Spellbound: The Event

Spellbound, a Gilded Life Event was held in November 2012 in The Langham Hotel in Pasadena California. I will not go on about how opulent it was, I'll just post some pictures and you deduce what you will.

The Langham Hotel was truly the perfect setting for a Shea and Debbie event...

 

The property is smack dab in an old Pasadena neighborhood through which I took a quiet walk whilst California showed off its weather.

The name tag. Yep, name tag..

Welcome dinner make and take was this sweet pouch.

Here with my Kaari class bracelet and the goodie bag. Yep, bag...

Place setting for lunch...

My necklace from class with JoAnna Pierotti...

Stitching goodies from Pam Garrison.

My project which will become a journal cover rather than a wall hanging...



My Kristen Robinson project is unfinished. I was having a hard time soldering that day but the bracelet project is beautiful with lots of nice components she supplied.

Michele Muska. Oh what a lovely surprise she was.

I made the ladies a little mix {tape} as a gift...

The plan is to hold second annual Spellbound Event November 2013.

Chances are quite good I will not be able to resist...

Spellbound: French General

It had been a year and a half since I attended an art retreat. The last one was shortly after mother died and I amazed myself with the good time I had. Of course it was about the people, the place, the projects and activities. And food...
It was Art of Spring at the Church in Dallas hosted by Debbie and Shea of The Gilded Life.

I had decided to choose one event per year because you can't go to everything but I always want to. I kinda didn't want to do another Gilded retreat simply to change it up. But I chose their event again because it is a sure thing, it will be good, it will be worth the money and it will be low stress because they think of everything. So I chose Spellbound...

The night before Spellbound, held in Pasadena, California, was a Soiree at French General hosted by Kaari Meng. I have a love affair with Kaari, well, it's just me involved but I think she'll come around.

I always go to Kaari's classes for the following reasons:

1.   French General products and quality are second to none.

2.   She is friendly, funny, engaging and a calm teacher.

3.   Nothing is required. all the tools and components are there.

4.   You will walk away with a completed project that is usable and high quality.

5.   Also I love Kaari.

It was a delight to be in her Riverside, California brick and mortar store...

I couldn't even look at the Wall of Beads in Jars for about an hour and a half.

 

Make and takes.

What I bought.

The class I took with Kaari at the Spellbound event itself, her Bijou bracelet. 

Over 70 beads and charms.

See what I mean?

 

Sweet postcard make and take of French General for Jolee's Boutique.

Dee-lish my sweet sweet Kaari...

I alway act like such a goofball around her...and also everybody.

 

Must Make Pretty Things

My last post was about the 'r' word. Please read it if you have not. If you did read it, thank you. If you read it and commented, thank you, thank you. If you read it, commented, admitted you had used this word and will rethink use of it, I am deeply touched by your candor. If you said you would talk to your children about use of this and other words, then you have changed the world.

We changed the world.

Life has lots of ugliness built in to it. There is pain, sadness and ugliness. This is why we make pretty things, isn't it? In God's image, we create beautiful, interesting things, driven to do so.

On my return from Silver Bella, I had only unfinished projects. I was impressed that Jackie Peters decided to finish a project daily and post about each all week on her blog. She is so driven, efficient and productive. It feels good to produce. It feels good to make something pretty. It is very important. This is often called craft. 'Crafting' is starting to sound like a bad thing. Arts and Crafts, art vs. craft. Craft used to mean a lifetime's work, a honed skill. A craftsman. What if it is the work of a woman's hands? Creating and producing, making beautiful things. Calming herself, restoring her soul.

I have had some drive amidst the knit, knit, knitting I have been doing to get on with the projects from Silver Bella. One was Teresa McFayden's group project called Art Sisters. It was to be 2 x2 inch squares set in a frame. I found it very difficult to get much done on site. Also, if I make something, I need some incubation time to figure out what I would actually want hanging around my house. I do try to edit. Some people have no such obstacles and busted out some astounding things. This from Karla Nathan, a fully decorated frame. !

  

Danielle Muller. Oh Danielle. Look how gorgeous this is. And complete. How do people do that? It creates a little competitiveness in me. It also gives that negative voice something to work with. Mostly, however, it is like watching an athlete perform the unbelievable, it inspires me.

I love Danielle's quiet and lovely piece. Also, Danielle is cute all over.

I decided to take the Art Sisters chunks I did complete and combine them with my Junque Journal swap. Sheila Rumney completed the front and gave us the back of the journal covered in music.

I added my Art Sisters to the very back journal cover.

I added the remaining project contents and intructions to the inside face of the back cover. I intend to build the journal from my swap packages.

While I did not take the Kaari Meng necklace class, I purchased the kit. I had some time one late afternoon recently. I rarely work in our library but the afternoon sun called me to this spot and I worked from here.

Here is my necklace and it is fabulous.

From left over pieces, I made these earrings.

I found a beautiful place to sit. I am grateful to have a beautiful safe place to sit. I create beautiful things. Thank you hands, grateful for time.

Grateful for this blog.

Thank you dear reader. I feel inspired by you and these beautiful things.

The Silver and Gold in Silver Bella

My last post Best Me? was such a catharsis. Thank you very much for reading it. Thank you very much for connecting with it. The bare naked truth is so very healing. I am feeling really good just saying out loud my truth that I thought I would be different than I am. I imagined some serene, content, wise woman might emerge as I grew up, but I got me instead. I am always trying to embrace the present and love the flaws, work through this and feel that. I now have to just accept that I am the kind of person that, with an embarrassment of riches in health, love,  prosperity and friends, I still whine and complain about my life. Thank you for letting me. This year has been an invaluable crucible for growth. This blog has been an essential record of it.

I want to show you the completed 'Best Me' necklace from my Sally Jean Alexander class. Kinda messy. Don't quite know what you are looking at. Beautiful. Asymmetrical. I think it is me.

One Silver Bella project completed. What a wonderful one. It means so much to me. Next, I put my efforts into completing my Josephine's Jewels bracelet from French General.

When working on this I asked Kaari whether I should put some of the charms on one side, half on the other. She said she likes to put them all facing the same direction on one side in case she wants to add ribbon and wear it as a necklace...! Never thought of that. I have taken several classes of hers and done many kits and yet she still teaches me such subtle and brilliant things. A mark of a generous artist and teacher.

Thank you Kaari. It is another delicious piece.

Here is a gift I had for Kaari to show my appreciate for her attention and creations.

A knitted corsage, just like the one Jemellia and I each have.

And thank you Silver Bella for the mirror that is you.



Been Menging to Mention

It was Jemellia that turned me on to The French General. Word of mouth certainly grows businesses. We took a class from Kaari Meng at Silver Bella last November. What a respite in the frenetic, over-stimulating and under-fed environment that is Silver Bella. Kaari provides everything for the class which is so nice not to lug around all your gear, much less dig through it. Or the thing I really am uncomfortable with-all that stuff everywhere, covering the tables, scattered about the floor.

I love to look at other people's treasures to be sure, but Kaari's class is a wonderful negative space filled with serenity. And...Kaari does this demonstration of how to operate a jump ring that is akin to ballet.

We made lovely charm bracelets and were charmed by the lovely Ms. Meng. I was hooked.

This spring, Kaari did a give-away asking for a memory involving that blue. I wrote my story about getting my picture made in a blue velvet dress, the fabric of which I can still remember the exact texture of. I am forever smitten with that color.

Kaari selected my memory and sent me a bracelet kit I recently finished. She told me my story had evoked a memory of standing by her father wearing her Mary Janes and white socks. She had to have each anklet at the exact same height as the other. So dear.

Another beautiful bracelet. Again, thank you so much Kaari Meng...

Earlier this year Jemellia and I went to Dallas for a Private Kaari Meng Event at Shea Fragoso and Debbie Murray's church. This necklace is an amalgam of what the Gilded Life ladies and Ms. Meng do and do so well.

I had to miss the Mary Englebreit event due to caring for my mother. Jemellia and my stand-in Shelley went. I really appreciated Shelley stepping up and taking my spot. I was blue that weekend to miss out. But of course Jemellia gifted me a kit and a book from Kaari.

Kaari even sent class kits to me. I was quite overwhelmed with the generosity. Quite. This is why I can't quit her. Neither Kaari nor Jemellia...

I have been completing a few of my French General kits lately.

Each includes vintage charms and beads making the kits limited in availability.

The product is always heavier and richer than you see in pictures.

Better than expected. Isn't that nice?

And rare? Well, that describes Kaari Meng...