Christmas has come to Hip Chick's

It's all sparkly at the shop people as I love decorating for Christmas. I didn't get to have Christmas at the shop last year, we were in transition, painting and getting ready for opening in January. So it's fun to put the trees up, and the decorations and throw fake snow about and sing deck the halls.....hahaha. Ok I'm not really singing Christmas carols yet, don't worry, that's kinda gross at this point, nor am I even putting Christmas music on until it's DECEMBER but I do have the festive spirit now that the shop is decked. I had a productive day making things today, I had a black hat I embellished with paper, ribbon, feather and flower bow. Wha-la...fabulous! and I made a collage with some Paris images and paper, glitter and glue, oh the fun of glue let me tell you. This is one fabulous element. I can't get enough of it...I want to collage everything...people, places, things....haha... I also LOVE my triple thick gloss which I put on top of a collage to really seal and age it. The large multi color piece has the goop and it just coagulates beautifully. I wanted to share my efforts with those of you who care, you know who you are...and I hope to see all of you for our open studios in December on the 11th and 12th from 10-4. Treats and festivities will abound, so don't miss out on the fun, as always thanks for your support....ho ho ho...

San Damiano tutu shots

Monday I took the red tutu to San Damiano in Danville for a photo shoot. It was a gray day and not ideal for picture taking but I didn't care too much. You gotta go when the mood strikes regardless of lighting, and I had a chunk of time so I drove on up and wandered around. Here's San Damiano in a nutshell....."OUR MISSION is to provide a peaceful environment of natural beauty where spiritual renewal and growth may be sought by people of all faiths and backgrounds. In the spirit of St. Francis and guided by the Franciscan traditions of joy, hospitality, compassion, peace and simplicity, we offer contemporary and challenging retreats and programs in response to the changing needs of God's people." This retreat is in the heart of downtown Danville at the top of Highland Dr. and many people go there for retreats, gatherings, spiritual healing and quiet. Not many people are there taking pictures with tutus but then again I am kinda quirky....
I envisioned a tutu shrine shot and mine is ok, nothing exceptional but not every photo shoot produces the epic shot. But the point isn't always to get the perfect shot but to have fun and see what happens. I had a few curious looks for sure but no one seemed to mind the silly girl and her red tutu....it is a place to embrace all people and all spirituality. My tutu is a form of spirituality, it brings me peace, happiness and joy. It also brings many people peace, happiness and joy so this encourages me to keep playing with it.
Today Ben my husband decided to tackle our hairy beast of a dog, Chester. He is a combo German Shepherd and Poodle and one big ball of fur. Kinda like a Rastafarian dog when we let his hair grow long. It gets all matted and clumpy and NASTY. Being we are kinda cheapskates and don't want to fork over $100 to tame this hairy beast, we have the home job kit. Scissors and a electric razor. Ben is the groomer and he does surprisingly well with it. When it's cattiwamus well that just gives Chester that unique hip look that you just can't get from a professional groomer..