April Showers Bring May Flowers

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, give away, jewelry

Birthday_08_k_018 Thanks so much for all your birthday well wishes!! I even got cards in the mail from blog readers and friends, how sweet is that???

My pal, Jen, baked this carrot cake and brought it over as a surprise.  And by the way, it is even tastier than it looks.

She has a way with baked goods that is not quite human, we think she has some sort of magical powers with butter and sugar.  Whenever there is an event of any kind, everyone begs for a "Jen Cake".Birthday_08_k_022

The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful for my 50th birthday, and I got to spend the day doing things I love best, working in the garden and flower beds, taking a relaxing nap, playing with Sugarwings, then having a special family dinner topped off by Jen Cake.

Sugarwing’s Daddy slow smoked a prime rib roast all day with cherry and persimmon woods and we had a pot of roasted veggies (including fresh asparagus from my garden) along with it.  Luckily I started the first day of my next 50 years by going to the gym in the morning!Birthday_08_k_027

My special day was just that, extra special.  And the celebration goes on, I have a coffee with friends this week, and a party on Sat. night.  Also, my buddy, Beth, is letting me paint her antique mall booth for her (how kind of her). 

Actually, we’ll have a fun day hanging out and playing decorator with all of her junk, then meeting up with Amy Barickman of Vintage Workshop about some design ideas.

In the meantime, here are a few necklaces for the winner of my Birthday Giveaway to chose from.

Oops, you want to know who won, don’t you?

Nancy

(Nancy, if you don’t care for a necklace, I can send you a bracelet or earrings instead.)

Thanks to all of you who entered by leaving a comment.  All the comments count toward the May Giveaway prize too.

I will be adding to the goodies that go out in May, already there is a white leather Brighton coin purse and a gold band from the flea market in the prize pack. Maybe some millinery flowers?? And more! May is my favorite month of the year and I just have to share my happiness with everyone!! Leave a comment, any post all month to enter.Birthday_08_k_024

As soon as I list a couple pieces of jewelry on Etsy, Sugarwings, Twinkle and I are going to go and plant a few more flowers.   I have to get outside and enjoy that gorgeous May weather.

50 tiny dancers for 50 years of dancing through life

fairies, flowers, hand painted signs, jewelry

Sparks_may_day_033 Oh no, is Karla going to make us look at 10,000 flowers she just bought??? Is that all this blog is about anymore???

Nope, I won’t do that to you. I just wanted to show you the pretty posies on the top of the birthday present Beth brought to me today.Sparks_may_day_032

How perfect is this package for me?  Old wallpaper and  millinery flowers that are soft and floppy with age topping a hat box!Sparks_may_day_034

Even more fun, look inside!  Amongst some other trinkets that I love, (Italian rose dish, a vintage millinery catalog, old seam binding, and other pretties) was FIFTY BALLERINAS. 

Only Beth would think of something that perfect for my 50th birthday!

Sparks_may_day_038 She came to help out and keep me company today at Art in the Park.  Sparks_may_day_037

I can’t imagine a nicer day for it. Sunny, with a slight whispering breeze that was just enough to keep us comfy, not so much that our things blew over or we had to take turns holding onto the tent leg so it wouldn’t blow over.

My greeting cards were my biggest seller today, with Mother’s Day next week, that  was to be expected.  I also sold china shard jewelry and earrings.

Sparks_may_day_040 Mostly we spent the day soaking up some springtime.  And giggling.  Inspired by Joy’s fortune bottles, I decided to decorate bottles as party favors for the birthday party I am throwing for myself.  I will add a special fairy note to each one, assigning guests a personal guardian fairy to watch over them.

So, Beth and I spent a big part of the day coming up with helpful fairies and naming them.  Here are a few:

  • “Pinkie Sugar Fly” will guard your windows from bugs flying in through tears in the screens
  • “Kitty Flitter Flower” watches over you during cat naps to bring you sweet dreams
  • “Tootsie Twinkle Tulip”is always ready to touch up your toe nail polish before you even know it is chipped.
  • “Blue Bird Buttercup” sprinkles cookie crumbs for a trail to lead the blue bird of happiness to your door
  • “May Belle Lina” watches out for smudged mascara under your eyes.
  • “Flossy Flutterby” picks the spinach out of your teeth before anyone notices it.
  • “Pearly Pear” keeps an eye out for an earring that is about to slip off your ear.Collage__she_asked_to_be_young_agai

My pal, Pam sent me this birthday card.  I love the sentiment, wouldn’t it be wonderful to be granted 3 wishes?  Although, today all I would ask for is that Sugarwings would feel better. My poor fairy grandbaby has a fever and sore throat and I hate to see her sad and down.

Don’t forget, a giveaway will be drawn on the 5th and I have an extra special May giveaway with lots of gifts this month!

The crazy hat lady strikes again

antiques/junking, flowers, jewelry, Silver Bella, vintage paper/collage art

Sparks_may_day_017 You’ll never guess what I bought at the flea market yesterday.

Millinery flowers! Beth asked me how I was going to display my hats, and I told her "I don’t like hats" and that just struck our funny bones, considering I’d just bought 15 of them!Sparks_may_day_016

Honestly, I don’t care for the hats themselves, I only buy them for their blooms.

At first, I didn’t think it was going to be a good hat day, but then, I heard the whispers of them calling to me from a  large booth of vintage clothing.

The dealer had just returned from Round Top . Her prices were sky high too, $38 for a flowery bonnet?? Yep, those are big time flea market prices, not Kansas prices!

So, I asked her nicely if she had a volume price.  I bought 8 hats including the one previously marked $38 for only $64 total.  And I didn’t stop there, I found pairs of hats here and there throughout the market for an average of $2.50 each.   Which is why I ended up with a pile of FIFTEEN flowering beauties! Sparks_may_day_011

I was worse with old photos. I told Beth that she had to steer me away from any more, it wasn’t funny at that point.  I didn’t think I could stop, but she was able to help me and I got through the rest  of the day avoiding the photo bargains. 

Most pictures were $1 each and when I’d gather an armful of ten or so, the dealer would usually name a price averaging about 50-75 cents each.

Which is how I ended up with THIRTY NINE  photos.Sparks_may_day_012

Sparkling old jewels were priced about the same as the photos at so many tables we stopped at. Of course, if they were priced higher than that we didn’t stop.

I don’t know how many pieces of rhinestone jewelry I ended up with, but with paired earrings at under $1, I might have bought a couple…..

This photo? A drop in the bucket. 

And look at the "Princess" jewel box! It was only $4 and I have plans to foof and jazz it up on the exterior. The inside is lovely just as it is! (the pretty as a picture alarm clock is a birthday gift from Beth- lucky me!)Sparks_may_day_009

I bought $1 dolls to fix up too.   The bust (Marie?) was only $1 and I might paint it white.

The pink skirted tiny dancer is actually a music box that plays "Always" (the song my parents played at the their wedding). Consider this a "before" photo of her, I have big plans for a transformation to come.

French, German, and other old books were only $1 each

Clear Lucite containers were how much? $1 a piece (wish I’d bought more)

26 Vintage ballerina cake toppers were how much? $1 each

Keys? 2 for $1

Vintage scalloped edge stationery? $1 a box

Sparks_may_day_006 But of all the things I bought, what is the best?  This $4 dotted Swiss dress for Sugarwings. 

Sparks_may_day_002 In the same booth, I found a close match for her baby doll.

I think I’ll ask her to wear them for my birthday party on Monday.  (which is my actual birthday, even though I have been celebrating for weeks.)

I’ll draw a name on May 6th for a winner of a birthday gift from me.  All comments count towards that and toward my May giveaway, which I think will have to be extra special this month. 

Sparks_may_day_019 In one $5 bag of jewels from the flea market, there was a dainty gold band.  I think I will include it with my May prize.  Along with the gold band is a white leather Brighton coin purse.

I’ll be adding to the May Prize Pack throughout the month, so stay tuned and keep entering!  Any comment, any post.Sparks_may_day_024

April’s winner, Clarice had a choice of prizes.  She chose a Cottage Collage Kit with vintage wallpaper.  She has two daughters that she makes great craft projects with, so I included some extras for them all to have fun with. 

Some indulgent reminiscing at a half century milestone and the April giveaway winner

family, give away

Toys_006My Silver Bella friend, Jessi, is asking us to remember our child hood toys today.  There is a lack of photos of myold toys, but that didn’t slow down my reminiscing.  Her topic brought up lots of happy memories for me.

One of the best toys I had was this teeter totter.  I’m sure that in today’s age it wouldn’t get past safety codes.  We were always smashing and pinching our fingers under the rails of this thing.

(I’m the one on the left)

When neighbors weren’t around to balance it, I’d tip the thing on its side and pretend it was a pirate ship or a castle.Toys_002

Another love was bags full of little plastic horsies. I could play with those for hours.  I’d paint them too, because I loved to change them all to have white manes and tails.

When I came across a photo of my husband with a toy horse from his child hood, I had to frame it to display with a picture of me with my toy horses.Toys_003

On the same shelf, I set out a photo of our "real" horses, Scooty and Fairybelle.Toys_004 

When I was little, I had severe asthma and couldn’t own the  pets I desperately wanted. I made up for it with piles of stuffed animals and a vivid imagination.

After "outgrowing" my allergies, I made the most of having lots of  pets, and loved filling up this big old falling down barn on our property. (it has since fallen down)

You can see Faiybelle to the right of the barn in this painting I did.Toys_005_2

Remember saying this?

"Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight.  I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight"

My wish, every single time I looked up at the stars was to have a pony.  I loved to crane my neck and look out of the back window of the car (pre-car seat days!) waiting for that first star of the night to show itself so I could wish for my horse.

Finally, as an adult, my wish came true. I had Scooty, the Shetland. He was a baby when I got him, and followed me around the yard like a puppy. (of course, the horse I wished for had wings, but Scooty didn’t)

Toys_009 As much as I loved my Barbies and dolls, when I look back at my childhood, the strongest memories are of wishing for a pet, and pretending my toys were alive and could love me back as much as I loved them.

I’ve  collected some of these thoughts and memories about my childhood and made a little scrapbook about myself to read with Sugarwings.Toys_010

  I put in lots of pop ups with pictures underneath, and little snippets of stories about my wishes and hopes as a little girl so I can share them with my own little girl as she grows.Toys_001

And now here I am, turning 50. I can remember making those wishes on a star, and the feelings that went with it, as if those longings and dreams are as real today as they were nearly a half a century ago.

Thanks, Amy Wald for the sparkling card!

And thanks, Jessi, for this subject.  It was a timely one for me.  Birthday milestones are a good time to look back and remember the child that is still inside.

I hope to never lose the imagination that I had back then, when I’d paint a plastic horse and see myself riding it across the skies with its beautiful white tail flying behind us. And when I’d tip over a teeter totter and it would become a  castle where I was the princess.

Happy May Day everyone!  My birthday (which I am sure you are so tired of hearing about) is May 5th and I will have a special gift to go out then.  All comments count toward that as well as toward my regular monthly drawing.

And who wins for the April Drawing?

Clarice

And what is the prize? 

she gets a choice of one of these prizes:

1- a pair of earrings made by me, with vintage pieces

2- a May Day tussie mussie

3- a Birds and Bonnets Vintage Workshop images tag

4- a Cottage Collage Kit with vintage wallpaper and  millinery flowersMillinery_375

I have added more millinery flowers to my etsy shop, since I had such a good response for the ones I listed yesterday (5 bundles sold in an hour or so!)Millinery_372

Thanks so much for supporting my Etsy shop and for taking the time to visit me here in blogworld.

Plucking some blooms

antiques/junking, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, swaps

Millinery_368_2 Thanks for all of your kind birthday wishes!

I am soaking up all the birthday goodness I can get and enjoying every minute of it.

This cute card is from Robin, as if the clock/frame she made wasn’t enough?!

The picture is so cute. It reminds me of Sugarwings, I am teaching her how to cook,  and of course, the beaters are her favorite part of the process!Millinery_365

My suitcase is still sitting in my studio, filled with vintagey purchases from my trip. I am trying to focus on getting ready for Art in the Park on Sunday and ignoring the other stuff piling up around me.

But I just HAD to pull some of it out to play with.

All the photos and birds are from the Cottage and were only $1 each. The cute bird collage is from an artist there too, look at how she has used the snap for an eye!

Millinery_369 The hymn book was $2 from Lucketts and the old toy mirrors were $1 each at the thrift store Robin took me to.Millinery_349

The first three hats on the back left are from my trip to Virginia, but the rest are from a day out with Sugarwings yesterday. She and I did a bit of junking and I bought these four floral beauties for $30!

  Look at the load of red velvet roses on the middle one in the bottom row- jackpot!Millinery_360

And even though I know I need to get ready for the art show this weekend, I spent the hour I watched American Idol last night sorting flowers.

(Our local Kansas City boy, and my favorite, David Cook is still blowing them all away on Idol, and I think he has a good shot at winning)

Millinery_361

The blooms are sorted into boxes by color then I put them into my big storage box that is covered with old wallpaper.

I even made a separate box of an assortment of posies to keep by my worktable, ready to grab when needed.

Millinery_363  Getting ALL the flowers pulled off of hats and sorted felt like a major accomplishment, till I turned around and realized I still had a table top full of flowers I was using as a center piece.

I’m starting to think I might have a few too many. Maybe.Millinery_345

Lori and I had been talking about  a mini- swap like I did with Lili last week.

But since she sent me that sweet collage of my fairy grand baby, I told her that was already way too much.Millinery_348

So, I bundled up a few pretties and have them ready to send to her.Millinery_370

Still had more than I could use.  What to do with all these hats and flowers???

I put Twinkle in one, but she is a little too big. Unless I get some smaller dogs, this isn’t going to be a good use for my hats.Millinery_354

So, I made 5 packets of pink and white to sell on Etsy.  It isn’t even a drop in the bucket.  I think that once I get past this art show, and the rest of my upcoming 50th birthday parties, I will wrap up some more to list and sell. edit: only two left, these are selling fast

edit: oops, those sold too! I added more to the shop, thank you all so much for stopping by and snapping those flowers up so quickly!

Twinkle was relieved that I decided to sell some.

Today is the last day to enter my April Giveaway, but you still have  5 more days to enter my birthday giveaway.

Any comment, on any post gets entered. 

Sugarwing Themed gifts (the best kind of sweetness!)

antiques/junking, Books, Moving to DC, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

Millinery_340 I just got home from our East coast apartment, and look what was waiting for me in the giant, overflowing basket of mail that came while I was away!

Talented Miss Lori Karla sent this along with her Card for Caroline as a random act of kindness.

Isn’t it the cutest?  Such a perfect collage for this picture of my fairy grand baby.

Millinery_342 And lucky me, how scrumptious is this??? Millinery_324

My Centreville, VA blog pal, Robin made this frame from an old clock for my birthday.

We met up for coffee, the she offered to take me to own of her thrift store faves. (well, maybe I coerced her a bit)

I bought a cart load of goods for $13.90,  between that trip and my Leesburg shopping adventure, I completely filled an extra suitcase for the trip home.

Millinery_343_2

These two ladies’ creations sure are special to me.  Not only do they involve pictures of my sweet little Sugarwings, they are such thoughtful and talent filled works of art.

I just love ’em to pieces!Millinery_332   

Not everything is unpacked yet from my trip. Instead of putting away suitcases,   I went through the cards for Caroline that came in the mail, and I have to tell you, there are some beauties there!

I’ll get organized and photograph them soon, and have a whole post devoted to just that, along with the list of updated names.Millinery_334

For now, I’ll show you a couple of pictures of the book I made in Debbie Shue’s class on Saturday.

The flowers on the cover are from some of my souvenir hats I purchased on my shopping day with Debbie.

She furnished rub ons and stickers, but I ended up doing doodles and added glitter instead of using them.

Millinery_338 Debbie had a great kit with all the papers cut and ready to go. The whole book was assembled in the 2 hour class (that is impressive, that she can time it so perfectly and know just what to show everyone)

I changed mine a bit, and tried to make it part art journal/part scrapbook.  I also purchased some Glimmer Mist and tried that for the first time.

I have to tell you, that stuff is FUN!  I bought Robin’s Egg and Pineapple and plan on getting a lot more colors.Millinery_336

Don’t forget you can still enter my giveaway for this month.

EVERY COMMENT IS ENTERED for the entire month.

And all comments until May 5th are entered into my special 50th birthday celebration giveaway.

Is it a SMALL world? Or a GIANT blogosphere!?

antiques/junking, celebrations, Food and Drink, Moving to DC, parties, Silver Bella

Shopping_2_2 How weird is this???

While I am here in Virginia, I spent a free afternoon in Leesburg to shop and check out The Cottage, a store I’d heard about but never been to,  its about 30 minutes from our apartment.

While I was chatting with the co-owner, Ann, Pam walked in and she recognized me.  Behind her was Debbie Shue who was in town from NY to teach classes at the scrapbook store where Pam works.Shopping

Now, what are the odds that we would run into each other? Pam and Debbie both went to Silver Bella last year, and I know them through that and through blogs. (sorry about the blurry picture, but also, what are the odds that we take dozens of photos and none of the ones with all of us are any good?)Sh3

I am from Kansas, Debbie is from New York, none of us were staying in Leesburg, we just all decided to go to a store there at the same time. 

If I had stopped for lunch first, or if they had gone to Lucketts before The Cottage, we’d never have met up.Sh5

Lucky that we did! Not only was this a cute and cottagey shop that I fell in love with and had a great time browsing through (I’ll post my beautiful bargain finds later), Pam, Debbie, and their pal, Kitty, invited me to hang out with them for the day.Sh6

We spent quite a while in The Cottage, and all found fun things to purchase. We visited with Ann, who was nice as could be and seemed to enjoy the coincidence of our meeting as much as we did. 

Sh7

Istn’t this store so pretty? I could have just moved into any of these cozy displays she has set up.Sh8

After the Cottage, the three gals asked me to go to lunch with them, and on to some other antiquing.

While out shopping, I came across some of the prettiest hats I’d ever seen, with tons of dainty flowers on each. But- they were a LOT more expensive than what I usually buy. ($15- $28, but LOADED with blossoms)

I decided that the rule about not spending more than $7 on a hat doesn’t apply on vacation or during my birthday weekClass2

Not only did I find a new store I absolutely love and  3 flowery hats that I couldn’t resist, I had a fun day full of laughs, shopping, and lunch, PLUS, Debbie was able to squeeze me into the class she was teaching the next day.

And my new pal, Kitty offered to lend me supplies, since I didn’t have any with me. 

I thought I was borrowing scissors and glue, but she showed up with the fullest, most professional scrapbboking kit I’d ever seen.  It was a joy just to poke through it all.

  Shopping, crafting, great food, fun people, romantic dinners with my husband, I may never go back to Kansas! I love it here!!Dinner2

My husband surprised me with one of the fanciest schmanciest dinners ever at a private dining club. The Tower Club at Tyson’s Corner.

The service there is so outstanding and detailed, they even had our name on the mints at our place settings!Dinner_3

We were greeted with complimentary champagne for my birthday. I had the Maryland crab appetizer (you just have to order that when you are in this part of the country) and as gourmet-licious as the whole dinner was, my favorite part of the meal was the white chocolate and lemon surprise birthday cake.Dinner4

"Happy Birthday" was written in dark chocolate on a sheet of white chocolate and the whole cake was covered in curled bits of the white.

A tray of tiny desserts came out with the coffee along with a goodie assortment of coffee mix-ins.  Orange peels, cinnamon sticks, real whipped cream and shaved cocoa.

I was so impressed, I almost couldn’t eat it, it was just too lovely.  But I did. Dinner 

I have the BEST husband. 

Golf_course

Last night, dinner on the 17th floor with a view over looking the capitol, tonight dinner at Piedmont Country Club with this view out the window.  Yep, not a bad kickoff to my birthday week.

I don’t think turning 50 years old is looking too bad at all. I have a pretty lucky life! I am looking forward to the next 50, I plan on living as long and as well as my Great Aunt Caroline that you are all making cards for!

The Hat Whisperer (or the crazy lady, you decide)

collections, Moving to DC

Millinery_259 Do you ever come to my blog and think to yourself, "oh no, more flowers"  Or, "That Karla must be crazy. Why does she keep buying old smashed flowers, almost daily, and then showing them to us?" "What is wrong with that woman?"

Millinery_246

I do tend to fixate on things and make or buy TONS when I am on a roll.

Right now, I can’t seem to stop buying hats (and the flowers that bloom on them).  I am developing some sort of millinery ESP, where I am going about my business,  and out of the blue, I hear them call out to me.  I stop everything, and drive myself, in a dazed state to the store I feel the bonnets beckoning to me from.  Then, I walk right up to the hiding place of a floral bargain bonanza.Millinery_250

Of course, if I happen to come across a pile of rhinestone buttons for $1,  cabinet cards for 50 cents each, or rose postcards for 75 cents each, I am not too deep into my millinery stupor to scoop those up too.Millinery_260

After a day of running errands and playing with Sugarwings, I sat down to make another bracelet and get some work done for my much neglected inventory for the upcoming art show.Millinery_248_3

One bracelet was finished before I started to hear the silk and velvet’s siren song, calling me from Scranton and 4 Corners, (great little antiquing towns about an hour from here). I knew I shouldn’t go, I had a lot of reasons not to go: the stores would  be closing soon, I had work to do, and it was raining so hard I could barely see to drive.

But I also knew that it wouldn’t take long. I didn’t need an all day shopping trip, I could go right to those tempting trinkets, buy them and leave.  They were calling out to me, I had no choice, I knew they were there waiting for me.

I was right!! I bought $3 and $5 hats, plus a BAGFUL of flowers,  for only $10.

Millinery_233 

Do I look crazy?  Or simply psychic?  As a matter of fact, I think I hear one now…… yes, there is a $4 hat in Leesburg calling me now. I think I will have to go to visit my husband in Virginia.

I am looking into plane tickets for tomorrow night, so if you don’t hear from me, I am on my way there.

Please continue to leave comments, each one is entered into BOTH giveaways (details in my previous post).  I’ll catch up as soon as I hunt down the source of that mesmerizing sound. The one whispering to me "I’m here… I’m waiting… I’m waiting for you here, with my lovely scrunched petals… you know you want to find me…. "

Oh, and please continue to send your cards for Caroline’s 100th birthday, Ryan will bring in the mail while I am gone and they will be safe.

If I have time, I’ll post from our apartment there.  But I could be pretty busy, hunting down that hat that is calling me  plus I am going to insist that my husband whisk me away to romantic dinners and nights out to celebrate my 50th birthday.  It is only 12 days away, I seriously need to start celebrating. I might start by finding the perfect hat and treating myself to it! 

 

Girls Day Out and a birthday giveaway

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, jewelry, Sugarwings

Scraps_403 The sun was shining and today was about as springy as a day can be.

Sugarwings and I decided to have a girly day together.  We started with a little shopping spree.  She picked out glittery pink shoes at Target ( I wish they had them in my size!)

Scraps_478

And a stop at the antique mall turned up the perfect grandma hat for me. (only $6!!! And it has FIVE large pink roses on it) Of course, I wore it the rest of the day.Scraps_399

When we saw these matching dresses for toddlers and their dolls on sale for only $10 at TJMaxx, , we had to snap them up and find a dolly to fit the dress.

Those dresses simply couldn’t stay in the bag, not when they went so perfectly with the new shoes!  We changed "the girl’s" clothes in the car before going downtown to stroll in the springtime sunlight and show off our new finery.

Since it was Girls Day Out, the three of us treated ourselves to a ladies luncheon. Over our BBQ (hey, we are Midwesterners, not dainty girls- we like MEAT)  we tried to come up with a name for the new baby. 

"Baby" and "Good Girl" were the names Sugarwings suggested.Scraps_417

I voted for "Miss Daisy" because after our trip, we decided to go for a ride in the little pink car.  I drove Miss Sugarwings and Miss Daisy all over the neighborhood.Scraps_424

These two best friends wanted to make a stop in the park for a bit.Scraps_467

Twinkle was jealous of Sugarwing’s new friend and reminded her who her true best friend really was.

How can a day be more perfect than this???? Well it gets even better!Scraps_473_2

Ryan surprised us and had dinner cooked and ready when we came home from our spring fling! Chicken, rice and ice cream cones topped off our spring fling! And I didn’t have to cook.

Then, once the fairy grand baby went to bed for the night, I was able to make a little more jewelry.

This bracelet and matching earrings are assembled from vintage religious medallions.

Scraps_469 The necklace is a variety of chain sizes, beads and aqua rhinestones, with a pendant of old keys.

And is my day over yet? Nope, now  I get to go watch a tivo-ed American Idol featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Don’t even ask me how many times I have been to see Phantom, you don’t want to hear me sing the whole thing either).

And not only that, Cloverfield is out on video, so Ryan and I are having a horror movie night.  What a perfect way to end a perfect  Girls Day Out!Scraps_409_2

You know, my birthday is just around the corner.  I can’t imagine any party I plan being more fun than today!

I’d like to share my special day with you guys and give away a piece of the jewelry I have been making on my 50th birthday, May 5th.

Any comment between now and Monday May 5th goes into the drawing. 

And don’t forget that ALL comments this month are entered into my monthly giveaway.

Hmmm, what will I be sending as a present for April???  hmmm, let me think.  I have been on an endless tag marathon lately, maybe a tag?

Or a tussie mussie! In time for May Day flowers?! 

I know, I will give the winner a choice!

On  Wed. April 30th, I’ll draw a winner for a choice of one of these prizes:

1- a pair of earrings

2- a May Day tussie mussie

3- a Birds and Bonnets Vintage Workshop images tag

4- a Cottage Collage Kit with vintage wallpaper and  millinery flowers

Vintage Bling- Day Two and the pliers are flying through the pile of scrap

jewelry, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

Scraps_388 Spring might actually be here! It hit 70 today and I worked with the studio doors open. I love this time of year before the flies come, when there is a slight breeze to open the house up to have all the winter blahs blown out the doors.  Scraps_389

While enjoying the fresh air and listening to Twinkle run in and out of the house to chase bunnies, I worked my way through a desktop of jewels and made quite a bit for "Art in the Park" on May 4th.Scraps_396

Lots of charm bracelets and earrings today, and a one necklace (the cameo one pictured).  Scraps_383

Then, the mail lady knocked on my door with an arm load of bundled mail and I was done being productive, it was time to play!

Lili sent a package filled with delight from The Netherlands, for our mini swap.  All I sent to her was millinery flowers and a few post cards.  She went wild and filled a bag with wonderful European goodies for me!

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Look at these book pages, won’t they be fantastic collage backgrounds? and these teeny little aqua bows are so dainty and sweet, they remind me of baby butterflies.

Did I mention Rose Wallpaper?????

Everything, every single thing, was delicious and fun and I can’t wait to dig in and create lots of somethings with it all!

Thanks, Lili!

Scraps_380 Cards for Caroline’s 100th birthday arrived in the giant bundle of mail too. Cindy sent this cute as a bug one.  I like the way she layers and embellishes, don’t you?Scraps_372

Jessica created this iris card, and I wish you could see the detail in person, this little purple flower should be framed.  My mom always called iris "flags." I don’t hear that any more.  Its a nice, old fashioned term. 

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Soon, the swap screens will be coming in too.  Of course, they are going to Beth’s house, but I will run over to visit and check them all out. I can’t wait!

You can still join if you hurry.  Lots of free download images to use, door prizes (well kind of, I guess that is what you’d call them) and great artists in the swap  already!

I’m off to flickr to post photos of the cards. Come by and look if you get a chance. http://www.flickr.com/groups/679216@N25/

Artists have been loading their cards there as they make them too, so I always get a surprise when  I go to check out the site, new things are added daily.

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