Pretty mail from Etsy friends always lifts my spirits...

Among my favorite sellers on Etsy are Elyse Major, Sharon Wideman and Michelle Palmer. I placed orders with these ladies recently and so my mail has been especially pretty...

Many different handcrafted items can be found at Tinkered Treasures, Elyse's Etsy store. She decorates standard clothespins in the most charming way. Painting them a soft color and then using papers with tiny floral motifs to embellish, they are the perfect thing to clip some important papers together or just generally cuten (is that a word...cuten?) up your craft studio. She also makes les petit tiroirs (little drawers in French)...the perfect "little something" to use as a gift....or keep for yourself.

 Here is Elyse (isn't she a cutie pie?)...

and her blog, Cottage, can be found here.

 It is a treat to read her blog and see beautiful pictures of the delightful things she makes and read about how she decorates her charming home, which will be featured in a future edition of Cottage Style magazine.

I have purchased items to use as gifts from Elyse's Etsy shop before, but this time the goodies are staying right here at my house. This is what I received...

Even her business cards and tags are sweet. (The bear already lives here..he's just helping with the display.) You can visit Elyse's Etsy store here or her Lollishop Shoppe here.

Sharon Wideman also has an Etsy store, My Vintage Studio, with a combination of vintage items and handcrafted tags and collages. I have spoken about Sharon before because we were partners in the Swap for All Seasons Cabinet Card Swap in December. I wrote about that here and also showed some other tags I purchased from Sharon's store here. Sharon has also helped me several times with sizing  my blog header.

Her work is impeccable and I am a big fan. Right now for the month of June, her vintage items are on sale. You can see them here. Sale? I love a sale. I purchased the dainty china plate with the delicate lavender flowers and the set of four soup spoons pictured here...

The tag was a little extra special item that Sharon added. I love it and it will probably end up on my inspiration board. You can find Sharon's blog here.

I know this post is "link" heavy but how else will you find these amazing women if you are not already familiar with them?

Michelle Palmer is an amazing pen and ink artist. I discovered her through a giveaway she had on her blog in May. Once I visited her blog and saw her artistry,  I totally fell in love with her work. I have purchased many pieces from Michelle which I can't show at this time because some of them will be gifts but I had to share this with you...

Please know that the images are not printed on this sweet little slip...they are hand-drawn. Look at the exquisite detail...

Isn't it beautiful?

 Do yourself a favor and visit Michelle's blog and her Etsy store. You will fall in love, too.

Back to work for me...

xoxo

Joyce 

Getting Ready

There's so much going on right now...finishing my tags for the Wish You Were Here

 postcard tag swap, hosted by Elizabeth of Creative Breathing...

...putting in lots of time to get my studio/craftroom ready for....

 

Here's just a little peek of some primping going on...

Before...

and After...

My amazing friend Joni came over yesterday and took one pair of Shabby Chic cotton drapes (purchased on eBay, previously sold at Target) and made new valances for my windows and another beautiful project that I'll share at the "Reveal" on Friday.

In addition to all of the creative fun going on, I'm in the midst of some medical testing so my hope is that I can get everything completed and have a clean bill of health by week's end!

xoxo

Joyce

Ladies and Gentlemen...we have a winner!

Hi All~
I'm sorry I'm late with the drawing of the lucky name...we were at the Symphony this evening and just got home a little while ago.
I tried to incorporate the Randon Generator to pick a number and I was able to do that at their website but couldn't figure out how to drag the thing to this post. So...it was scientific, just not visable. I asked for a number from 1 to 44 which was the number of people signed up to win and it gave me.....

# 44

Sandy....you are the winner of the Artful Paper Dolls book and the bracelet!!!

 Please send me your address and I will get this out to you ASAP!

Thanks to all of you who took the time to visit and leave a comment. I enjoyed reading every one and meeting many of you for the first time. I'm so happy to learn that I'm not the only person who loved playing with paper dolls....now I'm going to go back to looking for my namesake, Joyce...wish me luck!

Good Night dear friends~

xoxo

Joyce

A Swap For All Seasons II-My gifts for Marie~

Don't forget to enter my 100+ Follower giveaway...

if you follow my blog, sign up on this post to win.

 A winner will be chosen on June 11.

One of my favorite parts of any swap is getting to know my partner. That's what it's all about, right? What their favorite colors are, favorite crafting supplies, favorite chocolate type (Important...am I wrong?), styles they like, you know what I mean. In finding out these details, you may discover that you have a shared interest in birds, buttons and even squirrels or that you're both Grandmothers or dog-lovers..it's all interesting information. Marie and I have become close friends through our blogs and so choosing things to include in this swap were relatively easy. It was a wonderful coincidence that we were paired up together and I had so much fun with this one. Marie did help me out by hinting suggesting in a lovable way that she would like a banner/garland for her new laundryroom. That was a big help to me so that I didn't have to agonize about what to make for her. These were my offerings.....

All wrapped up and ready to send...

SOMETHING OLD

(Baby flatware, Jell-o molds, Wedding photo, Pin, Lace collar)

SOMETHING NEW

(Hand decorated journal, scrapbook paper, stamped and paper pieced tags)

SOMETHING BORROWED

(Boy and girl crocheted potholders from my friend Mimi, who is taking a blogging break right now but will return soon)

SOMETHING BLUE

(Collage with an appropriate Bible verse, altered salt shaker, bluebird)

 (OK-I know the box isn't blue but red is Marie's favorite color)

SOMETHING SPECIAL JUST FOR YOU

(The aforementioned laundryroom banner/garland)

I have additional pictures on my Flickr page if you're interested...here)

Now I must hurry off and finish my tags for Elizabeth's, Wish You Were Here postcard Swap

and then move right into Jenny's, Vintage Vacation Swap

Do you all know Jenny Heid? She and her man Aaron are amazing artists and have been creating for a long time. Run right over to her blog, Every Day is a Holiday, and see what they're up to. They sell their art pieces on Artfire. Some of Jenny's work can even be found at Michael's on notecards, notepads, small journals and chipboard embellishments....if they haven't sold out. Our Michael's had a rush on her things!

I'm trying to get to know my partner for this swap which is a little bit of a challenge because she doesn't have a blog, however, she is on Flickr. This should be an interesting swap, too!

Back to work...have a glorious day!

xoxo

Joyce

A Swap for All Seasons...my treasures from Marie

NOTE: It's not too late to sign up for my 100+ Followers Giveaway...just go here. (I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying reading your comments about your paper dolls...thank you for visiting and leaving such sweet messages)

Our swap group at A Swap for All Seasons has just completed our Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed & Something Blue Swap. My partner this time was dear, sweet Marie of Spun By Me. Marie and I have been blogging friends almost since we both starting blogging and I was so excited when we were partnered for this swap! I'd like to show you what the incredible Marie sent me...

This is how I felt when her beautiful toile decorated box arrived...up! way, way up!

(click on any picture to enlarge)

Everything so beautifully wrapped...

and so we begin...

Something Old

A beautiful embroidered pillowcase, handkerchiefs, white cotton gloves, rose earrings and a rosebud pitcher...

Old wedding pictures...the one on the right is from Marie's Mother & Father-in-Law's wedding almost 70 years ago!

Something New

A great book featuring work by one of my favorite designers, Brenda Walton! This came in the rose printed drawstring bag...

An art canvas that Marie made for me!!!!! The detail is so wonderful and she got my favorite word in there...JOY! With a matching rubber stamp! Here is a closer look...

Isn't that a wonderful verse? (I am very blessed!)
 Look at that sweet angel fairy girl holding the tiniest of flowers and more tiny flowers and tulle in the corner. I love this Marie!

Something Borrowed

We had to actually borrow something from somebody that would not need to be returned....I hope Marie's daughter knows I am the new owner of this cool paper crafting stuff...

Something Blue

A teapot that had belonged to Marie's Mother-in-Law...

Some great tags...

I'm just supposed to hoard these right...not actually use them?)

(Marie & I both love birds. She said the tags came from Etsy)

other papers and images to have fun with...

including a card by the whimsical artist Patience Brewster...

and this marvelous image that I know I will be using in card making...those girls are great!

In my next post, I'll show you what I sent to Marie.

Another great swap, a treasured and respected swap partner...a friendship strengthened!

Marie lives within an hour of Charlie and his family...we will make plans in the not too distant future to get together and meet...it's wonderful to look forward to that day!

Soon I will also tell you about our visit with this sweet boy...

When you ask Charlie, "What does Bam call you?" (You know I'm Bam, right?)

"Sweetie!",  he says and then giggles!

He loved his new Cowboy Woody (Kohl's...$5..and the proceeds go to Children's charities!)

Until next time friends....

xoxo

Joyce

Finally....a giveaway for 100+ followers!

Hi Everyone~

I promised a giveaway when I reached 100 followers and then I took some time off and went to visit our Grandson Charlie and our son Eric and daughter-in-law, Jane. We had a super fun time and I have some really funny pictures to share with you a little later but I can't make you wait any longer for this giveaway!!!

I am at 103 followers so this giveaway is in honor of those who have been following me for a while and new followers, too. Just leave a comment telling me that you already follow or you've just signed up and that makes you eligible. What will you win? Well, so far I have 2 prizes but I'm sure I'll add some surprises to the pot. For now, let's start with one of my favorite books...

I've written before about my love for paper dolls when I was young. I could spend hours and hours carefully cutting out all of the dresses and accessories, being extra careful around the tabs used to hold the clothes on to the paper doll's body. Some times I traced around the dolls and made my own clothes for them. In the 50's and early 60's paper dolls sets were abundant. Movie stars, royalty figures, babies, brides...so many kinds to choose. My favorite, all-time paper doll, was Katy Keene, who started out in comic book form. Katy had a 10 inch waist and 10 inch high heel shoes and long hair and eyelashes...I thought she was beautiful!

This book called Artful Paper Dolls by Terry Taylor is a great reference book for some of the history of paper dolls and also a guidebook to making modern paper dolls for art projects.

There are even templates in the book for making your own paper dolls.

Did I ever tell you that when I was born (in 1949-yikes!), my delightfully imaginative older sister actually named me for her favorite paper doll? She had a set of "teenage" paper dolls with boys and girls and "Joyce" was her favorite because she had the most clothes. (I've tried to explain to David that this was like receiving an ancient curse and that is why I like shopping but he didn't buy that at all!) I have looked on Ebay many times for sets like my sister had and I've seen them priced out of my range. Mary Lou (House of Whimsey) directed me to the Vintage Paper Doll website which is very interesting. The paper doll sets found there are reproduction but I may have to go that direction if I can't find them any other way.

So, Terry Taylor's book is one of the prizes and another prize will be this clever spoon handle bracelet...

I found this at an antique/flea market. If you bought a bracelet the seller gave you your choice of charms. I thought the scissors were real cute. The clasp is magnetic which makes putting it on by yourself a breeze.

Two prizes (so far) to show my appreciation for your visits and the comments you leave. I have said many times that I've come in contact and developed great friendships with some wonderful women through blogging. Woman in different parts of the country and out of the country, young women, women my age and older...I love you all. You have brightened my days and given me wonderful support. I am so happy to have this opportunity to say thank you for always making me feel welcomed into your lives. Id love to give you all a hug but that isn't possible so I hope you will enjoy these tokens of my affection.

So...go right ahead and sign up to win, and check back often as I will add some other items as well.

Remember to let me know if you are already a follower or you've just signed up to follow.

I will announce the winner on Friday, June 11 around 9 PM EST

If you're a paper doll lover too, tell me your favorites.

xoxo

Joyce

Dear Friends,

I have received several emails asking if I am OK because I haven't posted in over a week. I am fine...we are visiting our sweet Grandson Charlie and his family for a few days. I was so busy with swap projects and work before we left that I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye for a few days. Thank you for your care and concern. I am so busy with Thomas the Train, the Cat in the Hat, Dora and Toy Story that I haven't had a chance to be on-line. When I get back, I'll post the details about the 100+ followers giveaway and also share some exciting new news!!!
Miss you all!

xoxo

Joyce

Vintage Vacation Swap

Just wanted to give you a heads up on this swap.....you know if Jenny's organizing it, it's going to be fun!

The details can be found here, and if you've never visited Jenny's blog...take some time there.

 Her art is amazing!

xoxo
Joyce
Yikes! I just realized that I have 99 followers! This calls for a celebration! When I hit 100, you're all invited over for a party....OK, that might be hard....so how about a giveaway? We all like giveaway. I better gather some really cool stuff.

Mother's Day Weekend with Michelle, David and Mr. Monk...and cookies!

David and I spent Mother's Day weekend visiting with our daughter Michelle and a short visit with my niece and her husband and our grandniece, and my Sis and BIL. Michelle lives on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River but works in New York City. We traveled back and forth between the 2 places about 100 times during the weekend. We arrived at my Sister's (in New Jersey) last Thursday afternoon and took in a softball game that my grandniece was playing in. On Friday morning, Michelle took the train from Jersey City to my sister's town and we picked her up and headed for this place...my mecca....

I can never go to visit my sister without going to HomeGoods. We have Marshalls and T.J.Maxx here in Pittsburgh but not HomeGoods. I just wander up and down every aisle and drool over the displays...

The colors are divine!

everything is so interesting!

Who wouldn't want to scoop up all of this?

The tiered wire basket (the big one in the middle) on the top shelf was $29.99 and identical to the one I purchased in Leesburg, VA last year for $69.99. Who knew I'd see it here?

This is my niece, Wendi, casually shopping with St. Frances under her arm.

Our kind and patient driver and Michelle in the back seat of Cleleste with all of our bags! The shopping center where HomeGoods is located has a Panera, a Starbucks and a Dunkin' Donuts....places a husband can hang out while waiting for a wife and daughter!

After we shopped and had luch we zoomed to Jersey City for the rest of our weekend fun.

Our treat for Mother's Day and Father's Day from Michelle, was to go into the city and see Lend Me A Tenor on Broadway. The play starred Tony Shalhoub (Monk), Justin Bartha (from The Hangover) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace).

As soon as the play was over I flew out the side door to be right in the front at the stage entrance.

 (where the actors depart from the theater)

I had my playbill and my pen ready...

waiting...waiting...waiting....I handed my camera to David who was behind me...waiting...waiting...

after about 20 minutes the actors started to filter out the door. Justin Bartha came over to me and signed...

(That's me with the pink rose)

Brooke Adams (Tony Shalhoub's real-life wife) was very friendly

 talking and chatting all the way down the line of fans....

and then suddenly, the door opened and out came the man I came to see!

When he came to me and started to sign my playbill, I leaned forward and said,

"I miss you at 9 o'clock on Fridays"

He laughed and replied, "Well, I'm here now."

"I know, thank God for syndication!" I said.

He laughed again.

 Total time of encounter-mmmm 30 seconds? I can die a happy woman!

Monk was my favorite TV show for 8 seasons.

After the play we hopped on a subway and rode to

Greenwich Village to eat wonderful pizza...then back on the subway to the PATH train to Hoboken

where we got off, walked 3 blocks and went here....

Carlo's...of Cake Boss fame (The Learning Channel) Bakery

is in Hoboken...2 stops train stops from where Michelle lives.

We got there around 6:30 PM on Saturday night and we were #92 at the door.

The cases were filled with cupcakes, cannolis and cookies of every kind.

We decided on an assortment of cookies...they were boxed and wrapped with string...

We walked back to the train station, hopped on the train and rode on to Michelle's.

I don't know why I never took a picture of the cookies we bought...oh wait, yes I do...

Man, they were good!

What a wonderful Mother's Day weekend we had!

Thank you to Michelle for planning our meals and activities....

and to my sweet and generous David, who has the patience of a saint!

The whole time we were away he was dealing with a bad case of

bronchitis that wiped him out completely by the time we got back to Pittsburgh on Monday.

I love you both.

xoxo