More Silver Bella Sachets *Spoiler*

Thank you so much for your nice comments about my sachets. You know how it is when you try something new...you have that bit of insecurity and it was nice to hear your support.

Here is the next batch...

This was a hard one. This woman likes birds and collections, calligraphy and strange writing, postage stamps, and the "real thing," like mother of pearl buttons. After a lot of looking, I found this wonderful graphic (this was pure serendipity). The graphic has a heart of broken china superimposed over calligraphy (hooray!). Above the heart there is a little bird (hooray!) and a postage stamp (can you believe it?). I put five mother of pearl buttons underneath and a folded vintage hankie on the bottom because it picked up the colors...and she liked nature, too :-). 

This is for the daughter of the woman I went to camp with as a twelve year old. One of her favorite things was Jane Austin. I think I had most fun with color with this sachet. I love the pink ribbon around the picture. Kat and Jud found me a wonderful box of old lace and ribbon at an estate sale one day when I wasn't feeling so good. Talk about something that cheered me up! The ribbon around that is old velvet. Nothing like it. So much more plush than our velvet today! The lace at the bottom is old but very well-preserved. It is actually white and very delicate!

And this one is for my dear friend, Donna (who will be my roommate).  We have known each other since we were twelve but became very good friends in college. When we were in college, we fell in love with the work of an artist named Sulamith Wulfing. Her paintings are very transparent and spiritual. This one shows a young child who appears to be a young deity and is illuminated. I knew this was the one! I put some rhinestones at the top and scatted a few through the lace on the sides. The two rows of lace on the bottom are beautiful old pieces that were in the box of magic from Jud and Kat. I hope she will like it. I wonder if she will recognize the picture and painter!

This is the last. This graphic is a little hard to see but is the most incredible Art Nouveau picture of "under the sea," one of the swappee's loves. I tried to make everything "wavy" and show a lot of motion. The ribbons were from a gift from Jud years ago, the Trim and Treasure Monthly Club at Flight of Fancy Boutique. Now keep in mind, I wasn't really doing much of anything with fabric at the time. I just loved the trims because they were beautiful! Kat found me a great sequined piece to use as sort of a "treasure box" in the lower left hand corner. Well, I lost it. We all looked for it for days. I was sick. It was perfect. Finally I used a piece of gold mesh, a gold-edged shell, a rhinestone and some pearls and created my own treasure. I was pleased and forgot the other piece...which never showed up! The bottom lace snagged a lot in the washer and dryer (not nice to do with vintage lage but perfect for this one. It almost looks like netting, though it is hard to see that in the photograph).

So, that is all. My gift boxes are huge and the sachets sort of "rest" at the bottom. Somehow I still don't manage to get all my ducks in a row.  I know the swap hostess will have a huge laugh. She was the one that made the seven inch rule. If I bend over the bottom lace and trim,  they are seven inches :-) . Luckily she is a good friend! 

I will have to share my Upcycled Treasures necklace tomorrow. It is very close to done! Then, of course, I will have to share all of the fun of Silver Bella!

Silver Bella Sachet Swap *Spoiler*

On Wednesday, I fly to Omaha for Silver Bella, a wonderful creative extravaganza. I am taking part in a sachet swap in which we knew a few things about our partners and then created something that fit them. This first one is for a woman who loved old photos and anything but primary colors. Interestingly, she and I went to the same YWCA camp when we were twelve! I didn't get a very good photo...there is more vintage lace at the bottom and flowers that are similar to the second sachet at the top. The sachets are about seven inches square...that was the max and I think she was kidding!!! I found I had a hard time thinking small. I made all of the sachets from old linen napkins that I dyed. I also dyed some lace along with some of them. I used Lesley Riley's TAP for the transfers...love it. Understand that I haven't sewed on a machine since about seventh grade. I had a ways to go. I also put a little decoration on the back but I won't go that far into detail! On this one, I made a little necklace and draped it across the back. The front of the sachets are generally hand sewn or fused on. 

This is for one of our swap leaders, Susie, who loves roses. The graphic is from The Vintage Workshop.  I really had fun using my stash of good "stuff." Once I got over the hump of actually doing it, it seemed like an act of giving. The rose on the bottom is from Karen of Creative Chaos. I bought a bunch of really nice roses from her, since I don't have a huge stash of millinery flowers.

This one is for a woman who loves Oriental items. The graphic is also from The Vintage Workshop. I coffee-dyed a vintage handkerchief for the bottom and the brown ribbon surrounding the pink. It really brought out the detail in both.  I put the flower in the dye and it is still in the same family, though lighter.

This one is for our other swap hostess, Lisa, who loves birds and chocolate. The picture is of birds surrounding a cocoa pitcher. You can get a better idea of the bottom of the sachets in this picture.

I had a lot of fun doing these, even though it was a bit outside my comfort level. I will show you four more tomorrow. 

The Halloween Greeter...

Guess who greeted the little children at our door on Halloween? Well, it was a Punk Panda, of the female variety. Here she is! You can see the black and white part (that symbolizes the panda). What you might not be able to see as well in the panda ears. Maybe this next picture will help you!

A Punk Panda had ears of hair, black around her eyes and a little black nose. Punk Panda's may look a little frightening but actually are quite gentle and very pleasant around humans. 

P.S. Would would ever guess that she was a drama major in college?

The Benefit...

Many people would confuse me for an extrovert. I am friendly (I am from South Dakota and Minnesota and we all are friendly). I love people and have always had many friends. I am not an extrovert. I need a lot of down time to recharge. Most of my interests are pretty solitary...reading and crafting are at the top. I am not a team sport person. Never have been.

Nothing makes me cringe more than the thought of a benefit. Teeming crowds of people that I don't know turns my stomach. The skill of "small talk" is something that evades me. When Jud told me that Park Nicollet Medical Foundation (his medical practice) was having it's Celebration Of Life, I cringed. 

I was crabby until he suggested that we go shopping at LaRue's. LaRue's...funky clothes for the middle-aged women. Soft flowing clothes that mask the lumps. Jewelry that I would not be able to make...YES!!!

Jud and I went together and picked out about ten outfits. I liked the first one I tried on. (Also, I didn't want to try any more on!). I am wearing it in the picture above. It is an Oriental pantsuit with an elastic waist and no need for Spanx!!! The shoulder-dusting earrings sealed the deal. Kat took the picture above. Not a bad picture for a woman who often closes her eyes. Then we realized that is didn't show the detail of the outfit, as it is asymmetrical.

Aha! Now you can get a better idea. I was throwing together the necklace and looking for a bag the hour before we left but I felt like I looked good and looked like "me". When you feel comfortable in what you are wearing, you are more comfortable with yourself. I had a nice time. My husband was very happy to have me by his side. Benefits? Still not my favorite thing...but I think I will tolerate them better. Who knows, this might be my go-to outfit for the next...ten years!

We have a winner!!!!

But first, one last peek at the necklace, made by Robin (http://anestwithaview) and the earrings made by Suz (http://katsuijewelry.blogspot.com).

The winner of the necklace and earrings is Patty S. of Magpie's Nest. Patty is gift to many is blogland and shares her art and her kindness so effortlessly. Patty, please send your address to Suz at reane002@umn.edu so we can get this off to you in the mail.

Robin, Kat and I would like to thank you all for participating and for your nice comments. We had a wonderful time collaborating on this project. 

Kat and I will soon be hitting 100 posts and will be having another give-away so come back and visit us soon!

A Sweet Gift from France and Our Giveaway...

I love international vintage and craft blogs. Sometimes there is English as well as the native language, sometimes there is not. Sometimes there is a translator, sometimes there is not. It doesn't matter. I love the photography, especially at Christmas time, when things look so fresh and unique. They are so charming and a chance to see decorations and holiday crafts with a bit different look.

Last week, I connected with Miette at La Miette Bricole. I was so pleased to get a lovely note from Miette and this gift she made for me:

Isn't that an awesome piece of work? Thank you so much, Miette, thank you for your sweet comment and for entering our giveaway!

Robin, Kat and I are getting a lot of responses to our giveaway. People have left some very kind and thoughtful comments. I am still laughing at my "peace and love" post about the giveaway and Robin's "I Hooked Up "Cause I Give It Away." She is one funny lady (and I am an aging hippie!). Go and read it if you haven't already. It made some of us chuckle (actually there were loud guffaws and a few snorts). 

Sign up if you haven't already and pass the word around. We will draw the name for the lucky winner on Friday!

Kat and I have made two jewelry donations this month. One to Park Nicollet Medical Foundation and the other to Free Arts, a group that does art work with children and teens in residential and therapeutic settings. Kat is doing an internship there. Donating our jewelry is a nice way to contribute to causes we believe in (and also gets our name around!). We notice our stock is getting low (though we have more than is listed in our store). As soon as Silver Bella is over, we begin a busy month of creating jewelry, culminating in our Holiday Home Show and more things on the blog.

Keep your eyes peeled for new pieces of unique jewelry!

It's A Two Friend Giveaway!!!

We have a giveaway...just for fun...and because we really enjoy our friends and readers and this warm and friendly place known as Blogland. A couple of months ago, my friend, Robin (A Nest With a View) was making beautiful soldered pieces and suggested we have a joint giveaway. She would make the necklace and I would make earrings to match. Then we would give them away together. So here we are!

Here is a picture of both the necklace and the earrings, draped over a cup from my Maternal Grandmother, Carol, and a sugar bowl from my Paternal grandmother, Helen. The necklace has a sterling silver cable chain and is decorated with three white Baroque pearls on each side You can see them on the side of the cup. Look closely. The tea pot set is one of my favorites. The Haviland china cup and saucer are beautiful and simple. Have you ever noticed that plates from the early twentieth century are so small? Hardly suitable for Thanksgiving!

Back to the point. Here is a picture which shows one side of the necklace. Robin, being Robin, does not do things half way. Her pendants have two sides and she collages them by hand, this one with vintage rose wallpaper and "peace" in old type. When I made the earrings, I matched the color of the rose with Czech flowers and used a tinier white Baroque bead as the center for each flower (you can kind of see them through the bead).  I chose a sterling silver cable that was similar to Robin's but much tinier and more delicate, since the necklace has a delicate feel. The earwires are also sterling. 

Here is the other side...a dove flying into the blue sky, then collaged on pink vintage wallpaper. Robin often puts birds in her art. I like that so much. They are "vintage Robin." The necklace chain clips into a larger ring on the front. Classic, and yet, trendy. I know you would like it. 

A special giveaway and a special message as we who create begin to enter the holiday season...peace. I truly believe this is something we all long for, peace within and peace without. We may sometimes differ in how we think we should go about it, but we all long for it. This is only one thing that draws us all together.

So, to all of you in Blogland, a symbolic and a tangible gift. We are so excited to do this and share something of us with you. Your gift will come wrapped in the coolest linen envelope with a handmade bird tag at the top (both hand made by Robin). You can see them both in the top picture!

Sign up soon! You can sign up at either blog, but do visit both. Robin will probably have something funny to say and you won't want to miss it. You don't have to be a follower. On the other hand, we would love to have you be a follower. It is heartening to look at all those little faces each day.

We will be drawing the winner this Friday! Maybe it will be you!

I won!!!

Natalea Kandefer of Kandeland had a Halloween giveaway last week. The winner was to receive this darling Halloween pendant. I woke up this morning, stumbled to my computer and found out that I won!

How cute is that!

Nat is someone I have followed since I first found out about blogs. She has a great blog and is a warm and funny woman. Nat is also one of the "Niagara Crafting Sisters" (I hope I have that right), a group of women who all make some creative and fabulous things and have incredible get-togethers, with lots of caring touches. They are also one of the nicest bunch of women and have been kind and supportive of my blogging and creating. (I know I am speaking in superlatives but these women are really something). They are some of the people who make this blogging world so rewarding. 

Speaking of give-aways, there is a special and different one coming up very soon! Robin Thomas (A Nest with A View) and I decided to create a "joint project" and have each created a part of something that we hope you will really enjoy. Robin is one of my very favorite people in Blogland. I met Robin and her sidekick, Jem, at Kaari Meng's class at Silver Bella last year. They were so funny that I almost...well...wet my pants. Robin would say that, why not me?! She and I have gotten to know each other much better over the last year and I consider her a very special friend. I am really looking forward to seeing Robin again in a week and a half! 

Watch for the announcement of our give-away within the next few days!




Correction...Silver Bella is in two and a half weeks! Sorry!

Almost as smashing as the mothers...

Some of our beautiful children. Kat, at left, was a bridesmaid. Carrie is the gorgeous bride. I have known her since she was born. Kat made Carrie's earrings and belt. The belt was especially pretty. It was taupe velvet with handmade chiffon flowers. The flowers had some nice antique rhinestone "bling" in the middle. 

One of the children...

...of the Committee of Mothers was married this weekend. She looked just beautiful. Really. I cried tears of joy.

And the mothers, themselves, looked simply smashing.