Spoolie Swap--Part 2--From Me

The spoolie I gave to Amy in Joanne's (from Vintage Dragonfly) Valentine spoolie swap was great fun to make. 

I took a vintage wooden spool and covered the center with pretty pink and white patterned paper, painted other areas of the spool white, and added lots of glitter.

I found the darling wee vintage porcelain girl at an antique mall.  I thought she was just perfect for the top of this spool.  Since she had a purple flower and not a pink one, I added lavender elements as well as pink to the whole thing. 

The flourish behind her is a cupcake liner that I folded, fanned out, and tipped in glitter.  I had some pretty lavender lace from which I hung little purple-pink shiny hearts.  I poked a hole in the tops of the hearts and tied them onto the lavender lace with green embroidery floss.  The green matches the green on the little porcelain girl. 

This has been a very fun swap.  What a unique idea to make these!  Thank you again to Amy for being my swap partner, to Lynn for the inspiration behind the swap, and to Joanne for hostessing the swap.

Matchbox Swap--to My Partner

Well, this promises to be a hot weekend here in Wisconsin.  It has been very dry lately, so hopefully the storms the weatherman says will come will indeed come.  However....hopefully only during the evening/night.  Tomorrow is the start of a city-wide garage sale hop at one of my favorite local towns, and Saturday morning Mom and I are planning on going to the Princeton flea market.  Yes, the flea market is every Saturday...BUT the holiday weekends are supposed to be the best.  Hopefully neither will get rained out despite needing the rain!

Thought I show the matchbox I created for Karla in the Vintage Dragonfly's "Partner's Choice" altered matchbox swap.  Mine hasn't arrived yet (it isn't coming from Karla but from someone different), but I'm sure it will in time. ; )  Each person was to list what they liked--themes, colors, styles, etc., then we were to alter a matchbox and fill it with things that they especially would want.  I made Karla a box with an aqua, beachy theme complete with glitter "sand", sea glass, jewelry shells, and a shell button drawer pull.  I didn't take a picture of the contents...but it had plenty of bits and pieces and blings.  Karla is just the nicest person...she told me she was married at a lighthouse.  Now, how romantic is that?  Hop over to her blog when you get a moment and get to know her. 

Craft Show Hopping

Mom and I were out craft show hopping last Saturday. There was one we really wanted to go to.  It was good although all I bought were some jars of honey.  After that we looked around town to see what else was going on. There were bazaars and shows and sales going on all over, so we did our rounds. One place had an inside garage sale. We were there around 12:00--way past the time when most of the "good things" would be gone (or so we thought). Well, on the toy table was a basket full of these sugared goodies nestled among plastic action figures, stuffed animals, and broken games.

I was delighted!  From research they are from around the 1930's. I think they would make sweet baby shower favors or decorations, but I believe they are ornaments. They all have a sugary coating of tiny, round, clear glitter beads--to make them look even more sweet if it were possible! I've listed them in my Etsy shop, and hopefully someone will be able to use them.

Paper Sugars

In some of my creations, I use very small amounts of different colors of extra fine glitter.  This type of glitter can be so expensive, so when I saw strips of sample fine glitters in many colors at a craft store for a song, I purchased two strips right away.  They were in little plastic baggies and needed a more permanent home, so with a discount coupon, I purchased these little screw-top containers and organized the glitters into the containers.  While I was doing this, I was reminded of colored sugars that we sprinkle on sugar cookies--these were only paper sugars! 

I needed one more jar to put the excess and/or spilled glitter into, and this pretty vintage ink jar was just perfect for this.  In the sun these "sugared sprinkles" reminded me of a little stained glass window. 

Vintage Valentine Pins

I remember when I was young, my dad came home one day with a sweet plastic valentine pin for my mother...and a little one for me! I was delighted! To think that while Dad was thinking of Mom, he included me as well. It meant a great deal to me--that I was special too to be in on this sweet surprise. Dad has always been very, very thoughtful...I realize this more and more as time goes by. Anyway, I think I have that little pin tucked away (for some reason) in my cedar chest which I'll have to dig out sometime...and wear again. (All of my special memory items go in there.)

These pins that I finished recently reminded me of that Valentine's Day years ago. They are all made from vintage pictures (postcards, etc.) and embellished with glitter.

Lollishops Press Kit February Challenge

I have finished the Lollishops February Challenge--making 10 press kits for Jennifer Hayslip's (of Sweet Eye Candy Creations) event, Petticoats and Parasols.
My press kits are sort of simple really, but I suppose simple is not always a bad thing. I had fun and didn't stress out about them, so that is important. I decided this time to just make a vintage image pin instead of something beaded or with the addition of a beaded item. I needed to keep costs down a little bit.
I wanted to keep with Jennifer's theme, so used a new-to-me vintage image that I found recently. It really is perfect for the event. It features a lady (with petticoats showing) stepping off a carriage with the helping hand of a gentleman awaiting hers. Super fine glitter in pink and green was added to enhance the pin and give it extra sparkle (can't have enough sparkle). It looks a little French to me which I find appealing.
I made a parasol out of a folded doily--complete with a glass bead that I glued on top--and a toothpick.
My business card is in the back. I had wanted the pretty pictures of my cards to show, but figured it was best if my information were showing instead. Whoever receives these will have the added treat of discovering a pretty picture on the other side of my card.
I color coordinated the whole thing by picking out the colors from the pin (besides they are springlike, and I'm sooo ready for spring)--turquoise, white, and both light and dark pinks. I hope the recipients think these are a little bit of "eye candy" and like them. It was fun, and I appreciate Sadie giving us this challenge and opportunity!