In Friendship & Thanks...

I bought some die-cuts yesterday, I don't normally work with them or like them but these were nice, they were a K & Co. brand which is a good one, so I thought I would try them. I found the center piece image and thought I would make a postcard for my friend Mona! Not only does she give the best swaps but she is an RAK queen and I thought it was my turn!

So here is the result of me trying a little something new, I really wanted it it pink and sweet! The back is simple as it is supposed to be a postcard, although this one is too fancy to ever be mailed naked. I do hope she likes it! Thank you all for stopping by today, I am now off to create a fun and awesome Harry Potter package for a tag I am in! Until later, happy crafting!

My First Skinny!

Here now is a picture of my first Skinny for a swap for our Vintage Swappers group on Swap-bot! Marie-Antoinette was our theme and this one is titled "Springtime with Marie."

I used Vintage sheet music and books pages, a lovely pressed flower, along with some stickers, brads and images to create the background. For the picture of Marie I used Glimmer Mist in Pearl and Smooch! metallic ink in Olive Twist to gild the edge. I then added a paper flower and a pearl earring to make her very fancy indeed! I raised up the portrait with foam mounting stickers as she is above all else in her world. I love Marie and had so much fun making this Skinny! I hope you enjoy it too!

Winner Keeps All!

Below are some of the offerings I made for the winner-take-all for my group Keepers of Avalon on Swap-bot! I made a postcard, two ATC's and a bookmark. I also included my "Magic Herb Guide" mini-zine!

The first ATC I made is titled "Nostalgia." I used tissue tape, a torn vintage book page, stamps, and stickers to create the background. I used an image I thought would be beautiful and show off the vintage theme of the ATC. Next I used a piece of filmstrip ribbon on one side and I added an antique style key embellishment and a jeweled brad in a light brown hue for the final touches.

The second ATC is titled "Lost and Found" and I really liked making this one, I used images, sticker, gears, handmade paper, and a brad to get the feel of items lost in time, this one is my favorite.

I really enjoyed putting this package together, I like trying new items and new looks. Thanks for stopping by and happy swapping!

Not Too Shabby!

I am in a scavenger hunt swap and some of the items can be handmade. I decided to make two of the five items and here they are, a set of two ATC's and a set of 4 tags in a French theme.

The two ATC's I made using stamps, brads, a gel pen, markers and Glimmer Mists. The tags I made by staining plain white tags with Walnut Inks, wiping the surface of them with a paper towel to smear the ink around for a more aged look and them decorating them as seen with stamps, stickers, images and old book pages. Then I tied a piece of cream colored string to each of them to complete the tags. I also went around the edges of the tags lightly with a colored sharpie to give them a more finished look.

I hope my partner enjoys them and will use them proudly. As for the rest of the swap I sent a pretty handkerchief, a set of two small doilies, two vintage French postcards, and a set of decorated papers and a Victorian style greeting card.

This swap is for the Shabby Chateau group and I must say this one is not too Shabby at all! Happy swapping everyone!

Postcards for Jane...

These two postcards are inspired by Jane Austen. The first one is for an angel for a swap in the All About Austen! group on Swap-bot. And the second postcard if for a WTA on the same site.

I love the quote by fashion designer Lady Duff Gordon and of course the quote by Jane from Pride and Prejudice. Simple yet elegant these postcards will hopefully light up their recipients faces!

I hope you enjoy viewing them. I will have more posts soon as today was a very crafty day for me indeed! I made 5 ATC's, 2 postcards and 4 gift tags. A very productive Sunday! Until later, happy crafting!

September = Zines!

Here again for this month is my latest mini-zine! It is themed for a Tudor style and content book of hours. This lovely little treasure has verses and poetry from Queen Elizabeth I, Tudor period nursery rhymes/poetry and even some political poetry/commentary of the day!

I started out like the other zine with staining the paper with Walnut Inks, and using Glimmer Mist in Olive Vine around the edges of the paper. I used stickers, tissue tape, die-cuts, and stamped images in various inks for the background. I then printed out my verse on tea-stained paper and glued them as you see.

This is a 6 page zine made from an 8in x 11.5 in sheet of paper which I then had photo copied onto a nice weight of color printer paper and folded.

I made this mini-zine for the group The Tudor Exchange on Swap-bot. If you are interested there is still time to sign up should you like to join the group and have a love for all thing Tudor just send me a request!

Well, time to go for now there will be many more new posts coming soon as I have lots of crafts to make today and all this week! Until then happy crafting and swapping to you all!

The First Zine of Mine!

Today I was inspired to try making my first zine. I have heard of them, seen several swaps for them, and read about them but not before today have I ever wanted to make my own. Now, I am thrilled I did! I love them! Yet another way to be crafty and have fun!

My apologies in advance for the slight shine on the pics, they were printed on laser paper so if the flash hit them they turned out with slightly bright spots, so here they are with a little shine...

I started with a plain piece of white paper, used Walnut Inks to slightly stain it, added a variety of stamped images in various ink pad colors. A few stickers as embellishments, tissue tape, small images and the text which I glued to the paper and it was complete! Once it was proofread and finished I made copies and folded them into little zines!

These are so much fun to make and they have so many uses!

I hope this will inspire you to try your own! There are websites that offer tutorials, with so many available I know you will find one that works for you or you can make your template out of paper like I did and add your own personal touch!

Until next time I think of something swappy, odd or just plain weird, I wish you a pleasant day and many blessings. Have a crafty happy day!!