THE CREATIVE CONNECTION!

The Creative Connection web site is now live, hop on over and check it out and sign on up! You can bet this is going to be THE event of the year without a doubt, a not to be missed opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the most amazingly talented, dynamic women working in the industry today! Whew, I am breathless and you will be too when you see what is in store for you!

The Creative Connection is the brainchild of Nancy Soriano and Jo Packham. A 3 day conference and market with classes, panels, events and even a smart bar to solve all of your tech problems, one on one!

Do you ever think about the creative connections you make everyday as a matter of routine? Creative connections from coast to coast and around the globe, we visit web sites and shops anytime of the day or night. We take classes and workshops to enrich our souls and elevate our artistic prowess! The Creative Connection event is the chance to make some truly fabulous CREATIVE CONNECTIONS... with such enormously gifted people as

delightful Kaari Meng of French General,

she will be teaching you how to make this simply gorgeous Le Bohemian Charm Necklace!

The one and only Wendy Addison...

instructing how to make a Fancy Christmas Tree Topper and another class

on creating this whimsical Keytag Message Necklace!

The charming Halligan Norris junior designer at John Wind Signature/Maximal Art.

She will be guiding her students through the making of a stunning Necklace of Family Heirlooms!

Delightful Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Co. and designer for Moda Fabrics.

She will conduct a class on creating this sweet Sugar Pumpkin and another class on an adorable Owl Scarflette!

Among some of the other events at The Creative Connection will be the Book Signing Cocktail Hour & Keynote Dinner. Amy Butler will be one of the featured speakers with millions of hits a month Amy's brand has become synonymous with creativity, quality and great style and her design products are sold worldwide.

The incomparable Mary Jane Butters will be speaking as well, editor of her own magazine and author, she is a former wilderness ranger and environmental activist whose line of bedding is sold in more than 400 department stores.

There will also be a Boxed Lunch with Women Entrepreneurs. Cathie Filian is an Emmy Nominated television host, book author and lifestyle expert...

Vibrant Heather Bailey whose apparel designs are eagerly snatched up by celebrities and carried by some of the worlds most exclusive stores including, Fred Segal, Henri Bendel and Bloomingdales...

Effervescent Vickie Howell, mother, self-taught designer, writer and DIY expert with a focus on needle arts...

Editor extraordinaire Christen Olivarez, director of publishing and editor in chief for Stampington & Company...

Paige Gilchrist editorial director of Lark Books... and we continue right along to,

Debbie Dusenberry of Curious Sofa, the fantastic retail boutique!

Learn how to paint a Vivid Vignette with Laurie Meseroll! Too good to be true, but it is, Yippee for us!

Jennifer Murphy will help you to become adept in The Basics of Sewing Heritage Toys! It all sounds like a dream doesn't it?!

Kristin Nicholas will share her knowledge in The Edge of Color showing how to create beautiful, professional edge treatments on knitwear! Are you kidding... nope it is all for real, again Hooray for us!

But wait... there is more! Ruth Rae will show you how to make a Magpie Delight Journal, soooo cute!

I have only named a few of the phenomenal teachers, workshops, panelists and events that will be held and go on at this Fantastic not to be missed event! Never before has there been so much talent assembled in one place! Come and be part of the adventure with all of us!

I can hardly wait, I will certainly be attending, not to mention crossing the days off and counting down to this spectacular event! Lets see... anything else? Oh yes! Hold on to your bunny slippers and join in on the fun at the Pajama Party!

Oh! And did I mention there will be oodles and loads of treasures to be found and snatched up at Junk Bonanza which is a Fantabulous, drool worthy juried antiques and vintage wares market! Ok, almost too much to handle all at once.... but wouldn't miss it all for the world!

A weekender Pass for The Creative Connection includes free, yes free admission to the Junk Bonanza and day trippers will receive a discount! Check out The Creative Connection button on my side bar, feel free to grab it and add it to your blogs!

While I have your ear, you simply MUST see the current issue of WHERE WOMEN CREATE... it is STUNNING!

And lastly a teeny little teaser, something small and sweet I will be adding to my Etsy Shop very soon, I bet you will never guess what can fit "In a Nutshell"

From Paris with Love (a Valentines Day Mystery)

A parcel arrived last week out of the blue. To my surprise it was post marked "From Paris with Love" I wasn't expecting anything but how wonderful all the same! I took a deep breath in, in, in and unwrapped it as fast as my hands could move!

Excitement... curiosity... anticipation... what could it be? It was filled with beautiful "unmade" things. A yard of deep,

passionate red antique silk velvet that was oh so buttery soft.

Another yard of the hottest fuchsia pink silk shantung, oh so nubby and lovely! There was even some old shredded cotton batting, the real soft kind.

As well as a small tattered paper box which held delicate antique passementerie,

several apple green glass dress makers pins,

one beautiful, bright emerald green paste jewel, and a pretty crystal clear one too.

Then there were a few yards of variegated ribbon,

a handsome hand carved mother of pearl button and a few snippets of old gold lame trim! Color me SURPRISED!

I knew exactly what these beautiful bits needed to become...... Valentines Hearts of course, of course! So I set to work, snip, snip, stitch, stitch, stuff, stuff and so on...

Well, I'm still not sure where all of those magically delicious fabric scraps came from... (but in case you are reading this and I hope you are) Happy Valentines Day to you and THANK YOU for THINKING of ME! Kisses, Hugs, Squeezes, Caresses, Devotion, Attention, Appreciation and most of all Love to you! Merci Beacoup!

Shed some light on a few things

Sometimes the sun shines in my windows and shows me something in my own home that I've never "seen" before. It whispers and then shouts (if I don't pay attention right away) and sheds light or in fact, essentially spotlights something, allowing me to really "see" it!

With the passage of time, some once very specific memories seem to get softer and lighter the further away they get. Passing one into the other mixing, mashing and mingling together into new ones. So when I am nudged and gently reminded of an

event or occasion I had nearly forgotten it makes me very happy. I created the tiara you see here for the book Crowns & Tiaras by Kerri Judd & Danyel Montecinos Sterling/Lark. The dainty faceted garnets were a gift from my beautiful

Aunt Carmen several years ago. She is a huge rock hound and attends the Tucson Rock and Gem show every year. She sent me a parcel with a whole bunch of loose stones, I was thrilled! I used them to make the six stand bracelet and used the left

overs on the tiara and pearl bracelet. The petite pearls belonged to my grandmother, they were her "everyday" pearls, she left them to me and I re-worked them into the bracelet above.

And so on we go to a kitten update... ah, Alexandria, she has the cutest little toes,

and belly,

and nose!

Every part of her is precious and we all just adore her around here! She is a little sprite, our Tasmanian angel! She's a brute and a lover too, sweet as pie one moment and then on a rampage pulling one of my husbands giant sneakers around by the shoe string the next!

She has a tall cat tree with a cubby hole on one of the levels, so far I have found all kinds of things that she has dragged up there,

besides all of her toys, kitchen towels, a few 'gone missing' socks and unmentionables, one of Julliettes sweaters and my hair brush!

She is growing right before our very eyes!

And she doesn't miss a thing, from the smallest speck on the wall to just exactly how you have to turn the knob to get the pantry door open.

She doesn't like to be left alone in a room and spends a lot of time getting to know her big sister, Julliette.

They are quite the pair, but when Julliette has tired of Alexandria's nonsense she doesn't hesitate to tell her to cool her jets!

It's actually very cute because right after a tiff they will lay down together for a snooze!

Moving right along... I will be adding some new dry goods to my Etsy shop,

some tall Fancy Stovepipe paper hats,

made out of card stock and copies of antique sheet music and fashion plates.

They are embellished with French ribbons and vintage millinery flowers.

And these pieces will fit your porcelain doll busts as well, I have only made a dozen but hope to make some more next month so keep an eye out.

Another new item I will be introducing are my Miniature Parian Milliner's Models!

I also only have a few of these, they are bisque porcelain antique replica doll heads on wooden stands and are dressed in antique lace and linen. Some of them have pierced ears so you can put different earrings on them.

They will arrive to you stuffed with excelsior

and have pretty paper portrait medallions on the bottoms.

The smaller ones will fit right into the 18th Century paper masks too!

There are also a few more antique gems, like this petite frame I hand painted to resemble English Barbola,

and a Victorian cast metal trinket box with the most beautiful gray patina. Pop in and visit my shop when you have a moment!

Oh! I almost forgot.... we have a Winner! It is Bryanna Lenan of The Canary's Cupcake!
Thats all for now girls, see you again soon!