Silhouettes and Frou Frou Please!


Could you pass the silhouettes and frou frou please? I'd like to add them to my palette, thank you! LOL

I have always been a fan of silhouettes and cameos. A few years ago a friend gave me a vintage silhouette book from the 1920's, complete with cut scenes inside, then I picked up a silhouette book in California last year, and recently I discovered one I had been given as a child.

I'm constantly trying to go beyond the limits, trying to create something original or to give my twist on something vintage, to play with, have fun with and silhouettes have allowed me to do just that, PLAY!

From Silhouette Crowns to Silhouette Books, to Silhouette Medallions and Cameo Necklaces, garland, party hats and toppers, I am Silhouette crazed, this insanity led me to my next Silhouette project, The Frou Frou Silhouette Cabinet.

Here is the piece in its original state!
The original piece came from my friend Joyce's Store: Rose Petal Porch
http://www.rosepetalporch.com located across the street from Piddlestixs. I walked in saw the cabinet, looked at Joyce and she knew, it was going to my store, lol. My mission, re-paint, eliminate the contact paper inside and frou frou it up.

To start I sanded the piece, then painted the cabinet with Shabby Salmon Color. Next I enhanced the wood braiding and trims with Kettle Black Paint ( Yes a paint similar to my last name, LOL), then free hand painted a silhouette image to the front cabinet door. To create this piece for your self, scroll down to end and get my instructions.

Here it is with the paints:

Here it is w/o the contact paper inside and painted: Charming Caramel!


Here it is at its current location and with the crystal door knob from the hardware section at Lowe's:

Here it is with the handmade jewelry and decorative frames:

Finally here it is complete with the vintage rhinestone necklace:

Creating your own frou frou masterpieces is easier then you think, below is a simple project which can be applied to various painted projects from furniture to canvas.

Materials:
-Blank Canvas, un-finished/old furniture, etc.
-Latex paint in colors of choice (primer and paint all in ones are perfect for these projects)
-Silhouette image sized to dimension of choice or silhouette stencil
-Broken jewelry pieces
-Hardware
-Quick Grip glue or epoxy
-Spray adhesive
-Multi purpose screw driver
-Painters tape
-Sandpaper
-Paint brushes in a few sizes
-Pencil

Directions:
1. Sand furniture with sandpaper to remove any film or shine, wipe of sand dust with damp paper towel.
2. Begin painting your sanded furniture with paint of choice, let dry. Apply second coat of paint, let dry.
3. Decide on a silhouette shape or pattern, re-size according to size of your piece, on your computer, print, then cut out.
4. Next spray the spray adhesive to the back of the cut out silhouette, attach to your furniture, trace the cut out with a pencil, remove the cut out silhouette. Now paint the traced silhouette with black paint or color of choice.
5. Enhance parts of your furniture with more black paint or color of choice using a smaller paint brush.
6. Embellish your piece with hardware, broken jewelry and embellishments, using quick grip glue or epoxy.

Tips and Tricks:
-If you aren't too computer savvy bring your silhouette image to your local printer store and have them re-size and print your image.
-If you don't want to paint the silhouette on, decoupage the cut out silhouette onto the furniture using Mod Podge.
-Glue a rhinestone pin to a wooden knob and use as a handle.
-Try fabric or vintage wallpaper as the silhouette image.
-Use a blank canvas instead of furniture or wood scraps.

Up-cycled Furniture!

A passion of mine is saving old discarded furniture and giving it an up-do or what is now labeled: Up-cycle. Before I opened Piddlestixs my task was trying to find in-expensive furniture to fill the store with, but now a days even thrift stores and Good Will Stores are raising their prices on items due to dealers, which hurts those of us who really could use a good bargain. However with some extreme treasure hunting you can find some good deals for instance this 1970's style china cabinet I purchased for $10. Loved the frame but hated the wood color, so I picked up discount paint for $5 a gallon, a primer and paint in one, the color, Shabby Bubblegum. Then I bought a creamy white enamel paint on sale for $1.25 to fill in the hard ware and accents.

Here is the piece in its original state:

Here is the piece sanded and getting painted:

Here it is painted:

Now with the accents painted:

This next piece was a child's bed headboard/hutch which was an ugly 60s'/70s' brown, which I painted with more of the bargain paints:


The following piece was again an ugly cheap wood color, which I sanded and painted w/more bargain paint in a pastel Robin's egg blue color:



Stay tuned for more painted pieces!
xoxo
Lisa!

The Cupcake Topper Revolution!

Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes, know matter where you go, cupcakes are taking over, in a trend I have labeled: Cupcake Chic, a term you have been hearing me say for the past 4 years, which is what I use to describe pastel, Kawaii, bakery and sweet shoppe styles and colors.


As a child I always loved cupcakes, waiting for the school and church bake sales to get those special handmade ones with the creamy frosting and sprinkles. Trips to the local bakery would be even more special because you could also get a cute cupcake topper or pick with your cupcake, birthdays and holidays would bring out the unusual in these sweet hand held treats, and their infamous toppers. Today vintage toppers can be quite valuable to collectors and sugar craft enthusiasts. Vintage artists use the toppers in projects or re-create them in a variety of sizes and styles.

To me and many others the idea of collecting Vintage Sugar Craft Accoutrements is a MAGICAL privilege, these rare sweet items can open up a world of PURE IMAGINATION. However finding these wares is hard and ones which fit in your budget, can be even harder to come by, this is what led me to re-create my own versions of vintage sugar craft items with my own twist.

In my Etsy store: Moonfaires World and in my Store front: Piddlestixs, you will find sugary sweet and unusual handmade finds, such as my variety of cupcake and cake toppers/picks.

My newest cupcake toppers are the Carnival Follies, Mer-Kewpies, Sugar Plum Kewpies and Marie's Soiree. I currently working on the expansion of the Carnival Follies, Wonderland and Side Show.


Last night the amazing Sadie Lou created a fabulous treasury on Etsy showcasing the theme of cupcakes, my Marie's Soiree was included in the treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c648ee3ec2c6d914359b776/cuppie-cake

The New Boxes on the Block!

Lately I have been drawn to decorated boxes, ones with cute assemblages on each box top. After searching and searching for the right components for the boxes, I found some of the items were too cute to use only on one box, so once again I hand molded my items and poured some of them with paper mache, others pressed with my handmade clay and others with a blend of paper clay and apoxie clay.

The first of these new boxes are:
-Blue Bear's Party
-Lady Primrose's Tea Party


Blue Bear is on his way to a party in Pink Valley at Sammy Petalsmith's house located at the tip of Pinksby Mountain, where Sammy has set up a Pink Wonderland filled with sweets and treats!


Lady Primrose is on her way to a Garden Tea Party at Abigail Brewster's Arboretum in Sunnyvale. The Tea Party begins at 12noon inside the Climbing Roses Gazebo which will be glowing with Oriental lanterns and twinkling lights laced between layers of roses and vines.



Both were made from my molds and a paper mache mix, then sanded, hand painted and decorated, not to mention loads of glitter. Blue Bear's Party has vintage multi tinsel glitter I had from Woolworth's and Lady Primrose's Tea Party has fine German glitter from Art Glitter.

Hope you enjoy them!
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Paper Cow Girl's: A Wicked Tea
October is just around the corner and so is Paper Cow Girl's: A Wicked Tea! Come learn from teachers: Ann-Denise Anderson, Lisa McIlvain, Cindy Mayfield and Lesley Venable in the quaint town of Waxahachie, Texas.

Spend a wickedly sweet day with Paper Cowgirl, as they dine on wickedly, delicious goodies, and collaborate creatively with delightfully, haunting classes.

This will be an intense, one day workshop, with the cost of the workshop including all four great classes presented by Ann-Denise Anderson, Lisa McIlvain, Cindy Mayfield and Lesley Venable. The price of the workshop is $220 which also includes:

-breakfast nibbles, coffee, lunch (see menu below), a decadent goodie bar, four great classes, fabulous goodie bags and more.

The class location for the event is the charming, pink Cottage (on Water Street) in Waxahachie, Texas. This delightful, pink "doll-house for big girls" will be bedecked and bedazzled with spooky splendor to get us all in the "spirit", visit the Paper Cow Girl Blog/site for more spooky details and to sign up:
http://www.papercowgirlregistration.blogspot.com/

Here is a sneak peak at AnnDenise's fabulous workshop:




Visit AnnDenise's Blog for more pictures and info:
http://whimandfancydesigns.blogspot.com/2010/08/wicked-tea-registration-is-now-open.html

Lesley's Workshop Sneak Peak:

Doll Land Inside Piddlestixs!

Since I was a little girl I was always excited to get a doll whether it was old or new, a doll always allowed my imagination to soar. Dolls have inspired me to write, draw and create, its this childhood fantasy that I carried over into my adult world which allows me to keep the magic inside me and to see things differently then others.

An old doll in a grungy condition might be turned away from some, but to me, its a doll waiting to be given life again. I might turn that doll into a new one, mold it, add to an assemblage, draw it, tell a story about it or comprise it of other parts to become something new such as a wand, jar topper or embellishment.


At Piddlestixs I wanted to dedicate a whole section for the whimsy of childhood, complete with dolls and toys, a blend of vintage, modern, broken and artful, a place I call Doll Land and the Circus Follies. There is a magic hidden in these items which can bring back our childhood spirit.

Many of these dolls sit in the hand painted pink glass cabinet, which I created especially for them. Along side is a pink child's storybook hutch, white shelves filled w/vignettes, 2 castle like pillars and doll house curtains. Everyday I plan to add to the collection with furniture, toys and more dolls.

When you visit Piddlestixs in Historic Lafayette, NJ, you will escape to a world of magic. Come stay and play for a while, take a class and make a doll, buy enchanted goodies to bring some magic to your day!

See you at the store!
12 Morris Farm Rd, Historic Lafayette, NJ 07848

When: Saturday October 16, 2010 Time: 12pm-8pm Where: Piddlestixs Address: 12 Morris Farm Road, Lafayette, NJ 07848 (Historic Lafayette) Seats Limited: 15 Students What: A Witches Tea Party, Workshop, Ghost Walk and Party!

Come escape to a secret world filled with magic and mayhem, where folk tales of ghosts and goblins come to life.

Itinerary of Events from 12pm-8pm
-12pm: Start off with some light food, Autumn inspired treats, & receive your goodie bags.
-12:30pm: Workshop begins. Receive your project kit, get a brief insight into the true meaning behind the witches hat aka Welsh Hat, who constructed it and what its original purpose was. Then we will create our own version using a sturdy satin witches hat base which each student will lavishly decorate using a variety of artful supplies from millinery and tinsel to fabrics and jewels.
-3:45pm: Students are encouraged to now wear their hats and begin the shopping extravaganza until 5pm inside Piddlestixs, at the Lafayette Antiques Center, and neighboring stores.
-5:15pm: Enjoy an Addams Family Style Dinner complete with lights, music, jack o'lanterns, not to mentions some sweet treats and pumpkin spice tea from Piddlestixs own blend.
-6:45pm: We begin our Spellbinding Ghost walk complete with glowing lanterns. We'll make our way down the stairs to the old barn/gazebo positioned over the river stream, where our glowing lanterns, hot cider and first ghost story await.(Your lantern is another gift for you!)
-7:00pm: We will make our way through historic Lafayette listing to tales of an eerie past, walking with our hats and lanterns to the home of David Messineo, Publisher/Executive Editor of Sensations Magazine and The Six Centuries Club, who recently received a 2009 New Jersey State Jefferson Award for Public Service. He will finish the night with tales of a dark history filled w/witches and more.
-8:00pm: Arrive back at the store for departure or stay a little longer and chat.

Cost for the day is: $100.00 and includes everything above (the food, treats, lanterns,extra project materials, David's time, etc.)

Goodie Bags and lanterns are your additional free items for you to enjoy.

Kit fee: $10 (covers the hat basics and materials), paid the day of the workshop.

To Register:
http://www.artoperanj.com/category_28/Witches-Tea-Party-Ghost-Walk-Project-Workshop.htm

There are so many talented artisans in this world, everyday I continue to get inspired by works that I see. Today I had to share with you some amazing Etsy Treasuries, Here is one I created called: "Summer Magic" Look at all the amazing artisans!


Here is a treasury I'm in created by NerdJerk on Etsy called:
"Colourful Carnival and Circus Candy"


Here is a treasury I'm in created by Three Chicks Vintage on Etsy called:
"Over the Rainbow"


Each of these artisans are extremely talented and inspiring, stop on by Etsy to visit their works and to see more!

Magic and Joy,
Lisa!