Peppy's Dream Crafts Blog

FEBRUARY 10, 2008 

I had two friends over for a decoupage class today.  I tidied up the apartment and got everything ready for the class.  There are a lot of tools and supplies needed to do decoupage – Mod Podge (the glue you use), scissors, a sponge brush, paper (to glue), drop cloths to protect the chairs, table and carpet, and old magazines, which you use as a work space to glue.

The girls arrived at around 1:30pm and we got right to work.  Bonnie was decoupaging the top of two stools and Nicole had a small box.  I showed them the techniques and they both did a beautiful job.  Nicole is only 9-½, but she’s very artistic.  I had a big white plastic tray which I covered with pictures of clocks.  I thought the round on round look would be pretty and I think it came out great!

Nicole and her beautiful trinket box!

After the girls were finished they took some pictures with their digital camera and sent them to me so I can show their work.  They did a great job and we had a really fun day!

One of Bonnie's beautiful stools, which both have an animal print theme!

Here's Bonnie's other stool.  Fabulous!

Here's my tray!

Bonnie emailed me and said she and Nicole had a great time and they'd like to do it again.  I'm not surprised.  Everybody loves decoupage!

MARCH 9, 2008

I recently made a decoupaged tray with pictures of clocks I cut out of magazines and catalogues.  I just loved the way it came out, and I had a LOT more clocks cut out, so I decided to do another piece.  I had a plain glass vase that came with my Valentine's Day roses from Eric.  I LOVED the roses, but the vase was just the kind you get with any regular flower delivery.  I'll bet you have one in the cabinet under your kitchen sink.  Maybe I will inspire you to take it out and give it a new life!

This piece has been varnished, which means it can still be used to hold flowers, but it can't be scrubbed or soaked and it can't go in the dishwasher.  It can be wiped down with a damp cloth and the inside cleaned with a sponge.  I think it's best used as a decorative piece, along with the tray!

Here's another view:

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2008

The CRAFT MAFIA asked for donations to be raffled off at the CRAFT SHOW on Sunday, March 30th, so I picked two pieces and brought them to the WHISTLE STOP BAR in South Park this afternoon, because Stephanie Hilsted of MADE WITH LUV was going to be collecting items there.

It was such a gorgeous afternoon -- perfect for a drive to South Park!  The WHISTLE STOP is a cute place with a pool table, a separate room with formica-topped bar tables and stools, away from the bar, and a stage for bands, which play there regularly.

When I went in, I was immediately greeted by some girls who were there to attend the KNITTING CLUB that gets together there some Sundays to teach, learn and just knit in the company of friends.  They asked if I was there to knit, since I was carrying a bag with me, which looked like it could have held yarn and needles, but I explained that it was craft stuff to give to Stefanie.  They were so nice and welcoming.  I told them I've always wanted to learn to knit, but never had an opportunity.  My Aunt Evelyn was an amazing knitter and my sisters and I wore sweaters when we were young that she had made for each of us.  There was nothing she couldn't knit!

A girl named Jen came over and introduced herself and then, as we were talking, Stef came in.  Stephanie had told me that the WHISTLE STOP was going to have a craft show on the 29th, the day before the one at the SPRING LINE UP.  I told her I'd love to participate, but she said they were fully booked.

Stephanie explained to Jen that I was interested in the craft show on the 29th, and Jen said that there had been a cancellation, but she had to know what I did, because she wasn't interested in certain crafts that had already committed to the show.

I told her that not only could I tell her what I did, but I could show her what I did, since I had two pieces with me!  I showed them the small decoupaged box I had made, and a tiny silver frame bejeweled with vintage jewelry.  She went nuts!  She said there was no one else who did anything like what I did, and that people would go crazy for my stuff!  I was so happy -- and flattered!

She said their price point was lower than it would be at the SPRING LINE UP on the 30th, but also explained that since the show was free, it was possible to lower your prices, since you didn't have any expenses.  I told her that I'd just bring a small table (the folding table that we use as a dining room/work table) and just my smaller pieces.

I had a few more errands to run this afternoon, so I left soon after and when I got home I got to work right away.

Now, I have to work TWICE as hard, because I really want to have a lot of inventory for both shows! 

Thursday, August 7, 2008

A friend at work gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers when I moved from one department to the other.  It was so sweet and I so appreciated the gesture.  I asked her where she got the vase and she told me she found it in the kitchen on our floor (there are two small kitchens on each floor in our office, where people can keep their lunch in the fridge, wash a dish, and microwave food.  The vase (pictured below) was one of those plain, clear glass vases you get when you order flowers.  I told her to thank her for her gift I was going to decoupage the vase for her.  I've been teaching some decoupage basics at work, and Laura was one of my most interested students!  She was thrilled.

I told her she could pick out any theme and she picked flowers.  I brought in all the paper cuttings I have of flowers and she picked out all the pictures she liked.

Here's the result!

It took me so long to get started, but I finished the vase over a 2 day period and Eric varnished it for a few days, and I was finally ready to bring it to work to give to my friend. 

Just between us, it’s not my best work, because when you make something custom for someone you have to do what they want and it might be something you wouldn’t necessarily do.

She wanted these vines on the vase, and I didn’t like how they looked and probably shouldn’t have used them and just told her, but I was afraid to disappoint her, so I used them and I don’t like how it came out.  It’s not horrible but, like I said, it’s not my best work.

Anyway, it’s a good thing it’s a gift, because if she was paying for it I’d be riddled with guilt!!  I worry so much about how someone will like something I’ve made, which I guess happens with every artist.  You always wonder how your audience will react, whether it’s a song, a photograph, a painting, or a vase.

Luckily, she absolutely loved it and proudly showed it off to many of her co-workers.  I was so happy!  I hope she will treasure it and use it whenever she is lucky enough to receive fresh flowers!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

This is how this mirror looked when I started.  It had a fabric cover, but it had been water stained, so it wasn't looking that great.  By removing the plastic cover and the fabric I was able to decoupage right on the cardboard covering the mirror!  A few coats of varnish and -- voila!

Sometimes I'm completely inspired by someone because of their enthusiasm and appreciation of my work.  When someone loves what you do, you want to create something fabulous for them.  So it was with Marlene. 

She found my website when searching for a replacement for her broken vintage hand mirror.  She loved my jewelry mosaics and commissioned me to make her one with gold and purple, which I did. 

I had another hand mirror and she asked me to decoupage it with butterflies.  I was so inspired by her enthusiasm when she saw the bejeweled mirror that I started working the next day and finished it last night.

I love working with butterflies, as they are a favorite subject matter for me, too.  My mother always loved butterflies and several years ago I made her a butterfly vase. I also made one for my friend, Liz, who also adores butterflies.

Liz's Butterfly Vase

This was such a small surface that I had to pick and choose my butterflies so carefully.  I think it's beautiful and I hope you think so, too!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

After creating the bejeweled hand mirror for Marlene, she commissioned me to make some more pieces, including a hand mirror and tray for her daughter, who owns a yoga studio in California.  I love doing pieces like this, because I am creating something around a theme specifically for someone.  I'm taking something they are passionate about and making it into art!

As you can see, this mirror, made of Ivory Pyralin (an early plastic that looked like ivory), had seen better days -- but who can blame it when it's almost 100 years old!  Remarkably, the mirror itself was in excellent condition. What I love about it is it was made in the early 1900s, and has lasted all these years, but no one wanted it because it was so ugly looking.  I used paper to beautify it and give it a new lease on life!

Same story with this yoga tray (which I photographed after I glued the first picture on!).  It's from the same period -- early 1900s -- and will now look beautiful for a long, long time!

Here's an ad I found for a set that resembles this very closely.  I guess when they were new they looked like ivory and were quite beautiful, but they stain and discolor and don't have the same appeal.

I had a great time with these pieces, partly because I am a huge fan of yoga.  I only wish I lived close enough to her studio to go and take classes there!

Besides the yoga tray and mirror, I had made another hand mirror for Marlene, this one with a butterfly theme, which I have already shown on the last entry of this crafts blog.

Marlene was interested in some other pieces, which I completed months ago and which were on consignment at GILI ANNA'S beautiful shop in La Jolla.  Marlene had seen them on this crafts blog and told me she was interested, so I picked them up from Gili and brought them home.

Last night, Marlene made another trip with her boyfriend, Chris, and visited me to pick up my latest creations, and the pieces she saw which I got from Gili.

She ended up buying two of my absolute favorites -- the bejeweled tissue box and the bejeweled mirrored tray.  I put my heart and soul into those pieces and I'm so glad they went to someone as beautiful, sweet and inspirational as Marlene.

Marlene is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.  She always has something positive to say -- whether it's on the phone, in an email, or when she comes to visit.  She brightens the room when she enters.

I also love her, because she's a "glitzy glamour girl" -- just like me.  She loves to sparkle and shine and that she does -- so beautifully!

I am thrilled that she is so happy with all her purchases and I hope her daughter loves the yoga mirror and tray, too!

Kristin is a lovely girl who got engaged last fall to a great guy -- Derick!  She had seen my website and saw some of the decoupaged boxes I have created.  She was interested in having me make a box in which to keep the memorabilia she and Derick have been collecting -- ticket stubs, photos, and other memories of their engagement.

She provided me with the box and color copies of photos, plus lots of pieces of memorabilia, including the invitation to their engagement party, lottery tickets, etc., which I color copied, so I could use the originals and the copies to cover the box.

When the box was completed I added ball feet and then lined the inside with black velvet.  Now, Kristin and Derick will have their memories on display for all to see, and will be able to keep more memories inside!

My friends, Elsa and Stephen, went on a month-long trip through Europe last fall, visiting Germany, Spain and Italy.

When they came back Elsa showed me the wonderful photographs they had taken, which captured the beauty of the places they had visited, and the many adventures they had while they were there. 

Besides photos, they had lots of other great memorabilia, including maps, business cards, ticket stubs, and brochures from the various places they had traveled.  I told her I wanted to make a decoupaged collage for her and Stephen using that memorabilia combined with photos.

I had a beautiful frame that just had a generic picture behind glass.  I took the picture and decoupaged right over it and then varnished it before putting it back in the frame with the glass on top to protect it.

Now, besides framing their favorite photos, they will also be able to easily look at the other ephemera that will instantly remind them of their great European Adventure!

After working with Stacie on her video submission for the MY GRAMMY MOMENT contest, I knew I had to create something to commemorate her accomplishment.  Her lip sync video to I KISSED A GIRL made it to the TOP 10 and a few seconds were actually shown on the 2009 GRAMMY AWARDS!

Since Stacie borrowed my vintage leopard shawl to wear in the video, and since Katy Perry LOVES vintage and since I LOVE leopard, I decided to decorate it with lots of leopard and other animal prints.  I am proud to say that no animals were harmed in the making of this binder!

Since Katy Perry is so hot right now, I was able to find pictures of her in various magazines, which I cut out and used on the binder.  I also used a flyer I made up to post wherever possible, asking people to vote for her.

My friend Jimmy may recognize the girl's mouth in the heart-shaped cut-out, which was part of a paper mask advertising a club.  We were walking in Pacific Beach one day after breakfast and started seeing these on cars and on the ground.  Being the crazy recycler that I am, i started picking them up.  These masks had eyes and a mouth that popped out, so you could actually wear the mask if you wanted.  Otherwise, if you wanted to hang up the mask as a decoration, it had a beautiful woman's face with glamorous eyes and the cute mouth with the tongue sticking out.  I knew I'd get to use it someday -- and this was the perfect occasion, since part of the lyrics refer to "the taste of her cherry Chapstick!"

I never decoupaged a binder before, but I am very happy with the results and think it is a great way to personalize something that could then be filled with scrapbooking, or just printed memorabilia -- in this case all the positive emails Stacie received on her performance!

I hope she is as happy with it as I am!