Post Three: Carla Gizzi Design and Studio

Post Three of my adventure to the Antiques District in Red Bank, located on Front Street, where a lot of Art Opera happenings will be occurring. Post One showcased Monmouth Antiques, Post Two showcased Laura and Plum Cottage, right across from Cheryl at Monmouth Antiques, and today Post Three will spotlight Carla Gizzi Design and Studio located a few steps down from Monmouth Antiques.Let me just say, one glimpse into the window and I knew I had to go into this store. Peering inside gave me whimsical chills, opening the front door and I was in an enchanted world.

Carla's store offers an array of wonderful new and vintage treasures from handmade jewelry, papers, dolls, ornaments, frames, mirrors, trinket boxes to mosaic lined furniture and accessories that Carla hand applies to each one. Her store is intwined in a cupcake chic color palette mixed wit muted vintage tones, and modern bright, all of it works fabulously.Once you enter the store, you will not leave, same as Monmouth Antiques and Plum Cottage. Carla, like Laura and Cheryl will be housing mini workshops/demo's in their stores throughout the weekend of Art Opera. I will post the schedule tomorrow.For now, enjoy the photos of this fabulous store, to visit Carla, check out the website at:
http://www.carlagizzi.com
To visit the rest of the photos from the fun things happening at Art Opera this year visit:
Lisa's Art Opera Flickr Gallery

Art Opera Festivites, Post Two: Plum Cottage!

Post Two of my adventure to the Antiques District in Red Bank, located on Front Street, where a lot of Art Opera happenings will be occurring. Post One showcased Monmouth Antiques today I will spotlight Laura and Plum Cottage, right across from Cheryl at Monmouth Antiques.

Again, if you are not familiar with Red Bank, after Art Opera you will be. Its one of NJ's artsy areas, next to Montclair, Lambertville, and Cape May to name a few, an area filled with boutiques, antiques, cafes, restaurants, and lots of historical roots. Its an area that has a fabulous department store, reminding me of the days of vintage Macy's, Haynes, Epsteins, and Bloomingdales, Red Bank even has an Urban Outfitters and Tiffany & Co, besides being located in the scenic Jersey Shore area, Red Bank is also a train ride away from NYC 45min/1hour, with a train directly to Newark Airport as well.These are all the reasons I am hosting Art Opera in Red Bank, not to mention the support of the loving community, the visitors center and my friends at: Monmouth Antiques, Plum Cottage and Carla Gizzi, these ladies have helped me tremendously. Cheryl (Monmouth Antiques) has organized the Friday night Art Opera Attendee/Guest party at the Antiques Center w/food, refreshments, surprises/giveaways and shopping discounts for our attendees, starting around 7pm, Friday April 9, 2010.

Laura of Plum Cottage will be vending at the vendor faire, hosting a workshop/demo at Plum Cottage and joining us at the Dinner Soiree. She has been collecting fabulous finds for years, which you will all be able to see and buy at Art Opera and all year long.

Art Opera Gallery Photos

A full schedule of these and all the activities will be uploaded here, on the website under articles, in the yahoo group and given out at Art Opera!

Here is a sneak peak at Laura and Plum Cottage, stay tuned for Post Three with pictures from Carla Gizzi. Post Four will have the complimentary workshop schedule!

Magic and Blessings,
Lisa!

To see the rest of the photos from Monmouth Antiques, Please visit the Art Opera Flickr Gallery Site, by clicking below:

Art Opera Activities! Post 1: Monmouth Antiques

Early last week I headed down for a bunch of meetings in Red Bank to get some things organized for Art Opera, After wards I went down to visit Cheryl, Laura and Carla on Front Street which is the heart of the Antique district in Red Bank, around the corner from the Oyster Point and Molly Pitcher, where the Art Opera is being held!If you are not familiar with Red Bank, after Art Opera you will be. Its one of NJ's artsy areas, next to Montclair, Lambertville, and Cape May to name a few, an area filled with boutiques, antiques, cafes, restaurants, and lots of historical roots. Its an area that has a fabulous department store, reminding me of the days of vintage Macy's, Haynes, Epsteins, and Bloomingdales, Red Bank even has an Urban Outfitters and Tiffany & Co, besides being located in the scenic Jersey Shore area, Red Bank is also a train ride away from NYC 45min/1hour, with a train directly to Newark Airport as well.
These are all the reasons I am hosting Art Opera in Red Bank, not to mention the support of the loving community, the visitors center and my friends at: Monmouth Antiques, Plum Cottage and Carla Gizzi, these ladies have helped me tremendously. Cheryl (Monmouth Antiques) has organized the Friday night Art Opera Attendee/Guest party at the Antiques Center w/food, refreshments, surprises/giveaways and shopping discounts for our attendees, starting around 7pm, Friday April 9, 2010.What a great way to start the weekend at Art Opera, keeping all our attendees and guests together and giving them a world of magic, art and fun, on a Friday Night. Cheryl has even printed hundreds of Spring Fling and Art Opera postcards, Spring Fling totes for giveaways, has antique/art gift baskets, brought stuff in to fill the shopping palette of the guests to search through and buy w/discounts. She has even worked with Laura and Carla to provide free workshops over the weekend for attendees and guests to attend, after the shop at the vendor fair, before they shop or after. In the last of this 4 part post, I will add the complimentary Art Opera Workshop Schedule hosted by:

-Monmouth Antiques
-Plum Cottage
-Carla Gizzi

These are in addition to the free make/takes, mini workshops at the Art Opera Vendor Faire. So please attendees and guests wear your name badges so they know who you are.
A full schedule of these and all the activities will be uploaded here, on the website under articles, in the yahoo group and given out at Art Opera!

I had to snap some sneak peaks of Monmouth Antiques for all of you to enjoy and get excited over when you arrive. Tonight I will start post two with pictures from Plum Cottage and Post Three with pictures from Carla Gizzi. Post Four will have the complimentary workshop schedule!

Magic and Blessings,
Lisa!

To see the rest of the photos from Monmouth Antiques, Please visit the Art Opera Flickr Gallery Site, by clicking below:
Art Opera Flickr Gallery

DMC Embroidery, Art Opera Sponsor/Group Workshop!

Hello Everyone,

I am happy to announce, that Art Opera welcomes the amazing, brilliant, DMC Embroidery to Art Opera. That's right the makers of the finest threads, embroidery and stitching supplies to Red Bank. On Wednesday April 7, 2010, DMC staffers: Allison and Liz will be on hand to demonstrate a fabulous project to attendees and guest of the orientation dinner soiree which kicks off the Art Opera festivities.

They will be creating kits for the attendees filled with their new COLOR INFUSION THREADS, Can I just say I have seen them at CHA this past January and these threads are to swoon over, the colors are extraordinary and the threading is over the top, just like everything they produce. Visit their amazing blog for the latest info from them at:
http://dmc-threads.com

I have been a sewer since I was 4 or 5 years old (children's kits then, lol). Now sewing is a favorite for me, creating hand drawn patterns, paper transfers, scrapbook layouts, pin cushions and crowns help me to stay inspired. I've been working on a fabric and cross stitch fairytale altered book for 10 years, sewing in it when ever I can, filling in details and some applique, when complete I will share with you.

There are still a few seats available for the Wednesday night dinner soiree and some of the workshop spaces, if you are interested in attending please visit the website:
www.artoperanj.com

We look foward to seeing you at Art Opera, I know I can't wait to have fun and create with DMC and see all you!

xoxo
Lisa!

Lantern Collecting, Crepe Paper, Diana, Joan, Me!

Me and Diana
Art Opera is working hard everyday to bring its attendees, guests, friends, sponsors, instructors and vendors a wonderful time. There are several steps to achieving magic within an event, no matter if you have 2 guests, 22 guests or 200 guests, your event has to be filled with an ambiance and warmth that your guests will never forget, that first step is location, the next food, followed by ambiance.
Diana
The theme of Art Opera 2010 is Vintage Coney Island and Seaside Flapper. What does that mean? To me that means, Luna Part, Dreamland and Dreamland 2 amusement parks that were located within Coney Island at the Turn of the Century. These parks were filled with ornate and whimsical buildings, fantasy themed shows, amusements and seaside elegance. Carnivals, bathing pavilions, delicious food fares and sweets such as likers (small ice cream shots), candy apples, taffy, cotton candy and more.

Lanterns and lights could be see in every inch and corner, a Trivoli Gardens effect. Trivoli Gardens is still around today, the oldest amusement park in the world, located in Copenhagen Denmark. I want to bring this magical world to you, to create this world will take lots of lights, lanterns, Chinese parasols, carnival candies, a seaside pageant and more.
The colors are similar to salt water taffy, a cupcake chic color palette filled w/seer sucker striped prints, pinks, aquas, robin eggs blue, lemonade yellow, sea foam green, sugar plum purple, sweet peach and creamy whites.
candy containers
To start, all the lanterns have been picked, ordered and fluffed for their journey to Red Bank, Chinese parasols have been created, glitter buckets decorated and crepe paper crimped. Diana and I pleated yards and yards of pastel crepe paper for the Art Opera Favor/Pre-Party where some of the committee and attendees will meet and help to assemble to attendee boutonaires. The main base of the boutonaires are provided by AnnDenise Anderson, which she cut from chipboard in the form of Ice Cream Cones and Sundaes. The Candy Cones for the tables and the Seaside Pageant Crowns have become to be created.
Stay tuned for the pics from favor/pre-party March 6, stay tuned for the photos from the shoppes participating in the Art Opera Shop Walk, the art opera affiliate workshop schedule and more surprises.

Magic and Joy,
Lisa!
and the Art Opera!

The Slice Machine: Art Opera Demos/Giveaways!

Hello Art Opera Fans, Friends, Guests and Attendees!

Making Memories has graciously sent us a Slice Machine and Cartridges for Art Opera. We will have Making Memories Giveaways throughout the event, along with product demo's.

Are you familiar with a Slice? if not after Art Opera you will be, this machine comes in two cupcake chic colors: Baby Blue and Pink, both the same and both wonderful. The machine uses small cartridges the size of a digital camera card, to upload a variety of designs. Each Cartridge has a design pack built into it for use.

Once you insert the cartridge you are off and running. The ones we received are over the top amazing! We have one set filled w/frilly frames, silhouettes, and frou frou, the other more grungy cool with tags, lettering and borders.


Both these cartridges will be shown at the Vendor Faire April 10-11, 2010. You will see how to use the machine and its various ideas, and get some fabulous cutouts to take home with you to use in your scrap booking and paper arts.


After seeing this machine you'll want one too. Get giveaway tickets for some cool Making Memories products and supplies.

See you soon!
Lisa!

Art Opera Swaps!

New Swap: Sweet Shoppe ATC!


Think: Cupcakes, Tarts, Pies, Cakes, Wedding Cakes, Birthday Cakes, Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Lollipops, Ice Cream: Cones/Sundaes, Chocolate, Hearts, Lintzer Tarts, Candy/Jelly Apples, Bubble Gum, PopTarts, Opera Cake, Cotton Candy, Soda Pop, Soda and Milk Shakes, Cherry Desserts, Blueberries, Blue Raspberry, Key Lime Pie, Donuts, Twizzlers, Smarties, Gumdrops, Sugared candies, heart and swedish fish, Hersey, Godiva, Ladure, Vintage Bake and Confectionary Shoppes, 1950s Soda Shops, 5 & 10's, 1900's Coffee and Cake Cafe's, the list goes on.

Sign up deadline for Art Opera Attendees: March 10, 2010

Art Opera Attendee Pick up date: April 10, 2010

2 for 2 swap, make 2 get 2
I will assign your partners on March 11, 2010

-You may sign up here as well, or contact me directly!

This is open to the faerie zine and art opera members as well.

-Those coming to Art Opera, will be kept together as partners so they may pick up their swaps at the event, all others will be paired accordingly and you will mail to your partner. The deadline for Non-Art Opera Swappers is May 15 in which you will mail your atc's to your partner.

-There are several swaps going on in the Art Opera Yahoo Group, so come and join us at the Art Opera Yahoo Group for some fun!

Thanks,
Magic, Blessings and Tons of Sugary Sweetness!
Lisa!