Spring Petite Box Swap

i participated in another swap and got another set of wonderful partners and wonderful boxes. here are pics of the first box i received - the maker was AJ and you can see her blog here. thank you AJ - everything is delightful and i can't wait to start crafting things - your generosity is much appreciated. please enjoy a view into the creative mind of my new swap friend AJ...

this is the outside - a wonderful glittered butterfly and a tiny little butterfly net, AJ got the net at a flea market and it became the inspiration for the box

inside is a treasure trove of delights

there is a better view of that little butterfly net - just the right size for a little fairy to catch herself a ride

inside there were many more butterflies - some came from the bottom of AJ's grama's jewelry box (such a treasure)- and lace and trim

and bunnies and eggs, buttons and thread, so many lovely things

these made me laugh - a recipe for applesauce brownies (made me think of growing up) - these came from AJ's mother-in-law

this is a teeny tiny metal sewing machine -i love it - so much detail --AJ said she had this for years and was waiting to give it to someone who sewed - well, that is definitely me

isn't this beautiful - it sparkles and shimmers

this cherub is so sweet - thinking i might gild it, but i love it white too - oh the decisions

Robin...bob bob bobbin along

back in march on the first day of spring i decided to make a hanging about...well spring - i had never tried anything like this (collage with fabric) but i like how it turned out

the hanging is about 12 inches or so and i only allowed myself to use stuff i had (in the end i had to buy the little nest though) - in the top corner is a huge button from one of my grama's collections - the wood leaf was given to me from grama j and i added a little stained glass heart from the mccreadys or maybe the polenskys - i think it was tied to a high school graduation gift - glad it finally found a place

the floral fabric is a piece that i bought only a fat quarter of - i love this fabric - wish i had bought more - the blue and brown rick rack is just amazing - got it at a yard sale or maybe from mom - you can see the nest i added - i tried feathers in this corner but it didn't work - i stamped 'spring' on a piece of old music and then sewed that on - was surprised the paper of the music held up

this sweet little birdie was the start of it all - a little embroidery i found in my cupboard - i honestly don't know where it came from - it has a very jagged edge so maybe it was whacked out of something else or just a sample  - the embroidery is thick and graphic which i find delightful compared to the little delicate stuff i find myself doing

the doily at the bottom was in my lace box - it was quite a tragic piece that laid in gathers instead of in a lovely circle as would be the destiny of a doily - it was not meant to live among the bric a brac - but here it works grandly - the background piece is an old sampler piece of upholstery ... one of my favorite bits on this is the pink tassel balls at the bottom - this was really fun to make

Easter Tag Swap

i recently participated in an easter tag swap. earlier this week i received my tag in the mail and it was delightful and there were added prized with the tag - very deluxe!!!! you can see the tag, a bowlie bowl with candies and crafting items, bunny pasta, and the cutest basket ever. my partner is nan - she has a blog you can find here - she is very talented and said she was soon going to offer a tutorial on her chick basket...

nan made me the cutest tag - a paper doll on front - one of my all time favorite things - behind the paper doll is a paper cut egg all decorated for the big day...

this is kinda out of order. this is the wonderful bowlie - it just screams easter and spring. my pics are out of order because uploading pictures is like playing the lottery...i never know when it is actually going to upload one of my pics and so i select them, cross my fingers, and hope and wait, wait, wait...and sometimes i get lucky so i don't quabble about the order they come in as long as they upload...

this is the back of the card - delightful - three little nursery critters in a hot air balloon...

inside the tag are clothes for the doll on the front...easter finest...remember when you were a kid and you always had a new outfit with matching hat of course - it has been a long time since i had a new easter dress - times change

i fear my sorry camera skills don't do this little basket justice. the base is glittery yellow and it has a chick and bunny and little card in it - so sweet...nan spoiled me just rotten and i love each and every thing she sent. also, a big shout out to 521 Lake Street - who hosted this swap -thanks Sandy go to this link to see other people's work

have a blessed and fun easter

my swap

i realized i never posted what i sent to the people i swapped with, so here is the first of some catch-up things (can you tell i am on break from work again)

i made two boxes - they were covered in a map of paris and had an old, glittered up rose on the top. two laces were used, both old and the slide is from a set i got at a yard sale and looked to be from the 60s. finally a piece of music was cut into a heart and mounted on a piece of paint swatch

the second box with a blue label

i made a little bag of hearts that were cut from old papers and books and then i used glittery paint to color some of them

i added an envelope of papers and such to my box. some fabric from the 30s, a flag, book pages, Mary Engelbreit illustrations, a pilots log, doilies from hungary, a piece of my mom's graduation dress

i also made a little matchbox for some small items. jewelry pieces, decals, stickers, gold leaves, flowers, rhinestones, tiny little wonderful things

these are some old buttons from my collections, sewn on to an old label

i covered a floss card with paper and filled it with glitter thread and old rick rack. the '53 elephant was surely a political pin

more of the fun papers, a braille card, illustrations from an  old book, a perfume label, library card, and a flash card

also, i made a little hanging of a building in paris with fabulous turquoise glitter paper and beads

a card of 30s fabric

all the goodies

this was so much fun that i joined another swap and am working on two more boxes

Vintage Swap

since discovering blogs, i have wanted to participate in a swap. but always i a day late, or the swap filled fast, or it was a swap of something I didn't have....

and then i stumbled upon this blog and her swap

so i joined and made my two boxes and sent them off. yesterday, i got a box in return (still waiting on another one) - and it was DELIGHTFUL. beautiful packaging, beautiful contents, just beautiful, and so well planned out...thought i would share it with you

this is the exterior

do you love the little clock handle?

and some details of all the lovely vintage items on the outside ... just the box was enough

she even shredded vintage paper to pack the box in - charming!

the box itself was amazing, and then i pulled the little clock handle and opened a treasure of vintage items ready to be whipped into other projects...

an organza flower

bottles of pearly beads

lace holding millinery stems and a handle all the way from France - ooh laa lah

little velvet sacks filled with chandelier pieces

a wonderful zipper bag filled with unique and interesting buttons

spools of lace and 'paris' crepe paper

each treasure was better than the one before...she even decorated the inside of the box...

thank you susan - this was christmas and my birthday all on an ordinary, rainy day in february.

i will share what i sent, once i am sure the recipients have received them. until then, check out susan's blog - lots of clever ideas

Sampler and Olives

these are blocks from a family swap - i have a difficult time with sampler quilts - they seem like a white hot mess and I never know what to do to calm them down... so i framed them in red and green and they are a bit better - but i think it is going to take some more thinking to get this quilt to look cohesive...

so i set that aside and started on another family type quilt...a few years back we all made 6 inch blocks for each other.. i have 112 black, white, red and green blocks to create something with...

 this is about 1/3 of the blocks - can you see the one in the middle at the top? i think it was my brother jon who made that one - it is sewn and taped and stapled together...very funny...i am going to include it but it isn't the right size so i will have to get clever. i decided i wanted to include words as i have been seeing many blogs with this design and even a book out. so, who needs a book...well it was harder than i thought it would be...but about 3 letters in, it just came to me, how to do it...it was the first time in quite awhile that i had an honest to goodness learning moment - felt great! so i spelled out this...

and i do...it was the reason i choose these colors for the blocks...i had actually spelled out 'i love me some olives' but the first letters were a bit...um...well, bad

more soon...been sewing and crafting all week - feels fabulous

Quilts

 this is the quilt i made for casey - finally got it finished and sent off to him - usc colors...
 








close up






and the motto in the corners 

this is my friend brenna - met her for coffee last week - made the quilt from my favorite fabrics...




got it to her just on time...miss cecilia was born less than a week later :)