BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

I am a little late with this stick pin swap. This was a swap hosted by Tee at The Altered Paper. http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ Go check out the great swaps she has! My partner for this was Valery at Itsanalienlife. http://itsanalienlife.blogspot.com/ A sweet blog she does great work.
Close up shows wonderful handmade paper flowers! Wish I could make them that good. I had lace back ground, fringe with acrylic beads dangling, and a crinkled seam binding bow. Love that crinkled stuff. With three very large wonderful stick pins. Thanks so much Valery and sorry its so late being posted. And thanks for being my partner :)Got this in the mail on Friday, it is a swap from Donna at http://www.donnascupoftea.blogspot.com/ This was a mystery swap held by Tee, we are to send our partner, an envelope filled with goodies for them to make some art with. Love these challenges. The very pretty envelope was filled to the brim with this" stuff". I love it all! Most of the time I make tags with these but there is so much in this package I think I'm going a little out of the "box" and make something different. Wait for more to come. Thanks so much Donna can't wait to get started! And thanks for being my partner for this swap.
WEATHER IN MELBOURNE FL: Wild and windy weather, 64 one day and 90 the next, what can I say....I love it. No snow!!! But I guess my peeps up north have had a very mild winter so far. I say so far as my bro told me wind knocked out the power in the area and seen on news this AM bad snow storm there also. It can get pretty wild in North West PA in March so its not over with yet.
The robins finally made it here this morning, I was beginning to think they by past us this year on their way north. I will enjoy watching them like I never have in PA. In PA they are just part of every day life, here in FL they are just passing thru (like thousands of them) and I do like seeing them among the pelicans and Ibis.
Went to a few yard sales and a gourd show yesterday. I will post on the gourd show nest time and post some pic's. While out and about went over to beach side and found the new dog beach that opened up. Hmmmm it is great to have one here, but it is only 700 ft end to end and you get a bunch of dogs, not much room , not sure how it will work out. They said that for the ribbon cutting they had over 100 dogs there. Way to many for such a small area. It will be for one year, as a test, maybe they will expand it then. All for now thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings
Donna

PIN CUSHION SWAP

This is the other stick pin swap that was posted about last. The one the disappeared while I was posting. It was from Paula at http://theartfulmusesartfulmusings.blogspot.com/ A great card with very cool stick pins, love the wings!!! Thanks PaulaNow on to the pin cushion swap! Held by Tee at http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ go check her out. Olivia at http://olivascreativequest.blogspot.com/ was my swap partner. The pretty pink package.What a wonderful tea cup pin cushion she made and sent me. Pretty rose on the top with some pins.What a great swap partner, I love it Olivia thanks so much for being my partner!!
WEATHER IN MELBOURNE FL. Going to hit 80 today with clouds and some showers, but doesn't look like we will get them. Very dry here right now. I made my charms for a swap, had them all packaged up, ready to send. AND CAN NOT FIND THEM!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrr . Takes alot of time to make charms and package them. Grrrrrrr. You can bet this wont happen again. Since I have to look for them, I decided to clean ad purge the craft room. Going to get rid of a bunch stuff! Doc wants to operate on my foot the one with planter fasciitis not sure I am going there at this time. Anyone out there have this done? See ya later thanks for looking and come back soon
blessing
Donna

LOT OF MAIL ! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Two swaps came yesterday this one is the Feb tag swap over at Tee's link on my side bar. It was from Amy at http://amythecraftybooknerd.blogspot.com/ She sent a wonderful vintage type tag just what I like, and a bunch of goodies.The tag, I just love it! Butterfly made with the rose trim love that stuff too! A love key, and bling at the bottom. Thanks so much Amy!!Goodies: A bookmark, just in time I just bought Joyce Meyer's new daily devotional. And need a bookmark.Some greeting cards from Punch Studio to use in projects. I get these at yard sale and use then all the time. Love that butterfly.And some more goodies, vintage type embellishments. Thanks again Amy I really love it all!!A valentine stick pin swap over at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ I got mine yesterday. Love them. We were to send 3 packs of pins 3 pins in each pack. You get 3 back from 3 different swappers. This sweet pack from Becca at http://scrappinbeccascraftroom.blogspot.com/ Great pins Becca thanks so much!!Second package had this beautiful tag with a large trim rose. It was sent in by Vanessa but she didn't send a blog addy. Wonderful pins Vanessa, love it. I was typing away about the third set of pins and the pic disappeared along with the text. Have know idea what happened. I will post about that one in the morning. Happy Valentines Day everyone have a good one!
blessings
Donna

JUNK JOURNAL SWAP (LONG)

Sue my Junk Journal swap over at MAS http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ got her journal so now I can post it. This is the front. She wanted to use it for logging about the books she reads this year as she is an avid reader. I put some glossy accents on the Scrabble tile, added some Recollection flowers, and stick pin I made. The binding is rings and I added crumpled seam binding.The back of the journal. More tiles, some stamping and flocked pattern paper. I am not showing all the pages, some have a few embellishments, not many as Sue can embellish the way she likes. This is some stamped blank page, and an envelope Stamped page and pretty pattern paper. Maybe Sue can go to Pairs in her books! I know that is the only way I will get there. lol
A pocket with a few tags on this page , and pattern paper with some light script on it.Another pocket with tags, and a vintage library card pocket with the date paper still in it.Close up I get these at yard sales in the back of old books.Part of a greeting card looks like lace.Front page of a fairy tale book, and a butterfly.The front of a vintage clock and fancy paper clip.Another vintage library pocket with some velum and a desk stamped on the page. A pocket with a small envy with tags in it.Pocket on side of page with heart tags and larger one. Other side pattern paper with fancy cut rose.Envy pocket with girl reading a book, and a vintage calender page pink clip.Another pocket and page to journal on.
I did not show all the pages we were to have at least 50 pages counting tags , pockets etc. And a few pic's I put on that got deleted some how. I don't think its blogger I think it is my key pad, very sensitive and things come and go lol. Cant wait to get mine! This is the first journal/mini album of any kind that I put out there in the public. And I was nervous about it, wondering if it was good enough and if Sue would like it. Sounds like she does!! Guess thats it for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
blessings
donna

ATC SWAP & A PEAK AT A PIN

Got this ATC in the mail from my swap partner Janet at http://janetsartplay.blogspot.com/ The swap was hosted by Tee at http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ go check out her swaps! And join in the fun! It was a valentine swap here is the ATC and some goodies that Janet sent along!!Close up of the card shows a broken glass in the stamp frame. Sorry Janet :( I think it happened at the post office. It is a lovely card with a vintage love couple and a framed postage stamp. Looks like some vintage lace also. Thanks so much Janet, I love the vintage valentine ATC!!And here is a sneak peak at some spring is in the air stick pin swap. I chose to do some spring flowers. Got the flower head at HL before Christmas they were on sale and only had one package and I have been hoarding them. lol. We were to make 3 pins and package them. I will post everything later.
Weather in Melbourne Fl ..very warm and muggy. Some kind of tropical type storm in S. Florida not something that is suppose to be this time of year. So we have hot muggy winter days for awhile. Not sure what I will work on today. I have all my swaps made and up to date, most are not due for 3 or 4 weeks. I would like to start sorting thru family photos and make some mini albums by theme. One I would like to do is about me from my childhood. I don't have many photos but still want to make it and maybe journal about my life then. I have never journaled so not sure how well that part will go. Another I want to make several of my children and grandchildren. I have that bridal shower mini to start also. I will figure out something. Well all for now thanks for looking and come back soon


blessings
Donna

PIN CUSHION - ATC

ATC on the left made for a swap.I made this so long ago I forget what the back ground is. I made a swap as soon as I sign up and then package it and mark what it is. So sometime I forget. Recollections rose with some of their bling was used. String pearls some hearts I cut from some pattern paper. Lace down the left side and a pink heart stick pin I made. Pin cushion packaged up and ready to go. Has been sent since this was taken :)This is my first pin cushion (not counting the one I made in home ec 7th grade). And that was a very loooooooong time ago lol. Did not have a clue what I was going to make when I sat down to do this. I cut one piece of material, did not like that, then cut the red and white checked (my fav) hope my partner likes that color too. Emptied out a tin I store some bling in hot glued some glass bubbles, stuffed the material and hot glued it down. The lace I got in a swap, was too wide so I cut in in half and glued it on. Looked around seen the red buttons they were added next. It looked ok , but I felt there was something missing. Picked up a box to start making the stick pins and seen the mini spools I got not to long ago in a swap. What they were doing in my bead box, who knows! Any way the made their way on the pin cushion. I made 3 red and white stick pins for it. And that's it. I still have the one I made in 7th grade. Maybe some time today I will do a follow up post on it and show a pic. LOL pin cushions have come a long way! All for now thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings
Donna

BRIDE SHOWER MINI ALBUM

My oldest Grandson is getting married in June. :) They are having a bridal shower in May, and I can not go . Its in PA. :( Any way here is some of the thing I have gathered up to make a bridal shower mini album. The colors for the wedding are apple blossom colors pink and green. Lace and trim that I had stashed away.
Embellishments that I have gotten over the last year or so. Every thing I buy is at least 50% off so all that saving is coming in handy. More tags and embly's. Alpha's, chip board.Paper.All the paper that I collected, was from paper stacks that I got on sale this fall and winter at Jo-Ann's and Mike's. I went thru it all and picked out the pink and green that would work for this mini. Since the theme is apple blossom, I would like to make the mini out of chipboard shaped like an apple. I can't seem to find one . Anyone out there have one I could buy? Or a web site that might be selling that shape. I cant wait to get started on this! All for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
Blessings
Donna

TAG DAY

Today is all about tags. This first one is from Marcia here in Florida. Nice :) It is a beautiful tag as is her blog http://instillnessandsimplicity.blogspot.com/ you must check it out ...so peaceful. The tag has paper snowflakes, lace, vintage pic of a lady, love it..it Marcia. Close up of the vintage lady...that is right up my alley as I love all things vintage.This is a piece of lace with a flower and snow flake. Thanks again Marcia! This was for the tag a month swap over Tee's http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ Also for TAG DAY is three tags that I made from the #8 mystery swap. My partner was Beth at Mossberry Cottage blog. http://elisabetpollock.blogspot.com/ I love these challenge swaps! I have not made a "manly " tag before, so figured this was a good time to try one. A tag she sent, I used the button that I thought looked like a mans cuff link, a paper flower and some ephemera she sent along. Since it is valentine month I did this sort of valentine tag. What I thought was a queen of hearts turned out to be a jack I think, so now I have two man tags lol. Here is the third one. Crackle stamped with blue and edged with blue ink and walnut ink . Scallop punched some club, to go along with the queen of clubs. Added some of the lace she sent behind it. With a tiny black button. I still have some tags and paper left that she sent, so I will make some more tags using my embellishments. I think I used at least one thing of everything that Beth sent but the paper. Could not fit it in. uI got my mini junk journal album done and going to send it to Sue today. Fingers crossed she likes it. XXXX Next post I will show you all the stuff I gathered up for the shower mini album. The only thing I will have to buy is the chipboard for the album itself. Chomping at the bit to get started. Any one out there have an apple chipboard mini album that I could buy? The colors they picked are apple blossom pink and green. So I would love to use an apple for the album. All for now thanks for looking and come back soon.
Blessings
donna