What Happens Next

Spend a Day Being "Spellbound"!

 

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, 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 two classes for 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 Dreamland Mercantile.

Saturday includes a sit-down luncheon in a gorgeous ballroom.

•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.

•Buy an "a la carte" ticket to the Dreamland Mercantile for $35.00. (This is for anyone not attending classes on Friday.)

•Add the "Up All Night" craft party to your Saturday pass for an additional $50.00.

•Buy a trip on a luxury bus to the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday for $20.00. (Admission to the marketplace is not included.)

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 yummy details. For a peek at how much fun we had last year, take a look here!  

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 several Spellbound classes that have 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.

Day

Friday 10/8 $295.00 USD Saturday 10/9 $295.00 USD

Class #1

Class #2

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Extra Class (Friday or Saturday)

Day

Friday 11/8 $95.00 Saturday 11/9 $95.00

Class Code #1

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"Dreamland" Mercantile Ticket  (Friday Evening 6:30-10pm))

"Up All Night" Craft Party  (Saturday Evening 8pm-12am))

Rose Bowl Flea Market Luxury Bus Ride  (Sunday) You will be driven from the Langham-Huntington Hotel to the front gates of the Rose Bowl. Your bus ticket does not include a pass into the flea market, although we will have discounted tickets available on-site.

Buses leave the hotel at 7:30 and 8:30 am, and return at 1:30 and 2:30 pm.

And, last but certainly not least!! The fabulous Stacey Caron and her team from Spellbinders Paper Arts® are hosting this year's "Pre-Event Soiree" at our brand new A Gilded Life studio!! This soiree is only open to Spellbound attendees, and everyone, including "Day Pass" attendees, are invited! It will be a wonderful evening including yummy food, signature drinks, make-and-takes, and giveaways!!

We sincerely hope to see you in November!!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

What Stella Wore ~ Boho Embellished Jeans

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

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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 ~ The Gilded Girls

 

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

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

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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

 

What Stella Wore ~ Velvet Shamrock Headband

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

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In the midst of an incredibly busy week... we are launching registration for Spellbound 2013 this coming Monday... we made time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Since it falls on the weekend this year, the schools are enjoying their festivities today.

Green is not high on Stella's list of preferred colors to wear, but she was excited about the idea of a velvet shamrock headband paired with a pink smock!

 

Throw in a pair of skinny jeans and pink metallic leather flip-flops, and you have the perfect Friday "not-too-dressy" "not too casual" outfit!

 

The headband was so simple to make! I covered a plain metal band with green ribbon by wrapping it and gluing the ends.

 

Using two similar colors of velvet, I simply cut shamrock shapes in two different sizes, seven in all.

Taking a stitch in the center of each shape creates a ruffled, realistic look to the petals. Then I simply glued them close together onto the band and put a chaton rose rhinestone in the centers.

 

Viola! Our ode to St. Patrick's Day in less than an hour! Perhaps all the girls in our family will be wearing one of these on Sunday... :)

Have a festive, fantastic weekend!!

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Pink Smock/Dress ~ H & M

Skinny Jeans ~ H & M

Pink Sandals ~ Downtown Los Angeles Fashion District

 

 

Spellbound 2 ~ The New Dream Team

 

This is a very happy day!

Planning is in full swing for the second edition of "Spellbound ~ create your dreams"! We are now gathering the projects at our studio for photography. They are spectacular, and we cannot wait to share them with you, but that will take a few more days to accomplish...

Today we are incredibly happy to announce the teaching staff for this event, and we are sure you will agree that this is an absolutely amazing lineup of talent joining us as instructors for 2013! We are seriously a bit giddy with all the excitement, and with the quality of the work they are bringing to share with all of us!!

 

Kaari Meng

Kristen Robinson

JoAnna Pierotti

Terri Brush

Pamela Huntington

Cathe Holden

Debbie Murray & Shea Fragoso

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My goodness! We are wondering how you will ever choose your favorite classes!!

Please be sure follow our website SpellboundEvent.com for all of the lastest updates and detailed information... and to register beginning March 15th! 

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

What Stella Wore ~ A Valentine Coat

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

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Valentine's Day. Poignant and heartfelt when there are littles in the house.

Such a flurry of activity to get cards and goody bags and teacher gifts together for two rather large classrooms. So much self-imposed pressure to be fabulous and organized and generous.

And... then this. The real deal. The true meaning. A Valentine personified.

 

Stella is still in pre-school. Unlike her brother, she can choose to go or not. Most days she goes for the sheer love of the experience. She is well cared-for and nutured there, and she dearly loves it.

But then there are the days that belong to us. Three generations of girls, stealing time in the middle of the week to celebrate the enormous gift of each other.

Stella recently got this dress at H & M. All of the profits went to Unicef, and we loved the idea of that.

And, even though this is Southern California and most days even in February are warm and pleasant in the afternoon, there is still a chill in the air in the early hours as well as the evenings. 

 

A coat was in order. I have daydreamed about this coat for awhile, although I knew there would be many hours of handwork involved, and time is always the struggle when special projects are involved.

This past week, the time finally arrived. 

The coat itself is a basic, classic shape, sewn in ivory fleece with a satin lining. Stella has inherited a slight allergy to 100% wool, so a good quality fleece substituted quite nicely.

The embellishments were chosen with Valentine's Day in mind, although there are no hearts. 

 

Hand sewing is like prayer for me; a meditation on love and comfort and relationships. The luxury of time spent stitching something special for a precious child, adding memories with every thread.

A coat seems especially appropriate. Creating warmth and softness... hoping that she will feel wrapped in love and know how much of a treasure she is to me.

 

A twirl in the park is always a must. It's how Stella likes to test-drive a new outfit...

 

 

She seems pleased.

 

 

A velvety millinery flower and palest pink rumpled seam binding. Our favorite tarnished silver lace trim.

 

 

Large lace medallions, painstakingly sewn around the major details with metallic silver thread, and then cut away in the center.

 

 

Pink leaves, cut from a piece of lace and appliqued on. Rosebuds created from 100% wool felt, dyed the palest pink and hand-formed. Pink beaded leaf details.

 

 

We are not afraid to sit in the leaves. Nothing is too precious to be truly lived in.

 

 

It all brushes off nicely, ready to leave the park and head to a special Valentine's Day girls-only luncheon.

Where we will feel the love, and the comfort, and the threads that stitch our lives together so beautifully. We are blessed.

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Dress ~ H & M

Boots ~ Baby Gap

Tarnished Silver Lace - The Gilded Girls™

 

 

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 ~ Sequined Sea Maiden

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

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In the early morning calm and solitude of the Pacific, if you are very quiet and believe with all your heart, you just might catch a glimpse of a tiny Sea Maiden who has come ashore for a brief moment.

Especially if she has just had a birthday, and would like to wear her handmade dress one more time...

 

A vision in sparkly tiers and flowing fringes, stitched together to evoke the romance of the sea.

 

She is that rarest of maidens... one who began in the imagination as a mermaid, and then evolved in the making from costume to couture.

A Sea Maiden. An Ocean Princess.

 

This seems more fitting, somehow. An ethereal confection that adapts to it's surroundings.

 

Row upon row of iridescent sequins on an organza background. 

Layer upon layer of fringe for movement and to evoke a dreamy underwater feel.

Cascades of pink flowers and golden beaded anenomes hand-stitched under the fringes.

 

Seam binding ribbon ties instead of a zipper to keep it dreamy.

 

Every Sea Maiden needs a crown of beaded starfish.

 

Alas, her time ashore is fleeting, and she must return to that special place in the heart... that place where dreams and memories reside. She may indeed appear again as the Sea Maiden, but nothing is guaranteed so I will cherish these moments of watching her frolic on the sand in her party dress.

Happy Birthday, Stella! You are truly an inspiring muse, and I look forward to everything that this new year has in store for you. xoxo