JUNK JOUNRAL SWAP

I joined a mini album junk journal over at http://minialbumscraps.ning.com/ and this is what my swap partner Sue sent me. Inside pages .....More....More...

Nice journal that Sue sent, I still don't know what I am going to use it for.I am very happy with my journal thanks so much Sue. Finally getting better, so maybe I can get back into the crafty business. I will be working on my tag of the month swap over at Tee's. The Altered Paper. http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ I need to get busy on the mini bride shower album I am sending up north to my oldest grandsons bride to be. Also want to go on a couple day trips before leaving for PA the first week in June.

STICK PINS & LACE

ABOVE: Got a couple of swaps this last week. Stick pins from MAS swap.

Close up of pins. We were to send in 3 packaged stick pins with 3 pins each on them.

A lace ATC swap over at Tee's I think I took this pic up side down sorry :(ATC and some goodies that came along for the ride with it.

Thanks for looking and come back soon.

blessings donna

TAG SWAP

ABOVE: I joined a swap over at MAS for handmade flowers. These are the ones I received.We were to do five cards with three flowers on each one.

It was fun doing this swap. I will post the ones I made soon. I am going to slow down a bit for awhile on swapping.

Anyone know what Diverticulitis is....I found out last week after a Cat Scan on Friday. And I am not liking it much :( But I am starting to feel better and able to eat some what. I will be up to par soon and back at it. Thanks for looking and come back soon

blessings

Donna

SPRING TAG SWAP

ABOVE: I joined a spring tag swap over at Tee's http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ It is the monthly swap. Go check out her site.

ABOVE: Spring flowers, butterfly and a bird. The flower group is fancy cut from a greeting card I received in another swap. Bird was cut from an old bird book. And the flowers in the top left corner is a group of ceramic flowers from a vintage earring.

ABOVE: Buttons, butterfly's, and spring flowers. Fancy cut flowers and butterfly, with smiley face buttons added. Love adding those two eyed buttons to flowers.

WEATHER: Cloudy and rainy day today with rain. High maybe 74. Went yard saling yesterday and found a few things will post abou them on my ohther blog http://grammyandthepapillonprinces.blogspot.com/ Thanks for looking and come back soon

blessings

donna

ATC SWAP

ABOVE: This is an ATC I made the other day for a swap. The ATC and a few goodies to go along for the ride. A batch of lace and some lacey patterned paper pieces. There is a envy for the ATC under it.

ABOVE: The ATC with a charm attached that I made.ABOVE: The lacey paper. I used a Martha Stewart punch for these. This is a black and cream themed ATC. This swap was hosted by Tee over at http://thealteredpaper.blogspot.com/ I love doing swaps with her! You should go and check them out and join in the fun. Thanks for looking and come back soon
blessings
Donna

GOURD SHOW

I went to a gourd show a couple weeks ago. Above is some banana gourds all dried, cleaned and ready to go. My daughter paints these, makes old time Santa's out of them.

Above: A big bunch of gourds ready to sell. Part of this show was out side and that is where all these were located.

ABOVE: People checking over the many, many, gourds for sale. It is a big job to dry and clean all these. I did it a couple times, it takes about a year to get it all done. I dried them in my attic. You need a very dry area to do it. Then every couple months you have to take something like clorox water and clean the mold stuff of them.

ABOVE: A pile of cute painted gourd buddies in a gourd bowl. Loved these little guys. So much cuter in person. I was using my phone camera so not the best photos.

ABOVE: This is a cut gourd, that they made into a purse.

ABOVE: This was best of show. cut with a drimel and painted. It was really beautiful.

The finished gourds were inside, where they were judged and prizes given out. There were no finished gourds for sale. They all were very nice and i enjoyed the show.

I am not sure about the spacing on this post, my computer updated my IE, did not even ask if I wanted it... just did it. And now trying to post on blogger is not like it use to be, I had it down pat and took no time to do. Now its a mess as far as I am concerned. So I will leave it now and see what happens when I publish. Thanks for looking and come back soon.

blessings

donna

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