Urban Barn

Another amazing weekend at Urban Barn in Escondido, California!! Perfect weather for the Christmas tree lighting and parade. The barn was filled with amazing vintage treasures and as always the vendors had there best wares on display! I managed to do a little shopping myself. A sterling silver manicure set for my Mom (shhh it is a surprise) and some lovely salt cellar pin cushions for some of my crafty friends. And of course I found an embellished vintage slip I had to have. My daughter found a vintage sequin dress she had to have for prom!

Included are a few shots of some of the goodies I had with me. The cotton scarves are made up of vintage doilies and are sooo soft and cozy.

Joy Banner Workshop!

What an amazing Sunday! This morning Andrea Villarreal was our chef and hostess for a workshop taught by Denise Hahn. If you do not know Denise and her amazing art go directly to her blog or website- Inmyblueroom.com. (She always has something amazing on Etsy too!) Andrea prepared a brunch that was to die for. French toast piping hot from the oven, fresh muffins, frittata, chicken salad, fruit and more. We gabbed and ate and then got our craft on!

I know you are wondering where the pictures are about now. Well, somewhere in my messy studio is the cable to import the photos onto my Mac. So I have no pictures to share. I promise to post as soon as possible.

The room was packed with beautiful and talented women each eager to put their spin on a hanging banner proclaiming "art" or "joy". Andrea's home was festive and beautifully decorated and ready for us to work. After two days of selling at Urban Barn I chose to make the "joy" banner to kick off my holiday decorating! I am late this year as I have been in the studio making jewelry and having fun.

It was a great morning filled with art and great women! I so enjoyed meeting everyone and seeing my Glitterfest friend Denise again! So go spend some time enjoying "In My Blue Room".

Happy Holidays!

Tara

Treasure Hunting, Classes and Shows

My week started with another amazing class with Robin Dudley Howes! This paper shrine was so much fun to create. I learned all about the Sizzix system for die cutting paper. I had to hop on line and order one of the machines and some dies to play with.

We also learned some very basic methods for drawing on metal to emboss an image. Having never really been a scrap-booker or paper crafter, I found this class opening so many doors for creating with paper. Did I mention the dies cut fabric too?

Next it was off to Treasures and Junk in Ontario for a walk through. I always find a trinket or two there. This week I spotted a cool vintage 1963 Vespa scooter. True, it is too large to use as a pendant or a charm but soooooo cool none the less! I always leave Treasures and Junk ready to hit my studio and create.

I spent a few hours cutting things out of paper with my new Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine. Now I have some cool shapes and flourishes to incorporate into some mixed media art I have been working on for Glitterfest Spring. March 19th will be here before you know it- save the date.

Happy Creating! Next week I will give you a peek at some Christmas crafts I am working on for home decor and gifts.

Creative Space

My journey to revamp my studio continues. I have all of my jewelry bits organized and you can even see my desk top. I am enjoying having everything organized.

I never thought much about having a pretty place to work. I always thought about a functional space- which usually meant the kitchen table! Why shouldn't we have a pretty place to work? We are creative people and we deserve a beautiful place to create. Go ahead and decorate that small workspace, corner, garage or wherever you create. It could be a simple bulletin board filled with scraps of fabric, colors, photographs or anything that pleases you.

I shopped in my own home and pulled the bits and pieces I love for my studio. The painting in the photo was in the powder room. I love it and never saw it in the powder room. Now it brightens my studio. I have a pretty tray on the dresser top with bits and pieces I might design with. The first photo is my personal collection of rhinestone jewelry. Why not have it out where you can see the items? I do not get to wear them very often but I can play with them in my studio!

Go ahead and spice up your workspace. Use the things you already have and love- it's free!

Stay inspired,

Tara

Lulu Max: Inspiration!!

Lulu Max: Inspiration!!

Inspiration!!

Such an exciting morning! I was in San Diego and on the way home I stopped at Urban Barn. One of my favorite stores for that whimsical touch for any room or a vintage gotta have it! They have an amazing selection of furniture, garden items (think the most amazing wire plant holders ever), nick nacks, vintage clothing, lighting, hand made jewelry using loads of vintage components. So. . . you can see why I would love the place. All of the jewelry I create has a vintage component or feel so a walk through Urban Barn is pure delight and inspiration. In fact I spotted a few pieces of jewelry designed with components I sold. As they say, great minds think alike.

Above are a few of the treasures I brought home. Check out the one of a kind tiered silver display stand made from vintage silver trays!!! I love it and it has been placed in a spot of honor in my studio. Don't worry she made a few more. There is one with a cherub that is to die for! The trays I purchased will become wall art to replace the picture in the background. I will embelish the trays before I hang them and then I will show you the final look when I finish my studio!

Be inspired and get your creative on!

Creating an inspirational workspace

The project is under way. My goal is to create a beautiful and inspiring yet functional workspace. I am organizing my little heart out. I have a new monster flat file cabinet with 12 drawers to lay things out inside. So far I just have a huge mess. Next week I will reveal my new art space! Enjoy the before pictures and be glad you don't have to clean up the mess!

Glitterfest and beyond!!!

After a long break from the blog I am back to document Inspiration!! Leave a comment as I would love to hear what inspires you! I have been on a true journey of inspiration. First stop the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I spent an entire day looking at costume clothing and jewelry. Above is one of the amazing pieces on display.

Next was Glitterfest. It was a great show put on by the amazing girls at Whimzy in Tustin. It was an honor to be included with the other artists at the show. There were amazing dolls, mosaics, papercrafts, jewelry, purses and too many pretty things to list. I left ready to begin creating for spring. At the show I was also asked to be part of an upcoming show in Long Beach- details to follow. The most exciting moment of the day was a request for a submission to a magazine I adore!!!! The top picture is my table at Glitterfest. Thank you all for stopping buy my table and saying hello. Ivey and I were crazy busy bagging up purchases. Thank you for shopping with Lulu Max!

Tomorrow I will give you a peek at my studio as I take it from disaster to functional and inspiring!

Tara

Lulu Max Art Jewelry

Bling Babies

Such an amazing class today at Gilding the Lily in Fullerton. Lisa Loria was on hand to teach us how to make one of her Bling Baby jewelry displays using a vintage doll and a birdcage embelished with loads of vintage jewelry (bling)! My girl is dripping with rhinestones. She is such fun. Lisa is am amazing teacher and we had a great time creating! I will post the pictures as soon as I get home.

Groove Session

A night to remember was had at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano last night. I went to see a great local band Groove Session. They were opening for the band Little Feat. Remember them? Such fun. Groove Session rocked the house. They are a must see. You will have another chance to see the men of Groove Session at Crazy Horse July 24th!

Another happening is the grand opening of Vintage Soul in Claremont. This Saturday, July 3rd the store will have a celebration with raffle prizes, live music and great food. Check out the details on the website for Vintage soul!

Happy Birthday America! Have a wonderful 4th of July.

Tara

This is a shopping tip passed on by the gals at Gilding The Lilly in Fullerton. Buried in all the stuff in the Warehouse are bound to be some treasures. The owner is really sweet and you might just find that crazy item you have been hunting for lately!

Summer Clearance Sale!

~THE WAREHOUSE ~

651 S. State College Blvd.

(State College exit off the 91 freeway)

Fullerton, CA 92831

College Business Park

(across from Alcoa, between Orangethorpe and Commonwealth)

UNIT 15 ~ (714) 680-3864

BOOKS • POSTCARDS • EPHEMERA • MAGAZINES and

PUBLICATIONS • RECORDS • SHEET MUSIC • MOVIE PHOTOS

and MEMORABILIA • SNAP SHOTS • BUTTONS • TRIMS

MILLINERY FLOWERS • BRIC-A-BRAC • GLASSWARE • GIFTS • SMALLS • VINTAGE JEWELRY • CLOTHING and ACCESSORIES

ANTIQUE TREADLE SEWING MACHINE STAND • IRON

FRAMED ART • SMALL CABINETS and STORAGE

This place is hard to find. It is directly across from the Alcoa Building. The Office has the number 701 on the building so it is a bit confusing. Turn in the parking lot at the "701" building and turn right after the first row of shops. Unit 15 will be around to the left. Below is her cell phone if you need help finding the place. Good treasure hunting.

July is Clearance Month. Shop every Thursday and Friday, and selected Saturdays through the month of July! The warehouse will be closed in August.

Appointments always welcomed...don’t hesitate to call:

(714) 680-3864

This is one of my new soldered box pendants. You might recognize some of the goodies inside if you shop at Gilding the Lilly in Fullerton. These little brass stamping pieces are such fun to use as the jumping off point for the design. I added some millinery flowers from the store too. Of course the is some german glass glitter! Gilding the Lilly has inspiration in every nook and cranny. If you need that one odd or end to get your creative juices flowing this store is for you. To see ore of my designs please check out my website at www.lulumax.com. The site will be live with new photos this Friday!!

Back to work for me. I have more vintage odds and ends that need a new life in a piece of art jewelry.

with glitter,
Tara

Seashells at Gilding the Lilly

What a great day spent at my favorite store for vintage tid bits and jewelry! If you have not been to Gilding the Lilly in Fullerton California- Go now. Today I took a class from one of their great instructors on creating art bottles with shells. Working outside on the patio was really a treat. We glued and soldered and created some really amazing bottles in just a few hours. Taking a class is a great way to stay inspired.

I have been really slack about putting up pictures. This is the week of the big reveal! Pictures here and at www.lulumax.vpweb.com this week. Thanks to my wonderful husband and new camera for close up photography I am ready to go. I need a little practice with the new camera to get some good shots. Part of the fun is always having something new to learn.

Have an inspired week.

Tara

What a great evening spent with fellow beaders! As a wrap up party for the Alice in Wonderland bead challenge, at Garden Of Beaden in Upland, we had a tea party. Our hostess and owner of my favorite bead shop had all sorts of goodies both savory and sweet. Irene you did a great job. There was a room of us gals ( and Ronnie) jam packed with talent. In the next week I will create links to their many blogs. You will be amazed.

I have been working full time in Jewelry for several months now preparing for my debut selling pieces at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in July. I have been so inspired by the artists I have met along the path of my own journey. Rest assured that future posts will feature both art and artists that have inspired me. I really believe that creativity is contagious.

This blog page was inspired by attending Glitterfest last weekend. I came home energized. My husband might call it crazed but I have been on a creative high all week. I felt the need to share my inspiration and journey. So a blog was born. So if you need a dose of inspiration stop by as I will be happy to share mine with you.

Next week I will begin posting pictures of my jewelry and all sorts of things to inspire creativity! Please send me a message if you have a link, blog or website you would like to share and I will add it to Lulu Max.

Tara

Greetings