tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726349435863731992024-03-21T14:23:34.135-07:00Chic Chix and ChampagneChic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-92194126187713547112020-04-29T23:00:00.000-07:002020-04-30T01:13:58.566-07:00BEE Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop
Wow! Alysen here ... It's been 4 or 5 months since I've participated in Art Elements' Monthly Challenge, due to different reasons (orders, coming home, a bizarre health issue (see end of post)), but when I saw the theme chosen for April by Niky Sayers, I had to join in.
I've cheated a little, because these are all Bee Items that I made in 2019 as part of my Outlander Inspired collectionsChic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-16063387207265447552020-04-29T04:37:00.003-07:002020-04-29T09:04:57.652-07:00My Atrial Myxoma ExperienceWhat's a Myxoma you ask? Never heard of it? Me neither ... until February 27, 2020!!
Oh, by the way, this is Alysen 😀.
I feel compelled to tell my story because it's such a Bizarre thing to happen, and this on our business blog, not only because my sudden absence and subsequent temporary closing of our Etsy shop had affected outstanding orders and people favoriting & following the shopChic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-58573813037763020342020-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:002020-01-15T10:00:03.185-08:00Au Revoir les Etats-Unis ... A bientôt ...Well, the time has come to say a temporary, but nonetheless heart-wrenching, goodbye to my family who so generously took me in 3 years ago as a boarder so we could properly care for our aged, handicapped Mom. Here's my last post about that and my plan to go back home after she passed on November 13, 2019, just about two months ago.
I'm flying out today, maybe even before you read this post Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-24380382946197876322019-12-21T16:11:00.000-08:002019-12-29T17:40:40.879-08:00Heading Home with Mixed EmotionsAs many of you know, whether you're an Etsy client or a Blog Challenge member or a follower on social media, I've been here in the U.S. since December 2016 helping one of my sisters with MomCare so she could come home & not stay in a facility after rehab.
Well, our Dear, Beloved Mom of 96.10 years passed in November. I had gone home in October for a few weeks and was informed at the end of Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-89971892172705957172019-09-28T23:30:00.000-07:002019-09-30T07:52:23.811-07:00Fall Foliage Wood Nymph Leather Mask
September's Art Elements Theme Challenge is Foliage, chosen by AE team member Caroline. In spite of wrapping up loose ends before going home for a few weeks😁💗, I decided to take part in this month's Challenge. So many possibilities & I knew exactly what I wanted to do .. or did I?
So, after an eventful month of daughter💖visiting; finishing a Bee Penannular Brooch for The Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-87528612083952300852019-07-30T00:00:00.000-07:002019-08-05T11:12:17.056-07:00Flowers ... Theme Challenge Reveal & Blog HopI joined in on July's Theme Challenge hosted by Art Elements. Team member Marsha chose Flowers as the theme and I immediately signed up. I didn't participate in last month's Silkies theme, deciding instead to concentrate on a new jewelry collection.
Well, that didn't go as planned and while I'm ecstatic to have had the best Biz month ever, my collection hasn't advanced as much as I'd hoped. Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-43484692471567371072019-05-29T21:08:00.001-07:002019-05-30T15:27:22.271-07:00Forest Challenge Reveal & BloghopIt's been 13 months now that I started taking part in the Art Elements Theme Challenges. Each and every one has been a challenge ... Choosing a subject, researching said subject, exploring new mediums & new techniques and generally pushing myself to try new designs that I wouldn't have thought about under 'normal' circumstances.
May's AE Theme Challenge is Forest and was chosen by Susan Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-75057369358350682122019-04-29T21:49:00.000-07:002019-05-01T13:23:16.386-07:00Gargoyles Watching & Weeping
Another month has come and gone (almost) and April's Theme Challenge is Repurposing. Chosen by Lesley Watt of the Art Elements Team, this subject is really 'a propos' in today's eco-conscious society. Many people aren't yet on the bandwagon, but hopefully they'll realize the ultra-importance of recycling and repurposing for the generations to come.
Update May 1, 2019~ My Gargoyles are Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-52517479298702031072019-03-30T23:30:00.000-07:002019-04-01T08:11:17.479-07:00Luna Moth Reveal & Blog HopAnother month, another Art Elements Theme Challenge Reveal! As noted above, Luna Moths were March's theme and chosen by the Blog's team member Jen Cameron.
I only made one item this month but I'm super happy with the outcome, so I turned my attention to a couple of custom orders and some new items to list after a much needed week at the beach. Yes! Two sisters came out from California to help Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-71921159415353184912019-03-20T17:11:00.003-07:002019-03-20T17:15:15.757-07:00March Full Moon Challenge, The Worm MoonMarch's Full Moon is tonight & it's also known as the Worm Moon. I set a personal challenge (p.c.) this year to make at least one item honoring each month's full moon. An open invitation stands to anyone who wants to join me.
I'm immensely enjoying my new leather obsession and painting on leather satisfies a creative outlet that I haven't explored in at least 25 years!! I realized that the Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-4236622303232641242019-02-28T00:30:00.000-08:002019-03-01T10:14:54.137-08:00Revealing Mr. Carny Vore, Birds of Prey Theme ChallengeWell .. Hellooo There! If you feel a pair of beady eyes feasting upon you, Relax!
If I'm circling overhead or diving in your direction, Don't Worry!
We (read California Condors) don't go for living, breathing types .. No Offense intended.
It's the putred, luscious, dead morsel in your vicinity that we're interested in. Really! We can't smell the surely attractive odor, but our super duper Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-77011183278554794322019-02-19T17:14:00.002-08:002019-02-19T17:14:34.147-08:00Pawprints in the Snow .. February Snow MoonThis year I set myself a Personal Challenge to interpret the Full Moon each month. January's was the Wolf Moon and also my AEChallenge piece that I blogged about.
February's Full Moon is otherwise known as the Snow Moon, occuring today, February 19, 2019 @ 10:53 a.m. Atlanta (ET) time, which is where I am at the moment. We'll see it as full tonight and tomorrow night too (if no clouds). This Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-5998091459465134062019-02-15T14:57:00.002-08:002019-02-16T05:37:21.454-08:00A New Year
I know it is the middle of February, but... I am declaring this the start of a new year for me.
The last couple of years have been challenging in many ways, but the most challenging for me have been the lack of travel (and the accompanying creative inspiration) and the sparse creative opportunities I have afforded myself.
I am on my way to London and Paris with my oldest granddaughter (11 Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-42671879890759818632019-01-30T23:30:00.000-08:002019-01-30T23:30:11.973-08:00The Marvelous Moon, Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop
Yes my Dearies, The Moon, 🌕 La Lune. She's always fascinated me ... So when Lindsay of the Art Elements Blog announced the January Theme Design Challenge, I was all in. I'm a July Moonchild and perhaps that's part of my partiality. As a young adult, a winking crescent moon was the logo for my graphic design biz, a few years later I added a fairy and I suppose that set the course for my Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-47013963573647375432019-01-16T06:49:00.002-08:002019-01-16T13:16:06.149-08:00Welcome 2019 ➽ Time to Learn a New Craft I've been inspired by many blog & facebook posts since we've started the New Year. Most of them are about destashing & streamlining and I totally would do all that, IF I were at home. Two entertaining posts are Lesley's and Jen's , both Art Elements members.
I suppose you could call this a Goal post (pun intended), but it truly didn't start out as a goal, just a kind Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-75409568943300821222018-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:002018-12-29T00:12:00.199-08:00WHITE December Challenge Reveal & Blog HopOuf! As we say in French. I just barely got my item done in time for this month's Art Elements Theme Challenge chosen by Claire. She gave us the pure, neutral, very vast choice of White as the theme to design away to our heart's content. I had an idea a couple of days later and set to work ordering a couple of things. I usually like to try a new-to-me technique and so I chose leather. White Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-53903082296164450312018-11-28T21:30:00.000-08:002018-11-28T21:30:03.929-08:00Shoot for The STARS! Design Challenge Reveal & Blog HopLet's shoot for the Stars!! November's Art Elements Design Challenge was Stars, chosen by Laney Mead. This theme has given LOTS of inspiration, 22 artists decided to participate. At the end of the post are links to all the fab entries get settled in with your fave beverage and feast on some eye candy. I usually take a couple of days to get through ALL the blogs. And yes, I really read each Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-7206076156376031442018-11-26T21:56:00.000-08:002018-11-27T09:51:28.008-08:00Chatter From Cali
Where has 2018 gone? It seems like the last time I posted anything 2018 had just started. I have so much to catch up on and/or finish. It is time to get going again. Big decision, where to start?
I realized while sorting my craft room that I have a LOT of ties. I had been collecting them for our vintage shop, but never seem to get them listed. OR, maybe I don't want to let loose of any of Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-12191774400360774172018-10-30T02:00:00.000-07:002018-10-30T02:00:05.092-07:00Petroglyph Reveal & Blog HopYes, my lovelies (said in my best Witchie Voice) it's the end of October already and that means it's time for a Reveal & Blog Hop. I'm sure you're all getting ready for Halloween 🎃👻or Samhain 🌖 but I hope you can spare a few minutes to Hop Along. I'm sure you can find some time in the next few days?
October's Art Elements Design Challenge Theme was Petroglyphs, chosen by Karen Totten. As Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-80172666198196367872018-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:002018-10-27T14:01:29.050-07:00Learning Curves #2 - Laser Photocopy Transfer to CopperA few months ago, after looking at umpteen YouTube videos and blogs, I decided to try my hand at etching copper. The easiest technique for me at the moment was to get a laser photocopy, transfer with an iron to the metal, stick in the etching solution (a mixture of Muriatic Acid & Hydrogen Peroxide, used with all the precautions suggested) and wait for my masterpiece. FAIL!
Very FirstChic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-69709889009964621842018-09-30T00:55:00.000-07:002018-09-30T01:08:14.306-07:00Faery Design Challenge Reveal & Blog Hop If you follow us on Social Media, you know that I (Al) came home to France in September for about 1 month + for daughter & son-in-law's wedding reception and visits with family and friends. Not to mention cuddle time with Cannelle my Sweet Cat and some various Dr. visits. Plus garage, shed, garden clean up .... In short, reconnecting with my Life!! As of this post though, I only have a Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-22556680508782571552018-07-30T22:00:00.000-07:002018-08-02T13:45:17.419-07:00July Seedpod Reveal & Blog HopJuly's Art Elements' Design Challenge is Seedpod, chosen by Jennifer Cameron. At first I thought 'Aye aye aye', then after perusing the big G, I kinda sorta had an idea. I wanted to tie it in with one of my interests, Celtic Folklore, and also using Wireweaving. So I went back to 'perusing' with some other key words and finally settled on .... the Coco de Mer!!
Can you guess where this is Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-56899733113241540902018-07-09T16:40:00.000-07:002018-07-09T16:40:54.822-07:00Image Transfer & Etching Experiments on Copper - Part 1A few months ago, I starting taking part in design challenges hosted by the Art Elements Blog. See the Design Challenge label for the posts. I force myself out of my comfort zone with each challenge and although I'm laying out some extra bucks and time, I look forward every month to discovering what new theme is announced AND expanding my artistic repertoire.
May's topic was Tide Pools. I Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-2216286477787059422018-06-30T04:42:00.001-07:002018-06-30T04:42:10.386-07:00Sunflower Reveal & Blog HopThe June Monthly Design Challenge chosen by Susan Kennedy for Art Elements seems to have inspired beaucoup d'Artistes! I had zillions of (ok, a dozen) ideas and of course, I wanted to use my newly-discovered technique of Etching. But first, I still had to perfect said technique! Which meant lots of failures err.. experiments that didn't really pan out. I will do a separate post on all Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72634943586373199.post-62306157357169790252018-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:002018-05-31T12:02:50.222-07:00Design Challenge & Reveal (Art Elements: Tidepools)It's the end of the month and you know what that means ... we get to drool over feast our eyes on all the art that this May Theme Challenge has inspired! Thank you Lesley Watt. At the end of this post are the links for each individual artist's blog. From all the peek-a-boos posted on social media during the month, methinks that many, many artists jumped into this pool.
I wanted to Chic Chix and Champagnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08307079249583790219noreply@blogger.com17