YAPPING CAT STUDIO

Cowgirls "Camp Whimsy"

Yesterday, I hosted our 4th Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat.  We went back to "our roots" (so to speak) and held it, once again, at  The Crafty Scrapper.   We had several Cowgirls returning (from June) as well as four new faces and four new teachers.  But first, the projects.

 

Joanna (of Sweet Finds blog) created and taught the wonderful Crown class.   While Sandra (of Warehouse Art Chix) did the fantastically, fun, cupcake canvas (with beeswax).  And last, but certainly not least, Chantal (of Wishblooms) did a beautiful, altered fabric cuff class.  

Whimsy was our theme!  Camp Whimsy to be exact.  These little wands (with ribbons removed and Stickles dabbed onto the stars) were attached to pink goodie bags.  Each Cowgirl got her bag (Bag o Whimsy), a beautifully covered (Webster's Pages paper) comp book and a wee book mark.  And badges (not shown) were actually "pockets".  Each class completed earned a "paper badge" that was placed in the pocket.  Just like in summer "camp". 

Goodies!

Bookmark, with very appropriate advice.

Floppy ribbon adhered each tiny wand to the bag.

Paper birds decorated the main centerpiece of the craft table.

Oops...forgot to put my roses in the jars and by the time I remembered, well it was just too late.  *sigh* Typical Me!  LOL.   See, this is why I need Tee, she keeps me from just going in circles.

Sandra started her class off with a fun, brightly colored kit.

 

And the gals began to make this.  A canvas that they themselves not only hand-painted and applied paper bits to, but also beeswaxed in the end.

Everyone wastes no time in laying down that great Robin's Egg Blue color.

Cowgirl Cami gets off to a great start!

And this creative Cowgirl really thinks out of the box and applies one of our napkins as the icing on her cupcake!  You go gurl!

 

Clever huh?  And cute!

Sandra keeps the gals on pace.

And everyone works away, applying beeswax to their finished pieces.

And viola, nine, wonderfully, whimsical, painted and waxed cupcake canvases.  Great job gals!

Next up is Joanna's beautiful, french crown.  Une Couronne en fil metallique (crown of wire).  And y'all we are Cowgirls, so that's chicken wire, don't cha know. 

Joanna ended up having to use a different frame on the headpieces.  But not to worry, this one was equally beautiful and came in a pretty, hand-made fabric pouch.

Goodies to add on are perfectly yum!

As our these feathers!

It starts with shaping the chicken wire.  What's the old saying, "you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear"...but you can make a crown from chicken wire!  :D

Everyone is very quiet and concentrating.

Joanna gives Cindy a few pointers.

 

And a short time later, we have "crownage".  Cindy's is just as pretty from the back as from the front.

As is this one!

 

In fact, all are fit for a Queen! 

But now, we need sustenance!  And its such cute sustenance. 

Next up, wonderful, stitched cuffs.  Chantal has a way with lovely, ribbons and lace and wonderful bits and beads.  LOVE the colors of this one.

Chantal gives tips on french knots.

And the pieces begin to take shape.

So many wonderful bits and pieces had gals just itchin to begin sitchin!

And here are the lovely ladies with their pieces.  They did a beautiful job.  And each did get their badges for projects completed.  Just like in girl scouts.  But heck, I forgot to take pics. 

The teacher's laid out a lovely vendor show which elicited ooh's and aah's!

Lots of goodies to choose from.

With that sense of "whimsy" coming into play.

Here and there. 

After a few more nibbles, a little more shopping and hugs goodbye, the gals began to head out the door and ride off into the sunset.  OK, the rain really.  And in the dark.  But work with me here.  It was a wonderful day.  We noshed on home-made (or rather hand-made) Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Basil Soup (and again, forgot to take pics) and salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing.  

So if you missed this one, not to worry!  Our 5th, yep, Fifth!  Paper Cowgirl is coming in June 2010.  Preparations are underway and Tina and I look forward to bringing a whole new round-up of great teachers, inspiration, creativity, and of course, cup-cakes, your way.  Looking forward to seeing you there.  Keep your eyes peeled here for details to come!   And of course here, you can come here too! 

Thanks for peeping!  And thanks again to all the wonderful teacher's, Chantal, Joanna and Sandra.  They each have great blogs, check em out.  And to the "Cowgirls" themselves...thanks  Gals, we could not have done it without ya!  Hugs!

Round UP!

What a delightful morning its been.  And yes, that's written with sarcasm.  BIG sarcasm.   You see, it's been a morning of spilling my coffee down the front of myself, a cat throwing up (thank goodness, not on me)  and whoever-put-the-new-bag-in-the-vacuum-last-time did it waaay-wrong!  Yeah!  I pulled out, I kid you not, at least, 10 pounds of cat hair out of the bag "holder" this morning.  Not the bag, but the holder for the bag.  Gross.  Not to mention the dust.  Ohmygosh.  Sneezed for 10 minutes straight after that one.  I don't know if Oreck will ever be the same. Or me.

But I digress.  As promised, today we are doing another Paper Cowgirl Friday.  I wanted to show off the talented gals that are teaching our "mini" retreat in October.  But, first, let me show off this banner!  Is that not the cutest?  The lovely and talented Dale over at Sea Dream Studio did it for us.  Don't you love it?  I do.  Bling, Bingo AND Horses!   Fun!

As for our teachers, let's start with Sandra.  Sandra Faezel is interior decorator by day, artist by night.  And she is so talented and fun to boot!  ha!  Cowgirl humor there.  She and I go way back.  We were both dealers in Antique Malls that were located next to each other.  Each of us buying from the other, admiring each other's talents.  And we never met.  And that was over five years ago.  We finally got to meet this last June at PC and she is a delightful girl with the best smile.  And did I mention talented?  She will be teaching our painting-slash-applying beeswax class called Cupcake Whimsy. 

She is also part of a dynamic trio that have worked together to create an adorable shop of vintage, fun and hand-painted goods.  Their shop, called Warehouse ArtChix is simply delightful.  And much, like the rabbit hole that Alice fell into, you never know what you will find there to delight you!   Check out her blog , for more reading on this talented, talented gal!  

Next up, is Chantal Johnson .  Chantal has had her hands in the "art jar" since she was "une petite fille" ( a little girl).  Her french-born and raised mother instilled a love affair with needle and thread, paper and crayon, paint and brush and the list goes on.  She loves all things creative and has combined many mediums into her art and home.    We are delighted that she will be teaching our Altered Fabric Bracelet Class.

Chantal has also been published in Somerset Studio and is a seven time ribbon winner at our Texas State Fair (in the areas of embroidery, collage, decoupage and crocheting..just to name a few).  With credentials like those, we knew she would be perfect for our class.  Check out her blog Wishblooms for more on this crafty Cowgirl and Bella!  

And last, but certainly not least, is Joanna Lewis.  You can always find her at her fun blog, Sweet Finds.  Joanna is a fellow, finder of things vintage.  She only recently gave up her booth at a local, antique mall, but still enjoys the thrill of the hunt.  Joanna is an artsy person and typically dabbles in something creative on a day to day basis.  She enjoys paper crafts, mixed media arts, painting, stitching, sewing and soldering. 

When she is not creating or working, she love's to go junkin with her daughter and her friends.  See?  Texas gurls love to hunt.  For vintage!  She also enjoys time with like minded souls and has had the opportunity to attend several Art Retreats and learn from some very creative women.  We are honored to have her as part of our team this year and very much look forward to her passing some of that creativity and learned knowledge onto us.  So, go check out Joanna's blog to see what this soon to be Two Time Bella is up to and crafting on. 

I hope you will check out these talented gals.  My hope is that even if you are unable to join us on October 3rd, you will find that these oh-so creative Texas gals will inspire you each time you drop by to see em. 

For more cool paper cowgirl fun, check out Tina's awesome tutorial at the Paper Cowgirl blog.  

If you are interested in more info on Paper Cowgirl or signing up for our day of "whimsy" art retreat, check the main blog for more info.  Or drop me an email. Or go see Tina.

Yeehaw!  It's Happy Friday Y'all! Here's hoping you have a safe and fun-filled three day weekend.

Paper Cowgirl Friday!

It's a Creative Round-Up of food, fun and crafts!  So get your "cowgirl" on and come join Tina and I for the Fall "mini" Art Retreat, on Saturday, October 3RD.

 

The theme of this one-day retreat is "wonderful whimsy".  If you need a Mom's Day out, leave the kiddo's with Dad and come play with us.  If you need a Girl's Day out, grab your best bud and come craft away.  Or if you just need to inspire your muse and recharge your batteries, we can do that too!  Three great classes and a fantastic lunch, in a wonderful classroom (and shopping) setting .  Great shopping, food, fun (and cupcakes) will be just the boost you need to life your spirits and recharge your artsy juices.  Sounds wicked cool does'nt it?  LOL.  Tina and I think so.  Wanna see more?  Go here!

Wanna see some of the fun?  Here are a few pics from last Junes Paper Cowgirl. And while the fall one will be on a smaller scale, it will be just as fun.

 

1.  my journal page class.  2.  Ann-Denise Crepe class.  3.  Meet and Greet at The Dove's Nest 4.  Mendy and Terri in Jan's Canvas class.  5.  Student art from Jan's Canvas class.  6.  Someone working hard in the soldering class.  7.  Myself, Tina and Mendy.  8.  Student projects from Dales Canvas Class.  9.  The happy group from Ann-Denise's class.  All from June 2009.

Come for the day and experience three classes that will allow you to try new techniques (beeswax, stitching and working with wire).  You may develop a new passion or just find something that will enhance your current favorite medium. 

And don't just take my word for it.  We have recommendations.  Yes. 

Paper Cowgirl???  For two years in a row Tina and Cindy (the head cowgirls) plan incredible classes, amazing projects, and find the most talented instructors.  I loved having pretty supplies all set up ready to go, learning a new technique and being able to finish a project in one day.  We're so fortunate to have an art retreat of this quality in the South.  To top it all off Tina and Cindy make sure there's a little time for shopping and the yummiest lunches around then throw in some cupcakes.
The only problem was that it was just once a year!  Well they fixed that...there's a fabulous one day retreat coming up - wax paintings, wristlets and crowns OH MY!  Can't wait. - Nancy Reeb

And this:

My many thanks go out to you both and to all the other teachers involved in this past June’s Paper Cowgirl retreat in Waxahachie, Texas.  I merely stumbled upon the PC site by a whim and I was delighted to find out about the retreat.  I convinced my dear friend to join me in this adventure and I not only had a blast, but she did as well.  The instructors were great and the class selections were awesome.   It was so nice to meet so many artists in so many walks of life and just have a great time together….not to mention the cupcakes…that didn’t hurt the situation either!! The meet and greet night, the vendor’s night, and our special evening out antiquing in downtown Waxahachie were definitely icing on the cupcake. - Liesl 

Over the next few Fridays I want to give you a peek at the talented Texas gals who will be teaching our beeswax, crown and stitched wrist-let class.  So, even if you live to far away to attend, come back and check out these fantastic girls artwork.  You will be inspired. 

And as always, Happy Friday.

All This and Shopping Too!

 

As promised, here are pics from the Vendor Show.  This year we had over fourteen amazing dealers.  I tried to get shots from each booth, but my stupid cam batteries were dying.  But hopefully this will give you an idea of what was shown.  

So many wonderful things to see, so many creative booths to shop from, it was a treasure trove of shopping and sugar (frosting shots).  What an evening.  By nine I was stumbling around in a daze from seeing so many cute things and a sweet overload (the Mint 3 Musketeers Shot was the best!).

Pinwheels made out of old book pages and lots of Bingo cards and old sheet music.  This booth of Marie's was adorable.   Her sister Maggie threw a few things in as well.  Maggie and I go way back and I had no idea that these two were related.  Talent definitely runs in the family.
 
Tina's  mannie stole the show with lots of soldered necklaces adorning her neck.

A lovely piece made by Dale of Sea Dream Studio.  We were blessed to have her this year again, as she taught at the first PC.  She is so very talented.  And cute to boot! 
 
Cute Jamie, not only organized the coolest paper swap, but had a wonderful array of vintage goodies to choose from in her booth, including these assorted letters.  Which I know I'm going to wish I had bought more of. 

Lovely bobbles of thread in old bins, all artfully displayed in her booth as well.  Was a delight to get to meet her.  And no, she did not look like Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy (as she had warned she might due to a nasty case of poison ivy).

A flock of fancy, frilly, flamingo's frolic in Jan T's booth.

This wonderful jacket hung in Maggie and Marie's booth.

Frosting shots!  Little tubs of sugar overload.  Kept me dazed and confused.  Someone with wishful thinking was hoping for liquor laced frosting...but nope, just sugar.  These are strawberry and the chocolate!  Not shown, the peanut butter and 3Musketeers Mint (my fave!).  And yep, they are just little cups of nothing but frosting. 

Loved this sweet little bit of ballerina outfit in Joanna's booth.  She and Angela did a wonderful job of display all sorts of cute things. 

Ann-Denise (the Queen of Crepe!), her booth was a frothy, confection of glitter and fun.  As is she! 

Sweet boxes that look like tiered cakes.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.

Nancy  had fun vintage cones and fun, vintage, Oriental paper lanterns.  (And check out the cool slide show on her blog - she's amazing). 

Carrie Gunning had some great art work in her booth. 

I especially loved this piece.

Tea Dyed ribbons and buttons adorn this booth.  All the vintage millinery was gone by the time I got back around.  Dang it! 

It was such fun.  And there were so many more wonderful areas to shop, but my batteries were dying and I was unable to get shots of it all.  Heat-felt thank yous to all that participated.  We sure did appreciate all your wonderful, hard work. 

I hope you enjoyed the vendor show tour.  Thanks for looking.

Happy (almost) Thursday.

A Day at the Paper Cowgirl Retreat!

We laid out the badges.  (Badges?  We don't need no stinkin badges! Which I believe came from the movie, "Blazing Saddles", appropriately enough).  LOL. 

Set up the welcome sign.

And put out the Freebies! Thanks Funky Finds! 

And in a short time, the lunches arrived.  And they smelled wonderful. 
 
Classes had begun.

And they sounded like they were fun!  (JT's Art from the Heart Canvas Class).

And the MAGIC began to happen!

Nancy's canvas during the class.  It (as well as all of the other's) were truly amazing works of art.
 
Classes in progress.

And this was from Tina's Soldered House class.  Magical.  Indeed.

And glitter abounds.  Dorothy (otherwise known as Ann-Denise) could click those glittery, pink, heels and wish herself home if she wanted!  But why would any Cowgurl, Rhinestone or Glitter, want to be anywhere else. 

Tomorrow's post.....the Vendor Show.  You won't believe your eyes!

Happy Tuesday!

My Hero's Have Always Been CowGurls!

With a nod to Mr. Nelson (thats Willie to y'all down in  Luckenbach), well, after this weekend, my hero's are CowGIRLS!, not Cowboys. 

I'll post more tomorrow...but for right now...I'm just plain pooped.  Between the non-stop weekend, and then today at work day at Dallas Market, whew.  Tuckered out. 

But it was a fantastic weekend, full of fun, creativity, wonderful gals, laughter.....and a great pair of GLITTERED Cowboy Boots!  Those were awesome Ann-Denise!

Happy (Yawn!) Monday!

What? Nothing?

Yep, nothing.  I'm sorry.  I wish I had some fantastic new thing to show you, but the the truth of the matter is, I've been to dang busy.  LOL. 

Well, I have been creating, but its a gift for my nieces baby shower.  And its just a little something and I did not want to bore you with that.  And then of course the weekend was busy with work at the store and Dad's Day.  And now I'm getting ready for 42 Crazy Cowgirls to hit town.

I had hoped to be able to post along as I prepared, but that's not gonna happen.  LOL.  However, I plan on posting later in the week, as everyone begins to arrive.  So you can see for yourself this wild group.  LOL. 

Until then, I'm going to take a few days off and finish getting prepared for these gals.   Can't believe Thursday is almost here.   Can't wait to show you how it all turns out.  Till then...

...Happy Monday.

A Little Help from My Friends

I'm so grateful for the help of my friends.  For without them, I could not have gotten 40 of these ready for the Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat.  So, gurls...thank you, thank you.  You have my sincerest thanks and appreciation for all your help in putting these together. 

I can't believe it is just around the corner.  Time sure has been flying.

Don't you love the horse and rose image?  I found a little book over in Canton that contained about 65 images that someone had been clipping and collecting for several years.  I really need to make some collage sheets, as some of the images are really cool. 

Wow....can't believe its already a "Happy Wednesday". 

All for one and one for all Paper Cowgirls!

Hit the trail, Paper Cowgirl! 

Yep.  Yeehaw.  It's time for another round up of the best art Texas gals have to offer. 

Along with some shopping fun and great food thrown in the mix as well.  We still have classes available, so I hope you will plan to mosey down here and have some fun with us. 

Here are some pics from last years event:

Some of the fabulous goods from our Vendor Craft Fair.  Shopping that you won't want to miss.  This year we have over twelve fabulous vendors selling their wares.  As well as a great make and take presented by Carolyn, owner of The Crafty Scrapper. .  A book signing, giveaways and more. 

Snacks to keep you fortified while shopping. 

The "famous frosting shots".  Guaranteed to put your blood-sugar in overdrive.

There was strawberry, chocolate and peanut butter.  All homemade and delicious by Two Sisters Cafe.  Guess which flavor went first?

Sea Dream Studio, is not only a returning vendor, but has a class available as well.  Spaces for her class are going quickly, so sign up now.

Dale of Sea Dream Studio.  

Tasty Treats by Two Sister's Cafe!

Glitter.

Great classes.

Camaraderie.  What more could a Cowgirl want? 

Some come on down!   Sign ups are open now.  The fun starts in June.  This year we are offering eight great classes.  A wonderful evening of mixing and mingling and private shopping here.   As previously mentioned, an excellent vendor craft show night.   Great food, great fun and more.  Go HERE to sign up to be a part of it all.  See here for more info.  And see the side bar for more great blogs participating in the Paper Cowgirl Trail and give-away!:

http://papercowgirl.blogspot.com

Almost forgot Dang it!  Leave a comment on the above blog (on today's date), as well as this blog, for today's date and I will be doing a drawing on April 10th for a give-away for one lucky Cowgirl.  What will it be?  Sign up and see!  :D

Yeehaw.  We hope to see ya'll there! 

Happy (yippee ki yay) Tuesday. 

"Everytime I try to get out...

...they pull me back in!"  Isn't that they famous Pacino line from one of the god father movies?  Or something like that.  Not that I've ever seen the movie, but I hear it's pretty good.  LOL. 

And I use that line tongue in cheek.  Sorta.  You see, I prefer to remain in the background at Paper Cowgirl.  You know, making sure point A gets to B, that lunches arrive, that we have paper cups.  Even washing dishes.  But yet, somehow, someway, looks like I will be front and center teaching, as we get ready to bring you Paper Cowgirl 2.  Yep.  I tried to get out of it.  And yet, I got pulled back in.

But to quote another, "the lady does protest too much".  Because really, I'm looking forward to it.  And in my class, well, we are going to explore one of my constant passions.  Books.  Specifically, an altered art journal book.  How to create one.  We are going to take an old book and turn it into an altered art journal.  Fun huh?  I thought so. 

While this is NOT AN EXACT PAGE, but a sample of what we will be doing in class.  Click on photo to see it larger.

This is a page out of an old Reader's Digest Condensed book.  I've altered one of the pages using different mediums and techniques.  We will use paint, rub-ons, images, ephemera, stamps and yes, my hand-writing.  Everyone always asks if that is my own hand-writing or a stamp.  Nope, it's mine.  And I hope to be able to teach you how to do that as well as how to create a page similar to this one.

So set your alarm clock and get ready.  Registration begins Saturday midnight on 3/1.   

 

HERE!

Yeehaw!  We look forward to seeing you there.   And we promise, no horse heads in your hotel bed.  Ewwwwww.