Valentine Boxes Part II

 I wanted to share the box I made and sent to Laurie my partner in the Valentine Box Swap. She told me that she liked soft colors, very vintage and I knew she loves buttons.  

I chose some vintage style papers along with some flowers in soft colors and a cupid cut from the cover of a book. I also tucked in some little pieces of lace.

This is a shot of the side. I painted all the edges and then layered on some punched paper and some lace. I can't remember exactly where I got it....I don't think it's vintage by definition, but it is older. I didn't take interior shots of the box because I was not happy with how they turned out. At least it is on the inside. 

We were to make something to put inside our box. I decorated a spool and then it wouldn't fit in the box! This is the first "spoolie" I've made. I saw some pretty examples at Lynn's blog and wanted to try my hand at one. I chose a birdcage die cut and attempted to make it 3D. 

I also altered a spoon for Laurie with a piece of silverplate from my collection. 

It's really difficult to see, but the handle in monogrammed. I can't make it all out, but the first letter I'm pretty sure is an L.  

I packaged each of these separately in a kraft bag that I decorated on the outside but forgot to take pictures of them. 

This is the box all packed up. 

I included some of my favorite laces and little bits of flowers and such for decorating items. The pink velvet ribbon is off a vintage roll and tucked underneath is a really pretty vintage look napkin that I just love. I also included some of the brown crepe paper that I used on the spoolie.

I picked up a monogram stamp that I thought Laurie could use on artwork that she sells in her etsy shop along with an old bottle to alter and a pretty vintage dish. I was saddened to hear that it didn't arrive in one piece. I also found a pretty vintage postcard and included a modern bookmark with a vintage look.

Laurie is a Button Floozie so I included 2 packs of buttons in her box. These pretties were sealed up in a little organza bag. Some of my favorite buttons are in this set: the pink plastic pierced one, the cream with the rhinestone center and the big square pink one. It has a bit of sparkle in it. I don't know if it's very old, but I think it's pretty fun! The charm attached to the ribbon is an extra I had from another swap about a year and a half ago. In the center is a very shabby button. It's not in great shape, but I think it's so pretty. I hope Laurie likes it to either admire or use in a project. The chain on the left is a zipper pull; it has the logo of a local department store here that was the place to shop for many years. It closed in the 90s finally and many years after that I found a full box of these at an estate sale. They must have been some sort of promotional item.

I added a bit of book page and a vintage style ticket (you can get the free printable here) to this bag full of buttons and other assorted items.

A mix of vintage buttons and modern embellishments. I always like to order a few things at swap times and then spread them out over several swaps. I picked out some vintage french sequins, a plastic heart button with a rhinestone and some carved buttons  . The thick pink ones I found locally in a little button jar; they have a shape I don't see very often that I really liked. There were also two angel wings in this pack but they are very translucent and hard to see.

This was a little bag I made to hold some ephemera and vintage inspired images. The main focal piece is from one of the decorative napkins that I mentioned earlier. 

I included some printable images and a few of my favorite ephemera pieces: a game card, some tea packets and a royal mail stamp. 

A printed vintage valentine and a carved antique button. You can also see a silverplate spoon I included in case Laurie wanted to alter one. 

Another napkin, some printed banner pieces, and a Valentine from the 1930s. I found it and the carved button at my favorite antique store here. I can't remember the exact year she told me - but it was mid to late 30s. She had several beautiful pieces for sale! The rolled up paper is some paintable wallpaper I picked up back when I first started stamping at a hardware store that was going out of business.

I hope Laurie enjoyed opening up each item and that she has a few new treasures to enjoy and create with. 

Valentine Boxes

Remember being in school and creating something to hold valentines? When I was growing up, we did it in class, from a big piece of construction paper and made a pocket that we glued cut out hearts onto. Simple and perfect.

I recently participated in a Valentine Box swap. My partner, Laurie from Indulge Your Shelf,  spoiled me with what she sent. I cannot tell you how perfect the  items she picked out for me are! 

Here is a quick picture of what I pulled out of the box. Laurie even put a huge heart shaped doily on the box but I didn't take a photo of that. Lots of attention to the little things is one of her strengths!

Here is a close-up. I wish you could see the detail on this. Laurie created a box in a style that I really love but have a hard time personally pulling off. Lots of text and DTP (direct-to-paper). And see that gorgeous heart crochet trim? And that pretty tin? It's very sparkly in real life. Look close and you'll see another favorite - Laurie used some sort of netting - I'm thinking it might have been off a vintage hat? 

This is what I saw when I first opened up the box. Swoon, right? A pretty vintage doily - love it! And in the corner - do you see? Laurie had posted on her blog some little fabric hearts she had been sewing - I was beyond excited to see one in my box!! 

Here is a close-up shot. It is very romantic with the lace and the tiny ribbon holding a "love" charm! 

And the back of the heart - just as lovely! 

Laurie had packaged all these elements in those cool cellophane bags but I took out quickly and spent time with each one. Lots of ephemera (stuff that I don't see around these parts) - she has an etsy shop where you can pick up pieces just as wonderful.

I wish I'd gotten a better shot of this photo as there are so many wonderful treasures in this shot! In the upper right is a lovely ceramic? plaster? piece with roses. Swoon. And then there was a tin inside for me to alter, filled with goodies like a frozen charlotte, cabachons, and then a really cool paper spool. It's definitely vintage, very soft colors, and has an embossed design. I don't know what it is exactly, but I know that I love it! If you look carefully you'll see the pink bottom layer. It has lily of the valley flowers on it. I had mentioned that I loved roses and lily of the valley and Laurie sent so many items with those images. It is a small table runner size and I can't honestly decide if I want to leave it as is to enjoy or make it into a Pretty Pocket to enjoy. 

Laurie also sent this lovely little sack with another treasure inside. It held a tin that she had altered a little into a pincushion and then it has the prettiest doily gathered up  around the bottom. It looks so pretty sitting on the table! And check out the stick pin!

Here is an inside shot of the tin. Oh my, full of the prettiest items. Laurie heads up the Button Floozies blog and she sent a terrific selection. I can't get over how sweet that big red button is! I'd like to say that I will use it in a project, but I have a feeling that I'll just keep it and always think of Laurie when I see it. 

Here are just a few of the favorites from the tin. My little man (who is not so little anymore) loved the charm the best. He picked it up right away and mimed out "I love you" to me. That boy melts my heart every day! 

Laurie, Thank you so much for sending me such a pretty box, full of sweet treasures. I know that I will be enjoying them for years to come!

Swapping

 

I thought I'd share what I sent Jessica for her Very Vintage Spring Ephemera Swap. I had it in my head it was due mid-month but I think I might have mixed that date up with the Birdsong Tag swap.

A few weeks ago I found a really large sized dictionary at an estate sale along with some sheet music.

I ended up putting my items together in a page protector. I also added some grocery stamps and a booklet, an old canceled check* and a playing card (I bought them for the case and was happy when Jessica announced this swap as I knew they would be my submission).

We were supposed to include a ___ with our information on it. I scanned the ATC I made last month for my local stamp club and printed off my info on the back.

* Please tell me that you think an old canceled check is cool. My DH thinks I'm loco and that nobody would want some old check.

Petite Inspiration Box Spring Swap

Heather @ Speckled Egg hosted another Petite Inspiration Box swap with a Spring theme and I was blessed to be paired with two sweet girls. First I'll share the items I swapped with Jessica @ Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping

The theme was Spring and I grabbed some moss in a sheet and planned to do flowers and birds for the outside of my boxes. But then --- I ended up going in a completely different direction! I was wandering through a Wal-Mart and spied some strawberry labels with the canning supplies. I knew that Jessica liked strawberries because she told me so and I also knew that she has a serious obsession* for labels.
* her word, not mine.

And since I love the arrival of Spring Strawberries in the Supermarket I figured that would work as a theme!  I found a bag of trims at the local thrift store. I bought the whole bag just for some pink ball trim for this swap. Both my partners received some but you'll have to spy a glimpse in Lisa's photos tomorrow. Also in the bag was the big aqua bow. Totally cool. I wanted to keep it for myself. And then I found that enameled pink and tied it all on with some pink tulle so that Jessica could salvage then and use them on other projects if she wanted.

Jessica is a Button Floozy and so I was digging around in my button box and found that weird looking thing on the left. But I wondered what would happen if I painted it? Would it look like a strawberry?

A little? Right? And some more buttons and such that I included for her. See that one in the middle. I saw a strawberry button on etsy but couldn't make myself pay that much for a button. So imagine my glee when I saw that one in my button box one day. It was a little present from God and I got totally giddy. I left the patina on it as Jessica is a Button Floozy and would know (1) if it should stay or go and (2) how to make it go if she wanted far better than I. See that sparkly one in the lower right? What a saga to get that little bit. I found them on ebay and there were several in there and the price was a steal. So I nabbed them so that I could put one in Jessica's box and one in Lorraine's Things with Wings box (later post). Then I noticed they were coming from Hong Kong. They took soooo long to get here. I held off Lorraine's box waiting for them -- and then finally sent it without it. They finally arrived just as I was ready to send this box off. Talk about bad timing!

You can see the labels that started this box in the center. I also included some vintage papers in both boxes, rolled up with some vintage pink ribbon. I made sure that Jessica got dictionary pages for "berry" in her pack.

I also was paired with Lisa from Happily Scrappin' Today. Oh I had such a fun, FUN time putting her box together too! I went reading through her blog and found pictures of her scrap space. She told me she liked pink and dress forms --- and her space really showed that!

Why does Blogger do that? I used some vintage flowers and a miniature dress form to decorate Lisa's box. I thought that would fit in the box --- but it was a little tall. I also decided to paint and shabby chic the dress form up too. I layered lots of paint on it and finally achieved a look I was happy with! I sure hope Lisa loved it too!



I used a vintage hankie to wrap up the goodies in each box.

I knew that Lisa liked milk glass and angels. I couldn't pass up that little milk glass sugar bowl. Again, I thought it would fit in the matchbox and again, I was a little off on estimating my sizes. I found the pom-pom trim at the thrift store in a bag of trims. There was the pink stuff, some very cool brown embroidered ribbon, odds and ends and a really weird yellow yarn octopus. The little aqua envelope is a "zipper helper". It is marked Blackburns on the back which is a department store that we used to have here years and years ago. Often times I'll see hat boxes and such with Blackburns on it at estate sales in the area.

I can't wait for you to see what I received from Jessica and Lisa. They are both vintage and awesome and completely me!

A Little of This and A Little of That

Hmm.

How do you start a blog post when you haven't posted in almost a year?

I have been creating; not as much as I was or as frequently but some here and there. I really wanted to share with you a few swaps that I've recently finished.

First, I'm gathering up items for this swap and if you love shabby and vintage, you should check it out!

The first one was an Altered Matchbox swap hosted by Vintage Dragonfly. The theme was Things with Wings and was so much fun to put together. I created this little treasure for Lorraine at Over the Rainebeau.

I knew Lorraine liked aqua and pink and all sorts of things with wings. I spied that little birdie one day and decided to just focus on birds. Although I had the hardest time getting the bird to stay on the nest! And the little matchbox was filled with all kinds of goodies!

JoAnne, the swap hostess, sent a magical box to me!

It's so darling and I love it! She decorated the outside with tons of embellishments and has that over the top look that I love (but never seem to be able to actually do). So much inspiration packed into a little box. She also sent me this gorgeous tag:

The next swap was a seaside theme and I opted not to participate this round. But I have seen some of the photos in the Flickr group and they are beautiful! If you are interested in a swap like this, check it out - she'll post the next theme soon.

Some ATC's

Back before Christmas I joined a Vintage Christmas swap over on splitcoast. I do not mind mass-producing cards but a few years ago, my MIL put a pad of ATC images in my stocking that were all vintage images. I knew they would be perfect for this swap so I pulled them out. I added stickles to every image and then trimmed them and distressed them. Most of them had their base run through a cuttlebug folder for texture and I tried to use bits of lace and buttons or pearls on each one too. Once I was finished with them, they sat on my shelf for a day so I could admire them. I really loved each one and it was hard to pack them up and send them off. I hope that those who received them have enjoyed them as much as I did!