{ musings }

Spring Cleaning Blow-Out!

Spring.
A time of renewal.
A time of change and growth.
Oh hell...a time to clean out, purge and simplify!

 

My studio is first, and let me tell you, this will be NO SMALL FEAT.

At the top of my list is the fact that I have several class kits left from Silver Bella...if you want one of them, I'm clearing them out at $20 each which INCLUDES shipping.   The Winter Faerie Shrine kit won't include the cigar box (you'll have to get that on your own), and while I will send a piece of chicken wire along with the Portrait Rustique kits, you'll need to provide your own frame.

If you're interested, pop me an e-mail to kimberlykwan@cox.net!

The Post-Show Wrap Up (& self-flogging)

I just saw myself on TV.
Oh...my...holy...hell.
That is SO not me!!  What have you people done with the real me?!?!?  The real me is young, blonde, tan and thin!  I have NO IDEA who that person was masquerading as me on TV yesterday.  Body Snatchers?!

I seriously *just* watched myself on the segment I taped with Stephanie yesterday and now that I am at my most miserably low self-image point, I thought it might be a good time to pull up a plate of Christmas cookies and do a little post-show self-flogging!   I mean hell, I can't possibly feel any worse, right?  Here goes:

I guess I should preface this painful self-review with the fact that I *LOVE* doing TV.  Seriously.  I love love love it like little else.  I actually think I like it MORE than cookies, which is saying a lot, because I LOVE cookies.  I will have my own show one day....mark my words.  It is comfortable, it is natural and I seriously get such a RUSH from it!  I'd hate to say what the shrinks out there would say about this, but yes!  I love being the center of attention.

Why then, is TV so cruel to me?  First, you get these adorable, elfin hosts who are so tiny and cute...NO FAIR!  I am a big girl!  Never EVER have I been a small girl.  It's just not in the DNA...but standing next to darling little Stephanie, I felt like Shrek.  A big, hulking, yellow-bloused SHREK!

Good lord....don't even get me started on the belly!  I have obvioulsy passed the muffin-top stage and have entered full-blown bundt cake-ville.  Bleh.  God...apparently I need to reconsider my moratorium on the gym?!  Or, at very least, I need to find a great jacket that "nips" my waist ever-so-flatteringly instead of THAT!  Or, perhaps, a low-cal Vodka?  What was I thinking???? Great color...wrong style.  (Thank you to all my very kind, but totally biased girlfriends who called and e-mailed to say how *great* I look...you guys are the only thing keeping me from diving face first into a yule log!)

And hair...hello?  Dullsville on the color.  I love it in real life...finally so much closer to my natural color (aside form the grays) but on TV it was B-O-R-I-N-G!  And, Mother Nature certainly didn't help matters when she decided to bring our once annual rain to the Valley at the EXACT same time as I get to do live TV!  I left the house with perfectly sleek, shiny and slightly flippy hair and by the time I got to the studio...BAAAA-ZING!  Fuzzy, crazy, pubic-head!  SO not fair.

Make-up?  Pretty OK in this department since there were (THANKGODFORSMALLFAVORS) no HD close-ups yesterday.  I think I had my peri-menopausal, monster, subterranean acne pretty much covered up with makeup, and while the eyes did look bitchin' in my home mirrors, they didn't even show behind the glasses.   And, on the topic of glasses....what's a girl who can't wear contacts to do?  I've gone as low profile as you can with the rimless, no-glare glasses....but you can't even see my eyes!  Bah!

ALL THAT ASIDE...

I enjoyed myself immensely and I cannot WAIT to do it again!  (Then again, anyone who knows me will attest that I pretty much ALWAYS enjoy myself, no matter what I'm doing!)

Thrifty Gifty

Wednesday morning I'm scheduled to appear on a local morning show called Sonoran Living Live on our ABC affiliate.  My live segment will be to introduce thrifty and green holiday gift giving and packaging ideas using the recycled and re-purposed items.

Here is one of the crafty gift ideas I'll be sharing...Recycled Votive Gift Set.  I actually made several sets of three of these cute little candle sets...they make great hostess or even teacher gifts and are easy-peasey!!  Of course, I love to make these with vintage book pages, sheet music and old-stock ribbons...but you can make them with just about anything you have on hand!

Materials:

• Several small, clean glass jars (baby food jars work great!)
• A few old book pages or newspaper
• Glass glitter or assorted craft glitters
• White glue –or- Terrifically Tacky Tape
• Decorative edged scissors or pinking shears
• Shallow bowl or paper plate for glitter
• Ribbon scraps
• Small votives or tea lights

 

Instructions:

1. Using decorative edged scissors, cut strips from old book pages approximately 1.5” wide and long enough to wrap around your jars.
2. Adhere a piece of Terrifically Tacky Tape along each strip of each book page length-wise –or- carefully draw a line of white glue along the length of the book strips where you will want glitter to stick.
3. Peel protective covering off of tape and dip the sticky side into a shallow bowl or plate fill of glitter.  If using glue, sprinkle glitter over the glue, catching excess in a shallow bowl.
4. If using glue instead of tape, allow to dry.
5. Using white glue, wrap glittered book strips around glass jar and hold in place with a clothes pin while the glue dries.
6. Finish your votive holder with decorative bits of ribbon if desired.

If you are a local reader who caught the segment on Channel 15, WELCOME!  I will be teaching the Winter Faerie Shrine project displayed in the segment at Blissful Living Studios on Thursday, January 22nd....c'mon out and play with me!

Class Kits Available!

In case you couldn't make it to Silver Bella last month in Omaha, OR if you were there, but didn't get  a chance to take one of my classes, I have a few class kits for each of my classes available for purchase!  The kits are $40 each, and shipping for up to two kits per package is $6 (US Priority Mail) within the US.  If I am shipping to Arizona, I will also need to add Sales Tax.  Please e-mail me (kimberlykwan@cox.net) if you'd like one or both!   

Portrait Rustique: 
What is old is new again.  What is rustic becomes elegant. What is rough becomes brilliant .  Take a journey through your imagination as we magically combine wonderful old cabinet cards, cartes de visite and vintage game pieces with rough-hewn metals, woods, German glass glitter, bits of old textiles, sparkly trinkets and thrifted picture frames.  Be ready to sand, paint, hammer, and sew your way to creating a  one-of-a-kind décor project.

The kit is pretty darned full, and includes 2 pages of color photos and tips.  After the kit is shipped, I will also e-mail you detailed "how to" instructions in PDF format.  All you'll need to add is your Basic Tool Kit, a (thrifted or clearance priced) picture frame (no glass or back) somewhere between 5x7 - 8x10 (no larger, please) which you’re ok with painting and distressing, a sparkly jewel or bauble (shoe clip, brooch or earring), a favorite cabinet card or CDV if you wish (each kit contains an authentic 1800's CDV photo but if you have a favorite, use it instead!), embroidery or tapestry needle, an awl or paper piercer, and a staple gun.  I will ship a piece of chicken wire to you for use, so work gloves might also be useful!

Winter Faerie Shrine: 
You never know where magic can be found…are there winter faeries hiding inside those cigar boxes over there?!?  Why yes, but they're a timid bunch, so only a lucky few will be able to coax them out of their sparkly shrines!  In this project you'll paint, glitter and decorate these lovely little three dimensional shrines. Just as every faerie has its own personality, so too will be their delightful little shrines!

Each kit contains almost everything you need and includes 2 pages of color photos and tips.  After the kit is shipped, I will also e-mail you detailed "how to" instructions in PDF format. You'll need to supply a Basic Tool Kit, wooden or sturdy cardboard cigar box (ranging somewhere between 5"x7" and 11"x14" and at least an inch deep.  A working lid is a plus),  gesso,  an assortment of acrylic craft paints, perhaps a few colorful markers, matte medium (Mod Podge will do), Stickles and or glitter (assorted colors, if you have them!) palette, brushes (assorted sizes) and water cup.

Special Note to Arizona artists:  I am please to announce that I'll be teaching the Winter Faerie Shrine project at Blissful Living Studio on Thursday, January 22nd.  It will be three hours of glitterful magic-making...and I'm bringing a bunch of my vintage supplies and goodies to share!  Please contact the studio as soon as possible to reserve your seat!!

Lulubellas Are Back In Action...

Not quite sure how we're going to pull it off between Cori's jet-setting and my hectic photo season, but somehow, we're making it happen for Silver Bella.  Nothing like a deadline looming over your shoulder to get a girl's ass in gear creating, eh?

Here's a sneeky-peeky at one of the not-so-handmade items we'll be offering at Silver Bella...

Oh yah...we know those Bellas LOVE some bling...and when they are packaged on authentic 1800's CDV photos, how will they resist?  We may need some bodyguards, I think!

More teasers to come soon...I am kitting and boxing and creating like a woman posessed and NEXT week will be even more INSANE!  You might also want to take a peek over at Cori's blog, as she's posted some info about our now famous craft aprons which we will also be bringing to Omaha!  Yee Haw!

I'd Like To Thank....

Kim Demmon and the crew at This fun little blog for the wonderful and very flattering accolades!!  I am honored!!   They regularly feature some of the most amazing blogs and I'm floored that they chose to honor little this silly little blog of mine!!  WOW!

Somerset In Love

It is official and yes, you can now pre-order it!  Woo hoo!!

Here are a few more sneak peeks at MY work in the the other artists' journals and in mine...

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty....

Oops!  The cat is out of the bag!

Some exciting news I've been sitting one for a few months is finally starting to leak and I can't wait to share it with you!!!  Y'see....in January, my pal Marilyn schemed up a quick round-robin journal swap with a Valentines day theme.  She invited moi, as well as about 8 other good friends and amazing artists and we swapped away!  The end result?  We each had a GAW-geous journal all decorated and arted up with some amazing stuff!   

I guess Jenny and the crew from Somerset got a peek at it and we sent in our journals to be considered for a Feature article around Valentines Day of 2009...but NOW, the great news is that it's scheduled to be released as it's own, stand-alone BOOK on around January 1!  Hooray!

(See that one on top with the pink, satin ruffled edge and the pop poms?  That's mine!)

Anyway...we should begin seeing some advertisements in the October issues of Somerset's publications...the tentative working title is "Somerset in Love" and it is going to be a stunner!

Now....back I go to writing up all the delicious details and how-tos!!

Challenging...

yes, I know, I can be quite challenging at times...but isn't that part of my charm and why you hang out with me?

So on the topic of CHALLENGES, I've got two silly challenges going on in conjunction with the cool kids at Homegrown Scrapbooks for all you scrappers and paper crafters out there...and yes,there are prizes!!

The first is to see WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH.  Create a layout to show us  what cracks you up. I'm not talking about the cutesy cute "babies, puppy breath and Disney" type of list...I'm talking about the stuff that makes you laugh so hard you almost pee your pants. The stuff that would make your mother gasp if she read it! The kind of REAL stuff we all laugh at (but are often too timid to admit!).

The other is to see just how FUNKY you can get.  Throw caution to the wind...who cares what ANYONE thinks?! Who cares if you're using supplies that are not AF/LF?! Who cares what trends are hot or stylish?! When you toss out all the rules and create from your heart and aim to please NOBODY but yourself, you can't help but find your authentic inner artist! Show us who you REALLY ARE as an artist and post your layouts, journal pages or projects here so we can ALL oogle over them!

All the entries need to be in by September 26th and you need to post links to your entries over on the Homegrown Scrapbooks blog so we can see them!

Happy Birthday Cori!

Happy Birthday Cori!, originally uploaded by bebe beaux.

Love you, girl!  Hope your day rocks!!