Two New Swaps Announced!!!

 Aren't they lovely?

All of the images below are from pinterest.

Search using "altered peat pot"

to see all and for artist credits.

 

 

And we can't welcome spring without a matchbox swap!

Details and sign-ups for both swaps

 HERE.

Won't You Be My Valentine?

Our first swap of 2014...

Details and sign-ups

HERE.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

New swap announcement...

Oh what lovely creations these will be.

Sign-ups open now in my flickr group

HERE.

Wishing you all a happy weekend!

Springtime Greetings

What a sweet swap hosted by Melanie in our

 Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group!

This little matchbox chest is constructed by adhering two

of the small 32 count matchboxes side by side.

You then sandwich those between two pieces of matboard.

I decorated my Springtime Greetings box in an elegant Easter theme.

After scouring my collection of images I chose this beautiful lady and her sheep.

I framed her with an ornate white resin frame

and surrounded her with lovely blue, brown and ivory paper and fabric flowers.

The finishing touch.... a sparkly blue butterfly.

 

Inside our boxes we were to include our greetings.

 I made these mini collaged cards on matboard.

 

I finished the sides in this shabby tulle floral trim

and my box is ready to travel.

 

You simply can't send a matchbox creation

without some goodies tucked inside!

 I am soooooo ready for Spring!!!

White Inspiration

I recently hosted a

 Winter Whites Inspiration Matchbox Swap

 in my flickr group.

Create a frosty matchbox for your partner and fill it with lots of white inspiration.

I ended up with two partners as one of the group members asked to participate after the swap closed.

Lucky me.... double the lovely returns!

 

These are the boxes I created....

and I had such fun filling them with wonderful white confections...

glitter vials, bleached bottle brush trees, mother of pearl buttons, laces, florals, beads...

and the almost mandatory frozen charlottes!

 

Sandi created this beautiful box for me. So difficult to capture how truly beautiful it is in all it's sugared sweetness.

And all the wonderful whites and silvers inside....

I thought the feathers were an especially nice touch!

 

This is the box I received from Michele.

Stunning with it's flap closure, pearl feet and many embellishments.

 

Here's a top view...

just a glorious mix of textures!

 

And loaded with tons of inspiration

in frosty silvers, whites and ice blues.

 

There's nothing like swapping with blog friends!

 

If you can't get enough of whites, follow my link to

Blissful Whites Wednesday

hosted by Becky at Timewashed.

 

Winter Whites

I'm sharing a few of the banner pieces I finished for our
Shabby Chic Christmas Garland Swap.
We each made 6 pieces that I will swap and assemble into garlands and return to each participant. We all used whites, neutrals, muted tones and victorian imagery.

I did a heavy gesso and glitter background and used images from one of my favorite Altered Artifacts collage sheets, applying a thinned gesso over the images. To finish, I added lace, shimmery tulle, white paper flowers, a touch of silver and faux vintage dangling baubles.

I'll show you a finished garland after I have them all assembled.

 

These pieces certainly got me in the mood for more winter whites so I'm pleased to announce the

Winter Whites Inspiration Matchbox Swap.

This will be a 1:1 partner swap in which you'll alter a large matchbox in a winter whites theme. Think snowflakes, soft wintry images, winter white flowers. Pack the inside with lots of winter white inspiration, using quality vintage and new items for your partner to make some winter white magic.....laces, millinery, pearls, beads, glitter. Use white, off white, cream, ecru, beige as the main color scheme inside and out. Touches of soft, warm, muted colors and bits of silver may also be used.
Sign-ups are open now in my flickr group. If you're not a member, membership directions are on the group page HERE.
And the good news is no holiday stress. The due date is January 30th, 2013!
I'm linking with Becky at Timewashed for Blissful Whites Wednesday.

It Was A Happy Mail Day

My friend Linda was celebrating the launch of her very first children's e-book and her 200th post with a giveaway, and I was one of her lucky winners. I love this candle and Linda's gorgeous fairy and butterfly tag now graces a branch of my always evolving, inspirational feather tree.

And this luscious matchbox loaded with decadent treasures is from my lovely swap partner, Mercedes.
We provided our partner with a list of likes and the challenge was to create and fill a matchbox using the list as a guideline.
Mercedes, this is a treasure above and beyond my expectations!

A big hug of gratitude to both of my talented & generous blog friends!

Now That's A Bird of A Different Color!

My partner, Michele, stressed birds and bling. Our challenge for the current matchbox swap was to create something special for our partner based on their list of likes.
Sneak peek at the corner of the box...a bit of bling there..

Is this bird blingy enough?

The back of the box needs to be blingy & sparkly too.

Inside I tucked all kinds of fun bird items including a crochet peacock, German scrap birds, an old wooden bird that was a recent estate sale find and that piece of fabric everything is displayed on is covered with hens!

Sign-ups are open for our next swap, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
This could lead to some pretty amazing matchboxes.....

A Midsummer Night's Dream

New swap announcement for members of my flickr swap group....
Details and signups (or join us if you're not a member yet!) HERE.

A Lovely Easter Matchbox & New Swap Announcement

Sugared eggs, lace and flowers....

Sweet springtime verse....

Vintage finishing touches....

The gorgeous Easter matchbox I received from Debi, of
Life In My Studio.
Thank you Debi for this little piece of Easter heaven!

Yes, this is what we begin with. A plain, rather ugly box intended to hold matches but so much fun to alter.

For the new swap in my flickr group we're going to list all our loves: favorite themes, favorite colors, favorite materials, favorite styles. Using our list of loves, our partners will create the perfect altered matchbox gift!
The fun starts HERE!

Inside a French Easter Egg & the Giveaway Grows

Our most recent matchbox challenge in my flickr group was to create an Easter scene inside a large matchbox, much like the wonderful decorated sugar eggs of Easters past...

A peek at the corner of my box...


A view from above...


Close-up inside..


& the finished piece,
Mademoiselle & The Joyful Lapins.


I covered the matchbox with Warm & Natural, then layered it with vintage lace and seam binding. I added some gorgeous shabby flower trim, tulle, pearls and another delicate vintage lace trim around the opening.
The interior background is a copy of an antique French postcard. I didn't capture the entire picture well but if you look closely you can see the bunnies hanging over the top of the bench. In the foreground I placed some happy dancing bunnies and a teeny, tiny nest and eggs. I finished the piece by giving it "feet"-four tattered vintage pearls.
I made this for my friend Lynn of Trash To Treasure Art.
I hope you like it Lynn!

You know, I really do LOVE altering things so let's add some alterables to my blogiversary giveaway!
(You KNEW there had to be a matchbox in there!)
If you haven't entered already you can throw your hat in the ring HERE.

One Swap Closes, Another Swap Opens

What a sweet swap Be My Valentine turned out to be.

Kimberly captured the romance of the day with her beautiful swap

and Laurie's creations were sweet and charming

while Linda's exuded the elegance of valentines past.

We had a large number of participants in this swap. If you'd like to see all the creations, please visit us HERE.

It's difficult to say goodbye to this one but as this swap closes, it's true, another does open.


As a child I remember finding one of these mesmerising sugar eggs in my basket each Easter. It was incredible to me that you could look inside and find the most adorable 3-dimensional scene of bunnies, chicks, lambs, children in their Easter finery.
Imagine what these matchboxes are going to look like!
Sign-ups are open now!

I'm Feelin' the Love

I feel as though my swap partner in our Be My Valentine matchbox swap knows me well with this beautiful vintage swap she created for me.That sweet little matchbox so intricately fashioned, the darling muted tone mini atcs, all accompanied by the most stunning valentine card anyone could imagine!
Big valentine hugs to my val pal Michele, of
Something Special.
This truly is something special!

I also took part in a valentine atc swap hosted by my sweet friend Kimberly, of
ArtJoyStuff
and received the lovliest valentines.
Kimberly

Terri

Sabrina

Kathy

Unsigned (if anyone recognizes this card, please let me know)

Yesterday the mail brought me a surprise valentine from my dear friend Michele, of
Nook & Cranny.
You touched my heart with your kind words and thoughtful gift Michele.

I really am feelin' the love....