Vintage Dragonfly

One Swap Closes, Another Swap Opens

2012-02-16T12:03:00.000-05:00

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!

A Glimpse of Valentines Past

2012-02-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

Some antique valentines from my personal collection...
They really don't make them like this anymore..
layers of paper lace, German scrap..
and charming victorian imagery.
This book from the late 1800's is probably my favorite
with page after page of heartwarming pictures and verse.
Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm Feelin' the Love

2012-02-10T13:22:00.012-05:00

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....

The Dress Forms Are Ready to Party!

2012-02-06T09:40:00.011-05:00

With all her vintage beauty
and imperfections
she was purchased at an estate sale.
I dress her according to my mood
or season,
or season I'm anxiously awaiting!

Her baby sister, also an estate sale find
dons shimmering wings
simple, whimsical and pretty.

Many thanks to Carol, of
The Polka Dot Closet
for hosting this party.
If you don't already, you too may soon have a love affair with a well dressed dress form!
Visit Carol's beautiful blog for links to all the participants and a dress form giveaway.

Valentine Image Freebies

2012-02-04T00:18:00.002-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday!

Grab and enjoy these oh so lovely pink Valentine images!

Vintage Twinchiness

2012-02-01T10:17:00.001-05:00

Always in search of new swap venues, I recently joined the
Gingersnap Creations group and signed up for a twinchies swap.

Creating in miniature (twinchies are 2" squares) is so much fun!

Good Things Come In Small Packages

2012-01-28T20:38:00.006-05:00

At least I hope my partner thinks so!
For the Valentine Swap in my flickr group, we went small, altering the 32 count size matchbox and creating 3 mini atc's that could fit inside.

I'll share my little valentine as soon as it arrives!

Sharing Some Itty Bitty Valentine Love

2012-01-25T11:01:00.008-05:00

I just finished making my pages for the Valentine edition in our Itty Bitty Book group. The books measure an itty bitty 2.75 x 3.50 inches.
I made pocket pages embellished with the most gorgeous vintage lace, sugared hearts, paper flowers, pearls and bling.
I originally started making tags using different images but decided this lovely victorian lady was the only image that fit.

Off to the post office I go.
Can't wait to show you the entire book!
I've linked this post with Paper Traders "All Things Lace" Challenge.

Wings & Pointy Hats NEVER Lose Their Charm!

2012-01-21T00:34:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, they have been done to death over the last several years.
However when I sat down recently to create Valentine atcs for Kimberly's swap using these gorgeous vintage roses backgrounds, they screamed for vintage children with pointy hats and wings!

Embellished with tiny pearls

bits of bling

glitter and stickles

and of course, pretty pink hearts.

I hope my swap partners can find the charm in those pointy hats and wings!

For the first time ever I've linked to the always enjoyable
Pink Saturdays
hosted by Beverly.

Going Green With Luck O' the Irish ATC Book

2012-01-18T12:56:00.004-05:00

Intrigued? Check it out HERE!

It's a Win-Win-Win Situation

2012-01-15T17:55:00.010-05:00

What a fabulous start to 2012!
It began with a blog giveaway win from the uber-talented Terri of
Artful Affirmations.
Aren't these earrings lovely?
If you've never visited her blog, you simply must treat yourself. Terri's artwork is beautiful and she shares lots of fun tutorials and tons of inspiration!

Within hours of Terri's email I received another from a collaborative group I belong to, the Itty Bitty Book Club. An extra book was made to raffle and I was the lucky winner.
Here's a little peek....

But I said win-win-win, didn't I?

After all of this receiving I'd say it's time for me to give!
I would have loved to make each of you a domino book but sadly, that's just not possible.
I have to tell you though that I was thrilled when random.org chose the winner.
She is one of the sweetest friends I've come to know in blogland.
Congratulations Mina!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I appreciate your kind words and support. And I promise to host another giveaway very soon.

Happy Birthday

2012-01-09T13:20:00.004-05:00

to me!
I'm enjoying the day with my daughter but wanted to take a moment to share some of my favorite vintage birthday images with you.

These Aren't Your Grandma's Matchboxes!

2012-01-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

Visitors poking around the menagerie of keepsakes in my home are always drawn to my altered matchbox collections, though they aren't quite sure what they're looking at.
The transformations are incredible, as is the anticipation of what the next swap will bring.
Now that all the Secret Santa's are revealed, I can share some of the creations recently gifted in my flickr group's Christmas swap.

These are the boxes I made for Karla. We all swapped 2 boxes stuffed full of 25 little gifts to countdown to Christmas. I gave mine a snowflake base and tinsel hanger so they could double as ornaments once all the treasures were opened.

These two lovelies were made by Peace.

Karen went with a beautiful Christmas in Paris theme for her partner who loves all things French.

Lynn created this joyfully vintage box.

Christmas gorgeousness by Mercedes.

Karla came up with this very vintage beauty.

Deb put the lush into Christmas with this stunning double decker.

Signups are open for the Be My Valentine swap.
Stop by and check us out!

Happy New Year Image Freebies

2011-12-31T14:02:00.005-05:00

I think the old New Year's postcards are some of the quirkiest and most interesting.
Enjoy!
I wish you all a most happy, healthy and creativity-filled 2012!

Be My Valentine Swap!

2011-12-26T13:58:00.003-05:00

Signups are open now, right HERE, in my flickr group!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

Let us keep Christmas
holding it close to our hearts...
for its meaning never ends
and its spirit is the warmth and joy
of remembering friends.

Wishing each of you a very merry Christmas and every happiness in the New Year!
xoxo
JoAnne

Oh Christmas Trees....

2011-12-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

Sharing a few more glimpses of my holiday home
my hallway greeter and her tree

victorian Santa and his tree

no trees here (unless you count the topiary!), my "always changing with the seasons" silver tray

also always changing with the seasons is my lady, decked out with her pink Santa hat and pearls

my pretty snowlady (check out the little victorian vignette in front of her)

the big tree that holds generations of ornament memories

the antique ornaments get a special place, all their own

even the harp gets a holiday makeover

my victorian-themed tree in the dining room

the holiday fairies are out to play

The white tree is a new addition this year. I wanted a special place to display the beautiful handmade ornaments swapped with my special blog friends.

My Busy Christmas Mantle

2011-12-19T12:15:00.001-05:00

This is my holiday labor of love...

I wish I could capture

the magic

and charm

& how truly pretty

my sweet snow-covered village

really is.

It's a labor of love
that adds one more touch of joy to the holidays!
If you haven't already and would like to enter my giveaway, you can do that right HERE.

A Wintry Tale Giveaway

2011-12-15T11:50:00.013-05:00

I haven't hosted a giveaway since Halloween? Shame on me!
I was playing around with dominoes again and some very sweet snowy images from
Lisa's Altered Art
and ended up with this pretty snow-themed book, that will now be gifted to one of you.

(Click on photos for detail)

Leave a comment under this post for one chance, become or let me know you're a follower for another, and grab my giveaway button and link it back to me for two more chances.
The winner will be announced January 15th.
Good luck!

Visions of a Sugar Plum Fairy

2011-12-11T14:08:00.005-05:00

I'll allow the pictures to tell the story.....

This breathtaking ornament was created for me by my swap partner, friend and Blogerette Sorority sister, Mercedes, of
All Things Pretty.
Thank you Mercedes!

Snowy Images

2011-12-09T10:27:00.006-05:00

In celebration of our first snowfall of the season (late this year for those of us in the Buffalo area!)....

If you too are an image junkie, hope you're doing Lisa Vollrath's
6th Annual Holiday Countdown and grabbing a free collage sheet every day.
Enjoy!

Is There Any Ornament as Pretty as a Handmade Ornament?

2011-12-03T15:29:00.012-05:00

I don't think so!
Cassandra hosted a handmade ornament swap placing us in groups of four and what a wonderful group it was!

I received a trio of these amazing and exquisitely crafted fabric stars from Linda.

And Mercedes spoiled me with this gorgeous angel

and soft, warm stocking (complete with sparkly wand!)

and a heart that captured my heart with it's vintage charm.

I have long admired the sweet bottlebrush trees all over blogland. So I bleached and glittered then adorned with vintage tattered pearls and wired pink ribbon and gave each a tulle treeskirt to create these for my partners.

Chipboard doves I altered with scrapbook paper, inked and embellished.

And my snowflakes hopefully capture the simple time of Christmas past with sweet vintage images edged in lace and pearls.

No, I would never neglect my third partner, Erica! Her stunning ornaments arrived sooner than the others and I couldn't wait to share them, so scroll down to the next post for the ornament finale!

Holiday Whites

2011-11-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

Sharing some beautiful ornaments I received from Erica, one of my three partners in Cassandra's ornament exchange...

Happy White Wednesday!

Just When You Think You've Seen Every Possible Way To Alter A Matchbox....

2011-11-27T18:09:00.008-05:00

.....Someone, aka Lorraine, creates the incredible!

I have to tell you I am absolutely in love with this piece.

We're doing a Secret Santa Advent Matchbox Swap in my Flickr Group and because I'm the hostess my Santa can't be so secret. When you receive something so over-the-top wonderful, who cares!
The swap guidelines were to use 2 matchboxes in any way you wish. But who would ever believe a Christmas chalet complete with glitter, snow and a bottle brush tree?

We also filled our boxes with 25 wrapped little gifts, one to open each day in December until Christmas.
How much fun is it going to be to open these?

I've saved the best for last. See the holes punched in the house?Lorraine included a flickering tea candle to tuck inside. Though my camera doesn't capture it, that little touch makes this the most magical Christmas creation ever!
Big holiday hugs & kisses to my talented friend Lorraine!

I'm Dreaming of a......

2011-11-23T10:23:00.015-05:00

Happy White Wednesday and my first Christmas post of the season!
I'm sharing a victorian cone (with just a touch of whimsy) ornament that I made for a special swap sister in our
Bloggerette Sorority Ornament Exchange.

The cone is covered with Warm & Natural then smothered in loads of antique crocheted lace. Mercedes is a "pink" girl so I added a bit of pink and rose with a fabric flower, tulle and seam binding.

Tucked into the inside tulle is an adorable little winter faerie
and if you look closely you'll see she's holding an invitation to the Midnight Christmas Faerie Ball.

And what better way to conclude White Wednesday than to share this wonderful white turkey vintage postcard.
Wishing each of you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving.
I do count you among my blessings.

A Little Thanksgiving Love

2011-11-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

Enjoy!

An Early Holiday Gift

2011-11-12T13:44:00.000-05:00

Just in time for the holidays, artist & instructor, Lesley Venable is offering some amazing and very affordable online classes.
For someone on a tight budget like myself, this is a true holiday gift!

BUNDLE OF CREATIVITY #1 - $5.00
1. Collage Backgrounds - Layering, Textures, Composition and More
2. Embellished Tags - Using fabric, images, ephemera, found objects. Use your sewing machine or your glue.
3. Composition Journals - We will take a cheap notebook and create a beautiful journal for you to keep or give as gifts.

BUNDLE OF CREATIVITY #2 - $10.00
All of the above classes plus.....
4) Mail Art - Creating unusual envelopes and mailers to send to your friends and family.
5) Fabric Flowers - Easy way to create fabric flowers to adorn your gifts, jewelry or other art projects.

I gave myself an early Christmas gift! Maybe you will too? Click HERE if you think you might like to join me. Classes begin November 15th.

Yes, it is time to start thinking Christmas. I've been working on holiday swaps this morning but please indulge me in one last Halloween post...
This beautiful gothic arch and all the ephemera goodies are from my creative and sweet friend, Martina. She hosted a giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners.

Martina was also a lucky lady in October, when she was drawn in the monthly Winner Takes All in our Vintage Photo Images Yahoo Group. Everyone who entered created an ATC for Martina. I hope you stop by and see all the amazing cards she received. This is the card I sent.

My name was also pulled from wonderful Wendy's cauldron of ATC's
and I can now include Batty as a favorite in my Halloween ATC collection.

Back to the holiday work table.....

Lots of Wonderful Blog Happenings!

2011-11-05T17:12:00.017-04:00

If you've never visited Trash to Treasure Art then you're in for a real treat. If you have, then you know you want to stop by and give Lynn a little love.
She's inspired us, challenged us and now in honor of 3 years of blogging she's hosting a very special giveaway.

Thanks Lynn! Keep on creating, and please, keep on blogging!

Another dear, extremely talented and gracious friend of mine is hosting a fun giveaway. And believe me, when Kim cleans out her stash, the winnings are phenomenal!
Visit Kim at Tabby's Place, where you might be a...

Early this past fall I stumbled upon an etsy shop that had some of the most beautiful fabric pumpkins. I purchased a set, now proudly displayed in my living room, and quickly became a follower of Becky's blog.
You have to visit Junk To Joy and enter Becky's amazing giveaway.

Happy blog-hopping and good luck!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:23:00.003-04:00

Thank you all for a most magical & enchanting season!

Tea Anyone?

2011-10-29T16:07:00.025-04:00

Welcome to Dragonfly Manor and my Halloween Tea.

The butler would be happy
to hang your hat

Please make yourself comfortable. Park your broom if you like and feel free to kick off your shoes. Those pointy toes are killer, aren't they?

Did I mention it's a pumpkin themed tea this year?

Fae brought a darling baby boo...

But don't worry if you don't have one! Many of the guests arrived without.

Charlotte is a sweet little witch but quite forgetful

and the Skellington's always come empty-handed.

I'm not even certain who this masked character is but he must be an invited guest. That's a charming pumpkin made of seeds that he's touting!

But as I said, don't worry if you've come without. There are plenty to go around,

in all styles

and colors

and sizes

and settings

why, at Dragonfly Manor, they even grow on trees!

So sit back and enjoy the ambience,
for there are treats,
enough for all.

And where are my manners? Would you care for a spot of tea?

Many thanks to Anna for the inspiration, challenge and invitation to be part of this magical Halloween event.
I never would have shared pictures of my holiday home in such a creative way. It was an interesting process as I had no story in mind whatsoever. After taking pictures around my house, I built the tea around them.
So thank you Anna! It was a fun journey!

I Love My Mailman!

2011-10-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not confessing some illicit affair but lately he's been pretty darn good to me!

It all began with Speckled Egg's Curiosities Matchbox Swap and this fabulous box full of goodies from
Laurie.

Followed by an equally wonderful box from
Cassie.

I then had the good fortune to win a giveaway and receive this heaven-"scent"
Cinna-Bun potpourri from Amy Jo.
( A little side note here. See those Italian-made outrageous vintage amber salt and pepper shakers? So perfect for a Halloween tablescape & a $1 estate sale score!)

Followed by another giveaway win and this absolutely adorable
Halloween cake from Natalea.

Another giveaway win?!?! Yes, this hauntingly beautiful ATC
from Laura.

To complete this whirlwind extravaganza I received the most gorgeous array of Halloween finery from my extremely talented and most generous friend, Debi.

Thank you all for these glorious October treasures! I love my blog friends!

A Gothic Tale

2011-10-25T10:28:00.002-04:00

A few of us from my flickr swap group collaborated to create a book of gothic arches in celebration of the Halloween season.
Cassie Mercedes Kim Wendy Jen Myself

And for the cover I chose this lovely arch created by
Karla.
Bound with black binding rings covered in shades of gray seam binding and black fibers, we have ourselves a gothic tale.
Thank you ladies for a wonderful swap!

Welcome To The Party

2011-10-22T15:57:00.023-04:00

A very special Halloween PartyHosted by the wickedly wonderful Vanessa of
A Fanciful Twist.
Won't you come in?I'd like to introduce you to some special friends.

Meet the Queen of HalloweenKris Dickinson, of A Nostalgic Halloween.

The enchanting April Dudko

The talented Lynn Stevens, of Trash to Treasure Art.

And the amazing Laura Carson, of Artfully Musing.

These were all cards swapped in our Vintage Photo Images Yahoo Group. But this is only the beginning of the Halloween Party! If you've never visited before, I invite you to stay awhile and scroll through the last several posts, all featuring Halloween art and swaps.
And don't forget to stop by A Fancilful Twist for Vanessa's most engaging party and links for all the other party participants.

Trick or Treat Sorority Style

2011-10-18T13:07:00.021-04:00

When I learned my Bloggerette Sorority secret swap sister was Karen, of Karen's Monday Musings, I was thrilled. I've recently come to know Karen through my flickr altered matchbox group and she is a sweetheart!
I wanted to make a treat bag that was quirky and fun but also had "some pretty" to it. So I started where I always start (etsy!) and found this lovely lady skeleton image at Antique Graphique.
A little lace, a touch of bling, some well-placed flowers and you have a special trick or treat bag for a special sorority sister.
I filled it with a mix of store bought and handmade items,
including this altered bingo card and little vintage Halloween tussie mussie.
I love how the witches hat turned out thanks to my favorite new black trim and feathered friend.
Fall cookie cutters,
some vintage trim, an altered carte de visite,
and a mini accordion book using images from Lisa's Altered Art.
Then I tucked in a little bit of this & a little bit of that for what I hope is a perfect treat bag!
My secret sister is fashionably late but I'll be sure to share when it arrives.

Random.org Has Spoken...

2011-10-16T17:14:00.006-04:00

,,,,,,And the winner of my Trick or Treat Domino Book is Wicked Faerie Queen
If you've never visited and you're a Halloween lover, this blog is a must! I know my little book will be right at home here.
Thanks so much to everyone who entered and left such kind comments. You warm my Halloween heart! Here are a couple treats I'd like to share with you.

Halloween Image Freebies

2011-10-13T12:14:00.003-04:00

Here's a couple of my favorites I thought you might like to add to your collections.

Enjoy!

No Tricks, ALL Treats!

2011-10-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

Now it's time to show off what I received in the Handmade Halloween Swap from my creative, talented friend, Kimberly of
ArtJoyStuff.The altered matchbox is a gift in itself, so hauntingly beautiful. And she made it so I can use it as a hanging ornament! All of these Halloween treasures are exquisitely handcrafted and now displayed throughout my home. Thank you again Kimberly!
If you enjoy one of a kind Halloween art you really need to take a look at what's being made and swapped in my flickr group.
Here's just a little taste....
Wonderful Witch Hat by Mercedes

Perfect Picks by Jean

A most awesome matchbox vignette by Anna

You may even be inspired to sign up for the Secret Santa Swap. There's plenty of time to put a festive holiday swap together and enjoy the countdown opening your tiny packages from December 1st until Christmas Day!

I have a couple of other treats to share, having been the lucky winner of two blog giveaways recently.
Sharon of Plumrose Lane has some of the most fabulous graphic designs. Her blog is loaded with tutorials and freebies, and her etsy offers a spectacular array of very reasonably priced designs. She also hosts a monthly giveaway and I was the winner for September! I haven't used my gift certificate yet but I think I'll be showing off a little Plumrose Lane for the holidays!

This adorable wall hanging
is a win from my new blog friend Cyn. I hope you'll stop by her place for a visit and check out her new announcement.

If you'd like to enter my Halloween Domino Book Giveaway, you can do that by leaving a comment HERE.
Back to the Halloween work table.......

Skulls, Rosettes, Polka Dots & Lace???

2011-10-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

Sounds funny doesn't it? But it worked!
It was so much fun. Days and days of creating. And now we're all in the process of swapping it out. Our Handmade Halloween swap challenge was to create a Halloween themed altered matchbox and at least 4 other handcrafted items that did or didn't fit inside the matchbox.

Here's what I made for my partner, Kimberly, of ArtJoyStuff.
I used scrapbook paper to cover the box and embellished the edges with dresden trim. The focal point is a pretty coordinating rosette covered with little paper rosettes,a skull and a handstamped message scroll. I found that wonderful skeleton ribbon at Michael's.
Isn't this the yummiest gathered lace with beads and rosettes?

I also sent her a domino book

a little gothic arch book

a paper doll made on a pack of pumpkin seeds

an altered, handstamped cartes de visite

a festive altered skelly (yes, his parasol really does open!)

and other assorted tags, cards and goodies.

If you'd like to see what other group members have created visit our flickr group. The next swap for December is already posted. Ho, ho, ho, I think we'll have a lot of Santa's joining in on this one! Maybe YOU?

If you haven't entered my Trick or Treat Domino Book Giveaway, you can do that HERE.

I'm linked with French Cupboard's Handmade Harvest Party.

A Domino Book Gift & A Domino Book Giveaway

2011-09-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

Look what I received from Kim of
Tabby's Place!
We did a domino book swap in our VPI yahoo group and this stunning book with all these wonderful witches is mine!Thank you Kim for this very special Halloween gift!

When you receive something this awesome, it's only fair to give something away, so...

If you'd like a chance to win my little domino book, please leave a comment under this post. If you're a follower, you get a second chance and if you grab the giveaway button and link it back to me, you'll get two more chances.
The winner will be announced October 15th.
Happy Halloween luck to all!

Meet Curious & Curiouser

2011-09-24T14:54:00.000-04:00

curiosities: an object that arouses interest, as by being novel or extraordinary For Cassie and Laurie, my partners in
Speckled Egg's Petite Inspiration Matchbox Swap: Curiosities Edition.

The Owl and The Pierrot

2011-09-21T12:00:00.003-04:00

Some Halloween ATC's for an upcoming swap

Playing With Dominoes Again

2011-09-15T13:10:00.015-04:00

These are too much fun! This one is for a swap in my
VPI Yahoo group.

The images I used are from the talented artists of Steam-Dust Studios, Itkupilli and Land of Enchantment.

Getting A Little Gothic

2011-09-12T09:55:00.000-04:00

I've been working on Halloween for the many swaps I've committed to and wanted to share these gothic tags I just finished. The scalloped trim and fabric bats provided the perfect finishing touch.

Many swaps are closed but one that's still open is hosted by Debi at the Bloggerette Sorority.
Now I KNOW I have probably a couple hundred sorority sisters out there and hopefully many more who would like to join us. If you haven't signed up to swap yet, what are you waiting for? Something is a-brewing........

2011-09-11T10:12:00.001-04:00

Let this 10 year anniversary be a reminder to live each day of our lives treating each other with warmth, generosity and kindness.
Peace.

Can The Moon Predict The Future?

2011-09-03T22:04:00.005-04:00

My Papa Moon can! He's predicting an awesome
Handmade Halloween swap in my flickr matchbox group.
What's that? He's also predicting that swap partners have been assigned and they are right HERE!

Not All Witches Are Warty...

2011-08-27T16:52:00.005-04:00

Isn't she pretty? Fully articulated, she folds unto the standard size atc she's mounted on.
Just a little more inspiration for the upcoming Handmade Halloween swap in our flickr group. Only a few more days to join us, won't you?

Let's Play Halloween Dominoes!

2011-08-21T19:24:00.009-04:00

Inspired by my super talented friend, Laura, of Artfully Musing, I used her tutorial to create a vintage Halloween domino book.
Laura's tutorial (her's is a STUNNING Marie book) is HERE.
Wouldn't this be wonderful to tuck inside an altered matchbox for the
Handmade Halloween swap?

Revisiting Grandma's Attic

2011-08-14T14:45:00.009-04:00

There's nothing better than getting that perfect package from a swap partner. You KNOW when someone has taken time and given thought to creating something extra special for you.Lorraine of Over the Rainebeau did just that in our recent Grandma's Attic Matchbox Swap. Her box was a gift in itself and stuffed to the brim with a wonderful assortment of vintage goodies. Thank you Lorraine!

I nabbed a couple other photos of some special Grandma's Attic boxes in our flickr group.. Created by Michele, of Something Special

Created by Lynn, of Trash to Treasure Art.

Our next swap, Handmade Halloween, is open for sign-ups through the end of the month. You can check it out right HERE.

Any Halloween Lovers Out There?

2011-08-07T14:05:00.000-04:00

I thought so!
This swap is for the Halloween lover and creator of Halloween art. In addition to altering a large matchbox, you will fill it with handmade items (plus a few store bought for filler).
Make a paper doll
Or maybe some microscope slide art
ATC's are always fun
So are ATC dolls!
Perhaps a festive domino pendant?
Tags are great, in sets
or alone
Swap details are all in my flickr group. If you're not a member already it's easy to become one. Those details are right HERE or you can get there by clicking on the button at the top of the sidebar.

Wishing everyone a wickedly wonderful time!

"Grandma's Attic" is Full of Treasures

2011-08-04T10:51:00.009-04:00

By looking at the first pictures posted in my flickr swap group for the Grandma's Attic swap, I can see that a lot of us are old souls.
There are some stunning designs and lots and lots of vintage treasures being shared. If you'd like to take a peek, click HERE.

For my partner Gerri The box is covered with vintage inspired newspaper ads. I then layered a vintage doily, textiles and lace. I dug through my cartes de visites (those are the antique photos that are a smaller, chunkier version of a cabinet card) collection and found that sweet "grandma when she was a little girl" photo to grace the top of the box. I finished it off with some amazing beaded trim and a piece of jewelry I recently picked up at an estate sale.

Tucked inside the box is a stash of Grandma's goodies!
I'll share other swappers pics when more are posted. Stay tuned for the next swap announcement very soon.......

One Woman's Trash is Another's Treasure

2011-07-25T11:33:00.009-04:00

I haven't participated in a White Wednesday for a while now but this past weeks garage sale finds were certainly motivation to do so. The woman's bust, vintage pearls with rhinestone clasp and that glorious birdcage cost a mere $7. (Weekend junkin' is the best hobby ever!)

I'm linked to Kathleen's Faded Charm where you'll find hundreds of dreamy whites.

The Generous Spirit of Bloggers

2011-07-24T19:39:00.014-04:00

We are kindred spirits, the artsy bloggers. We share techniques, inspire different styles and offer words of encouragement. We also host the best giveaways!
I've been very fortunate to win two this past week.
Cindy, of Lilly's Lace, is one of my newer blog friends. Her Vintage Wedding Giveaway took my breath away. I opened
this box, to find

all of this gorgeous vintage wonderfulness!!!! And-
she included these adorable dragonfly tealights that change colors!

The other giveaway I happily won was for this beautifully altered faery shoe
created by my dear and most talented friend, Kim, of Tabby's Place. Kim and I had swapped art in various groups for many years before meeting up again in blogland. Isn't her shoe an incredibly magical piece?
And she sent all this along with it!

We recently had an email exchange about how we both love the Magnolia Pearl style. What else is tucked away in this fabulous package? This STUNNING Magnolia Pearl shug! (You really need to forgive my photography skills on this one. Just couldn't capture it no matter how I tried.)

My heartfelt thanks to Cindy and Kim for these lovely gifts!

A Frock Fit For a Faerie

2011-07-17T19:46:00.005-04:00

No, it doesn't match the faerie shoe in the previous post. That shoe is for attending a faerie ball. This frock is designed for some garden or woodland faerie fun!
Outside of box

Inside cover

The Faerie Frock

All the flower images, including the frock top, and background image are Paper Whimsy. This frock-in-a-box will soon be on it's way to my PW swap partner, Heather. I hope she likes it!

A Shoe For An Elegant Faerie

2011-07-12T11:23:00.011-04:00

Upon finishing my tags for the Birdsong Swap I realized I wasn't finished working with black/cream/white. It was an easy transition to the Faerie Shoe Swap that Wendy is hosting over at Bliss Angels.
What faerie doesn't like to play dress up once in awhile?

I think my faerie may be French!

Vintage Patriotic Freebies For You

2011-07-04T02:08:00.004-04:00

Wishing all my US friends
a very happy & safe 4th!

The Sweet Song of Birds

2011-07-01T11:12:00.007-04:00

I was so happy to be part of Karla's Birdsong Tag Book Swap over at
Karla's Cottage. I recently purchased an image from an etsy seller that I've been wanting to use and it was perfect for these tags.
You probably need to enlarge the photo to see the beautiful detail of the image. I printed it on fabric and used white jute trim to mount on, finishing them with a pearl centered mulberry paper flower.
We're all sending in 7 tags and getting 7 back in a book with covers made by Karla. I can't wait to see this book and will be sure to share it with all of you when it arrives!

A Wonderfully Whimsical Village

2011-06-26T14:11:00.009-04:00

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.

I Promised BIG and Old

2011-06-19T10:35:00.011-04:00

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...

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

2011-06-07T07:35:00.020-04:00

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......

A REAL Treasure

2011-06-01T19:15:00.001-04:00

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.

Houses a la Whimsy

2011-05-28T11:13:00.007-04:00

In our Paper Whimsy group we are making and swapping houses in various color palettes. I opted for the neutrals...We're in groups of four and each of us chose one of four templates so the houses are different shapes. When the swap is complete we'll have a lovely little village. Of course I'll share my village with you!
The back of my houses...
I am one of the unfortunate bloggers with the inability to leave comments on others blogs. (I certainly hope this issue is resolved soon.) In the meantime, know that I'm still visiting, oohing and aahhing all the way.
Wishing you a happy and safe Memorial Day. Please take a moment or two to thank a veteran or a veteran's family.

Let the Swapping Begin!

2011-05-21T12:04:00.008-04:00

The partners have been announced and the swapping will soon commence in my flickr Altered Matchbox Swap Group.
Our theme this time round is Treasures of the Sea. Using one of the small 32 count matchboxes, the challenge was to decorate a sea-themed box and either stuff it full of sea-themed goodies or create a vignette or shrine interior.I decoupaged layers of torn tissue paper in shades of blue and green for the base of the box, then added fibers, micro beads, glitter, a real starfish, glass baubles and a copper seahorse charm. The drawer pull is a vintage starfish button that I found at an estate sale.
I opted tor a vignette and designed the interior similarly adding some little seashells I collected on the beach in Key West.
I thought this was the perfect habitat for the removable teeny tiny mermaid doll I made. Like any respectable mermaid, she carries an iridescent sceptor and travels with her seahorse pal.
Treasures of the Sea is closed but a new swap will be announced on my blog sometime in June. Everyone in the US and Canada (sorry, purely economic) is welcome to join in on any swap. It's a great creative outlet, you're guaranteed to make new friends and you will collect some beautiful little pieces of art!
I'll be sure to share other members Treasures of the Sea creations in upcoming posts. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.....

Love Birds? Tag Art? Swapping?

2011-05-15T15:23:00.002-04:00

Then you must visit Karla's Cottage and be part of what's certain to be an amazing project!
Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

Featured Things With Wings Artists & Some Spring Inspiration

2011-05-06T12:57:00.033-04:00

Altering matchboxes in different themes is such a fun challenge that I recently started a flickr group to host swaps. Many of the participants upload photos of their creations to the group. I thought it would be nice to feature a couple from each swap here on my blog.
Our Things With Wings challenge was to create a box and fill it with goodies all related to anything winged.
Lorraine, of Over The Rainbeau created this sweet box

and Les, of Harmony Road Studio thrilled her partner with this beauty.

Our current swap is Treasures of the Sea. Participants can either fill their boxes with tiny sea treasures or create a vignette inside the box. Sign-ups for this swap are through May 15th. If you'd like to join us, the link to the flickr group is at the top of the sidebar.

In Heather's (Speckled Egg) Spring Inspiration Swap we exchanged the larger matchboxes.
From Samantha....

And from Jeannie of I Craft....

For my wonderful swap partners...

Wishing you all a happy and blessed Mother's Day!

I'm linked with Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound.

Pop In for a Pop Up Card

2011-05-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

The merry month of May....time for graduations, weddings, Mother's Day. The month of giving greeting cards and a perfect time to spotlight a talented cardmaking artist!
Diane of 1 Card Creator is sharing a Pop Up Card tutorial for May's edition of Tutorial Tuesday.
You can use any image you want, I used Websters digital papers, that made it easy to print the hot air balloons in various sizes. You can use any object as long as you can print or stamp it in various sizes. I first put the outside of the card together and set it aside. You will be working with 2 cards, an inside and an outside card.If you have a scoring board, score 3 lines on the inside card 1 at center and then 3/4" to the left and 3/4" right of center.Without a scoring board, fold your card in half, measure 3/4" from the fold and draw a line with a ruler, turn it over and do the same on the other side.I then use a Word Window punch (Stampin Up) to cut 2 slots in the folded edge using the score or pencil line to keep them even. The punch can be positioned as deep as it will go or if scissor cutting measure 1 1/2" from top and bottom respectively. (This is a 5 x 7 card but the same measurements work for any size card.)Score the line between the 2 slots on both sides so you can fold it inside.
At this point you want to dry fit your outer and inner card together making sure there is no overhang, the inner card needs to be slightly smaller.Then tape the 2 cards together. If you look closely you will see where I used the tape, I tape it together 1 side at a time.I took this picture after I had placed a few on the card already, I can't give you an amount to cut, I always end up with left overs.The first few objects are your anchors, they should be the largest because they will have to hold a lot of weight, they are placed on the pop up fold and need to be folded like this. I use ultra strength Zots to attach these to the pop up fold.From these anchors you can just keep on building out, attaching one more up or down, behind or in front of, let your creative eye take over here. You can attach these with Zots or strong dimensional foam making sure that the sticky stays in contact with only the 2 pieces you are attaching. (otherwise your card will stick together when it's closed) Also make sure the card will close without anything sticking out.I will have some of my older pop up cards on my blog today so you can get an idea of what objects can be used.

I hope you'll visit Diane and browse through her blog of wonderful cards and other paper delights. She truly is the #1 card creator! And she did an outstanding job with this tutorial. Pop up cards seemed like they would be insanely complicated to make, but Diane really took the mystery out of the process.
I also hope you're enjoying the diverse array of tutorials and new artists featured here. If you have something to share, I'd love to feature you on an upcoming Tutorial Tuesday!

Spring Friends Collage

2011-04-28T13:27:00.009-04:00

I'd like to share this collaged postcard I made for Dawn in our Paper Whimsy group. The theme is Spring Friends.
This is Emma. She loves Spring. An only child, she enjoys swinging in the garden and visiting with friends, real and imaginary....

Emma's dress is embellished with antique lace and tiny beads. Images are Paper Whimsy and Land of Enchantment.

A Blissfully Wand-erful Swap

2011-04-25T18:51:00.011-04:00

Wendy, of Bliss Angels, hosted a Spring Wand Swap that provided a bit of spring fun and magic for all of us lucky fairy girls. After receiving our fairy names (you can find your own at The Original Fairy Name Generator site) the wand making commenced.
My fairy friend was Gossamer Corndancer, aka, Amy of
Ruby Moon Art.
Isn't this a wonderful piece of creative whimsy? A wooden spoon all decked out in buttons, satin ribbons, ruffled crepe, lace and a sprinkle of glitter.
I, Bindweed Rainbowfilter, in turn wanted to make a wand fit for a Spring Fairy Queen.
Using a chopstick that I gold-leafed, I attached some white feathered wings and an embellished frozen charlotte wearing a jeweled crown. Hanging as the backdrop was shabby, sheer ribbon adorned with topaz crystals and strands of chunky gold stones. The wand top was finished with a transparent berry bead and pearl stickpin.

Thanks Wendy, or should I say Petal Elfweb, for a magical and most unique swap experience!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:43:00.002-04:00

Friday Easter Bunny Freebie

2011-04-15T11:49:00.002-04:00

This working full-time stuff is really cutting into my creating and blogging time! Just wanted to pop in and wish you all a happy weekend and share another sweet vintage Easter image...

New Reveals & New Swap Announcement

2011-04-09T11:37:00.017-04:00

There are some really great altered matchboxes being posted in my new flickr swap group. You can visit by clicking on the sidebar image, announcing the next swap, Treasures of the Sea.Imagine the possibilities!!!
This group is open to all US and Canadian swappers (sorry, it's a cost of postage barrier). Join us and give it a try. They're small, fun and very addictive!

The super talented Lynn, of
Trash to Treasure Art,
was my more than generous partner in our current Things With Wings swap.Isn't that a stunning box? I can't believe the amount of goodies she managed to cram in there. And the tag and butterfly were unexpected extra-special gifts!

Jeanie, of All My Art was the winner of my blogiversary giveaway and I can now reveal what she won. This is one of the large matchboxes that I covered in burlap. It's kind of an interesting display. I didn't know where it was going when I started but it kind of came together nicely. Lots of ribbons and trims, glass beads, metal beads, tulle, real bird feathers, a vintage miniature nest and bird, even a stick.. a little jute fringe trim on the sides, and hopefully lots of things Jeanie will have fun with...

Oooh La La, It's Time for a Tutorial

2011-04-04T10:19:00.008-04:00

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday! My guest artist for April is papercrafter and scrapbooker extraordinaire, Sandi, of Maximum Embellishment. With the "all things French" theme popping up everywhere, Sandi's French Memo Board Layout is timely and tres magnifique!

This is the perfect solution for a second page in a two page vintage or heritage layout - use those small photos which don’t make a page all in themselves but go along with your subject matter, for displaying and storing related ephemera.

Supplies:
1 12x12” Bon Marche – Graphic 45 Fashionista Line
1 6x12” navy blue cardstock
2 yards ½” navy blue ribbon/vintage seam binding
4 regular size navy brads 9 mini size navy brads
Navy ink
¼” double-sided tape - this is important, nothing works as well adhering ribbon or fabric to paper.
Zip Dry glue - this is one of the best glues to use paper to paper, it won’t cause your paper to warp and like the name it is quick.
Craft knife and a sharp “hole poker” to use on the ribbon.
Work with a good ruler and preferably on a self-healing rotary mat.
Directions:
A. Ink the Bon Marche paper on all four edges.
B. Laying the 12x12 paper flat, adhere a small piece of double-sided tape (DST) along the top left and bottom right sides. (No need to take off the top paper until you are ready to adhere the ribbon.) Center the ribbon into the top left corner diagonally and run it down to the bottom right corner.
Don’t make it too tight but don’t leave any ease. Do the same thing from the opposite corners. You will have a large X.
This is where working on a rotary mat is helpful.
Adhere a piece of DST along all edges at 6”. Run the ribbon from the 6” point on the left side to the bottom middle. Keep turning the paper and do this on the remaining three sides. As you move along the ribbons will cross at the 6” mark.
C. Cut four ½ x 12” strips from the navy cardstock for the frame. Adhere the first strip across the top of your page and the remaining strips one after another, trimming the edges to fit with a craft knife.
D. Using a sharp poker to make holes first insert the mini brads at each crisscross and the regular brads into each corner.

If you would like to tell Sandi Merci for sharing this, pop over to Maximum Embellishment. Sandi's blog is fun to poke through and you'll want to enter her RAK giveaway while you're there.

Some Sunday Easter Image Freebies

2011-04-03T13:53:00.006-04:00

Please stop back to meet this Tuesday's guest artist on Tutorial Tuesday!

It's My One Year Blogiversary Today!

2011-03-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

Little did I know 1 year ago today, what a gratifying, inspirational, heartwarming and important role blogging would play in my life. I don't share much of my personal life on my blog, though I have with a few of you I've become especially close to. Therefore it may be difficult to understand why I hold each of you so dear in my heart and thoughts.
The past couple years of my life have been challenging, having suffered great personal loss and having to face many new, often frightening challenges. But you, my dear blog friends were always there with a cheerful or supportive word.
You've shared your creativity and talents. Some of you made me laugh so hard I cried. Some shared their personal trials and problems helping me to remember we all have sorrow in our lives at times. You've all given me a sense of community, a place where I feel I belong.
So thank you for this past year. I've enjoyed the artistic challenges, the many swaps, the fabulous giveaways, and most of all, the friendship. Where else in the world could I have made 372 friends in one year!!!!
Thank you for celebrating my blogiversary with me. Random.org has decided my friend Jeanie, of All My Art
is the winner of my blogiversary giveaway.
Congratulations Jeanie! As soon as I finish stuffing that matchbox full of goodies, I'll be sending it your way.
For everyone else, I'm sending a little more Easter love your way...

Giveaway, Swap Updates & The First of the Easter Image Freebies

2011-03-26T10:48:00.004-04:00

Happy Weekend Everyone! There are 14 of us in the first altered matchbox swap, Things With Wings. I'll be sending a partner list via email later today or tomorrow. I can't wait to see what everyone has come up with!
My 1 year blogiversary is Monday and there's still time to enter the giveaway. Simply comment under the next post down. I'm working on gathering and creating the mystery box prize this weekend and will announce the winner on Monday.
Even though there is still snow on the ground here (ugh!), my thoughts are turning to Easter. So I'll leave you today with one of my favorite vintage images.

Matchboxmania, Blogiversary Giveaway & A New Swap

2011-03-19T10:06:00.033-04:00

Now that I've settled into the new job a bit and have some weekend time to enjoy, I'd like to catch you up on all the matchbox swapping that's been going on. I participated in another of Heather's swaps at Speckled Egg. This was the Flea Market Edition and as always, so much fun.
This lovely box was from my partner Marian. Marian is not a blogger, but what a great swap partner!
She spoiled me with lots of goodies outside the box as well.

Rhea, of Miss Rhea's Sweet N Shabby Roses created this gorgeous box for me.
It was packed full of all sorts of wonderful treasures
in and outside the box.

My box for Marian,

and for Rhea.

In February the Matchbox Swap group on Flickr did a romance themed swap and my partner Jen from Australia sent me this little package of sweetness.

And this was for my partner, Les, in Canada.
In the flickr group we swapped the little matchboxes and Jen and I were both shocked when it cost $10 for her to mail that tiny, lightweight package to me. As much as I adore swapping with my international friends, it is certainly not within my budget to do so on a regular basis.
So for all my US and Canadian friends interested in swapping these little gems, I'd like to host....
With spring upon us, winged creatures seems like a perfect theme. Butterflies, birds, bees, fairies, dragonflies, angels - really anything you'd like to give wings to!
We'll make it very simple.
Email me with your name, mailing address, blog url and email. Please put "Matchbox Swap" in the subject line.
Alter one SMALL (32 count) matchbox. I buy mine at Dollar Tree, 10 in a package for $1. Fill it with winged and spring things-be creative!
I'll email you an invite to join the swap flickr group where you can post pics of your creations, http://www.flickr.com/groups/vintagedragonfly/, and where I'll post a partner list.
Mail out to your partner by April 15th.
This is a quick, inexpensive but really fun way to swap. I hope you'll join in.

On to the giveaway announcement - my one year blogiversary is the 28th of this month!
Could there be a better time for a giveaway?
I'm going to alter one of the BIG matchboxes and cram it full of surprises for the lucky winner.
To enter once, leave a comment after this post.
Twice, let me know you're a friend (aka follower).
Three times, grab my giveaway button and link it back to this post.
These entries don't need to be in separate comments.
MY GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS WORLDWIDE. THIS IS ONE BIG OLD MATCHBOX READY TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!
The swap, for solely economic reasons, is open to anyone in the US and Canada.
I'll announce the winner on my blogiversary, March 28th.
Good luck to everyone!

St. Patty's Day Pretty Image Freebie

2011-03-15T21:52:00.003-04:00

I haven't been around much lately but you all have been in my thoughts. I started a new FULL-TIME job this week (haven't worked full-time in several years) and I returned to nursing (a profession I left a decade ago), so needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED!!!!!!
Hope to get a nice, long, artsy post going this weekend but in the meantime,,,,

Now We're Talking Spring!

2011-03-07T16:05:00.025-05:00

I just wrapped up my first ever blog swap, and what a fabulous swap it turned out to be. A couple of the people who signed up were old blog buddies but for the most part the participants were people I'd never met.
It couldn't have been a nicer experience. What a lovely and talented group of women! Everyone contributed 10 altered shipping tags - the only criteria being they made you think spring. As the hostess I made the covers, bound them and shipped them back.
Meet my new tag buddies..

Patty Provance
Sweet and Sassy Scrapper

Amy Pytlik
Ruby Moon Art

Jennie Barnes
The Pretty Pekingnese

Wendy Aspinall
Bliss Angels

Nancy Wethington
Art From The Heart

Michele Murray
Nook and Cranny

Jo West
My Paper Playhouse

Paula Williams
Paula doesn't have a blog

Jen Phillips
On A Journey Through Journaling...

And my tags

These are the covers I made using an image from Karen at
The Graphics Fairy I uploaded the image to Picnik to add the title, then collaged some toadstools, fairy kids, bunnies and eggbaskets (courtesy of Lisa's Altered Art) and embellished with flowers, fabric stems, butterflies and bling.

What a scrumptious, fat book loaded with paper, lace and fabric....
bound with a single binding ring covered with loads of ribbon...

all ready to be packed and shipped to my Thinking Spring friends

Thanks to all of the ladies for a most happy collabortive. I was binding them on a wintry northeast day, but was REALLY thinking spring!

I've linked to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy. Many thanks to Karen for all the beautiful images that contributed to our tag book, including the blog button and thank you tag (attached to book).

Ideas are already swirling round my head for the next blog swap. Stay tuned.

The One World One Heart Gods Have Smiled Upon Me

2011-03-04T17:23:00.002-05:00

And I mean smiled upon me BIG TIME!!!! What a fabulous event,and this being my first year as a blogger, was the only time I participated. I met so many wonderful people, explored new and exciting art forms, overdosed on some amazing blog candy and genuinely had a great time connecting with people all over the world that I otherwise would never have had the opportunity to meet.
Now to be blessed with all these OWOH giveaway treasures just puts the entire experience over the top.

Opening this package took my breath away! This extraordinary pixie babe is created and sculpted by Rosanna, of
Rosanna's Art. The attention to detail is incredible. She is very, very special. If you appreciate doll artistry and fantasy art, you have to visit Rosanna. She's also very special.

I'm a huge fan of whimsy and was so happy to receive Elizabeth's email saying I won her moleskine journal.Elizabeth is a mixed media artist who specializes in animal portraiture. You can see more of her wonderfully whimsical creations at
Wind and Honey.

Jill, of Untie The Ribbons is the talented folk artist behind this mixed media shadowbox entitled Soul.I was drawn to it's unique and quirky look and it fits perfectly in my sunroom decor.

Fortunate enough to win another doll? Unbelievably yes! This was a mystery doll so it was with Christmas morning-like anticipation that I opened the package. I call her my haunting beauty though she really has no name. When you visit
Shauna Henry Original Art Dolls you can read the tale Shauna wove for her creation.

This heart makes me smile! This charming mixed media piece was made by Melissa, of Honey Girl Studio. If you're a fan of mixed media and digital art you are going to love her blog.

Another blog you'll adore is Kersten's Altered Gypsy. Her polymer clay shrine is simply stunning. Be sure to check out her altered books, 4x4's and postcard art. Her talents are extensive.

Deb, of Mosaic Magpie touched my heart with her sweet fabric heart.Deb's husband was critically ill in ICU most of February and she still managed to package and send my very pretty giveaway gift. I'm happy to say Deb's post yesterday reported her husband was home and on the mend.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each of these talented artists and wonderful people for sharing their OWOH creations with me. Each gift has a special place in my home offering me a daily reminder that blog friends are the best friends.

After my OWOH hangover wore off I visited my friend Jill's blog. Jill was celebrating her 1 year blogiversary at Bucks County Folk Art with a mystery envelope giveaway, and you guessed it. I won! An envelope full of papers, ephemera, stickers, lace and all kinds of assorted goodies.
Treat yourself to Jill's adorable Easter/Spring creations she just posted.

Believe me when I tell you I was one of those people who never won anything. I guess it was catch-up time-lol!

It's Tutorial Tuesday and Giveaway Time

2011-03-01T07:48:00.002-05:00

March's Tutorial comes to us from from one of my new blog friends,
Linda, of Random Creativity.
I visited Linda during One World One Heart and commented on a tutorial she offered on her blog and invited her to visit here and check out Tutorial Tuesdays. Fortunately for all of us, she was interested in sharing it......
Grungy Copper Ornament
Gather tools:
Light Weight Copper (cut to desired size)
Stencil
Bone Folder/Burnisher
Stylus
Decorative Edge Scissors
Ruler
Adirondack Alcohol Inks
Alcohol Ink Blending Solution
Felt Blending Tool

Trim the copper sheet to desired size. Cut the copper with a tin snip or old scissors. (Take care, the edges of the copper can be sharp.)
Flatten and smooth copper surface.
Tape the copper piece securely to a padded work surface.
Tape the stencil securely to the copper sheet.
Emboss copper using the stylus to trace around the edges of the stencil pattern.
Trim the edges of the copper with a decorative scissor edger.
They will cut through light weight copper.
Emboss a line down the long sides the copper sheet using a ruler and the stylus.
Draw a row or two of squiggly lines, repeating the pattern of the edger scissors on the ends.
Drop tiny puddles of the alcohol inks on the copper. Use several different ink colors and a metallic mixative.
Spray the ink drops with alcohol blending solution.
Blend the inks and solution until you achieve the desired effect.
Attach the finished copper ornament to your project with your favorite glue or tacks.
Tip: Use trims, Stickles or glitter glue to cover the sharp edges of the copper ornament.
Isn't this an awesome tutorial? It's not difficult and think of all the embellishments, book covers for altered books, pieces for assemblages (and the list goes on), you can make using this technique.
Look at this gorgeous copper tag!!!Visit Random Creativity now and enter to win it!
Many thanks to Linda for this very unique tutorial. April's guest artist will be sharing sugar beads with us. I know I'm intrigued...
I'd be happy to feature you and your technique or project on an upcoming Tutorial Tuesday. All it takes is your idea and an email!

Yet Another Petite Inspiration Box Swap

2011-02-19T19:49:00.009-05:00

Heather, of Speckled Egg, hosts these addictive Petite Inspiration Box Swaps. This is the third I've participated in. Each time there is a theme and what could be more fun than "Flea Market"!
These are the boxes I sent my swap partners, Rhea and Marian...I covered them in burlap and embellished with vintage seam binding and shabby flowers with vintage pearl centers....
and stuffed each one... with all the vintage flea market finds they would hold!
Stay tuned for my returns....

If anyone would like to give altering and swapping matchboxes a try, consider joining the Flickr Monthly Matchbox Swap Group.
I recently joined and they're a very friendly, welcoming group. A new theme is announced each month and trades are one on one.
Stop by and look around. Maybe I'll be swapping matchboxes with you next time around!

One World One Heart

2011-02-17T14:45:00.011-05:00

Congratulations to
Jenn, of Just Jenn Designz.
She won my tea stained heart.And also to Martina, of Stempel-Gewerkel, who won the miniature print of "Heart of a Fairy".I am so happy to have participated in One World One Heart. It truly was a most amazing journey, meeting artists from all over the world. Many thanks to all my visitors, and again to Lisa, of A Whimsical Bohemian, for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T19:54:00.003-05:00

With Love... to each and every one of you....
Thank you for enriching my life, inspiring me daily and sharing your passions and friendship.
There's no better day than today to tell you how very special you are to me.
xoxox
JoAnne

Blissful Valentine ATC's

2011-02-12T10:09:00.010-05:00

This was my first time participating in my dear friend Wendy's monthly swap at Blissful ATC Swap. The theme for February was, of course, Love. I received this blingy beauty from my partner, Sonya. I love that the word cherish is the focal point of this wonderful collage.

I went vintage with my card for Sonya and trimmed it up with some very old, delicate lace and teeny tiny pink pearls. And that is a dimensional pretty pink paper rose he's giving to his lady love.

No Tutorial But More Valentine Image Freebies

2011-02-08T16:46:00.008-05:00

I know, it's an outrage! It's Tutorial Tuesday - and no tutorial! The truth is no one has come forward to offer any since that first group (Thank you Mrs. A., Daniele, Sherry, Wendy and Angela) all stepped up so quickly to share. The feedback was all very positive so I'm hoping to be able to continue offering tutorials, but thought maybe it would be more manageable and apt to happen if I went with the first Tuesday of every month.
So Tuesday, March 1st is up for grabs! It can be absolutely anything - a simple technique or a complete project from A to Z. It's not only fun to share a skill or talent but it invites new friends to your blog. You never know who's peeking at your tutorial. I had an artist who publishes an e-zine contact me regarding the reprint rights for Daniele's bottlecap tutorial. I put them in touch with each other and Daniele will now be published!
I did shamelessly bribe you with more valentines in lieu of a tutorial.....

Enjoy!

A Pink Saturday Valentine

2011-02-05T14:10:00.014-05:00

What better time to jump in on Pink Saturday than February, with Valentine's Day right around the corner?
I recently joined a new Flickr group, Matchbox Monthly Swap. This month's theme is appropriately, romance. Nothing says romance like pink... pink tulle.. pink pearls..
pink fabric flower.......and pink crocheted trim.
To see all kinds of pretty pink posts, visit Beverly, our Pink Saturday hostess, at How Sweet The Sound.

If you would like some vintage Valentine freebies, click HERE.
If you would like to enter my One World One Heart giveaway, click HERE.

Some Valentine Images For You

2011-02-04T16:20:00.009-05:00

Just a few of my Valentine faves I'd like to share......

Have fun with these!
If you haven't entered my One World One Heart Giveaway, click HERE and leave me a comment. The winners will be chosen February 17th.

It's Time for a Tutorial & Giveaway

2011-02-01T07:49:00.000-05:00

I first met Angela, of Sew Loquacious through the Bloggerette Sorority, and through our frequent visits to each others blogs, my sorority sister and I soon became friends. (It's wonderful how that happens in blogland!) She's an amazing seamstress, and as evidenced by this tutorial, an amazing mixed media artist as well. It's actually a tutorial within a tutorial, so if you have mad sewing skills like Angela (and soooooo unlike me), you may be tempted to skim. Just don't miss the image transfer technique embedded within. You'll love it! It can be applied to many different types of projects.
With many thanks, I present Angela's Journal Jacket tutorial.

I call them, "Journal Jackets." They are actually book covers, or jackets. You can use them to cover one of the Twilight books you are reading in order to avoid the weird looks by coworkers in the break room. Or, you can actually cover that journal you bought for $3.00 because it has a picture of a too cute cuddly kitten on the front. Whatever you decide to cover, here is my quick tutorial for making your very own "Journal Jacket."
Necessities
Outside fabric (the main cover); I used a decorator weight patterned piece.
Rectangular fabric scrap for "title." I used an off-white silk-like fabric because it seems to distort the stamps/fabric ink the least. NOTE: The fabric really isn't silk, but I'm not sure what it is exactly. I will refer to it as "silk" throughout the tutorial.
Fabric scraps for the image transfers.
Sewing machine and coordinating thread
Gel medium and other image transfer supplies, including images
A book or journal to cover
Measurements
First, you'll have to do some measuring. Just between you and me, I suck at taking measurements. Yes, it's true, even though my first love is sewing, I am TERRIBLE with my ruler! So, I tend to eyeball things a lot. For your journal jacket, however, just set your open book on a piece of paper and draw around it with a pencil. Now, you'll just need to add enough to each side to make the inside flaps, which holds the fabric onto the book. You'll also have to add enough to the length (and width) for the seam allowance. I use about a half an inch all around for the seam allowance. I added about 3 inches (total, including for the seam allowance) for each inside flap and about 1 inch at the top and bottom. Remember, you want to be able to get your journal inside the cover, but you also want the cover snug enough to hold the book.
NOTE: If the book you are covering has a paper jacket, use it to begin your measurements..just add a couple inches to the width for the flaps and seam allowances. Don't forget to add an inch or so for the length, too.

I usually give myself a little more wiggle room.

Image Transfers
Now that I have a pretty good idea the total size of the jacket, I can "close" it and figure out how much space I will have to embellish the front cover. For this particular jacket, I decided to use three of my favorite vintage photos. I gathered my image transfer stuff and got busy.

I'm still a beginner at this image transfer process so I've been experimenting with different methods. I've found the most success using transparencies. For this project, I printed the three images onto one full sheet of clear mailing labels. Sidenote: transparencies are expensive. I've tried to get as many images onto one sheet as possible in order to not waste an entire sheet for one photo.
Okay, back to the tutorial. Cut out each image and transfer to scraps of off white silk fabric.

Allow the transfers to dry completely. Next, I decided to jazz up the images by hand coloring or enhancing them with fabric markers and pastels. Adding color to the black and white images reminds me of vintage photos that have been hand colored. I really love the look!

If you don't want to color the images, don't! There really aren't any rules here! If you do add color, be sure to set the colors with your iron. A good idea is to place a piece of tissue paper on top of the image while ironing and don't slide the iron around as this can smudge the ink. Once the images are dry, distress with distressing ink if desired. I desired, so I did.
Placement
Separate each image by cutting them out of the fabric. Place each image onto your silk front cover rectangle. Determine the best placement.

Note that the silk rectangle is resting on top of the outside fabric. I frequently check on placement and size before actually sewing things together. I know, maybe if I measured better, I wouldn't have to do this so often. Once you are happy with placement, sew each image to the rectangle.

Embellishments
Now it's time to embellish your silk-like rectangle even more. I kept it fairly simple and decided to adhere a fabric flower and button to the top and then stamped "My Story My Life" with alphabet stamps.

I used a scrap of the outside fabric to make the flower and then just sewed a button into the middle of it. Next, just sew the button onto the rectangle. Easy peasy.
Secure Rectangle, Sew Hems and Finish
Now, secure your rectangle to the outside cover fabric. Using your book as a guide, double and triple check your placement before sewing.

Now measure (or eyeball) again, iron and then sew a double hem on the top and bottom of the outside fabric.

Now for the moment of truth...sew your double hem on the inside flap and then sew the flaps down. These are the "pockets" that hold the book cover and back.
Voila! Your own super cute...and personalized...Journal Jacket!
I hope you liked this tutorial. If you have any questions..or I failed to be clear on something, please do not hesitate to email me! If you decide to sew one of your own, please let me know! I'd love to see them!
Thanks so much to JoAnne for asking me to write a tutorial for her Tutorial Tuesday! I am very humbled to be a part of her lovely blog and am forever grateful for her invitation.
Toodles!
Angela

Angela has made a very special journal jacket for a giveaway to celebrate being the featured artist on Tutorial Tuesday this week. It's theme is Sisterhood in honor of our Bloggerette Sorority and the undeniable bond we bloggers share. Visit Sew Loquacious now to enter!

If you're in the mood to enter TWO giveaways, scroll down to the next post and enter my One World One Heart giveaway.

ONE WORLD ONE HEART

2011-01-31T07:56:00.001-05:00

What a lovely concept. Think about those words. They remind me of one of my all time favorite songs - Imagine, by John Lennon.
It was an inspired name that Lisa, of A Whimsical Bohemian, came up with for this worldwide blogging event she created, now in it's fifth and final year.
Welcome to all my visitors, old friends and new alike. My name is JoAnne and I live in upstate NY in the United States. I'm an avid collector, dabbler, decorator (my own home only) and lover of the arts.
My blog features mostly things I make. Paper dolls, artist trading cards, collage, mixed media. I enjoy participating in collaboratives and swaps which are strewn throughout the blog. There are many Halloween and Christmas posts if you like seasonal art and decor. My archives are on the sidebar if you're interested in something in particular. If not, feel free to wander.
I also host Tutorial Tuesday, where I feature guest artist tutorials in any medium and any style.
As a thank you for visiting I am giving away two pieces I made.this tea stained fabric embellished heart, and

this mini mounted print of a paper collage piece, entitled
"Heart of a Fairy".

All you need to do to be entered is say hello or leave a comment after this post. The winners will be chosen via random.org and announced on February 17th.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed your visit to Vintage Dragonfly. Many thanks to Lisa, all the bloggers worldwide, and to you, my guest.
The links to all One World One Heart participants can be found at
A Whimsical Bohemian.
Enjoy the party!

We Have A New Home!!!!

2011-01-29T12:49:00.006-05:00

The Bloggerette Sorority, founded by Karen (thanks so much Karen!) of Some Days Are Diamonds, is an online sorority for women who like to share with other women. We share stories, crafts, our homes, swaps. And we inspire and support each other with whatever it is we choose to share.
Karen has passed the torch on to our new "house mom", Debi, who has given us a new (and quite beautiful) home with our very own blog.
I hope all my sorority sisters will stop by and welcome Debi. Be sure to grab our new button while you're there.
If you're not in the Bloggerette Sorority, why not? It's a great way to meet new friends and a great time to join. I hear some Valentine fun will be announced February 4th.....

A Valentine Tutorial & Giveaway

2011-01-25T07:53:00.002-05:00

I feel a special kinship to today's featured artist, the wonderfully whimsical Wendy of Bliss Angels. Wendy is one of my very first blogging friends. We met as new bloggers, having started our journeys only days apart last March. She is a creative and versatile talent in addition to being a wonderful and supportive friend.
Today we're fortunate that she shares her heart (tutorial) with all of us.

Well hello and welcome to my Tuesday tutorial... Today I'm going to show you how to make this Valentine heart holder.....

You will need a 12 by 12 sheet of two sided scrapbooking paper, four 10 inch strips of crepe paper. I put pink and a lighter pink.. but you can use any colour that matches your scrapbooking paper. One paper flower~ a strip of ribbon to hang the holder and a small piece to decorate. A needle and cotton~bling ~decorative scissors~ hot glue gun~distressing ink pad and a stamp and lastly some tulle and a photo of a loved one.....

Okay, first fold the scrapbooking paper up, lay the pattern on the top so the tip of the bottom of the heart is over the fold line.

I'm using wavy scissors to cut the shape out...
Then using the sewing machine, sew the edges together.

You now have a pocket.

Now let's decorate the front.

Get the four strips of crepe paper and fold

cut the top into a petal shape,

Using the needle and thread, do a running stitch...

put up and make into a flower ...

now carefully separate the layers... take your time because you don't want to rip the crepe paper...

now you have a flower...

add the paper flower to the middle with some hot glue and add some bling. Put it aside.
Cut two heart shapes from the leftover paper...

I stamped a crown on one with the ink pad .... then rubbed the ink over the edges of the holder and the two hearts to give everything an aged look.

and glue one of the heart shapes to the back of the holder ... you want the back to look as pretty as the front. Turn over and hot glue the other heart to the front of the holder.

Cut the small piece of ribbon with the scissors into a swallow tail

Take a square of tulle and glue that down on the heart, then the ribbon, then add the flower....

Punch a hole at the top of the holder and add a pretty ribbon.....

and lastly tuck a piece of tulle into the pocket and add the photo of your loved one....

and cut the ends for the ribbon in to swallow tails and hang for all to see and enjoy. Thank you to JoAnne for hosting Tutorial Tuesday. Hugs, Wendy

Stop by Bliss Angels

and enter Wendy's Valentine Giveaway!
And thank her for this awesome tutorial while you're there!

Do you have a project or technique you'd like to share? It's easy, and fun-and the info is HERE.
There are still some spots open for the Thinking Spring Tag Swap. Email me via sidebar link to sign up!

Thinking Spring Tag Book Swap

2011-01-23T12:51:00.009-05:00

As you can probably assume from my blog makeover, I'm saying goodbye to snowflakes. Well, not in my real life. I'm painfully aware the snow and cold will be with me for a while, but I'm thinking spring.
Let's start creating spring too. Even if you've never altered a tag in your life or participated in a collaborative project, I welcome and encourage you to join the I'll provide links to inspirational sites, images you can use, even links to products.
Here's what you need to do:
1. Grab the button to display on your blog to show you're participating.
2. Email me to sign up, via the email link in my sidebar. Please put "Tag Book" in the subject line. Provide me with your name, email address, blog url and mailing address. I will confirm I've added you and provide you with my shipping address.
3. Make 10 tags. Use Avery manila shipping tags with reinforced hole, size 4&3/4" x 2&3/8" (available at most office supply stores, Office Max sells box of 100 for $5.29) or make your own tags approximately the same size.
4. Mail tags to me no later than March 5th. Include a return label and $6 US, $7 Canadian, $8 International, for postage, packaging and supplies.
I'll be making the covers, assembling and binding the books. Depending on the number of participants, you may get your own tag back in your book.
PLEASE only sign up if you can commit as participation is limited.
THE DETAILS
Orientation - landscape or portrait
Subject Matter - anything that says "spring" to you. Birds, new birth, awakening, flowers, Easter, fairies and pixies-totally your interpretation.
Style - Again, your choice. Vintage, whimsical, realistic-anything.
Medium - You guessed it, anything goes. Collage, fabric, stamped, hand drawn, digital, painted.....
Back of tag - please don't leave blank. It doesn't need to be as elaborate as front but should have some appeal. Please sign the back and include your blog url or email address if you like.
Embellish, embellish, embellish!!!!!! Chunky is good. Use chipboard, flowers, charms, glitter, fibers, ribbon, bling, lace. Please DO NOT use the tag hole for ribbons, charms or any embellishments. I will be using the hole to bind.
Tags may be the all the same or different.
This is a tag book I participated in a couple years ago. A little jump start to get your brain thinking tags
VARIETY is what makes these books fun, as well as wonderful keepsakes. Hope you'll be "thinking spring" with me!

It's Tuesday! Time for Another Tutorial!

2011-01-18T00:26:00.000-05:00

Sherry is a friend I came to know over the holidays while participating in the Countdown to Christmas Matchbox Swap at A Swap for All Seasons. Her blog, Sherry's Simple Blog, is anything but simple. It's LOADED with one amazing mixed media project after another. She recently introduced me to an altered matchbox flickr group that I can't wait to swap in. (Scroll down a few posts when you visit. She has a couple of very special boxes featured in recent posts.) But I digress...
I was so excited when Sherry offered a tutorial and even more excited when I saw what it was. I've been dying to try fabric collage-even gifted myself with an inexpensive Singer this past Christmas so I could give it a whirl (have never sewed in my life). Now here's the inspiration, and instruction I need. I'm pleased to share with you,
Sherry's Fabric Collage Tutorial
Start off with the cross stitched cottage
Cut a rectangle of cotton for the baseand re-inforce it with something sturdy - I had this roll of strong hessian type stuff which was ideal.
Machine stitch the hessian strips onto the cotton base (sorry the photos are a bit dark)

I machine stitched up and down each row and top and bottom, this is what the back looked like when I'd finished.
Stitch a narrow edging of lace around all four sides

At this point I machine stitched a handwritten label on the back

That's the base done, now to start decorating the top.
I decided to use some paper - sheet music and aged it around the edges with Distress Ink.
The next stage is the most time consuming, but also the most fun - sorting out what layers to use. I laid the various lace and fabrics onto the base before stitching anything down to get a rough idea of what it'd look like.
When happy with it, start stitching!
I coloured a bright white lace flower from a curtain edging (thanks Mum!) with Distress Inks so it blended in better.
I also added a few beads to the cross stitching, a vintage button for the centre of the flower, some hanging beads at the bottom and a horseshoe for good luck at the top right hand corner.
I gave it a simple hanger of twine (braided three lengths together and knotted them at the back).
Here's what the finished back looks like.

I attached rusty keys to the first two fabric collages

Beautiful, aren't they? And these are Sherry's first fabric collages ever!!!!!
Many thanks to Sherry for being this weeks guest artist. If you have some technique, craft, project, anything you'd like to share, click HERE to learn how.
I can give you a hint about next Tuesdays tutorial-think Valentines.

Send In The Clowns, The Paper Doll Parade Marches On

2011-01-16T14:56:00.009-05:00

13 of these guys, for a circus themed collaborative in my Altered Art Fat Books group! We each contribute 13 INTERACTIVE 6x6 pages.

This is my background
with a little bling on the right hand border

This is the back of my pageskind of a fun, quirky image

I made the the clown dolls by scanning a page from an old (1978) Dover publication, "Antique French Jumping Jacks: 11 Easy to Assemble Toys That Move". (The book is in mint condition, picked it up an estate sale for $1.) After cutting all the pieces, I assembled with brads and used mini red pom poms to accentuate.
Each is mounted to the page (slightly off center to accomodate for the binding coils on the left) with pop-up foam adhesive squares.
The legs and arms are articulated so the clown can REALLY clown around. I can't wait to see what the other 12 come up with!

Ms. Snow Flake

2011-01-15T10:01:00.006-05:00

Still feeling kind of wintry (hard not to with temps in the teens and a foot of snow) so I thought the snowflake themed ATC-paperdoll swap in my Fantastic Flat Paper Dolls yahoo group was a perfect pick.I used Paper Whimsy images to construct Ms. Flake's head, skirt and feet.
Her trunk is made of layered snowflake and paper flower embellishments topped with a pearl center. I gave her mini snowflake garland arms and dresden angel wings. She wears a sheer snowflake ribbon and jeweled snowflake embellishment in her hair. She's articulated, using brads, so she can fold onto the standard size atc on which she's mounted. A few touches of glimmer and sparkle-and this girl is ready to travel.
Our swap partners will be assigned tomorrow so I don't know where she's going, but I can't wait to see who I get in return. I'll be sure to share when she arrives.

Bottlecap Play at Tutorial Tuesday

2011-01-11T07:37:00.001-05:00

It's time for Tutorial Tuesday! Daniele, of
The Musings of a Chocoholic
has provided us with a really great, little tutorial. It's for a bottle cap embellishment and the reason I like this one so much is that it's pretty simple but the result is a very unique embellishment. It can be used as an accent in an altered art project, assemblage art, any mixed media project, a scrapbook or card embellishment, or even jewelry.
Daniele is always tackling and sharing new techniques, which is why I'm a frequent visitor to her blog. Here is her Bottle Cap Tutorial.
1. Materials used: image, bottle cap, alchohol ink, glossy accents, glue stick, foil and punch.
2. Use the back of the bottle cap and cut out image using a 1" punch.
3. Put glossy accents around the rim of the bottle cap.
4. Add a drop or 2 of alchohol ink, I've used rust.
5. Using glue stick, add glue and rub on foil, tearing off foil to get a more distressed look.
6. Stick image to centre of bottle cap using glossy accents.
7. Apply glossy accents to top of image covering all of image, and then leave to dry (1 hour).
8. Apply foil to the edge of the bottle cap as per instructions in point 5.
I told you this is a great tutorial-and something we all can easily play around with. And look what she did with it!
Be sure to visit The Musings of a Chocoholic where you'll find another mini tutorial for making the card! Thank you so much Daniele.
What's next? You tell me! With 273 friends (thank you!) following, we should be in tutorials for a long, long time. Are you next?

Pretty Paper Purses

2011-01-06T19:39:00.009-05:00

I love Anna'a blog, Frosted Petunia's , and inspired by her Artful Bag Challenge, decided to give paper purse making a try. I found a template at Stampin' Pretty (scroll about halfway down post). I'm still in a wintry mood and still loving snowflakes, so What's so sweet is the purse, minus the handle is approximately 3"x3"-perfect for party favors or table place settings. I used an embossed winter cardstock and embellished with paper lace, a little bling, paper flower and glittered snowflake.
Here's how I trimmed the handle.
Stop by Frosted Petunia's to see other pretty paper purses or post your own pretty paper purse!

The Premiere of Tutorial Tuesday

2011-01-04T08:04:00.015-05:00

Welcome to what is hopefully the first of many fabulous, FREE tutorials from many talented guest artists. There is such a vast wealth of diverse creativity and talent in blogland! It makes for wonderful eye candy, but all the better to actually learn from the artisans.
My first featured guest is the lovely Mrs. A., of
It's An Alien Life.
Mrs. A. is a seamstress, quilter, paper artist, all around crafter and fellow swapper. She's graciously offered this fabulous tutorial to kick off Tutorial Tuesday:
Netbook Cover Tutorial
My daughter asked me to make her a cover for her new netbook. Having looked around the Web and not seeing anything suitable I decided to design one myself. It was really easy to make so thought I would also write a tutorial as I went along.
1. First thing is to take measurements and add a 1" seam allowance (this will be trimmed back at a later stage). The measurements here are 10" x 7.1/2" with a depth of 1.1/2" at back of book.
2. Next choose your materials. Felt is very soft and doesn't fray so is very suitable. I also used a soft woollen mixture (again choose a non fraying material) for the lining and quilt wadding for the padding. All stitching will be done on the right side.
3. My daughter wanted a flower embellishment with buttons for the centres so using felt I cut several flowers and mixed and matched colours.
4. Make a paper template up of the size required and cut two lining pieces. Next cut two wadding layers but cut 1/2" smaller all round.
5. Stitch wadding to wrong side of lining using a zig zag stitch on your machine.
6 Cut 2 felt (top cover) pieces and stitch to wadding side of lining.
7. Measure around one long and two short sides of the cover and cut a strip of lining material using the depth measurement making sure that it extends each end by at least 2" (This can be trimmed to fit later).
8. Cut an identical strip in the felt (outside cover) and tack these two strips together.
9. For the zip opening measure top of bag and extend measurement to go 2" either side. Here the opening is 10" so I have used a 14" zip which will wrap around the sides. (By using a zip that is larger it will be easier to get the netbook in and out of the case.)
10. Cut a strip in felt the length of the zip and the same width as the gusset above then cut in half lengthwise. Using a zipper foot on your sewing machine and stitching as close as possible attach a strip to each side of the zip.
11. Tack and stitch the zipper to the top of the bag opening and wrap down the two sides.
12. Now pin and tack the gusset to the remaining three sides extending to cover the zip ending by 1/2" Trim off the excess material. Pin and tack to other side of zip to form a bag shape.
13. Stitch round both front and back.
14. Bag should now look like this. As felt has been used there is no need to turn the bag inside out. All the stitching has been done on the right side.
15. Using pinking shears trim away the excess material to leave a neat edging all the way round. Attach flower embellishments to front of cover.
16. You now have a neat, durable and very soft cover for a netbook. I hope this tutorial will inspire you to make one for yourself.

Please visit Mrs. A. and let her know how much you enjoyed her tutorial. I hope you'll plan an extended visit allowing yourself the time to see everything she's been up to! She also has a GIVEAWAY you can enter for a chance to own one of her beautiful brooches.
I would like to thank Mrs. A. for stepping up so quickly with such a detailed and enjoyable tutorial.
Don't be shy, share one of your projects with your fellow bloggers! Let's make 2011 the year of sharing knowledge and talent. What may seem like the easiest thing in the world to you is something somebody, somewhere, wishes they could learn. Getting involved is easy-just scroll to the post below or click HERE for details.

A New Year Means You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

2010-12-31T14:50:00.013-05:00

When my parents used to say things like "time goes by so fast" and "where does the time go?", I used to wonder what they were talking about. Now as I LIVE and FEEL every word, my college-aged daughter has that same look upon her face as I lament over the fleeting days.
In keeping with the old adage that there is no time like the present, I decided to try something new for 2011. I'd like to experiment with new techniques, explore new mediums, stretch outside my comfort zone - and I'm hoping you'll join me in this quest.
How many times have you looked at some wonderful creation on a blog and wished you could make something like that? The truth is we could all make that something with a little shared knowledge.
And with that thought in mind, Tutorial Tuesday is born.
I envision this as an avenue for not only sharing our ideas and talents, but for creating new friendships. It's also a great venue for sharing your blog with a whole new audience!
Here's how it will work:
Email me with a brief, concise tutorial of ANYTHING! It could be paper, mixed media, collage, fabric, jewelry, graphics, a recipe - anything!
Remember, what may seem very simple and basic to you, is brand new and unknown to someone else.
Include photos of the work in progress and finished project.
We can do this a couple of different ways: you can post the actual tutorial on your blog and I'll provide the link, OR
I can post the tutorial, still with a link to you.
I hope you're all enthusiastic about sharing your talents and being a part of Tutorial Tuesday. I look forward to being your host!
Please help spread the word by displaying the Tutotial Tuesday button on your blog. It can be found at the top of the sidebar. I've received questions in the past on how to link buttons that aren't html coded. So here's the first mini-tutorial! These instructions are for blogger.
1. Right click on the button and save to your computer.
2. In the design section of your blog, click on "add a gadget".
3. A window will open with options; scroll to and click on "picture".
4. A "Configure image" window will open. Click on "browse images" from your computer and upload the saved image (button).
5. In this same window there is a field for linking. In that field you can either copy and paste the name of the blog you are linking the image to, or type it in manually. In this instance it would be http://vintagedragonfly.blogspot.com.

Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?-Benjamin Franklin

Happy 2011 My Dear Friends!

Let us keep Christmas,

2010-12-25T00:01:00.003-05:00

holding it close to our hearts,

for it's meaning never ends

and it's spirit is the warmth and joy

of remembering friends.

Merry Christmas and every happiness in the New Year.
xoxo
JoAnne