VALENTINE CREATIONS

I've been creating some sweet items for Valentine's Day.

In this package is a Hearts tag, I created for a swap in my Altered Paper Group.

I have included one of my clothes pins with this package.

The hearts are made of cloth.

The background paper is an actual train ticket.

This is a Valentine Spoolie for my Flicker Group, Vintage Dragonfly.

A tag for my swap partner as well.

Have you created any sweet Valentines?

Thanks for stopping by.

Michele

I AM GROWING MY BLOG

Welcome to Nook and Cranny.

 I have joined up with Vicki from 2 Bags Full, a blogging event:

GROW YOUR BLOG  A meet, greet and follow event.

 If you go to Vicki's blog, there you will find a Very large list of others growing their blogs as well.

At the end of my blog post I will be offering a gift I created for this event, just leave me a comment on this post and I will add your name to the drawing, good luck!

Let me introduce myself to those that don't know me.  My name is Michele and I live on Lake Champlain on  a small island in the beautiful state of Vermont.

Let me share a few photos of my home, this is our 3 season screened in porch, we do spend a great amount of time in this space.  You can see more posts on the porch here, again here, and once more here.  

Each year the porch changes quite a bit.

This is one of my favorite items, my olde rusty truck.  This truck has been the center of many vignettes around my home and for most holidays.

I love collecting antique and rustic vintage kitchen items.  I really don't enjoy cooking so I am  unsure as to why I have a love for old kitchen items.  Maybe I loved to cook in another life, who knows....

I really do love to bring the outdoors into my home.  I love greenery, twigs, dried weeds, birch bark, abandoned birds nests, bees nest, acorns, pine cones and more.  I enjoy creating with these items, too.

I have a love of photography.  I prefer to take photos of the outdoors and I love to photograph animals of all kinds.

Would you like to visit my studio?  You can visit here, again here, and once more here.  My creative space is always changing as I find better storage ideas, more treasures to add, more art from swaps and just any little item that I think I need to have.  I believe I may be a hoarder of sorts :)

I really do love to create.  I love to collage, alter items, make gifts for family and friends.  I specially love joining artist swaps.  If it were not for swaps, I would not have  many reasons to create.  

 I love, love spending time in my studio,  makes me feel good!

I do blog a great deal on my swaps and the items I create.

A hat made, using a small lamp shade....go figure!!

Easter items for family.

Halloween collage for my Figgy (daughter).  Figgy loves Halloween.

A top hat.

I really do enjoy making tags.  You can see more tags here.  I create a bunch of tags at once so I have them on hand to send along to my swap partners as a little something extra, us swappers love extras!!!

A Christmas hanging.  

 The inspiration for this item was a Christmas card we received a few years ago.  I cut it all apart then reassembled.  I save all greeting cards and reuse in making collage items and tags for gifts and much more.

If you have been following me for a time you know I have a love for birds.

I have been having a love affair with burlap, I do love rustic after all.

I created a bunch of these (Shabby Burlap Snippet Rolls) awhile ago.  This was a good sitting watching tv and being with Mr. Nook project.  You can see more of these here.  

I am a hoarder of vintage/antique linens, lace, doilies, trims and such.  I pondered one day,  what could I do with all my little scraps, shabby burlap snippet rolls is what I came up with.  

I use these in my art often.

What do you think, would you find a use for them, should I offer them for sale??

I like to prepare some of my art supplies ahead of time.  Here are some trims stained with coffee and tee.

Figgy and I do love to throw a good party.  We are gals that are most interested in the details of a great party.

This is a Woodland Whimsical baby shower for my Figgy.  You can see that post here

This little person is the new LOVE OF MY LIFE....

My beautiful granddaughter, Lil O

I truly have no words, I don't even talk right when I try to explain how I feel about her.......

Our Lil O turned one early in December.  Again we were having a party, all about the details remember?

You can see that post here

Too much fun was had from beginning to end on this one.

Well, this has been a bit about me.  I really have not figured out why I love to blog yet.  It all started when I came across a blog on the Internet, I found it beautiful and fascinating to say the least.

 My blog is like keeping a journal with photos and stories shared online with others that care to follow me.  It is also a way for me to keep in touch with my family, showing them what I have been up to every few days or so.

I would like to offer this Valentine Spooly as a giveaway,  a thanks for visiting my blog today.  Just leave me a comment on this post and I will throw your name into the hat.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Michele

ALTERED BOTTLE AND A MATCHBOX

I decided to try something new, altering a bottle.

I have seen these out in blog world but have never tried to do one, so I thought I would give it a go.

This bottle is for a swap partner, Lou.

The bottle I received from Lou, you can see on this post here.

The theme for the altered bottle is "Gypsy Soul"

I created this matchbox for Cissy.

You can see what I received from Cissy here as well.

The theme for this is "Winter Whites"

If it were not for swaps, I don't think I would create much.

Maybe I have inspired you to create something gypsy or winter whites?

Thanks for stopping by.

Michele

MY FAVORITES IN AN ANTIQUE STORE

I do love to rummage around in antique stores however, I usually do not pay the antique prices.

I am a yard sale, barn sale, rummage sale sort of gal.

I would rather find the same items at these sort of sales and pay a ton less, this being a big part of the hunt for treasures.

Here are some pictures of some of my travels to some antique shops.

I tend to be drawn to the linen area of a shop. 

Here are a bunch of aprons, these are always fun to look at.

Random linens, more aprons and such.

A silk blanket, very nice!

I do love to look at baby clothing, so precious...

A collection of gloves.

This item I did purchase.

Who doesn't love a doily??

These items I did purchase.

I love picking up linen dinner napkins.

I so enjoy wrapping some of my swap gifts in these napkins, makes for beautiful gift wrapping and adds an additional gift.

What area do you head to when you walk into an antique shop?

Thanks for stopping by.

Michele

WHAT DOES THE MAIL LADY THINK?

I really do wonder what my mail lady thinks?  At times the mail lady is putting in my mail box or delivering to the door these small to medium size packages sometimes one to two a week.   She must wonder why do I get so many and what could possibly be in these little boxes....

This altered bottle is from Lou from a swap over at Blissfull Art Swaps.

 I so love the key and the tiny lil bottle.  

Lou also sent along all of these goodies.

Thanks again Lou.

The mail lady came once again this past week, see I told you.

She delivered this package from Cissy at Cissy's Creations of Love

This is an altered matchbox, winter whites theme.

Here are the goodies Cissy sent along, I love these stick pins.

I think I may try my hand at these little pretties (stick pins), but pretty sure it will turn into a hoarding thing, know what I mean??

Thanks again Cissy!

I have not started my creations for these ladies yet, will get busy this week.

I will share with you what I create if I can remember to take pictures before I get it all ready for the mail.  This is a new years resolution for me, take pictures first!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks again ladies.

Michele

OLD PAPER, INDEED!!

Some years ago I attempted to sell ephemera/paper goods on Etsy with not a lot of success however.

Not that I am bashing Etsy I am not,  but for me Etsy takes an incredable amount of time with posting, posting and re-posting, to many people trying to do the same thing I guess.

Anyhow, I do have a lot of old antique and vintage paper to say the least.  I wanted to share with you some images from some very old books I purchased at our local auction house.

You can even see the mold/stained marks on the paper.

Some day I may get around to making some collage items with my wonderful old paper.

I think I may have just inspired myself a bit...

Thanks for stopping by.

Michele