A Visit to Andrea's AMAZING Home

I bet that EYE CANDY caught your attention!!!!  This is the studio of my friend Andrea of Freckled Star Blog. Be sure to click on the blue links to go visit the girls & see their blogs as you will be hooked on all the goodies you find there.  Andrea is an AMAZING, TALENTED, FUN friend that I have been blessed to know for years. We first met through Kim Caldwell & her fun filled EVENTS but, through time we have been together in many classes, Antique Fairs & this June I was invited to a class by Robin Dudley Howes which was held in Andrea's AMAZING home.  I didn't even take many photos of the project or any of our finished work because I was so OVERWHELMED at the beauty of Andrea's home/studio.  Maybe I have studio lust since I STILL don't have a studio.  But, what beauty... Let's go peek.

 Andrea LOVES Dollies & has MANY different one to look at.  Here are just a few.

The ones below were made in a class by my talented friend Diana Frey.  Nice job Andrea!

And I think the bird necklace is a Sally Jean class.  I need to try that one as it's really pretty!

She has such a knack of display.  Don't you love the garland of gloves?

A Ruth Rae piece to show off...  I think I was with her at a class in Kim's home when she bought this beauty.  It was the first time Andrea had used a sewing machine & I will tell you that girl made that machine FLY!!!! Finished her piece in class!  I was impressed.

How sweet is the window covering below... vintage baby slips?

 More views of "STUFF" in her room.  Like me, I think she has enough paper.  My friend Jo Ann & I always end up buying paper but, do we use it?  NO!
We live by the belief that the one with the most paper wins!

In her guest bathroom her displays of perfume bottles, soaps, goodies abound.  And MOUSE TRAPS anyone?  Have you ever seen cuter ones?

 Let's move on to a few more rooms in the house.  Each one cuter than the next.  Now anyone who knows me knows I am a beach girl & so is Andrea.  Her displays speak to my heart!  LOVE the starfish tree.

The "P A R I S" bottles are 2 Die 4!

The mantle in the family room.  

The jewlery nook in the corner of her bedroom... Oh she had some treasures there!!!!

This little beauty above was sitting on her dresser.  A suitcase with the side cut out, a mermaid scene & fish inside.  BE STILL MY HEART!!!! Angela I MUST have one!  And last but, not least look at her little reading nook in her room.  LOVE the saying... You have my whole heart for my whole life... SWEET!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into Andrea's special world.  I feel blessed to have been invited & thank her for her hospitality & sharing.  

I have been away from Blogland for such a long while with the move/remodel & last week I posted for the first time in months.  I hope that you will come back & make it a habit to visit as I want to visit many blogs each week because I have missed Blogging.  Andrea did a post a few weeks back about blogging & Face Book.  I think each have their own special place & I would hate to see Blogs disappear altogether because FB is eaiser! What do you think?  IF you stop to visit please comment & let me know you were here.  But, even if the comments are few I keep reminding myself that my blog is a place for ME!  A place for me  to share but, most of all it's my journal of my life & I will keep it up no matter what until I decide it's time to stop.  If you're here... thank you for stopping & visiting.  I hope you enjoy what I have to share.  Have a beautiful week!  HUGS!

Diana Frey’s Queens Ransom Class

While out in California for Vacation (previous post begins the story) I was blessed to join some gal pals for Diana’s “Queen’s Ransom Class” which just knocked my socks off!

You're  looking at the class samples in these photos. 

Stunning aren’t they?

Diana ROCKS as a teacher & is an amazing friend.  I was so blessed to spend the class time learning & to have one on one “FRIEND" TIME”.  I was with her when she chose her new puppy Olive Rose & it was so much fun watching her excitement.  Almost like a a “New Mom” when she talks about her newborn baby… So sweet!

Here is the focal points of my finished piece.  I am so proud.   I LOVE how it turned out.  It did turn out like I had hoped.  Often in a class the piece talks to you or takes a different path (design/color/components) than you had originally thought.  But, this piece was JUST WHAT I WANTED!  I love that Diana taught us to make the cross.  We cut it out of metal & then embellished it.  I used a typewriter key with my initial for fun.  We used a torch to solder all those elements onto the necklace.  WHAT A GREAT CLASS!

I used some chain that sweet Cindy had & wanted to share but, while out in California, Vickie & I went to the Pasadena Bead Show & I bought some beautiful chain that I want to switch out for.   Cindy’s piece is stunning & I wish I had some photos but, we didn’t get that done while there.  She used PINK in hers & it is so pretty.

Here’s Sandy's.  It turned out so pretty!  She used a number of really pretty vintage elements in her design.

WOW! Vickie’s placemat was really orange with that flash… sorry but, this shows some of the detail.  And Sandy is an orange girl…. (see her headband in the previous post).

Now, if you can’t get away to take one of these amazing classes in Diana’s studio then you’re in luck because she just announced her first Online Class.  Click HERE to visit the link for more information.

Stunning Pieces will be taught!    Hurry over to see her & tell her Charlene sent you. 
Off to work with the contractors… After we returned home from our RELAXING   FUN  BEAUTIFUL   COOL Vacation… We jumped into a MAJOR Master Bathroom & Master Closet REDO!  It’s been a week of MESS & UPSET!  I’m tired of living with my entire closet strewn all over the guest room & living room sofa/love seat.  And the bottles of lotions, potions & other bathroom goodies strewn on the dinning room table… Oh how I wish I was back in California looking at this…..
 
Just me…………. California Dream’n on another HOT TEXAS DAY!
HUGS! Charlene

Diana Frey’s Briar Rose Class

For the Briar Rose Class you could do a piece of free standing art like Diana’s EXAMPLE above or…

a necklace like her example here.

The concept is to build your box & then design the dress of Briar Rose which in encapsulated in the box.  Above is mine in the process.  Don’t you adore that paper?  My friend Vickie had printed it on some really cool paper with amazing texture.  Below is my dress. IT IS HARD TO WORK IN SUCH A SMALL SCALE!

But, it was fun too.  I’ll show you a few more pretty frocks made in class. 

Brigitte is shown holding her beautiful blue gown.  And Terry’s little green “Beach Girl” is so cute.  To the right is my buddy Vickie’s pretty creamy creation.

My friend Diana Salvucci’s amazing creation(sorry it’s a tiny bit fuzzy)is so detailed.  Look at the ribbon embroidery she did & the beads… Oh the details & believe me it is HARD to work in this scale.  I borrowed the photos below from Diana.  They are the finished pieces from that day.  Well, as finished as we could get that day… MORE UNFINISHED PROJECTS!!!!  Now I need to create the necklace part of Birthday Rose so I can wear her & remember this day each time I do.

From left to right:  Jan Petek, Diana Salvucci-Smith, Julie Strohlman, Charlene Gray

From left to right:  Jody Cottrell, Vickie Orlando, Sandy Navarro, Cecelia Alvarado, Terry San Filippo, Brigitte Willse

When you are at Diana's… YOU KNOW you are in an Artist’s Studio

She is an amazing teacher & she gives her WHOLE HEART!!!!!   Tomorrow’s agenda… Remnants of the Past Antique Show.  But, as for this day… THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY!!! Surrounded by creating & friends… THANK YOU!!!!
HUGS! Charlene

Happy Birthday To Me!

Hubby surprised me (with a little help from my gal pal Sandy) with a QUICK TRIP to California to attend Diana Frey’s Petite Retreat.  My birthday is Friday & I will be in her studio making that amazing necklace above.  I have always loved it & wished for it whenever I visit her.   So, he’s staying home to puppy sit (& work while I go out to create).  THANK YOU HONEY BUNNY I’M A LUCKY GIRL!!!!

Then on Saturday we will all go to Remnants of the Past Antique Faire (click on the blue links to visit)located at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.  IT IS A BIG DEAL in California & I am very excited to get to go (another dream come true).  Gal pal Joy Campbell (see previous posts) & new buddy Vickie Orlando will be coming too (Vickie is in the class at Diana’s all weekend/we met at Kim Caldwell’s Event Affaire at Tiffany’s earlier this month).  And the cherry on top of the treat… our buddy Cynthia (who is featured often when I’m in California as she loves to play “tour guide”) will drive up from LA for the day to join us.  HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!! SHOPPING WITH YOUR BUDDIES!
 
Sunday will be a class for this little jewel.  We can do it as a necklace or an Art Piece. ????? Not sure which I will do.  I know Sandy is doing one like the piece above but, I don’t know that I need anything else sitting around… I’ll see where the mood takes me.  So, have a great weekend & stay tuned for more tales… Darn, I haven’t even had time to finish posting about the last trip 3 weeks ago.  I could have/have had worse problems. 
HUGS! Charlene

A Charming Romance Class

I can tell you that the bracelet above (which is the class sample) didn’t happen in just 2 days! This bracelet belongs to Diana Frey (one of our two instructors). I have just spent the last 2 days learning soooooooooooo many techniques with Diana & Riki Schumacher. Friday Sandy, Joy & I headed to San Luis Obispo for two days of fun & creativity. EACH charm takes a lot of time to create.

Day one had Riki showing us the magic of PMC Silver Clay. The entire morning was spent with demo’s on etching metal & PMC Silver Clay. The entire afternoon was spent making out charms. Rolling the precious metal clay out & stamping the different patterns into the wet clay. Or using molds that we created (from objects that we had with us) or using one of Riki & Diana’s many molds. Everything went into the kiln for two & a half hours of HOT firing.

New tools to learn… I had seen photos of a metal saw but, the thought made me shutter. Riki made it look easy as pie! Did I do this? NO! But, I did try many different tools.

Next up… Diana showed us so many connection ideas that we were just amazed at all the choices. Rivets, screws, nails & many other new things to try.

Above is just a couple of examples. I’m sorry my photos are really not great but, most of them were taken for remembering techniques not beautiful blog photos. But, I wanted to share all the fun things we learned. Don’t you love the variety there? I LOVE the square piece that has a vintage watch face sandwiched between the 2 etched layers. I soooooooooo want to do that too.

Joy really was on a roll & actually got many of the charms she made onto her bracelet (above). Also, you can see a collection of many of all the students piecesl put together for a group photo. Some of the items were the etched sheets, cut out whether in a circle or a square, some sandwiched together, PMC charms layered onto the etched piece or just stand alone. A heart with a bale made from a 16 gauge wire, hammered into a paddle shape bent & secured through another heart with a long screw, a German porcelain doll head drilled with a diamond tip bit… the learning went on & on. Truly feeding the artful soul.

After all of this… I kind of think Maddie had the right idea…

My bed is calling my name & there is another full day of fun ahead tomorrow.

HUGS! Charlene