One of the great pleasures of my life is crafting with special friends. I have a wonderful group of girlfriends, all incredibly creative and inspiring artists, who live in different areas of the US. Twice a year, we get together for the sole purpose of making things. We meet in different scenic spots around the county, and everyone brings a project to share, as well as all the materials needed to create it.
During past get-togethers, we’ve decoupaged birdhouses. antique perfume bottles and cake plates, soldered charms, embellished frames, created illuminated shadow boxes, personalized journals and so much more! A big part of our time together is spent laughing, sharing ideas, recipes, music and movie recommendations, flea market shopping, and just enjoying the company of our unique and amazing group of women. We craft together until the wee hours of the morning, sleep as little as possible, and then get up early so we don’t miss a moment of the fun! It’s tremendously inspiring to be part of the fountain of creative synergy that arises out of our time together. We always return home with some pretty amazing gift items for friends and family.
This spring, we met in lovely Laguna Beach, California, and had a simply mahhhhlvellous time learning to do silk ribbon embroidery and reverse appliqué, and then using those techniques to embellish purses, makeup bags, tshirts, jeans, and anything that wouldn’t run away! We also made these handy crafting aprons, based on a traditional tool belt. They’re modeled at an early morning Laguna Beach flea market by artistes extraordinaire Dena Fishbein, Sheila Herrin, Tina Higgins, (me), Anne Higgins, and Kathleen Francour.
editor's note: To read other posts in this craft project series, click Charmed I'm Sure!, Something Old, Something New, Love in Every Stitch, and Blooming Buckets.
