Yellow and Springtime...A Swap for All Seasons

Oh yes...during this all too cold & snowy & bleak February, our March swap at A Swap for all Seasons had the theme of SPRING & the color yellow.  The very cool pouch of wonderful treasures is what I received from my partner, Pam.  It reminds me that one of these days we may actually break out of winter so I can go plant some stuff outside. 

Tucked inside that cool pouch was this adorable card.  I love the vintage chick and the lace & rose buds...& check out that cute little felt butterfly.   There's lots of dimension in this card as Pam raised up the chick with pop dots...great effect. 

I always love Pam's tags...the sewing theme is near & dear to my heart.  I won't be able to part with this one...it's on my inspiration board.  Gotta love that vintage pattern image.  I had a dress with that dropped waist back in the 1950s!

And then Pam sent the most wonderful goodies...that 1930s reproduction fabric is already cut up into patches for my quilts...and I know I'll use all this stuff throughout the year.  Thanks so very much, Pam...it's always a delight to swap with you. 

 

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Of course...I mailed to a different swap partner...it really is fun to swap this way.  The yellow package above left cold NE Ohio & flew down to Georgia to my partner, Becky. 

This is the card I made for Becky...the little chick is from a vintage Easter card that I received back in the 1950s.  I love that there are crocus blooming...those are the first hint we get here of spring...our front lawn will be covered in them....IF this snow ever melts & we get out of these frigid temps!!!

Here's the tag I created for Becky.  The lovely spring flowers are also from a vintage card from the 1950s.  I'm lucky that I found scrapbooks of greeting cards that my Mom & Grandma had saved over the years.  I love using them in my creations.

And here are the goodies I sent to Becky.  She makes yoyos, so I included some yellow fabric from my stash...and other yellow bits & bobs.  There are yellow bingo markers in that tiny glassine envie...those make cute halos or accents on cards & such.

 

Once again...this was a fabulous fun swap...it sure helped me get through February.  Thanks for organizing another great swap, Linda! 

 

Sign-ups for the April Swap...with the theme of Mother's Day & the color peach are tomorrow, March 1.  You should go check it out...there are rules, of course...but they're easy to follow & you'll make lots of new friends & have tons of fun along the way.  You can find all the details right here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little kitten update...

The kittens have been out of my studio for about a week now.  We do herd them back in there at night, but daytime is theirs to have the run of the house.  They chase each other around and explore everything.  Each day around 4pm, it gets quiet and here is what I see.  Gracie & Fluffer all snuggled up between our pillows taking a nap.  Peanut is usually in the computer room sleeping by himself...as you can see below.

It's hard work being a kitten...and they're so sweet when they sleep!

 

The only one around here who isn't happy about the kittens being around is our Sunny Cat...but each day she's learning to tolerate them a bit.  They play with her toys...and sleep where only she could sleep before...this is quite an adjustment for a 6 year old cat!

Peanut really wants to be friends with Sunny...but she's not interested.  Lots of hissing can be heard with the occasional growl & loud meow...topped off by a swipe or 2 of a paw...but no huge fights. 

 

Sunny chooses to retreat to the basement where we have a couple baskets of stuff topped by a quilt for her to sleep in.  We don't let her stay down there overnight...but she needs a place to get away from the crazy kids.

 

Well...I hear something happening that I should investigate...I wonder what they're into this time? 

 

 

More Valentine Treasures

I participated in another Valentine's swap through Sandy's blog 521 Lake Street.  We were to swap a decorated candy box filled with destash goodies & make a tag or card for our partner.  I was paired up with Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson.  It was so much fun getting to know Jann through emails & visiting each other's blogs. 

The absolutely gorgeous box above is what Jann sent my way.  It's so beautiful...and inside were lots of  fun goodies to play with.

 

Not only did Jann send fun artsy stuff, but those Ghirardelli chocolates were gone in an instant!  There was also some popcorn coated in pink chocolate...and chocolate covered pretzels. 

 

Check out the detail on the box...

 

And here are more of the goodies for me to enjoy...THANKS, Jann!!!

 

I love everything Jann sent...but the best part is making a new friend.  Be sure to check out Jann's blog...she has delightful posts that I'm sure you'll enjoy.  And thanks to Sandy for organizing this swap...it was awesome!

 

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Here are a few pix of what I sent to Jann...like I said, this was a fun swap!  There was this box...

 

Filled with this stuff...

 

I made her this card...

 

...and this tag...

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

 

 

 

A Swap for All Seasons...February Treasures

Isn't this the most adorable kitten ever???  Look at those red posies behind her ear...so cute!  Well, she arrived in my mailbox this week...here's her full view...

She's on this wonderful tag from Lorraine of Over the Rainebeau. Lorraine sent such a gorgeous package of Valentine sweetness my way...thanks, Lorraine!

This is the beautiful card she created...I love the detail like the flag banner that is sewn across the top...I'll probably be stealing that idea! 

She also included this fun Valentine treat bag...filled with destash items that are over the top Valentiney goodness!

Won't this stuff be fun to play with?  Guess I should make some Valentines to send this year. 

 

Thanks again, Lorraine...and thanks to Linda for hosting another great A Swap for All Seasons!

 

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My send-to partner was Joy of FiFi's Daughter.  Small world, but Joy lives just about a 45 minute drive south of me.  I don't have a car, so sent her package via the USPS...and she really enjoyed her goodies.  Here's what I sent her way...

The card & tag...all wrapped up & embellished with some of my hand dyed ribbon.

This is the tag I made...it's a bit tough to see, but there are layers of hot pink & red felt blanket stitched together to give dimension to the hearts. 

Her card features a tea bag for a nice warm cup of tea...perfect for these all too cold winter days here in OH.  The heart is a template from back when I was an Artist On Call for Stampington...that heart pocket is one I've used often since those days.  I can't find the template on their website...but if you want it, I can email you one...just contact me at ohkitten@cox.net. 

 

Here's the card without the tea bag in the pocket...

The other part of this swap is a destash item in the color of the month...which was obviously red.  Since I was on a roll making a decorated candy box for another swap...I figured Joy would get one, too. 

Here it is all wrapped up & ready to go.  These little heart shaped boxes are fun to decorate & fill with lots of goodies...and we ate all the candy inside...so a bonus for us!

Here it is without the bow...more felt...and buttons...lots of my favorite things to share.

Little candy cups with hearts on them hold an assortment of fun stuff to use.

And a little close up of the inside...I had so much fun finding red goodies in my stash to share with Joy...and she loved it.  It's an easy idea to use if you have a crafting friend to gift on just about any occasion.  You can use any box...but these heart boxes are just too much fun.

 

So there you have it...one Valentine swap reveal done...one more to come on Valentine's Day.