It's all fun and Games till Momma Breaks the Chair! (My Valentine Class in Review)

Hi! Hope you all had a good Weekend! Mine was wonderful, fun-filled, creative and inspiration central..except for one little thing!

This is me, about an hour or so into teaching my  first Valentine Class of the day. (My dear friend Todd, the Proprietor of Bountiful Home, where we had the event took this pic.)

And then about a half an hour later, the stool I was sitting on kind of disintegrated! One minute I was upright and the next I was on my Butt! If I recall, I just kind of sat on the floor for a minute laughing, in a bit of pain, and kind of checking body parts for breakage! No prob,,,,,,lots of "padding" on this 50ish Bod!

To say I bonded with the first group of students is an understatement. "They saw me at my "lowest" ,,sprawled on the floor!

"Do you need and Advil?" "Do you need a break?" Nahhhhh, we just kept going!! Here's a pic of my first group! (It was still a bit chilly when we were working, hence the coats!)

They were all such a Joy! Such Lovely ladies!!

This class was a bit different in the sense that I brought tons of different supplies,,,,Papers/Ribbons/Crepe papers/Millenery/paints and glitters and taught different techniques,,,,,,but not a specific end result......

So the colors, the box sizes and shapes, materials were different for everyone in all 3 sessions. It was truly a case of "Work with what you love" and techniques you've learned and create your own pieces!

Some painted, some glued, some ruffled and some glittered in each of the 3 classes! So fun to see each Unique creation!

And Then,,,,,,there was my Mid-day class!!

This fun loving Gal, Susie,  Co- Hosted my class in November in her home, where we made Paperclay Snowmen! Too fun! And 4 of the gals from that class were back for MORE Creative Chaos!!

(Susie and Rhonda- Co-hosts of  my Snowman class in Nov. )

The Mid-day class consisted of these two and two dear and lovely friends in the Nov. Class! Love these gals! And,,,,My blog/Facebook friend Pat Tulip joined us!!  Always fun to meet an Internet friend face to face!! Pat was a "trooper," new to this spunky group! And I think she had fun learning new things,,,,,,as creating Jewelry is her forte!

Love these ladies!! So Pretty- (inside AND OUT), fun, and creative!! You Rock!!


By  my last class, I was hoping between the head cold and my earlier fall, that I'd be all that they hoped for!! My largest group of the day,,,,,,But I hope they had as much fun as I did!! They were great,,,,,and I had a "surprise" in that one of my "patrons" and lovely Customers from Joyworks did not know that I was the one teaching the Class! These ladies were amazing,,,,,,in the creativity, the fun and the Help at the end of the Class. Thanks to all and especially the sweet Lin,,,,,,,who wanted to take me home, feed me and give me supplies! (I needed to get home to the Fur Babies!)

Four of the six of my last session,,,,two of the ladies opted out on photos.(FBI most wanted? Just kidding!) Lovely group! Thank you ALL for coming!! (Lin, Center back row,,,,She is an Angel!)


It was a great day, even WITH Shell spread out on the Carpet!  And special Thanks to my dear friend Todd from Bountiful Home for Hosting me!  More classes ahead,,,,,and I'll be doing a Spring KIT with supplies and instructions if you aren't local!!

Okay,,,,,,I'm super Achy Today,,,,,,,the "Bus" that hit me arrived this morning!! But it was a great day at Joyworks, which helped me forget the aches!

Hugs, Love and a "New Week"  Bus on the Cheek!
Shell

Quite a Week! The Good, Bad, and Expensive!!

Hope you all have been having a good week!! Mine has been a bit of Highs and Lows! Lows? My Computer Mouse died first so I have to use the pad on my laptop solely, which I think is a pain in the behind! Lows, Because my TV died. I only have sound. And I contacted my provider and it IS my TV, not their box/service.......ackkk! And Lows, because I have a headcold!! No, not as sick as I was in November/December for 3 Stinkin' weeks,,,,,,,but a Snothead, nonetheless!!

I set up today for a class I'm doing tomorrow at my friend Todd's Store-Bountiful Home just north of Seattle.

And Then, we had friends from California stop by,,,,,,Trino from Artelier de Campagne, and his friend Martin and we all had a long lunch full of laughter and stories.......

(Martin left, Linda , Todd and Trino) Fabulous lunch, sunshine and friends,,,,,life doesn't get much better!!)


Then some gal offered to grab my camera and include me!!  Did I ever mention I take really awful pics??

She LOOKED at the image/photo she took,,,,,,,,"Oh yeah, looks Great!" I don't really care, because I had a great time at lunch,,,,,,but seriously?? I take the WORST photos Ever!! (Martin took one of me with Trino with his Fancy big Cannon,,,,,,,I can only HOPE if it surfaces I look a bit better!!

No matter!! Looking forward to a Full Class tomorrow,,,,,okay "Over-filled." But we should have a blast!!

Will Share photos of the Classes soon!! Have a great weekend! This Snothead is going to bed SOON!!

(If you've read this far, special prayers please for my Mary girl, who is going to have a body scan for her Cancer soon. Prayers for beautiful, kind young Meaghan, who has been put on bedrest  for 6 wks for her pregnancy. And Prayers for my sweet/kind renter Ellen-She went in for a knee replacement and had a pacemaker put in unexpectedly yesterday!!)

Love you ALL,,,,,,catch up on Swaps Monday!!

Hugs, Love and a "heartfelt" Bus!
Shell

Some Days, You Just need Hope and Prayers.

 

 

Hugs, Love and a Bus,

Shell

I LOVE Ruffles!!!

Brrrrrrr, it is cold AND foggy here,,,,hope you are warm and snuggly!!

Today I worked on some things for my Classes at Bountiful Home, here in Edmonds WA. Too fun to put the kits all together....which will include some ruffled Crepe papers for embellishments...........

Today, I ruffled up about 40 yards of Crepe paper. It's easy and quick,,,,,if you have a sewing Machine.

Just go to the dollar store or party store and buy rolls of crepe paper in your Fave Colors.

Make sure you have a good sharp needle in your sewing Machine, and Set the Stitch size to the largest setting, then set the Tension to the highest.  (If your thread starts to break, set the tension a bit lower.)  When stitching on the paper,,,,,leave a long tail of threads at BOTH ends. That way you can pull it tighter or loosen the ruffle to fit your projects. 

 Fold it in half (Or you can continue to fold as you are sewing.) Stitch appx. 1/4 inch from the edge of the Fold.  (The ruffling will vary with the type of Crepe you use,and trust me,,,these papers vary in Thickness and stiffness,,,that is why you want a long thread "tail" at each end to adjust your ruffles after you have sewn!

These are fun to use in a lot of projects,,,,If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help!!

Can't believe tomorrow is Friday already,,,,Where did the week GO?? Hope your week is going well what ever you've been up to!!

Hugs, Love and a "Ruffled" Bus!
Shell

Hi! Hope you week has been going well!! I am at the end of my Valentine's time-well, at least until I hold a Class on the 26th at my dear friend Todd's store,,,,,"Bountiful Home and Garden." I still have a few class spaces open for the 10:00am-12:00pm and the 3:00PM-5:00PM,,,,,,,,So if you are local and interested, the cost is $25 and it includes all supplies/equipment and we'll be making "Vintage Inspired" Valentine boxes, Sewn Paper Valentines and techniques, a Valentine Garland, and Crepe paper flower techniques.......Call Bountiful Home if you want to sign up......Class is $25. for two hours and all supplies,,,,,,(425-775-3800)


,,,,,And looking forward to Spring! It is Chilly here!!Classes AND,,,,,for my first time EVER Kits for Spring,,,,,,,I'll share soon!!

Hope you are staying Warm!! Looking for lighter and Brighter days ahead!!

Hugs, Love and a "anticipated" Bus!!
Shell

Happy Monday Sweethearts!!

This is a "re-print",that I embellished of a Vintage Card I found at an antique store.. How cute is she? She's from the 30-40's but has a rather "Mary Engelbreit" look" with her colors.

More than likely, you already know, but if you find Antique or Vintage cards with no Copyright printed on them, and you purchase them,,,,,they are YOURS, to copy/use/alter, etc. Love using these older images in artwork or,,,,,as in this case, they can just "Stand" alone. (I put and easel on the back.)

Here's a Victorian Cupid that you may want to Copy and Print and use,,,,,Classic Valentine material!

As I have been getting a lot of weird comments in the last weeks, I added a word verification on my Blog for a while. I know they can be a pain, but hopefully, it'll keep all those "other" Crazies" away!! Sorry and thanks for your patience in advanced. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the problem and be able to get rid of it again!!

Have a Wonderful Week!

Hugs, Love and Bus from Me AND Cupid!!

Shell

Schwartz Brothers Chicken Salad.......

One of my ALL time favorites is Chicken Salad. In this case,,,,it's a recipe I kind of modeled 20 some years ago after one of the eateries I used to favor in Seattle....The Schwartz brothers have owned many a great Eatery in Seattle,,,,,some of which are Four Star! So MY take on their Chicken Salad that I used to eat weekly.......

4 Cups Cooked Cubed Chicken Breast.
2 Cups Diced Celery
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2-3 Tlb Fresh Parsley Diced.
*3/4 cups Toasted almond Slivers
1/2 Cup Sour Creme Reg or Low fat and/1 Cup Mayo
Fresh Ground Pepper.

(Toast almonds at 325,,,for appx 15 minutes,,,,watch carefully until just browned.)


Truly, The Garlic and the Almonds make it!! Enjoy  with sliced tomatoes (here with Caprese Salad) or on bread!


Have a Great Sunday!! Hugs, Love and "Go Seahawks!"
Shell

Weird comments

If you look at my last post,,,,you can see that I am getting weird comments! I have deleted several in the last week, but I am leaving these until I Contact Blogger and find out where the heck they are coming from!!


I have not had any problems with my email,,,,so, until this is resolved, please post any comments to my Email Account Shelly39WA@aol.com OR you can "Friend Request" me on FB at Shelly Rollins and leave a msg there.

Not sure HOW my Blog got targeted for all these obscure comments.....When I find out HOW/Where/WHO,,,,,,I'll SHARE!!


Hopefully, it'll be addressed and fixed soon!!

Hugs,
Shell

Valentine Swap,,,,,,,Emails Addy's Please!

Little Pink Bird Box from Yesterday........and a Minnie heart Garland.

Okay Valentine Swappers,,,,mail about the swap should be in your inbox now!


Hugs love and a "Bus" After a deep cleansing breath..........
Shell

A good day for a bit of Romantic Whimsey!!

Creating,,,,for me, often is Escapism. Throwing yourself into something to keep your mind off of Problems, reality and at this time of year, even Weather!! It's been a gray, wet, blustery day!! My Critters acted as if they were hibernating! Which was a GOOD thing, I guess where my kitty is concerned,,,,,,he didn't try and "Help."

I finished a couple of LITTLE Valentine Themes boxes,,,,,and by little I mean about 3 inches across. This one was fun to do with the little "Kitchy" Bird..........

Always love the French inspired pieces and this little box with a Dancing Ballernina........

Dancing her way across the "streets of Paris.............


And I have a couple of these 50-60's "Animals left,,,,,,fun for a Valentine Vignette! "Hugs and Kisses" and remember an Elephant NEVER forgets!!! This one is a bit larger,,,,appx 6 inches wide......

LOL,,,his Trunk is a bit dominant in this Picture......But he promises to bring on a Smile!

These pieces will either be at Joyworks OR at my Class/sale at Bountiful Home in Edmonds on the 26th...........

Hope your week is starting off well! If you left a comment or Emailed me about the Valentine Swap, I'll assign Partners tomorrow! If you haven't and want to take part........You can leave a comment HERE to be included. Please leave an email addy OR Email ME at Shelly39WA@aol.com If you want to take part and haven't let me know yet!!

Hugs, Love and an "I heart YOU" Bus!
Shell

I spent about 2 hours on the Phone today, with my dear SIL Mary. Her motto as of late is, "Every day is a gift."

Indeed!! She will have Chemo till the end of the month and then we will SEE if it's kept her Cancerous tumor in "Check." Not gone,,,but hopefully maintained and not grown. That is what we are hoping and Praying for.


Every Day is a Gift!!


Hugs and Love and you are ALL a Gift to me!!
Shell

Updates.....Swap and Class.........

Okay,,,,,,,My mind sometimes goes a BIT off Track, and with the New year I guess a bit more so! So?
A couple of Updates/Info.......


Valentine Swap?
I was asked for more concise info,,,,,

Swap item(s) Should consist of:
Something Handmade or Crafted (Cookies/Card/Jewelry, candy box, etc.)
 And/OR
A Romantic Book
Romantic Craft Supplies
Candy/Straws/papers, etc.

All Items should fit into a Cigar Box Sized package.

I will assign Swap partners by Jan 9th
I will give you your Partners Email and Website/Blog info so you can chat, ask questions and hopefully send them something you think they would like! I'd get packages in the mail by the 30th......

Take pictures of your Swaps. Email me at Shelly39WA@aol.com and I will share them on Valentines Day!So far I have 10 ladies.....Share if you'd like, or if the swap is small, it will still be FUN!!


My other Update is for my Classes at Bountiful Home here in Edmonds, WA. I will be teaching a class on "Vintage Inspired" Valentine Boxes, A Heart Garland, "Sewn Paper techniques" and Crepe paper Flowers. If you are local and interested, the Classes will be held on January 26th at 10:00am/1pm and 3pm. Register and Prepay for Class at Bountiful Home Ph. 425-775-3800. $25 per person. All supplies and equipment included.

I will also have lots of Vintage Romantic Supplies and items on sale the day of the Classes! (Laces/Ribbons/Papers/Lingerie, Jewelry Boxes and more.)

I'm also looking toward Spring and will more than likely be doing a Paper Clay Bird Class locally. I would love your input and Comments on Kits/tutorials for a Craft project. Have you purchased? What was your experience? Did the kit/tutorial meet your expectations? Let me know! Perhaps in addition to a Class, I will make kits available.

I hope you had a good week! I pretty much feel like I was tying up a lot of lose ends,,,,,,,and starting up NEW things for the New year!! I hope you are staying healthy!! I'm hoping what I had in late Nov/Dec WAS the Flu and I'm done with it all!! Prayers going out to those that are Sick right now and hopefully YOU/We will stay healthy in the days ahead!!

Hugs, Love and a "Romantic Bus!" (No, not in a wierd way,,,,,LOL)
Shell

Email me or leave me a Comment if you have any questions on the SWAP, the Class, or input on a Spring Bird kit!!

 

Wow!! I'd truly forgotten about HER and her success and ambitions until I saw one of my son's friends post this quote on Pinterest today...and that makes me Sad, because I'd kind of forgotten about her,,,,but also fills me with gratitude, hope and Inspiration for the new year!!! Because,,,,yes, she WAS an Amazing Woman!

I worked for Estee' Lauder back in the late 80's. At the highest Volume Cosmetic counter on the West Coast.......The Lauder Counter at Bellevue Nordstrom. We were the first Cosmetic "Counter" on the West Coast to reach a Million Dollars....And we all worked SO hard to reach that goal!!When we were overly tired or frustated,,,,,,we'd hum or sing....Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." And we'd push ourselves just a BIT harder.......I worked with some fantastic, hard working, women. And  a few fun loving ones that I got in "trouble" with from time to time for laughing/playing with too much. Including my dear friend Celia, that would arrive for work at the last minute ,,,,,crouching down and throwing on Foundation/Blush, Eyeliner and lipstick,,,,,,,and we all waited to here what had kept her. Ah! The Stories and the laughs and we all covered for her!! They were the best of times.....And yet we worked SO hard and the promise they had made us all faded away..........

We were SUPPOSED to go to New York and meet HER and tour the Lauder Facility....-that is what they promised us if we made our Million dollar goal......But instead, her son Leonard came out to see all of us. To say that was a disappointment is to put it mildly.  We all worked SO hard to reach that Million Dollar Goal..........

That was the same year she put out the book about her life. At the time? I didn't really "Get it" or appreciate it.-especially after they told us we weren't going to New York...after all, my own Family had been successful, growing from nothing. And I was just happy back then to work for a great "Young" (Nordstrom) Company for a great Cosmetic (Estee') Company.

But I can NOW fully understand how sucessfull the woman was and how HARD she worked to form her Bazillion dollar company. One product. In a suitcase,,,her "Youth Dew." Donned as a perfume AND a bath oil. And it pretty much all started from THERE........

An Amazing Woman,,,,,,with a Vision and ONE product. Not backers. No TV, no "Shark Tank," No Etsy, Facebook or Ebay. 

Just ONE woman with a product and a Vision.............

Love that!

Happy New Year..........I don't want to be Estee', I don't even want to be either RICH or Famous.......But I hope I leave a mark on this world, in some little way.....

And, I hope she can remind us that anything is Possible........Reach for your Dreams!

Hugs, Love and Hopefully a "Bus" of Inspiration!!

Shell

(My Valentine Swap is posted Below. Pls leave a comment there if you'd like to take part!)

Hugs, Happy New Year and my Best to all of you for ALL your Dreams, Ambitions and Wishes!!