WarehouseArtchix

Tuesday's Treasure ~ Time stands still in Southlake

Sandra & I started the day off early .....with Starbucks and a mission:)

To visit Southlake's Tuesday Flea Market......a 'junk-o-rama fest' that has been held every Tuesday morning for more then a decade. It was once quite fitting in this town that was merely more then a patch of dirt on the edge of the up and coming cities. But now it lies in stark contrast to the beautiful mansions, upscale shopping centers, and green golf courses that SOUTHLAKE has become famous for.

It was a 'flash back' for Sandra who use to frequent this market regularly and would often sell her fabulously painted wares here ~ she even ran into a vendor that recognized her! She also found a piece of her art work being resold in a booth from YEARS ago - that was strange!!!

It was my first time to attend this oddity......

I'd heard of this market forever, but it looked SOOOO 'seedy' ( more seedy then your regular Junk Mart)that my ~ 'normally undaunting courage'  ~ always shriveled up as I would drive by it. Sandra was the perfect friend to JUNK WITH in this venue!!! She loves to get in there and really look at what someone has, and has a great eye for spotting 'treasure'!

At the end of the day we had a full van - hehehe! Naw.....that's really just because she bought a huge piece  - along with many small pretties. Let me show you:)

Here are our finds for the day....

Lots of metal crosses - small and large

Vintage European photos

Pumpkin doll

Old rhinestone jewelry

Old playing cards of some kind

Fun metal wall art....

2 Rose Bowls ~ *If you live in TEXAS you are not a REAL WOMAN unless you own ROSE BOWLS. Really...odd but true:)

A huge gorgeous metal ornament (leaning against the table)

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Last but not least........ THEE BEST FIND of the day.....

And Old European table - GORGEOUS!!! With a hand painted top and scrolled legs. (It is underneath all the other items in these photos.) It needed a little touch-up but nothing Sandra couldn't handle:) AN absoulute STEAL at $75 - she couldn't pass it up!!

Great detailing on the side of the table.

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Here are some closer photos of our treasures.....

That's it!! We were on the look out for doll body parts, but had no such luck today...we'll just have to go back:) We were both elated with our treasures....and loved starting the day off with such a great DIG!!

Can't wait to get into the studio and figure out WHAT do with it - and more importantly.....WHERE to store more JUNK!!

Hope your day brings you some sunshine and creativity.... Debra

~~~Wonderful Weekend in Waco, Texas!!~~~

WOW-did I find the treasures in Waco this weekend!  Early Saturday morning I emptied out the van (at least part of it!)and headed out to pick up "Nana", my mom Ann, to head out to Waco to visit my daughter and her new apartment.  One of the first questions my mom asked was "are we going to have time to stop at our favorite shop on the way?" That shop is Bloom and Bee Swanky, located in Elm Mott (they are in the process of moving into Waco right now as you read this)...we discovered this fun little shop on our first trip when we visited my daughter last year on Parents Weekend at the campus.  The shop is owned by Amy and she is a doll, she has that building filled to the brim with lovelies, both hers and other dealers...and her displays are always lots of fun too!  Her prices are fair and I can spend hours just browsing among it all, making my pile at the counter as I go!  If ever in Waco, you should make it a point to visit Amy at her new location which she promises to be wonderful!!   Here are some more pics of the treasures...seems that tones of cream were the order of the day!

It was great to catch visit (in person) and catch up with my mom, as lately we just have quick phone conversations as I drive to clients homes.  My daughter and her darling roomate were waiting for us, as we arrived a little later (o.k., yes, it was 2 hours later than we had planned) but I had to bathe the dog (Daisy, the rat terrier made her move to Waco on this trip...she is now an apartment pet).  We got to see all the new additions to the decor at the apt. and came with a box of treasures to add to the decor. Nancy had sent some goodies for Syd and I had gotten her the duvet cover that she had been drooling over...then some treats from Ikea and of course a box of brownie mix for the girls to bake!  Treats are not treats unless you add something sweet!!! Hey! That could be the title of artwork for me!!! The girls wanted to visit Bloom and Bee Swanky too, so we loaded up and headed for Elm Mott.  I guess Syd forgot what die hard vintage shoppers my mom and I are!! She was finished shopping way before we were....my mom, once tired, sat in a chair and shopped from there with a little help from Sydney.  We loaded up the van with all kinds of treasures and then took the girls to lunch, Syd's request was steak, so we obliged and had a delicious late lunch. Then we headed back to the apt. to check on Daisy dog and drop off Robin who was joining roomate Margaret to go to the football game.  Daisy was a hit with Margaret who was having doubts about the dog thing....who could not adore that dog filled with personality. It will be so wonderful for Daisy to be the center of attention of all those girls....she was not adapting well to our new addition of Vegas (mixed breed pup we adopted), in fact she had gotten into a fight with my Great Dane and of course lost, that only cost about $700.00 in vet bills and 48 stitches around poor Daisy's neck.  My Dane is so gentle, but when Daisy went for her neck, she just bit back and one bite was all it took to send Daisy running and me driving to the vet!!  Well, enough of my dog stories and more pics of treasures:

Buttons, Buckles, Old Locks and Keys, FAb Photos, Iron Fragments, Scrabble Tiles....

Such fun! 

Friday...today is FuN FrIDaY!!! YaHOo!

So glad today is Friday!!!                                                                                     That means it is time for the warehouseartchix to meet again!!! So soon, very soon you will see new pics of the art dolls from the Round Robin! Here are just a few of the goodies I will play with tonite, my box arrived from www.flightsoffancyboutique.com and it is sooooo fab!!!  Check them out, the pictures do not do it justice! The colors are all so incredible!

Lots of goodies! velvet and silk, vintage flowers...all just waiting to be put on those art dolls!

And Speaking of those Art Dolls.....

  I can not wait to see them myself! This has been a very fun experience and it has gotten some great comments and emails!! I am headed off to work today, going to help a client set up for a baby shower and arrange her house for the event....so fun. All pink and girly girly for the shower!  And you know I love pink!  I am excited to have a new computer at home, I have not had one most of the summer and had to blog and email from my office. Finally found one on sale for a great price and lots of memory.  Heaven knows I need that since I have very little left in my own brain!!hehe! Just going to leave you with a few pics of whats blooming in my backyard :

Morning glory! They seem to love this cooler weather we are having!

Right ouside the Studio , a place to rest when I tire of pulling weeds! Bought the "S" sign at a flea market and thought it was so cool...S...like Studio, Sandra....then found out it was really S...for SLOW, by railroad crossings!!  Well, I can just use my imagination !

These beauties are just spilling off of my fences! 

Vegas (most adorable pup, he is a comedian!) settling in the studio for his morning nap!  Luchia thinks no one will notice that she has climbed onto the french green sofa to take her nap!

It is as much a treat for the dogs as it is for me to spend time in the studio! Should have named them Picasso and Matisse!

Have a great day and celebrate the end of the week by doing something fun and creative!!! We will be thinkin  of you as we hit the warehouse to create tonite!!! -Sandra

ART DOLL DIDDLY...

Here's a little update on Sandra's doll:)

I wanted sooo badly to do her arms!! I have purchased all these great charms and and beads to do some funky arms with....but they haven't arrived in the mail yet ~ darn!!  I also thought maybe I should leave those for another artist as we still have 2 people to go. I have some great barbie arms that I was SOOO tempted to attach to her as well....but something about this doll just called out to have beaded, dangly  delicate arms...so I left it alone:)

So here's what I did ....( *and I'm not too sure I love it)

1. Added a large 'S' to the front of it for Sandra, and edged it in gold and glitter.

2. Added topaz rhinestones around the wooden circle.

3. Added a funny hat ~ looks a little better in person then in this photo ( or so, I'm hoping) :)

4. Painted roses along one side of her metal body.

5. Painted her feet, and added a single rose on one foot.

I had some ornate, large glittered ceramic wings and thought about adding those to each side of the hat...but thought it may be redundant as Kecia had already added some beautiful glittered wings on each side of the doll ~ but then again....who/what can have too many wings right??

I thought I'd see if it still needs it once passed to a few more gals....* maybe I'll just bring them Friday night and get a majority vote:) Don't you hate it when you just can't make up your mind ~ you need another gal pal there to say 'YES!" or 'NAW - that's too much'!! * I've got the same problem with shoes when getting dressed......

I generally do subscribe to the philosophy that "More Is Better" most of the time:) DJ

A little' brag' on my sister.....

Computer clean up!! I'm desperate this fall to clean out some pictures stored on this computer....

I AM one of those people that have hundreds of unprinted photos on my computer~ and I'm determined to get them printed and in scrapbooks. * I'm not much of a 'scrapbooker' ~ I always buy all the fun stuff and then end up using the supplies on my art projects instead:) With a new baby on the way and the realization that I ought to maintain a baby book for him....that means I need to get on top of the OLD stuff.

I found some fun pictures though that I just have to share here.....

First this is one of my FAVORITE things ever....his name is FRED.

* Isn't he ugly?? In that cute sort of way...hehehe!

Now, I know you can't tell the scale of him, so I've inserted another picture so you can see how marvelously LARGE he is!! He is built on a wooden frame  and is about 5 feet tall and 3 feet in depth from the wall:) HUGE!!!!!

(* This was a picture from one of our SPoOn game nights...notice the SPOON chandelier we created for the occasion - he!!! See FRED on the wall?

FRED was one of my sister's college art projects. ( we won't mention how many years ago that was - for her sake and mine ~ *I'm older) FRED is made of wire mesh and paper mache. That's it - isn't that crazy??

I just loved him! His eyes seemed to follow you wherever you went! A little strange.....

I always thought he'd be FABULOUS in a funky coffee shop ~ and was positive that he'd scare off any burglar that may attempt to enter the house:)Agree?

I tried to do a very small scale version of my sister's creation. *Ohhhh - soooooo not good!!! After I tried the same technique on a 8X10 canvas ~ I had even more respect for the art work she'd done. Look how freaky mine turned out....

We did not bother to name her...I think the 'theme' was QUEEN BEE....but I think that got lost in the bizarreness of it all.....hehe:)

What do you DOOOOO with art like that?? - HaHAHAHA!!! Where's the circus when you need it?

**But...then I found amongst my many photos of her art work - other GREAT things she's done....and I marvel at the range of her art!!!

This was done on the floor of her daughter's room - it's quite large. About 5ft by 5ft. I wish the picture was larger, so you could see the incredible detail in it:)

Her versatility is just amazing:) It inspires me....

Soooo, now that I've perused pictures all day, I'm excited to hit the studio and STRETCH myself!! I received my next ROUND ROBIN art doll from Kecia today  - so maybe I'll do something WACKY on it:)

*Sorry Sandra - I said that just to scare ya a bit because it's YOUR doll I'll be messing with - hehehe!

Tootles..DJ

Art Doll

  Back of doll head.....

Art Doll

Art doll update.....hair, head piece and arms added by Nancy:)

Remembering......

Tomorrow is a huge day of remembrance and heart ache for our nation and for so many families who lost a loved one when the towers collapsed.....

I share these emotions with so many others on this day and that is comforting.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance for my family as well....

My beautiful 15 year old niece passed into heaven 2 years ago on 9-11. Alexah Shelby Wilson. ( I truly cannot believe that 2 years have passed~ it feels like yesterday ) She was driving a 4 wheeler in an open pasture on a family farm when it flipped and threw her and a friend. One sustained a broken foot, one went home to her Father:)

( I always feel the need to mention another piece of this history. 3 days prior to Ali's death, my sister also lost a baby - she was 5 months along, and upon learning this news... Ali had been crushed. Just a week earlier my sister and Ali had been out looking for a larger car, to fit what they thought was going to be a family of 6. I feel that mentioning that gives a greater scope to my sister's loss and gives tribute to that tiny spirit who returned to heaven so quickly)

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Our family comes together at this time of year to commemorate Ali's life. I cherish this time with my family ~ especially my sister....simply BEING shoulder to shoulder with them as we miss her together. Unfortunately, this year I could not travel  due to the pregnancy, and I am grieved to be away from them. My body is here...my heart is there.

This date sneaks up on me...never prepared ~ *not that one can 'prepare':) But, as I realized I could not make the drive this year.....I attempted to do a small portrait of Ali to send to my sister. (My sister is an AMAZING artist... and sharing all kinds of ART together has been pure joy between us. She is very versatile and could do anything from bizarre collage, to hand thrown pottery..... to detailed and refined paintings. SHE could do a portrait:)

I have NEVER done a portrait...not one that does not look like a cartoon character. I LOVE doing faces...but they always turn out 'wacky' looking ~ nothing that represents someone. And tackling a picture of someone so near to your heart - is even scarier! But... I was in one of those moods to see if I could stretch myself...with no real intent of completing the project - just see how far I could take it. ...

Surprise! I actually got it done. It's far from perfect...but it's close enough to send to my sister.

So a piece of me will be there...and that helps:)

   

To Ali... you are IN each of us......

One million hugs and kisses sent to heaven to reach you..............Auntie.

New Adventure CARI blogs.....

     First Time Blogging is soooooo stressful! I can not believe that people really want to read about what I am doing!  Last night was sooo fun, and I was so honored to be asked to be a warehouse artchix! These ladies are the most creative, fun, beautiful women I have ever met! I feel like the tag along or the wanna be, but Sandra tells me that I have paid my dues and am an ARTIST! I really became an art chix 12 years ago.  I started working for Sandra then, with a desire to learn more about art...I had been in the gift basket business and wanted to learn to do more.  Sandra was my saving grace, everything I know is because of her.  For 6 years we faux finished many walls in homes in the Dallas area. Not only did I learn some fantastic techniques, but also learned to be more independent and more self assured in my artistic ability. Along with the best friendship that I still totally adore!  My first Friday night at the warehouse, I thought I was going to throw up, I could not even imagine blending with such creativity that I have seen come from there. They made me feel very welcome and full! ( and that was even before we started our new art feast policy!) I thought my doll was going to be the laughing stock of the evening, but it ended up combining with the others perfectly. I am truly going to enjoy this experience and hope to have many more creative nights to come!!!  Post by Cari Shell

Friday Night with the Chix!

First and foremost...we have a new addition to the Chix!! Wooo ~hoooo!!!

We're thrilled to have Cari join us on Friday nights and join this blog:) She is a long time artsy friend of Sandra's...recently moved back to Texas from New Mexico. ** I'll let her fill you in on the 'details' of herself, so I don't spoil her fun:)

C'mon Cari....spill your beans......

Drum roll please for..........Cari!!!!

Getting her to allow us to take this picture was torturous for her...she begged to have a cartoon head in her spot:) So, I know she is dying that her beautiful face is on here...but look at how gorgeous she is!!!     * Hehehe .... I know Cari...I'm making it worse....I'll move on:)

She's joined us for the Round Robin Art doll (she was the creator of the fabulous pear doll).....and last night I got her to paint a spoon!! Hehe!! Either she's a very good sport...or I'm quite a bully....??? *Be nice.....

BTW ~ Sandra informed us that she has never played spoons and Cari and I both saw 'fresh meat':) Cari's played before (she grew up with the game too)...and she says she plays hard core, like myself....* oh, this ought to be good!!!Sooooo good...........

So, here is an updated picture of our dolls....we were missing Nancy last night, thus missing her doll..but thought we'd show you the progress on these two:) Sandra had Nancy's doll...and gave her some beautiful, fanciful legs!! This picture simply does not capture how precious they are!! Hand sewn out of ribbons, plush petal leaves, and a gorgeous fabric swatch...they are perfect for this doll!!

So 'fitting' for a flower head.....

I also captured Sandra starting on a new doll...she effortlessly whipped out some long green bean legs and a skirt....sooo cute! * Though, for awhile the feet were on backwards ( hehe!) but she did some doll surgery ( which I think just involves some brisk and firm 'TWISTING':) and all was well!!

*Cari and I were still eating at this point and had not even begun a project!!

*Sandra is sporting a new look!!

She recently got a new shorter "DO" and has a fabulous, fun, SASSSSSYYYY look going!

Now about the food....the girls stopped at the grocery store on the way over to the warehouse and brought a FEAST!!!  Baguettes, cheese wheels, olive trays, and a tiny elegant PINK cake!! We've decided that we're slipping into bringing less and less art supplies to our Friday night get-togethers...and MORE and MORE food!! Hehehe! I LOVE that I can do ART with these girls....but may love even more....that I enjoy EATING with them!!!!I had a great picture of our feast, but must have inadvertently deleted it - rats! You know it's GREAT FOOD when you feel the need to actually take a picture of it!!!

(* Although you can feed the tubby pregnant woman anything and I'm happy as a lark:0!!!)

So that's all for now.....we all trade dolls this week and we'll have more updated pictures soon:)

*All right Cari...You're up to bat:) XXOO Debra