Lollishop Design Team

I'm super excited to be a part of the spring 2010 Lollishop design team! The term runs for three months and I'll be creating and posting three yummy pieces. I can hardly wait to get started!

One World One Heart Giveaway 2010!

It's that time of year again for One World One Heart! Last year, it was amazing how many people participated!

Now, for the giveaway! I'm giving away TEN (in honor of 2010) semi-gloss paper collage sheets created by me from my shop! A huge value! If you are the winner, you can either pick them or let me pick them for you if you like surprises. The winner will received the collage sheets in the mail (sorry, no digital sheets for this giveaway).

To enter, all you have to do is LEAVE A COMMENT on THIS post! That's it! Be sure to leave me your email so I can contact you, should you win. International players welcome!

Deadline to enter will be February 14th, 2010 and I will announce the winner on February 15th (or the evening of the 14th)! What a lovely Valentine's Day present that would be! Lots of yummy images for your art. Good luck! xoxo, Kristin

P.S. If the comments reach over 100, I'll give away TWO sets of TEN sheets! I think it might happen!

UPDATE: Comments are now locked! I will be annoucing the two winners shortly!

See the winners HERE.

This and That

I've been sewing again and I made this Day of the Dead cuff. Gotta LOVE pink cheetah print! I know I do!

Here are the three cuffs I've made to date.


Also, I wanted to share that my extremely talented, sweet friend Sandy is having a giveaway on her blog. You can win this fabulous heart and a few other goodies. But I've got my eye on this heart!



And finally, I added a few new shrine kits to the shop! Small Cigar Box Shrine, Large Cigar Box Shrine, and my favorite, The Hutch Shrine! See them all HERE.

Maija's Piece!

Every time I think I've seen the cutest doll piece ever, someone proves me wrong. This GORGEOUS "Pixies Under Glass" soldered piece was created by the talented and lovely Maija Lepore! Maija used the Hello Dollie Bodies Collage Sheet for the pixies! Thanks so much for letting me share your awesome piece Maija! I just adore it so much!

Another Cuff Bracelet

I had fun making another cuff bracelet today! This one is more of a Neo Victorian - Marie Antoinette - Steampunk inspired piece. All of the baubles are hand sewn to the cuff. I love that these pieces don't require any toxic adhesives!

Bird Fabric Cuff Bracelet

I had so much fun making this fabric cuff bracelet tonight! It was one of the projects in Ruth Rae's new book, Layered, Tattered and Stitched: A Fabric Art Workshop. The book is really incredible and I highly recommend it! Of course I added a few special touches such as the organza flower and used my favorite colors! I love how this project is so versatile and I can't wait to make more!

I also finally figured out how to make a button hole on my machine! It took FOREVER, but will be very easy next time!

A Few Thank Yous!

I'm such a lucky girl! I received some most wonderful gifts in the last few days! The scarf below was gifted to me by the oh so talented Joanna Pierotti or "Mossy" or "Mossy Mom" as I call her! She created it from the most gorgeous fibers!

And here I am wearing it last night. I had so many compliments on it as I was out and about.

Joanna (Mossy) also sent me a super cute paper mache' doll (my first paper mache' cutie). She had a pair, and sent me this photo and told me to pick my favorite. Of course, I picked the more serious one, which was great because Mossy wanted the "crazy" looking one! They remind me of us when we went on a trip together. Mossy was tossing things out of her suitcase, trying to find something, while I, miss OCD, was putting everything back right behind her! They are so us :). I also sent her a little composition doll. I too had twins. Ever see "wife swap"? We had a "doll swap".

She has settled in nicely (Mossy also created the lovely altered book behind her) though I think she misses her crazy sister!

Also, the most lovely gifts arrived today from my friend Diana! They were a late Christmas present/early Valentine's day gift and I LOVE them all so much!

I especially love this whimsy little rabbit! Thank you Diana! I'm so happy to have some of your beautiful art! xoxo

Okay, got to run. Christopher and I are headed out for some sushi! The soft shell crab roll is my absolute favorite!

Anne's Art

Check out this gorgeous piece by Design Team Member Anne Le Toux! Anne used the following 2 collage sheets in her piece: Dressed up Marie and Let The Eat Cupcakes. Anne's work is so gorgeous! Visit her blog, you won't be sorry!

New Art to Share

Below are a few pieces I've been working on. All listed in my Etsy shop!

The first three pieces use one of my favorite mediums, resin. The ring features a tiny undamaged German frozen Charlotte.

And just for fun because I'm a huge Twilight fan!

(I'm team Jacob just FYI)

And more sweet Chenille ornaments, this time more of a paper doll style. I used the Retro Cafe Art German Doll Heads Collage Sheet and Paper Roses amongst other things!

My Banner and Lots of China Doll Heads

The other day, I hung up my banner that I usually use for art/craft fairs in my supply room and I LOVE how it looks! I'm very against putting holes in the walls (when we bought the house we spent DAYS patching holes), however I recently discovered the Command Hooks by 3M so problem solved! They come off the wall without leaving any marks. I also rearranged some of my favorite babies :).

I also had an order on my site for 18 doll heads with cutting fee, the most I've ever done at one time! They looked so sweet all lined up. Doesn't it look like the larger doll is the teacher lining the "children" up for a school photo? Lol! I love how each face is a bit different! That's hand painted for you :).

Simply Swank Soldering at Retro Cafe Art!

As many of you know, I LOVE to solder! So I was really excited to add these lovely products by Simply Swank to the store! You can get a whole KIT with EVERYTHING you need to start soldering as well as many other goodies. I've heard the DVD is awesome too! And I'd be lying if I said I didn't love that everything is PINK!

Some soldered charms by moi.

Homepage Update and Valentine's Day Goodies!

Now that New Year's Day is behind us, it's time for one of my favorite holidays, Valentine's Day! Now, yes, it is a "Hallmark Holiday" but what other holiday is centered around LOVE, PINK, XOXO's, and CANDY?

I updated the homepage at Retro Cafe Art, I hope you like it!

I also wanted to share some of my favorite Retro Cafe Art goodies, perfect for Valentine's Day!

Lovely Collage Sheets...

Dollie Collage Sheets in Paper and Digital format...

Jenny Bowlin Bingo Cards...

Yummy paper roses in reds, pinks, white, cream, and more...

German Glass Glitter in wonderful V-day colors...

And German Dresden, TONS that are perfect for the holiday with crowns, wings, hearts, birds, in lovely reds, silvers, golds, and more...

Plenty of other goodies on the site too, but those were my favorites! Get your goodies now so you have plenty of time to make those handmade Valentines!

xoxo, Kristin