Valentines

I just love these sweet Valentines and I thought you would too. Feel free to use them in your Valentine projects. If you do I'd love to see what you create with them.

One World One Heart

The One World One Heart event was created in 2007 by Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. I love the idea of people all over the world taking a magic carpet ride to visit each other. Because it IS magical to be connected to so many like-minded people in this way don't you think?!. You can read more about it HERE. So, grab your ticket and take a ride! My giveaway prize is this Enchant Your Life wall hanger. It's a 4"x6" collage on wood.




Now here are the rules:

In order to win, leave me a comment. You must also leave me a way to contact you should your name be drawn. The giveaway will end at 10:00 P.M. Pacific time on Feb 14th. International readers are welcome to enter. The winning name will be chosen randomly and announced on February 15th. Have fun on your magic carpet ride!

Are you a Jackie or a Marilyn?

A blog friend forwarded this quiz to me and here are my results...I'm not a Jackie OR a Marilyn. I'm a Katharine! I have to say I like that choice much better anyway. Now...go take the quiz!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Gnome Party

The gnome party at Paula's is still going strong. Be sure to stop by and say hello and enter her fun giveaway. This morning I went in the craft room and realized the gnomes were missing. I looked high and low and finally found them downstairs doing a little yard work around the tea cottages. All the rain we've had lately had brought down quite a few limbs and lots more leaves. But, after a little hard work it looks like they have everything back into spit spot shape.

For Chris and Sharon

Every time you place an order with Red Lead Chris and Sharon include a special little free gift in the package. It can be anything...brass charms, pieces of pattern paper, collage images, tags, ribbon. Each time it's different but it's always a sweet surprise. I decided to return the favor and send THEM a treat this time. When I returned my atcs for the most recent swap I tucked in a little collage I made for them using one of their antique ancestor images. I love this little girl's face! Thank you Chris and Sharon for always "enchanting" our lives!

Very Vintage Atc Swap

The latest swap at Red Lead is "A Very Vintage" ATC Swap. Chris and Sharon have some of the best collage images (just wish they'd offer them digitally!) and the sweetest stamp line to go with them. Anyone can become a Red Lead Swap Sister...just join the Red Lead Yahoo group and start swapping with us! Our next swap is for Valentine tags. Here are my atcs for the swap.

TMTA - Buttons

Digital images by Tangie Baxter

Bella Vintage Valentine

Twyla and Lindsey of Two Crazy Crafters are celebrating Valentine's Day by sharing some lovely vintage valentines each day. They'll also be sharing craft projects and tutorials along the way. I was inspired by them to share some of the vintage valentines that I've found here and there. Here's one I found just the other day. Enjoy!

Gnomes

I've always had a soft spot for gnomes. I'm not sure when it all started but I've always loved them. Even when some people would tell me gnomes were tacky I loved them. I knew they just did know gnomes like I know gnomes! So, when I read that Paula of the fabulous Paula's Palace of Altered Art was having a Gnome Party I just had to join in! Paula is celebrating with all sorts of gnomish craftiness for the entire month. And she's inviting all her friends from here to Nome to share in the fun! Here is a photo of my little gnome family of four along with a cousin once removed. They sit in my craft room where I can often hear them whispering and telling stories. I imagine when I close the door at night they often take turns flying on the backs of these two Avon owls to visit the dollies on the top shelf. I'm sure that's why I find an occasional white feather on my desk in the morning! Do you love gnomes too? I'd love to hear more about it if you do. And I'm sure Paula would too. Be sure to stop by her blog and enjoy the gnome party!

Tag Along with Betsy McCall

Elizabeth of Creative Breathing is (among many other things) a tag maker. Each month she creates a new tag for herself using vintage images. She encourages anyone who likes to "tag along" with her. Earlier this month she made a special tag using vintage Betsy McCall paper dolls. Remember those? Lambie and I used to LOVE to play with paper dolls, Betsy among them. We even made our own sets...she still has the dolls that looked like Mumma and our big sister Jan. We spent hours making new outfits for them! Anyway...back to Betsy. There's a wonderful site where you can find all of the Betsy McCall paper dolls. Elizabeth suggested making tags out of the dolls for our birthday month and year. How fun! Here's my tag. Since my birthday's in January I thought this was a perfect way to start out the new year...with a fresh new start! On the page for my birthday month Betsy even has a doll so on the back of my tag there's a picture of me playing with my new kitchen set up in the cozy nook in our living room. The sentiment "let's play dolls!" is exactly what lambie and I would say to each other. If you'd like to take a look at all the Betsy McCall dolls they're behind the Bleu Door. Be sure to stop by to see Elizabeth's tag too...she has such a way with these. Thank you Elizabeth for this wonderful suggestion...you've given me hours of pure pleasure!

A Lunch Ladies' Christmas

I'm not sure why but I've been out of the mood to blog lately. Do you ever get that way? I think there's been so much going on with the holidays that I've just been enjoying things instead of writing about them. One Christmas event that I wanted to share though was the second annual Lunch Ladies' Christmas party. Jo and Cathy graciously opened their home once again to host us. We had a lovely lunch followed by presents and crafting. Lyneen taught us how to make her famous waterfall card...thank you again Lyneen. Here are a few photos from our afternoon together. I have to apologize though...we were having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures after the first few! Oh well. Here's a photo of the beautiful gifts I received and one of the clothespin dollies I made everyone. This is such a wonderful group of friends. I always leave our parties inspired and energized!

Happy New Year!

January opens

The box of the year

And brings out days

That are bright and clear

And brings out days

That are cold and gray

And shouts, "Come see

What I brought today"

A year to be glad in,
And not to be sad in,
To gain in, to give in,
A happy new year.
A new year for trying,
And never for sighing,
A new year to live in,
Oh, hold it most dear.

Leland B. Jacobs

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Line-up

Every Christmas and Easter my dad took line-up shots. You may remember these. For us it usually went like this...we would all get dressed for church and just as my mom had us all ready to go my dad would stop everything to take some photos. Now, as you can imagine, this was not the days of quick digital cameras. First daddy would load and wind the film into the camera. Then he would rummage through the drawer in the desk where he kept the flashbulbs. Yes, actual glass bulbs that screwed into the flash that snapped onto the camera in some way. Then the picture taking would start. Of course there had to be several poses and oftentimes the flashbulb wouldn't go off so there were retakes. All the while my mom is whispering (louder with each retake) that we were going to be late for church. And those knitted, tied-under-the chin hats were getting hot and itchy! There was no way to see the photos as you took them or delete the bad ones so when the pictures came back they often looked like this one...one of us has our eyes closed, someone's looking in the wrong direction or we all have that "flashbulb in the eyes" dazed looked. The line-up shots seemed like such an ordeal at the time...but how I enjoy looking at them now. Merry Christmas to Jan and Nancy and Lambie. How I wish we were together for another line-up shot this year!

Dolly's ready for Christmas...

Altered salt box ornament

I was such a lucky girl to win this fabulous altered salt box ornament from Tia at Domestic Underground. It's gorgeous...so sparkly and glitterfied! I found the perfect spot for it under my little feather tree. Tia did such an amazing job on this...it's filled with a vintage Santa on one side and a snowman on the other. Each time I go by it I have to switch it! Thank you Tia...I just love it!

Vintage Santa Skinny

Here's my vintage Santa skinny. I love this 3" x 5" size...it's a little more room to work on than an atc. I can't believe how fast December is flying by. I stopped in at Joann Fabrics after work today and they had put out all the Valentine merchandise!

Altered Cabinet Card Swap

It's been another fun swap at A Swap for All Seasons. Now that I know Deb's received her card I can post it for you. It took me awhile to decide what I was going to do with Albert...as I came to think of him...but in the end this is how her turned out. With such an earnest face I just knew he had to "believe." And here's a look and what Deb sent me. Along with my altered cabinet card there was a box full of vintage treats...sweet hankies and buttons, lovely vintage cards, a cookie cutter and even some Christmas chocolate! Thanks Deb...I love it!

Tag Tuesday

The challenge today at Louise's Tag Tuesday is to use the colors purple, green and silver. I happen to be wrapping a Christmas gift today for someone (who shall remain nameless!) whose favorite color is purple...so this will be perfect for her package! I've always loved images of Santas in purple robes. This lovely Santa was shared by Suzee Que and you can see the original here. Be sure to stop by Kard Krazy to see all the lovely tags!

Sneak Peek for Deb

It's sneak peek week at A Swap for All Seasons and I almost forgot to post my peek! This time we're swapping altered cabinet cards. I love these old photos...I always wonder who these people were and what their life was like. They have to have names for me...this man became Albert. He has kind eyes and a steady gaze. A solid, trusting face. I like him! I can't show you the finished card...only a peek. We're supposed to mail them tomorrow. So, come back in a few days if you'd like to see Albert in all his glory. In the mean time I'll show you the BACK of his photo which is often times with these cabinet cards as lovely as the photo itself!

Advent Calendar Pocket Day 9

Lisa Pace has added another pocket to her Advent Pocket Calendar project. I didn't have a red bird similar to the one she used so I substituted this little vintage ornament. I think it works just as well, don't you? This has been such a fun project...we're over half way now. I'm really looking forward to seeing what it will all look like when it's finished!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful day!

VooDoo Heart

The Voodoo Heart Shadow Box is another Artist Class project I got to work on this weekend. Tia Storm taught the project which called for a shadow box to hold a hand sewn heart. I didn't have a shadow box handy so I took a stretched canvas and painted it black, added paper to the sides and old sheet music to the center and made my own. My heart took a bit of a different direction than Tia's...not too much angst in my heart these days thankfully...but that's the beauty of a project like this. You can create it in whatever manner that speaks to you! Artist class is now officially over but I still have several projects to complete. Good thing I'm off today!

Artist Class - Digital ATCs with Joy Ott

Joy Ott has a nice and easy tutorial at Artist Class for making digital ATCs. Here's the one I made using the digital kit she provided us. I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to digital art...I think I'll always love the actual cutting and pasting best...but it's fun to play around and learn something new.

Advent Calendar Pockets 3 and 12

Here are two more Advent calendar pockets I've finished. Don't you wish you had all the time in the world to play at things you love? I could sit at my craft table and be happy as a clam cutting and pasting all day! What have you been creating lately? I'll check back later...I'm off to work now...have a fun Saturday!

Artist Class

Artist Class is an online collection of projects that I've been having a great time with. I only wish I had more time to complete them! But here's one I finished this morning. This little snowman ornament was made using Paperclay following Dawn Edmonson's (of The Feathered Nest) easy tutorial. I've always wanted to try a project with Paperclay and this one was nice and simple and turned out great...I love his little round cheeks! There's still time to join in for all the projects if you'd like to take a look.

A Sweet Girl

Is this a sweet looking child? I wish I knew her name. I found this photo in a thrift store recently and could bear to leave it there. Please feel free to use her in your art. I think she'd like that!

Advent Pocket Calendar

Lisa Pace of It's In the Details is sharing a fun project called 12 Day Advent Pocket Calendar. Over the next couple of weeks she plans to share a tutorial on how to create each of the 12 pockets that "when finished and put together will create a 12 Day Advent Pocket Style Calendar." Each pocket will contain a small strip of paper that has a fun holiday thing to do each day. I've always loved Advent calendars and usually buy one each year but this caught my eye and looked like a lot of fun. It helps that I already had some of the supplies on hand. I had bought a set of Tim Holtz fragments not too long ago at Michaels when they were on sale. But the beauty of this project is that you can really use whatever you have on hand to embellish your pockets. Lisa's making the pockets randomly so today's pocket is number 1. She's already shown us how to make days 5, 10 and 11. Go take a look!