12/6/07

It's Sis Boom Time everybody!!!!!

Yup, today starts the fun and festivities with our beloved Jennifer at her annual Holiday Sale. She transforms her entire home into a glittery, ruffly, wonderful wonderland and friends stop by to take in the beauty of it all...and of course, eat cookies...and leave with bags and bags of Jennifer's love.

You'll find her signature ruffly paper products, ornaments and banners, lots of pillows in her fablous fabrics and sooooooo much more. Of course, there will be bolts and bolts of her signature fabrics just begging you to take them home and cobble up something special. You will go into immediate sensory overload...give yourself lots of time...there is soooooo much to look at. And you get to see Jennifer and GEORGE, the world's most perfect dog!
Her show runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday (12/6 thru 12/8) from 9am to 6pm. Click here for more info. If you are anywhere near the area, drop everything, run, hop or crawl to this amazing event. The GlitterFairy will be stopping by, too, if I can get out from under this mountain of glitter... I never miss this show!!!

Hope to see ya there...

L

12/5/07

Ta-dahhhhh!!! Zee Treez are finished...

Here's how one tree looked yesterday morning...almost there...

and theeze eez how one of them looked today, just prior to delivery...(I know, I know, I need a better camera and camera skills...but you get the idea) I had to shoot this from above in order to not get any really bad background stuff...like my ratty old couch...didn't have time to set up my photo backdrop.Happily, my client was thrilled with them and they will flank a beautiful display case in the main window of a lovely jewelry shop. It's kind of hard to see in my poorly taken pix, but each tree has a glass glittered butterfly, a bird in nest, lots of glittered bumblebees, a bumblebee in its bed, a hummer in its bed, a glass glittered praying mantis, love fruits, a sparkle star and a treat cone. Truly a labor of love...I sort of hated to let them go, but they will have a fabulous life in a wonderful store with lots of people admiring them...(we ALL should be that lucky!!!)...lucky dogs!

L

12/3/07

Holiday stuff....

Yes, I do have a few pieces left...sugared pears, plums, and a few more items that defy description.  Don't even ask my why I sell pink flamingos at Christmas time!  I just do...I know, I know, the clock is ticking down to Christmas. Thanks for your emails and interest in my glittergoods.

Back to the glitter pits...
L
p.s. My apologies for the crummy pictures...

12/2/07

I must rest my weary little fingers....

Gotta take five and give my hands a break. I've been working on and off all day on two large sparkley wire trees for a window display at a client's jewelry store. The snow has been falling, our first of the season, and the hubs & kids have kept a roaring fire going in our fireplace, which I visited as often as possible. There really is nothing like the first snowfall and the warmth of the hearth...These babies are a full foot taller than any I've done before and they are a bit more work to manage...but they are turning out beautifully. (I'm just tired from my week of selling, singing... yes, I had another concert last nite...and partied afterward til 2am... and filling orders. ) I'm lucky to have such a full life but have to admit I'm looking forward to the day after Christmas and spending some time with my family!

These pictures above show how they look about halfway done. I know the pictures are not great (hey, it's 11pm and there's no natural light whatsoever...) but you can get the idea. I painted the urns creamy white, glittered them in vintage silver glass, shaped the wire, set them in plaster and now I'm forming the branches. Since they will live on either side of a display case in a window, I'm trying to make them fairly symetrical...now that's a challenge. This wire has a mind of its own! My hands feel like they've run the NY marathon...but it will be worth it to see those beauties shine like diamonds in the window. Hey, there WILL probably be diamonds in there with them!!!
Back to the grindstone...er...the pliers...
xoxo
L
p.s. The boutique show in Bedford last week was great fun. I sold lots of glittergoods and met lots of very nice people. If only I had a bunch of elves like Santa to help me to fill the orders...sigh...

11/28/07

It's Holiday Boutique time again.....

in beautiful, bucolic Bedford Village, NY! I'm doing a very nice show with 17 other swell vendors in a charming old building, Bedford Historical Hall. If you're in the area, please stop by and get a jump start on your holiday shopping. There's a little bit of everything...jewelry, home accessories, children's clothing, leather bags, fleecewear, potted rosemary topiaries, and of course, the Great Wall of Fruit! They gave me a wonderful spot...I don't think I've ever had this much room at a show, and naturally I have filled it with glitter!

Here are a few shots of setting up today.This shot above is my pal, Betsy Lowe, who sells fleece hats, vests, mittens, scarves and just about anything else she can cobble out of fleece. She comes all the way down from the Boston area and had a few more serious hours of setting up to do. It's a heck of a lot of work to set up these shows...
My booth was starting to come together...sea stars, fruit ornaments, monogram letters, pedestals, and new this year, little glittered boxes with reindeer and snow and tinsel on top. I tell ya, I'll glitter anything this time of year!And...voila! The Great Wall of Fruit!!! I"m not kidding...there's a full 15 feet of frutiness there...Do you think I can cram any MORE glittergoods into my area??? I sure don't want to bring all this stuff back to the studio...gotta make some moola and send this stuff home with other people!

It's 12:21 in the morning and I have to catch a few zzzs so I can have the strength to throw around some glitter tomorrow. Hey, wait a minute!...It IS tomorrow already...zzz...zzz

xoxo

Laur...zzzz.....

11/21/07

Here's a sneak peek...

at the fabulous Holiday Fantasy Tree we'll be making at Tinsel Trading Company in NYC on December 15th! This baby is almost 4 feet tall, and is perfect for small ornaments, treat cones, or in this case, lots of glittered bumblebees and dragonflies!

For this class, we will provide the urn, glitter, wire for the tree, sheet moss and bird, nest, eggs and a couple of fat little bumblebees. If you'd like more bugs or want to make more of the ornaments shown, we will have the materials available for purchase. I really can't wait for this workshop. Working with copper wire is such fun...We'll dust our urns with a bit of vintage silver glass glitter, and I'll show you how to shape ordinary 7 stranded electrical grounding wire into a gorgeous tree trunk, roots and branches. This is the Holiday version of the one I did on the Martha Show for Halloween (10/15/07), except this one will be a bit bigger. We'll be using 3 foot lengths of wire, so it will be wider...and you can shape the branches any way you want...squiggly like mine, or angular or compressed or stretched out...it's your tree, to shape as you wish. ( If you have a pair of double round nosed pliers, please bring them. ) Also, please wear work clothes as we will be mixing and pouring plaster to set the roots securely into the base. We'll pop some sheet moss over the plaster, shape the roots and branches and voila!....you will have a spectacular tree that you can use year after year, season after season. (By the way, there is absolutely NO reason why you can't use this puppy at Eastertime, for hanging eggs and bunny ornaments...or hearts for V-Day, for that matter!)

Please check in with Tinsel Traders here if you want to register for the class. There are a few spots left. Hope to see you there...

xoxo

Laurie

Oops! I almost forgot...HAPPY TURKEYDAY, EVERYBODY! May you have a wonderful day of thanks with family, friends and good food. xoxoL

11/13/07

Glitter, glitter, everywhere.....

We had a sparkling good time on Saturday at Zoe & Floyd Gallery, where we glittered up a bunch of fruits and nuts and made them into fabulous ornaments!We hammered wire into hooks....

We tied beautiful wired ribbons into bows...and of course, we glittered faux pears and papier-mache walnut boxes from Germany...and made some gorgeous glittery goodies!
I especially loved meeting one of my favoritest blogging buddies, Karla, of Sugar Bear Designs. What a sweetie! I am sure we will collaborate again!And I made some wonderful new friends.
And things always look so great in a cello bag with ribbon and a hand made tag! These ornaments are just begging to be given to a friend, teacher or relative...

Aren't these two too cute? (try saying that 3 times fast!) (Forget the old one in the middle...sorry I'm in so many of these pictures...)Thanks to all my lovely ladies for sharing a special afternoon with me. Zoe & Floyd is a perfect venue for a workshop...beautiful art and crafts on one side and a terriffic workspace on the other. And Bronwyn, the gallery owner, doesn't mind some glitter on her floor (thank goodness!!!) !!! Glittery hugs to you all...

11/6/07

There is still time....

to sign up for a great workshop in beautiful Seymour, CT at Zoe & Floyd Gallery. This coming Saturday, November 10th, I will be teaching Fruits & Nuts...Holiday Glitter 101, at which we will be making my signature golden pear ornament (complete with glitter, vintage style leaf, wired ribbons and hand-forged hanging hook)and a nifty papier-mache walnut box, perfect to hide a handful of chocolate inside!!! I know, I know, I need to shoot a picture of the walnlut box...just haven't had time! T'will be fun, I guarantee, and you WILL get glitter on your face!

Stop by and see what's new at the gallery, Zoe & Floyd. They have been busily hanging great art on the walls and stocking their display spaces with fantastic handmade holiday gift items ( Candles, jewelry, paper products, pottery, ornaments and much more.) Bronwyn has designed a wonderful space there...a beautiful gallery space for the art...and right next door is a great workshop space with individual work stations, perfect for jewelrymaking and crafting. I'd love to move right in there, myself! Hope to see you there on Saturday...

Lookey here!

I love to see pictures of projects folks have done at home...and this Halloween Tree was made by Kathy, after watching me make one with Martha last month. She found an urn (glitter to come, she assures me!) wire, plaster and sheet moss and made herself one fancy tree upon which she displayed all her cool H-ween stuff! Way to go, Kathy. Great job!You know, you can also put Cristmas ornaments on those trees...or mini glittered dreidels or Easter eggs or hearts for Valentine's day. I am an "equal-opportunity" glitter-er! And the glitter color on the base can be any color you want to fit the holiday! Untreated over time, the copper wire will develop a nice patina..It will actually oxidize to a brownish color but you can polish it if you want to keep it shiney and even spray it with Krylon sealer to keep it shiney, or you can spray paint it any color you'd like with Rustoleum paint. And, yes, you can also glitter the branches...it takes a while, but it gives it an entirely different look.
I'm doing another workshop at Tinsel Trading Company in NYC December 15th, and we're doing a Holiday Fantasy Tree, perfect to display any type of holiday decorations, from glittered butterflies and bees, or little Santas, to glittered dreidels & stars. I think I'll be demonstrating how to make a bumblebee bed out of a leaf and German wire tinsel. (Bees have gotta sleep somewhere, ya know!) There is no limit, short of your imagination, as to what you can put on those trees. And Tinsel Traders puts out the coolest stuff to work with. Tassels, trims, tinsels...you name it, and you'll probably find it there. We'll be using antique white cast iron urns, which we will glitter in antique silver glass glitter to make it extra festive! Am counting the days....

10/28/07

Glitter-ween Fun at Tinsel Trading Company...

What a blast I had yesterday at my favorite shop in the universe, Tinsel Trading Company. A very talented group of women gathered 'round and we crafted some outstanding crow Trinket-or-Treat boxes and glittered pedestals. And of course, there were glittered eyeball sugar cookies, made by my friend Susan of The Painted Cookie, (they were yummy) and Pellegrino to sip. All the ladies did a spectacular job on their boxes and pedestals - each one turned out to be uniquely beautiful. I shared many of my glitter tricks-of-the-trade and TT put out wonderful embellishments for us to use. The beautiful black, pumpkin and orange vintage glass glitter flew! Crows got headdresses & necklaces while the afternoon also flew by...
Terri Ventura, TT's workshop organizer extraordinairre, took some great pictures of us. Pop over to Terri's blog to see some more pix of my workshop and other TT events, as well as Terry's fabulous jewelry and paper arts. If I ever get time to find my camera, I will post some more. Thanks to Marcia, the owner of Tinsel Trading Company, for inviting me and to the lovely ladies who braved torrential rain and unrelenting traffic to throw around some glitter with me! Tinsel Trading Company is a most unusual shop, part museum (75 years of amazing history...read about it on TT's website...it's fascinating) and part store...and you can never really see it all in one visit. Yards and yards of sparkle, ribbons, trims, tassels, ribbons and glittery stuff line every wall and I see something new every time I turn my head. It really is an experience, and doing a workshop there was truly an honor for me. It's really the "mecca" of the craft world!


We'll be making some wire trees and ornaments for the Holidays on December 15th. There are still a few spots left in this workshop, so visit TT's website if you want to sign up! We'll glitter a gorgeous cast iron urn, shape a tree out of copper wire (just like I did on Martha), set it in plaster, cover base with sheet moss and knock ourselves out shaping the wires into fantastic roots and branches. Then using some of Marcia's embellilshments, tinsel wire and other materials, we will fashion some sweet ornaments to hang on the tree! I am really looking forward to this workshop. The trees are so much fun to make and you will have a hand-made keepsake piece that you will cherish forever...and you made it yourself!

Even tho I felt like a truck had hit me, I picked pumpkins with hubby and the kids today. I nearly froze to death but we got some beauties, and when I returned home this evening from rehearsal ( yes, I'm also a singer and have a concert this coming weekend) two had been carved into Jack-O-lanterns! We're really starting to get in the holiday spirit! And the weather has finally turned cold.

Now I must get....some....zzzzzzz....zzzzz....zzz....zz.....z......
xoxo

Laurie

10/21/07

T- minus 6 and counting.....

Yup, only 6 more days 'til Glitter-ween! That is, my Glitter-ween Workshop at Tinsel Trading Company in NYC. We're pretty full but probably could squeeze in a couple more glitter divas! I can't wait!!!!!!!Even if you don't have the time to stay for the workshop, you really should stop by the shop. It is truly amazing...a little jewel in the garment district, and Marcia, the owner, has collected the most wonderful things.I'll be there on Saturday, October 27th from 12 - 4pm, and we'll be making the Trinket-or-Treat Crow Box, shown above. You will be embellishing it with all manner of stuff from Tinsel Traders...trims, ephemera, leaves, you name it, they've got it! Hope to see you there or at a future GlitterWorkshop. We're probably going to do a "Glitter-Tree" Workshop in December so stay tuned...

10/16/07

Buh-Bye!!!!!!!! (waves hand...)

It's time to say goodbye to some of my sweet friends...

Sayanara to good ole' Horace, the Halloween Hoot Owl...he's headed to Beverly Hills to hang out with the Glitterazzi...
along with the big, fat crow, Bill, who hopes his new owner will take him to hollywood...This feathered fella on a pedestal is also flying along to keep Horace & Bill company. Honestly, I think my decorations have a way more exciting life than I do!!! Beverly Hills! Wow!My purple passion paper plate pedestal (how's that for an illiteration?!) is going west, ( young man), all the way up to the northwest corner of the US.And spidey 1 and spidey 2 are headed to beautiful Minnesota. I'm so glad they will be together...they've never been separated before and I want them to be happy.
My favorite little wire tree, only 13 inches tall, is going to Michigan...

Thanks to my wonderul etsy online shop, all these and many more glittered goods are finding new homes, just in time for Halloween.

Thanks to all of you who have purchased my designs. Even tho I've been designing, making and selling my stuff for over 8 years, it still makes me so happy when someone buys something. A little bit of me goes home with them. And, hopefully, my little somethings will bring a BIG smile to their faces!

Back to the wrapping and packing...I'm up to my ears in bubble wrap. ( Gotta hand it to the guy who invented that stuff! ) It keeps my precious little darlings safe...

Ciao,

The Glitter Fairy