Witches Tea Party and Spellbinding Ghost Walk!
Here are some of the witches at the 200 year old covered bridge

On Saturday October 16, 2010, I hosted the Witches Tea Party at my store Piddlestixs in Historic Lafayette, NJ, from 12pm-10pm

Witches Flew on their brooms (cars) from all over NJ to take part in the festivities. What's a witch to do without her hat, broom, lantern and brew? I was so excited to see many friends and meet new ones. Geralyn and Zandra drove in from the Jersey Shore and Theresa came down from Mahwah, while the other ladies came in from Succasunna, Stillwater, Warwick, Newton, Branchville, Parsippany and Allamuchy!

Several Witches and Wizards were on hand to create new hats to wear this Halloween, sharing eerie tales and spellbinding techniques, munching on spooky delights and geared up for some bone shivering frights........


I had been preparing for weeks for this event, getting Witch hats to decorate, ribbons, trims, millinery and other spook-tacular goodies. The studio had to be transformed, the food prepared the lanterns set, the ghost walk organized, the moonlight tea ready and the surprises in store.

Our day started with a light lunch of tea sandwiches, Parmesan and Artichoke Chicken Salad, Croissants, Spinach Spread and Wine Crackers, Hummus, Fruit Salad and Harvest Autumn Punch. Lunch was followed by the creation of our Witches Hats made using a witch hat base, vintage fabrics, tulle, feather boa's, ribbons, millinery, images, jewels, stitching and glue. We used primarily fabri-tac by Beacon Adhesives and hot glue for this gluing. During this time additional friends and curious seekers popped in for a peek, along with Mark Lipinski who came on by for a visit.

After our witches were complete we started our shopping parade to the businesses and covered bridge. We stopped first at Karen and Don's Shops at the Mill Bogwater Jims and The Boat House!
My dear friend Joyce, owner of Rose Petal Porch handed out surprise goodie bags to the attendees. After Joyce's we headed over to Black Pony Antiques, The Chocolate Goat at the Mill Antiques at Joe and Sharon's spot.
Once dinner was over, attendees received their Pink Jack-O-Lanterns filled with goodies from: Beacon Adhesives, DMC, Rat's Pajamas, Aurora-tique, Piddlestixs, Tila's and Suburban Girl Studios.
With tea lights in place (battery of course), it was time for the ghost walk and evening tea. We descended down the stairs and walked over to Miss June's location over the Lafayette Emporium, in a 150 plus year old structure which is allegedly haunted.
During June's talk one of our attendees felt the ghost nearby and needed to sit, now that was scary, Then as we all left, June handed each of us some goodies, just as we left the structure, we were greeted by David Messineo, creator of the Six Centuries Club, David appeared in 17th Century Costume and led us to his home for the ghostly tales session. His home is a turn of the century farm house which was often used for gatherings and church meetings during that time, it was here that David spoke of eerie tales of witches and ghostly folk lore in a candle light setting w/hot tea and sweets.
After wards our party walked back to Piddlestixs for another round of gourmet desserts and to recap the day and night!

I hope you enjoyed escaping to a world of magic and mayhem as I recapped the wonderful event: Witches Tea Party and Ghost Walk, which brought together a wonderful group of people for lots of fun and joy! Hope to see you at the next workshop or event at Piddlestixs!

Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

To see the full album of pictures from this event please visit my flickr site or click here!

To sign up for workshops and events or to book a private party for you and your crafty friends click here

Les Modes Parisiennes Workshop

Les Modes Parisiennes Workshop

Register Now
Date: Sunday November 7, 2010
Time: 10:30-4:30pm,
Where: Piddlestixs, 12 Morris Farm Road, Lafayette, NJ 07848
Instructor: Lisa Kettell
Price: $65, kit fee $10

How many times have you walked into an antique store, looked through family photos or visited an Ephemera Show and saw the most elegant and amazing fashion plates from the turn of the century.

Learn to create vintage assemblages using vintage Parisian fashion plates or Ballet fashion plates, materials, trims, millinery, broken jewels and more.

Learn light stitching, design and assemblage!

Learn:
-Light Stitching
-Paper layering and folding
-Collage
-Alteration of Imagery
-Design
-Assemblage
-vintage art

Pick your assemblage theme:
-Vintage Ballet and Fashion Plates
-Les Modes/Victorian

This piece of art will be a treasured heirloom that you can display anywhere you want that special magic!

Party Time Box!


“Wish on everything. Pink cars are good, especially old ones. And stars of course, first stars and shooting stars. Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars. Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground. Birthday candles. Baby teeth.”

-Francesca Lia Block (American Author)



I have been on a crusade to re-invent: "Sweet" aka "Kawaii", to re-invent the circus girl in me, the Celebration inside. October is a magical month, for me it brings forth a new journey in my life one filled with new opportunities and works. I have found myself mixing color palettes and themes, especially loving the idea of blending orange and pink, aqua and red, metallics and chic, cupcakes and grunge.

This new art piece: "Party Time Box" blends a little grunge aka spice with some sugary nice. I covered a papier mache box with printed parchment paper shreds, then topped with a sugary bunny, vintage chicks, tiny pom pom fringe, feathers, tinsel chenille, papers, glitters and more.


This piece is supposed to bring a smile to your day, to celebrate being you! It doesn't have to be your birthday in order to have a day of celebration, to have a slice of cake, drink a milk shake or get a present, how about creating a celebrated piece of work and dedicate to yourself.

Have a celebrated day!
xoxo
Lisa!

Meet Antoinette Le Peep!

Antoinette was made using the newest doll parts in my embellishments line: Storybook Chick which can be found in my etsy store and at Piddlestixs in Lafayette, NJ!

She was also made with vintage lace, trims, pearls, honeycomb, millinery, chenille, rhinestones and more.

Antoinette measures about 8 1/2 to 9 inches in height! This doll and several others will be available on Etsy and at Piddlestixs.
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Come join Antoinette Le Peep as she attends the Carousel Soiree and dances til midnight. Alongside some of her friends: Frieda, Sophie, Elle, Minka and Claudette who are all getting ready for the soiree.

Sophie is Antoinette's first cousin and princess in waiting, Frieda and Elle are twins whose parents own Stwiggly Farms, Claudette is heir to the Pemberlisse Candy Fortune and Minka is her best friend and daughter of Babe Worthwood, designer of the storybook houses on Willow Row, just outside of Rosette Jardins.

The Carousel Soiree is held at Blanca Primspeep's mansion in Le Meringue, north of Rosette Jardins. Every year a carousel queen is chosen, I wonder who will be crowned this year?

A Hero Will Live on Forever!

It has been a long week filled with an empty feeling, a loss, that in the reality of life I will no longer be able to dial the phone or answer the call to talk with my grandfather, as he was called from a higher power to start the next journey in his life which is to be re-united with my Grandmother and his family above, to walk with the Angels and be mine.

My grandparents lived with me growing up, they were like having a second set of parents in the house, both doted on me and treated me like their own child, they were always there and now I know will always be. My mother, the baby of the family, has tried to find comfort this week and will continue too as each day passes. Grandpa was the man who was held the family together while family sides divided and found their own lives, he still remained everyone's rock through it all.

But he needed to exist, to out live the tribulations of battle in WWII, earning a purple heart and various other medals throughout his military reign in the Army Signal Corps., coming home to meet my grandmother and start a family, together they paved the path for my family to exist and create themselves.

Although I believe he had more life in him, at least 10 more years, but God had other plans and Anthony Ciamillo answered to those plans. On Monday he was placed at rest with a formal military salute. His memory will live on in our hearts forever.

As a tribute to honor him, I will have his name added to the hall of candles at St. Josephs Shrine right near the one I had made for my Grandmother 5 years ago. Now Mom and I can visit them there all the time.

Thank you for all your support, your warm words, cards, prayers and love to Mom, My Family and Me, it has been much of a comfort to us!

Thank You and God Bless You!

xo Lisa and Momma Joan!

Recycled Halloween!

As many of you know I love love love to recycle and re-use items in a variety of way. By recycling I can give new life to things, you help the environment, and it cost virtually nothing. A book and its pages can be turned into a plethora of things from wall art to a wreath to a new book, rosettes, party hats, crowns, cones, etc.

For this recycled project I used left over un-painted jack-o-lanterns treat lanterns, bird foliage pick, pumpkin picks, floral wire, floral moss, book pages for the party hat and rosettes, paints, Beacon's Tinsel glitter and Kid's Choice glue.

I hand painted the pumpkins, then assembled the piece, the end result a fabulous Halloween hanging assemblage that you can create for friends/family, yourself or do with the kids!


Hope you enjoy!
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Come One, Come All To The Halloween Ball.........


I'd like to introduce the newest members of the Sweet Cupcake Topper Collection:

-The Halloween Follies
-The Pumpkin Kings
-Mr.Moon

Each topper is made from either clay or vintage foam balls, extra large picks, paints and embellishments. These new toppers have brought some extra magic to my studio this season. They are a bit of prim, bit of fancy and sweet, a bit dapper and regal, perhaps magical to those who believe.




I will have these toppers available tonight in my Etsy store, and some are available now at Piddlestixs!

Hope you enjoy,
Magic and Joy,
Lisa!

Altered Art Circus: Party Hats, Tussie Mussies, Cones!

In my book; Altered Art Circus, I have a few projects revolving around cones such as the Marie Antoinette Tussie Mussie and The Marie Antoinette Cone Doll Hat/Centerpiece. These projects revolve around a simple cones shape which can turn into a variety of projects such as a doll, tree topper, holiday tree, wreath, party hat, party cones, flower cones aka cornucopia's, pocket posies and tussie mussie's, candy favor cones, wizard hats, witch hats, princess hats, rosettes and more, all from one simple shape.

Creating cones is extremely easy, you can open up a cheap party hat and trace it for a template. Try tracing a large plate onto card stock or poster board, find the center, mark the point, and draw line from edge to the center point, cut that line, fold in and glue. Buy paper mache cornucopia cones already made at your craft store or just buy my book, and photocopy the template inside to your desired size and use that.

Over the year I have transformed my cone projects into a few things and incorporated my scrapbook papers and embellishments from my line into them. The following 2 photos are samples of some of the papers and parts! The first is the Candy Paper and the next some of the embellishments to accompany my papers.


Party Cones and Hats Examples:



Here is a rosette made from layers of cones:


For instructions on making cone shaped projects and for the template, photo copy the template in the back of my book: Altered Art Circus, and scout out the projects in the book. Visit my flick photo gallery for tons of extra free images and inspiration!
Magic and Joy,
Lisa1

Who loves inspiration and a giveaway?

If you want to be inspired, escape to a magical circus and enter in a giveaway, then take a stroll over to Mod Podge Rocks, where Amy Anderson has written a wonderful review on my book: Altered Art Circus, shares her favorite parts of the book, showcased some new works adapted from it and is hosting a giveaway, where one lucky winner will receive:

A copy of Altered Art Circus AND a few sheets of paper and ephemera from my scrapbook line to get you started on your own magical adventure.

Many of the projects from the book are made using various Plaid products, especially mod podge or as I spelled Modge Podge in parts of the book, lol, my lingo, hey I'm from NJ, lol.

There are easy to create projects from the book, an image gallery in the back for you to photo copy and use in your works. I remind you this book is for the fun at heart person, someone looking to escape to their own artful world and meet some friends along the away. if you are the experienced artist, this is a fun book to help you get inspired and learn some new techniques.

My fave projects from the book are:
-The Circus Carts
I began re-creating the circus carts using my handmade dolls and storybook characters in place of images. This is the box I did the demo of at CHA:

-The Carnival Toys
-Frame Book
-Fairy Bulb Wands and Jars
Here is another version of the bulb wand:

-The Traveling Bumbelina's
Here is another version of the Traveling Bumbelina's Project which uses poker chips as the base. In this project I turned the poker chips into small chairs. I'll post the project instructions on how to create the poker chip chairs this week. Also in this photo is another version of the jar fairies, which I used a wine glass instead of a glass jar.

-The Cone Doll Hats/Tussie Mussies/Centerpieces
I have begun creating Candy Cones adapted from the Tussie Mussie Project from my book. Inside you will find a template for these, which you can en-largen or shrink to make various sized cones. Turn into candy cones, flower cones, party cones or hats. Perfect for favors at a party or event, create mini ones for a garland or use in a wreath.


At CHA this past year I did a demo on the circus carts using new techniques such as my model magic dolls/characters, and vintage trimmings. I've re-created new atcs, books and wands using the original projects from it.

To enter the giveaway visit: Mod Podge Rocks
http://modpodgerocks.blogspot.com/2010/09/altered-art-circus-book-review-and.html

This week in celebration of the giveaway I will be dedicating my blog to project how-to's and new adapted projects from my book, stay tuned!
xoxo
Lisa!