"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself."
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Monday, December 20, 2010

Day 20's box was crafted by Denise Marie @ Denise Marie Christmas.

Inside is a chubby, glittered Santa...thank you Denise!

I made another mini-"shadow box" out of box 20. The snowman was a vintage cupcake pick.


Down to the wire...are you all done? I think I am. I should be able to spend the rest of the week, celebrating & watching Christmas movies. *crossing my fingers I haven't forgotten anything* Enjoy the season y'all!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Happy Birthday to me!

Today I am 50 years old! Gosh, I don't feel that old!!! I'm really looking forward to my 50's though. I spent my 20's taking care of the 3 very small children, spent my 30's trying to find myself (I somehow lost myself in my 20's in the mounds of laundry, snotty noses & school functions LOL) & I spent my 40's becoming the person I needed to be....the responsible, mature, rational person I always expected myself to be but never quite got there. Better late than never I guess! *grins* I plan on spending my 50's becoming the person I want to be. The artsy, stylish woman jaunting off to art retreats, taking creative workshops & trips w/ the girls & selling my creations....you know, a Karla. I still plan on maintaining my professional grandmother position though so it'll require some juggling cause I just don't seem to possess Karla's energy. ;)

We're starting the B-day off w/ bloody marys out @ the cattle barns flea & we'll follow it up w/ a trip to the craft store & then dinner @ my favorite place, Lucille's Bistro in Ft Worth. It's in a historic building from the late 1800's ( think it was a hardware store) w/ wonderful crown mouldings & w/ tin ceiling tiles....charming! After dinner, we'll cruise around looking @ Christmas lights. I just love birthdays....especially my own! LOL

Today I wanted to share a couple of tags I made. A couple are loosely based on tags made by the 2 gypsy girls @ One Lucky Day, for their advent calendar (I missed out on their kits) & a couple are almost out-right copies. They're providing free tuts for some tags so head on over & check them out!

Love the lace wrapped, & bead adorned stick in this next one...love it!




I used another resin bobble for this tag. I'll share more bobbles (I had so much fun making them!) & provide a link to Lisa's tut for them sometime soon, I promise.


Today's Day 19 matchbox was crafted by Angela @ Down to the Darling Details. Love it's cheerful snowman!

And inside was another cheerful snowman! Thank you Angela!

I made a little "shadowbox" out of my Day 19 box.


Happy Birthday to me....it's gonna be a fabulous decade!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

My stocking to Steph & Day 18 boxes...

Stephanie received my stocking to her (from the Joli Paquet Vintage Stocking Swap) the first part of the week so I wanted to share w/ y'all what I put together for her. I embellished a lace stocking w/ a wonderful cuff of vintage lace; adding crocheted snowflakes, rhinestone button, big lace bow & resin bobbles. We'll talk more about the bobbles on another day.

And inside I filled it up w/ a vintage brush & mirror set that I altered, millinery blooms, plastic rose shoe clips ( too cool...they feel like wax!), vintage seam bindings & assorted goodies.

Click on pictures & then click again to enlarge for details

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

I have collected vintage hats for years...I decorate my downstairs guest bath with them. Ever since I discovered Karla's blog (AKA the Hat Whisperer), I've been buying them w/ plans for deflowering them but never could bring myself to do it. But Stephanie has a thing for millinery blooms so it was time I bit the bullet. I'm afraid that no hat will be safe around me now. LOL Here's the little pile of blossoms I sent her; along w/ a rhinestone S.

I included a trio of bottle brush trees I bleached, painted & then dipped in mica flakes (Steph decorates in pastels for Christmas)....as well as a vintage pomander, appropriately adorned for the season.

But the pièce de résistance for this swap was the vintage, eyeglass holder bejeweled w/ rhinestones that I sent. I've told y'all before that I always include a "heart item" in my swaps. A "heart item" is a gift that makes your heart scream " NOOOOOOO...you wanna keep me!" It's good therapy for my hoarding nature plus, it ensures that every swapper gets a little piece of my heart. ;)

I had a lot of fun w/ this swap....thanks Steph! And thanks to Cerri & the others @ Joli Paquet for hosting!

Today's Day 18's adorable box was crafted by Bonnie @ Bonnie Lass' Art Cafe.

Inside is a tiny felt ornament...thank you Bonnie!

Inside my Day 18 box is another vintage earring turned into a magnet.


I am done, done, done, done, done with my shopping! WooHoo!!!! Maybe now I can get some crafting in. I'm not one of those crafters who craft ahead of the season, I like to do it in the throes of the festivities. Which means that I never have as much time but always realllly enjoy it when I do. ;)

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Day 17 boxes...

Day 17's box was crafted by Genie @ Buttons for Baga.


Inside was a beautiful pearl bar pin. Thank you Genie...I love it!


Inside my Day 17 box was another crepe paper rosette ornament.




Thursday, December 16, 2010

A special necklace & Day 16 matchbox...

Today I'm sharing a necklace I made for my sister-in-law for Christmas... I love it! (So does she by the way) I think I'm gonna have to make one like it for myself. My birthday is Sunday (the big 50!) so I think I deserve it. ;)

I used a vintage rhinestone button as the centerpiece & hung a chandlier prism from it. For the chain, I used vintage rosary beads & a pearl & aurora borealis strand from an old bracelet. The diamond-shaped accent pieces came off a huge, gaudy earring from the 80's!

I loved creating this necklace & had it together in less than 45 minutes (and that's counting the time it took to gather all the materials). I didn't like stringing beads in my first foray into jewelry making but this was just attaching jump rings...even I can do that! LOVE it!


And I LOVE Day 16's box! It's shaped like a house...how creative, huh? It was crafted by the talented Marcia @ Vintage French Hen. Too, too cute!


And inside is one of my favorite gifts from the swap...a stamped piece of muslin "ribbon". What a great idea! Wish I had thought of it! Thank you Marcia!


Inisde my Day 16 box was another mini-"garland".




Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A dance recital & boxes 13, 14 & 15...

Last Saturday was Miss Caralyn's first dance recital...what fun! I took her a bouquet of flowers (every dancer needs a bouquet on the day of their performance, don't you think?) & while she was too nervous to appreciate them before her performance, she wouldn't let go of them afterwards. *grins*


Here she is in her dance outfit & holding her bouquet. They tap-danced to Frosty the Snowman...wish I could share the video but it's too long for blogger. But she did just great...I was soo proud of her! I look forward to watching her dance & dance & dance over the years! All grandkids are great but there's just something special about a girl, you know? ;)


Now on to the boxes...Day 13's box was crafted by Kim @ Blackberry Crows Prims.


And inside is a tiny gold bell. Thank you Kim!

My Day 13 gift was another bottle cap charm.

Day 14's box was crafted by Sherry @ If I Could Set My Soul Free.


With a beautiful beaded felt poinsettia inside...thank you Sherry!

My Day 14 gift was a crepe paper rosette ornament.

And today's Day 15 box was crafted by Michelle @ Faerie Dust Dreams.

Inisde is an adorable bottle cap magnet. Thank you Michelle!


My Day 15 gift was a another one of the chandlier prisms/tag danglies.

I know I've been sporadic in my matchbox postings but hubby made it in early from his business trip & we've been enjoying one another. I was able to really get a lot done while he was gone (he's been gone since Thanksgiving weekend) but it wasn't much fun doing it by myself. He should be home through the first of the year though so we should have plenty of time to annoy one another. LOL Hope everyone is having a joyful, relaxed Christmas!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

My ticky-tacky vintage wreath & Day 12 box...

All of my long-time readers know that I am a thrifter...a thrifter deluxe! I mean I'm good at it. ;) I find the neatest stuff @ thrift stores ...sometimes @ the neatest prices. AndI cannot resist anything vintage (as long as it's cheap! LOL)...and I mean, if it's vintage & it's cheap then it's coming home w/ me....done deal! Especially if it's vintage Christmas. Even ugly vintage Christmas!

Which explains how I wound up w/ tons & tons of vintage, tacky, UGLY Christmas "doodads". Last year, I decided to take all that crap stuff & load up a wreath w/ it. First I sprayed the wreath w/ a bit of white paint (just hit it in spots here & there to add some depth) then I glued on the ugliest, tackiest ornaments you ever saw! I LOVE it! It reminds me of the Christmas corsages women used to wear. (you can see my collection here in a post I made 2 years ago) Gloriously tacky!!! Just the way I like my Christmases. LOL

The "centerpiece" of the wreath is a beaded, felt Santa in a hot air balloon that I bought at an estate sale a couple of years back. And look! There's still room to add more tacky, ugly, vintage stuff that needs a home!

click picture & then click again to see all the ticky, tacky ornaments in detail


The wreath w/ our life-size caroling Santa. Until I saw this photo, I didn't think the door needed garland over & around it but now I'm not so sure. What do y'all think?

Now on to the matchboxes...Day 12's box was created by Pam @ Faster Kitty Blog Blog .

Inside are 2 tiny little ornaments...a Santa & a Christmas tree. Thank you Pam!

My gift for Day 12 was a dangly ornament made from a chandelier prism & tag.

Geeez...the 12th already? I better get off the puter & get busy!!!!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

My Vintage Stocking has arrived!

Gosh I love swaps! And Joli Paquet's Vintage Stocking Swap was a fun one! Look at what came in my mail the other day! Stephanie @ Tart Deco was my swap partner...be sure & check out her etsy...lots of great vintage items!


She adorned the stocking w/a red doily that she wove lace through & then added a tulle ruffle. Very clever!


The turquoise piece on teh stocking is a brooch. And just look at all these goodies!!!!

The glittered shoes are adorable & I just love the buttons & stamped tag & pin in the background.


A pink chiffon handkerchief, a bunch of felt butterflies, (2 are beaded!), vintage earrings (as y'all know...I use a whole lot of those!) & a stamped Peace on a ribbon. The stocking I made Steph needed sumpthin' sumpthin' & this little snippet of ribbon was just what it needed!



Love this little blossom & the Laura Ashley post-its are almost too pretty to use. I do think I'll use them in tags & stuff instead of post-its though.

And I love this hair clip from her esty shop! It's made from a vintage millinery flower. I wear hair clips almost everyday....love it!

Some sweet flocked chicks, bears & bunnies...will be great in an Easter diorama.


And she included a fabulous beaded egg. My grandmother used to make beaded ornaments. Maybe I should take up the craft?

And that ain't all...just look at this pile of crafting goodies! Laces, papers, stickles, stickers & paper flowers...thank you so much Steph! What a fun swap this one was!
And I haven't forgotten about today's matchboxes ...today's Day 11 box was crafted by Sophia @ Blue Chair Diary.

Inside was a wonderfully adorned paper clip. Thank you Sophia!

My Day 11 box gift was another domino/charm. I reallly wish I had spaced the double gifts out a little better. You just saw this one in the last post. Geeeze!

We're coming down to the wire...are y'all ready? Wish I could say I was but Christmas ALWAYS catches me un-prepared. *sigh* I guess it's the nature of the season.