Flashback Friday...in the beginning

In the beginning there was a little gift show on Main Street in Historic Downtown Twin Falls.

Lisa had put her heart and soul into the shop but she wanted a new adventure.

So the adorable little gift shop became Girlfriends!  The cutest little scrapbook and art shop in the WORLD!

We love pink and black and white and all the colors so we made the shop distinctive in its colors

Lisa is hanging our mirror...it is still hanging there!

Candy, one of the original girlfriends, marking freight and putting it on the shelves

Casey was our most willing helper and did the heavy lifting in those early days

Jessie measured fibers and rolled them onto spools while Isa investigated a folding table

It took more pink paint to get our huge letters the right color than we ever expected!

Salespersons stopped by to encourage us to spend money

Lisa got swallowed up in her work

I hung letters

We debated

J.R. Davis did the windows

Lisa hung letters

Grandbabies came to visit

Freight arrived

Displays were created

and created

 

and created.

We opened the doors and friends, new and old, came to visit!

That was almost 8 years ago.  We are still here and our corner of the world just gets better and better!

Visit us anytime...there is no bad time to come to Girlfriends!

Girlfriends today!  Still as pretty as a picture.

 

Felty Goodness

I love felt but most of all I love WOOL felt.

Tomorrow I will teach the first of two classes to complete this book.  It is a wonderful fabric and paper book by Donna Downey for Prima.

 

We are going to stitch...I recently found out stitching is different from sewing.

I have sewn for over 50 years...never knew that.

I do know however that if you sew (or stitch) on Sunday when you go to Heaven you have to pick the stitches out with your nose....thanks mom for that scary thought!

 

I thought I would give you a little tutorial on how to do the blanket stitch.

SEW EASY!

For this project I started with the knot on the outside...I would really never do this unless I had a plan!

So start at the outside edge of the piece you are blanket stitching.

Next take a stitch..You are holding your fabric horizontally so the stitch goes from right to left.

Keep the embroidery floss behind the needle and pull through,

There is your first button hole stitch.  Now just keep going and going until you are done!

That my friends is the button hole stitch!

 

Enjoy stitching, or sewing but not on Sunday 'cuz according to my mom....well, you know the rest!

 

the felt is waiting for the stitchers tomorrow!

If you want to come and play or shop or visit on Monday we will be open from noon - 5!

always,

michele

Open Memorial Day

 

OH MY GOSH!

GIRLFRIENDS IS OPEN ON MEMORIAL DAY!

CALL EVERYONE...

WE CAN GO AND SCRAP!

 

That's right!  I am going to open the shop from 12-5 on Monday. 

If you are still trying to get your graduates scrapbook done before graduation day...if you have old projects to complete...if you are just wanting to escape the madness and play for a while, I'll be here!

always,

michele

Summery Goodness

It may come as a surprise to you but sometimes Lisa and I disagree on what should be a workshop and what should not be a workshop.

 

This was true with the "Welcome Summer" mini album Lisa created.  She didn't think it was great enough to be a workshop... I did.  I got my way so you girls had better back me up when you come to class on Saturday June 1st.  This book was made using a chipboard book from Maya Road...papers by Carta Bella and beautiful flowers by Prima.

Cost for the class is just $29.95

 

We have 8 spots for this workshop.

 

 

Remember this project?

It is ready for you!  We are working on it next weekend...Friday and Saturday.  I gave you the details in the previous post so I won't go over all of that again unless you want me to. 

What's that?

You do?

Okay I will give the the 411 at the end of this post  because I want you to really see what we are doing.

We are stitching...I found out stitching and sewing are two different things recently...stitching is decorative and sewing is structural...ok...I learn something new every day.  We are inking, staining and stamping...not necessarily in that order.

We are getting all kinds of creative.

 cover

 Layers of gruge board, grunge paper and imagination

stampy happy-ness

 

Those are sample pages.  You will also be working with Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste.  I know you are going to love it.  So much for all that here are the details, again.

 

Day 1

You will be making wool felt flowers to decorate your journal and embroidering the front cover.

Day 2

You will be inking, stamping, creating the beautiful pages inside your journal and at the end of the day we will put it all together in an unexpected way.

Join us for both days. Friday we will get started at 5:00 pm. We will get you started on the embroidery and have a little appetizer. We will work until 8:00 pm (If you would prefer to work earlier in the day we will be happy to work around your schedule). Saturday we will get started at 10ish and you have all day until 4:00 to work. You can come anytime during that time. This is a very freeform workshop so the longer you spend with us the more you will get your ARTSY on. If you have not done this kind of project before I suggest you give us as much of your time as possible. 

 

Cost for this project is $35

We have just four seats left in the workshop.

To reserve your seat call us at 734-8592

Inky Meets Felty

You didn't think I would let the day go without a post did you?

 

Nah....I want to take a minute to invite you to our two day workshop next week.  We will be making a most wonderful Inky Journal!

Day 1

You will be making wool felt flowers to decorate your journal and embroidering the front cover.

Day 2

You will be inking, stamping, creating the beautiful pages inside your journal and at the end of the day we will put it all together in an unexpected way.

 

Join us for both days.  Friday we will get started at 5:00 pm.  We will get you started on the embroidery and have a little appetizer.  We will work until 8:00 pm (If you would prefer to work earlier in the day we will be happy to work around your schedule).  Saturday we will get started at 10ish and you have all day until 4:00 to work.  You can come anytime during that time.  This is a very freeform workshop so the longer you spend with us the more you will get your ARTSY on. If you have not done this kind of project before I suggest you give us as much of your time as possible. 



Inky Fabric Journal
May 23 and 24
 

 

We will have some stains and inks for you to use but you will need to provide your own Distress Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain and a blending tool and extra foam pads.

We have a very wide variety of stamps for you to use but you will need your own Archival Black Stamp pad.  For your own convienence you may want to bring your own Distress Stains and if you have them distress markers.

 

Finally you will need scissors, stapler, adhesives any rubons or stickers you want to use as well as a mini mister for water and any additional embellishments I have not mentioned.

 

Cost for the two days is just $35.00

 

That's the long and the short of it...Who's ready to get Inky and Felty?  Did I forget to mention the prizes?  Shoot...We are giving away a couple of great gifts from Tim Holtz just to entice you a little more.

 

always

Lisa and michele

Happy Birthday Queenie!

This is the only authorized picture of our Birthday Girl....the one and only Jackie Banyai.

It doesn't really look much like her except for the crown...that is most definately Jackie!

 

Jackie is a dear friend. 

 

Jackie is funnier than you can imagine

 

Jackie is obsessive about the color pink!

 

Jackie was a design team member at Girlfriends for three years....her whole job was to keep me on track!

 

When Jackie finds papers and embellishments she really loves she buys them over and over again.

 

Jackie is younger than me and older than Lisa.

 

Jackie LOVES the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

 

Jackie loves frozen Hot Chocolate from Dairy Queen.

 

Jackie has a grand-dog named Charlie

 

Jackie has been known to harrass Wendy Vecchi about the lack of Pink in her art.

 

We love you Jackie and hope you have a wonderful birthday!

 

Lisa and michele

Look What's Sprouted!

 

Lisa has been very busy this week.  She has been creating so summery card kits that are perfect for any occasion.

Since I had nothing creative to do with this sweet kit (I consider myself moral support) I took a minute or two to come up with some thoughts for your cards...

 

You are 1 in a Melon

 

Thanks a Melon

 

A Melon wishes coming your Way!

 

Ok....I didn't say they were good....I just said I came up with them.

 

Cost for the kit which includes six cards and envelopes is only $9.95 & they are available now!

always,

lisa and michele

What's the Magic Word?

Support Relay for Life this weekend...put an end to cancer in our lifetime.

 

Do you want 25% off your entire purchase this weekend at Girlfriends?

It's EasY!

Just say the MAGIC WORD...

 

PLEASE!

 

So please join us this weekend at Girlfriends and use your magic word to get 25% off your purchase!

always,

lisa and michele

 

p.s. some exclusions do apply like class kits, workshop fees, special orders...stuff like that but we promise you won't ever feel mislead at Girlfriends.

 

 



Inside Girlfriends...a birds eye view

A dear friend made this sign for us so we wouldn't forget who we are.  It worked!  also it is dang cute and we love it!
 

We like to be inventive in how we use found material....Like a window becomes an information board...door become a counter and old bedsprings become display boards....I guess you just have to be here to really get it....When did you say you were coming?

I thought since I have some time and I want to really get a handle on this new blog and how it works I would show you some of the things you may have missed on your last visit to Girlfriends.  I got on a ladder and took pictures of the things that are up high.  I think they get overlooked and they are ever so special...like this little art angel and the altered book done after Wendy Vecchi came to visit us last
 summer.

crop happens!

I need a crop day/night.
That was simple.
I was wondering if some of you might need a crop day/night too?
Lisa needs a crop day/night.
That was straightforward
She suggested we have a crop day/night at Girlfriends.
We are cropping.
We are cropping Saturday May 18th
We will crop all day until 8:00pm or later if we want to because we roll like that.
If you want to crop call us.
734-8592
You can come anytime you want.
I will be the one with the sheriff badge on.
always,
michele
reminder to self...make sheriff badge.


fine print:  there really is no fine print..just wanted to say we can't wait to see you!

celebrate family

Lisa and I try to have a variety of kits available in the shop throughout the year. I like this part of my work. I especially like it when I am working with papers I love and a subject that means something to me.

 

This kit includes four 1page layouts (we call them mix it ups). I themed it around family because with Mother's Day just past and Father's Day around the corner it seemed to fit.

Like all our kits this one comes complete with all the parts and pieces precut and ready to assemble. It features lots of owls - we seem to be unable to have enough of them! The cost for the kit is $37.50. If you want one I suggest you let us know by calling the shop at 734-8592. They are available now but the number of kits is limited and they will not be repeated.

This is NOT part of our life{365} series.

enjoy and keep scrappin'

michele