We are now in month two with our amazing A Gilded Life Design Team! They have surprised and delighted us with the wonderful projects that they have each posted to our Gilded Girls Stash Society tutorial blog, which is a private group open to members only. Here are three of the designs created ...

Flowers on my kitchen window sill always make me smile... Like these lilies-of-the-valley from my garden (first blooms this year) and the dainty white roses are from the rosebush my son, Jordan, gave me for Mother's Day. A few years ago, I started asking for rose bushes I could plant in ...

I cannot believe we are already in May! Usually by now, the tulips have bloomed (or are in their final stages), the sweet scent of lilacs is permeating the air... just in time for Mother's Day. Not this year! This winter has been the longest one yet (for me, anyway)... 7 months of wearing co...

Just when we thought that Spring might actually be around the corner, we get hit with (not) one, but two snowstorms! I also hear that we are supposed to get even more snow this week... yuck. To cheer things up around the house, and my spirits, I went out and bought pretty pink and coral tuli...

Hello! Once again, I disappeared on you unintentionally. If you can believe it, I have been sick AGAIN. Yes. Really. I have been sick more in the past couple of months than I have been in the past couple of years combined. Normally, I get sick once in the winter, and MAYBE once in the spring ...

As I finish packing for my upcoming trip to Europe, I am just a tiny bit sad that I will be away for Easter Sunday.... I will miss the many hours of cooking and dish-washing (haha)... seriously, I will miss having Easter brunch with my children around me. Only a few of the...

Hello, and happy Friday! Any exciting plans for the weekend? I think the Mr. and I are going to go see Oz, but other than that, I'm planning a weekend in the studio. I have some ideas, and finally am feeling up to creating again. Yay! So, this is the little book I made while in Nashville with...

so as promised I wanted to share with you some of the things I made this past week at the Nurture your Creative Seed Retreat! Our First class was with the very talented Ms. Jeanne Oliver and I immediately fell in love with her collage lessons! First thing we did was collaged 6 watercolor pages,...

My studio looks quite the mess at the moment. My desk is covered with mounds of lace, ribbons, millinery.... I've been busy making custom-ordered cufflets for a Spring wedding... The vintage-inspired wedding colors are soft blue and ivory. The bridesmaids will be wearing cuffl...

It has been so fun to see my book, Art Journal Freedom, landing in your hands. I so appreciate all of you who have bought my book. It's been a thrill to get your emails & positive encouragement, and to sign your books. Where can you get Art Journal Freedom? Ask for it at your local store! ...

If you are like me, you have a difficult time throwing out scraps of fabric, lace, tatting and other bits when you are done with a project. I tend to throw these bits and pieces in a box.... and every few months, I open it with the intent of cleaning it out (which means: discard some things,...

My studio has been a flurry of pinks and reds lately... although I joined just two swaps this year (vs. 12+ around the same time last year!); I decided to make some tags, ATC's and wee gifts to send to some dear blogging friends.. Since most are still enroute, I'm not sharing ...

We had a welcoming committee waiting when we got back from Hawaii. Sweet Sweet Sweety was happy to see us and was perched by the door asking for attention as we pulled up. (my porch needs some attention too, huh? Christmas branches? Let's just pretend they are "winter decorations" not holid...

It has been so frigid here this past week that I am craving Spring... when temps are below zero, when your skin feels like it's going to peel off when it exposed to the cold air, when the wind takes the air out of your lungs when you first step outside.... that is when I miss my Florida sunsh...

My back hurts, my calves hurt, my arms hurt.... I am sore all over. Nope, not from a new exercise routine or workout; I spent most of the weekend moving my studio (aka "the sunshine room") from downstairs to the upstairs. It took 100's (well not really, but I'm sure it's close if I counted) ...

Hello! Please forgive the absence of a tutorial yesterday, but also know that our little elves have been busy, busy in the studio preparing for our 2nd annual Handmade Holiday. I hope you will join us starting next Tuesday, the 13th of November for the kick off of our little event. More speci...

If you follow my blog, you know that we have an upcoming wedding in our family... my oldest, Byron, is getting married on December 21st to the most wonderful of young ladies, Kathryn. She is a true example of someone who is beautiful inside and out. So it was with great joy that I agreed to ...

so many layers, not even sure which ones came first anymore! what i can tellyou i am using up my stash of rub-ons and stickers. layered in there are some hambly, some luxe, and a whole bunch of random black alphabets. the quote reads, " believe in yourself & all that you are. know...

ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT MY MOST FAVORITE COLLAGE MONDAY PAGE I HAVE EVER DONE! so many happy colors...i unloaded a whole package of more orange alphabet stickers i found (still no idea why i have so many?) layered some gesso over them and started dropping paint! spritzed the paint drops...

Before the Romantic Gothic Ghost weekend began, my family mini reunion started. After picking my sisses and Guncle Randy up at the airport, we shopping at Victorian Trading Co. I found this great white witch hat for $5! Perfect for the weekend. After all the guests arrived, we met downt...

The Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group recently hosted a "royal renaissance heart pocketbook" swap. The foundationfor this little project was a paper mache heart box, which was painted and jewelled to resemble the pocketbook ladies wore at their waist in times gone by. This is the gorgeous pocke...

First, thank you so much for all the lovely anniversary wishes! I always read all the comments and appreciate them so very much! I hope you know how happy each and every comment makes me. Your words matter. So, thank you! So many people asked about my wedding dress that I decided to share a ...

One of my favorite things about fall is the pumpkin patch. Going there reminds me of my dad, who used to grow pumpkins for me when I was a kid. I loved each and everyone of them, named them, loaded them in my wagon and pulled them around wrapped up in baby blankets. I feel like a kid a...

Dewdrop came over with her mom to do a practice class for Romantic Gothic Ghosts. The babies came outside to play since it was such a beautiful afternoon. I left the studio door open and made a pen for them right outside. The little guys played so hard, they tuckered themselves out and...