Over the Top Studios

I’m Painting the Roses Red

The count down has begun  - In exactly 9 days the New

Alice in Wonderland 

Disney movie will be released. I will be in Vegas, celebrating our very good friends 50th birthday and what does he want to do?

See Alice in Wonderland!

I have been busy creating little one of a kind pieces to commemorate the occasion. I love the wonderful original artwork from John Tennial that so many of us grew up with. When I revisited the images I decided to leave them the way they were, black and white and just add pops of color like red and green.

I wanted to use vintage tea cups and silver candlesticks to make these one of a kind, yet fun.

These little

“dioramas in a teacup” 

begin to take on lives of their own and come together quickly as my imagination takes control.

They seem to speak to me, “create, create CREATE!”

One detail after another. I can’t seem to stop.Cup after cup becomes filled with the whimsical images that fill my mind and keep me from peaceful slumber at night.

I toss and I turn yet rest never finds me. Only visions of tea parties and curious conversations.

I must stop!

I must get some rest -

                                  Yet I can not.

                                                                 Just one more thing –

one last  party hat, PLEASE!

 

Now I can close my eyes and the sleep that so elusively escaped me finally succumbs to my weary eyes. As they close I feel my mind wandering to that place again, the place where the line between reality and fantasy fades.

A faint voice becomes audible –

"But I don't want to go among mad people,"
"Oh, you can't help that, "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?"
"You must be  or you wouldn't have come here."

True Fact: 

I was lucky enough to have my pieces selected by Kelly Moore of “Moore to Life”  for her “How to Throw  a Wonderland Party” segment on King 5 last Saturday – She will be featuring them again this Friday. Hopefully I will have a link to the segment soon.

She did post some great photos on her blog, click here to view them.

Useless Fact:

Good bye for now – I am off to Portland for some much needed rest and relaxation with some of my Bible Study girlfriends – they can be wild!

Regards,

Amada

Weekend Finds – Child’s Play…

I

As a child I didn’t like dolls much – I had my Barbie’s, still do, but girls who played with baby dolls and strollers obviously had issues, right? My best friend had a room full of them so if the inclination ever came over me to play mommy I could go run down the street and ring her bell.

When I grew up, my mother-in-law collected dolls as well. She offered me many  - still no interest…

Until now

I am drawn to these stunning German Frozen Charlotte dolls.  I found this one in a thrift store this weekend.  She isn’t a full frozen Charlotte, her body is muslin but her hands, head and legs are porcelain. She is 20” tall!

Get a load of those yams!

Another new passion I have are these Half Dolls which were originally used as pin cushions.

Some would say that this beauty has seen better days – but I say the best are yet to come.

She seems to have lost her nose.

but her lips are still ruby red.

I am captivated by her  and I can’t stop staring  into her eyes  - what secrets she must have been privy to.

She whispers them to me….

“Marie” as I call her was purchased at a flea market. I think she was a deal.  But then again these things are all relative,  and what one person thinks is a tattered, old doll is really a priceless treasure to another.

I still don’t consider myself a doll lover.

What I am is a collector of sorts.  A collector of memories.

Mine

And people  I don’t even know –

yet we share something in common now.  A childhood play thing or a trusted confidant, either way just as they hold the secrets of their  past owners behind tightly clenched lips, they will hold mine as well.

 At least for now!

Now go out and find some “Pretty Little Thing” of your own.

Amada

Drum Roll Please – We Have a Winner!

The time has come to announce the winner of the

Les Liasons del Amour Giveaway.

Le Petite Theatre will find a new home

Many of you entered but only one can win.

The winner is:

Sande Chase

A Gift Wrapped Life 

Sande has an amazing blog filled with inspired gift wrapping ideas and delicious color combinations  as well as an online store  with yummy gifts for all occasions.  Sande, please email me with an address to ship your theatre to.

Thank you all for entering to win and all the fun comments I received, you really made this a joy.  Guess you are never to old to play with paper dolls.

Now on to more fun. Last Saturday morning I opened my front door to find a white USPS box on my porch. Funny I thought, I didn’t hear the dog bark.  When I opened the box I was so excited! The super sweet and talented  Georgia Woodson over at Modern Crush had a Valentines Day Giveaway last week that I Won! Get a load of my loot

Before

After

 Georgia took such care to wrap every single piece individually in lovely tissue. I literally tore them open. My favorite item? The tea – I wish you could smell it! It is divine and I will be having a cup tomorrow morning with cream and sugar as suggested.

Thank you so much Georgia!

Make sure you go over and check out her blog.

Moving on, A couple of weeks ago I went to one of my favorite paper stores, The Paper Source. If there is a special heaven for those of us who are paperaholics this is what it would be like.  Wall to wall paper, art supplies, embellishments, books ….

I found these wonderful paper placemats for around $25 for a pack of 50 and I am just head over heals in love with them.  Fashioned from vintage china and silver patterns, they are perfect dressed up or down.

I even love the fonts

I just want to fan and fold it!

Perhaps I will use my new placemats with this super sophisticated, yet sweet bottle of EVIAN water. I originally found these lacy beauties while driving home from California. We stopped for gas in Los Gatos and found a great little shop called BIANCO. They had them for $5 a bottle and I thought they were a steal, so I bought a few

wasn’t I shocked when I walked into my local Marshalls last week and saw 10 of them lined up on a shelf. I grabbed them without even looking at the price. Much to my joy they were only $1.99 each, WOW! Color me lucky.

Later today the sun decided to make an appearance and although I had to wear a sweater, I sat out on my back porch for a little cool water with lemon. I felt very festive.

The perfect ending to the perfect day.

I am so glad I was able to share my recent finds with you today. Now I am off to piddle around in the craft room and create. Perhaps something loaded with glitter and color… some “Pretty Little Thing. Who knows.

Farewell for now,

Amada

Rendezvous at the Petit Trianon – And Marie Giveaway

 

My invitation arrived weeks ago

The stage was set

The clock struck 8:00.

The guests begin to arrive.

Night is falling on the Petit Trianon, tucked away from the palace, Marie has chosen to entertain us here tonight.

Guests will be wearing their finest attire

Causing some eyes to roam

and flirting glances -

causing tempers to flare,

and swords to be brandished.

The call has been made and the guests make their way in. Laughter fills the air.Quickly - whispers are turning to questions and questions to rumors;

Where is our hostess, where is la Reine?

A peek into her boudoir

 and through the window

reveals un secret

Marie and a handsome admirer  in the garden–

have we been spotted?

back in the ballroom

The music is enchanting

The festivities continue and no one is suspicious

Back to the garden – where romance awaits!

Mon Amis, I hope your Valentine’s Day is as filled with mystery and romance as our Sweet Marie’s.

To commemorate this Magical Evening I will be giving away

“Le Petit Theatre”

a tiny version of the larger stage.

Just leave a comment and I will enter your name in the drawing.

I will announce the winner on Tuesday, February 16th.

Good Luck

To see other blog party revelers

click here

Adieu Les Amis,

Amada

Les Liasons del Amour Giveaway

Oh my! I am finally up and feeling a bit better today.The name of this post really should be:

 “I Went To The Emergency Room and All I Got Were These Stupid Skid proof Socks”

I was in the hospital for a couple of days after an acute Pancreatic attack. Fun! They still don’t know why I had it but I am finally home and feeling better.  

Here is my real dilemma - You see, I signed up to be part of the Le Liasons del Amour Valentines blog party Fete, .Marie Antoinette blog party and  haven’t a thing to wear.  Read more about it here. So, I will have to settle for  something I already have, but lucky for me, none of you have seen me in it yet.

But what about a giveaway?

After rummaging through my craft room I think I have come up with the perfect Hostess Gift.

Yes! This will be the perfect giveaway, in fact, why not have an entire production.

A little miniature Marie Theatre. A petit version of a larger one.

Oh! What fun we will have on February 12 & 13th. Make sure to wear your best party frock, daintiest heels and finest feathers. This will be a party to remember.

We are going to dance all night.

One Special Mon Ami will win this Petit Theatre.

Here’s how to enter, it’s easy:

Let your fellow bloggers know about the “Les Liasons Del Amour” blog party and giveaway hosted by Over the Top  February 12 &13th. Feel free to use this blog badge if you like or the larger one from above and link it back to me:

Just let me know you did with a comment and I will enter you in the drawing.

Then on February 12 &13 come back for the party, leave a comment, and I will enter you again! 

I will also have a list posted that day of other blog partiers for you to visit. My intuition tells me they will all have wonderful trinkets to giveaway as well.

Until then my lovlies,

Amada

Down the Rabbit Hole

 

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?'

Ever since I was a little girl Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” has been a favorite of mine. The idea of falling down a rabbit hole into a world of  make believe  filled with white rabbits sporting pocket watches and pink flamingos stirred my already fertile imagination.

“Perhaps, I still think, Just maybe… if I where to dream very hard, I too could meet some of these magical creatures.”

Here I go…

“Just then my head struck against the roof of the hall: in fact I was now more than nine feet high, and I at once took up the little golden key and hurried off to the garden door.

”Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end! `I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' I said aloud. `I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth  never once considering how in the world I was to get out again.

Down I came with a thud. Dusting my apron off I called to the the White Rabbit, WAIT!

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: A bright idea came into my head. `Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?'I asked.

`Yes, that's it,' said the Hatter with a sigh: `it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles.'

`Then you keep moving round, I suppose?' I said .

 

This is the silliest tea party I have ever been to and Just as I said this, I noticed that one of the trees in the wood had a door leading right into it. `That's very curious!' I thought. `But everything's curious today. I think I may as well go in at once.' And in I went. Then out into the garden.

“A large rose-tree stood near the entrance of the garden: the roses growing on it were white, but there were three gardeners at it, busily painting them red. I thought this a very curious thing, and I went nearer to watch them…”

`…Why the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a RED rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know. “

“When the procession came opposite to me, they all stopped and looked at her, and the Queen said severely `Who is this?' She said it to the Knave of Hearts, who only bowed and smiled in reply.

`Idiot!' said the Queen, tossing her head impatiently; and, turning to me, she went on, `What's your name, child?'

`My name is Amada, so please your Majesty,' I said very politely…”

`Can you play croquet?' ‘YES’ I shouted.

`Come on, then!' roared the Queen, and I joined the procession, wondering very much what would happen next.

The chief difficulty I found at first was in managing my flamingo: I succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under my arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as I got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it WOULD twist itself round and look up in my face, with such a puzzled expression that I could not help bursting out laughing:

`How are you getting on?' said the Chesire Cat, as soon as there was mouth enough for it to speak with.

`I don't think they play at all fairly,' I said and at that the cat’s face began to fade away and I began to awaken.

 

Oh, I've had such a curious dream!' I said , and I told my husband, as well as I could remember them, all these strange Adventures; and when I had finished, my husband kissed me, and said, `It WAS a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late.' So I got up and ran off, thinking while I ran, as well I might, what a wonderful dream it had been.

Later that day I decided to try and create a crown depicting the adventures of that dream and here it is. I hope you have enjoyed it. See more of it in my ETSY shop.

Here’s hoping your dreams are as magical.

Amada

P.S. Excerpts from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland were used in this post – and my dreams!