Second Annual Tinsel and Treasures

The Enchanting Spirit was Felt by All

The Second Annual Tinsel and Treasures Art Show was sure to be a hit with the variety of artists lined up. And, these talented women did not disappoint. What an event to remember!

A whimsical folk art piece from Charlene Geiger.

Anna Corba's beautiful vintage style necklaces.

One of Colleen Moody's sweet hand made witches.

Karen O'Brien's delightful hand made bears and mixed media art.

 

The unique dolls of Gina Gabriell.

The stunning bead work of Sally Case.

Amazing originals from Dee Foust.

 

The imaginative jewelry of Ceal Bialobrzeski (ElementLux).

Jaw dropping folk art of Sylvia Anderson.

Gorgeous glittered pieces of Donna O'Brien.

The variety of Halloween art from Iva Wilcox.

Susan Bartolucci's outsider art with a story behind every piece.

The smiling faces of Melissa Valeriote's detailed Halloween art.

The glamorous items from Marcia Harmon.

Eager buyers began lining up before the doors opened at 9 am, while the 15 artists inside the Alamo Women's Club finished fine-tuning their beautiful displays.

When everyone was welcomed inside, you could feel the excitement in the air. So much amazing art to be had!

 

Everything from Halloween and Christmas collectibles, jewelry, ornate dolls, paintings and sparkly crowns filled the tables. Shoppers hurried to their favored artists and then made the rounds "oohing" and "aahing."

 

Hmmm....a shopper can't decide which hot air balloon ride to take for Halloween!

 

All appreciated the amount of work that lovingly went into each art piece.

 

Decisions, decisions...it was not easy with so many grand art displays.

And the icing on the cake was the chance to Make and Take unique ornaments from Ulla Milbrath.

For us artists, the event began the day before when we all gathered to set up early and then met  for a lovely dinner at the home of Colleen and Mike Moody.

The evening was perfect, from the food and spirits to the kindred souls all gathered to share their passion of creating art.

 

Karen O'Brien, Susan Bartolucci and Melissa Valeriote.

 

Ceal Bialobrzeski, Colleen Moody and Dee Foust.

 

Ulla Milbrath, Sylvia Anderson, Iva Wilcox and Anna Corba.

 

Marcia Harmon, Sally Case, Gina Gabriell and Charlene Geiger.

 

Donna O'Brien, Ulla Milbrath and Anna Corba.

None of us wanted it to end!

Thank you dear friends, new and old, who participated in the show and brought their unique sense of artistic style. And a big thank you to all the collectors and fans who came in person and supported us from afar and enjoyed the spirit that permeated the event. We look forward to seeing you next year, Saturday, Sept. 18. Cheers!

Anna Corba and Dee Foust

Anna Corba

Anna wasn't always drawn to the past.  Growing up in the Midwest, she had an orange and lime bedroom filled with purple daisies which were definitely in step with the times.  Her love of worn objects began to unfold as she started to visit flea markets more out of necessity for affordable goods than anything else.  A chipped cup or a torn valentine felt like a second cousin, and so she began to take them home.

  Anna doesn't worry about the provenance of things nor does she worry about whether the manner in which she will reuse them will preserve them forever.  She thinks everything, even postcards and soap labels have a natural life span and her acquaintance with them is just one step along the way. 

Somewhere amidst her journey of collecting photos, books, and assorted whatnots, she began to feel a need to really use these objects as opposed to just being inspired by their beauty.  Being a painter, she began to include fragments of paper in her mostly abstract compositions.  Eventually the fragments began to take over to a point that her pieces became more about collage than paint. 

 

  New ideas dance in her head constantly and the challenge of bringing them to  fruition is very sustaining.  She considers it a privilege to have been asked to share some of this world with you and she hopes it serves to help your own inspiration unfold.

To see more of Anna's work, please visit her website Found Cat Studio.

Dee Foust

Raised in Ohio, the sights and sounds of country life are Dee’s inspiration for creativity.  These early childhood memories led her in the direction of the handmade crafts market.
 



Sewing and design became a successful cottage business and provided a focus on home life.  Eager to expand her passion for handmade goods, Dee launched Holly Berry Hill mail order catalog and featured designs from her favorite artist along with showcasing her own creativity.  After several years of owning and operating the  catalog, she decided to shift creative gears and accepted an Editor position with Better Homes & Gardens Creative Collection.  Her annual newsstand publications included Simply Creative Weddings, Holiday Decorating, Christmas Ideas and The  Santa Claus Book. 

Early 2000 Dee also created her first line of Holiday Collectibles for Bethany Lowe Designs.  Dee’s creative passion continues as she launches her exciting new Bedding Collection exclusively for The Drapery Boutique. 

Watch for Dee's new website...coming soon!    

The countdown is on...

There are just a few days left until the show!  The countdown is on and all of our artists are hard at work, finishing up one-of-a-kind works of art for you.  These two artists are no exception...

Donna O'Brien of The Ribboned Crown

The irony is not lost on Donna O’Brien. Although her art reflects a regal side of life in her creations of crowns, scepters, heraldic-inspired boxes, for example, she knows that she really is just the court jester in her everyday life! “Both sets of my grandparents immigrated from Europe when they were in their teens. Lots of old writings and little antique treasures and art came with them and I was ‘head over heels’ with all of it from early on."  Hmm…Head over heels…must be a jester thing.”

 Realizing the scarcity and luck in coming across similar collectibles in antique stores etc., Donna started creating art that brings about that same feeling of the old-world regalia.

 

To see more of her art and her off beat view on her creativity, visit Donna’s blog. donnaobrien.typepad.com.

Colleen Moody

A love of hand sewing, vintage treasures and old dolls is what led Colleen to the world of doll making.  She took her embroidery art and expanded it to add sculpting, painting and costuming. 

 

By doing this she was able to include one of her other loves.  Collecting!  Old buttons, fabrics and trims all are included on her one-of-a-kind creations.  They bring much inspiration to her work. 

 

To see more of Colleen's work, please visit her blog or you can email her at Colleen.Moody@yahoo.com.

Another little peek...

Some of the art that will be available at the show.

 
Unique Steampunk Birds

Exciting Addition to the Show - Make and Takes with Ulla!

We're pleased to announce that Ulla Milbrath has agreed to lead four make and take projects on the day of the show! You can shop during the first hour of the show, and then stay and enjoy the energy of making art for the rest of the day!

Ulla will be leading the Halloween and holiday projects every hour beginning at 10 am. They are for adults only. Magical flower babies riding a sweet bird,  a festive witch with the moon behind her and more await. You can read more about each on Ulla's blog: Ullam.typepad.com. We invite you to spend the day with your friends, catching up and creating. You can come away with four different projects in four hours, as well as one of a kind works from our artists. We hope you to see you!

Reserve Your Project Seat Now

Each project is one hour long, costs $20 and all supplies are included. Seats are limited and only four sessions are available, two Halloween and two holiday.  To reserve your seat at a project table, select the Paypal button below the project photo. All payments are secure and are made to Ulla. You will see Ullam@earthlink.net on your statement. We will notify you by email to confirm reservation.

 Spooky Halloween Fun

Halloween Candy Cone with interchangeable masks!
10 am, $20 per session
To reserve your seat for this project, select the Paypal button below.

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Flower Babies & Bird Ornament
11 am, $20 per session
To reserve your seat for this project, select the Paypal button below.

To review your purchases, click the "View Cart" button here. You ca check out at anytime.

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Halloween Witch Ornament
 12 pm, $20 per session
To reserve your seat for this project, select the Paypal button below.
 

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Festive Holiday Whimsies



Whimsical French-Inspired Hats
1 pm, $20 per session

You'll create both doll-size hats.
To reserve your seat for this project, select the Paypal button below.

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To review your purchases, click the "View Cart" button here. You can check out at anytime.

See you Saturday, September 12!

More Wonderful Talent...

You will find these two talented ladies on September 12 at the Tinsel and Treasures show...

Ceal Bialobrzeski of ElementLux

 
The mix of past and present graphic design fascinates Ceal.  Her jewelry references vintage, romantic, or scientific images in new settings of glass and metal.  Words and letter forms often add another layer of intrigue.  These tiny "stories-under-glass" provide the wearer with a medium for one-of-a-kind personal expression. 

Ceal enjoyed many years as a gift ware designer.  You may recognize her line of very popular collectible "Serenity Angels" from Seasons of Cannon Falls.

She relocated to the West Coast to be with her guy and has since fallen in love with San Francisco too.  The artistic community she found here has been very welcoming and energizing.  She is very grateful for all the wonderful and creative souls she's met, including these Tinsel and Treasures friends.

 To see more of Ceal's work, please visit her Etsy shop or you may contact her at ElementLux@gmail.com.

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Marcia Harmon of Cottage Jewel

Marcia used to design one-of-a-kind multi functional art-to-wear under the name UBU.  She had pieces in galleries across the country, a run-way show by Cicada and even won an award at the first Bead and Button exhibition in Sacramento, Ca.  Out of her beading passion has sprung a thriving antiques business specializing in period jewelry, vintage inspired re-creations and cool old "stuff" for artists and those with an eye for the unusual.

Marcia's antique store, Cottage Jewel, was just voted "Reader's Choice Best Antiques Shop" by The Danville Weekly.  She has a new location at 100 Prospect Avenue in the heart of downtown Danville.  It is busting at the seams with the largest vintage bead, button and bauble collection to be found in the Valley.

Come see Marcia at the Tinsel and Treasures show where you will find a huge array of antique treasures along with her latest "find."  Shimmering Roman glass shards in aqua and sea foam that have been drilled and made into custom jewelry.

 

To see more of Marcia's antiques you can visit her website Cottage Jewel.com or contact her at ubumarcia@aol.com.

Please welcome two more wonderful artists

Karen O'Brien - Mixed Media Artist

Karen O'Brien is a self taught mixed media artist and teacher.

She lives and makes art in rural Oregon in her "Golden Rule Studio."  Her creative journey began when she came across a pattern for a "rag style" teddy bear and she could see the enormous potential for soft sculpture design.  Karen likes to call her art an evolution of "mixed-up" media.  In addition to a love of creating with fabric and all things vintage, she has added paper, glue and paint.

Karen's work now includes teddy bears, dolls, collage, painting and assemblage pieces with a nostalgic, whimsical feel.  She also teaches mixed media workshops at various locations and art retreats.  Her continuing journey is to explore the path of intuitive art, listening to the voice within to learn, create and share what she finds.

You can visit her blog:  Golden Rule Palace to hear about her adventures in art and rural life, or her websites

Quiet Companions and Karen O'Brien.

                                

                                                

Sylvia Anderson

 Northern California is home to Sylvia Anderson, where she creates whimsical paper mache characters born from her imagination, and inspired by old children's stories, vintage photograph's and Holiday imagery.  Being mostly a self taught artist, Sylvia has worked in several mediums over the years, but found her niche when she tried her hand at sculpting.  She found that the characters come to life in the 3-dimensional form, and the creative possibilities are endless.

In addition to the paper mache characters that Sylvia creates, she dabbles in a variety of other artistic mediums including mixed media collage, jewelry and assemblages made from antique and vintage items. 

She has designed projects which have been featured in Country Marketplace magazine and Gift Maker magazine.   She has taught locally and will be teaching at the Art & Soul Retreat in Portland, Oregon in the Fall of 2009. 

To see more of Sylvia's work, please visit her website at Sylvia Anderson or her blog at SylviaAnderson.blogspot.com.

Sneak Peeks !!

If you pop in to visit us from time to time you will get to see photos of artwork created by the Tinsel and Treasures artists and travel along with them as they share their artistic journeys.  You will learn what inspires, excites and drives these artists.

In addition to reading these wonderful stories we will also be sharing "Sneak Peeks" .  These sneak peeks will give you a birds eye view into some of the artwork that will be available at the 2009 Tinsel and Treasures show. 

Here is our first peek...

Halloween art by Iva Wilcox

 

Crowns and Medallions by Donna O'Brien.

Check back again as we will be presenting two more Tinsel and Treasures artists stories very soon.

Introducing Two More of Our Talented Artists

We'd like to present two talented ladies who are among the 15 artisan participants in this year's show! A little bit of holiday fun and some whimsical jewelry will all be part of the offerings come September 12. Now, introducing....

Melissa Valeriote of Valeriote Design

Welcome to the Fantastical World of Holidays! Melissa Valeriote is the mastermind behind her  menagerie of merriment.

Creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art that pay homage to holiday mischief and lore is her year-round profession.  She believes that it is possible for the holiday spirit to extend throughout the year when you surround yourself with little bits of silliness that touch your heart!

You'll find these sweet whimsical characters among the many treasures Melissa will have available at the show.

To read more about her art, see her blog, theholidayqueen.blogspot.com, or simply send her an email.

Gina Gabriel of Eleven Morning

Gina Gabriel is a California artist living in the East Bay of San Francisco, California, where she says, "I make lots of little things in my little studio."

She is the owner of Tangerine, a sweet shop in Dublin, CA.  She studied sculpture at the California College of Art in San Francisco and is currently working on her second children's book.  Her inspiration comes from her family, her love of color and her wonderful artist friends.

 

Pictured is some of the steampunk jewelry Gina will have available at the show.

You will find Gina's motto, "Make Art = Be Happy," is at the core of her blog, TangerineShop.blogspot.com. You may email Gina here.

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Follow our blog to learn more about the artists to be featured at our second annual show. Until then, have a wonderful week!

Welcome to Our Second Annual Show!

We are so excited for the Second Annual Tinsel and Treasures show, Saturday, September 12, 2009, at our new location in Alamo, Ca.  We have added wonderfully talented new artists to fill our larger venue.  We hope you will mark your calendars and be able to join us.  You can find directions and show hours on our website Tinsel and Treasures.  Sign up to be on our mailing list, if you would like to receive a postcard or to receive an email reminder of the show. 

Please be  sure to come back and visit our blog...OFTEN !!  Each week we will be profiling artists and sharing exciting photos of what some of our artists are working on for the show.  How is that for a little insider's peek?

And now, introducing two of our new additions...

Susan Bartolucci of Tinsell and Whimsy 

Susan was born in Hollywood, but thankfully now  lives on her family vineyard in Napa Valley, where she has a little studio.  For inspiration, she has a view of nature surrounding her.  She has had many reinvention's of herself that have all contributed to her current artistic endeavors.
    She has been a teacher, partner in children's theatre company, event decorator, and an artistic consultant at her family winery, in which capacity she still serves when needed.  Having first created art as a watercolorist, but desiring a more three dimensional feel for her work, she became a figurative sculpture folk artist.  In addition to sculpture, however, she also creates ornamentation, collage, assemblage, and torched tin.

    Her work is one-of-a-kind, always with a pun.  She likes to say that you can see her fingerprints on everything she makes, even literally sometimes.  For her, the journey of creating art is most often more important than the resulting art.

     She has her own distinctive style, which often defies conventional descriptions, and she is not one to do anything over and over.  She is on a new journey somewhere usually without a preconceived plan.  She creates works for all seasons, but the art of Halloween is her passion, and she does that year round
    You can read more about Susan on her blog Tinsell and Whimsy.blogspot.com, or you can contact her at Gavitee@aol.com.

Sally Case

Sally Case is a button lover.  Her first love has always been buttons, old, new, big or small.  From this love a fondness for beads and trim, lace, and just about anything she can hand sew.
    Sally and the sewing machine are always at odds it seems.  She has been embroidering since high school, so it was natural that all these wonderful things came together in her art.  Her beaded and embroidered pictures are one of a kind.   The process of hand designing and stitching each one is very gratifying, and is closely followed by her love of collecting of all the glorious bits and pieces she uses in each one.
    You can visit her blog at Bubbling Cauldron.blogspot.com, or you can contact Sally at mustangsally1957@hotmail.com.