Wow! I know this was a few weeks ago, but I went to the funnest altered art event at Meadowbrook Castle, organized by the absolute QUEEN of altered art fun, Chel from ZNE. That's her tattoo over to the left by the way.

We started with a tour of the Dodge Mansion (the castle), which was really amazing. I'd have pics, but we weren't allowed to take any, and I was a bit afraid of our tour guide (we think she was a former nun/teacher), so I didn't sneak any.

Then we had a yummy cocktail hour and got to know one another before getting down to creating. We each received a large bag full of goodies donated by ZNE vendors and other members, which included vintage glass glitter, papers, charms, fibers, and more. I'll give detailed credit to those who filled the bag soon, as I don't have the info in front of me right now. I provided some sheet music, fibers, tiny vintage images, & a couple of vintage plastic charms &/or milagros.

Here is pic of Chel and myself at the end of the day. I wish she lived here in Michigan, she is so much fun!

This is me with my finished product, and the pics below are of some other projects I really liked. I know the pics aren't the best, but I brought the wrong flash, and it was a bit dark in the room because of the storm raging outside.

This is my new friend,
Cookie Sunshine, who is originally from Alabama and who had me in stitches for most of the afternoon. She really reminds me of some of the fun and eccentric Southern women in my family. Good thing laughter is the best medicine, because it hurt to laugh!

Oh, I had fallen and cracked a rib 4 or 5 days before, but no way was I going to miss this day. I left my pain-killers at home (had to drive), but it was well worth it. I was also a memorable day because we were so busy creating that we didn't realize that there was a bad storm.

It had been sunny when we arrived, but when we tried to leave we were told that there was a tornado warning and the police would let us know when it was safe to leave! The ballroom where we were was on the lowest level, and we didn't notice the other people coming down seeking shelter... It was pretty funny.

What a fabulous day, and I treasured meeting more creative souls and making new friends, including Chel, who I wish would give me some of her boundless energy!

I think that this warm yummy spring weather has gotten me a party mood, as I have branched-out from the cake toppers and made little goodies for each party guest.

I happened to see some fun party goodies that I thought I'd try for myself. They are usually called Surprise Balls, but no one I have talked to thinks that is a good name at all, so I decided to give mine their own name. So, I call these my Party Blooms, as they are a bit flowerish.
These Party Blooms are made of yards and yards of crepe paper in different colors, and you and your party guests can unravel the crepe paper and discover confetti, little plastic vintage charms, and a hand-stamped fortune as you go, as well as a little bottle of bubbles in the center.
I finished them off with a rosette on the top made with more crepe paper, vintage sheet music, old plastic beads, and Vintage German Glass Glitter. Wouldn't these look great on your table at each place, or even in a cupcake tower in the center of the meal? Everyone loves a little souvenier of a fun fete.

Don't forget, you can find little plastic vintage charms and Vintage German Glass Glitter in my shop, as well as other little goodies.

11 inch dress forms
There is just something so appealing about these wire forms! They are nice and lightweight, yet very sturdy. I was reading last night about upcoming submission requests for Stampington Magazines such as Somerset Studio and Belle Armoire, and one or more of these could be used for any of them. They are easily altered and added to, and the possibilities are endless! I just stocked them in my store in the "Alter Me" section.

If you use any of the wire forms that you buy from me (or anything else for that matter) and credit PinkyLouLou when you get published (think positive!) I will send you a nice little thank you bag of goodies.

13 inch wire dresses
You know, I have been working so hard on my new store- photographing, listing, organizing, etc, that I haven't actually made anything in what feels like weeks... My challenge to myself is to get back to my happily messy table and create. I mentioned Somerset and the other mags because I bought a huge whiteboard yesterday and wrote down a bunch of calls for submissions to them and others, up there in big letters, to give me a starting point. I also haven't done ANY inchies yet, and that's a big thing right now.

OK, I have a plan, now I just need some sleep.... :) Happy Creating!

5 inch wire mesh birds

Small wire mesh flower wraps

6 inch wire mesh dress forms

Very large wire mesh bird cage (entire back opens!)

Large wire mesh flower wrap

PinkyLouLou.com

Hurray! I opened my new store today, and I am really excited! I am also completely exhausted, and I am cross-eyed from staring at the computer for days on end... I did it all myself though, so I am happy.

I am offering my original designs, but I am also selling lots of supplies for altered art, mainly vintage, but new things, too. I have vintage and retro gumball charms, ephemera, vintage glass negatives (these are fabulous), German glass glitter (see pic on left), vintage playing cards and other vintage game pieces, and much more. I will be listing trims and vintage buttons this week, as well as ArtGirlz pewter charms.

These gorgeous porcelain beads and charms are handmade by Earthenwood Studio, and I use lots of them in my work. They are beautifully glazed and sturdy.

Please check it out and let me know what you think! PinkyLouLou.com

(Imagine me looking like the woman in that pic)

I live in Michigan. The winters usually last a really long time, but for a number of years it hasn't snowed too much, so they were somewhat bearable. Not This Year... It has been so cold (wind chills way below zero) that you don't want leave the house, but then you start to relate to Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." How can you not get a little off-kilter when you never see the sun and can't

breathe when you go outside?! Add that to the summer/fall/end of last year

being spent on crutches, and I am more than a little stir-crazy.

I figured that I needed an intellectual challenge to keep my mind from running away from itself, so I decided to build a new website. I know I have one, but I am not all that happy with the layout options, plus I want a shopping cart. I am very happy with my sales on etsy, but I really want a "free-standing" site as well. Not everyone belongs to etsy, plus I can make it my own style. DIYestores came highly recommended from a few artists I know, so I checked it out and signed-up.

Believe me, I can be a bit of a technophobe (is that a word?). I tried to build my own site a couple of years ago, and the results were panic attacks, crying jags, lots of wine, and an ok site. Needless to say, even the idea gave me anxiety. Hire someone, you say? But why? Can't I figure it out? I became determined to do it.

So, I started from scratch over the weekend, made some headway, hits some snags late yesterday that almost pushed me over the edge, but I did it! I only have 3 items listed so far, but believe me, that's the easy part. I think my plan is to sell my handmade goods on that site and sell supplies on etsy, at least for a while. I do want to sell supplies on my main site, too, but I am very happy with etsy, so that's going to take some planning.

I feel really good that I figured-out how to do it and went WAY OUT of my comfort zone to learn it, and on February 20th I will have my Grand Opening and you can judge for yourself. Please, don't really judge...

Trust me, if I can do that, anyone can.

(Now imagine me looking more like the woman in this pic)

I've been busy lately, FINALLY having time to create what I've been dreaming of for months: Cake Toppers. They are made of mainly vintage components, and I am thrilled with how they are coming out. What do you think?

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Welcome to Pinky LouLou!  I design and make altered books, altered art, and sometimes altered jewelry.  I am beginning to make pop-up books, and I am very excited to concentrate on those.  I am setting-up a new shop with my original designs as well as lots of vintage supplies to add to your own projects.  I'll post the link as soon as it's up and live.

My New Year's Resolutions pretty much relate to my business, and I have a lot of goals to meet in 2008!  Here's to a fun New Year's Eve and an organized and successful New Year.  Cheers!