One More Shadowbox Treasury Post!

 I've been telling you about the Birthday Treasury Shadowbox Swap that has just wrapped up over at Inspire Co, in my last post I shared my submission . . . now I want you to see what my partner sent to me!

 Isn't it wonderful?  My swap partner was Heather at Speckled Egg.  The thing that I am so intrigued with here, is this:  If you wrote out a list of the items that we used, and a description of colors, you would have very similar lists . . . with amazingly dissimilar results!  I don't know about you, but I think that sort of thing is fascinating. 

 Do you love that she personalized it with my initial? The D is for Debbi, silly.  :) 

 I shot off an immediate email after it arrived, and told her how fascinated I was by the items that she included . . . she couldn't even know how these things applied to me.  A small list: I sew, kind of a lot actually, {measuring tape}, I have an entire wall decorated with keys and escutcheon plates {I buy antique keys as souvenirs when we travel.}, I have a major thing for typewriters {which includes typewriter keys, natch, I even have 3 or 4 antique typewriters!} Have you noticed that a frozen Charlotte is represented?  I so love frozen Charlotte's that I am, as we speak, preparing molds to cast them in sterling!  I think she got me.

 Thank you, Heather!

This is the shadowbox that I sent to her.  We discussed that she loved nature {wasp nest, bird nest, natural quail egg} {the pennants obstruct your view of the little copper bird nest with pearl eggs on the top shelf}; she has 2 little girls {the clipboard soldered charm}; her birthday is represented on the bottle {but hidden},  ~ the bottle sort of represents a bit of me ~  her blog is Speckled Egg {self-explanatory}  ;)  . . . and these are her colors of choice. 

I was generally going for a Natural Science sort of look {porcelain crucible and other previously mentioned pieces}, and age, and then there was my plan that these things should be able to be handled and studied and manipulated by her children.  Which she tells me they are.  {Yay!  A win!}  I loved the way the doors made the shadowbox into a tiny cupboard, and I think that makes the items stored within feel more precious.

It is only 5 1/2" X 5 1/2" overall.  Don't you just love tiny things?

If you would like to see what the other participants came up with, click on the links below for the two blog posts that Amy at Inspire Co. has shared with us!

Birthday Treasury Swap

~ and ~

More Birthday Shadowboxes

Scroll down to the next post, or click here to see more photos of the one that I sent to Heather.

I would so do this again!  I am, in fact!  It's an entirely different theme . . .when I finish, you know me,

I'll share pictures!  :) 

~ Much Love! ~



Birthday Treasury Shadowbox Swap

While I have a little breather, from, what I like to call our Summer Party Season, let me show you a little teenie bit of what I've been up to! I have just participated in a Birthday Treasury Swap designed by Amy Powers of Inspire Co. Wasn't it just the bestest idea!?

We purchased these Tim Holtz Configurations {this is where I bought my shadow box}, filled and decorated them according to our swap partner's taste {I hope}, and shipped them off!

I know that Amy went to a great deal of trouble to match us up with someone compatible. . .
because I gave her a little trouble . . . a result I am certain, of my usual problem, tmi. :)

I was thrilled to discover my assigned partner was somebody that I already admired! Heather from Speckled Egg . . .

You know that soldering is kind of my thing . . .

So doors came into being. Poof! Just like that!

{and the bottle and charm . . . I can't help myself!}

{The little copper nest contains pearls eggs. Of course, I made it, silly.}

and then there's that nature thing . . . I kind of think Heather and I share that . . .

I tried to personalize some of the trinkets. . .

Heather's birthday is represented here, really it is! . . . it's just in kind of . . . almost a secret way . . . ;)

I like this quote . . . it defines a part of me . . . and I suspect a little of Heather . . . Gosh, I sure hope it does, anyway!

"She was a noticer. . . for all the shelves are lined with shells, bird feathers, dried sea grasses, pebbles, eggshells. . . They're just bits that were lying on the ground, that anyone else would step over or on, but she saw they were beautiful and brought them home.". . . The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society . . .

Thank you for the wonderful opportunity, Amy! I absolutely loved this!

Thank you, Heather for playing! I have just loved every minute of it!

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.

~Douglas H. Everett~

Personally, I believe that I live my life with one foot in each of those worlds. It's a balancing act, to be sure, but I really like it here.

Thank you, Valerie {Bohemian Season} for posting this quote for me. :) You're always inside my head!

Birthday Treasury Shadowbox Swap

Oooh! I know you'll want to be part of this! Amy Powers is hosting a really wonderful exchange based on this positively scrumptious prototype that she designed for her Inspired Ideas Magazine, The Birthday Edition.

This is a one on one exchange, we'll each make one, and receive one back! Pop in on Amy to see the particulars, and sign up! It will be so much fun to see you there!

"Swap sign ups close on May 31. Swaps due to be exchanged the week of June 13."

{Which, it occurs to me just happens to be my birthday week! How do you like that?}

I can't wait to discover who my assigned partner is! This is going to be so much fun!

Taylor Swift Releases Anti-bullying Video

Mean - Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift Videos

Budget Minded Bride

I did a wedding last week . . . on a budget. Of course, all weddings have a budget, but I happened to know that this bride was going to try to do her own flowers . . . and she's related to my nephew {by marriage}, and I am a florist . . . I know very well how much work goes into a wedding, and I know the tears that I've shed, working on that kind of deadline . . . wedding flowers are a last minute deal, afterall . . .

I couldn't wish that on her, especially when it was an easy thing for me to do, and I had the time . . . you know? So they bought the flowers, delivered them to me . . . which is surely out of the ordinary :) . . . and here I share with you, the resulting Bridal Bouquet. The reason that this is all noteworthy, is this . . . this bouquet is made from 1 bunch of mixed Spring flowers from Costco. 1 bunch! We are talking budget here, people!

So I just want to give budget minded brides some hope. It does take a little training, but these days, doesn't everybody know someone who can teach them how to wire and tape flower stems? These are wired, then shaped, and wrapped. Oversimplified, I know . . . but take heart! It can be done! You can have beautiful flowers, on a budget . . . learn how to wire and tape, and practice beforehand with flowers from your garden. And practice, practice, practice! . . . Do not wait till the last minute to figure this out . . . it is not rocket science, but in this case, practice does make much prettier. :)
And you're really gonna love this! The centerpieces! She bought sweetpeas from a local fruit stand, and vases from a dollar store. $5.00 centerpieces. It is my intention here to be of assistance . . . to maybe instruct a little . . .

Buy flowers in season at Farmer's Markets or like this bride did, at the local strawberry stand . . . if you have time, grow them yourself {I hate to admit this, but you shouldn't depend on growing them from seed . . . it's just too risky} . . .

To arrange, simply gather them in your hand till they make a pleasing arrangement, then cut the stems off to one length. Lovely. Lovely.

My gift to you. :)

Note: Minutes after posting this, I mean really, truly . . . just minutes! I peeked in On one of my favorite blogs, Running With Scissors . . .and lo and behold, she's making a Bridal Bouquet, but she took the instructions, oh, so much further, and included how-to photographs! Run over to see! Fresh or silk flowers, the instructions are the same! You can do this! I promise! Tell her I sent you! Love!

Birthday Flowers

I promised a couple of friends that I would post photos of the centerpieces from my Mother-in-law's birthday party. See!? I try to keep my promises! {I really do try. Honest!} I kinda wish I had cleared the background a little better . . . but do you have any idea how vain I looked, when the party was in full swing, and I was taking close ups of the flower arrangements . . . that I made!? And since it was family and close friends . . . I think the guests might have known that.

Awkward.

This angle was an attempt to show the butterflies . . .

I'm gonna give you a quick tutorial on those. I love them! Aren't they just the sweetest!?

I found a tissue paper that was printed in a friendly little butterfly design. Yep. The very stuff that we tuck into gift bags. I liked this particular one for it's overall design of the same butterfly, in multiple Spring-ie colors, and lots of great sizes.

I color copied the tissue paper at my friendly neighborhood copy shop. Just for you, I'm sharing that first step with you! Click on the picture above to enlarge it, then print! I hope it enlarges to full page . . . I don't know to what size it will enlarge . . .I'm only kinda geeky . . . {I surely don't know everything about this stuff. I think most of it is just magic.}

I carried my color copy all the way over to the copy desk and asked them to make three more copies on transparency film. {You know, the stuff they use for overhead projectors.} The color will be waaaaay lighter than you expect. I recommend that you start with really intense, vibrant colors.

Took those home, and sometime in the middle of the night . . . with a girlfriend that I enlisted {coerced} into helping me . . . cut them out. I think you should cut them quite close.

You're not gonna believe this, but they didn't melt when I hot glued* them to the frame, wires and nests! Instant Spring! They were kind of adorable! {If I do say so myself.} {Gosh! I hope this doesn't mean that vain thing was accurate.} . . . sigh . . . *I did use a lower temp glue gun. The truly hot ones can really cause nasty burns! And would probably melt the transparency film.

Fold your little cut-out butterflies in the middle, so they appear like . . . like . . . like butterflies! . . . and using the cool melt, hot glue gun, glue them to light weight floral wire . . . or like I did, the nest and twigs of these arrangements . . . but they would be super cute sprinkled on a table . . . used on paper goods . . . somebody even tried them in a little bottle at the soldered charms class that I taught last weekend.

They seem so delicate and ephemeral . . . I think you'll love them, too! And will very likely find a million other uses for them! Please tell me if you do! I would so love to hear!

Now. . . don't say I never did anything for you! ;)

P.S. Do I have the world's best flower suppliers or what!? I said Spring, they delivered SPRING!