Ornaments Have a Flipside

Who among us doesn't like surprises? I certainly do, which is one of the reasons I couldn't resist participating in  the Button Floozies Christmas ornament swap--create three ornaments and swap with three partners. (Read that carefully.)

For the foundation of the ornaments I made, I chose three beautiful images from The Graphics Fairy, mounted them on pretty card stock and embellished them with vintage lace and fabric, glitter, and, of course, buttons. The backside of each is Christmas-related sheet music so each is actually two ornaments in one.

The variegated blue lace around the Santa image is an old piece of tatting that my grandmother made. The netting adornment is from an old crinoline that I picked up at a local thrift store. The hangers for this and the bird ornament are made of vintage seam tape from an estate sale.

The photograph doesn't show the glitter around the mitten image very well, but it creates a finished look around the graphic, which is mounted on a piece of painter's canvas drop cloth.

Creating these ornaments was so much fun. But, I think the best part of participating in swaps is meeting and sharing with other artistic women from around the country.



Jeanelle created the sweetest holly ornament and packaged it using a page from a vintage 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' book. She hails from Colorado Springs, which is my absolute favorite city in the nation. Wish I could join her for an early morning walk in Garden of the Gods. Denise created two ornaments: one an of a 1940s vintage postcard featuring a long-established park in my community; the other a granny-circle crocheted Christmas tree with wispy yarn garland and great buttons. What Denise couldn't have known is that I collect vintage postcards and the park shown on the postcard has personal significance to me. Michelle created a wonderful ornament that looks as if it were designed specifically to coordinate with the rustic and primitive ornaments I already own.

If you've ever wondered about joining a swap, don't sweat over it. Jump in and give it a try. I think you'll be glad you did. You can see more wonderful ornaments at Button Floozies.



Make it a great day!

Linking to:

VIP Party at Designer Garden

Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnna's Vintage Home

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Button Floozies Christmas Ornament Swap

Sister Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple

Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

Categorically Crafting at Someday Crafts

Savvy HomeMade Monday at Home Savvy A to Z

Cowgirl Up!

Fall Swap All Buttoned Up

Recently, when I was surfing through blogland, I was excited to find a charming blog called Button Floozies. Its host, Laurie, has engaged a group of button-loving, talented bloggers who each contribute a blog post about once a month--a creative approach that affords a wonderful variety of writing styles and all-things-button topics.

Laurie had just issued a call for participants in a fall-themed button swap when I found her blog. A chance to swap buttons with other bloggers? I was so in!

After amassing a list of participants, Laurie randomly paired us up. The swap involved decorating an Altoid tin, filling it with buttons that have a fall flair and sending it to our assigned partner.

This was such a fun project--from noodling my tin design, to figuring out how to execute it (a bit intimidating for a first-time tin decorator, but definitely exciting), selecting the buttons to include in the tin and corresponding with my partner.

I covered my box with cardstock in colors that blend with fall decorating, but could be used for year-round display, if desired. The edges are finished with complementary ribbon that I aged with distress ink.

The inside of the box is covered in a coordinating cardstock and complementary ribbon. To create interest on the top of the box and inside the lid, I selected two elegant Victorian scissors images from The Graphics Fairy, printed them on coordinating paper that I aged with distress ink and mounted them on a different complementary ribbon.

A selection of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons in fall-ish colors was the finishing touch to the outside of the box.



I filled the box to the brim with fall-themed and colored buttons and sent them off to my swap partner, Laura.

And, when Laura's package arrived in my mailbox, I ripped into it like a kid at Christmas. Her tin was exquisite and the buttons were marvelous. I'm including photos of her project so you can enjoy it, too. Thank you, Laura, for the perfect swap.



I absolutely love the crackle paint on the back and sides. And the wooden tile and copper embellishments are such wonderful elements.

I'd never decorated a tin before, but had so much fun with it that I know this won't be the last tin I embellish. In fact, I'm anxiously awaiting the next Button Floozies swap. (Please.)

See other swap participants' projects here.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
It's a Party at A Creative Princess
Potpourri Party at 2805
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Button Floozies
{Re}Create Into Something New
Sister Sunday at Sister of the Wild West
Saturday Night Special
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Newbie Party at Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage