A quick post from Tinsel Wonderland

These photos are all related, although it might be a little hard to understand old dollies, a grinning dog, a tree topper and giant cheese puffs. They are all connected by the sweet and talented person in the bottom photo, my dear friend, the delightful Lisa Kettell. I was lucky enough to spend last weekend with Lisa, her family, friends, six inches of snow and DJ the wonderdog (seen above just after getting a treat and sliding it off the counter stealthily).

Lisa conducted a class in making the clay-headed, paper cone-bodied angel tree toppers in Lafayette, NJ at a workshop she called Tinsel Wonderland on Dec. 5. It was a snowy wonderland, thanks to mother nature, and an extra-pleasant time, thanks to Lisa's mother Joan. The other lovely attendees, like Terri Ventura and Pam Huntington made it extra-special, too.

This is a short post, but check out Lisa's many pictures on Facebook, Flickr and her blog. And mark your calendar for April 7-10, 2010 for Art Opera in Red Bank, NJ.

Headed to New Jersey

What could be better than a Tinsel Wonderland Workshop? How about a Tinsel Wonderland Workshop led by the inimitable Lisa Kettell? See? There IS something better. So, I'm headed to New Joisey from Balmore, as the locals say. Actually, I wonder if people in New Jersey like it when interlopers say "New Joisey" or some silly variation. My guess is no. I'd better leave my nearly half-century Midwestern twang at the door. If you think about it, don't we all talk funny?


I'm excited to be hanging with Lisa, founder and creator of Art Opera, sad that I won't meet Ann-Denise Anderson, a fellow Lisa fan and supporter and artist in her own right, curious about what we're going to make (Santa's Toy Apothecary, a clay and paper mache Christmas tree with doll-head topper), and ready for some great antiquing at Lafayette Mill Antiques Center.


It seems like so long ago that I 'met' Lisa that I can't remember how or when. I think it was in her private Flickr group, The Faerie Zine, whose actual zine you can order on Amazon here. Not sure. We became fast friends, and I was honored to be asked to submit a piece for her first book, Altered Art Circus, which you can also order on Amazon. We've swapped art, we've commiserated, we've yakked...so it will be fun to see her leading a workshop. TTYL and BRB...gotta go get my art on.