Charm Swap

I don't believe I have ever shared one of my charm swaps with you here on my blog, and I love these!  For this one on my MAMA group, you make and send in 25 charms and receive 25 in return.  The color scheme this time was Crystal, White, Pearl, Silver.  Ah, my favorite!  Technically you only have to send in 25 charms, but usually I do packages of 2 or 3.   This time I went a bit overboard because of my abundance of supplies in the color scheme.  (I have been waiting for a "with silver" swap to come along so I could use these pendant/bails I bought.)  Yeehee!

For this set I used a faceted Aurora Borealis bead from a necklace I got at a yardsale with some of my solid sterling spacers and bicones.  So shiny!

Another bead I have been waiting to use... my silver/rhinestone spacers.  They fit perfectly with the faux pearls I had (another yardsale purchase).

More faux pearls, these oddly shaped, with cute little clear beads.

Some larger beads with end caps to add some interest.

After I made these all up, I strung the charms on strips of satin and tied them onto cards with my name on the back.  Easy to see and kinda pretty I think.

Then baggied them all up to mail off to my amazing hostess, Rhonda.  I'll be sure to share my returns and my finished project (probably a bracelet) with you.

Hugs!

A kit for Melanie

Here is the kit I sent to Melanie for her to use to create her French Elegant Pouch.  I made six little 2.5"x2.5" square boxes to fill with her goodies.  Here is how they looked all packed up.

This is one of the boxes closed.

I wrapped the laces and trims around tickets which matched the cream, pale tealy blue and peachy pink color scheme and fit inside the bitty boxes just right.

I used coordinating scrapbook papers so the boxes even matched the kit.

The jewelry pieces and extra embellishments, plus some extra cream satin and grey silk.

This box fit four pieces of fabric rolled up all pretty.

More surprises.

An embellished salt shaker that I filled full of beads and cushioned inside the box with some wider nude-pink vintage laces.

Oh, I missed taking a photo of the flowers I sent.  I borrowed this one from Melanie.  They were my favorite part to make.

And a box full of cream goodies hopefully to dazzle and delight the lovely miss Melanie.

I have just the most fun making kits for my MAMA partners.  Something about gifting like this just makes my heart all full up.  :)  I was especially nervous to gather and pack this one up though, because Melanie was our dear hostess and I really wanted put something great together for her.  Thanks for checking it out, I can't wait to see what she makes.

A kit from Melanie

My Marie mail is always such happy mail.  Waiting for these packages to arrive from some of the most wonderful women around the country and world too, is one of my favortie things about the group.  (Okay maybe not the actual waiting, but the anticipation of such pretty mail is wonderful!  Like Christmas all year long.)  This box and the beauties inside came from Melanie who was the hostess for a kit swap with MAMA.  We sent our partners things to make an French Elegant Pouch, just look what she sent for me to create mine...

I love how she used the elastic lace to tie these heart boxes together.

Everything was packaged so beautifully.

So much fun to open.

These fabric images are so amazing. I can't wait to create with them.

I'm going to love using these trims and flowers on my pouch.

Jewelry pieces galore! Wheee!

The most amazing fabric lace trim pieces I have ever seen!  Thump thump thump... that's tiny heart palpitations you hear.

And the embellishments she sent were over-the-top gorgeous too!  I feel so lucky with my kit and so excited to get going on my pouch.  I love having a project like this waiting in the wings of my ordinary life.  It's delightful to day dream about the beauty and possibility.  Ahhhhh, bliss.

Tomorrow I'll share photos of the kit I sent to miss Melanie.  Ciao for now and lots of love!

Marie Fabric Journal

As long ago promised, here are the photos of the fabric journal I made from the kit from I received from the wonderful Debi in a swap through our Marie Antoinette Mail Art group.

I must admit this is one of my most favorite projects.  The process was truly cathartic and the finished result just made me so happy (I love it when that happens!).  Hopefully my daughters will appreciate my handiwork and cherish it as I do when they are older.  At 2 and 4 years old, they already know just who this is in my book, they say, "Oooh Ma-wee.  Beautiful momma."  Isn't that enough to melt your heart.

Well, Miss Debi sent me so many beautiful things and I was sorry (almost mourning) when the book was finsished... So I kept on with the fun and made a bag in which to store the actual journal.

The front of the bag.

Closer up

The back of the bag.  I love creating with neutrals.

The front of the journal.

The sides all poofily luscious with trims and fabrics.

Oh my, now I need to go get this book and look at it (and best of all feel it) again.  :)

I'm taking my hubby out for his birthday tomorrow night, but it requires a new dress for me which I get to shop for today.  It's going to be a great weekend ~ all smiles here.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend too! 

Mystic Paper May Project

Oh boy did I ever have a wonderful time playing with the Tim Holtz Kraft Resist Paper from my Mystic Paper kit this month.  Be sure to stop by the other design team member's blogs (Jenna & Sheri) to see what they did too.

I just love kraft colored paper so, I wanted to get as much use out of the 8 sheets of paper as I could, including the backs.  I decided make a journal using fabric hankies as the covers with the cool TH papers all decorated inside.  The plain back side of the papers makes perfect space for writing.  Hard to see them here but the TH charm and pin I attached to the seam binding bows say, "Wonderful Thoughts."

The front of the journal

 Inside the with all the pages layered up.

Close up of the AWESOME paper.  You can see the resist, in the swirly line and the black printed butterflys.  I painted them with Glimmer Mist.  In the very last photo here I took a pic in bright sunshine so you can see the actual sparkle.

Some stamping and inking on the blank side of the paper.  As well as the cool Paris postmark resisting the pink Glimmer Mist.

Music notes resisting peach GM.  Plus I added a Crafty Secrets journal spot and stamped a little.

This ledger page I folded and glued to make a pocket, then used Mustard Seed ink followed by Iridescent Gold glimmer mist.

Look at all these fun layers.  By this point I was really playing!  See how I tied seam binding around a page to hold pieces on... like the envelope tag here.

I love this pattern paper.  I painted the lady's hat and dress with Glimmer Mist.  You really have to imagine this book all glittery which is so nice with the muted kraft.

More painting with GM, this time in a patchwork style.

This page I tried to just splash paint haphazardly (but leaving "Paris" untouched.

So here you get an idea of the sparkle all throughout the journal and also how nice and shiny the resist is on the paper.

I hope you liked looking at my journal.  I feel I really only scratched the surface with what neat things could be done to this awesome paper.

Have a wonderful day! H