Fabulous GO Vendors: DeLisa, Pigsey Art & Pommes Frites

Today I have the pleasure of telling you about 3 of the awesome makers who will be vending at our Grand Opening this Thursday night: DeLisa Designs, Pigsey Art & Pommes Frites. They are all super-talented and will have fabulous items for sale.

First up is Lisa Linbrugger of DeLisa Designs, who says:

"As long as I can remember, I have liked making things. I was lucky to have a father who was an artist and could recognize my artistic side. When I was eight he gave me his collection of glass and African beads which he had been collecting and making his own jewelry with. Since then I have loved making jewelry."

You've gotta check out DeLisa's Etsy shop - her work, most of which is sterling silver, is so interesting! I just love this "little painting for your neck!" I also love how multi-dimensional most of her pieces are. I've seen the work up close & it is stunning, and Lisa is a real sweetheart, as well as a talented jewelry designer.



Next, we have Brandy Davis of Pigsey Art, maker of unique, upcycled journals. Brandy is a very funny gal who's always saying wacky things like this:

"I currently am focusing on journals when I'm not loving my squirrels or my dachshund or making fun of my pirate husband."

But on a more serious note, she also has this to say about her work:

"I love tearing apart vintage books and items to make things. The texture and look of vintage items sends a thrill down my spine. It's a gorgeous quality and style that is lacking in many things in current times."

Well said, Brandy, well said. I really like how she intersperses the vintage book pages randomly throughout her journals.




Last, but certainly not least, we have another vintage book lover, Kristen Pumphrey of Pommes Frites (clever, no?). Kristen makes hollow books, pins, magnets, record bowls & more, all of them "reclaimed, repurposed & handmade with love!"

Some of her hollow books are cleverly-disguised flask safes, and include a stainless steel flask. Others are less specific & function well as hidey-holes for your cash or other valuables.

Kristen also makes really cool pin-back buttons & magnets with images from old dictionaries & her favorite fabric, plaid. Another sweet & funny lady, she keeps a blog that always makes me laugh.

Hope you'll come out & say hello to all of these crafty ladies this Thursday!

Fun with Altered Books

On Sunday I had the pleasure of sitting in on Beth A's Altered Books class where she showed a lot of cool ways to embellish and customize books that I never would have thought of. I had made some altered books before, but it was really interesting to see Beth A's take on things. That's what I love about taking classes - even if you've tried the technique before, there is always more to be learned!






Misti Webster shows off one of her beautifully altered page spreads

























Beth A demonstrated several techniques for prepping pages with watercolor. She taught us a slick method for adding pages to your book or repairing pages that have fallen out, too.

We also tried our hands at weaving pages together - fantastic!


All in all, this was a really fun class that would be a great springboard for anyone who'd like to create altered books. If that's you, check it out! We have another Altered Books class coming up on October 6. If you sign up for it (or any other class for that matter) before August 31, you'll receive one of our super-cool Stella necklaces. Be sure to take advantage of this special offer! Simply enter "augnecklace" in the coupon section at checkout when you enroll.