Friends You Find in Blogland

Back in the Fall, I participated in Artsy Mama's "Sweet 'n Sinister Swap." I was partnered with a really nice woman in Georgia by the name of Carol. This was to be my first swap. She had been disappointed in a previous swap. I was very, very nervous about making a nice enough package and hoped she wouldn't be let down by my crafting. Well, everything turned out great and she was happy, I was beyond happy and we decided we would swap again sometime. She recently contacted me and proposed a swap of repurposed, vintage style jewelry. We decided to make each other a necklace and a pair of earrings.

I was so excited to receive my package a couple of days ago. The first picture is the fabulous necklace and earrings made of an amazing collection of vintage beads. I wore it immediately with an ivory linen shirt and it looked perfect. She also included a really cute pink beaded (from a vintage earring) ring. I love it! I had seen some like it in Scrappy Jessi's etsy store and was wishing I could make one with some of the orphan earrings I have. Like magic, Carol read my mind and sent that little beauty!

I made Carol a chain type necklace using a vintage sweater guard and some other elements. The back of the faux ivory flower has a little tag with "bliss" printed on it. The second picture shows the necklace and hoop earrings I made after I had attached them to tags for shipping. The third picture shows the necklace a little better. I hope she likes it! She should receive it tomorrow if the mail moves quickly. I don't think she knows about my blog, so hopefully she won't see everything before it gets there.

I have been so lucky to meet warm, interesting women through my blog. I hope I can continue to explore the wonderful blogland of fun, crafty women and get to know more of them. It can make such a difference when we all support each other.

Next post should be all about the Vintage Valentine swap I'm in with Joyce. I've been up to my eyebrows in red and pink! Glitter, lace, paper, and more are covering all surfaces. I'm almost ready to pack and ship. Just have to remember to take pictures . . .

Chicken Love

I've been working on some Valentine collages lately, which reminded me of one I made a few years ago that featured my chickens and myself. It has a cutout of me wearing an apron, holding "Pearl" and "Luna," two of my pets. I used some of their feathers around the outside edge and some vintage dictionary pics and words in the background. The picture is a little dark and you can't see the tiny polka dot fabric that is the bottom layer of the collage. It's just a little thing I hang in my room, but it reminds me of my sweet chickens and those sunny days at our log cabin.

Pretty Possibilities

Go check out the Joli Paquet blog right away! They are launching a new season of tutorials and beautiful goodies. This site is just beautiful and full of amazing ideas and projects. There's even a really nice give-away. I loved the sets they did for the Christmas season. Their line up of artists for this round is really special. See for yourself at http://www.joli-paquet.blogspot.com/. I know there's a prettier way to link, but I haven't learned how yet. Please forgive my newbie postings. I'm a slow learner - just ask my teenaged daughter.

Moving

It looks like we're going to try to sell our house. I love this place, but 14 acres is a little much to maintain and we're so far from town that it just makes sense to move. It will be hard to adapt to living closer to others. It seems weird to say that after having grown up in a very suburban area, but after the privacy we've had in the last three houses, I've grown used to the peace and quiet country living affords.

The other issue is the fact that I'm not riding anymore and the horses are a lot of work and expense. I'll miss them, but they deserve someone who will spend more time with them. Maybe we can sell them to whoever buys this place. I'm afraid nobody will want my little goat Ava (who thinks she's a horse) and she'll pine for her pal Tobe. The old barn cat will have to stay, too. I inherited her from the previous owner. I'll take Nala (who we originally were fostering for a friend who never came and took her back.) This will be at least her fourth move. And our fat chihuahua Pete will have his fourth home. He doesn't seem to care where he is and travels well. He flies with us to California and loves to visit other people's houses.

I really hate the idea of packing again. This will be our 6th move in 9 years. You would think I'd be used to it. I'm not. And I'm not a minimalist, so it's a big, messy ordeal. We'll probably get a small house, with much less acreage. Our daughter will be leaving for college in -4 years, so we might as well downsize now. I won't mind finding something closer to town, since driving half an hour to ANYWHERE is a pain. I'm feeling very grouchy about packing and moving and shopping for a new house. Grouchy and teary. I do love this place very much. I'll miss it here.

Thanks Heidi!

I feel so special! Heidi at http://everyday-cookies.blogspot.com/ presented me with this award. She has been so sweet to me, leaving comments and welcoming me to the blog world. I am in awe of her talent and creativity. She must never sleep! I hope I can meet her someday, maybe at Silver Bella 2009. I'll do my best to follow the rules regarding this award. I'm supposed to list 7 things I love and then pass it on to 7 deserving bloggers. I love:

1. Little baby feet. I just want to kiss 'em! Those little fat toes make me melt.

2. Cherry tomatoes. I could probably eat my weight in sweet, just picked off the vine cherry tomatoes. I always try to grow a few pots of them on my deck, but I never grow enough. I'm going to try one of those hanging upside-down plants next summer.

3. Gardenias. The smell always takes me back to summer nights, leaving an all-day visit to my cousin's house with lots of swimming in their pool. My Aunt Vona would always hand a few just picked ones to my mom through the car window as we were leaving for home. That intense smell would fill the car and send me off to sleep.

4. Ashville, North Carolina. It's only about 2 hours away and we visit a couple of times a year. I love the Biltmore, especially the grounds. We always wander downtown, hitting Malaprop's Bookstore, The Chocolate Fetish, a few galleries, The Captain's Bookshelf and a few bead stores. I'd like to stay at the Grove Park Inn next time.

5. Kewpies. I don't know why I'm so in love with these little characters.

6. Dwight Yokum. I'm really more of a rock and roll music lover, but after seeing Dwight in concert at the Santa Barbara County Bowl years ago, I really became a fan.

7. Watching fat chickens wandering in the yard. I used to have 12 chickens, all sorts, all colors that I ordered special from a hatchery. I really loved Seymour, an arcuna that layed beautiful pale aqua eggs. Unfortunately, they didn't survive our move to the farm (foxes I think) and I haven't replaced them. It just broke my heart to lose them.

Seven things I love!

I don't know seven bloggers personally, and I hope the few I do don't mind me tagging them:

1. My daughter at Butter Snatcher because she's brave and has jumped right into the blogging world. http://buttersnatcher.blogspot.com/
2. April at Midwest Magpies because she has really cute stuff, including a really cute little girl. http://midwestmagpies.blogspot.com/
3. Simply Thrift. I don't know this blogger personally, but I love her blog. She finds things I don't think I ever run across. She would be a fun treasure hunting partner. http://simplythrift.blogspot.com/
4. Queen of Fifty Cents tells the best stories of yard saling. She isn't just out shopping, she's observing and connecting with all kinds of interesting people and pets. I love her creativity with her finds. Check out the amazing shoes she just crafted. I think she might work in a library. Lucky! http://queenoffiftycents.blogspot.com/

I'm only able to come up with 4 bloggers to pass this on to right now, but I'll try to get 3 more soon. Thanks again Heidi for making me feel special.

Red

As I've been gathering my Valentine stuff to get crafting, I realize how much I love red. I'm always drawn to red things, and I like wearing red. Our last home was a log cabin with a few interior walls of the family room painted red, contrasting with the dark logs that made up the rest of space. It felt cozy. In my kitchen, my standing mixer is red, looking all cheerful and ready to get creative. I have always loved red shoes, but as I've gotten older I've been less sure of wearing them. They seem so conspicuous while I've felt more and more faded. Nevertheless, I've got a pair of deep red pumps that I break out for special occasions. I'll have to wear them for Valentine's Day!