Bad Girls: January 2010

WOW! Blogging feels kind of foreign to me right now....I have been away for quite some time and it has been not only needed, but a pleasant and wonderful experience. For the first time in three years I was fortunate to enjoy my family for the holidays. I cooked to my hearts content, shopped with my kids, had an amazing time decorating the entire house, had a super fun Christmas party for Peter Jr.'s Hockey Team, and well.....got the ME time I much needed.

I don't know if all of you can relate to me, but I hope as artists, you can. It is hard, to say the least to keep your artistic juices flowing at a constant when you have so much external stimulation....sometimes it gets in the way...and you need to get away...you need peace...quiet....to ummmm....what I call...."restocking the well". I not only function as the owner and designer of Bad Girls, but now I am also a product designer for BAD GIRLS COUTURE, and all I can say is WOWWWWW!!! It is truly my dream....I am so happy...but I also acknowledge I need time to do all this work too. Stay tuned for our newsletter that will be out tomorrow for more news about changes that are going to be taking place that will help all of the BAD GIRLS companies. With our extreme growth, comes a need for change, and I hope that you will embrace it with me. We started off as a very small company, and of course, I will admit, that I was able to spend a lot more time on line, but I now find myself stretched very thin, and I have had to come to many decisions as to what is in the best interest for our companies and for our growth. Please know, that we acknowledge that YOU, our customers, is our first priority, and all of our decisions are based on just that! We want to be able to service you and provide for you in the best way possible. If we didn't care, we wouldn't continue to go back to the drawing board, we wouldnt care about growth...but we DO CARE a great deal. That is why we are here...first and foremost to see your growth as an artist. We will continue to grow....we will continue to accept the challenges before us to become your number one source for artistic inspiration and instruction...just remember...all large companies didn't get their overnight...and they didn't get there without error. We learn every single day...all of us here...and one thing for sure....We will be there for you always....you can count on us!

Now...without further chit chat....let me tell you a little bit about our January Kit....it is most appropriately called "Whispered Dreams"....I adore the name....this one I named for me....for the voice that is constantly in my head...always whispering to me....always leading me in my artistic journey.....pushing my boundaries....making me smile...breathing life into my soul....

This kit is all about dreams....remember as a child you always wanted to play with all that fun stuff...you wanted to create with paint...it didn't matter one little bit that you didnt know how....you were fine just splasing it on...playing....getting your hands dirty...and when you were done, there was no judge...you stepped back, took one look at it, and OMG! It was gorgeous! That is EXACTLY what you are going to do this month...forget about the critic...we are going to have fun getting funky! Lot of new paint colours...kind of like getting a brand new box of crayons!!! I also added crackle paint....so luscious and thick...and so many different ways to use it!

You will also add sparkle with authentic crystal beads, glass pearls in the prettiest shade of celedon, sumptious imported ribbons, silk roses, chandelier crystals, silk roses, crystal dominos, and soooo much more! I spent a lot of time designing this kit with tons of fun and funky vintage items.

I hope you will truly cherish the Limited Edition Bad Girls Scalloped Album that we offer ONLY in this kit. They are created with AUTHENTIC 1908 Sears Catalogs.....I know!!!! What a dream come true of an heirloom....can you imagine telling everyone about this??!!!

Another one of my favorites in this kit is the Vintage Perfumed Drawer Liner that we found on one of our latest antiquing quests. What shocked and amazed me is that it still retained some of its perfumed scent....probably because it was still in its original packaging and sealed tight! Can you just visualize this pretty paper on your next project??!!! How exciting!

Please make sure that you stop on over at BAD GIRLS and take a look at all we have to offer and make sure that you also take advantage of shopping in our store....HAPPY CREATING!

BAD GIRLS January 2010 Kit

"Whispered Dreams".........

Just a few close ups of some of the AMAZING goodies in the kit.......

To see more sneak peeks and to purchase this AMAZING kit, please CLICK HERE and let the fun begin!

I have to apologize for posting late this week! I got so wrapped up in the POST holiday craziness, that I lost track of time! I have a treasure to share with you today!

I had this wooden treasure chest for ages and this year I decided that I was either going to alter it or get rid of it. (I often buy alterable items with the good intentions of doing something to them, but they sit around for a long time!) So, I decided I was going to create a goody box for my classroom. I teach art to Elementary kids and I like to give little rewards to the darlings. I knew this box was perfect. I used papers that went along with the "school theme" and "art feel". So, I picked papers with patterns and colors that make me happy.

First I painted the exterior and interior of the wooden box with acrylic paint. I chose a black for the outside and a turquoise for the inside. I like the contrast of the colored papers on the black.

You can see the treasure here! So fun!

Okay, so once the paint is dry, cut the papers to fit the sides and use a glue or strong spray adhesive to attache them. I used a craft glue to adhere the papers and one of those fake credit cards that you get in the mail to smooth them down. The lid was covered with strips of colored papers to create a rainbow of colors.

Now, I traced a circle template on the front so that I could see where the center was and I wanted to make a folded paper circle edge behind a round Sassafras Lass sticker.

I then cut paper strips from a dictionary page. Those strips were folded in an accordian fashion and glued to the circle that was drawn on.

Just fold the papers and glue end to end around the circle. Place the sticker over it and add the title letters! I chose "CREATE" as the title because it is an artroom.