WarehouseArtchix

It's Paper Cowgirl Friday!!!

 

If you haven't heard, the round up for the next Art Retreat for the Paper Cowgirls has begun!  Looking for a fantastic day of fun art classes and learning some new techniques???? Then go to www.papercowgirl.blogspot.com and check it out!!!  I am excited to be teaching one of the classes this Fall, let me introduce myself and tell a little about my class....

My name is Sandra Feazel, I am by day an interior designer, and my passion and real calling is in art!  I began my love affair with art as a child and it has only grown stronger through  the years. I studied fine art in college and traveled abroad...but soon returned to Texas to make it my home for the past 46 years. My experience has been that Texas artist are big and bold, always trying something new, always experimenting and pushing it to the next level....so to be a part of that would of course mean to be a PAPER COWGIRL!!  I had the pleasure of attending the Spring retreat and loved every minute of it!!!  So when Cindy and Tina asked if I would teach this fall, I was so excited, and to top it off, it is in my favorite medium...paint!  Not just paint, but a combination of paint, collage and then the icing on the cake...beeswax finish!!!  Painting is my all time favorite thing to do, painterly very much describes my work even when I am working in another medium...for this class, we will do small canvas with a sweet treat as our subject:

An adorable cupcake on a stand.  We will layer on the background, using collage techniques and painting, then we will paint on some final details....then, we will explore the technique of beeswax. Beeswax gives artwork a very vintage patina, mellows the colors and softens the feel.  I think you will enjoy the combination of processes and I have tried to make it a project that anyone can do....if your new to painting, then the class will be one where you can just follow the instruction, but if you are a more advanced artist, then I think the class will be something you can add your own flair to and hopefully learn some new! 

Make sure and check out the other two classes being offered! I think the whole day will be an incredible adventure with a yummy lunch and time to visit with other artist!  And just to experience the flair and flavor that Cindy and Tina put on an art retreat will make you yell "YEEHAW"!!!!

So, if you can , mark your Calendar for October 3rd and register today for the event. Spaces are limited and are filling up fast, don's miss out!!!  A special event, a special price, join us in the round up of artist!!!!

FABULOUS FIRST!!!

  

WE DID IT!!!! Warehouse Artchix is a real place now!  Taken from a dream to reality....after lots of hard work and blood, sweat and tears (really!!!!), it is now a real deal!   We are located at 211 N. Dooley, here in Grapevine, Texas.  We are open by event or by appointment. Please feel free to email us for information. Our first sale was August 8th and WOW! What an event it was! 

The day started out with a backdoor visit from one of our greatest blog fans.  

Ms. Debbie Merten joined us with a cheerful hello at the warehouse backdoor, she was our first guest and how appropriate since she had been following our blog and was a fan of Deb's artwork! Debbie M. you made us feel awful special, thanks so much!!!  Then the guest started arriving in droves....we were absolutely blown away by the turn out...it may take weeks and weeks to show it all and tell it all ....just a FABULOUS First SAle!!!

 

Lets see if I can give you a picture tour and introduce you to some of our special guests~~~

Here are the actual Warehouse Artchix out front and center with our handpainted sign...Deb Johnson on the left, Sandra Feazel next and Gigi Ewbank on the right...amazingly we were put together and smiling after so many almost all nighters that we put in to make the event happen!!! 

As you entered the front door, you were greeted by a youthful vignette of cupcake art and hot pink and black girly accessories..then as you proceeded in..there were big pink plumes of hand dyed feathers popping out of a tall floor vase, then on to swirly black iron garden chairs filled with fun pillows and set side by side with a double washtub painted in leopard with whimsical roses!  Can you just see the garden party where these can be used!!!

 

  

Fun little chalkboards are tucked in vintage frames...

retro was right next to bookcases filled with funky finds and art....

and this is just one wall of goodies....as you turn the corner you find...

handpainted letters, a cottage rose painting that would look right at home in a beach cottage or in a sunny spot...iron wall sconces...Oh there is just so much more to show you...this will just have to continue all week long...so many pictures and so much to show...stay tuned for more...I promise I will keep posting this week as I set my alarm early to adjust to a back to school routine for the weeks ahead!!!  But hopefully this first post gave you a feel for what we have spend our last few months preparing for....a wonderful, creative, whimsical place for all out viewers to come and shop and see...with the chance at taking home a special treat that is handmade, one of a kind, or vintage ...but definately hand chosen by the Warehouse Artchix!!! Till tomorrow...

 

 

THE WAREHOUSE ARTCHIX~~~~  Gigi and Sandra

Want to sneak a peak???

Are you just a little bit curious about what we are up to??? Well many of you have heard the news, the warehouse has grown...3000 sq ft to be exact!  And it is changing, daily, as we speak.   At the beginning of June, the space was just a basic cement warehouse, the office walls were a lovely camelback....tan color....but slowly but surely, we are adding a little zest to the space....

We have some Sassy Green and Expresso stripes..

then we have a turquiose wall and an expresso wall....bold enough for you yet?  No, hold on it gets brighter.........

 

my tiny office space is a bright Curry color...bright enough to improve your mood even on the dreariest of days!!!  This is only the beginning...I am on my way there today to snap a few more pics of the red walls and the leopard wall!!!  So tune in for that one...and in the meantime, let me show you what it did look like right outside the door into the warehouse...this was as we were moving things in... pretty boring compared to what it is turning into now!

 

We Interrupt this blog ....for some breaking news!!!

URGENT NEWS....there's a new chix at the warehouse!!!  Two years ago when we started warehouse artchix, we had three chix, and thru the years we have always had three, but only two have remained the same. Some of the girls have come and gone as life has pulled them on other paths,

but now we have added a new chix...GIGI EWBANK!  Gigi is unforgettable!!! She is full of energy and creativity, a mini dynamo, she can shop the junk and fill the trunk faster than any girl I have ever known!  She is always on the lookout for treasures and makes friends wherever she goes! Here she is all dressed in her western attire for the Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat this past weekend~~

 We want to welcome her to the warehouse artchix and think she will be a wonderful addition! Especially with our new adventure about to begin...the Warehouse Artchix has gone public....at least once a month it will!  We will be hosting art and decor sales events each month as we fill the warehouse with a treasure trove of unique art and accessories for your home....the first sale is coming soon on August 8th, so be sure and save the date!!!!! And welcome Gigi, we are so happy to have you join us!!!

 

More Paper Cowgirl Fun!

 

Here is the lovely Mrs. Tina Wright, our Home Is Where You Roost Soldered Art teacher! What a cutie she was and what fun we had in her class. I felt like we really learned a lot from her, she gave great instruction while she told us about her barn home and studio....here is a peak at our project from that class-

our little class packs even came with one of the silver trays to solder on~ this is Tina's piece that she had as an example:

 

Here we are, Sandra and Gigi working on our little soldered houses=

  Our classmates, Rita and Susan could not have been any sweeter to sit by! And do you notice our cute name tags, Cindy and Tina stayed up till wee hours of the morning make them for us out of crepe paper! So cute!!! Stay tuned for more pics of the retreat and our actual soldered pieces! I have so many pictures to post!!!

 

PAPER COWGIRL RETREAT- a rootin' tootin' good time!

   The warehouse girls have had a new adventure!  We just spent the last three days in Waxahachie at the Paper Cowgirl, a fabulous art retreat!   We met lots of wonderfully creative women , took some great classes and learned so much!  The art, the friends and the food were fabulous!!!  We started it all of with a meet and greet at The Doves Nest, where we got to shop after hours....

 

We met some of the fun ladies that would attend class with us

 Friday morning started with a soldering class taught by Tina Wright, where we (Sandra and Gigi) learned how to make a soldered house filled with a handmade collage...I think I mastered the art of soldering based on Tina's saying ..."Flux is our friend", then after the class, we had a delicious lunch. Gigi and I snuck out to do a little  junkin, found a garage sale and a little resale shop, where we found some vintage treasures.  The second class was Cindy's  Artful Journaling , where we started with a vintgage book and learned to layer images, make packing tape transfers, use  napkins for images and to do hand lettering to create wonderful journal pages.  A day filled with fun!  Stay tuned for more ...day two was another fun filled day! 

Something New on ebay!

If you get a chance, check out the listings on ebay under seller 7thstsudio, slowly but surely listing paintings and pieces for you to bid on!  Trying to catch up with art and life, so check it out!!!  -Sandra

Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!!!

  This just seemed to be the theme for the day on Wednesday!  Have Fun!  I started the day out with my dear friend Patrice, a fellow Interior Designer, and just all around darling precious!!  We had breakfast at Mimi's and caught up on all of the things happening in our lives, our work, our families.....just good girl talk, then it was off to work to get some things ready for a client appointment on Friday...found some great treasures for her and finished up early enough to hit the nearby Ross to search for goodies, the best kind, the "less expensive" kind!!  I found plenty, I know the cashiers and the people in line behind me always wish I had chosen another day to shop....had a basket full ...some for me, some for my favorite man Kenny, some for friends and some for clients even (yes, they like those bargains too!!) Who doesn't like to get the look for less???  If you want to pay full price, you just go ahead, but me...I like the deal, the hunt for the deal and the joy of placing something lovely in my home and knowing that I got it for a great price, that makes it even more enjoyable in my book! 

As if all of this did not make for a memorable day all in itself, I finished up the day by meeting my fellow Warehouse Art Chick Debra Johnson for some Texmex and margaritas.  We met at Anamias in Coppell and just shook our head yes when the waiter asked if we might like some chips, queso, guacamole???? Yes, we will take it all and a margarita for each of us!  They came to our table and made a fresh bowl of guac to our specifications, it was big enough for a family of four!!! But Deb and I had no problemo making haste of it!!  All of this made for a great evening, catching up with Deb, eating yummy food, sipping drinks, but to top it all off, Debra came bearing gifts!!!  She had a pretty package for me for a belated birthday.  It is always so nice to get a present, but when that present is a handmade piece of art...well, there is nothing that compares!  To think that someone created something just for me and that it is so lovely and well....it was just amazing!!!  I will take a pic this afternoon to share it with you...you will covet it, I promise!!  I drove home last night reviewing my day in my mind and thought the best way to describe it is to say that God placed two of his loveliest angels in the midst of my day, both so filled with his love and both with such servant hearts, that it was just a gift to spend time with each of them and my heart was full at the days end....still is!  And for those of you familiar with Debra from the warehouseartchix site or her own blog at littleyellowhouse (see sidebar) if you think she is entertaining to read...she is even more fun in person and so much fun to hit the grocery store with after a few margaritas, we both needed to get some things from the Tom Thumb down the road, and to peruse the isle of the grocery with her is just plain fun and entertaining!!  Only hope your day was as much fun!!! LOL-Sandra

SpRinG is SpRuNg and I'm having FuN!

  Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, the birds are singing and the trees are greening, this is the most wonderful time of the year!! SPRING brings a renewed sense of hope, an anticiption of what is to come.  The trees start filling out, the flower buds start showing thier heads, the azaleas come into bloom and the birds begin to serenade the whole event!  I think Spring is like a grand production, God really outdid himself when He created Spring.  It is like an opera or an artistic masterpiece, filled with explosions of color and sound...throw in a little rain, some cool breezes and the warm sunshine and what a mix it is! 

     It is this time of year that I kick into high gear, my energy level soars, my creativity longs to be let loose, my mind turns to things like gardening, cleaning, creating, simplifying.  It is the one time of year that I love to start the day outside, sipping my coffee and seeing the backdrop of the day begin.  My mind races with all the things I long to do before the heat of a Texas Summer drives me back indoors.  The added hours of daylight make the days seem long and luxurious to me...cooking out, sipping a glass of wine, planting tomatoes , even mowing the grass is enjoyable.  Makes me wonder if there is some place on this earth that this is the norm all year long, where the climate is mild and the days are long...if that exists, please let me know, I'm on the next plane there! Enjoy this Spring day that the Lord has blessed us with today!!!  I know I will!!

What a Fabulous Day!!

What a wonderful way to celebrate a Birthday!!! This last Monday, my friend Gigi took me for a day of fun to Waxahachie...and if you have not ever been there, you are missing out!  

We headed out from Irving at about 11:oo and drove into the square right at lunchtime. We headed to my very favorite place!  The Dove's Nest.  Talk about good food!!!  It is always so hard to decide what to order there...but I usually end up ordering the Medley so I can have one of their wonderful salads and then my all time fav, the chicken salad with apricots!!  If you ever get the chance, treat yourself to a delicious lunch there and don't forget to pick up a cookbook while you are there.  I can testify that every recipe is the best!!! It is my most used cookbook, of course not including my old Betty Crocker one!!  O.k., more about the day, after lunch we covered every inch of the shops at The Dove's Nest, some of the most unique displays to inspire my creative soul.  One of my favorite's is Cindy's from Yapping Cat Studio.  This girl can paint on anything and make it so special!!  I have been buying treasures from her for years now, and I still have every one of them! Her lettering is the best, I am green with envy that my script does not flow like hers!!! You can see more of Cindy at www.yappingcatstudio.typepad.com  After perusing the Nest, we headed next dooor to The Crafty Scrapper, I had seen some of the pictures that Cindy had taken when the Paper Cowgirl Retreat was there, so of course I had to check it out.  All I can tell you is that I left that incredible shop without my Birthday Fun Money and I don't even do scrapbooks!!!  I found wonderful inspiration, papers, ribbons and more for my artwork!!  If you do scrap, this is heaven on earth as they have sooooo much good stuff and a huge art bar area to create!  Here are a few photos of Gigi and I outside the store:

 

 Well, I did want to load more pictures, but typepad seems think otherwise...not sure what the problem is, but I will try again later.  After the Crafty Scrapper, we continued around the square and shopped every antique mall we could find.  Loaded with treasures and tired, we loaded up and headed home.  I can not think of a better way to spend my Birthday!