Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Wonderfully Whimsical Village

A few weeks ago I shared a little house I made for a swap in our
Paper Whimsy group. I now have my entire village to share with you.

From left to right: my house, Jan's (A Journey..), Kim's (Tabby's Place) and Christine's.
Even the "back doors" are sweet. I'm going to get mini hinges so I can display it standing like a village of rowhouses.

It's always such a pleasure swapping with my talented PW friends! So much so that I couldn't resist joining in on the next swap...
How much fun is this? The ideas are already swirling in my head.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

I Promised BIG and Old

But first allow me to share a couple of the matchboxes swapped in our just completed Treasures of the Sea Swap.
Jen of On A Journey.... created this stunning mermaid's treasure chest for her lucky partner

And Kim of Tabby's Place spoiled her partner with this beautifully detailed under the sea delight.
To think that these were once matchboxes!!!!

Now on to the big and old new swap announcement. In the first two swaps in our flickr group we altered the small 20 count matchboxes but this time around we're going to go big with 250 count boxes to create something old, antique, vintage and collectible, for

Think of all the great finds in Grandma's Attic! Her old sewing box full of spools, ric rac and buttons galore. Old photos, vintage cards, all sorts of ephemera. Remember this old wallpaper from the dining room? Boxes of lace and trims. And look at the jewelry. She must have saved every piece from the time she was a child! And here's an entire box of old games and toys.
You get the picture. The outside of the box should be decorated in keeping with the vintage theme and the inside stuffed full of vintage and vintage inspired items. Further details HERE in the flickr group.
All in US & Cananda (and it looks like our Canadian friends may have to sit this one out with their postal strike) are welcome to join and swap!
Enjoy your Sunday and hope to be swapping with you soon...

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I'm Back, and Just in Time for a Tutorial!

I've just returned from a wonderful vacation filled with warm ocean breezes, soothing sunshine, great shopping, and an all round fabulously fun and relaxing time with my daughter. We stayed oceanfront at Myrtle Beach and thoroughly enjoyed the area and all it had to offer.

And how sweet to return to a kinder and cooperative blogger! Before leaving I was unable to leave comments on all of your blogs but after a few quick visits already today, things seem to be working just fine.

And it's the first Tuesday (aka Tutorial Tuesday) in June and the lovely and talented Jan of
Paper Craft Pleasures
is sharing her Altered Bottle and Beeswax Seal Tutorial.

Step 1
Select a clear bottle and paint with Cowboy Glimmer Glaze. Let dry.

Step 2
Stamp image onto cardstock.

Step 3
Apply Clear Crackle to bottle and let dry.

Step 4
Add a pearl bead to a straight pin and insert into the center of the cork.

Step 5
Melt beeswax.

Step 6
Insert the top of the bottle into the melted beeswax.

A huge thanks to Jan for sharing this awesome tutorial! Do you have a fun summertime project you could show us how to make? It can be ANYTHING, really, ANYTHING at all! Let me know and I'll feature you as July's artist of the month.

Time for me to start all that vacation laundry......

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A REAL Treasure

The swapping has commenced in our flickr Altered Matchboxes Swap Group and I found treasure, or I should say treasure found me, courtesy of my swap partner Anna.
I've long admired Anna's art on her blog, Frosted Petunias.
She has a style all her own. It's sheer beauty mixed with a touch of whimsy, a sprinkle of fantasy and meticulous attention to detail.
See what I mean? This is how she transformed a tiny matchbox in our Treasures of the Sea swap.

I opened the box to find this amazing 3-D vignette. (It's really impossible to capture how stunning this piece really is!)
And being the sweetie she is, she included this beautiful card and bookmark.
Swapping will be complete mid-June for Treasures of the Sea so I'll be showing off some of the other participants creations in the next couple of weeks and announcing a new swap!
Hint-think BIG for the upcoming swap. Let's make that BIG & old.....


PS - I'm still unable to leave comments on blogs!!!!! I miss leaving you congrats, entering your giveaways and just saying hi. Can't wait until blogger resolves this.