Joli Paquet Kit Sales Day!

Well here they are. . . .fresh new springtime kits have just been listed in my Etsy Shop. Pictured above is my Spring Collage Kit that is featured on the Joli Paquet blog. But I couldn't stop at just one. . . .I put together this Easter Basket Kit based on my tutorial which I posted on Joli Paquet last week. I switched it up a little and used different papers and colors.
Last, but certainly not least, is this adorable Purse Collage Kit which I put together just in time for Mother's Day. You'll have lots of fun putting this one together. All the kits are now available in my Etsy Shop right here.

Coming Soon!

It's that time again! Time to unveil the new line of Spring Kits for Joli Paquet. We had so much fun putting these together for you. You can see all the adorable kits here. Sales will start bright and early on Thursday, March 25th so be sure to mark your calendars!

Are You Ready For Spring?

The snow has finally all melted here and hopefully no more will come. There are tiny tips of early perennials peeking their leaves out of the earth. I even heard some birdie tweets around the nest over the weekend. So I think Spring may actually be just around the corner. To celebrate the coming of Spring, we are starting up a new round of Joli Paquet. This week Brandy and I will be sharing tutorials and Kit Sales will begin next week. I hope you will join us for all the fun!

Sweet Inspiration Boxes

Heather of Speckled Egg hosted the Second Annual Inspiration Box Swap last month. Each of us were to fill a large matchbox with things to inspire our partners to create something for Valentine's Day. You'd be surprised how much you can fit into these small boxes! The old saying, "Good things come in small packages" certainly applies here. The photos above show the box (and contents) that I created for my 3 swap partners - Sarah, Marian and Andrea. And pictured below are the beautiful boxes these ladies created for me!

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Then my friend Cerri and I were having so much fun creating these boxes for our swap partners that we decided to do a private swap with each other and this is the sweet box that she made for me:

And this is the box I sent to Cerri:

Inspiration is Everywhere

I took these photos at Anthropologie with my iPhone while at the mall a few weeks ago. I'd forgotten that I had taken them until I was updating my phone and they ended up on my computer. Thought I would post them before Christmas comes and goes. Anthropologie is famous for their grand displays which have led to lots of inspiration for those of us who shop there. For instance, Pam always says her coffee filter garland (shown below) got it's roots from an Anthropologie display she recalls seeing and tried to recreate herself.

Pam Garrison's Coffee Filter Garland

Believe it or not, those giant snowballs shown in the first photo are actually made out of folded, clear trash bags and lit from behind. Isn't that amazing? You would never know that unless you get up close and study the display.
Another display that I thought was neat was this woodland wonderland make from tree branches with stacks of frosty snowballs at their base. It looks like children have been stocking up their ammunition for an upcoming snowball fight, doesn't it?
The snowball's glistening appearance comes from what appears to be simple plastic wrap wound tightly, in many layers, over styrafoam balls. The build up of all those layers is what really makes them look so good. Actually they look like ice balls - so look out!

Melissa has a wonderful tutorial on Joli Paquet today in which she shows us how to make Felt Cone Christmas Trees.

Photo By Melissa M. Hubbell

Photo by Cerri Campbell

And I hope you didn't miss Cerri's beautiful Vintage Wall Hanging posted on Wednesday.

Well, it's time to get ready for the cookie exchange party I'm going to tonight. Enjoy your evening!

Tuesday Tidbits

Tim Holtz is doing his 12 Tags of Christmas again this year. You really should check it out. His tutorials are so detailed, the photography is fabulous, and you learn how to use a lot of his great products. And he has a giveaway EVERYDAY!

Today and Wednesday we are giving you a preview of our kits over at Joli Paquet. Kits will go on sale Thursday bright and early! The photo above shows my Sweet Vintage Wreath which will be available in my Etsy Shop on Dec. 3rd.

Spread the Word

~ Joli Paquet logo designed by Cindy Gilstrap ~

Something wicked is stirring here and I am inviting all of you, my pretties, to join in on the fun starting September 21st. We're adding new kits, new tutorials, and new artists into the cauldron for a devilish good time! See you there!

Merci Beaucoup!

~ Little Princess Bear shown is available in my Etsy shop ~

Just wanted to give a BIG HUG and THANK YOU to everyone who purchased Joli Paquet Kits this past weekend. All my orders from the weekend were shipped out today so keep an eye on your mailbox. It's so much fun putting together all the bits and pieces that go into each kit. Of course being a bit of a worry-wart, I check and double and triple check to make sure I didn't leave anything out of the packages. I know how frustrating it is when you buy something that has to be put together and discover that parts are missing when you go to assemble it. Anyway, I hope you all have as much fun working on your kits as I did in putting them together for you. And when you finish, be sure to post of picture of your creation on the Joli Paquet Flickr Site here as we all would like to see how they turn out. I have a few kits left and so do some of the other artists, so if you didn't get a chance to pick one up over the weekend, be sure to stop by my Etsy Shop here or the other artist's links here. ~ Photo by Beth Quinn ~

Today the one and only Beth Quinn has posted a tutorial for the darling little felted heart shown above. Don't you just love it? Hurry on over here to see how to make one of your own.

Joli Paquet Kits Now On Sale!

It's time..it's time! My Joli Paquet kits are in my Etsy Shop now, as well as lots of other fun Valentine Goodies. Also, be sure to check out the Joli Paquet site here to see what my artist friends have created for you.

A Little Teaser

Just thought I would give you all a little teaser as to what's happening on Friday. That's when the Joli Paquet kits go on sale and from the looks of it you are all in for quite a treat! Here are a couple of sneak peeks from the kits that I'll be selling in my Etsy Shop. In addition to the JP kits, I'll be updating the shop with other goodies as well.
Along with all the wonderful artists who participated in Joli Paquet last November, we have 3 fantastic new artists joining us this time around - Ellen, Lilia, and Tiffany. I've admired their work for a while now, and if you don't already know them, you are going to fall in love with their style. And while you are at it, be sure to visit the Joli Paquet Flickr Site, where you can post photos of creations you make from our tutorials and kits.

History at High Noon

Happy Inauguration Day!

I'm sure many of you will be glued to your television sets today watching history be made. My DH asked me if I was going to watch and I said, of course! Being a sentimental gal, I really love all the patriotic traditions we have in this country and there is no time when these historical customs are displayed more than when we inaugurate a new President. I've been watching the pre-inauguration coverage the past few days and have enjoyed being reminded of the historical explanations of how things will be done today. Knowing that our country is rooted deeply in this kind of history makes today even more special. It makes me very proud that we live in a country where there can be a smooth transition of power from one President to the next without a battle or upheaval. Democracy is something to showcase to the world as one of the great things about the United States of America. Sometimes we take these things for granted and it's nice to be reminded of them occasionally. God Speed to Barack Obama during the next 4 years and thank you to ALL our past presidents for their service to this great country of ours!

And if you feel like doing a little Valentine crafting while you are watching the inauguration coverage, be sure to check out my tutorial over on the Joli Paquet blog. I'll show you how to make this lovely Valentine (or anytime) Frame to hold a picture of your sweetie-pie! Then on Thursday we'll be previewing our Joli Paquet Kits which will go on sale this Friday, January 23rd.

Coming Soon!

~This Lovely Design is by Cindy Gilstrap~

Get ready ladies. . . the return of Joli Paquet is right around the corner!

A Day of Sweet Memories

It all seems like a dream now, but only 2 short weeks ago our darling daughter ~ our little girl ~ our only child was married. A year of planning and preparing and it all went by so quickly. It seems like things started out slowly over a year ago when Natalie told us Jon asked her to marry him. They had been dating for 5 years at that time. Soon after the proposal, the prep began for the major things like securing a venue for the wedding and reception, the music, the photographer, the dress, etc. Then, for what seemed like forever, things just seemed to stand still. And all of a sudden, about two months before the wedding, the whirlwind of all the little details and deadlines started to make my head spin. The details are the part that I love to work on ~ you know, the little things that when put together create the aura, the look, the feeling that you want the evening to exude. But the details are the part of the planning that can be exhausting and stressful because you want everything to be just right for this one special day in your little girl's life.

The wedding gown Natalie picked out was magical ~ like something a fairy princess would wear. Afterall she is OUR princess and always will be. All of the flowers were amazing. . .Natalie's bouquet was exquisite. The cream roses, calla lilies, and hydrangeas matched the champagne color of her dress beautifully and the brownish foliage added the perfect touch for a fall wedding. The florist was such a joy to work with. She understood exactly what we wanted and "got it" right away with out hardly any explanation at all. Even her proposal was a piece of art, as it was handwritten in the most beautiful penmanship. For us, flowers are such an important part of a wedding. My own wedding flowers (many moons ago) were the most beautiful that I had ever seen ~ until my daughter's wedding, that is. The bridsmaids wore beautiful truffle brown dresses with sweetheart necklines and the best part of all. . .pockets hidden in the side-seams!

I made the necklaces and earrings for the girls using pacific opals, freshwater pearls and a single wire wrapped Amazonite pendant.
And more bouquets of cream roses and these have blue-green hydrangeas and foliage all elegantly ribbon wrapped. These bouquets lasted a full 10 days and have dried into the most beautiful arrangements which I have sitting in mercury glass bowl vases in my studio. Lucky for us, a couple of the bridesmaids left their bouquets behind at the reception, so both Natalie and I have them to treasure.
I'll have more to share in the upcoming days, so stay tuned. . . .

I can't believe the enthusiastic response you all have had to the kits I put together for Joli Paquet.

Thank you SO much. . . .you guys are the best! I've listed a couple more kits in my Etsy Shop and I have a few more that I can put together this weekend if you know anyone who still wants one.

Today I was busy packing up the ornaments I made for the swap my friend Heather from Speckled Egg has been organizing. We couldn't decide on just one theme for the swap, so our "assignment" turned into a combination of our favorites ~ create an ornament that is a little vintage, a little glittery and all done up in pastel colors. I can't wait to see what everyone dreamed up!