Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Pumpkin is totally wiped out after yesterday’s festivities.  We hope everyone had a FabUlous Christmas with family and friends.

Vintage Marketplace and Matilda’s Mouse Weekend!

It only happens once or twice a year where you can hit both of these FabUlous places in one weekend and last weekend was it!  The winds cooperated and while it was a bit cold for us spoiled California girls, my friend Cynthia and I were on a vintage holiday mission.

 
The Vintage Marketplace had this FabUlous photo op vignette set up as you walked through the garden arches to welcome you to vintage holiday wonderland.  There were aluminum trees, feather trees, pink trees and even lampshade trees.  And, of course, a ton of bling everywhere!

This is Sweet Magnolia’s Farm’s Booth

Close ups inside the doorway . . .

And this wreath is made of a ton of their FabUlous handmade, German glass glitter-edged roses – to die for!

 
Since it was quite cold, I decided to wear “Muffy” and while I was strolling the Marketplace, Muffy found her man!  Take a look at this masterpiece created by Denise Chafin of White Horse Relics.  He’s part Viking, part knight and totally FabUlous!  Denise and her partner,  Ashley Adams, are regular vendors and create a one-0f-kind mannequin for each Marketplace.  And they are all over the top FabUlous.  I think I have a matching jacket at home!  LOL

Next stop, Matilda’s Mouse Antiques.  They are a bit farther south and a tad inland from the Vintage Marketplace but totally worth the trip.  Matilda is a Wire Hair Fox Terrier and is the mascot for the shop.  Is she just not the cutest thing ever!  Her mom got a much better picture than I did, so I borrowed this one from their blog.

 
Matilda is wearing the color theme of this year’s winter event.  As you enter, everything was icy white, silver and a gorgeous turquoise.

There was even snow on the floor!
   
The flowers on this tree are made from vintage pattern tissue.

I know quite a few ladies who would die for this FabUlous carriage – OMG!

 
Thanks for coming along on this FabUlous vintage winter wonderland of a weekend.  If you get a chance to visit either of these venues, you will not be disappointed.

Happy Vintage Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 
Wishing everyone a wonderful day of thanks for good health, family and FabUlous friends.

Pumpkin

Not sure why but I have a keen sense of hearing when it comes to kittens crying.  This week while finishing up my morning hair ritual, I thought I heard a kitten crying.  I looked on the bed and Boo Boo & Rory were sprawled out as usual, enjoying there preci0us morning time on my soft, fluffy bed.  I muted the TV to make sure I wasn’t hearing things and there it was again.  I went out in the backyard to see if I could hear the direction it was coming from and when I opened the side gate, there he was and he came right to me when I called him Pumpkin.

He’s very tiny and looks to be about 6 weeks old.  Guess we have a new addition to the family.  I introduced him and had a quick “don’t have him for a snack” conversation with Boo Boo &  Rory before I hit the road to the office.

Funny thing is when I got home my feral kitty, Morris, was waiting at the door.  I haven’t seen him in quite a few months.  He showed up on my doorstep about a year ago and it was clear that he’d lived a long and very hard life.  He was pretty beat up and dirty and I did my best to fix him up.  My neighbor took him in for a while but we agreed that after I had fixed him up he had a few homes that he visited.  He would be gone for a few months and we would hope for the best and then he’d show up again, have a snack and be on his way.  This time, he looked so good and clean and had gained quite a bit of weight.  I know he has found a good home and it was almost like he came by to let me know he’s doing good and to pass the gift of my love and attention on to Pumpkin.  They say that animals never forget a human’s kindness and I do believe this is the case. 

When I opened the door, they were all waiting for me so I guess they listened as Pumpkin was still in one piece as was the house.   Hope you can take a  minute this busy season to share your love with an animal that may be in need.  The rewards are priceless.

And we’re off!

Yikes!  Summer has come and gone as well as some FabUlous friends and a whole lotta crafting has been go’in on in here. You all know Miss Charlene was here and just a few weeks after she left, my crafty and VERY camera shy friend, Robin, spent the weekend when we worked on 4 different projects. Sorry, no pics cuz some of them are gifties!  hehe  Of course, there's been some MAJOR jewelry making, vintage hoarding shopping at the Vintage Marketplace, Urban Barn and Matilda's Mouse just to name a few FabUlous spots.

And then it happened  . . Every crafter in a 100+ mile radius of Rancho Cucamonga, CA has died and gone to Crafter Heaven!  Hobby Lobby has come to Southern California and I'm only about 15 mins from their doorstep - OMG FINALLY!! 

And now it's officially the Holiday Season - already???  Well, it must be because I shopped the pre-Black Friday sale at Michael's on Nov 1st and they were playing Christmas music on the PA - OMG??  And now the rest of the retail world has jumped on the pre-Black Friday bandwagon.  So good luck out there in the Holiday trenches, stay strong and remember your local and on-line handmade artists.  They inspire us all by following their dream, doing what they love and sharing their talent.  There are a quite a few upcoming shopping opportunities, so click on the links above, mark your calendars and I'll see ya out there!

Happy Holidays!

Miss Charlene was here!

In my previous post, I mentioned that my Texas gal pal Charlene was com'in for a visit.  Well, she got here in record time (her plane was even early) and we made it to all the points of interest on our list.  As soon as she landed we were headed to our first destination, Vintage Emporium, in Long Beach.  I've read about it but never been so it was a first for both of us and we also met up with another friend, Cynthia.  It's so cute and shop owner is so sweet.  It's a must see if you're in the neighborhood.

Next was dinner at the Belmont Brewing Company where Robin (hiding in the back) and Lia met us.

The next day we headed out early to the Urban Barn where we shopped til we dropped and had lunch with Deb Hodge (Breathing Beside Us).

 
Then it was off to Laguna Beach for some window shopping, a quick bite to eat and Pageant of the Masters.  This year's theme was “Only Make Believe” and they did not disappoint.  It's truly a unique experience and I highly recommend it if you get a chance.Thursday was our road trip to San Luis Obispo for some shopping and a 2-day PMC class with Diana Frey.  We blew right past our bed & breakfast, House of Another Tyme, and bee lined it to Lina G's in Morrow Bay with just enough time to pour through all of her vintage trims and millinery.  I must admit, I was totally unprepared and a little over whelmed by all the amazing vintage FabUlousness she has to offer.  Can you even find me in this picture?  I did manage to make a few decisions, but next trip I will definitely have a plan!

 
On Friday we had lunch with Diana and another friend, Susan.  It was so nice to spend time some quality time with them.  Then we were off for some vintage shopping in the Arroyo Grande area followed by dinner at Olde Port Inn in Avila Beach where we had the most amazing bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed shrimp – OMG!

Saturday and Sunday was our much anticipated PMC class.  This was a technique class in Diana's home studio and she never disappoints.  Her classes are small and intimate with lots of personal attention.  Her studio is absolutely FabUlous and filled with so much inspiration and BLING!   She even has a chandelier in there!  Yup, she's my kinda girl!

 
PMC stands for precious metal clay and we were working with sterling silver.  These are some of Diana’s samples for us to be inspired by – WOW!

 
It's really a unique process starting with soft clay which dries over night, to a dry, fragile "green" state and then after a firing in the kiln, sterling silver.  When it comes out of the kiln, it has a white film on it sort of like white ash that needs to be cleaned off and then put in a tumbler.  Next, a little patina and polish and finally a FabUlous one-of-a-kind piece.  We learned so many different techniques from using rubber stamps to emboss the clay, to using molds and setting stones to layering separate pieces.  Of course, I had to do all of them in one FabUlous piece which will be a focal point in a future necklace, a pair of earrings, a connector piece and a bracelet  piece with an orange CZ!  I love it all!

 
And here are Charlene’s pieces; each one just as unique and FabUlous and she is!

This was my second class with Diana and each time, I have come home filled with so much inspiration and creativity.  I truly have found my passion. There's nothing better than FabUlous jewelry!  I highly recommend taking one of her classes either in her home studio or at one of the many events she teaches at.

Our last 2 days together were spent at my dining room table making jewelry.  We broke on the first day to have dinner with Joy and Susie at Kings Fishouse at Victoria Gardens where we got an outside table with a warm summer breeze and caught up on everything since our last time together in March at Round Top.

 
Although we talk and email all the time, there's nothing like spending quality time with FabUlous friends.  I'll see Charlene next March for Spring Round Top and hopefully another event later in the year.  She's always saying "why don't I live in California" and I'm always saying "why don't we live closer."  I have to say, I'm spoiled and while I do love all the FabUlousness that Texas has to offer, I don't love their weather!  It's so not good hair weather!  LOL

My fur baby, Boo Boo, already says he misses Charlene and Rory promises to come out of hiding a little sooner on her next visit.  Please stop by Charlene’s blog to see her posts (yes, there are several) and more pictures of our FabUlous adventures.

Where Bloggers Create 2011

Has it been a whole year already?  How time flies when you're having a creatively FabUlous time.  Last year I was shamed into posting something for the Where Bloggers Create Party and that ended up being the reveal of my "secret" which you can read about here.  This year I still don't have a studio and my creating still takes place on my dining room table, but I do have an absolutely FabUlous space to share if I do say so myself.

Welcome to the guest room at Casa Navarro.  It will soon be occupied by the most special of all guests, my gal pal Charlene.  She's coming to stay with me for a whole week next month and she was the catalyst to put this room together with all of my most FabUlous treasures and creations.  And, I managed to get it done in time to share with you for this year's Party.  Let's start the tour . . .

 
For the photo shoot, I styled the daybed with the most FabUlous vintage feather fan with celluloid tines and handle.  Then I thought it needed just a little something more, so I placed a vintage brooch in the center of the handle and voila!  The night stand has a vignette with the cutest little Cole Hahn purse I scored at TJ Maxx quite a few years ago and I love how it works in the room.  Of course, I had to display the issue of Jewelry Affaire I was published in cuz a little self promotion never hurt anyone, right?  LOL

 
Next to the nightstand is the computer cabinet that is now more of a storage space inside and regally FabUlous on top.  Here's a close up . . .

Crowns, bling, treasures and All Things FabUlous including my tiara and an altered bottle (gifts from Charlene) and my prized vintage orange rose I have in my header.  There’s my FabUlous crown and feathered Crowndalier I made at A Gilded Life’s Gilded Gathering, my German glass glittered cone from a Deb Hodge class and my etched cuff bracelet from a Diane Cook class just to point out a few.  Another FabUlous find is the 2700 metal plate. Twenty Seven is my number for probably 2700 reasons, so this was a total score.

Next to the cabinet is a clothes rack that’s spilling over, so I draped my mom's custom, hand made peignoir set in her favorite shade of pink over it.  I don't remember her ever wearing it but she kept it in perfect condition and I have as well.

 
Next is my vintage suitcase and mannequin vignette.  I thought if I'm displaying my most FabUlous treasurers, then I absolutely have to put out my coveted Christian Louboutin's.  I was surprised to see that the insole is also in my mom's favorite shade of pink.  She's always with me in some way (wink).

One of my favorite purses sits inside my chartreuse-lined Round Top suitcase.  The sequins are double-sided and when you run your hand up or down them, they flip from bronze to gold; how FabUlous is that!  The fabric mannequin on the left was my birthday present from Miss Charlene and I absolutely love it!  It's from Red Shed Antiques in Grapevine, TX and Charlene knew I really wanted it and scooped her up for me.  She displays my Twisted Sistah necklace from a Diana Frey class, my aurora borealis vintage bling charm bracelet around her neck and my necklace with my mom as a child on a vintage miniature airplane.  I've used the silver mannequin as a display prop for many of the classes I've taught.  She's very versatile and has gone from holiday to vintage boudoir to tropical.  She's wearing costume pearls and a one-of-a-kind necklace I won at my first ever Gilded Life event.

I was hoping to distress the full size mannequin "a la Heather Bullard" but ran out of time.  So for now she's fresh out of the box and is wearing my original vintage bling charm bracelet as a choker, my Silver Bella round robin necklace, an amazing custom made necklace with my initials in mini scrabble tiles by my FabUlously talented friend Robin and a necklace I made with a vintage cowhide coin purse as well as the bag I made for all my Crazy in Texas Girls and a vintage crocheted bag.   And, do you see that bling bra peeking out from behind the vintage vest?  Yes, it's made completely of rhinestones - OMG!  I found it at a vintage shop for $10 and scooped it up before they could change the price.  Then when I got it home, I noticed the metal tag that says Express.  Really!!!  You just never know.  LOL

My bookcases have even more treasures.  On top is my mom's mini chandelier; it only has 3 lights and she had it hanging in her bedroom over her dresser.  I've had it in a box for 9 years and thought it would be FabUlous on display.  After a lot of Brasso and some elbow grease, it sparkles once again.  Also on display is my Fall'in for Vintage Gloves fabric fat book that was done as a collective swap.  And don’t you just love the 3 wise monkeys - see no evil, hear no evil and speak  no evil!
 
There’s FabUlous vintage baby shoes that I've been collecting to make a mirror like the ones we saw at Round Top, a collection of vintage spools, some vintage chandelier crystals and even a few books!  There's also my Vintage Glam mini book that was the first class I ever taught.

Of course, one of THE most FabUlous things in the room is my jewelry box of vintage bling.  I've seen a lot of people out in Blogland display their bling collections this way and I thought I'd give it a try.  It really is my new happy place!  LOL

 
I hope you've enjoyed the tour and have been inspired to display your creations and treasures no matter where you create them.  I can't wait to start working my way down the list to see everyone's creative spaces.  Thanks to Karen Valentine for once again hosting such a wonderful event and inspiring us all to thoroughly enjoy our own creativity.

FabUously Creative Weekend

Ah, my favorite way to spend a weekend . . . knee deep in vintage bling, German glass glitter, some serious chemistry and FabUlously talented friends.   Last month, I started on Saturday in Fullerton at Diane Cook’s Etched and Layered Cuff class.  Diane and her husband drove all the way from Texas to teach 2 classes out here and I was so excited to see her on my turf even if we had just seen each other in March at Round Top.  Diane is an amazingly talented jewelry designer and teacher.  She shared so many cool techniques in this class.  We began with a brass cuff blank, stamped it with our favorite rubber stamp and then the serious chemistry started.  I’m so bummed I didn’t get a picture of Diane in the cutest yellow polka dot apron and matching gloves, wearing her safety face mask.  Totally essential when working with chemicals, but so not me!  I did see that she posted a pic (minus the mask) on her blog too cute! 

After the etching process was finished, we layered up our cuffs with filigree, bling and a touch of sari silk.  I brought my layering pieces with me, but Diane had a vintage ear bob (earring) that was calling my name.  So, my cuff took an entirely different direction when I got it home and I love it!

Here’s Diane during one of her many demos . . .

 
Here we are after class.  She’s such a Texas cutie!

Then on Sunday, I headed out to the Urban Barn in Escondido for a Glass Glitter Cone and Jewelry workshop by the uber-talented Deb Hodge (Breathing Beside Us).  If you’ve never been to the Barn, you’ve just got to go!  It’s a slice of Round Top in Southern California.  So much inspiration and eye candy; pure heaven!  The Barn is closed on Sundays, so we were free to roam the entire store – OMG!  I didn’t take any pics, but their blog banner says it all  . . .

 
We started with our cones and they came out FabUlous!  While the cones were drying, we worked on our frames.  Deb is so generous with her kits and class supplies.  She gave us 5 different pre-soldered frames in our kits to use in our pieces.  Some were already patinaed and some were left for us to choose.  I decided on the same frame Deb used on the class sample with my grandparent’s wedding photo.  It came out so beautiful.  We even glittered the backs of our soldered frames; such a wonderful touch. 

And here’s one of my necklaces.  This is my mom on a replica airplane in front of her childhood home in New Orleans.  The house is still there today although it’s no longer in the family.  Sure wish we still had that airplane; just say’in.

I have a few other necklaces to finish and will post them later.  Can’t wait for the next FabUlously creative weekend.

March FabUlousness recap: Round Top – Spitt’in, Shopp'in and Spells, Oh My!

Ok,  this has taken quite a while to put together, so grab a cup of whatever warms your soul and reminisce with me as I recant this Crazy in Texas experience . . .

After cutting it a tad close returning my rental car in NOLA, a quick 1 hour
flight to Houston and what seemed like an eternity on the Super Shuttle, my "wet
rag" self made it to Katy, Texas where my girls Charlene, and Karen were wait'in to pick me up (Susie hung back at the hotel).  They had 2 days of 90 degree temps in the fields of Round Top without me and I was rar'in to go!  We got up the next
morning to temps in the 50's and some"spitt'in" (Texas term for mist).  So, we
layered ourselves up as we had been told and the 4 of us headed out on our 45
min drive to the fields.  You see, there's not much in the actual town of Round
Top, population 77!  Most of the people who come out for this amazing two weeks
of vintage indulgence are repeats and they book sometimes a year in advance,
leaving the rest of us with what’s left in the outskirts.

Back row: me,  Charlene, Susie, Karen and Joy
Front row: Rita, Cindy, Riki and Diane

This is our Crazy group, minus Karen DeCapite, she wasn’t feeling well and stayed back at the hotel on the verge of a major spell.  Later that night she ended up in the ER from a prescription reaction.  But no worries, she toughed it out and made it to the fields the very next day – you go girl!

I think vintage indulgence is just about the best way to describe the wonder of Round Top.   It’s actually split up into 3 events; the fields open first and there is everything from yard sale items to architectural salvage beyond belief.  All of us newbies walked around in awe the entire time.  Most of the vendors in fields have temporary tables and tents set up although there are a few stationery buildings used only twice a year.  We timed it so that we would be able to shop the fields for a few days and catch the next event opening, Marburger.  Here there are several huge tents set up with all the vendors inside and the $25 entry fee is good for it’s duration of 5 days.  The final event is The Big Red Barn where serious antiques & dealers can be found.  You can easily run amuck shopp’in, but I was only going to spend the cash I brought and  actually did quiet well.  Most everyone is willing to bargain and a lot of the vendors prefer cash.  The vignettes alone were worth the trip.  So much talent, eye candy and inspiration everywhere you look.

 
And this is one of my most favorite vignettes; freak’in FabUlous!

 
Of course, there were a quite a few boo boo faces for items that were absolutely FabUlous, but so not in my budget.

            Vintage grain sack $250  /  Skip to My Lou one-of-a-kind jewelry $200+

My first day in the fields was Sunday and we spent a good bit of time weeding through a  bin of doilies that were only $1 each!  OMG  Of course, Sunday night was the blog party hosted by Teresa Campo, of Garden Vintage Antiques.  It was so great to get to meet so many people whose’ blog you follow.  It was a casual pot luck and everyone was so welcoming.  Teresa also hosted a name badge contest.  I had made these little bags for our group and entered & I won second place!  The girl who won first place made the most amazing German doll necklace and so deserved first place.  I don’t have her name, but I know Teresa will post about it when her computer with all her pics gets repaired.   As winners, we got to choose a hand-made apron for our prize.  They’re made by a guy named Tommy Sew Fast!   How cool is that!
 

The uber talented Diane Cook was the guest of honor at the blog party.  Here she is in her custom-made booth just for the party with her daughter, Melanie.  How cute are they!

At the party we were also treated to goodie bags by the Junk Gypsies; these girls are so cute and so cool!  And those goodie bags are really sturdy (more about that in a minute).

Day 2 in fields was full of more incredible eye candy.  But for some reason, I started to not feel too good and I can say that I truly bonded with the girls in the car that afternoon when that pretty pink Junk Gypsy bag came in really handy!  I quickly got it out of my system and Cindy coined the term “puke and rally” and that’s just what I did.  As soon as my spell was over I was ready to hit the fields again.  I have to say that Susie was so sweet to escort me quickly to the car and then we laughed about it on the plane ride home.  She said she was wait’in  for my head to start spinn’in and then it was over and as Cindy had said, I rallied.  REALLY??  I had shopp’in and eat’in to do!  HA

That night we were fortunate enough to have a dinner reservation at Royer’s which is a Round Top institution and tradition.  They have 2 seatings in a tiny but so Texas cool restaurant and the food was absolutely FabUlous!
   
Marbuger is where the Magnolia Pearl phenomenon takes place.  It’s a look, a culture and a lifestyle.  But most of all, an amazing experience.  This year’s theme was birds and boy was it amazing.  There were iron dress sculptures with skirts made into bird cages with live birds inside, birds hanging from the tent ceiling made from old books, huge paper & burlap flowers, and silk, linen & doilied fabrics stacked a mile high.  Pure FabUlousness everywhere you looked! 

 
Here I am with Robin, the owner and creator of Magnolia Pearl.

 
Here’s my suitcase full of Round Top purchases which included this chartreuse-lined baby! 

And my stash of goodies from our group including my apron prize.   Joy gave us each a survival kit (many items came in handy; just say’in!), Suzie made us each a spoon necklace and my bag.
 
This was truly an amazing group of talented Crazy girls in Texas.  Thanks for a jaw-dropping time and most of all thanks to our wrangler, the FabUlous, Miss Charlene. 

I’m ready to do it all again next year and you can bet I’ll be there!