Patti's Valentine!!!

Gingerboy-but he almost looks like *chocolate*!

Now that Elizabeth has received him, I can show you  pix of my little Gingerboy that I made for her ornament swap.  He is a Gingermelon pattern, but I added his little heart garland. He was fun to make, and I guess I do like working on tiny things!!

I received my darling Valentine from Patti of Paintin Patti and it's so cute!

Patti says it reminds her of her DH and her~so sweet!

Here is my darling rag ball garland with vintage Valentines at night.  Yep, I still have candles in my windows. I just like them.  That warm glow ...

So ... I added Patti's Valentine to the garland:

Smack in the middle!!

Isn't it just so cute!  I pulled the shade down and thought it showed up better that way!  I'm loving my garland and my beautiful Valentines!!

A little closer ~ how sweet the look on that girl's face!

Closer still!!!

Now you can see the glitter added to highlight her blond curls and his Valentine.  See all of the tiny three-dimensional flowers she added?  They add just the perfect little touch to this Valentine garden.  It surely does bring a smile to my face!  Thank you Patti ~ I'm hoping you received mine by now!!!  All of these Valentine swaps were just so much fun.  I believe it brings the circle in a little closer!!  We get to know each other by our stylings.  And it's been so nice to see how a theme can be interpreted so differently by each person!  I saw that, too, with the Christmas Shadow Box Swap.  Same little boxes, but each one done oh so differently.  All of these goodies I consider my treasures.  To keep forever!!!

Update: Valentine Kitty

Johnny Belle Depp:  AKA Johnny Valentine

After I opened everything from Holly, I had tissue papers and that pretty cellophane with hearts strewn on my bed.  Johnny loves paper!  She likes to make a little nest right in the middle of it all.  Which she did!  After I cleaned the papers away (so I could get into bed myself), she decided to try out the mailing box with cellophane still in it.  Doesn't she look cute?  She thinks she's a Valentine Kitty! LOL

A good fit

I just had to take a few photos of her while she was nestled in that box.  She was so relaxed and just looking around from her Valentine beddy.

You can kind of see her blue eyes

Sweetheart

So there she is, my little kitty girl enjoying the Valentine box!  She says "Purrrr-thanks Holly!"

I added a little ribbon to the sweet Cutie Pie Cottage card Holly sent.  This way I can hang it on my wall, which I did.  It's hanging with the pretty card that Elizabeth had sent with Creative Breathing on it.  It gives me great pleasure to remember my bloggy friends!  I do have my garland hung across the window and I pinned a few of the vintage Valentines I received along it with teensy red clothespins. It is just too bright to take pictures of it.  I took a couple, but you couldn't see what it really looks like.  I will try again later on!

I also wanted to show just a little bit of some of the vintage jewelry I have.  I have a lot of my mummy's, a few pieces that were my grandmother's, and a few of mine.

Beads, bangles, bracelets

The green & black bracelet was my Grandmother's

Those colored beads are millefiori glass beads my MIL got
for me when she went to Italy many moons ago. 

Some pieces that were in mummy's jewelry box

Necklace from Holly is added to these lovelies

Those colored seed beads were mine

The softly colored seed (real) beads were mine in high school!!  It's a very long strand, usually doubled and still long.  Sometimes a knot was tied in it.  I wore those beads constantly.  I had a favorite pair of majenta flair leg jeans (the type with NO pockets or loops or stitching or belt) that fit tightly and  zipped up the back. They looked good (back when I was a thin young thing!) and I felt good wearing them.  I wore a pink poor boy top with them and those swinging beads!  Ooh Mama - I was ready for anything!  Ha Ha  I think I wore those britches out.  The beads I was always careful with, I guess that's why I still have them.  For the longest time I had a cute real mini acorn necklace that my friend and I had strung back during school days in the 60's.  I really don't know what happened to that, though.  In high school I liked to wear weird stuff.  I always loved earrings then.  That was my thing.  The weirder, the better!  I wore my dad's dogtags for earrings.  I still have them hanging on the corner of my mirror.  I made earrings out of the wire that I pulled out of some of my brush rollers and made earrings out of that, too!!  I had some kind of geological rocks that I wore.  To this day, I have been known to wear two different earrings for fun.  I think that's why I loved jewelry-making when I got into it not all that long ago.  I just am not really in that mode now.  But I do like to combine beads and jewelry findings into some of the crafts I  currently make.

You all know by now how much I l.o.v.e. craft supplies.  Some time I will do a post on gadgets!!!  But that's another day!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Cutie Pie Cottage Swap

Oh! Oh! Oh!  Did a get a HUGE surprise in the post today!!  The Postman buzzed me and said "There's a package here for you!"  I went down and this is what I saw ...

Isn't it a pretty package!!

Wow wowee!!  Everyone could tell it was a Valentine!  I hurried back so I could see what was inside.  It was sooo pretty when I opened the box up!  Not only did I have to remove packages plus a smaller heart box to get to the big heart box, but when I saw it at last, it was just beautiful!

Because there will be sooo many pix, I made little collages.

I finally got to the Big Heart!!!

Ooh, so pink and pretty!  When I lifted the lid, goodies, upon goodies, upon goodies!!!  As I was pulling items out it seemed like they were never-ending!!

Some of the goodies-and chocolate!

Of course when I opened the bag with chocolates in it, I just had to sample!!!  Yum!!!

Look at that beautiful vintage necklace!  And the brooch!!

So many goodies to see!  The necklace was such a surprise and not only that, but a beautiful vintage rhinestone heart brooch!!!  And can you just glimpse a peek of someone's famous garland???

A famous Holly garland just for me!!!

Honestly, by this time, I didn't know if I should laugh in glee or cry in glee!!!  A beautiful Holly garland in lovely pinks with red-such pretty buttons all in between.  I have admired them so much whenever I saw one on someone's blog pix.  And now I have one!! (smiling while doing a little happy-dance) (There is also a pretty white hearts garland  to put up or use in crafting!!)

So many pickies - vintage buttons, candle holders, doodads, sparklies, trims held with pretty pink clothespins, cupcake toppers, heart magnets, shiny glass eggs, cute buttons, a pink glass bell, pink glitter, tiny chenille flowers, a pretty pink round picture frame, a large honeycomb snowflake, vintage valentines ... did I forget anything?  It was like Valentine-CHRISTMAS!!!  I was so excited to see everything. I love my sweet garland which will go up in my craft area, and the beautiful vintage jewelry that I most certainly will wear.  

I have to send a huge thank you to Holly for all of these wonderful gifts.  I feel so blessed to be able to swap like this with such a wonderful partner as Holly!  I hope this will be the beginning of a long friendship for us, even though we are miles apart!  And thanks also to our lovely hostess - Erica - for thinking up this absolutely delightful Heart Box Swap!!  I also feel so fortunate to have found this wonderful blog circle of generous, talented, creative, and sweet ladies who plan and do these nice things, especially for a newbie like me.  I have received a great deal of happiness since I "came on board".  I feel like, as we all read the blogs in our lists everyday, that it's almost like we are all in a huge circle, holding hands, as it stretches across this nation and even across the "Big Pond" to unite us in our crafting and creating, and every day lives.  It's just wonderful and I'm a happy person for it.

Again, thank you Holly of Cutie Pie Cottage and Erica of Golden Egg Vintage.  I am very appreciative!!

XOXOXO

Until next time ...

Swappies

OOPS!!!!  I forgot to mention that I mailed my blog swappies today!!  Three packages went out - one to Elizabeth (for the Ornament swap), one to Debby (for the hearts swap), and one to Holly (for the Valentine Candy Box Swap)!!!  I hope everything arrives safely and that you all like everything!!!

What I'm Reading and Watching

I want to tell you about this delightful series I am currently reading.  Actually, it was recommended to me from Shelly at Gingermelon (Dolls).  I just L.O.V.E. English mysteries and books and TV series!!!  I am always looking for new English series and Shelly has kindly told me of several authors she thought I might enjoy.  This particular author I am reading now is Susan Wittig Albert.  The series is called "The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter".  These books are NOT written by Potter, but are historical fact/fiction stories extremely well-written by Susan. and feature Beatrix Potter and her beloved animals taking place in the early 1900's.

Here are the titles of the books in the series.

The series starts with the Tale of Hill Top Farm, which is the actual farm that Miss Potter did indeed buy with proceeds of her adorable children's books.  I have read 3 of these books and have just picked up the 4th from my library, The Tale of Hawthorn House.  I ALWAYS read in bed before I fall asleep, so I will start this book tonight!!  If you would like read some charming stories set in the English Lake Country, I heartily recommend these!  A great before-bed book or for when you are wrapped up in a cozy afghan or quilt comfy on your sofa for a little quiet time.  

If anyone decides to read a book or books from this series, please let me know how you liked it.  Or if anyone has read a great mystery by an English author and would like to pass it on, please let me know that, too!

Recently watched on DVD:

English movie-1989

I just watched the above movie, and it was funny with a little romance thrown in.  You need to get past the 80's fashions and hair first!  I enjoyed it.

An older movie, forgot the year.

This is an interesting story, has Colin Firth in it, and has a tearful/joyful ending.  Helen Hunt just happened to have directed this movie, as well as acted in it.  

2009

If you haven't seen the above movie - rent it!  (or borrow from the library like I do!)  It is a beautiful story about loyalty.  It was filmed here in Rhode Island - the train station scenes are in Woonsocket and the house and street scenes were filmed in Bristol.  This comes from a true story that took place in the 1920's in Japan.  There is a bronze statue of Hachi the dog at the train station in Japan, where this story actually happened.  I found out that Japan has a celebratory ceremony for Hachiko on April 8th.  I never tire of watching this movie, it's so well done.  I'll warn you, I ALWAYS cry at the end!  There is a Japanese 1987 version of this movie that I watched today on YouTube.  A 15 minute quick version, no speaking (on YouTube) just piano music.  But same beautiful story.  I cried at the end of the 15 min. video!! 

Most of the time while I'm watching DVDs  or my TV programs, I'm crafting.  I end up dragging all the supplies and tools for whatever I'm working on from room to room.  I can't seem to just sit and watch TV anymore, I have to keep my fingers busy.  Unless I'm soooo tired, then I stretch out on my sofa.  I have, at times, even dragged different projects around with me!  If it was easy to make portable, I did it!!

Off to make some chow, I'm hungry.  We are in a cold snap - and it's really cold!  The wind chill doesn't help either.  Brrrrrrr ...

Have you watched any interesting old or new movies lately???

     

My Chinese Boy and X-Rated Fortune Cookies

I finally finished my little Chinese Boy using Elizabeth's pattern.  I chose not to make a New Year garland for him, though, because I really want him to represent Benjamin (explained in a previous post).  I also want to display him with my other dolls, so I will think of something else appropriate for all seasons.  

I tilted his head a bit because I wanted him to look young.  With his hands and arms open like he has, it sort of reminds me of a little baby when he wants to come to you!!  Actually I was thinking of trying to make little fortune cookies for him to hold.  Then it reminded me of the infamous X-rated fortune cookies from that same little Chinese restaurant in Citrus Heights, California.

One time when dining there, after eating and the clear-away, we received fortune cookies as we usually did.  I remember opening mine, and reading "I hope you have good luck".  Although, when I read my fortune again ... I realized it DID NOT say Luck!!!  Uhh - you get the idea. We soon found out that all in our small party had received something similar and started laughing.  Yep - X-rated fortune cookies!!!  Something we had never before seen in New England!!  I will tell you that these cookies were ONLY given to special customers.  Paul, the owner, knew we would laugh and think them funny but he would never offend any customers who might not think  the same.  I wonder if anyone else has ever seen anything like these?  Anyway, IF I make little fortune cookies for his garland - the little fortunes will be very bland indeed!!

We are expecting snow starting this afternoon and supposedly continuing until tomorrow morning.  I don't know exactly how much is expected.  I hope it's not very much!  Cape Cod and the Islands are supposed to get more than we do.  I really don't look forward to getting much snow.  Yah, it's pretty to look at, but I dislike having to deal with it!!  I'm already starting to stress thinking about the plowing of the parking lot and the whole car thing.  I think I need to go craft something or play with dolls!  I wish I had a little doll house to play with and rearrange.  I probably sound like a kid, I know.  But one of my fond sayings is, "You never outgrow your need for toys!!" 

Everyone please stay well - I think the flu is waning in strength.  Stay warm and toasty for those of you in cold climes, or stay cool for those of you in warm climes.  

Oh, it's 4 pm and I haven't seen one little flake just yet ...