Parasols, Pink Lemonade & Polka Dots 20 Questions

I'm excited to be participating in the newest Sweet Goodness swap! My partner is the very cool Kari, also known as Artsy Mama. Here are my answers to our 20 questions:

1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)? I love anything lime-related! That Simpy Limeade stuff is so good over crushed ice, with a handful of lightly crushed raspberries. Lemonade comes in a close second, though. I don't do alcohol or tea.

2. What is your favorite Summer Activity? Ideally it would involve me on a beach, but since I live in land-locked Colorado, the swimming pool will have to do!

3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands? During the summer I always get the urge to read "summer reading"-type books--mostly YA fiction. Last summer I reread several old favorites and found some new gems as well, such as the Anne of Green Gables series. I also read a lot of non-fiction--I just finished this and am working on this one as well.

4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium? My first love will always be paper crafts.

5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try? I got soldering tools for Christmas but have been too chicken to try them out! I have been meaning to get them out any day now--I think 6 months should be long enough to conquer my fear.

6. What are your favorite colors in our 'rainbow sherbet' theme? Pink, lime green, yellow, orange, aqua (or blue) My favorite color combination is red & turquoise, so in this version the closest thing would be pink & aqua. It totally doesn't match my house (which is largely red & navy) but I cannot resist!

7. What is your favorite sweet treat? I love ice cream! I cannot keep cookies or cake/cupcakes in the house because my willpower is simply no match for their yumminess. I have a BAD sweet tooth.

8. Are there any craft or art supplies you would NOT be interested in receiving? As much as I think knitting looks interesting, it's one mess I just can't get into right now. And I like fabric, but I stink at sewing!

9. What is your favorite song today? For a summery song, I love "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley (thanks for the catch, Sue! :). Always makes me turn it up, roll down the windows and open up the sun roof.

10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days? I love to get pedicures in the summer. It's just as much a necessity as an indulgence for me--hot dry weather + sandals/bare feet = goblin feet.

11. Do you have any kidlets or pets? A 3-year-old DD named Maren and a big doofy yellow lab named Bronco.

12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers? Desserts are my forte. I think cupcakes are always appropriate and appreciated, but for summer I also like to make pink lemonade pie. It's tart & refreshing!

13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be? I always get the bug to go to Disney World in the summer, even though I know that Orlando in July is just about one elevator stop above the fires of Hell. It's just that the two times we visited there were in June and July, so somehow my brain associates summer with the Mouse. I'd love to go somewhere tropical, but that goes for any time of the year, not just summer! I'd love to take a summer trip to the house that was featured in the movie "Dan in Real Life".

14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality? Yard sale chic. Is that a style? I love to pore over the photos in Country Living magazine. I like the mix of well-loved classic styles, with an infusion of quirky antiques and vintage pieces, all artfully yet effortlessly arranged. I should note that my house doesn't look like this yet--more like a yard sale exploded--but I'm working on it, really.

15. What are your initials? HJG

16. Why do you like to join swaps? Who doesn't love to get a box of treasures in the mail? I love shopping for just the perfect things that I hope will make my swap partner smile and feel special. :)

17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? ((you can list more than one thing) I head to the antique mall and splurge--I never spend that much on one thing! Maybe I buy a really fabulous piece of costume jewelry for my collection or a great aqua pottery vase.

18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without? I luurrrve my pure silver German glass glitter. It's almost like sprinkles--it makes everything more yummy!

19. Who's the last person you hugged? My little girl. She gives great hugs. :)

20. What's your favorite number and why? I've never had a favorite, really. Never thought much about it. Four does have a nice, even ring to it. (I'm much too OCD to go for an odd number, LOL)

Springtime in Paris--ooh la la!

I was just thrilled to be matched up for the Sweet Goodness Paris in the Spring swap with Jen from Rosey Little Things. She and I love many of the same things so I knew that I would love whatever she picked out for me--and I was right!

My swap package was waiting for me when I returned home from Utah and I wasted no time in tearing into it! Jen packed everything into this adorable little black and cream Paris-themed suitcase--how perfect! She included beautiful blue ribbon on an antique spool, the prettiest color of aqua Martha Stewart ribbon, a yummy-smelling biscotti candle and much more! I especially love the rickrack-trimmed black and cream plaid apron and the tres chic aqua bag that Jen hand-crocheted herself! It's so neat--she embellished it with black seam binding ribbon and a piece of black flowered vintage jewelry. I love it! Jen says it's a market bag that will really expand when I put things in it--I can't wait to take it shopping to try it out! :)

I rediscovered one of my favorite blogs today and this time I'm going to put it into my Bloglines so I don't lose it again! Bent Objects are amazingly clever little creations that never fail to make me laugh, usually out loud and alone at my computer like a total loon. This little gem is one of my favorites. What can I say--I'm easily amused!

Tonight I'm teaching a class at church about how to make your own natural cleaning products. I'm feeling a bit like a fraud since I don't actually, you know, make my own natural cleaning products. I've wanted to learn about it so I volunteered to teach because I knew that would give me the impetus to do the research and I like what I've read so far. Now I just have to put it all into practice, which is easier said than done. I'll let you know if the natural recipes actually work as well as the icky chemical stuff. I'm all for healthier living, but if it means that I have to scrub my bathtub for an hour because I'm using baking soda + vinegar then it's just not worth it to me.

**Don't forget to enter the drawing in the post below! Deadline is noon MDT on Friday!

Hanging Heart swap, Red Appliance #2 and Vintage Valentine show & tell #7

Today's Valentines are the same style as the ice skaters I showed a few days ago. I love the style of illustration!
I adore the little boy in the sailor suit, although the verse is not exactly what I'd call romantic.

I received my Sweet Goodness Hanging Heart swap package from my partner, Kim, and I couldn't be happier with what she made for me! Kim made me this darling heart wreath by sewing all the individual hearts and attaching them to a grapevine wreath form with a great big bow at the top.
I love it! I love all the different fabrics she chose. The hearts all have cute pinked edges and button embellishments. I was just thinking the other day that I wished I had a Valentine wreath and -poof!- one showed up! Kim also included some of my favorite chocolates and a sweet little treat for Miss Maren. Thanks again, Kim!

And now for my continued celebration of RED week, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Ruby:


O Ruby, how I love thee. If I knew how to use Photoshop, I'd have fixed this picture so that a heavenly aura would be encircling my beautiful new KitchenAid, because that's pretty much what I see when I look over in her corner of the kitchen. Wait, wait...what's that I hear? Could that be the heavenly courses of angels singing in praise of my gorgeous mixer? {Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh}

Seriously, I've wanted this mixer for about three years now and finally this past Christmas my wish came true. I've already used it for several batches of cookies and it mixed like a dream. I think it's possible that the cookies actually tasted better because they were made in my snazzy red mixer. If my blender is like the fingernail polish of my kitchen, Ruby is definitely the unapologetically bright red lipstick! Is it wrong to be head-over-heels in love with a kitchen appliance?

Back tomorrow with one last Valentine and more Happy Mail. Don't forget to wear red!

Heart swap #2 and Vintage Valentine show & tell #4

Today's Valentine is one of my very favorites from my collection. My uncle gave me a big frame he'd found somewhere that was full of vintage Valentines that had been glued to the paper backing. I love this Valentine because of the bright colors and the sweet graphics. Doesn't it remind you of Mary Engelbreit? You can tell where she gets her inspiration!
Here's the back. Unfortunately I wasn't able to remove it from the paper it was glued to without doing some damage to the corners.


Oh, how I love that little red and yellow cottage with the smoke curling out of the chimney and the little boy wearing shoes that look like Mary Janes. You know, Valentines aren't nearly as cute these days! Heck, even the inside is charming:
I think you can see why this one is one of my favorites. :)

The mailman has been good to me lately! I participated in ArtsyMama's "For the Love of Supplies" swap and was partnered with the fabulous and charming Dede Warren, who I had the pleasure to meet at Silver Bella last year. I received my swap package from Dede the other day and it is fabulous!Dede went with a very romantic, shabby theme for the box that she decorated. I love the flowered wallpaper, the darling vintage Valentine image, and the big poofy blue flower she used!
The insides were wonderful too:


Dede filled the box with all kinds of wonderful goodies like vintage buttons, ribbons, pompom trim, these amazing feathery wings, gorgeous vintage wallpaper, great chipboard shapes, and much more! What a treat it was to pull each thing out of the box. I can hardly stand to put it all away--it looks so pretty in a pile of goodness on my desk! :) Dede also included a lovely handmade card and this sweet little flowered teacup.


What fun these swaps have been! And now it's back to work for me. I have to speak in church this Sunday as well as prepare a Sunday School lesson for the same day, so I have to get a move on! I've grounded myself from all fun crafty activities until my talk & lesson are done, and I have Valentines to make so I'd best get MOVING!

Heart swap #1 and Vintage Valentine show & tell #3

Today's Valentines are both from the same line, and from the names on the back I think I must have gotten them from the same source. They both feature a gap-toothed boy--one blond, one red-head. I love their outfits: the bellhop uniform with the jaunty cap and the raccoon tail hat and knickers on the other! They both look a little impudent, if you ask me.

I also want to tell you about an amazing swap package I received. I participated in Maria's Sweet Heart Box Swap and my partner was Amy, who unfortunately doesn't have a blog (but she does have some awesome photos of her work up on Flickr!) Amy sent me the most beautiful box decorated in rich pink and brown velvet and glitter. It's so pretty! Rebecca, I know you'll be jealous. ;)
The inside of the box was amazing too!


Amy stuffed the box with all kinds of wonderful treats:

Vintage Valentines for my collection, heart tins filled with gold filigree charms and buttons, cupcake toppers, paper flowers, vintage crepe paper nut cups (how did she know I was just looking at these on eBay last week?)

And a few more of my faves:
Personalized stationery, Almond Roca (yum!), chandelier crystals, little grapevine hearts, ribbons, wee feathered birdies, and more. One item absolutely tickled my fancy: in the bottom center, you can see a little container that looks like a log with a little axe and cherries attached. Inside are cherry chocolates--it's for President's Day! Isn't that the cleverest thing? Now I have a mind to save all my TP tubes and make a whole forest of beribboned stumps. LOL

Tomorrow, yet another lovely swap box and more Valentines!

The Aftermath & A Swap

Thank you all for your comments about my video. :) Truly, I laughed and laughed! For those of you who mentioned how calm I sounded, I did my freaking out/swearing before I picked up the video camera. The whole thing went down like this: I discovered Maren, took one glance at her "finger painting" project, grabbed her wrists with my Mommy-death-grip and rushed her to the bathroom to attempt to wash her hands before she could touch anything else. I actually was able to laugh about it when I was scrubbing her hands and they weren't getting any less purple! Once I had scrubbed Maren as best I could, I grabbed the camera! After I captured my blog-worthy footage, I grabbed the rubber gloves and paper towels and went to work. With the exception of the fabric on my chair and Maren's pajamas, the dye came off of every other surface due to the liberal use of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I've said it before and I'll say it again--I'd like to find the person who invented those little white miracles and give him a big, sloppy kiss!

My calm in the face of disaster may also have been because this is not the first time she has done this. That's right, folks--this is actually the second food coloring incident this month. The first was far less catastrophic: although another of my chairs got ruined, she didn't get any on her brand-new Gymboree cupcake clothing and the mess was minor. I don't know what possessed Maren to get my food coloring out in the first place, other than her internal radar for finding the things that will cause the biggest mess in the least amount of time. I kept it in the back of a kitchen cabinet, and have no idea how she spotted it. After incident #1, I moved it to the very top shelf of my cabinets. That means on Monday when she got it out, she had to climb from the chair and stand on the countertop in order to reach that top shelf, and even then it must have been a stretch. That alone is enough to give any parent heart palpitations--she is fearless, I tell you! And really, the food-coloring mess pales in comparison to the Great Rit Dye incident of '07, which ruined another chair (that's three, if you're counting), several towels, and left a big green spot on the office carpet.

In other (less destructive) news, my swap partner Amy from the Sweet Heart Box Swap received her package so now I can share it with you. The idea for this swap was to decorate a heart-shaped candy box and fill it with supplies and other goodies. I was lucky and found this really great fabric-covered box at at thrift store, so all I had to do was cover the bottom with pretty paper to disguise the nutritional information and then gussy up the top. I made a ribbon flower with a vintage earring in the middle and used a vintage black rhinestone shoe clip to frame a cute fabric tag phrase. Not sure why I went with the black but I just liked how it looked with the pale pink and red. Here's what the inside looked like:

With the exception of I think three or maybe four of those little cups, everything else was stuff that I had in my stash! I'm currently working on another heart box for a different swap and I have enough to fill that one too. That, my friends, means I have a LOT of stuff squirreled away in my craft room. Yikes! This was such a fun swap and I do hope Amy liked her swap package.

It's back to the craft mines for me--I have to finish heart box #2 to be mailed out by Friday (eek!) and come up with a brilliant idea for the Sweet Goodness Hanging Heart Swap, to be mailed out by Monday (double eek!). Back to the glue & paper I go!

Silver Bella crunch time

Greetings from Santa's Sweatshop!...er, Workshop, that is. I've spent all weekend with glitter, glue and feathers stuck to my fingers and clothes as I've been preparing goodies for Silver Bella, which I leave for on Thursday! I am participating in two swaps and although I swore when I signed up for them that I'd get my items finished well before the deadline, it somehow snuck up on me and here I am, scrambling at the last minute (as usual). DH joked about the "Silver Bella Sweatshop" labor I was putting in while we caught up on Season 2 of "Heroes" and the multiple trips to the local craft stores I've made over the past few days (three trips on Saturday alone).

I finally got it all done last night and now comes my traditional "swap angst" period in which I stress and worry that everything I made is crap and when I see the amazing, fabulous creations everyone else has made, I'll want to commit seppuku to spare myself the shame and embarrassment that comes from making inferior craft items. Hey--I didn't say it was a rational fear.

Since I've been crafting all weekend the house is a disaster, so today and tomorrow I need to pack, clean up this mess, do the laundry, and I really want to take down the Halloween decorations before I leave because as much as I love them, I am tired of seeing them. That means I need to get moving, but before I go I must show you the lovely Sister Swap package I received from Laurie last week (sorry I'm so late in posting it, Laurie!):

Laurie sent me lots of yummy chocolate (most of which has been devoured), some fun Halloween decorations like a scary skull (perfect for my creepy decor!) and the foil spiral things (which Maren loved). She included a cute little package for Miss Maren that included cool bugs and spiders and cute Snoopy fruit snacks. But my favorite things in the package are the little bat (in Maren's bag, but swiped by me) and the darling owl! Laurie is a very talented maker of wool softies and I am just tickled to receive some of her work. The owl came complete with costumes for the holidays--you can see them all here on Laurie's blog where she has a better photo. When I put the pig nose on the owl I laughed and laughed--yes, I am that easily amused. :)
And now, I must fly!

Sister Swap Twenty Questions--part 1

I'm delighted to be part of the Sweet Goodness Sisters Swap and my partner is the lovely Laurie of Old School Acres. Laura is a very talented sewer of cutie pie softies who just turned fabulous 40 today! As part of our swap we are all to post answers to 20 questions about ourselves, to help our swap partners (and everyone else!) get to know us a little better!


1. Favorite Color: Red and turquoise, especially when they're together

2. Chocolate Lover? Milk, Dark, White, or none of the above? Chocolate lover? Yes indeedy! I will honestly say that I probably eat something chocolate every single day, even if it's just chocolate-flavored, like a chocolate graham cracker or a fat free chocolate pudding cup. I love it. I'm addicted. Hey--I don't drink, smoke or swear, so I'm allowed some kind of vice, right? My favorite chocolate in the world is Neuhaus, a fancy-schmancy Belgian chocolate that is both divine and very hard to find in this country. I like both milk and dark, with dark just edging out the milk for my current favorite. I do not like that white stuff. Ick. I'm not even going to dignify it by calling it 'chocolate'.

3. What is your favorite craft hobby? I love to do paper crafts. That includes rubber stamping, scrapbooking and just general messing about with paper, glitter and glue.

4. What is a craft/art hobby that you would like to start? I would like to learn to embroider. I have an embroidery kit that I bought about two years ago and I've opened it, but never taken the plunge.

5. What craft do you NOT have an interest in or just not great in? I don't sew, although that's more a function of my lack of ability than anything. I can see myself sewing simple things for Maren and simple home decor stuff but beyond that, I just can't imagine it ever happening.

6. Do you have any allergies? Does housework count? Otherwise, nothing!

7.What’s your favorite part of Halloween? Decorating, candy eating, costumes, or something else? Yes. :) I love it all! Halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate for. I don't like the gory, bloody stuff, but I do like creepy and slightly macabre and vintage Halloween. I'm not so much into the cutesy. I love to dress up, I love to eat candy, and I love to decorate. I think I'll get out my decorations this weekend, in fact!

8. Do you decorate for Thanksgiving/Fall? Yes, but I wait until after Halloween to do so. The first part of September here feels like summer anyway, and I don't want to get out all my fall stuff then have to put it away for October, then drag it all out again. I decorate with gourds and leaves and have started to amass a few more Thanksgiving-themed items as well.

9. December Holidays--what holiday do you celebrate? What type of decorations do you like to put up in your house for that holiday? I celebrate Christmas, and I like vintage-style Christmas decorations, whether they're original or reproductions. I put up my vintage aluminum tree and trim it with vintage glass balls that I've picked up along the way. Last year I did a pink & aqua theme but this year I'm going to go with more traditional and bright reds, greens, blues and yellows. I'm hoping to find one of those kitschy sequins-and-felt Christmas tree skirts to go with the bright color schemes.

10. Do you have any children, if so what are their ages, boys/girls? We have a beautiful and charming daughter, Maren, who is smack in the middle of the Terrible Twos. Read back a few posts about our sleep issues and you'll get an idea of what kind of fun and games we're dealing with right now. Let's just say that I fought her for two hours last night until she finally fell asleep at 10:30 p.m. and then she was up again this morning at 5:35 a.m. Serenity now!

Tune in tomorrow for the other ten!

Summer Swap Lovin'

I do believe that I should get some kind of award for showing restraint, as I've had my Summer Goodness swap package for well over a week now and I didn't open it until yesterday! Normally I am tearing into my packages before I even get in the door of the house, but this time I made myself wait until I'd sent my package off to my partner, Leigh Ann.

I'm telling you, that package was worth the wait! Leigh Ann absolutely knocked my socks off with her interpretation of the summer theme. All of the items she sent are for a summer picnic for Maren and me! Everything she sent was wrapped up with the cutest yellow & orange rickrack and twill tape and gingham ribbon. There was a little handmade album explaining the theme and how everything worked into it.

The first two steps were to make invitations for the picnic using the adorable vintage stationery (on the far left in the first photo) that is patterned with yellow butterflies. Second is to make the treats, using the YUMMY chocolate orange cake mix, and the darling orange and yellow tulip-shaped cupcake papers! Leigh Ann sent two vintage aprons for us to wear and a bright potholder to help us get them out of the oven.

Step 3 was to decorate the cupcakes using the orange and yellow sprinkles and to clean up using the cute bandanna-print Martha Stewart dishtowel. Step 4 is packing up the darling bucket to get ready for the picnic! Leigh Ann used a bright yellow metal pail and embellished the front with images from an old Richard Scarry book, buttons, and more ribbon, rickrack and ball fringe! It's absolutely adorable!

Step 5 is to head out for our picnic, but first we have to get properly fancied up! Leigh Ann sent a cute thrifted yellow and orange and pink floral scarf, two pairs of yellow and orange sunglasses (the yellow ones had already been swiped by You-Know-Who before I took the photo), candy jewelery, a sparkly butterfly pin and the cutest handmade yellow flower pin. Once we're dressed, we can do Step 6--get all set up and enjoy! Leigh Ann sent orange plates and cutlery, awesome bright cloth napkins, and two cool vintage mugs. For fun we can do bubbles (which Maren loves) and eat our yellow and orange pixie sticks.

So, can you see why I was totally in awe? I love everything that Leigh Ann sent and I am completely tickled at how she thought up the theme and found things to go with it! Thanks again, L.A.! :)

Weekend update--Junk Swap edition

I had a great weekend! It all started on Friday afternoon when I received my Junk Swap box from my cute partner Andy. Andy and I didn't know each other prior to being matched up as swap partners but we have been having fun catching up on each others' blogs and we've found that we have a surprising number of things in common! It's like we were meant to be partners. :) Do click on her name and check out her blog--Andy has fabulous taste in shoes and a collection that will amaze you and make you insanely jealous.

The object of the Junk Swap was to fill a Flat Rate Priority Mail box with 'junk' you already had around the house; no need to buy anything special. Well, I think Andy and I both bent the rules on this one a little! Shh, don't tell! The first thing I pulled out of the box was the Martha Stewart Good Things book, all wrapped up in the loveliest white linen table runner and a big grosgrain bow. I love me some Martha, and Good Things is my favorite column in her magazine so I just love this book! I can't wait to look through it for inspiration. Next was a pair of darling painted yellow and blue salt and pepper shakers, and a Tiffany box filled with candied almonds! I just love the Tiffany blue; isn't is the most gorgeous shade of aqua?

The next thing I pulled out of the box was the adorable striped bag (that I'm going to have to fight Maren for, as she loves little bags and purses), which was used as wrapping for my very favorite thing in the box! Andy used one of those great plastic storage boxes with the removable dividers and filled all the little compartments with STUFF! If you remember how tickled I was with the binder Risa sent me in the Pink & Green swap, then you'll have an idea of how much I totally love this box full of goodies! Andy sent everything from ribbons and buttons to lipsticks, frosting tips (perfect since I'm starting a cake dec class today!), lip gloss, fun colorful office cupplies, perfume, makeup, hair clippies for Maren, and even Milk Bones for Bronco! It has been such fun to open the box and just look at all the treasures there, that I hate to take them out to put them away! Maybe I'll just leave them a little while longer. :)

In two of the compartments there were little drawstring bags, one for me and one for Maren. In each one there was a darling bracelet, handmade by Miss Andrea herself! In one of my emails, I mentioned that my favorite colors right now are red and aqua, so my bracelet is done in those colors. I wear a lot of silver and turquoise jewelry so this bracelet will be just perfect! And just look at the darling silver SHOE charm she included! Maren's bracelet is made of sparkly Swarovski crystals and will look so sweet on her little wrist!

I think you'll agree with me that what Andy sent me was anything but Junk--it is all treasure to me! And we had so much fun swapping that I think we'll do it again. If you visit Andy's blog you can see what kind of *Junk* I sent to her. The weekend goodness didn't stop with my Junk swap--more to come!

Got Junk?

Sunday is the last day to sign up for Shara's Junk Swap! I know we've all got a lot of junk in our houses, but isn't someone else's junk always more interesting than your own? LOL I will admit it, I am a pack rat; I just hate throwing away something I know is perfectly usable, even if I don't actually have a use for it. So this swap is perfect for me! I have lots of craft junk too, so I'll be taking this opportunity to send some of it on to a new owner who can hopefully use it. So--come and sign up! Sign up by May 20 and mail by May 29. This one's a quickie.

I'm happy to report that this morning's garage saleing adventure was a fruitful one and I found some fun stuff! I'll post tomorrow when I have some photos.

Hope your weekend is going well!

Vintage Kitchen Swap

I was so excited to learn that one of my favorite bloggers was hosting a Vintage Kitchen Swap that I signed up as fast as I could! I was paired with Brenda M. who doesn't have a blog herself, but her daughter is the lovely Amanda from every little thing. I mentioned to Brenda that my kitchen is done in 1940s and 50s stuff in mostly red, with a bit of yellow and cornflower blue thrown in for good measure. She sent the most outstanding package!
I mentioned that I collect old printed tablecloths and just look at this beauty! The colors are bright and Brenda said it reminded her of summer--I agree! She also included a darling vintage milk bottle and a red-handled rolling pin, as well as a set of the neatest enamel dishes! I've never seen any like them and I'm not sure if they're new or vintage. Judging by their appearance I'd guess new, but they are the perfect colors for my kitchen and will be such fun to use!

My very favorite thing in the package was this beautiful vintage apron. It is most definitely my new favorite out of all the aprons I own. It's gorgeous! The fabric is printed with the roses and the white design at the bottom, which is unusual and makes it perfect for the apron. It's hard to tell from the photo, but where the 3 lines of seam binding are on the top, the fabric is sewn into tiny, precise pleats. What workmanship! I just put up another hook on my pantry door to hang this apron so that I can admire it all the time. She also sent a vintage hankie with a crocheted yellow edge that I forgot to photograph. Thank you, Brenda! (PS--this was Brenda's first swap--didn't she do a fabulous job?)

Because Brenda doesn't have a blog, I'll post what I sent to her. Brenda said she likes pink and her kitchen is done in moss green with pink and yellow accents. That was a little harder for me to shop for but I tried!

I included a set of old knives with ivorite handles that have yellowed with age, a fun old loaf pan from the Py-o-My baking company, a dish with pink, yellow and green shabby roses and a gold rim, cupcake papers and pastel sprinkles, a vintage Jell-o cookbook and a vintage aluminum gelatin mold (with a box of strawberry Jell-o so she can try a recipe!), an old embroidered tea towel with a little Dutch girl, an old-fashioned pink and green lollipop from Hammond's, some vintage cookie cutters from my stash, and a re-purposed vintage muffin tin that I filled with Easter candy. I had fun putting together Brenda's package and I hope that she liked it!

Washi eggs

This is an Easter craft I made a few years ago. These eggs were featured on the cover of Martha Stewart Living for April 2004. You use origami paper and Mod Podge (always with the Mod Podge) and wooden eggs. As always, mine didn't turn out as perfect at Martha's goons' eggs. It's tricky to get the paper sliced just so so that it will fit smoothly around the curved ends of the egg. The green egg on the bottom was my first attempt and you can see that it's bumpy, but the other two eggs are better--practice makes perfect and all that jazz. I do love them and someday I'll attempt a few more.

I'm excited to be participating in the Spring Fling Pink & Green swap! My partner is the very fabulous Risa and her blog is The ParTea Planner. Risa is lucky enough to have a job where she gets to plan wonderful tea parties; how fun! Do go over and check out her blog, especially the photos of the absolutely gorgeous parties she has done. I guarantee you'll want to be her guest!

Speaking of Martha (aren't I always?), the previews for tomorrow's show have her doing glittery Easter crafts with someone named Laurie Davis. Glitter? I'm so there! Also, Katie linked to this cutie pie pom-pom bunny that was on Martha's show yesterday. I meant to watch but forgot! They don't look too difficult, but you can also buy them already made. Maybe I'll bookmark that for next year. I think I'm about crafted out for this Easter!