Monday, November 24, 2008

silver bella classes





Want to see what I made in my silver bella classes...

Above is the group project from our first night, ingeniously designed by Teresa McFayden. What made the project super clever was that the pattern for the embroidery is actually a rubber stamp...stamped directly on the cloth and then embroidered. It was tough work in dim light, but I was so ready to create I whipped it up in a hurry.







On Friday morning, my first class was Tiny Treasures with Jenni Bowlin.







I made this sweet and tiny little book, bound on a key.




And this spool, wound with a little collage...




This would be such a wonderful ornament, filled with photos of the year gone by.




My next class was Christmas Paegant with Teresa McFayden. It was so much fun carving out a nook in a book and then making up a whole world to go in it. I loved the weathered floral print on the endpapers...doesn't it make a lovely backdrop?

On Saturday, my first class was Prada Schmada with Charlotte Lyons. I love the bag I made... Above is the front, below the back...


I stamped the all-over polka dot pattern using a potato...




Here's the sweet little pocket mouse I bought from Charlotte at the vendor faire, peeping out.












This little posie made a nice accent on the pocket, I think.

After Charlotte's class, we headed to the ballroom for a wonderful lunch and a visit with Mary Engelbreit. She was so down to earth and sweet.






And then you know what happened next...so maybe it's no surprise that my ornament made in my Sally Jean class was not so great. Not only was I in a fragile emotional state, I hada a blasted bum soldering iron.

I stamped the baby's name and 2008 on the back. I also wrote a little poem and put it in the collage about how he was a little bird who flew into our nests for a little while and into our hearts forever. You should've seen me, hovering over my project in tears, hoping nobody noticed. I covered up the poem with more collage...it was just too much for me just yet.
My last class was with Kim Kwan, Portrait Rustique. I was too tired to really put very much into this project...I guess that's what happens with the last class.

Next up, more swaps. Look for it tomorrow.









15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing a sneak peak of your weekend! Those are some great pictures...very inspiring! Do you use a light box to take pics? I'm always struggling with my pictures (I know a better camera would help loads!) thx!

Cathy Santarsiero, "The Christmas Corgi" said...

All so very lovely! Have a good week, Warmly, Cathy ^..^

Amy M. said...

I was reading about your Silver Bella weekend and realized I missed your whole story about Baby. I spent part of today going back through your blog to read about it. I gave birth to my first child in May (a baby boy) and I'm still really emotional so your story really touched me. More than that...I live in Petaluma. As I walk through town and see a sweet little one, I'm going to wonder if it is YOUR sweet baby that you cared for and loved so much!

-Amy

http://craftingbycandlelight.blogspot.com

Lilli in Vancouver said...

Thanks so much for sharing your classes with us! Your stuff turned out beautifully. Last year I too was too sleepwalking through the last class: glitter overload! Although I think what you did is fabulous :)

Saucy said...

I especially love those tiny treasures, Amy! It all looks brilliant to me.

Dede Warren said...

Love your Bella update so much since I didn't attend this year. And though you covered the baby reference, you'll always know it's there though it's seems too much to have right out in the open.

Unknown said...

Oh the tears locked in the collage forever. Sometimes the "not greatest" project is the one filled with the most memories. Hugs!

Laura said...

Thanks for taking the time to share your wonderful projects with everyone. Each is more beautiful than the next!

Anonymous said...

Amy, I wanted to say something to you about baby when I saw you at Silver Bella, but I didn't. It is hard to find the right words sometimes but I truly do love that you gave part of your heart to baby and he has that to carry with him now. Thank you for being so genuine and sharing downs as well as ups.
Stacy
I love my fabric fat book and your page with the bird flying to feed her nest with love. :)

Anonymous said...

I love to see the projects that you completed at Silver Bella. I do so hope to make it there one year. But I love having a glimpse of the event through your blog.

Jess said...

I loved looking at your projects! So inspiring.
I also wanted to tell you something that has helped me so much. My husband had a severe nervous breakdown 3 years ago. A very wise woman told me that it is like a train journey through the mountains, full of dark scary tunnels, no light. But all those tunnels DO come to an end, even if only for a moment, and eventually you come out of those mountains and the tunnels are few and far between. We are at the stage now where those tunnels are getting much shorter and the light is around for a lot longer!
I am not comparing our issues, i have never lived through your pain so i can never understand, but i hope this analogy may help just a little.
Love and prayers

Linda Jo said...

Amy...I know I couldn't say anything to you at SB about the baby. No one wanted to upset you. You will get through this. It's better to have these memories and the pain than to not have had the experience. What a blessed beginning you gave that child. Ask God to take the pain away and He will...but He may be making you stronger first.

paige said...

oh my, how bittersweet the little birdie project...

thank you for sharing your thoughts & creations
xo

Anonymous said...

I love the stamped bag! I am always looking for inspiration on what to do with flaps for kid bags, and this is what I'm looking for. I hope my version will come out as cut as yours.

Anonymous said...

Wow, everything you made is so beautiful, looks like an intense event with fantastic outcomes. The Christmas Paegant piece is amazing!