MAY FLOWERS MATCHBOX SWAP - THE VINTAGE DRAGON FLY

Once again JoAnne of The Vintage Dragon Fly has hosted a great swap.  The theme this round was "May Flowers".  We each put down our fav colours etc and then were matched up with a swap partner.  My partner likes antiques, primitives and muted colours.  I hope that primitive was the right clue because I really went with that.

 Here is what I did; the paper is from Farmhouse (new paper company to me) muted blues, brown, ochre and green on a cream background, Belgian lace trim, the main flower is also from Farmhouse, Prima leaves inked up a bit, stems from my stash, a vintage (real!) keyhole and key (not real).

and the treasures inside;

A strip of vintage blue cross stitched trim, soft cream and blue lace, cobalt blue stickpin, butterfly twill ribbon, twine flower, tiny clothespins, waxed linen and baker's twines (think laundry lines), vintage corsage pins, a vintage pink beribboned sachet, spun cotton mushrooms and a handful of bakelite and plastic vintage buttons.

PATRIOTIC TAGS

Inspired by Heather's collage sheets and still in the grip of "I must make tags" LOL   Seems like good timing for these with Flag Day coming soon and the 4th of July before you know it.

I used two different collage sheets from Heather (available from her Etsy shop, it's a great one to favourite!)  My fav tag is the one in the middle and that is also my favourite of the two sheets only because I prefer the cream background (more primitive or Americana) to the white of the 2nd set - all of the images are super.

"LITTLE BOY TAGS"

The tag "bug" clearly has me in it's clutches.  I had so much fun with the doll tags that I had to have some boy tags to add to my stash.  While girls rule in the grands (6 out of 10), once in awhile I can squeeze out a crafty something for the boys too LOL

The papers are all from Farmhouse (new company to me!), the boy and suitcase stamps are from Magnolia and all the bits are from my stash.  I need more of that word printed twill but don't recall where it came from!

SPAM ATTACKS

I am sorry to do this but I have a spammer attacking my posts and I can't keep up with deleting them, so I am turning on word verification for awhile to see if I can banish them.  Now I understand how horrid this is!

VINTAGE BRIDGE TALLYS

The one on the left is marked "copyright 1901", the one on the far right would also be about the same time and the middle again Art Deco from the 1920s or early 1930s.  I still have a set of 8 different Art Deco place cards which I will post another day.  Enjoy!

VINTAGE ART DECO BRIDGE SCORE PAD COVER

I've given you both the full cover back and inside so you can crop and use whatever you wish.  This one has a bit more wear and tear so it's up to you to use as is or fix it up!

VINTAGE BRIDGE TALLY "FANS"

Still with a bit of the Art Deco influence, these images are more likely from the 1930's.  Can you imagine the ladies over for bridge using these?

ART DECO WOMEN - PLACE CARDS - VINTAGE IMAGE

Often my best images come from the DH as these did.  What fun colours.  Remember to right click and save the larger image for the best results.  More coming...

FAIRY TAGS

A mini road trip on Saturday to meet up halfway with an out-of-town friend  included a visit to Treasured Memories.  I fell for the Crafter's Companion "Angelica and Friends" stamp collection and picked up "Grace" and three sets of the "Spectrum Noir" markers.  I am not foremost a stamper/colourist but at about $2 a marker this is a comfortable investment for me.  I will go for some instruction LOL but here are my first efforts.

With six granddaughters, I have a lot of use for these!  Miscl flowers. Papers are mostly Crate Paper and WRMK.  Everything edged with Platinum Stickles.  Seam binding ribbon from Martha Stewart, I stocked up a couple of years ago when it went on clearance.  Edge punch is also from Martha Stewart.

PAPERDOLL BIRTHDAY TAG (JULIE NUTTING/PRIMA)

Spent last weekend at a craft retreat with a couple of my crafty friends..lots to tell about that!  One of the other crafters was working with paperdoll stamps which we were ooohing and aawwing over..she generously let several of us stamp a few to work with.  The stamps are designed by Julie Nutting for Prima, Julie has done several videos so run and have a look!  This is my take on one of her tags.

I have used papers from Simple Stories and G45, Prima flowers, Cinnamon Stickles, Memory Box and PSX stamps and vintage sheet music medallions.  The tag is 8.5 x 3.5 cut from a manila file folder. The paperdoll stamp is about 7.5" and popped up off the tag.  Have you played paperdolls lately?

CHRISTMAS IN THE BANK #5

Not sure what CHRISTMAS IN THE BANK is all about!  Go here  to read the original post and click on the button at the right to bring up all of the previous monthly posts.  This is all about taking the stress and pressure off at the holiday season by having much of the basics done ahead of December.  Feel free to grab the button, have a look and I hope you join in.

It's time to make a gift!  If you haven't already made something and put it away for gifting next December this will make you feel terrific and even more terrific (maybe quietly smug and superior even LOL) if you have already done so.  Show off your project using Mister Linky at the bottom of this post before the 12th of June.  Remember to link your specific project and not the general address of your blog.  Don't have a blog, email me a picture and I will enter if for you.  A random draw will be done for the collage set of your choice from our generous friend Ms Heather!

The winner for April is Deb O!  I will email you Deb and link you up with Heather!

My project has been created from Nancy Maxwell James' "Parisian Dreams Fabric Book", a PDF she has made available in her Etsy Shop.   This fit a few of my "determined to do" items;  use my sewing machine and what I already have in my stash.

The front cover (the back is the same).  I used vintage glass and pearl buttons throughout my project.  You can't see here but each one is a bit of heaven and most have an iridescent finish.

All of the images are from Paper Whimsy and have been printed onto "Extrav Organza".  I used an amber mix of seed beads here and there for a bit of sparkle and shine.  On some "pages" I have pinned on mini kraft tags, stamped with StazOn "Saddle Brown"and used Prima flowers.

 This set is "under review" in my mind LOL  Begging for something more...

SECRET GARDEN (GREEN AND YELLOW) BIRTHDAY MINI/MINI PAPER BAG CARD/ALBUM

I have used just two paper bags to create this mini/mini - call it what you will, it's meant to be in place of a card.  This one has gone to my step mom Toni who is here from Washington state for a short visit and had her 75th bday on Sunday.   The perfect bit to stash ferry ticket stubs and other small pieces of ephemera picked up on the trip.

The background paper is from the Secret Garden line, the "flower garden" I cut from a vintage greeting card and topped with a fence punched (MS) from a scrap of Core'dinations, hand drew and cut the photo corner from the same scrap, a bit of vintage velvet ribbon along the bottom (I have used the same trim on the inner pages to carry through the look), muslin "Petal" trim   at the end.  I used clear embossing powder on the blooms to make them stand out and "Stickled" the edges and then the fence quite heavily.  I embossed the Happy Birthday stamp (don't know the make but it is marked 1990), does that make it vintage LOL) in black so that it stands out, the stamp has a vintage look perfect for this.

The focus here is a "Vintage Postcard" from Crafty Secrets which I have inked and "Stickled" and then added a small tag from the Secret Garden papers.

More of the MS punch here, some gingham ruffled trims in green and yellow.  I have written our "birthday wishes" on the back of this "tag" which again is from the Secret Garden papers.