Hey, sweet friends!
We would truly love it if you would take a moment to visit us at our home base www.TheGildedGirls.com, where we continue to share what's happening in our sparkly corner of the world!
The entire month of April, 2018, all website sales will ship with a little extra gift, (Yay!) to show our heartfelt appreciation for your encouragement and support...
xoxo
Debbie, Shea, and Stella
The Gilded Girls
It's a fairytale world in our studio this month...
A spectacular collection of vintage and reproduction heart charms and findings.
Tulle roses and lace in the most exquisite hues.
Glittered birds and dreamy silk ribbons.
What more could a romantic girl wish upon a star for?
Join us in our studio in Santa Ana, California on Saturday, February 6th for a fun and soulful day creating these romantic Once Upon A Valentine projects. Take one class or both!
We will begin by creating the ultimate, lush charm bracelet, featuring an incredible 30 unique stamped and cast components, including two sweet cherubs! And the pink heart-shaped pearl rosary chain? We die.
In the afternoon we will fashion a lovely, Cinderella-inspired 14" x 14" canvas, lavished and extended with handmade tulle roses and beaded laces... held up by sweet glittered swallows and ribbon tassels...
As always, we will provide snacks, drinks, and a delicious lunch. There might even be a surprise or two, as our very special Valentine to you... ;)
Our hearts have been so full this holiday weekend with all of the joys of celebrating with family, as well as with a group of friends so special that they feel like family. It is a time to reflect and truly appreciate blessings, both great and small.
One blessing in our lives is most certainly the privilege of operating a small business. We are constantly in awe of and inspired by those who create businesses that speak to the heart. That live small but reach big. These businesses hold the very fabric of our communities together, and we must support them in every way we can.
It is our mission to buy local as much as we possibly can. Farmers Markets, Flea Markets, thrift stores, small independent gift stores, restaurants, nurseries and pharmacies... these are the regular stops that enrich our lives and bring us in contact with those who provide the goods and services that nuture and enrich.
We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in Small Businnes Saturday, by running a storewide sale at AGildedLife.com. All items are 15% off until Monday, November 30th at midnight PST.
We would love to send you something special with a $75.00 purchase!
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Thank you for thinking big, and shopping small. Thank you for the support and encouragement that you are all so generous with throughout the year.
We count you among our blessings.
xoxo Debbie & Shea
Although it is so hard to believe, it's almost that time again...
Time to gather at the studio and create some very special Holiday projects. Home decor and fashion accessories... we have you covered!
We have been digging deep into our collection of doilies, lace, appliqués, and metallic trims. We have embroidered special accents, and imported handcrafted metal trees...
This large (17" x 27" plus ribbons) wall hanging will add a wonderful vintage feel to your home. Bring some bling to help make it your own and it is sure to become a treasured heirloom! Using all fabric glue, or a combination of glue and hand sewing, we will be applying all of our trims and treasures to a felt backing. The crocheted heart doily is even a pocket, perfect for hiding a special prayer or wish.
You will only need a few buttons, old earrings or brooches (such as those shown in the detail shot) to complete your banner. All lace, trims, ribbons, embroidery and doilies shown are included.
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Our second project marries filigree, mother-of-pearl, and rhinestone buttons into truly swoon-worthy bracelets. They go together quickly with simple jewelry techniques after gluing the stacks together! You will create both of the bracelets shown, and everything is included.
Because of the nature of the bracelet construction, that class will be "wrapped" around the banner class. We will glue the components, and then make the banners while they dry. This being the case, we will offer the choice of the banner class only, or the combo of both classes. We will not be offering an option for bracelets only.
When: Saturday, December 12, 2015
Bracelet And Banner Class: 10:00am ~ 4:00pm
Banner Only Class: 11:00am ~ 3:00pm
We will provide continental breakfast, a delicious lunch, and drinks and snacks throughout.
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To sign up, use the drop-down button below to choose between the two class options, and we can't wait to spend this wonderful day with you!!
It's here!!
The newest version of our vintage flag, fashioned with love and reverence in all of our favorite tassels and trims.
An abundance of ivory, gold, and silver. Lace and crochet. Sparkle, ribbons, stars.
Buttons, brads, and pearls. A stunning vintage doily and a truly special beaded appliqué.
Layer upon layer of exquisite fabrics, embroidered and metallic ribbons and all manner of twinkly bits and bobs. There is so much product included in this kit, you will wonder how to use it all!!
Everything shown is included, with the exception of the dowel and wooden finial ends. (These items can be purchased at any craft/hobby store, and the inclusion of the dowel, which is totally optional, would increase the shipping costs significantly.) You will need to provide scissors, needle and thread, and glue.
The finished flag is approximately 19" x 34", not including the dowel.
The first 50 kits will be shipped, beginning June 6th, as shown. After the initial shipment, there may be light substitutions made, to allow for vintage product. Any substitutions will be as close to the original as possible.
We will include access to an online tutorial, which will open June 10th and will remain available for a full 6 months. See you in the classroom! :)
For those of you who were unable to join us in Round Top, Texas for our recent workshop, we are thrilled to announce that we are now able to offer it as a kit! Yay!!
This bracelet is absolutely loaded with the most amazing charms, crystals, beads and bling. The finishing touch is a gorgeous heart locket with space for a treasured photo, and a vial with crown topper. Most of these materials are from our new collection with Spellbinders®, which we are just over the moon about! Truly swoon-worthy...
You will receive everything you see pictured to make this lovely heirloom bracelet, and we will include a full online tutorial. You will only need to provide basic jewelry pliers. It could also be easily converted to a necklace by adding additional chain to the ends.
Make it for yourself, or wouldn't it be the most beautiful Mother's Day gift? xoxo
* SOLD OUT *
Later this month, we are headed back to one of our favorite venues ever... Round Top, Texas!!
For those of you who have been to Antique Week in rural Texas, you will understand why we are so over-the-moon excited to be returning again this year!
And, this time we get to teach a class featuring materials from our jewelry and craft line with Spellbinders®!!
Absolutely loaded with charms, dripping with crystals, a locket, treasure-vial and pearls, this heirloom piece is sure to become a prized possession! Wear it as a bracelet, or bring an extra length of chain and we will help you turn it into a dazzling necklace!!
Best of all, our class is part of an amazing event being hosted by our treasured friend Jo Packham of Where Women Create magazine, along with Gina Galvin of Peacock Park Design/The Rendezvous.
Pinch us!!
The Rendezvous is Gina's wonderful antique venue located at:
Classes will be held in her iconic conservatory, shipped all the way to the fields of central Texas and reassembled just in time!!
This amazing weekend of workshops will be held Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th.
Our class is Sunday from 9am until noon.
Please join us in the conservatory for a wonderful Spring morning of creating in a truly inspired setting!
Price includes a three hour class and all materials necessary to complete this stunning bracelet!! Tools will also be provided.
Feel free to bring tiny treasures or a secret message for your vial, and a teeny photo and/or memento for the locket.
$75.00
Spring is in full bloom at our studio!!
We just love this time of year, and welcome the new season with open hearts and a longing to create something extra-special.
Please join us as we fashion a collage together, celebrating all that is tender and lovely about Springtime.
Vintage-y, hand-dyed trims and ribbons, a stunning and huge rhinestone appliqué, pearl-encrusted lace, gorgeous floral paper, linen, ribbon and silk velvet florals, egg template... and our absolute favorite:
A paper mache rabbit, hand cast in our studio from a set of antique chocolate molds. We have even painted them for you!! So in love with these!!
The linen rose and velvet leaves are pre-cut for you from one of our new flower dies with Spellbinders. Learn a fun technique for making the ribbon roses...
You will receive everything needed to embellish your collage... including a full tutorial!
You will simply need to provide a 10" x 10" canvas or board, glue, scissors, wire cutters and your choice of paint for the sides of the canvas. (We used metallic gold.)
Kits will begin shipping March 13th.
* SOLD OUT *
Aren't we all looking forward to a little Spring?
Once the month of March is within our sights, thoughts of St. Patrick's Day and the coming of Spring begin to fill our heads. Having grown up in an Irish family, this tradition is very near and dear to me...
This year we are so excited to offer two sweet, sparkly craft kits right from our studio to you!!
First, one of our most requested items! Once I made this for Stella and posted the photo, I was immediately inundated with requests for a tutorial and/or a kit. At the time I did not have the silk velvet necessary to go forward, but now I have found more, buried deep and dark in back of the fabric stash... yay!!
**Be aware that there is a very limited supply of this fabric, so these kits won't last long**
Receive a kit with everything necessary to complete this darling headband, including vintage silk velvet, rhinestone flower centers, metal headband and seam binding for wrapping. You will need a needle and thread (for taking some very quick and simple stitches), and a glue gun.You will also get a link to the step-by-step tutorial.
* SOLD OUT *
Next, we have these sweet, glittery Leprechaun wands! This kit includes all components necessary to complete TWO wands, including German glass glitter, rhinestone buttons, die cut pieces, dowels, seam binding, silver metallic thread, and a complete tutorial. You will need only a bit of paint and some glue! Make one for yourself and one for a special friend...
* SOLD OUT *
And just because we love you guys, if you would like both kits, we would like to offer them at a very special discount! Buy both kits for only $39.95!!
Hurry, before we come to our senses! :)
* SOLD OUT *
Calling all romantics... it's that time of year again!
Hearts and flowers, baubles and bling, soft ribbons and glittered paper feathers. Cupid's influence is everywhere...
Join us in our studio in Santa Ana, California on Saturday, February 7th for a fun and sparkly day creating these romantic Gilded Valentine projects. Take one class or both!
We will provide snacks, drinks, and a light lunch. There might even be a surprise or two, as our very special Valentine to you... ;)
We will begin at 10:00 am with this gorgeous, romantic charm bracelet, absolutely loaded with buttons, beads, and bling. All class materials and tools will be provided. You will swoon at this class kit!
* SOLD OUT *
If your Christmas list is anything like ours, it remains a moving target until the very last moment...
As families get bigger, and friends get added to the guest list for dinner, there always seems to be a last-minute need for just one extra gift. If the extra gift is of the feminine variety... we just might have you covered!
This is a super-simple, last-minute, made from what's on hand, lovely gift that looks like it took forever! But these flowers are so easy that you could make two or three in varying sizes, and present a bouquet to your guest!
These were made from a piece of chocolate wool-blend with a metallic thread that gives a Wintery, tweedy look. They could be fashioned from any woven or even knit fabric. Try to imagine what your recipient would like, and look through your fabric stash or pile of old clothing waiting to be upcycled!
All you will need is a bit of fabric, some glue and a clip or pin-back. A sewing machine is optional, but it does make the process very quick.
Here is what we started with, although we ended up using different buttons for the centers, and we didn't use the metsallic floss :)
We cut our fabric into pieces:
2-1/4" x 18" (we will call these the narrow strips), and 3-3/4" x 18" (wide strips).
Fold your fabrics strips lengthwise and stitch along the long edge. You can use a straight or zig-zag stitch instead of an overlock. A light colored thread was used here so it would be easier to see. You can also glue if you do not wish to sew.
You will end up with 18" long "tubes" that are open on each end.
With sharp scissors, cut "fringe" along the fabric lengths. We cut the wider pieces slightly larger (5/16") than the more narrow ones (1/4"), as you can see in the photo.
You will simply roll and glue along the sewn edge, until you get the size flower you desire.
The flower on top is one length of the wider fabric, rolled and glued.
The flower on the left is two strips of the wider fabric, achieved by adding the second one to the end and continuing to roll and glue.
The flower on the right is two strips of the narrower fabric.
The flower on the bottom is one strip of the narrow, followed by one strip of the wider.
Two wide strips.
One narrow strip, one wide.
Two narrow strips.
Add a clip or pin to the back. You could also add a felt circle before attaching the clip.
Add an embellishment of your choice to the center of two of the flowers. The ones on the right don't seem to need anything in the center, so they would be the easiest of all to complete!
Think about using a second color fabric for the center strips for added dimension and interest.
In addition to pins and hairclips, use them on packaging, on stockings, on the tree, as napkin rings... the possibilities are endless!!
And, have yourself a Merry and stress-free Christmas!!
xoxo Debbie & Shea
We are so excited here at A Gilded Life Studio to invite you to our 1st Annual Holiday Open House, and to announce this year's studio Holiday Workshops!
It is always a special time for us when we are able to open the doors and celebrate our creative connections with all of you. We find ourselves busier and busier each year (who doesn't?), so the days when we get to visit and create with you become really precious memories for us.
We hope you can join us!
***This event is open to all, and free of charge. :)***
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And, here are the details on our Holiday workshops for this year... We are soooo looking forward to this!!
You can register two different ways:
One workshop @ $120.00 + tax
Both Workshops @ $210.00 + tax (save $30.00!)
***One small change... we will begin our day at 10:00am rather than 11:00am, which means we will finish up at 5:00pm***
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Sign up for BOTH classes. Save $30.00!!
Have you been thinking about registering for the Spellbound art retreat, but just cannot commit to the "full ride"?
Are you only able to attend portions of the event?
Are you dying to meet Jo Packham, Celeste Shaw, or one of our amazing instructors... and hang out with creative, supportive, like-minded women, if only for one day?
Well, we have some very exciting news to share with you!!
If you live in the Southern California area (or even if you don't!), and would like to attend for one day only, we now have a very limited number of Spellbound Day Passes available!!
Choose any two classes from those offered on the day of your choice, and we will include the meal scheduled for that day!!
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Friday Day Pass includes a boxed lunch and entrance to the evening Dreamland Mercantile.
Saturday Day Pass includes a sit-down luncheon in a gorgeous ballroom, and the option to attend the Up All Night Craft Party!
•Each Day Pass registration includes a custom flea market bag filled with amazing "swag"!!
•Add an extra class to your chosen day for an additional $95.00.
•Add the "Up All Night" craft party to your Saturday pass for an additional $50.00.
Please feel free to ask any questions by emailing us here.
The Spellbound Website has all of the info on teachers, classes, hotel and lots of other fun details.
To sign up, simply choose your preferred day, and fill in either the numbers or the names of the classes (and any extra events) you would like to attend with the buttons below, which will allow you to complete registration. We will build your schedule from our end and email you an itinerary!! Easy peasy!!
*Please note that there are a few Spellbound classes that have already sold out. Any class on the schedule that appears in a darker brown color than the rest is not available for purchase.*
**Very important! If your Paypal email address is different from the email you normally use, please be sure to include the correct one in the "notes to seller" section on the checkout page.
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Spellbound Day Pass (Friday or Saturday) Includes two classes and scheduled meal.
We have been so honored in our creative journey to have had the opportunity to meet and nuture friendships with some of the most amazingly talented women on the planet.
Women who have blazed trails in our industry, who have been heroines and inspirations to us as we make our way. Role models and kindred spirits.
Celeste Shaw and Ki Nassauer certainly fit into these categories, and we were so incredibly fortunate to get the chance to visit with them this Spring at Round Top Antique Week. Celeste is a true force of nature and the sweetest person ever. We are totally smitten with her. Ki is gentle, with a wise look and an un-erring eye. The doyenne of junking.
So imagine our absolute, unabashed GLEE when they both agreed to be our very special guests at Spellbound this November!! Pinch us ladies, because this is going to be fabulous!
Here is a little intro to these amazing women, and their stories.
Celeste
This is written by Celeste herself, for an article in Where Women Create:
I was born and raised in a Montana two dot town, where the west has an enduring impression on the people who have lived there or been raised in it's possession. It’s a place where the prairie meets the mountains, the mountains meet the sky, and the sky goes on forever. It’s the home of our legends, our heroes, and our outlaws. It’s our romanticized past and present.
My earliest memory of life with my grandmother Selma, a Montana homesteader, was waking to the mouth-watering aromas of baked bread and fried summer sausage.
Simultaneously, those smells embraced the delicious aroma of a freshly boiled cowboy coffee. Slabs of smoke-cured ham steak toyed with my tiny nostrils like a siren song. I would lie beneath fresh clothesline dried sheets and dissect the air for scents that could only come from the magic of her primitive kitchen. Chokecherry preserves, creamy thick gravy, mounds of fried potatoes seasoned just so with a crunchy outer crust, oatmeal to ‘die for’, uh huh-comfort food. So as a tribute to my sweet Selma, Chaps was built and created in a 1912 original farmhouse.
Everybody has his or her own idea of what constitutes a comfort food. More often than not, foods described as such are conjured from memories of past times and places that were safe and inviting, warm and friendly, loving and nurturing. It isn’t comfort food unless it offers you contentment thinking about it, as well as of the person who made it for you. The food is straightforward and unpretentious.
Real comfort food embraces all of our senses. The enchantment of preparing food, which brings solace, is mysterious. We are all vulnerable to the sweeping affection we have within our memories of a personal story or experience told through delicious recipes and charming reflections of eating and sharing. It teases our noses and seduces our eyes. Taste buds are in suspense, which in turn triggers emotions and memories. I love to listen to the sizzle of my favorite dishes in a griddle or the crunch of that first anticipated bite. Comfort food has the power to commence imagination and to transcend us through time.
But the real truth is that by the end of my very first day I knew, sitcom moments notwithstanding, that creating Chaps would become a love story, and it has. I love it.
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Ki
As the original "junk lady," Ki has been dubbed the "Martha Stewart of vintage" and "America's most famous junker" in extensive media coverage, including a 2012 story and video in the Wall Street Journal. Since 1999, Ki has crafted a career out of junk. She scours flea markets, salvage yards and the occasional street-side pile of cast-offs for raw materials used to create tastefully inventive furniture and beautiful decorative accessories.
Ki was one of the first to realize the potential revenue possibilities of converting junk into cool stuff. After her "test" garage sale grossed $11,000, she founded JunkMarket, operating monthly sales that attracted thousands. With near immediacy, she became a national celebrity with a loyal base of like-minded fans.
What followed were a series of successes that included co-authoring Decorating JunkMarket Style and Junk Beautiful, Room by Room Makeovers; a regular column in Country Home magazine; guest spots on HGTV and the TODAY show and hundreds of public appearances nationwide.
Ki produces Junk Bonanza, the bi-annual shopping extravaganza held in Minnesota that attracts more that 12,000 avid vintage lovers. The three-day event showcases wares from more than 140 hand-picked dealers nationwide who must pass muster for the juried junk show.
Ki is editor in chief of Flea Market Style and Flea Market Style Weddings for Harris Publications. Both titles chronicle the beauty and utility of the vintage-inspired life. Each issue draws on her deep network of national vintage dealers, artisans and junk aficionados to showcase the best in how-to projects, décor and design and shopping for fans of the repurposed.
Ki's latest endeavor, FleaQuest, is up and running, and fulfills her longtime vision for a comprehensive nationwide online directory of the best vintage sales, antiques shops, flea markets, antique shows and architectural salvage centers.
Born and raised in Minnesota and now living in Los Angeles, Ki is a proud mother and friend to her two grown children. When she's not junking, she can be found hanging at the local taco joint with her kids or spending time at the barn riding her horse named Shameless.
Ki has enjoyed every step along the hike to the top of the junk pile and she preaches the gospel of junk through consulting, public appearances, interviews and magazine signings. She is happily committed to ensuring that repurposing remains sustainable, functional- and always fun!
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For a chance to meet Celeste and Ki, and hear more about their creative lives, please join us in November at the stunning Langham-Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California for Spellbound 3... create your dreams!!
xoxo Debbie & Shea
Wow!!
Registration for "Spellbound 3" is definitely in full swing! We are so grateful for the amazing response... this is going to be a very exciting year, with lots of surprises... :)
A Gilded Life presents Spellbound 3
Classes are filling up fast, so be sure to lock in your dream schedule soon...
So many wonderful choices!
Beautiful and inspiring...
We cannot tell you how much we love this dream-team of lovely, talented instructors, and how honored we feel to be working with each and every one of them.
Stay tuned for some exciting announcements... we sincerely hope you can join us in Pasadena this November for Spellbound at the fabulous Langham-Huntington Hotel... it is going to be fantastic!
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Questions? Most of them will be answered here and here. More questions? Feel free to message us on Facebook, or drop us an email.
Have a wonderful Sunday!!
