Classes, Creating FabUlous Jewelry, Shopping and more Classes!

I've been a little busy lately . . . In February, I headed up to Pismo Beach with Joy for a FabUlous 2-day class taught by Diana Frey and Riki Schumacher, A Charming Romance. 

           
We stopped in Carpenteria for some quick vintage shopping, had a delicious lunch at The Enterprise Fish Company in Santa Barbara and then made a beeline to Lina G's in Morro Bay for a vintage trim fix before scooping up Charlene at the SLO airport.

Our class was at Riki's beautiful beach home where we got to see her to-die-for studio in person. You can see a video tour on her blog.  We also had our class mascot, the adorable Miss Maddie, watching over our every move.  She even managed to get some chocolate out of Charlene's kit box; not enough to cause concern, but she was definitely part of the class. 
 
This was a technique class where we created charms with silver PMC (precious metal clay), did some brass etching and learned to use some seriously cool tools!  Then after our charms were fired, tumbled, patinaed and polished we (OK, Joy) attached our charms to our bracelets for a truly inspiring project.  We had a great group of talented students who made some FabUlous charms.  How cute is that little elephant made completely by hand by a 16-yr old!  Of mine, my personal fave is the textured bead caps at the top of the pic - love them!


Diana is teaching at Art is You in Petaluma this September and we were honored to be able to see the two projects she's teaching in person.  The Madame Bijoux Boxes are to-die-for and the Twisted Sistah cuff is the matching piece to the necklace in my header and ya know how I feel about that!  If you have a chance to take either or both of these classes, do it!  You will love every minute of it.  Diana also shared samples of her next studio class, A Queen's Ransom.  Needless to say, we lost our minds when she took those babies out and we've already booked our spots.  If you think the pictures are stunning, you'll be agasp when you see them in person - OMG!!  Check out Diana's blog for her upcoming online classes and tutorials, they’re all just as FabUlous as she is.


Joy was wearing a necklace made by Hope Ellington that I had eyed but didn’t purchase way back in 2009 at Silver Bella vendor night.  That necklace has been in the back my mind ever since and there it was!  I had kicked myself for not buying it and now I had the opportunity to see it again up close and personal; how cool is that!  So, when I got home, I tried my version and I absolutely love it!

This past weekend was packed with shopping and another FabUlous class by Riki Schumacher.  First stop, The Vintage Marketplace where I met up with my shopping buddy, Cynthia.  As always, the vendors did not disappoint; there was vintage FabUlousness everywhere you looked and we had an absolute blast.  The venue is the perfect size; you can make it around a couple of times just in case you might have missed something.

 
I really blew the budget this time but it was so worth it!  Here's my haul . . .


The FabUlous top is from Paris Montana.  This was Heidi's first time at The Vintage Marketplace and she fit right in with her textural vintage luxe style.  Her things are over-the-top-FabUlous, so ya know I was totally in!  The pink chandelier crystals (oh so hard to come by) are from the adorable Trisha of Vintage Bliss.  She & Heidi are traveling buddies and I'll see them again at the end of the month in Texas for Round Top - YEE HAW!  The flower pin with vintage rhinestone clip center is from Sherry of Glamarella Junk, the pearls and some of the bling are from Sara of Sweet Magnolia's Farm.  She is just the nicest person and brought a FabUlous selection just for me!   The pearls still have the original tag on them - so cool!

After the Vintage Marketplace, we made a stop at TJ Maxx cuz ya know we ARE Maxxinistas!  Cynthia made a quick sweep of the entire store with a full load so she checked out quickly, dropped her purchases in the trunk and came back in only to end up with a second full load at the check out!  LOL  And, of course ya can't be in the same shopping center as Hobby Lobby and not go in so we made sure we got our HL fix too.  We were on a roll and quite the shopping Divas.

My weekend ended with Riki Schumacher's Birds in Flight class at the home of the owner of Gilding the Lily in Fullerton.  We had a great group of talented students and learned Riki's techniques for flooding solder over prepared, hand cut copper, soldering rhinestones with a butane torch (do ya see that flame?), drilling and setting eyelets and wire wrapping.  What a great class and a little birdie told me she may be back for future classes so check their class schedule for more FabUlousness from Riki.  She's also teaching online for Artful Gathering this summer and has some awesome tutorials for purchase as well.  You can find all the info on her blog.


I found just the right vintage piece for the finishing touch on my necklace when I got home and I love the way it turned out . . .


My next adventure will be my annual trip to New Orleans to see my dear family friend for her birthday.  I had to push back my trip a week this year as Round Top changed their dates and I always fly from New Orleans to Texas to meet up with my Texas gal pals.  So we'll be celebrating Miss Leah's bday a week late, but she doesn't mind as long as I get there.  So, I'll catch up with ya'll in April when the dust settles a bit.

My Vintage Bling Bracelets have been published!

What a pleasant surprise to find all my hard work on these babies published in Jenny Doh’s new book, Creative Pilgrimage, on page 123. 

 

And this is only part of them; I think there were 20 in all.  That  was 400 jump rings, oh my!  These were and still are one of my favorite jewelry designs.  There’s a close-up of the original and 2 other versions on the my right side bar.  If you’re interested in a one-of-a-kind Vintage Bling Bracelet of your own, please email me at smndesigns@yahoo.com.   Bling it on!

Happy New Year!

2011 was another year filled with FabUlous friends and creative adventures. 

 
Wishing you a happy, healthy and FabUlous 2012!

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.