Valentine ATCs Received

Back on this post, I shared the ATCs I made for artJOYstuff's Valentine ATC swap. Here are the ATCs that I received.

Unfortunately, this little cupid is not signed, so I do not know who made it.

This sparkling beauty was made by Sylvia at Little Treasures.

This one is from Geralyn Gray.

And this pink beauty is from Dorthe Hansen.

Lastly, this beautiful ATC is from our swap hostess, Kimberly.

I had so much fun creating for this swap. I'm off to display my new ATCs!

Happy Spring

Back on this post, I shared the projects I made for a Spring Art Swap with a couple of friends. Here are the projects I received from these two talented ladies.

First up is my friend Julie. She made this fabulous altered Spring banner. On the back is a spring poem to inspire me. I love the colors and all the little bits and bobs she embellished it with. I have it on display in my entry with my spring and Easter projects.

Next up is Diana, who made this stunning altered canvas for me. I love the colors and the layers she applied. I'm hoping to get a beautiful spring photo of my niece to place on it.

Here's a close-up of some of the embellishments.

Thanks ladies for another great swap!! I truly love what you made for me.

Sparkling Witch Potion

The other swap I did for the Wicked Tea was a potion bottle. Of course, I have a stash of old bottles. I chose two (one for me and one for thee) to make my potion bottles.

I wanted to age the bottles even more. I poured dark alcohol ink inside and out.

I purchased images from Lisa's Altered Art and printed the text on my computer. Then I started blinging up the ladies. I added Stickles, German glass glitter, and used my sparkle pen for details. 

Once the ladies were ready, I adhered them using matte medium and started decorating the bottle. I added some rhinestones and drizzled melted wax here and there.

On the bottle top, I attached an owl button and dangled some charms on the side - an old vial of watch parts and a cool charm with a Witch Hazel label.

The back of the bottle has the "instructions" label. I didn't want to put any liquid in my bottle, so I filled it with mica flakes, silver sequins, glitter, and shiny silver bag filler.

The Voodoo Queen

I participated in two swaps for the Wicked Tea event. One was to make a voodoo book inspired by Marie Laveau. I made two books, one to keep and one for my swap partner Jan. I made them as old voodoo books that have been lovingly used for many, many years. Getting a little worn and distressed, but still magical. Here are some pics of the books.

Every voodoo queen needs a bit of widow's veil and purity candles.

I found some inspiring images and then made up spells, instructions, and ancient myths to go with them. I typed everything on my old typewriter to give it more of a worn feel.

For the pages, I used tracing paper, watercolor paper, and drawing paper. I liked the different textures of each. I sprayed, inked, distressed, even burned the pages to give them a well-used feel.

Here is the GORGEOUS book that Jan made for me. Her theme is of Marie Lavaeu writing a book to her daughter, passing along the recipes and needs of her customers. She wrote a beautiful story and included images of the "customers." It is so creative and beautiful. The book itself looks professionally made.

Each page is more beautiful than the next. Every time I go through the book, I see something new. What a talented woman! Thanks, Jan. I will treasure it forever.

Halloween Treat Basket

Another swap I'm finishing up is for a holiday treat basket. I signed up for Halloween and was paired with the fabulous Trisha. Here is the basket I made for her.

The back:

And the goodies inside:

Of course, I had to make one for me :) Front:

And back:

Here is the video I watched to learn how to make these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9-Xj1svazY

They are so easy! I used 9x9 paper instead of 12x12 just to make it a little more manageable for filling.

One Project Completed

I'm participating in a Christmas matchbox swap over at A Swap for All Seasons. Even thought Christmas is still 2 1/2 months away, I had to get these done and mailed out this week to get them in on time for the swap. Here's a peek at my boxes. You'll have to wait until December to see each one, and see the matchboxes I get in return.

I can show you the box I made for the hostess. I used a vintage postage stamp and coated it with Crackle Accents. I used Enamel Accents to decorate the gold paper.

Each box has a little gift tucked inside. Here is the hostess gift in mine - a little mini book, perfect for displaying index prints.

One swap down, three more to go. I'm getting there!

We're Off to See the Wizard...

I'm participating in Karla's Dorothy Tag Book Swap. I was at a loss for what to create. I tried a couple of things, but they didn't work out. Then, when I was out antiquing a couple weeks ago in a little town on the TX/OK border, I found vintage Wizard of Oz fabric! How special is that?! I no longer needed inspiration - my theme was set.

Since the fabric has such a fun, graphic print, I didn't want to over embellish it. Here is a look at my tags.

I stitched the Oz fabric onto a plain ivory fabric with some quilt batting between them. I stitched on a little ruffle at the bottom. I typed a little Dorothy quote and glued that to the front. Because the back looked pretty plain, I drew a little picture of a house and typed another quote for this side. I hope my swap partners like it!