This is a little copy/paste/repost of another great giveaway from the wonderful women over at Where Women Create!
Every Friday they feature an artist & that artist usually gives away a great prize to one lucky reader! This past Friday featured a mother/daughter duo that started an amazing business together - The Gilded Girls Stash Society, & I just happen to be taking one of their classes next month at The Creative Connection in St. Louis...read on to learn more about their venture!
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Being a mother/daughter design team definitely has it’s advantages. Take for instance the seed of an idea that came last fall. Sitting in our studio pondering the future, a chance thought began to develop into an exciting possibility. With the bond that we share (some might even say the same mind!!), when one spoke the other knew EXACTLY what was being proposed and how to proceed to the next step.
Thus, the Gilded Girls Stash Society was born.
An idea to share all of the yummy goodness that we use in our own studio with women all around the world seemed like a dream come true. The initial concept was hammered out into a final plan that would send vintage and vintage-inspired textiles, trims, paper, embellishments, millinery and jewelry findings to their new homes both here and abroad.
We were absolutely amazed when we hit our initial target number of members. A simple blog post announcing our new endeavor was uploaded to our blog, with an opportunity to “fly blind” with us, before we even posted pictures of the actual “stash”. Imagine our amazement when we not only sold each and every spot we had available, but we began a waiting list from month one.
Hunting and gathering each month’s product for what we call our “box of beautiful” is a thrill that will never get old. Digging through a millinery store’s inventory from 1940 and finding the blush pink velvet posies that complement a linen fabric, is a rush of joy that only a crafter’s soul could understand. Discovering the gold tipped angel wings found behind a box of funky glass beads that make you audibly squeal with delight will forever thrill.
All the dust from the boxes yanked down from the top shelf, all the miles racked up on the car for the good of a dig, all the Starbuck’s Venti black iced tea that are required to keep you going on a hot summer’s day, are nothing compared to the emails and comments of women who “get us”. When they email to let us us know that they just received their boxes and jumped up and down in their living room while covered in glitter and tulle… well, that is priceless.
The Gilded Girls Stash Society was an epiphany. It was something that we were meant to do, for us and for the “Gilded Girls”. We are honored to hold this task we have been trusted with by so many.
Each month it is a joy to curate these treasures into a cohesive “story”. We take inspiration from birthstones, flowers-of-the-month, holidays, and of course the Seasons themselves. We try to stay very true to our vintage roots while introducing variety and the element of surprise.
Membership in the Gilded Girls Stash Society also includes access to a private blog where tutorials are posted several times each month using the items from the kit. This is a very popular component of the Society, and we always look forward to seeing photos of the work that members share through a Flickr group and Facebook page.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? We treasure everything about this amazing creative journey we are on, and all of the wonderful people and places we are getting to know!
We are also so very happy (and honored) to be teaching again at The Creative Connection. Last year was a magical experience for us, and we will truly never be the same. And this year promises to be even better. We hope you will join all of us in St. Paul next month, and make some magic for yourself! Please visit us at http://whathappensnext.typepad.com/
Fabulous Friday with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso
Being a mother/daughter design team definitely has it’s advantages. Take for instance the seed of an idea that came last fall. Sitting in our studio pondering the future, a chance thought began to develop into an exciting possibility. With the bond that we share (some might even say the same mind!!), when one spoke the other knew EXACTLY what was being proposed and how to proceed to the next step.
Thus, the Gilded Girls Stash Society was born.
An idea to share all of the yummy goodness that we use in our own studio with women all around the world seemed like a dream come true. The initial concept was hammered out into a final plan that would send vintage and vintage-inspired textiles, trims, paper, embellishments, millinery and jewelry findings to their new homes both here and abroad.
We were absolutely amazed when we hit our initial target number of members. A simple blog post announcing our new endeavor was uploaded to our blog, with an opportunity to “fly blind” with us, before we even posted pictures of the actual “stash”. Imagine our amazement when we not only sold each and every spot we had available, but we began a waiting list from month one.
Hunting and gathering each month’s product for what we call our “box of beautiful” is a thrill that will never get old. Digging through a millinery store’s inventory from 1940 and finding the blush pink velvet posies that complement a linen fabric, is a rush of joy that only a crafter’s soul could understand. Discovering the gold tipped angel wings found behind a box of funky glass beads that make you audibly squeal with delight will forever thrill.
All the dust from the boxes yanked down from the top shelf, all the miles racked up on the car for the good of a dig, all the Starbuck’s Venti black iced tea that are required to keep you going on a hot summer’s day, are nothing compared to the emails and comments of women who “get us”. When they email to let us us know that they just received their boxes and jumped up and down in their living room while covered in glitter and tulle… well, that is priceless.
The Gilded Girls Stash Society was an epiphany. It was something that we were meant to do, for us and for the “Gilded Girls”. We are honored to hold this task we have been trusted with by so many.
Each month it is a joy to curate these treasures into a cohesive “story”. We take inspiration from birthstones, flowers-of-the-month, holidays, and of course the Seasons themselves. We try to stay very true to our vintage roots while introducing variety and the element of surprise.
Membership in the Gilded Girls Stash Society also includes access to a private blog where tutorials are posted several times each month using the items from the kit. This is a very popular component of the Society, and we always look forward to seeing photos of the work that members share through a Flickr group and Facebook page.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? We treasure everything about this amazing creative journey we are on, and all of the wonderful people and places we are getting to know!
We are also so very happy (and honored) to be teaching again at The Creative Connection. Last year was a magical experience for us, and we will truly never be the same. And this year promises to be even better. We hope you will join all of us in St. Paul next month, and make some magic for yourself! Please visit us at http://whathappensnext.typepad.com/
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