Annual Ornament Swap!!!

It is time for my annual Christmas ornament swap!  As always, this swap is for handcrafted ornaments. Any medium is allowed!  You don't have to be an artist to join in!  

This year the theme is "HolidayToadstools." That means that somehow, somewhere, there needs to be a toadstool/mushroom incorporated into your ornaments.

We are doing a "5 for 5"  swap.
What this means is that you will send me 5 of the same handmade ornament.  Then you will receive a variety of 5 ornaments back. 

Once you join, I'll send you an invite so you can post on the swap blog.
You do not have to have a blog or webpage to join.
The deadline to sign up is Oct. 28th. I am limiting participants to 20 this year.

To sign up, send me an email at valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with your name and blog or flickr link/info.  

This will be a USA only swap due to shipping.

The do's and don'ts: 

Please DO create something you would love to receive and be sure to package your ornaments in a nice, 

re-usable box so I can mail your new ornaments back to you in it. 

Please DO NOT send any one dimensional tags as ornaments.  If you do paper crafts, you must have layers and glitter and gorgeousness.    Tags are great and I have a few lovely ones on my own tree but they were created as gift tags, not ornaments.  I just chose to USE them as ornaments because they were so nice.

Please DO take care when wrapping to make sure the ornaments are cushioned, etc. please put each ornament in it's own baggie or cellophane wrap so it doesn't get tangled with the others in shipping.   We DO want all our ornaments to arrive in pristine condition!  

Please DO double/triple check your ornaments before shipping to me.  I had several 6-8 that needed fixing or replacing.  Some I replaced with ornaments that were actually sent to me as a gift.  I had to make more ornaments to replace the others with.  

Please DO NOT join if you are unable to commit to making something you would enjoy receiving in return.  

Shipping: Please send in $10.00 to cover the cost of sending ornaments back to you.  This will also cover tracking.   Please include a return address label already filled out.

Ship in time for me to receive them by Thanksgiving.  That way, I can get them in time to organize, repackage and mail them out by the first week of December.  

Sadly, I can't guarantee you getting an exchange box if your ornaments do not reach me in time.  (If that happens, I'll gladly return your own ornaments to you using the money you sent for shipping.)  
Shipping funds are important!  If you forget to include shipping, your ornaments can't be sent/returned until you have sent me the funds to send/return them to you.

If you finish your ornaments early, feel free to send them to me early so I can start organizing them.

If time gets away from you and you need to back out, no big deal, just drop me an email and I'll remove you from the list.  

Also, don't forget to grab the badge to put on your own blog to spread the word!

May's Challenge: Stashbuster Wreath

For May's challenge I made this Gnome and Toadstool wreath:

I had been wanting to make another little gnomey wreath for my front door.   I dug around in my stash and found everything I needed....some of the toadstools were ones I made last year for Christmas.  I made the flowers using hot glue and ribbon.

This gnome takes center stage:

Get your posts in by June 1st so I can send someone something for participating!

May's Theme!!!!!

Soooooooo.  I had so many ideas for May that I was seriously losing my mind.   That in itself isn't too uncommon.  So I gathered my brains and stuffed them back into my wee little skull and went BACK to my first idea:

 "MUSHROOMS!"



Okay, so you know I HAD to go there!  I love them too much to let an entire year go by without making something with mushrooms or toadstools!

So, make some of these cute little capped fellows and post them here by the first of June!!!!

I'll draw a name for a giveaway!!!!

I Just Wanted to Share This Little Fairy Garden

My fifth cousin, Carol, who I met on Facebook last year, made this Fairy Garden with some help of her friends and family. I just wanted to share it with everyone because I think it is so pretty and enchanting.

You gotta love this little toadstool house.

Look at this stump with the fairy door and archway

there is even a squirrel there to over see the garden

Check out the back door with the little white mouse inside.
So cute!


there is also a toad and a lady bug in the garden.
I find more little things everytime I look at the pictures.
Thanks Carol for letting me share your photo's!
Now I need to get out there and get started on mine!

Toad abode

I've had this sweet little toad house for YEARS.
I don't even remember where I got it.....but we use it wherever we go and find all sorts of critters living in it.


We had to move it down a bit from where we had it last year....everything we planted (the mint and purple shamrocks) have flourished!
Now it is back under a leaky faucet. Even the dollar weed looks cute!

ACK!!!!!!!!

I got my mermaid ornament today from Ramie!

Isn't she AMAZING! I love her 'lady parts' and hair!

Ramie also sent me a starfish candy dish and yummy chocolates (which are in the freezer getting hard again)....a sweet mermaid pouch with jewels...see it on her wrist?



some mermaid papers...much too pretty to use!



Fun fabric...and....a wonderful toadstool panel!



I love EVERYTHING and feel so very spoiled.

Ramie, THANK YOU!

Thank you Niki

My March mushroom YOE arrived today. My package was filled with beads, lace, cute heart buttons, more beads, little duck, elephant rubber stamp, tassels, and some other goodies.

And, these were my mushroom ornies. I love the prints,. Real cute.  Thanks Niki.

This is the ornie I sent Niki.

And I included some rubber stamps, a huge Easter egg filled with candy, and some colorful pony tail holders for her lovely daughters.

And, just a little fairy flashback. This is the fairy I sent my partner in February -- full of ribbon and beads.

My April ornie package goes in the mail this week, and ready for May....

Lookie lookie!!!

I got a great package from Jenny!! Check it out:

Everything was wrapped so pretty in pattern paper, but I tore thru it opening things before I even thought about taking pictures.  I am a little embarrassed that I never thought to wrap up my packages, but I plan on in the future.  It really makes it more special.  The mushroom is so neat - looks like it's base is a nut (is that right Jenny?).. and OMG the bottle of buttons is great.. this is the second package to include a neat bottle of buttons - I think I will keep them as decor!! The bunny figurine is so cute and will go great with my Easter decorations I am putting up in my house.  She even included a cute little bookmark that I will put to good use and some cute little stickers I will have to fight my daughter for :-)  I hope you like the package I sent you as much as I have enjoyed the one you sent!! Thanks for yet another awesome swap for the month!!

My Unique Toadstool

I received a wonderful March swap package from Rami the other day. It was all wrapped up so pretty and Christmasy.

Here is what was inside

I love the toadstool! It is cooper with beading on it. I thought it was so unique and so pretty! I love copper and for my second toadstool in my new collection I think this one is perfect. My first toadstool was one I won from one of our wonderful hostess, Val's giveaways. I think I am going to be addicted now!

Ramie also sent me the cutest little Easter candles, a postcard, yummy chocolates and some of the most wonderful vintage sewing supplies. I definitely feel spoiled! Thank you so much Ramie for such a wonderful swap package!!

March Mushrooms!

Look at the cute mushrooms Anna sent me!

I already put them on my "YOE" tree!





Here are some cute goodies she sent along...some vintage cards with buttons, thread, some rick rack...an old paint kit. Even her note was on the back of the cute card on the left!

See that baby bottle attached to the dolphin card?

It is FULL of Siberian Iris seeds!

I am thrilled with the seeds because I love to garden...afterall, aren't gardens enchanting!

What a wonderful surprise!

Thank you Anna!

My dog ate my work

I made this toadstool to send to my partner.

  but she's not getting it now. My dog got it and ate the dragon fly bug off while I was getting things together to package it up last night. I could have salvaged everything but the bug. But, it just wouldn't be the same with out the bug. And I had no more bugs.

So on to plan B. I made another toadstool (last night) with an entirely different approach. It's a fancy smancy toadstool!

And it's all boxed up and ready for the mail.

Wee cottages

Here are my toadstool/mushroom houses!


I really enjoyed making them...even though my embroidery is suckish.....LOL!

March's Door Prize

In keeping with the theme for March ~ Mushrooms and Toadstools (I swear Val & I didn't plan it this way!) ~ The door prize is a set of three Magic Mushroom Fairy Houses. Each Fairy House has a smokestack, door & windows. And no two are ever alike!

I will draw the winner's name on March 20th ~ the first day of Spring! 

March's theme!!

March's ornament: toadstool/mushroom

March's challenge: create yourself a toadstool home using this tutorial from The Little House By The Sea. Then upload photos to share with us!

March's activity: create a St. Paddy's decoration for yourself and post the photos on the blog.


Now, here are this month's partners:

Val and Anna
Sandy and Missy
Ramie and Sherry
Melinda and Robin
Kerry and Natalie
Jeanne and Kim
Courtney and Jenny
Nikki and Gin

I'll also be sending out emails so check your SPAM folder if you don't see it.


used with permission by dottysdesigns

" When the winds of March are wakening the crocuses and crickets,
Did you ever find a fairy near some budding little thickets,
And when she sees you creeping up to get a closer peek
She tumbles through the daffodils, a playing hide and seek."
~Marjorie Barrows