This is what love looked like to me this Mother's Day.
A daughter. Two grandchildren. Blessed beyond measure.
This one truly had me at "hello". The sly smile and the souldful eyes. The wisdom way beyond his years. All boy, with a tender heart. Total love.
And, oh my, this one. Eerily like her mother in every possible way. Girly and funny and sweet, with a touch of diva thrown in for good measure. Be still, my heart.
I am grateful every day.
When we came to understand the inevitability of hosting the art retreat "Spellbound", and how much we needed it to be fulfilling and inspiring and wondrous and lovely for all who attended, the earth began to spin ever so slightly in a new direction.
There was so much to do. So many things to decide. But at the very top of the "must do" list, and believe me when I tell you it is long, it became our absolute mission to assemble a group of amazing, generous, innovative, and truly gifted instructors. Instructors with a passion for their art and a love of their medium. A "Dream Team".
And wow. May I just say that they have each delivered projects so beautiful, so compelling and wondrous, that I cannot imagine how anyone will ever choose?
Debrina Pratt • Denise Sharp • JoAnnA Pierotti • Kaari Meng • Kelli Murray-Larson • Kristen Robinson • Margie Romney-Aslett • Michele Muska • Pam Garrison
Did you gasp? Because I still do, no matter how many times I look at these photos. And this is just a sample!! There are eighteen classes total, and each is truly a work of art.
Please save the dates to your calendar. Visit our website at SpellboundEvent.com for all of the details and pertinent information. Peruse the offerings and assemble your very own "Dream Weekend".
We sincerely hope to see you there!
Another true artist that I need to mention here is the genius behind the camera... Martha Schuster is a rare talent, and her photography skills continue to amaze and inspire us. We love you, Martha!
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Registration will be opening very soon. Please contact us here if you would like to be notified by email when it is ready to go! (Please put "Spellbound" in the subject line.) And be sure to check back here often for news and updates!
xoxo Debbie & Shea
It was a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday. Spending the evening with the grandbabies, making their favorite dinner of corn chowder and raspberry sorbet. Playing, reading, snuggling.
Just perfect.
The wonderful surprise of these gorgeous roses found earlier in the day at... Target!!
Some pre-Valentine inspiration found on Pinterest led to these...
Shea and I put together lots of handmade valentines for the little ones to take to school and exchange. I had to keep this one for myself, tucked into a favorite frame.
My sweet girl.
And this one for the boy. Rough and tumble, sweet, and filled with a fragile bravado. It seemed fitting to perch one on the deck of his beloved Lego pirate ship.
Link to original here.
These are truly the tender years. Pure energy and unabashed joy. And noise. Lots of noise. But oh, those sweet baby kisses.
It's good to be in love. xoxo
There are friendships, and then there are soul-sisters. We all know the difference, and we recognize it almost immediately, don't we?
Christy Tomlinson is a soul-sister. A forever. A true.
We love being involved with her creatively. Her style is so different from ours, and yet it resonates with us somewhere deep in the place where happiness and joy flutter and take hold. She is a pioneer and a visionary, and we love her dearly.
We are so happy to have teamed up with Christy again this month for a "mini-workshop" with a romantic, Valentine-y twist. Things to give yourself, or one of your "trues".
First up will be this stunning three-strand charm bracelet. Darling charms, pearls and blown-glass flower beads. Use your own materials or purchase a complete kit.
*Due to the vintage nature of some of these components, slight variations in charms may occur.
SOLD OUT!!
Next we will make a gorgeous soft wool felt "sachet", strung with pink rosary chain. This can be fashioned completely from the scraps in your sewing basket. Sew it or glue it... your choice. Make it any size your "heart" desires!
**If you are in need of the best set of basic jewelry tools available, look no further! This is the set that we use in our studio and classes, and they are truly life-changing!
$32.00 per set.
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Sign up for class here! (This is a different Paypal gateway, and therefore will not go into a shopping cart with our items. It will be a separate transaction.)
But right this minute, we have to film the bracelet tutorial!! Hope to see you in the classroom!!
Annnd.... thanks, Christy! You are loved!
xoxo Debbie & Shea
Oh, Happy Day!! We are absolutely "giddy" with the excitement of announcing:
"Spellbound... create your dreams".
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A fantastical weekend of paper-crafting, jewelry-making, fiber arts, stitching, painting, swapping... and dreaming!
Hosted at the gorgeous and historic Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California.
Thursday evening Welcome Dinner.
Classes Friday & Saturday, with a fabulous "Mercantile" Friday evening.
Saturday afternoon Luncheon (between classes).
Culminating on Sunday with a short trip on a luxury bus to the world famous
Rose Bowl Flea Market!
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More details and specifics to follow. Classes are shaping up to be absolutely amazing, and you will not want to miss this kick-off to a wonderful, "Spellbound" 2012 Holiday Season!! Mark your calendars and stay tuned! :)
xoxo Debbie & Shea
We are feeling so many kinds of True Love this month.
True love for the blessing of a brand new year.
True love for each other, our families, our dear friends.
True love for the opportunity to do the work that is so very precious to us, and the chance to mingle and chat with and hug and do business with the loveliest, most creative women on the planet.
This includes you. It's true love. It is. Thank you.
Let's put this love into action, shall we? Just in time for some heartfelt Valentine's Day Projects!
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1/2 Yard Ivory Silk Dupioni. 36" x 27"
1 Ivory Linen and Battenberg Lace Placemat. 19 1/2" x 13"
5" Blush-Pink Velvet Rose.
1 Spray "Beaded" Millinery Leaves. (5 leaves)
Lots of buttons!!
5 ~ 1" Mother-of-Pearl Buttons.
36 ~ 1/2" Mother-of-Pearl Buttons.
3 ~ 3/8" Rhinestone Rosette Buttons.
3 ~ 1/2" Single-Stone Rhinestone Buttons.
1 Gorgeous 1" x 1 1/8" Vintage Heart Rhinestone Brooch.
12 Blush-Pink 14mm Glass Pearls.
2 Tiny, Glittery Butterflies.
60" Strand 7mm Ivory Pearls.
Bundle of Pale Pink Cupid Feathers. (!!)
1 Yard Pink Satin Ribbon with Vintage Flowers.
48" Hand-Dyed Pink Pom-Pom Fringe.
2 Yards Taupe Embossed Floral Velvet Ribbon.
1 Yard 3 1/2" wide Cream French Lace.
2 Yards "Sunset Pink" Mesh Ribbon.
1 Ounce Pink Sequin Glitter in a Darling Heart Box. This is a "chunky" glitter, made with the same material as sequins. A very vintage, Valentine-y look!
2 Yards Goldy, Silvery Sequins. (left)
2 Yards Gold Seed Beads. (right)
Lingerie-Pink 6" Wide Tulle. (More about this at the bottom of this post.)
1 Spray Clear Heart-Shaped "Leaves". Darling!
Vintage Postcard Image. (Front and back images.)
5 Vintage Image Tags. These are fairly small, measuring 1 1/2" x 2 1/4"... perfect used as gift tags for your own "True Loves".
1 Spray Hand-Dyed "Bridal" Flowers.
One more look at this photo. This time I am going to point out that roll of gorgeous in the back, at the top of the image.
1 ~ 10 Yard Roll Lingerie-Pink Tulle with Gold Glitter Dots. (!!)
I am completely smitten with this roll of tulle, and I cannot WAIT to use it! Old store stock. We bought every roll they had! :)
Another very special project awaits you this month, Gilded Girls! And just because it is "True Love" after all, we are also going to include in your boxes a 10" wreath form and some dressmaker pins to get you started!!
xoxo Debbie & Shea
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We will be posting the January add-ons this weekend, and just hold onto your hats for that! I will be spending a few hours coming to terms with having to part with some of it. True story.
If you would like to sign up for the Gilded Girls Stash Society, we would absolutely love to have you!! Please go here, read the info on how it works, and use the Paypal button that pertains to you. Simple!! :)
Today is December 2nd. The day after December 1st, when we should have had Stash Society photos for December posted.
All I can do at this point is show you the Pirate, the Princess, and offer an apology.
Because it is December. I should have seen this month coming, but it always hits me with the full force of it's might. This month we have birthday, birthday, birthday, Christmas, anniversary. New Year's Eve, but let's not even think about that right now.
I present to you the objects of my fall-behind-schedule. The Pirate and the Princess both have birthdays in these next two weeks, and for now we have been able to give them a joint party.
That party is this Sunday. That party is being shot for a magazine, had to be moved up one week unexpectedly, and has consumed all of us in the studio all this week.
Consumed us.
There are wands. Glittered tulle balls, handpainted dowel handles, and bells hanging off of dyed seam binding and tulle streamers. Bonus? There will be a tutorial coming for these.
Our studio assistant has become an expert in applying German glass glitter to a small forest of trees.
And paper crown buntings. And feathered birds. Nothing escaped the glitter.
It may look like only the Princess is getting cool decor, but trust me when I tell you that the Pirate will have his fair share of the action. Things are being built by actual guys.
And so I must leave you with this. I have no Stash Society photos to share with you yet. Not everything has been picked up. My regret is profound, and I have stressed about it every day for the past week. I thought it would miraculously get done, but alas, no.
There is a bright spot! We are doing a fabulous crown tutorial/project with this month's kit, and there is a very special present for each of you that will be included in the box!! From us, because we cherish and appreciate each of you more than you know. And because it is the Holidays, and we love the Holidays!!
So stay tuned for this party in a future issue of Mingle, and stay tuned here early next week for the photos of December Stash Society! :)
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If you would like to join us for The Gilded Girls Stash Society beginning this month, which will ship December 12th, go here for details!
xoxo Debbie
The Holiday Season just keeps getting better and better! This Thanksgiving week, we are so very grateful for the incredible friends we have made and the doors that have opened for us in our creative lives.
When Christy Tomlinson asked us to participate in her "12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas" video workshop, we were overjoyed. Christy is one of our very favorite people and an amazing artist, so we knew she would put together something fun and fabulous!
Below is the project that we Shea will be teaching on video. :) A lovely, sparkly winterland cloche... perfect for your mantel or a gift for someone special. We think they will make the perfect teacher gifts. Shhhhh....
Here are the details:
***The 12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas.. a five day mini workshop***
Introducing a new holiday mini workshop! We are so excited to be participating in a new workshop by Christy Tomlinson, "12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas"... just in time to get your creative juices flowing for the Holidays! We have teamed up with 10 artsy designers to participate in a 5 day workshop that begins on December 5th. This class will be featured on Christy’s private website and each day 3 new artsy ornaments and home décor projects will be posted by 3 new designers! We will dive into all sorts of creative play including fabric, clay, glitter, metal, glass and more! Day 5 of the workshop will include bonus projects as well as a few fun PDF downloads for you to use as well! Come join us and our creative friends for some artsy fun to celebrate the Season!
Click on the link below to register! We hope you can join us!!
12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas ~ a five day mini workshop
$19.95
We are so incredibly excited (and blessed) to be participating in another collaborative workshop with Kaari Meng at the iconic French General!! When Kaari asked us if we would like to do a day of crafts and Christmas, we literally could not say "yes" fast enough!
Please join us... and bring a friend, a mother, a daughter. We think there will be holiday magic in the air on this day!
There will be three unique classes at this event. Kaari will teach one, and each of us will present our own project.
Here is a sneak peek at one of the classes we will be hosting. A lace-and-tulle ruffled tree!
We will post a glimpse at our second class soon. You will love it... pinky swear.
And, if you have ever been to a workshop at French General, you know that Kaari provides the most delectable treats, snacks and drinks.
Details are here. This event is very limited in size, so be sure to sign up soon!! See you there!
The adorable not quite 3 year-old asked me for a Strawberry Shortcake costume for her special evening of trick-or-treating at Disneyland tomorrow night. And in the spirit of full disclosure, she actually calls her "Strawberry Cupcake". Which is I suppose a bit of linguistic progress from the very recent "Barbie Cupcake".
p.s. I love her. sigh.
Looking around at the available costumes and checking out the real deal for inspiration, I threw caution to the wind and took the costume road less traveled.
This is what was on my sewing machine this morning.
I just have to be me, I suppose.
We are now moving on to the hat and the treat bag. Stay tuned for a photo of the finished ensemble! And happy costuming, all you moms and nanas out there... :)
xoxo Debbie
