Sunday, October 19, 2008

Where have I been?

I have been swamped for the past several weeks working on projects with definite deadlines. I wish I could do frequent posts while I'm working on other projects but I haven't been able to squeeze everything in.

Before I show you what has been occupying my time, I want to mention that the beautiful paper-pieced picture shown in my last post, made by Elizabeth (based on a vintage postcard in my collection), is now in my possession. I was so touched when she wrote that she was inspired by seeing the postcard on my blog and created her depiction of the image. When it came to me in the mail.....I was a screaming banshee!!!!!! You cannot see in any picture the fine detail in this piece. When you hold it in your hands, you notice immediately that this was not done with punches and dies. It is all cut and trimmed by hand. I need to get just the right frame for it and then it will be displayed in my craft room. I love it! Thank you again Elizabeth. Go to her blog and view her Flickr pictures and you will be in awe of the art that she creates...and, she is a gifted writer as well.

On to the projects! I was asked to make a framed layout using a wedding invitation. This would be given to the bride and groom by a friend who was in the wedding party. I've only done a few of these but I agreed to take the assignment. When I was given the invitation, I was surprised that it was black. I had never seen a black wedding invitation before . This project was a challenge to find just the right paper and embellishment as to not take away from the drama of the invitation itself. I agonized over it for weeks and finally decided on this.



I hope the bridal couple is pleased.

I also put two gift baskets together for my former employer to be used as prizes for two local schools at fundraisers.
Gift bags for a wedding tea.
While working on the previous projects, I have also been amassing items for 2 one-on-one swaps with blogging friends. The first one is with Marie ,who I have come to discover, shares many common interests with me. She asked that we do a swap based on what we know about each other. This was so much fun! I received my package from Marie on Friday and am enjoying everything she sent. Everything from vintage cotton gloves to a darling jar of buttons, a sweet bear in a lace collar, a fat white birdie, one of Marie's lovely ATC cards and many other goodies, was packed in a shabby chic white wire basket. I took a picture of the basket before I dismantled it so you could see how cute it looked. Thank you Marie for choosing just the right items that I will treasure for a long time. Here's a peek at the packages I sent to Marie.
The other swap is with Viv. We too, share some common interests and she makes the most beautiful cards and layouts. Viv is on the Design Team for Crafty Secrets, a company whose products I love!!!

On November 1st, three other friends and I are participating in a Craft Show at a local church. That's 2 weeks away friends, and I hardly have anything made yet. YIKES!!! I'll try to post pictures of some things as I get them made but I have to really put my nose to the grindstone. (boy, that phrase shows my age!!)
Have a good week!

I haven't gotten any new pictures of Charlie in a few weeks so today, I will leave you with a picture of my husband's "other" girl.....Edith! She comes when he calls and he's so well trained he immediately gives her what she wants...peanuts!!!!

Friday, October 3, 2008

What a sweet surprise!

We all do it. You're reading someone's blog and they show a fabulous picture from someone else's blog and you click on that link and before you know it, it's 27 degrees of seperation from where you started, but you've stumbled on some really amazing bloggers. That happened to me (for the 100th time) last week. I was on a blog and that blogger was showing things that Elizabeth, at Creative Breathing, had made. They were so cute, so I went to Elizabeth's blog and from there to her Flickr site. What a treat to see the art that Elizabeth creates. Small pieces, for the most part, intricately detailed and flawlessly executed. I've sent her two messages begging her to sell her things somewhere. I guess all the begging sent her to my blog (to see if I was some kind of crazed lunatic) and my Flickr site where she found the following.

A while ago I posted a picture of a vintage postcard I purchased on one of my excursions with my firend, Mimi. This is the postcard.

The postcard is cute enough but now look and see the paper piecing that Elizabeth did. Isn't it lovely? Take some time to skip over and check out Elizabeth's blog and the pictures on her Flickr site. It will be like a little breath of fresh air today. And you might find yourself a few degrees from here.

Enjoy your Friday!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Don't be confused....

I can't manage to get Part I of these posts to upload before Part II. Sorry about the confusion. Read them in whatever order you choose.

Artsy Autumn Swap-Part II

Here are the things I included in Susie's bag of goodies.Susie has named the crow Edgar-fitting, isn't it? I found him at Michael's and thought he needed some dressing up. I free-hand cut the crown from vintage sheet music and then pinned it on his head to hold it in place. A bow around his neck and he's ready for the Halloween party. The paper mache box was covered in papers from Melissa Frances and vintage sheet music (because I can't seem to make anything without it!) and embellished with a giant layered flower and a quote card from My Mind's Eye. It was filled with newspaper shreds using my super duper mini shredder from Target! I thought Susie might like a super-duper mini shredder of her own so she gets a pink one to match the journal I covered in Melissa Frances (flowered) and Making Memories (checkered) paper. I did the quote on the computer and the fairy girl is from Lisa's Altered Art (see my sidebar) Twill ribbon from Martha Stewart and diecut initials using Quickutz cookie cutter Cosmopolitan font finishes it off. Some of the other items were an altered mini notebook, a squirrely bag of acorns, socks, Halloween stamps and some copies of ephemera. Oh yes, those layered paper flower are made using the font I got from ScrapNfonts here. If you sign up for their free newsletter, you can get 3 free fonts.There are additional pictures on my flickr site here.



We are really missing Charlie and his parents! We haven't seen them since August....too long between visits. Charlie will be 11 months old this month and is growing like a weed and learning so many new "skills", as his Daddy likes to say. These pictures are from their vacation at Cape Hatteras in September. We love you kids-big kisses from Gram!

Artsy Autumn Swap Part I

The Artsy Autumn Swap is over and I can now write about it knowing that Susie has received her package from me. The swap was very well organized by Linda Smith and from what I've read, all had a good time participating. I will start by showing the goodies that Susie sent me.

First of all, the box that everything came in is fun. Plastered all over it are reproduction coffee labels.

Upon opening the box, I saw all of these packages individually wrapped in tan tissue paper and tied with hemp string. (Brown paper packages, tied up with string...these are a few of my favorite things! Sing along now.)
I took my time opening each one and marveling at what Susie figured out about me from reading my blog. Her choices of treats were perfect for me and I love everything she sent.

The painted and altered canvas featuring the dress form is going right up on the wall in my scrap studio. Don't you love the tape measure and vintage earring trim? (You can click on the pictures to make them larger)
Candles and hand cream that smell good, chai tea mix that tastes wonderful with a square mug to drink it in. Trims, buttons, lace and twine to embellish with. Candy corn towels and a crocheted hot pad. Ephemera and the dearest little pixie stamp to use in my art projects. Two sweet handkerchiefs, a great book of quotes and a wonderful CD that I've listened to many times already.
I'm a pretty lucky lady, don't you think?

Susie is a gifted crafter and I'd gladly be partnered with her again in a minute!

Linda is getting ready to post information about the next seasonal swap. Check the updates here. thank you to Susie for all of the wonderful treats and to Linda for organizing and coordinating this Swap.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story.....

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