more book pages

I just remembered that I wanted to show you the other pages I did in the
book for Heather. If you remember from this post, the subject is friends or
friendship. My second page is about how your friends can connect to the
essence that is the true you. Now, this really resonates with me because I
am very shy and sometimes when people first meet me that has been mis~
interpreted as being snotty, etc. If you are shy then you know what I mean.

I knew right away that I wanted to use sheet music, and incorporate the
shape of a heart. And of course I had to throw a little bit of pink in there.

Here is the spread of my first two pages.

The last page I kept very simple because: a} the ledger paper is gorgeous
all on it's own and b} this page is for a little message I wrote to Heather.

I made a simple little folded envelope of ledger paper that secures with old
buttons and string to write the message in. I love this idea, and you will be
seeing me use it again on something in the future for sure.

Thanks for coming over to have a peek! Have a wonderful weekend!

just a few

pretty little things i found today:

a beautiful hat in pink:

a postcard of a sweet girl looking very proud on her pony:

and a lovely set of peach garters:

i hope something good found you today too.

the swapping fool rides again

I had a wonderful email from Robin this morning telling me that she had
received her swap package. So now, I am happy to share it with you. We
both signed up for Stephenie's "I thought of you" swap. I was so excited
to be paired with Robin because we both like the same kinds of things.
That makes shopping so much more fun for me. Here is all of the loot:

I was so excited about my ideas for presentation that I forgot to take pics
of individual items, so you will have to use your imagination a little bit. I
made up three little goodie bags. One has little vintage bits and bobs, one
has millinery flowers, and the other has vintage jewelry pieces. Oh, and
honestly: is there anything more fun that trying to take pictures of things
in a plastic bag? Yep, I didn't think so:

I found some laces on their cards ... love that ... and wrapped them up in a
hankie secured with a pin. Inside a doily, I loaded up some playing cards,
postcards, a calling card, and I think some other things that I can't really
remember right now. All tied up with seam binding, an earring, and a wee
bunch of posies:

Oh, and remember when I said the re~sale shop just had a bunch of crap?
Well, I totally lied because I forgot that I had purchased a crochet collar
there that I used to hold vintage photos. Sorry re~sale shop! I will try to
remember the facts better in the future. I wrapped some pretty laces on
a tag. And, I found what I believe to be the coolest flower frog ever:

Robin has been doing work on her journal lately, so I had to include some
pretty papers for her to work with. Inside the ledger roll is some vintage
flocked wallpaper. Some more lace wrapped around a clothespin. A little
Limoges plate. A button card wrapped in a hankie completes the swap:

Thank you Stephenie for this wonderful swap and for pairing me with the
perfect partner! And thank you for coming over to visit! Til next time...

friends book challenge

I was recently asked to do a few pages in a book about friends by Heather
Bluhm. I said yes immediately because Heather was so very nice when I
first started my blog and she has a special place in my heart because of that
kindness to me. I have to be honest and tell you that when the book arrived
at my house I was totally intimidated by the lovely work done in the book
by the girls who had it first. So ... I put it aside for about a week. Then one
morning: I donned my big girl pants {they are getting a lot of use lately},
gathered all of my favorite bits and bobs, and started on my first page. My
first page is about being a friend to yourself. I don't know about you, but I
am my own worst enemy sometimes. You really have to be a friend to your
own self before you have anything to give to others. I am working on that.

The background is my favorite blue ledger paper from Jamie.

I think the coolest thing about these books is that you can see the trims
and such from other pages peeking through. It looks so pretty to me:

Here's the funny thing: once I got started on this I didn't want to stop. I
had so many ideas, and seriously I think I could have filled the rest of the
book. It's good to challenge yourself and try something new. I finished all
three of my pages the first day. I will show you the other two pages in a
few days, I hope you will stop back over. Thanks for being here today:)

giddy happy

Oh, and did I mention I am excited too? So, I signed up for Stephenie's "I
thought of you swap". Yep, I know. I have become a swapping fool:) My
partner for the swap is the adorable Robin, whom I recently had the great
pleasure of meeting in Leesburg. I decided I would do a little shopping for
my swap today. My day didn't start off so great. The one store that I really
wanted to visit was closed today. Then I went to a re~sale shop where I
have been known to find some cute vintage goodies. I found a lot of crap,
but no vintage goodies. Next, I was off to the library to pick up a book for
my son's summer reading project. None of the books on his list were in.
By this time, I was getting a little bit discouraged. But, since I was already
up in the town square I thought I would go to the antique store there. Well,
if you visit here much you know that one of my complaints about my shopping
here is the utter lack of millinery. I bet you know where this is going. Yes!!!
I found the mini mother~load of millinery at the antique store. I was so
surprised and excited that I nearly squealed aloud with pleasure. Lookit:

And these:

*Big sigh* these too:

And for the finale ... these:

Now, I know this is not what you would call a huge score. Nothing you
could compare to the millinery finding prowess of "the hat whisperer".
But for me, it is enough. Oh, I found some great stuff for Robin too:)