Spool Story workshop

Last Saturday, was Carol Wingert's "Spool Story" workshop.  Patty Fleming and her husband opened up their beautiful home for 16 of us to participate in this workshop.  Carol always creates wonderful projects.  She fills some kind of large container for each of us and decorates it.  Inside we find a treasure chest of fabric, trinkets, ribbon, trims, and the bits and pieces to complete the entire project.  These workshops are great fun!

Each one of us found our own special box with a lollipop flower on top and a fabric name tag.  Carol always packages up many treasures inside each box for our projects.

There was a burlap bag inside full of French ribbons and trims.  You can see some of my completed pieces on the right.

A bundle of beautiful fabric pieces ranging from canvas, to cottons, to silks!  The parcel contains some rubons, labels and bits of wire for the project.

Here you can see my spool that is awaiting my finished strip of squares.  You also see more trims and stuff that came in those two brown envelopes.

The inside of the box has black and white gingham fabric lining.  You can see the metal top that goes on the spool, makings for a tiny nest, and the strip to attach all the little squares for the story.  In the bag is a pocket watch that we can fill with a small collage and attach to our finished spool.

Late in the afternoon, Patty prepared a selection of desserts for all of us.  She made these cute teacups that held two of the most scrumptious chocolate chip cookies!  Isn't this just the cutest thing?  Patty made enough for every one of us!  How special!  How wonderful!

A wonderful time was had by all!  Thanks to Carol, Vern and Ashley Wingert for all the prep work!  And thanks to Patty and her hubby for opening their beautiful home to all of us, for cooking the most scrumptious foods (the gumbo was fantastic!), and for being such welcoming and delightful hosts!

Bon Voyage Workshop

Carol and her family did a wonderful job with the Bon Voyage workshop on Saturday!  I had a great time!  My book isn't finished, but I will get it done shortly.  Will be sharing pages with you as I go along.  But for now, here are some pics of what all of us found when we met a Carol's house for the workshop.

Each one of us had our place settings at the tables set up inside for the workshop.  There was a packet of papers, paper for the book, a black tin carry all full of bits and bobs and wonderful things, a packet of fabrics, a small paper bag full of small bits to use in decorating our pages, and that cute mini clipboard decorated with a flower, tickets and our name!

We were inside instead of outdoors since the weather turned hot on us.  However, it wasn't so bad because Carol's back yard is full of plants, a fish pond and lots of trees.  Really nice to be able to eat outdoors!

Here's Carol explaining directions and showing her Bon Voyage travel book.

The first thing we did was have breakfast!  Two very tasty casserole dishes, coffee cake, scones, and plenty of coffee or tea.  Note the great decorations on the table!  Loved the pink rinucculas on the table and the tiny ferns in the numbered buckets.

The other half of the table decorations.

Lunch!!  Five cheese macaroni, pork roast, chicken cordon bleu, deviled eggs, Greek salad, Caesar salad and bread.  We did work on our travel books between these delicious meals!!!  Honestly!!!

Here's the group for a picture toward the end of the workshop day.  There was also a great dessert table for us towards the end of the day.  Pudding, fresh fruit with real whipped cream, and fat chocolate chip cookies.  The pond in front of the group had beautiful fish in it swimming around.  Lovely day!  Lovely workshop ladies!  And a great workshop!

Thanks Carol!  Thanks Ashley -- you're a great cook!  Loved every bite!!  Thanks Vern for sharing your home, telling me all about your huge fish tank and the fish that occupy it, and for taking pictures!!

Next Saturday . . . .

I will be attending a very special event/workshop led by Carol Wingert.  It is called "Bon Voyage An Heirloom Boutique Event/Workshop" to be held at her home.  This wonderful invitation came in the mail on Friday.

Artwork by Carol Wingert

I signed up for this event a couple of months ago after I had ran into Carol while she was shopping in my booth at Merchant Square.  She told me all about it.  And since the first workshop was filled, she decided to open a second one.  I knew right then I would sign up and attend.

Artwork by Carol Wingert

Tucked inside this Passport were all the details about the event, where it is located, what to wear because we will be inside and outdoors as well, what supplies to bring along, and special places to shop since a lot of attendees are coming from outside the area!  I am so excited!!

Photo and artwork by Carol Wingert

Please visit her Creatologie blog here to see more about this event.  Since the workshop is full, you can order a kit to make your very own Bon Voyage Heirloom Collection VII album.  Check it out!!

Romantic Gothic Ghosts

I have joined the Romantic Gothic Ghosts workshop/tutorial that Karla Nathan and Beth Lientz have put online.  There is a badge on the right side of my blog that will take you right to the sign up page of the workshop.  There's more information and photos there for you to see what the workshop is all about.

I have been working a bit on some of the treasures in this workshop.  But most are in progress and not done yet.  However, I can share this one with you.

I had cut this little lady out for another project, but she was too small.  This size, however, was perfect for this vintage flower frog that was on my desk.  So I added "It was a dark and stormy night.." to it and it is finished.  I think these flower frogs are a cool way to display pictures, tags, or whatever!!  Great idea for a place card at a garden party.

Here's another one I did with a flower frog:

I took apart an old altered book I did years ago in beeswax.  It was drying out anyway.  So I stuck the image of these two Indian women in the flower frog along with the saying "The Earth is our Mother.  She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us...."  I like that!

Cleaning out the stash!!  I have had these spools of trims for quite some time.  The only new addition is the ecru lace, second from the right (thanks to Kim Thomas of Sweet Sage Vintage).  I have used some of these trims, but now feel it is time to let it all go.  The three on the left are stiff netting with fuzzy flowers or dots (like dotted swiss).  The one on the right is lavender tulle.  All are going into my booth at Merchant Square in a few days -- including the decorated flower frogs.

Have also spent some time in the garage today putting resin on sheet music and old letters (learned in my class with Ruth Rae at Art Unraveled last August).  Going to use these in future projects.  However, until they dry (sometime tomorrow) I don't know if I will be happy with the results.  Awfully shiny right now!  But it is still tacky.  Will share with you soon what I hope to do with the sheet music.  Here's a hint!

Pottery Barn catalog picture

November 2010 catalog

"Give Thanks"

I LOVE Pottery Barn!  I devour their catalog every time it arrives in the mail box.  Every time I walk in their store at the Chandler Mall, I want to toss out all my old furniture and replace every bit with items in the store!  But, who can afford to do that??  Really!!??  Anyway, the sheet music I put resin on today is in preparation for a project that jumped to mind after studying these candles.  You'll have to check back in a few days to see the outcome!!