inchie challenge : giving

The prompt word this week at:

inchiebyinch

is:

GIVING

As our daughter will be eighteen next week...

we are GIVING her The Key to the Door !!!

( Ha ! She's had one for ages ! )

Image from old dictionary,

house button used as a stamp with gold pigment

another charm from her broken necklace

and background

a party invitation.

Your twelve days of Christmas boxes

are winging their way all over the world...

I've had a request for

who made what ,

so here goes...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree :

Lorraine at :

http://thebalancingkiwi.blogspot.com/

Two Turtle Doves:
Janet at :
http://christmas-prep.blogspot.com/

Three French Hens:
Joanna at:
http://fiddlesnips.blogspot.com/

Four Calling Birds:
Penny at:
http://pennybennington.blogspot.com/

Five Gold Rings:
Lisa at :
http://lisasarsfield.blogspot.com/

Six Geese a Laying :
Me !!!

Seven Swans a swimming:
Jan at:
http://jansartyatcjourney.blogspot.com/

Eight Maids a Milking:
Kimmie at:
http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Nine Ladies Dancing:
Julia at:
http://astra-scrap.blogspot.com/

Ten Lords a Leaping:
Hope at :
http://pixiesponderings1966.blogspot.com/

Eleven Pipers Piping:
Linda at:
http://www.fancylinda.com/

Twelve Drummers Drumming:
Pat at:
http://artfullyooglebloops.blogspot.com/

Phew !

That took a while !

Can anyone explain

how you do that thing

where you click on a name

& it magically

leads to their Blog ? !!!

I tried it once,

but it didn't work !

ichie challenge : Song

This weeks' prompt word at

INCHIEBYINCH is:

SONG.

My Little songbird

wants out of his gilded cage.

Old sheet music, bird in a cage stamp,

gold leaf & flower charm

( from my daughter's broken necklace )

Background  page from an old dictionary.

I didn't know there was a Song Sparrow -

I have sparrows all over my garden

but they are too busy eating seeds to sing !

Twelve days of Christmas match box swap

Packaged & ready to post...

144 little boxes...

12 sets of 12.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

match box swap.

I'll show them

individually...

over...

The Twelve days of Christmas !!!

***

Thanks to everyone who took part.

There were a few moments

when I didn't think it would all come together !!!

Thank you too for all

the lovely presents I received

and postage stamps.

I reckon I'm going to be

blocking the queue at the Post Office tomorrow !!!

I hope I got it right as some of you kept one

of the ones you made sending me 11-

I really hope none of your twelve are missing !

Let me know when they arrive.

inchie : Faith

This week's prompt word

for the inchiebyinch

challenge is :

FAITH

***

Faith, Hope and Charity

three saintly sisters

from a Kate Greenaway illustration

and lace from a dainty handkerchief.

Backing picture

an illustration from an old Spanish text book

inchie : Cherish

This week's prompt word for

the inchie challenge at:

http://inchybyinch.blogspot.com/

is

CHERISH

To hold or treat as dear;  to be fond of;  to care for tenderly;

to nurture;

to feel or show love for.

I covered my inchie

with a piece of contents page from

The Oxford Book of English Verse.

Poets write of love and fondness

with great passion.

I then stamped with a stamp

of a bunch of flowers design 

which was given to me by a fellow Blogger

of whom I am very fond.

Then added a flower charm.

I was sorting through

boxes & boxes of  books

at the charity shop where I work,

 and came across this old school book

and had to buy it.

I remember

when my mother retired from teaching,

she took quite a few old  books like these

due to be thrown out

and the grandchildren had a lot of fun with them !

Jess & I spent hours looking

at the artists & their stalls

on the Ramblas in Barcelona.

The portrait artists & cartoonists were brilliant

( forgot to get photos ! )

I particularly liked the above one & bought a print.

It's only small -

smaller than a postcard

( but bigger than an ATC !!! )

and packed with detail.

It's made on photographic paper

then little ceramic dots added

which give a fabulous feel & effect.

I just love it &

will frame it in an old frame

& hang it in my kitchen.

***

I made another Degas' dress !

The background  is the colour

 I painted the chimney breast in our kitchen-

the remaining walls are cream.

so my little Barcelona print will go very nicely !

Sisters !

swap treasures and gifts

Well my postman has been busy recently !

As well as my matchbox swaps arriving daily now,

I've had some other wonderful post.

I received this wonderful heart

from Textile artist Carolyn Saxby of:

LOVE STITCHING RED

Living in St Ives, Carolyn's work is inspired 

by the beauty she is surrounded by.

Her textiles are dyed using plants &  flowers

and produce the most delicate colours.

Thank you Carolyn

I adore the heart

and the love with which it was made

***

All of my La Mode swaps are home now

and have given me great pleasure.

Pat:

Artfully Ooglebloops

painted a "very me" flower

on her brown parcel paper !

Love it ! 

Pat had filled a box with wonderful treasures

and art inspired by the La Mode paper.

Lovely...

Thank you Pat-

I love what you made & sent me.

***

Patty:

Magpies nest

made her label from a delicate Honesty seed pod

& wrapped her goodies

in linen with embroidered hens

( A cheeky little reference to my other Blog ! )

Beautiful TAP paper transfers...

and an incredible altered tin

Packed with treasures !

Including one of Patty's famous birds nests

 & delicate flowers.

Thank you Patty

I love it all

I' m overwhelmed with all these wonderful gifts.

You can see my other La Mode swaps here :

http://thelinenshelf.blogspot.com/2010/10/swap-lovelies.html

November dress

I was totally inspired by seeing the original

Degas'  The Little Dancer aged Fourteen

to make my dress this month.

I love this sculpture

and am thrilled to have finally seen the original.

I've had such fun making this dress

from scribbling on the back of an envelope

last night...

To finding the materials...

I've had the sequins in a tin since I was eighteen !

I cut the bodice from crinkly gold paper 

then covered it in ruched tissue from a antique dress pattern.

And made the skirt

from muslin I used in

the Erosion Project

so it looks old & faded

Margaret has hosted this wonderful year

of dress making...

only one more month to go.

Pop to her Blog to see the others:

http://aliceandcamilla.blogspot.com/

inchie : patience

" He waited for her to get ready

with the patience of a Saint "

***

This week's prompt word

at Inchiebyinch is

PATIENCE

My idea was inspired by visiting Barcelona Cathedral.