and it was really bright, almost glowing, but the sky was covered in clouds and then it rained for a few minutes.

Disclaimer:  For those of you who don’t know the 91, it is ALWAYS bumper-to-bumper, so taking these pics while at a dead stop was not a problem!  LOL