Eniko's Playhouse

Scrapbooking Friends at Play

I love little point-and-shoot cameras that tuck away neatly in a handbag...ready to snap a photo at a moment's notice. It enables us to capture moments such as these and saves them forever in our archive of fun activities.

As we await the arrival of spring here on chilly, windy Martha's Vineyard, I am reminded, as I scrap these fun-filled photos, of the abundant opportunities for play during the summer months here. Because we are mainly a destination for summer vacations on our 30-mile island, winters can be a bit bleak once the majority of businesses lock their doors for the season, so it is wonderful to relive summer memories, helping us to "hold on" just a little bit longer.

This particular playtime was at the Opening Night of Trio in Edgartown. In a truly brilliant concept...the newly opened Black Sheep gourmet cheese shop and charcuterie, transforms every summer evening into Trio, a wine and cheese-tasting, small-bites eatery. My friends Cassie and Robin joined me for a wonderfully memorable evening where we laughed and played and ate and drank and laughed and played some more.

-Just a little reminder to keep that camera with you and that spring is surely on its way.

Hugs, Enikö

(Just a little mention that this layout was inspired by a sketch challenge on a great scrapbooking site that I encourage you to join, called Let's Scrap...loads of scrapbooking fun!)

Scrapbooking a Mad Hatter Tea Party

'Tis the season to be thinking of fun-filled outdoor celebrations! I designed this scrapbook layout for a caterer's portfolio. The event was a post-wedding brunch held under open tents on a beautiful up-island property on Martha's Vineyard.
The Mad Hatter-theme of the brunch allowed for whimsical and colorful food and floral displays in a fabulous collaboration between acclaimed florist and stylist Louise Sweet and "caterer to the stars" V. Jaime Hamlin.

The event was more fun than you can imagine, and as a scrapbook designer, my job was to capture the fun through my choice of photographs, scrapbook papers, and embellishments. Perhaps I would have been a little less formal with my layout had it not been intended for a portfolio -I may have chosen a few less photos and may have placed them willy-nilly to echo the tumbling cups and saucers used in the flower arrangements, but I think I've managed to capture the essence of the affair. Here's a closer look at the individual scrapbook pages:

As you may have guessed, the title, "Mad Hatter Tea Party" was cut out with my Cricut die-cutting machine. -I used the negative portion of the green cardstock for the "Mad Hatter" and adhered the quotation marks and the "Tea Party" letters individually onto the layout after they were cut.

I do love my Cricut...so much nicer to have the ability to make letters out of the colors and papers I need for a particular layout, rather than having to depend on sticker letters that are often not available in the size or color needed. The Cricut Die-Cutting Machine is made by ProvoCraft, and is a great investment for avid scrapbookers -especially if you manage to snag one on sale, as I did. I use mine mainly for titles and tags, so I own a few cartridges that offer me a variety of fonts, but there are all sorts of shapes available on the cartridges that many people enjoy using for embellishments on cards or scrapbook pages. It's nice if someone in your cropping circle or your scrapbooking workshop owns one that you all can share.

Off to enjoy a few rays of sun...I hope this post made you smile

Happy Memorial Day weekend, Enikö

(Photography by Nichole Friedler Photography and Enikö DeLisle)

Scrapbooking Techniques for an Oscar Party Invitation and More...

 
Everyone who knows me also knows that I have three major obsessions: Scrapbooking, Barbie Doll Collecting, and Awards Season in Hollywood. These passions are more than hobbies...they are what keep me smiling when life's challenges threaten to overwhelm... they are what keep the best things about me fresh, young and alive.

Sharing my passions with others is my joy, and that's why you are invited to my 2011 Oscar Party, where my three obsessions have joined in a particularly delightful way this year.

Every party needs a proper invitation, so I used the fabulous papers from Graphic 45's Curtain Call line. I love the Golden Age of Hollywood, so it was fun to represent it by using the face of the vintage cowboy. I covered the vintage-style movie strip image from Curtain Call with photos & titles of this year's various Oscar nominees cut from a movie magazine -I wanted to create a 3-D effect with the strip, which was a little tricky, but very effective. My favorite embellishment is the tiny "Oscar" statue that hangs from the gold-threaded ribbons.

I hope you're styled for the Red Carpet as you join us inside for the party:

The table is set in Red Carpet-crimson and actually sports a mini Red Carpet in the background -a great little table centerpiece that I won at the Barbie Collectors Convention the year it was held in Hollywood. The fabulous antique Bette Davis canvas marque was a gift from my sister, who found it at a yardsale in NH. You'll notice the "Lord of the Rings" tower on the left...various movies from the past, recreated with Barbies, decorate nearly every surface of the house: "Gone With the Wind", "My Fair Lady", "101 Dalmations", "Legally Blonde"...to name a few. The mantle sports a nod to Hollywood's glamorous Golden Age.

Grab a glass of Piper Heidsieck and some food...there is chips & salsa in honor of "127 Days", fresh veggies & herb dip for "The Kids Are Alright", Jim Bean for "True Grit", tea & tea sandwiches for "The King's Speech", poor man's (eggplant) caviar for "Winter's Bone, animal crackers for "Toy Story 3", dark chocolate truffles as a nod to "The Black Swan"...there's shrimp cocktail and a wonderful variety of English and Irish cheeses.

Meet some of my fellow Oscar lovers- This is Cassie with me, who is my right-hand Oscar party wrangler.

 

 

 

This is Laura, posed infront of my prized "Slumdog Millionaire" poster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend, Robin, who I attend many movie screenings with.

 

Patrie was a vision in her Oscar gold. You can see the "Alice in Wonderland" tableau behind her.

 

Here is a better view:

I felt an urge to represent all of the ten Best Picture nominees, and here they are:

This was my favorite scene from the "Toy Story 3", when Andy plays with his toys for one last time before he gives them away to the little girl...it makes me cry every time I watch it.

 

 

 

 

Here's my version of the Hailee Steinfeld character in True Grit.

Not sure if you can see the giant gun she's holding, but it's pretty funny.

 

 

"127 Days"
...ha, ha, ha...did the hunting knife give it away?

 

"The Kids Are Alright" ...all that auburn hair is apt to get a girl in trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Social Network"

 

-It was really fun recreating Mark Zuckerberg in an outfit so very similar to the one he's sporting on the poster. There is actually a mini Facebook wall on the computer screen...

 

 

 

"The King's Speech"

 

I hope you can see the old-fashioned microphone in front of the poor petrified King, and the comforting arm of his beloved and devoted wife.

 

 

 

 

Next, my personal Favorite, "Winter's Bone" -If you saw the movie, you understand the significance of the chain saw. And yes, that's a hand-rolled "cigarette" in her mouth.

"Inception" -The dream is real

And finally, "The Black Swan"
-My apologies for not including "The Fighter"...at this writing, I am contemplating bidding on some vintage Ken boxing gloves -apparently that's the only prop missing from my extensive Barbie collection.

I hope you've enjoyed attending my virtual Oscar Party...

I think it was a relatively good year for movies...certainly colorful with a wide variety.

Back to my scrapbooking...

Hugs, Enikö

 

Oscar Party

Welcome to my Playhouse!

And Welcome to my 2010 Oscar Party!

Okay, okay... So the Academy Awards were on March 7th and I'm a little late in posting this, but my Oscar Party seems like a fitting place to begin my new blog since it incorporated many of my loves. I adore the cinema! This year's Oscars were of special interest because I was able to see 90% of the nominated films (I even saw most of the Documentary Shorts and the Animated Shorts!) and I was blown away by the talented performances across the board. I also had some amazing party props... 

The cut-out of Oscar was a brilliant find and the antique movie poster of Bette Davis was a gift from my sister. The raised center of my Barbie tableau was a table centerpiece at the 2007 Barbie Collector's Convention in Hollywood that I was lucky enough to win in a raffle. Isn't it fabulous? 

Here I am on the right, with one of my favorite playmates, who I will refer to by her nickname, Midge. I'm sipping an Oscar-worthy Pomegranate Martini (but of course!) and she's toasting with a 2006 Bouchaine Chardonnay.

LAURA'S LUSCIOUS POMEGRANATE MARTINI:  

• 1 part Triple Sec
  
• 2 parts Vodka 
• 1 part Pomegranate Juice

• Combine with ice and shake well. Strain into martini glasses, top with a splash of champagne and garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

 

Three of my lovely guests, poised to party. In the center, my sweet Laura (she's often the guest bartender), who you will no doubt see again from time to time. Everyone was instructed to wear bling, of course. As you can see, most of us opted for the perfect "little black dress".

Midge doesn't go anywhere without the Donald, so she gleefully placed him on the Red Carpet holding an Oscar. Nice accessory, Mr. Trump (I guess if you have enough $$$ you can buy anything), but you're upstaging Heidi Klum (wearing an authentic Madgley Mischka -honest!) as she's being approached for an interview by Ryan Seacrest. Those are the Beckhams to his left and Patrick Dempsey is chatting with Beyonce & JayZ on the far left.

A nod to the incredible "Avatar" -a last minute inspiration- adorned the stairwell. I'm sure I will be working on this display for a while. I need to paint better eyes and braid some hair, but this made us all laugh out loud.

Below, a nod to my favorite movie of all time, "Gone With the Wind" which I was lucky enough to see on the big screen recently at a benefit screening.  
Are you impressed that I actually have an authentic Mamie doll? You should be. She was a rare find twenty-something years ago at a toy store. Very rare indeed, and one of my greatest treasures (she even sports the red taffeta petticoat that Rhett Butler brought her back from Paris).

Another dear friend, Robin (to my right in this photo), is a fellow movie buff. She's a lot of fun and always up for a party.

On a more serious note, I was delighted with all of the winners of the evening, although I don't think Sandra Bullock out-performed Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, or Meryl Streep. She looked lovely (I voted her "Best Dressed") and her acceptance speech was wonderful, but not sure they got it right with that one. Do you think she deserved it? "Blind Side" was certainly her best performance to date, but did you think she really was better than the other nominees? All other winners were spot-on, I think.

Results from our own Party Ballots:

• Worst Dressed:Toss up between Charleze Theron and Zoe Saldana (WTH???????? on both counts)
• Worst Hair:We all agreed on JLo...gorgeous gown, but what was up with the messy hairdo?
• Worst Acceptance Speech:Elinor Burkett, who "Kanyed" Roger Ross Williams as he was speaking.
• Cutest Couple:I initially voted for Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bridges, but her Botoxed forehead turned me off, so I have to go with Sandra Bullock & Jesse, who teared up with love and joy for his wife. So sweet.       

I will bid you adieu for the time being. I hope you enjoyed this visit to my Playhouse and I hope you will stop by again soon.