Queens of Art Weekend cont.

We began our second day of "Queens of Art" with a delicious breakfast (prepared by our fabulous hostess Karen Hillman) and a champagne toast! Our first workshop of the day was "On the Wings of Love" crown taught by lovely and talented Judy Stafford. She altered and embellished cigar boxes to hold our supplies for the project. Aren't they adorable?

The crowns were constructed with chicken wire and then embellished with vintage lace, ribbons, beads and bling. Here is my finished crown..

All the crowns looked amazing displayed on Karen's kitchen table...

Speaking of amazing and kitchen tables, her gorgeous kitchen table was made by artist Sharon Hershkowitz. Sharon uses vintage china to cover vintage furniture and accessories with mosaics. Her work is so beautiful! We were fortunate enough to have her share some of her tricks of the trade in our next workshop of the day when she helped us create a heart wall pocket. (my wall pocket, photo by Heather Coronel)

After spending the morning creating, we enjoyed some yummy cake pops, cupcakes and chocolate dipped strawberries...yes, we were VERY spoiled!

Saturday night we all went out to Cappricio's Italian restaurant. We had a blast and the food was SO delicious!

me and the gorgeous and hillarious Becky Becky Rourk at Cappricio's

sweethearts Heather and Cassandra, how adorable are these two?

Me and the FABULOUS hostess! I love this lady dearly!

Back From "Queens of Art"!

Last weekend was one of the most amazing weekends of my life! Words cannot describe what it was like to attend and to teach at Karen Hillman's "Queens of Art" event. The event was over the top! Prepare yourself for several picture packed posts in the coming days ;) I have so much I want to share!

The gorgeous and gracious hostess!

the stunning table where art and memories were made!

Everywhere you looked there was valentine beauty to behold!

Karen had the idea of having a "suitcase showcase". We could bring an altered vintage suitcase filled with our art to sell. It was so much fun going shopping in the other artist's suitcases!

here is my suitcase... Karen bought one of my hearts to hang on her mirror :)

Cassandra's amazing suitcase!

Karen's breathtaking bejeweled creations...

Cassandra and me

On the first day Cassandra taught us how to make a beautiful embellished messenger style hand bag. I loved this project! Here is my bag...

After Cassandra's class, we capped off the evening with wine and hors d'oeuvres prepared by Karen...she is not only a talented artist and photographer but she also is an unbelievable chef! The food was out of this world!

These beauties were made with love by Cassandra "the macaron queen" ;)

I will be back in the next day or two to share more of my artistic adventure so check back soon! xoxo

A Most Curious Affair

A couple of weeks ago I was checking out at the grocery store and happened to see the Better Homes and Gardens Halloween publication. I was flipping through the pages and saw this...

I was freaking out! I fell in love with this wonderland party. I decided then and there that I must host a wonderland inspired Halloween party for my art group "Pretty and Vintage Things" . I can't wait!

I started right away thinking of a project that we could make together at the gathering. I came up with the idea of an altered cookbook. It will be filled with whimsical collages and delightful recipes of treats one might eat at a the Mad Hatter's tea party. I began my sample cookbook last week and it is coming along nicely...

I made the cover by painting, distressing and drilling holes into a bare wood picture frame.

(this idea was inspired by a project seen in Lisa Kettell's book "Altered Circus")

binding detail a pocket on the inside of the front cover to tuck in recipe cards and tags

decorated pages

I will be sure to keep you up to date on my party plans...I can't wait to work on my costume and share it with you! xoxo Molly

"Queen of Art" Event

I am beyond thrilled that Karen Hillman has invited me to be an instructor at her upcoming art event "Queen of Art" in Plantation, Florida. I will be teaching a class on how to make this "Royal Sweetheart Wreath"...

It is made with tea dyed coffee filters, vintage lace, silk roses, millinery, luxurious ribbons and lots of glitter! Click here to read more about my project :)

For more information on the event and to register click here . I would love to see you there!

xoxo, Molly

Beauty in Blue Save the Date

I am thrilled to announce Karen Hillman's art event, "Beauty in Blue"! Beauty in Blue is an artistic weekend retreat celebrating springtime in Texas! The main focus of this weekend is to escape and create with an intimate group of artful minded women. We will relax, unwind and indulge ourselves in beautiful projects featuring shades of blues, creams and whites. This all inclusive event will be held at the charming and lovely Whitworth Ranch Retreat. The retreat is a ranch that was built in the late 1800's and sits on 50 acres in Scurry, Texas which is about 50 miles southeast of Dallas. All meals, accommodations, instructor fees and projects are provided with your reservation. Karen is also pleased to announce " The Beauty in Blue Portrait Event" to be held following the art event throughout the week of April 1st. Children, couples, families...this is the time and place for a SPECTACULAR photo session! Karen will be photographing in the stunning blue bonnet fields, styling the sessions with her vintage clothing and prop collection! I can't wait! And I REALLY hope to see you there! All details and sign ups will be announced soon! xoxo Molly

A Tea to Remember

Oh my gosh! The Artful Tea was a day I will never forget. It was a day packed full of everything I love...new friends, art, antiques, boutiques, tea, wine, cupcakes, and lots of laughter. I didn't want it to end. I drove over to Mount Dora with Cassandra and we had so much fun visiting in the car. When we arrived we went straight to "Karen's Cozy Cottage" where she had a delicious breakfast waiting for us. Next, we headed to the Garden Gate Tea Room to set up for the morning events. Karen and Cassandra let me set the tables up with the art supplies for our project and other lovely goodies. I loved every minute of it! Karen and Cassandra brought along some of their amazing creations to sell. Karen's artful display... Cassandra's stunning dress form:

Cassandra's over the top tea pot she made for a give away...that I didn't win *sniff sniff* :)

After everyone arrived Cassandra taught us how to make a lovely vintage inspired frame.

Here is a photo I took of mine: We created, sipped on tea and ate a delicious lunch. After a morning of fun at the tea room we headed off for some shopping. Boy did we find some treasures. I will do a separate post on my vintage finds soon. I can't wait to share. After shopping we headed back to Karen's cottage for wine and cheese and then we had dinner at the fabulous "Goblin Market". The food was to die for! Finally, we ended the day back at Karen's for yummy ice cream cookie cake. It was truly a perfect day!(dancing in the streets with Michelle, Karen and...my new chandelier :) Needless to say this was after the wine and cheese portion of the day. lol) . (me and Cassandra)