Cloth, Paper, Scissors Charm Swap

In the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors there's a small teaser about the charm swap they announced earlier in the year. Well, the charms have all been swapped out...over 2000(!) of them and I've received mine. You know how I love to collect charms and these are wonderful additions to my collection! We each sent in up to five charms and would receive that many in return. The 6th charm below is from Michele Goodson...she had received one of my charms in the swap and wanted to have a second one so she could make them into earrings. She asked if I would be willing to trade another one of my charms for one of her gorgeous shrink plastic fishies. Isn't it wonderful? I can't wait for the next issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors to read the full article and to see more of the charms!

Crowabout #39

Here's my collage using the images provided by Nancy for the Collage Play with Crowabout group. I used the images for a journal page. I've also posted the page of images so you can see what we had to work with. I'm really enjoying these challenges...it's a little different for me and always interesting. The group makes some fantastic art...stop by and take a look!

A Swap for All Seasons

This year's "A Swap for All Seasons" ended with a Vintage Swimwear Tag Book. Linda put together a beautiful book with 16 tags depicting several eras of vintage swimwear - everything from modest Victorians to 60's surfer girls in itsy bitsy, teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikinis! This has been such a fun year swapping with this group...four swaps, one for each season. Linda has said she plans to start all over again with the fall swap. She'll announce the first swap on August first. Why don't you come join us!

Happy Birthday to Q!

Today is Quinn's birthday...just look at that sweet face - he hasn't changed much...especially the haircut! Happy Birthday!

"I've spent my life following things I cannot see
And just when I catch up to them, they slip away from me.
I've been down a thousand trails I've never walked before
I found out that without fail, they lead me to your door
And the world keeps turning round and round
It leaves me hanging in the air.
My heart keeps turning upside down
But you're still standin' there."

...compliments of Steve Earle

Happy Father's Day

We've just now returned from our trip to Crater Lake...a lovely week with no phones, TVs or computers! I've got lots of unpacking and catching up to do but I just had stop in and say Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there. My own sweet Q deserves a medal for spending the past week with three wild women...we love you!

Collage Play with Crowabout #38

I had another go at making a collage with the images provided by Nancy at Collage Play with Crowabout. What is it about cutting and pasting and coloring and moving images around on paper that's so soothing? I could do it for all day. I can remember some of my happiest times as a little girl doing just that. I started this collage earlier this afternoon and before I was finished hours had gone by and my desk was covered in colorful bits and scraps of paper. What fun! Here's my collage and here's the sheet of images we were given this week. I didn't use as many of the images this time but I like how it turned out. Don't you wish you could hop on a bird and fly?

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

I joined a three for three coffee themed swap at ATCs for All. This is the first swap I've participated in with this group but I couldn't resist the coffee theme. My day just wouldn't be the same without my morning coffee! Are you a coffee or tea drinker?

Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high;
If you break faith with is who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.

Vintage Swimwear Tag Book

Well, the summer installment of A Swap for all Seasons is a Vintage Swimwear Tag Book. I had so much fun making the tags for the Red Lead Tag swap in March so I knew I'd enjoy this one too. This book is smaller...we only needed to make 16 tags. Linda will mail them out to each of us on the first day of Summer...of course! I came across this wonderful old photo of these two women on the beach and thought it would be perfect. They look like they're great friends or maybe sisters. And they look so stylish with their bobbed hair and those great swimsuits! I imagined they were summering near Paris. A handsome Frenchman offered to take their photo. They think they saw him last night at their hotel dancing first with an older woman and then with a young girl. Could he also be vacationing...perhaps with his mother and sister? Will they see him again tonight at the Grand Buffet? Was his name Claude or was it Marcel? Hmmm....

Spring House Swap

Pam Sparks invited me to a Spring House atc swap with a small group of friends recently. I love house shaped cards...there's something about the notion of house and home that always appeals to me. Everyone did such a nice job. All the houses are a little different...just like in your neighborhood and mine. Thank you ladies for a lovely swap and Pam for dreaming it up for us!

my house

Collage Play with Crowabout

Nancy Baumiller hosts Collage Play with Crowabout on Flickr. Once a week she posts a collage sheet she's created for everyone to use to create a journal page, atc or whatever you like. The challenge is to use at least three of the images in your collage then post it to the group. One entry will be chosen randomly each week to win a surprise package of goodies. I decided to give it a try this week and had a lot of fun creating this small collage. If you'd like to try it out take a look here. I've posted my collage and the collage sheet Nancy gave us so you can see what it's all about. Be sure to take a look at all the collages...some of them are just amazing!

A Trip to the Barn House

One of the things Q and I did this weekend while we were in Portland was stop at the Barn House Sale in Battle Ground, WA. I don't remember how I first stumbled onto the Barn House site...I imagine I found it while reading someone's blog...but I know I was taken by the look of all that vintage loveliness and told myself I'd have to go check out one of their sales. There are several Barn House events held throughout the year...this was the season opener. The day was gorgeous and the drive through the farmlands around Battle Ground was lovely. The barn itself was set back in a green field with an open area in front. There was outdoor vending and refreshments to be had. But once inside the barn it was as if I had stepped into another world! It was truly magical...from the rafters to the floor the barn was draped and hung with some of the most gorgeous things I've seen. There were five additional vendors all selling delicious vintage treasures....photos, vintage buttons, dolls (got one), jewelry, ephemera, tinware, glassware, old tools, old wooden boxes, vintage glass bottles...and so much more. The fun thing was that the vendors were constantly rearranging things as items were sold (quickly!) so every time I turned around the room looked different. I had a wonderful time looking and touching everything. I even ran into old pals Beth and Lisa from The Salvage Studio! All in all, it was a wonderful morning...Barn House will be at the Farm Chicks sale in June and will have another event of their own...this time a Flea Market on July 18...mark your calendars!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mumma and me 1956...waiting for lambie

A lovely giveaway

I stumbled onto a beautiful blog today called 52Flea. It's just lovely! If you'd like to spend a few minutes scrolling through some gorgeous images go take a look. Laura is also having a giveaway to celebrate her 100th post so you can offer congratulations and enter to win...just click here!

Fun with Felt

Well, it was another lovely Sunday afternoon at Cathy and Jo's. We had a great time experimenting with melting felt on fabric. There's something so magical about heating up that felt and watching the patterns that form as it melts away. Cathy and Jo had some gorgeous fabrics to share with us...silks and batiks...which created a beautiful background for the melted felt designs. Cathy showed us how to make beads and Jo amazed us with the beautiful stitching she did on our fabric pieces (I LOVE that machine Jo!) and we even experimented with stamping into hot UTEE on felt. I love these afternoons...learning new techniques, talking, laughing, sharing a wonderful lunch. We did miss Grace who was stuck on the other side of the bridge...so there was no dancing with Dagger this month. We're waiting for the bridge to reopen to schedule the next art party...can't wait!