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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the quilt lives on...

You remember these wonderful quilt squares...I wrote about them a week ago.  Great colors & vintage prints...with great family history behind them.  I'm still thrilled Pam sent them my way.

Well, when I was cutting the hexagons for my quilt, I was also able to get enough patches to make one of my Grandmother's Fan pincushions as a thanks to Pam.

 

She received it this past Monday, so it's safe to share it here.  It's filled with sand to help keep her pins & needles sharp.  I love these pincushions.  They tuck into a corner of a box when you're working on a project...or just sit out & look pretty.  I've had & used the first ones I made since the 1970s...and they still work just fine & look great.

 

They're completely stitched by hand...which I'm finding to be very calming during these insane winter temps & snow events this year.  BTW...if you want one of your own...I do have some available in my Etsy shop. 

 

Thanks again to Pam...and if you happen to have any orphaned 1930s type print cottons just lying around...I can give them a good home...and you could have a special pincushion to boot.  Just sayin'.

 

Rest in Peace, Precious Friend...Rest in Peace

Sad news this morning...Pete Seeger died last night...thankfully peacefully in his sleep.  He was 94 years old...he lived a long & extraordinary life.

 

I love this photo of him...singing & playing his banjo.  Pete's banjo has these words on it..."This machine surrounds hate & forces it to surrender."  Powerful words.  I was lucky enough to see him in concert with Arlo Guthrie back in the 1970s.  His music has always been at the top of my list of favorites...and is playing now...filling the house with memories of Pete.

 

Rest in Peace, Pete...I know you've got everyone singing along with you in the great beyond.

Swap Treasures from Pam

These are the wonderful quilt squares I received as part of my destash in our January swap from my partner, Pam of Textures-n-Treasures.  As soon as I saw them, I knew I wanted to see if I could get enough hexagons out of them to use them in my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  When I wrote to Pam to thank her & tell her my plans, she graciously offered to send a few more squares.  These squares are from a quilt top that was pieced by Pam's Grandma & Great Grandma...how wonderful is that???  Quilts are history...and I love that they keep living on. 

 

This is the mainly red print square...I love these old fabrics.

 

And this is the mainly blue square.  The print reminds me of milk glass plates with a beaded or lace edge...and I love that there is a "bite" out of each one. 

 

So...after a quick wash to make sure the fabric was pre-shrunk...& a bit of ironing...I cut the blue hexagons & pieced a flower center for my quilt!!!  The color here is too dark...no matter how I tried to correct it...but the color in the first photos is pretty true.  I still have to do a flower with the red print...so both prints will be included.  I just love this flower & the fact that some of Pam's family history will live on in my quilt.  Thanks so much, Pam!!!

 

 

 

Oh so Blue & Thinking of You for January...

Even without a studio to work in...since it's a kitten haven...I signed up for A Swap for All Seasons. Our January theme was "Thinking of You" and the color was blue.  The package above is what I sent to my partner, Jill.  Blue is one of my favorite colors, so I had lots to choose from...the big challenge was finding it in the boxes I've taken out of my studio. 

 

This is the tag I created for Jill...the flowers are fussy cut from a vintage greeting card & the image is from a book of vintage images...I can't remember which one at the moment. 

 

I went with very cool blues for her card...and one of my favorite stamp images by Michelle Ward.  You can still buy her image...and so many more of hers...here through The Shoppe at Somerset.

 

I also sent Jill some of my hand dyed ribbons & tags to use in her own creations.

 

And some vintage buttons in cool blues...which you can barely see through this glassine bag...sealed with washi tape, of course!

 

I received a fabulous package of blue goodness from Pam of Textures-n-Treasures.  She has posted great pix of what she created for me, so please visit her blog to see them.  In the package of destash goodies, you can just barely see a vintage quilt top piece sticking out.  In a couple days I'll be back here with pix of how I'm using that quilt piece & some extras she sent...lets just say history from Pam's family will live on in my quilt.  Thanks so much, Pam!

 

It's too late to sign up for February's swap...sign-ups are always on the first of the previous month.  But the March swap is all about SPRING & yellow...and you can sign up on February 1.  Watch for the announcement here at A Swap for All Seasons.  If you love to swap...this is one of the best swaps ever!

 

 

Is it Spring yet???

This is what I saw out our dining area window earlier this week...way too much snow covering the branches of the burning bush.  Couldn't see across the street.  Bitter cold, too...but that's old news now.  Anyway...I thought these branches made a kinda cool graphic image...so I played with it a bit in Paint Shop Pro.

I added some blue to outline the branches...kinda cool.

 

Why not RED??? 

 

Then I solarized it...very graphic with very subtle hints of color.

 

Finally, I posterized it...I like how the shadows are so pronounced.

 

Then...as I usually do when playing with the computer graphics stuff...I got bored & called it done.  With the high winds we had & the SUN actually shining the past couple days, this snow melted from these branches...but I know it will be back before long.  At least it's starting to warm up a bit.  Rain this weekend will hopefully melt it all. 

 

Is it SPRING yet??? 

 

 

 

It's exactly what I wanted!

This is my Christmas gift from Phil...and it's exactly what I wanted!  I've been hoping to get a RÅSKOG cart from IKEA for awhile...and with my studio now a kitten sanctuary...I really needed one ASAP.  I'm trying to work on the coffee table in our living room & needed a place to corral my most important art journaling supplies.  Now I have it.  I'll keep moving stuff around in it until it's the most functional for me, but this has made my life so much easier & while it takes up some room in the living room, we're accustomed to having my art stuff all over the house.

 

Oh...and ignore the paper on the floor & that box behind it...those are cat toys...Sunny loves playing in that paper!

 

I can just see one of these in our 1950s era blue & black tile bathroom...and I do believe I need one for my sewing & quilting supplies, especially since I plan to get back to my quilt this winter. 

 

Thanks so much, Babe...you always give the best gifts...even though having you in my life is the best gift ever.