What Happens Next

Sequin Glitter Now in Stock!

 

After much anticipation, and more than a little toe-tapping, we are oh-so-happy to announce that we are now the proud purveyors of sparkly sequin glitter in 12 beautiful colors!

Chunky, vintage-y, lovely. We are crazy about this glitter, and we anticipate using copious amounts of it for all of our Spring projects...

Packaged in a generous 10-dram glass vial.

 

The three colors marked with an asterisk * are all iridescent.

Fairy Dust* is the very palest shade of transparent baby blue. Crystaline is clear, and Opaline* is a milky iridescent.

Opaline can be added to any color to create "iridescence". Ratio is approximately 4-1 for a super-sparkly look!

$8.50 each

Color

Mermaid Fairydust * Platinum Tarnished Silver Lilac Espresso

Color

Crystaline Opaline * Vintage Rose * Garnet Sun Kissed Spun Gold

*If you are a current member of the Gilded Girls Stash Society, please leave a note on your order telling us whether to hold until your March shipment. Annnnd... if you are a member, you might not want to order Fairy Dust. Just sayin'. :)

The Sweetest Valentines

 

It was a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday. Spending the evening with the grandbabies, making their favorite dinner of corn chowder and raspberry sorbet. Playing, reading, snuggling.

Just perfect.

 

The wonderful surprise of these gorgeous roses found earlier in the day at... Target!!

 

Some pre-Valentine inspiration found on Pinterest led to these...

Shea and I put together lots of handmade valentines for the little ones to take to school and exchange. I had to keep this one for myself, tucked into a favorite frame.

My sweet girl.

 

And this one for the boy. Rough and tumble, sweet, and filled with a fragile bravado. It seemed fitting to perch one on the deck of his beloved Lego pirate ship.

Link to original here.

 

These are truly the tender years. Pure energy and unabashed joy. And noise. Lots of noise. But oh, those sweet baby kisses.

It's good to be in love. xoxo

Stash Society ~ "The Sweet Life" February 2012

 

Once again, we find ourselves waiting, waiting.... for those last few items that have not yet arrived at our studio. Could it be that we moved suites within our building this past week, and the UPS guy cannot find us?!?

Not to worry, though. We have been assured that all will be delivered by tomorrow, and then more the packing begins!!

Meanwhile, here is a sneak peek!! "The Sweet Life". Gah!! So pretty.

 

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

Spellbound ~ "The Dream Team"

 

It is with great pleasure that we are ready to announce the amazingly talented line-up of teachers for:

"Spellbound... create your dreams"

I cannot tell you how truly blessed we feel, assembling what we consider to be a "Dream Team" of master craftswomen, ready to both teach and inspire us at this groundbreaking event!

We think you will agree that is just does not get better than:

 

Debrina Pratt                        

Denise Sharp

JoAnnA Pierotti

Kaari Meng

Kelli Murray-Larson

Kristen Robinson

Margie Romney-Aslett

Michele Muska

Pam Garrison

 

And may we just say... the class projects are beginning to arrive at our studio for photography... and they are spectacular! You will be amazed, and we promise it will be very hard to choose your favorites!!

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Vendors: We are finalizing details for the Friday evening Mercantile, and we will have applications ready very, very soon!! Email us at info@agildedlife.com to be put on a mailing list for info.

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

Cuttlebug Winner!!

 

We have a winner for our giveaway of the Cuttlebug by Provo Craft™!!

 

Chosen by the ever-helpful Random Number Generator.............

 

Congratulations, Kelly, and thank you!! Please send your mailing address to:

customerservice@agildedlife.com, and we will send your machine right out to you!

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful hints and tool reccommendations. We love the same things all of you love (especially the Tim Holtz scissors!)...

Lots more good stuff happening this week. Check back in for fun updates and perhaps another giveaway!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

"Gilded Valentines" ~ A Mini-Workshop

 

There are friendships, and then there are soul-sisters. We all know the difference, and we recognize it almost immediately, don't we?

Christy Tomlinson is a soul-sister. A forever. A true.

We love being involved with her creatively. Her style is so different from ours, and yet it resonates with us somewhere deep in the place where happiness and joy flutter and take hold. She is a pioneer and a visionary, and we love her dearly.

We are so happy to have teamed up with Christy again this month for a "mini-workshop" with a romantic, Valentine-y twist. Things to give yourself, or one of your "trues".

 

First up will be this stunning three-strand charm bracelet. Darling charms, pearls and blown-glass flower beads. Use your own materials or purchase a complete kit.

*Due to the vintage nature of some of these components, slight variations in charms may occur.

SOLD OUT!!   BACK IN STOCK FOR A LIMITED TIME!!

$35.00 per kit

Next we will make a gorgeous soft wool felt "sachet", strung with pink rosary chain. This can be fashioned completely from the scraps in your sewing basket. Sew it or glue it... your choice. Make it any size your "heart" desires!

 

**If you are in need of the best set of basic jewelry tools available, look no further! This is the set that we use in our studio and classes, and they are truly life-changing!

$32.00 per set.

 

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Sign up for class here! (This is a different Paypal gateway, and therefore will not go into a shopping cart with our items. It will be a separate transaction.)

We have a third project for this class in the works, and some darling mini-tags to share, and Christy herself will be adding projects to the mix!! This is going to be seriously fun!

But right this minute, we have to film the bracelet tutorial!! Hope to see you in the classroom!!

Annnd.... thanks, Christy! You are loved!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

Crown Garland & A Giveaway!!

 

UPDATE: Time's Up!!

Winner will be announced tomorrow. Thanks for all of your comments!! xoxo

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When a company like Provo Craft asks you to do a product review, anyone working in the art/craft/mixed-media worlds would just jump at the chance. And of course we are no exception!

Having a shiny new Cricut Expression2 in the studio is a very, very good thing. We love the new design, and the user-friendly interface. Cricut has been a staple in any craft workroom for a long time now, and they just keep getting better!

 

We had this in mind for a Pirate and Princess party we were planning last month...

 

And this amazing machine came to the rescue and helped us create our dream!

 

We began with a cartridge from the Teresa Collins collection. How did she know just what we were looking for? See those crowns? Perfect!

 

Extremely user friendly.

 

Cutting out about 60 crowns took no time at all. We were planning to make three separate banners, and each crown needed two pieces.

 

Two per 12 x 12 sheet for the larger size.

 

Crisp, clean cuts.

 

Easy to remove the images from the cut paper.

 

We used up leftover paper from the studio. We intended to paint the crowns, so the print could be anything.

 

Two crowns glued back to back. We needed a "heavier" weight to the crowns to support the glass glitter and so that they would not buckle when painted.

 

Painted front and back with Deco Art acrylic paint in "Glorious Gold". Always our go-to brand and color!

 

German Glass Glitter front and back. And don't forget the "edges"!

 

We attached eyelets to each crown and strung them with ribbon in alternating sizes arcoss a length of trim.

 

Until we got these perfectly princessy, sparkly, wondrous garlands!! We used one on the cake table, one on the gazebo, and one at the entrance to the party.

And this was made possible by a wonderful cutting machine and a brilliantly designed cartridge! Read more about the "Cricut Expression2" here.

Thank you Provo Craft for always providing the most amazing tools for artists, crafters and designers, and for letting us be a part of your giveaway!

Giveaway?!?

Yes, Provo Craft has also given us a Cuttlebug machine to give away to one of you!!

 

Read about Cuttlebug here! Love, love, love this machine as well!

Here's how to enter:

Leave a comment here telling us what your favorite studio tool is! Let's all share what inspires us and what we cannot live without creatively!

Like us on Facebook, tweet this giveaway, and blog about it for additional entries! Just be sure to leave an extra comment for each of these, telling us how you participated.

This giveaway is in celebration of the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) trade show going on at the moment, so we will leave it open all week, until Saturday, February 4th at 9pm PST!!

Sooooo, what is your favorite studio tool, machine or "assistant"? Do tell!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

 

 

Join Us! "The Gilded Girls Stash Society"!

 

As promised, we have opened up a few new spots in the Gilded Girls Stash Society! 

With "world headquarters" being expanded this month, and a shiny new in-house assistant, we feel ready to stretch our wings and grow just a bit.

So, if you have been waiting... this is the time! We have sourced some great new products and we are looking forward to some wonderful projects coming up on the private blog. 

Here's just a tiny peek at what we have been up to these past few months...

 

From the January Stash Box....

 

We have been blessed with this gorgeous candy box project from our sweet, talented, amazing designer, Alisa Noble. Alisa uploads this type of heirloom project month after month, with very little recognition because the tutorial blog is just for the benefit of our members. Please visit her personal blog and give her some love. You will not be sorry. This woman seriously rocks!

 

We made this crown last month. And in this photo it was not even finished!

 

These are the materials we were working with in December.

 

Last Valentine's Day saw this darling and romantic glass ornament. We still get requests for kits for this!

If you have been wanting to join our creative group, now is the perfect time. We would love to have you!

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Here are the details:

Because we have to plan and shop for items weeks, and sometimes months in advance, we ask for a three month commitment from each Society member. This is to ensure that we have purchased adequate quantities of each component. You will begin your enrollment with a three-month period, with each renewal consisting of three month increments. Once you are a member, you will not have to re-enroll to stay active. We will continue to ship your kits until you notify us that you would like to opt out. (Please make every effort to notify us of an opt-out by the 25th of the month before your enrollment ends.)

• Stash Boxes are $100.00 per month, plus $12.95 for shipping within the continental US.  

• California residents pay 7.75% sales tax.

• Boxes shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada are $26.00 shipping.

• Other countries, please contact our customer service and shipping manager Nivia at customerservice@agildedlife.com for shipping quotes.

• We make every effort to post photos of each month's kit on the 1st of each month, and boxes are shipped on or around the 12th. If the 12th falls over a weekend or holiday, boxes are shipped the following business day.

• Once you buy your first month with one of the buttons below, Nivia will work with you to set up an automatic payment schedule on Paypal that will begin in the following month. This works beautifully for everyone, and keeps us from having to bug you for payment each month. :)

If you decide to join us, please choose carefully from the payment buttons below, and welcome to the Gilded Girls Stash Society!!

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If you live in the continental US, within California:

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If you live with the continental US, outside of California:

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If you live in Alaska, Hawaii or Canada:

xoxo Debbie & Shea

Spellbound ~ "Save the Date"

 

Oh, Happy Day!! We are absolutely "giddy" with the excitement of announcing:  

"Spellbound... create your dreams".

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A fantastical weekend of paper-crafting, jewelry-making, fiber arts, stitching, painting, swapping... and dreaming!

Hosted at the gorgeous and historic Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California.

Thursday evening Welcome Dinner.

Classes Friday & Saturday, with a fabulous "Mercantile" Friday evening.

Saturday afternoon Luncheon (between classes).

Culminating on Sunday with a short trip on a luxury bus to the world famous

Rose Bowl Flea Market!

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More details and specifics to follow. Classes are shaping up to be absolutely amazing, and you will not want to miss this kick-off to a wonderful, "Spellbound" 2012 Holiday Season!! Mark your calendars and stay tuned! :)

xoxo Debbie & Shea

 

"True Love" Add-Ons

 

Happy Monday, everyone!! Since we are celebrating True Love this month, I thought I would show Monday a little affection, even though she wasn't all that kind to me today...

Sooooo........ let's look at something pretty!!

 

Set of two chiffon millinery flowers in the loveliest shade of pink.

$9.00

 

Set of three velvet roses. One of each color.

$11.00

One yard 10mm Rosary Chain. Clear or Pink.

$10.00 per yard

Colors

Clear $10.00 USD Pink $10.00 USD

 

Gah! Vintage Sequins!! High up on the back shelf, we found some yummy colors. Dusted them off and brought them home.

 

Bundled them in 10 yard pieces, perfect for your ultra-special, romantic creations!

$12.00 per 10 yards

~LAGOON IS SOLD OUT~

Colors

Ivory Irid. $12.00 USD Taupe Irid. $12.00 USD Lagoon $12.00 USD Baby Pink Irid. $12.00 USD Light Pink $12.00 USD Matte Gold $12.00 USD

 

Lovely beaded appliques. "Almost" heart-shaped. Unique and beautiful. Ivory one is embroidered with pearls, the champagne one is seed beads.

$12.00 each  SOLD OUT.

Set of three vintage brass and silver-toned findings. Cherubs are brass with a light, natural patina. Heart on the right is flat repousse, and heart on the left is "puffy".  All are old store stock, and have a wonderful "found" look.

 $11.00 Set

This is a showstopper!! Dusty, deeper tone of what we call "Lingerie Pink". This color was custom-dyed for a manufacturer many years ago, and the overage languished in a back room until we uncovered it.

A full 8" wide, heavy with pearls and sequins. This is very special!

$22.00 per yard  SOLD OUT.

We are not even sure what these are...

Metal stamping in the center, beaded satin on the outer ring. 4" wide.

We might not know what they are meant for, but we can't wait to use one in a project!

$10.00 each  SOLD OUT.

 

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**If you are a current Stash Society member and you wish your items to ship with your January box, we will refund your shipping charges when we complete your order.**

Thank you, as always, and have a great week! Stay tuned for some extra-special news coming very soon!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

Stash Society ~ "True Love" January 2012

 

We are feeling so many kinds of  True Love this month.

True love for the blessing of a brand new year.

True love for each other, our families, our dear friends.

True love for the opportunity to do the work that is so very precious to us, and the chance to mingle and chat with and hug and do business with the loveliest, most creative women on the planet.

This includes you. It's true love. It is. Thank you.

 

Let's put this love into action, shall we? Just in time for some heartfelt Valentine's Day Projects!

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1/2 Yard Ivory Silk Dupioni. 36" x 27"

1 Ivory Linen and Battenberg Lace Placemat. 19 1/2" x 13"

5" Blush-Pink Velvet Rose.

1 Spray "Beaded" Millinery Leaves. (5 leaves)

 

Lots of buttons!!

5 ~ 1" Mother-of-Pearl Buttons.

36 ~ 1/2" Mother-of-Pearl Buttons.

3 ~ 3/8" Rhinestone Rosette Buttons.

3 ~ 1/2" Single-Stone Rhinestone Buttons.

1 Gorgeous 1" x 1 1/8" Vintage Heart Rhinestone Brooch.

12 Blush-Pink 14mm Glass Pearls.

 

2 Tiny, Glittery Butterflies.

60" Strand 7mm Ivory Pearls.

Bundle of Pale Pink Cupid Feathers. (!!)

1 Yard Pink Satin Ribbon with Vintage Flowers.

 

48" Hand-Dyed Pink Pom-Pom Fringe.

2 Yards Taupe Embossed Floral Velvet Ribbon.

1 Yard 3 1/2" wide Cream French Lace.

2 Yards "Sunset Pink" Mesh Ribbon.

 

1 Ounce Pink Sequin Glitter in a Darling Heart Box. This is a "chunky" glitter, made with the same material as sequins. A very vintage, Valentine-y look!

 

2 Yards Goldy, Silvery Sequins. (left)

2 Yards Gold Seed Beads. (right)

Lingerie-Pink 6" Wide Tulle. (More about this at the bottom of this post.)

 

1 Spray Clear Heart-Shaped "Leaves". Darling!

Vintage Postcard Image. (Front and back images.)

 

5 Vintage Image Tags. These are fairly small, measuring 1 1/2" x 2 1/4"... perfect used as gift tags for your own "True Loves".

 

1 Spray Hand-Dyed "Bridal" Flowers.

 

One more look at this photo. This time I am going to point out that roll of gorgeous in the back, at the top of the image.

1 ~ 10 Yard Roll Lingerie-Pink Tulle with Gold Glitter Dots. (!!)

I am completely smitten with this roll of tulle, and I cannot WAIT to use it! Old store stock. We bought every roll they had! :)

Another very special project awaits you this month, Gilded Girls! And just because it is "True Love" after all, we are also going to include in your boxes a 10" wreath form and some dressmaker pins to get you started!!

xoxo Debbie & Shea

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We will be posting the January add-ons this weekend, and just hold onto your hats for that! I will be spending a few hours coming to terms with having to part with some of it. True story.

If you would like to sign up for the Gilded Girls Stash Society, we would absolutely love to have you!! Please go here, read the info on how it works, and use the Paypal button that pertains to you. Simple!! :)

 

Stash Society ~ Sneak Peek...

 

Gilded Girls.... Can you possibly wait Four.More.Days. for the full reveal of the January, 2012 Stash Society boxes???

Please say yes, so I can stop freaking out that some product has not yet arrived. I can see that it is "en route", but it has not all made it to the west coast in time.

Seems that a few of our vendors took a nice, long break for the holidays... sigh.

(There is also the matter of Shea being in Hawaii until Wednesday, but that wouldn't be causing the mail to run slower, would it? hmmm....)

But here is a tiny tease, and can I just tell you that we are so very excited about this coming month!

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We will make our own glittery paper eiffel towers from templates designed just for you...

There will be luminous cream silk and lovely laces...

Romantic paper ephemera...

Crystals, glitter, pins, pearls, buttons, millinery...

Yards and yards of crinkled ribbons... velvety ribbons...

And of course, a gorgeous project!

Won't you please join me back here on Friday for the full reveal, if I promise to make it worth the wait? You will? Yay!!

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xoxo Debbie

 

 

The Book of Opportunity

 

‎"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and it's first chapter is New Year's Day". ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 

May your book be filled with all of the blessings and successes that your heart desires.

The time is now. Create opportunities. They are everywhere.

 

We love a new chapter, don't you?

xoxo 

Photos by Martha Schuster of iseethemoonphotography.com.

"Blessed Life" Add-Ons

 

The December Stash Society Add-Ons have arrived just in the (Saint) Nick of time!!

Camera issues, battery related, have reared their ugly heads this week. :(

Our lovely friend, Martha Schuster of I See The Moon Photography, dropped everything to take these photos and get them to us today. We heart her, and when you see her website, you will heart her, too.

Thanks, Martha!!

 

This was truly a "gasp" moment. A dusty box containing just a few of these delicate yet extremely well made, petite tiaras. This one is a true keepsake. Hurry, before we tuck them all into the Christmas tree and call it a day!

$32.00

~SOLD OUT~

Another dusty box in the archived section of a favorite haunt. This trim is absolutely gorgeous in person. Heavily beaded and embroidered with metallic threads on a metallic silver organza base.

 

Delicate, vintage colors. It is double-folded in the back, giving it weight and substance. A very generous 3" in width.

$12.00 per yard. (!)

 

A lovely trio of ribbon rosettes! Nine flowers in all, each being hand dyed for variation and depth. Each length measures approximately 9", and each rosette is about 3" in diameter.

$10.00 per set of three 9" pieces.

 

 

Crystal buttons, how we love thee! These are extremely beautiful, and very large. They patina to a truly vintage look, although they are not. The larger one is a whopping 1 1/4" in diameter, appearing more like a brooch, and the smaller one is just under 1". Showstoppers.

$9.00 & $14.00

 

Sizes

Small $9.00 USD Large $14.00 USD

 

"Vintage Velvet" is what the manufacturer calls it, and that is just what it appears to be. Soft, luxe, delicious. Washed silk velvet in "Light Chocolate".

$37.00 per yard.

 

Amazing beaded tassel, constructed completely with silver bugle beads, seed beads, and pearls. Heavy, sparkly, perfect. Approximately 7" from ball top to bottom.

$9.00

 

Whoa. This is a fantasy rhinestone applique. When they pulled this one out we cried "yes"! :) It is super-sparkly, and when dip-dyed becomes especially enchanting.

Much larger than it appears in the photo, this applique is 8 1/2" across. I want one on a purse, on a stocking, on a hoodie.... the mind boggles.

$36.00

 

More buttons! A charming set of six pale metal shank buttons. Love

$9.00 per set of six.

 

 

Row upon row of oversized appliqued roses separated by rows of ruffles and sparkling sequins. We were literally stopped in our tracks over this fabric. UNbelievably beautiful!

 

Cream chiffon on cream organza with golden sequins. Soft and drapey with amazing detail. 

$46.00 per yard.

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**If you are a current Stash Society member and you wish your items to ship with your December box, we will refund your shipping charges when we complete your order.**

Thank you, as always!

 

 

Stash Society ~ "The Blessed Life" December 2011

 

When I promised that these photos would be posted early this week, clearly I meant Thursday.

Night. ............sigh.

Life is hurtling by at record speed. We are crazy-busy, in the best possible way. We are Blessed.

Therefore, we would like to share with you this month, "The Blessed Life".

 

Let's begin with a sneak of what I am working on from this kit. The finishing touches have not been put on yet. It is making me exceedingly happy, and I can't wait to show you how to make one, too!

 

Dreamy golds and caramels, a touch of silver, and lots and lots of sparkle. Gilded.

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1 Page Vintage Sheet Music

12" x 27" Gorgeous Pale Gold Sequin Fabric. These are tiny sequins in a semi-matte finish. Just beautiful.

2 Yards ~ 1" Wide Crocheted Lace.

 

30" x 27" Washed Silk Velvet in a warm Caramelly-Brown color. The manufacturer calls it "Vintage Velvet". We agree.

 

1 oz. Vial German Glass Glitter in "Chocolate".

 

4" Cast-Glass Fleur-de-Lis with Silver Paint Accents. This is gorgeous!

 

10 Brass Filagree Buttons. 5 each of two sizes.

 

18" Gold Metallic Lace ~ 5" Wide.

5 Gold and Rhinestone Buttons.

 

5 Rhinestone Floral Appliques.

 

24 Pointed-Back "26 pp" Swarovski Crystals.

 

1 Yard Ivory French Gimp.

18" 3" Wide Cream Lace.

 

10 Yards Gold & Ivory Soft "Twine".

 

10 Yards Silver & Ivory Soft "Twine".

 

1 Brass and Ivory Enamel Button.

5 Vintage Rhinestone "Chaton Roses".

 

A bit hard to see in the photo, but,

5 Blush-Colored Glass Flowers. (Holes drilled in the center for stringing.)

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Thank you for your incredible patience this month. We appreciate each of you more than we can say. You bless us every month with your enthusiasm and your support.

For information on how to join The Gilded Girls Stash Society, visit here.

Have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo Debbie & Shea