STICK PIN SWAP & HAND MADE FLOWERS

Got my winter stick pin swap yesterday from Valery at http://itsanalienlife.blogspot.com/ Beautiful tag she made for them! Close up of the great pins and love the handmade paper flowers. The tag is covered with lace. The swap was hosted by Tee at http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ Thanks for being my swap partner Valery!Flowers : This is my first attempt at a lolly pop flower, you know the kind made with silky material and you burn the edges to make them curl. I used a 4 in wide cream colored satin ribbon to make this one. I sure need to get a light to do these, I used a match, lol, not good idea. After I put it together I sprayed it with some shimmer mist I made. I must be doing something wrong, does not shimmer much. Then added some pink glitter glue.Here is a group of flowers I have been working on. I joined a handmade flower swap over at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com. These may or may not be in this swap. I have some crochet ones in there, my grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was just a kid. Really glad she did.These are some mini spiral paper roses with glitter glue and I made a base of lace for them.Here are some larger paper roses with a silk leaf added. WEATHER: It has been wonderful weather here in Florida. A few cloudy days , low 70's. I have been working on a few swaps. One I have to get finished is the pin cushion swap. I have never made one of these, so I am slow. Going to start making my #8 mystery swap today sorry I am a little behind on that one. And need to get the tag a month done for Feb. over at Tee's. Got the mini junk journal swap done and sending it this week. Turned out good I think. After my partner gets it I will post pic's All for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
blessings
Donna

SNEAK PEAK

PEAK....MORE PEAKS........PEAK AGAIN......

Here is a sneak peak at my Junk Journal I am making for a swap over at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ a fun site check it out. I am enjoying making this album after a rocky start. Lot of things I need to learn about making mini albums. Binding being the major problem. I have some embellishments that I went to put up for sale. Would anyone out there be interested? A lot of steam punk, old game parts, cards, packs of paper, stuff like that. Would it be best to mix up packets with a variety of parts, or make packet of same stuff, like a packet of all game parts, etc etc ?? Even if you are not interested in buying any, please leave in put about how would be best to package it. Thanks. All for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
Blessings
Donna

HAPPY MAIL !

Well I wrote up this post yesterday and went to publish it and looked up and here I had wrote it up in my other blog. The geochache / travel blog. grrrrrr... I looked and looked but could not figure out how to transport it to this blog so today I am doing it all over again. So here goes...this first pic is of my ATC swap with Judith who lives in Australia check out her blog http://creativestudio10.blogspot.com/ The swap was hosted by Tee at http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ go check out the great swaps! The ATC came in this envy with the wonderful stamped vintage lady. Wrapped in sewing pattern paper. Love the dress form tag on the package, tied with vintage lace.And this is the vintage ATC card. Wonderful isn't it! Looks like sheet music on the background, the vintage lady, ribbon flower on her hat. Crochet lace and lots of bling. Just what I like vintage with shiny bling. Love it !The second of my happy mail was the #8 mystery swap Tee hosted. My partner was Elizabet at http://elisabetpollock.blogspot.com/. She sent me all these goodies now I have to make something with them. I love these mystery swaps makes you think out of the box. I will show you what I made when I get it done. Nice weather here in centeral FL. high 70's. Still messing around with my feet, keeps me from doing alot. Grrrrrrrrrrrr I got most of my Mini Junk Journal done, still looking for stuff to put in it. I have till the end of Feb to send it to my partner. All for now thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings
donna

OTHER ATC AND STICK PIN SWAPS

Here is the other ATC (the swap I forgot who got what) This ATC was made with hard card board as the base, covered with flower patterned paper. A pic of a vintage girl, framed in a metal heart Metal corners that match, I think I got these at a dollar store, not sure, and a Recollections flower. I made the stick pin. These are the stick pins I made for the swap at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ This is the first swap for me there. Last night I joined in the Junk Journal swap. All bagged and ready to go. In those cello bags you get at the candy dept in craft store. Stapled the bag and covered with pretty pink ribbon.The theme was love, valentine, all the pins I made are the same and the tag is the same paper. The flowers are a little different and the vintage buttons are also different.Even tho the pic's look different color they are not. It is my cheapo camera. (someday a new one) I love making stick pins, Norma E is covered with them. Look on my side bar.
I sent these in a couple weeks ago, so I have to wait to get my 3 back. I made an extra pack for the host of the swap. All for now thanks for looking and come back soon
Blessings
Donna

ATC & WINTER TAG SWAPS

Here is my second ATC swap I did with Tee's swaps. http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ go sign up for some great fun! My usual back ground added the paper cameo from a greeting card,some tissue pattern paper, a gold flourish, black cord and a paper rose. I also tried something different this time. I found at a yard sale some 3 1/2 x 21/2 picture frames . Couldn't believe it! The exact same size of the ATC's. So I used on this time to see how well it would work out. With the flap on the back, it makes it come with its own built in stand for show casing. Great! I feel bad because I had two swap partners for this swap and I had them done way ahead and now forgot who got this ATC. I will post next on the other one and post both my partners blogs and you can go there and see when they blog about it. :(:( sorry girls.This is the winter stick pin swap at Tee's that I made. My partner was Valery at http://itsanalienlife.blogspot.com/ Go check out her neat site! Sparkly blue back ground paper stamped in black snow & ice the theme for the swap. Added some icy white, silver, and blue snow flakes. Used the pop up on the white one to sick the pins in. Here are the stick pins I made. Used white, silver, and blue sticking with the theme again. We were to make 3 pins for the swap. Added my info to the back.
Cool in Florida this sat morning, so there will not be many yard sales. So think I will work in art/craft room cleaning and working on some new projects. Then watch the NFL play off's. My Steeler's flubbed out :( Oh well next year. I think I will go over and join the Junk Journal Swap at the new site I joined. This is such a fun site, with lot of swaps. That is the part I like even tho this will only be the second one I joined so far. http://minialbumscraps.ning.com . I do most of my swapping at Tee's :) Well all for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
Blessings
Donna

1,ST ATC SWAP & A SMALL HAUL

I got this wonderful ATC card yesterday, from the very talented Wendy, over at http://artbywendy38.blogspot.com/ (you have to go check). This is a pic of the ATC and her card. Just beautiful. Thanks so much Wendy.One thing I love about all these swaps is the lovely tissue paper that it comes wrapped in. I have quit a collection going. This is some great "goodies" that Wendy sent me along with the ATC. The vintage ladies are much appreciated as I do not have any and still don't have a printer. And the stamped piece of material, can't wait to use that. Sometimes I have a hard time using these pretty things I get. I had two swap partners in this swap, I will post the other one soon as I get it. Tee was the great host for this swap http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ check out here great sites. Thanks Tee!Had to get Maggie some food yesterday at Petsmart, Jo-Ann's is close so I had to go there too ;) I don't buy stamps or punches unless they are on sale. So I ran in to these MS stamps for 70% off! Wow, grabbed them like right now! Went over to the MS craft area see if anything over there was on sale. Nothing but they had the lace stamp there at full price. Go figure. Feet are on rest detail (again) so I will be sitting working on my swaps and other good things. I will post about my ATC's that I sent out. Thanks again Wendy :):):)! All for now thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings
donna

IT'S ALL ABOUT MAIL.......

Got this vintage winter swap tag from Georgie at http://georgie-hornpuddinnpie.blogspot.com/ Great tag Georgie! Such detail, look at those pine trees, and all the color. We swapped over at Tee's http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ go check out the swaps and join in the fun. Thanks Georgie :) love swapping with you.This is a vintage ATC I mailed out the other day will post more about it later. This is the vintage tag I sent to Georgie for our swap. That's vintage me ready blogs on my Droid at the beach LOL. I used to read books now I read blogs! See the ocean in the back ground? Regular shipping tag crackled stamped, and the stamped with dress form. Some hand crochet lace on the side. A yo yo rose with vintage button and a stick pin. Love swaps!!! Pile of outgoing mail. Most has been sent a couple not due yet and I don't know my partners. So waiting on those and then on to the next batch.Got a late swap from Sandi nice has some kind of beads on it mini mini ones all over it. Have to find out what those are, like the looks of them. Thanks Sandi
I sent in my stick pin swap over at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ this will be my first swap there. I am thinking about the mini junk journal swap over there, I started to get some paper and things together checking to see if I have enough stuff to do it. I think I do but I am nervous about it. Never swapped a mini album before and have one made a few practice ones. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and do it. LOL All for now thank for looking and come back soon
Blessing
Donna

I'M WORKING ON..............

I am working on a few swaps I just joined. Go over to Tee's and join in the fun. http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ you will be glad you did. Here is a pic of my messy work space!I don't have a "real" beading tray so I made this with a box top and a piece of felt. Keeps the beads on the desk and not on the floor!! I mostly use glass & vintage beads from old jewelry. Some newer acrylic beads also. This is a sneak peak at one of the swaps I joined. Have to make 3 sets of 3 stick pins. Love - valentine is subject. I love making stick pins. I think I will start putting them in more of my projects. I will show you the finished product later, they don't have to be sent until the 16th and I don't know how soon after that I will get my 3 back. Here are a few of the mini albums that I revamped from ones I did last year. I tore them apart and re-papered them now just need to embellish them. And finally :) my faithful helper little Maggie, she like to be in the craft room and play with her toys . No carpet out there and balls bounce really good! She is looking kinda mean ..... she hates to get pic taken always looks away got this one before she did, but she started to put her ears back and that make her look mean lol.
WEATHER in Melbourne FL : Well, it's cold in Florida today! Windy and 41 here but lower in north FL. High only 50 but sunny, it still will be cold with the wind. Guess there is a chill factor here also. I found this web site http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ joined it and now doing my first swap there. Looks like it will be alot of fun, lots of swaps. I just joined one so far, but got it done so I might do a few more. It works different that what I am use to, you send your swap to one person with return postage, and she then sends the projects back out. That is alot of work for the host. Well all for now thanks for looking and come back soon
Blessings
Donna