What Happens Next

What Stella Wore ~ Boho Embellished Jeans

 

On the first weekend of this month, we took a girls-only road trip up the central coast of California. Three generations celebrating a few of our shared passions... travel, fashion, and flea markets!

Stella wanted to take her new "fancy jeans", and of course the occasion was perfect. Casual, girly, sparkly with a bit of pink... a Boho look for a special weekend.

 

A pair of skinny jeans that was juuuust about to be outgrown. Still fine in the waist, but getting a tad short. Isn't that the story of children and their clothing?

We decided to celebrate the shorter length and give them a makeover.

Fabric glue, needle and thread, and a basket of bits and pieces left over from other projects. Nothing goes to waste in our studio!

 

Stella is very pleased with her outfit, and especially happy with the treasure that had been given to her that morning.

 

This absolutely darling Fairy Princess Wand, generously gifted by our beautiful friend Lisa Leonard. (link below)

Stella has barely let it out of her sight.

 

But back to the task at hand, giving us her "modeling face".

 

A small break to watch the light dancing on the steps.

 

The smallest scraps of lace and trim can completely transform a tiny pair of jeans.

And you must always consider frosty pink toenail polish...

 

 

It makes me smile that these are so reminiscent of jeans that we altered and embellished when I was in college. The major difference is in the quality and availability of materials. And of course the slender silhouette of the jeans! :)

Boho with a modern twist!

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Jeans ~ True Religion

Cotton and Lace Blouse ~ Zara

Fairy Princess Wand ~ Lisa Leonard Designs

Embellishments ~ A Gilded Life

 

Paper and Lace Cottage

A four-year-old can be very pursuasive. When she spotted a paper mache box in the shape of a house sitting on a shelf in the studio, it became all she could think about.

She would ask to take it down, and played with it so carefully. She found a perfect "dolly" in a basket of vintage items. She was intent on claiming it as her own, but I was not willing to let it go without giving it a makeover.

 

For the sake of tiny hands, no glass glitter was used in the making of this project. :)

Paint, paper, lace and glue. A bit of German Dresden to decorate the front. A few vintage buttons. Pom-pom fringe on the roof.

 

Wallpapered interior walls and a wool felt floor.

 

Stella deemed it finished.

 

But I thought it needed small battery operated candles to transform it into a nightlight for her room, giving it a whole new purpose.

She loves it. What more could I hope for?

 

What Stella Wore ~ Waxed Flower May Day Crown

 

Oh, Happy May Day!

Stella is marking the occasion with a waxed flower crown, just right for celebrating on this gorgeous Spring day!

 

Small silk and velvet flowers have been dipped into a candle wax mixture and allowed to dry. They are then woven onto a wire stem and formed into a circular shape.

A full crown would be overwhelming on someone so small, so we left it as a coronet with long ribbon streamers.

 

We love the soft and vintage look that the wax gives the flowers, creating an heirloom headpiece, worthy of a place among the crown collection.

 

A pepperberry spray is always a favorite accessory.

 

Pinned into a simple, tousled hairstyle.

 

This is our May child, completely in her element on an early morning stroll, on her way to a celebration of flowers and the bounties of Spring.

Footwear optional.

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Organza Dress ~ Baby Gap

 

 

What Stella Wore ~ Vintage Lace Easter Dress

 

It's such a wonderful time of the year to be sewing for a child. In Springtime, my thoughts always turn to soft linens and lots of lace.

And diminutive, flowing silhouettes, of course. Then, suddenly it's Easter, and a girl simply must have a new dress...

 

Bits of lace, both old and new (mostly old), and doilies carefully recycled and repurposed... the very essence of rebirth and renewal!

 

A tender child in her moment of quiet before the festivities begin. Surveying the surroundings and sizing up the egg-hiding possibilities.

 

Gathering just a little of the floral bounty that the new season has brought to our area.

 

It's always so amazing to see the new flowers springing up among the pinecones and the heavy mulch of Winter.

 

In the early hours of the day, boots and jeans are in order for a walk in the woods. But we are only hours away from leggings and flip flops, which makes this one very happy.

 

This dress was created entirely on a child-sized mannequin, "Project Runway" style. No pattern, just pinning and adjusting on the form and stopping once or twice to fit the bodice on her.

This type of garment is a very organic process, dependent upon the materials on hand and never the same twice.

 

This one was like walking a tightrope, not exactly sure that I had enough bits and pieces at home with me to complete it.

 

I would have liked an extra row, and I still may add one. But for now, it is the perfect length for jeans and boots.

 

This dress was sewn entirely by hand. It was a process that took many hours, but as you may know by now, I love hand sewing. I actually felt more confident with a needle in my hand on this project, rather than a sewing machine. It was so much easier to ease and adjust as I went along.

 

I love to get these little mini-portraits while we are photographing the clothing, and for the most part Stella indulges me. I cherish this way of documenting our time together.

 

 Happy Spring! xoxo

 

Spellbound ~ Oh, The Anticipation!

 

Last year’s inaugural "Spellbound Event" was truly enchanting in every way. As if to embody the very definition of the word, Spellbound was a magical three days filled to the brim with laughter, friendship, inspiration and of course, the creation of beautiful art!

We are so excited to share with you some of the memories from our amazing weekend...

 

Providing the perfect setting for our Spellbound weekend was the lovely, historic Langham Huntington Hotel in spectacular Pasadena, California.

Once you step inside, into the fantastic lobby with it's view of the garden, you are transported to a world of grace and a level of service and comfort that is hard to find. Everything about this property is welcoming and effortless in it's luxury. The rooms are beautiful and the bath towels are enormous.

It always comes down to the little things, doesn't it? :)

 

We gathered together at the hotel on Thursday evening for the glamorous Welcome Dinner. Enveloped in the beauty of the Georgian Ballroom, it was an enchanting beginning to what was to come...

 

We told stories and laughed. We laughed a lot.

 

On Friday, when it was time to begin working on the gorgeous projects that our instructors offered, the fun truly began. In classroom after classroom around the hotel, there were ribbons and beads and vintage photographs. Crepe paper and velvet, rhinestones and buttons. And glitter. The spirit of creativity was palpable, and the smiles were some of the biggest we have ever seen!

 

We spent time with friends, both old and new, from down the road and from half-way around the world.

 

And we ate! We ate like queens. We laughed and we bonded and we created and we indulged in some of the best food we’ve ever had.

 

Friday evening was time for the unbelievable Dreamland Mercantile. With over 30 vendors displaying their wares, and a gorgeous buffet, it was definitely a delight for the senses!

 

We stayed up all night. After Saturday’s class schedule, a large and energetic group decided to keep the creative juices flowing. We snacked on good old fashioned comfort food (hello…a CUPCAKE bar!!) and spent time playing with materials from some of the leading manufacturers in the craft industry. Sadly, the bell tolled midnight way before any of us were ready to leave the ball!

As you can see, we had more fun than we could have ever imagined. Getting to make art is good for the soul. Making art while surrounded by over 100 of your best friends is breathtakingly wonderful.

The very best part is, this is not the end of the story. We are beyond thrilled to be able to do it all again this year! Plans are coming together as we speak, and this year promises to be even more amazing!

 

We really hope you are able to join us for Spellbound 2, November 7-10th, 2013. We all hope to see you in Pasadena!

Registration opens to everyone on Monday, March 18th at 6pm Pacific Time.

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All photos by the fantastic Martha Schuster of iseethemoonphotgraphy!

 

 

Valentine Wishes

 

Things have finally begun to return to some sense of normalcy in our little world.

Everyone is healthy (finally), travel is at a standstill for the moment, and the weather is just glorious.

 

Stella would like to send a shout out, and wish everyone a truly happy Valentine's Day! After a round of pre-school festivities, she took her favorite heart pillow to the park to show the ducks.

It may seem silly, but we figure ducks need a little sparkle in their world. It can't all be sticks and rocks.

 

They were not all that impressed, but we think they may just be a little shy.

Next time, less bling, more bread. It's a duck's world at the park, after all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We will be back tomorrow with a new installment of What Stella Wore!! This dress is just begging for a coat...

What Stella Wore ~ Upcycled T-Shirt and Linen Dress

 

This week was all about the upcycle. One of Stella's favorite soft, ruffly shirts suffered a "misfortune", and needed a new lease on life.

(You might recall this particular shirt from this post, just last week.)

I also had some linen that I was anxious to use, so a project was born!

 

The shirt needed to be a soft cream color to coordinate better with the linen, so into a quick dye-bath it went...

 

There was no pattern necessary for this dress. I simply cut the front and back panels in a very slight a-line shape, adding enough extra width to allow for five pleats.

 

I then cut an oval shape out of the bottom so that I could insert a ruffled section cut from a Battenburg lace table runner. I also used the edges of the runner for a lace trim all around the bottom of the skirt.

 

 

Some velvet ribbon rosettes and a few pearls for a pretty detail. 

 

A vintage brooch in the front for a tiny bit of sparkle.

 

 

We are not usually big fans of "matchy-matchy", but couldn't resist fashioning a simple headband out of a few of the rosettes. These are merely ruffled circles in two sizes. The headband itself is also wrapped in the ivory ribbon.

 

 

A girl in a new dress has got places to go, even on a warm, damp, foggy morning.

And whatever her plans, they required a glass glitter cone on a pearl chain casually hung on her shoulder like a purse.

She must be planning to collect some extra-special treasures in there. We can't wait to see...

xoxo

Debbie & Shea

 

Thankful

Thankful for so many things today.

For family, friends, and faith.

For all of you, who help to make our creative dreams come true.

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

What Stella Wore ~ Roses and Ribbons Altered Beret

 

Some girls are born to wear hats. Even when their hair looks good. Even when it is not particularly cold outside.

A hat for it's own sake is truly a lovely thing....

 

When we came upon a bag of knitted berets in assorted neutral colors, I knew Stella would love one decked out in girly finery.

Scraps of this and that. A needle and thread.

 

She loves the cozy feeling and the hip-yet-feminine style.

 

A few ruffled roses from a length of trim, a few cut out from a favorite piece of lace.

A trio of bronze and rhinestone button centers, and a scrap of seam binding ribbon.

Everything hand sewn. No glue on this project, so that the softness is maintained.

 

A happy girl having a very good hat day.

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Skinny Jeans ~ True Religion

White Ruffled Henley ~ Baby Gap

Knitted Shrug ~ H & M

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Have a wonderful weekend!!

xo Debbie

Twelve Artsy Ornaments of Christmas 2012

 

~ The 12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas #2 ~

We are so excited to share this news with you... !!

Beginning Tuesday December 4th...

 

Please join us and many of our favorite designers for a five day mini Holiday workshop! Each day for five days (Tuesday-Saturday), 3 new ornament/holiday projects will be posted by one of the fabulous teachers!  There will be all sorts of fun projects, including ornaments, holiday decor, gift giving projects and more!  

 

This workshop will include the following teachers:  Margie Romney-Aslette, Jeanne Oliver, Chrissy Gardner, Alisa Burke, Mindy Lacefield, Juliette Crane, Shea Fragoso, Debbie Murray, Junelle Jacobson and Christy Tomlinson!

 

This entire workshop will be hosted on a private website, and all instruction will be in video form and include up-close pictures of each project and complete supply lists. 
Supply lists are ONLY available in the workshop, and will be posted once the workshop begins.

There will also be a private Facebook group page for those in the workshop as well. This page will allow participants to share photos and get to know each other and the teachers better.

The cost for this workshop is an incredible $24.95, but if you sign up before Thanksgiving weekend, the price is an amazing $19.95 !!

This workshop will be open for an entire year! You will be able to access the classroom from any computer, day or night, for twelve full months!!

Christy is well known for her amazing e-courses full of incredible content. You will have so much fun creating this season!!

Sign up today so you won't miss one minute!! We hope to see you there!!

 

Be looking for photos of our project at the end of this week, as well as an opportunity to purchase a kit directly from our studio!

xoxo Debbie & Shea