Be My Valentine

To Linda From Amy

2008-02-21T06:10:00.002-08:00

The packages were all neatly wrapped and well taped so was fun to get
them all open. I unwrapped them to find 3 yummy bars of chocolate which didn't make it into the pics because hubby found them
and scarfed them up. (Well I made him of course share especially the dark
chocolate which was my fav!!) Then I opened a fun book that was
obviously one of Amy's favourites. I hope to start reading it really soon-I never have enough hours to do that!

I then opened another box with some wonderful Caran D'Ache crayons that of course I love to use as well. I have quite a few but not the colors Amy sent so that was a fun treat! Next was a box of Chai. YUMMY-I love tea and especially Chai!

And Finally, best of all were two small boxes. one with a delightful cameo that was soldered and made into a key chain. The other larger box was a wonderful soldered necklace with dominos and a beautiful charm all attached to a fabulous silver chain. I have already worn that to work to show it off! I attached the cameo to my favourite knitting bag so as not to get it damaged in my messy purse. This way can see and use it every day!

It was fun to do the swap and see what Amy enjoys and see that I loved it all too!!

To Barbara from Lelainia

2008-02-18T06:15:00.002-08:00

Lelainia-thank you again for the wonderful gifties. In the photo you will see only one toffee bar-my dog grabbed 2 of them when I turned for my camera. At least he left me one. LOL That dog is a chocoholic-he can smell it even when he's downstairs.>br>

hmm, what did you send me. Ist off, the packaging was gorgeous. The red pouch was stunning & the pressies wrapped in those ultra cool bags W/ the buttons, Oh My! (I saved the paper of course!). I wished I had taken a pic of the pouch before I opened it, but I was eager to get inside. Right away I was grinning from ear to ear-I managed to open my 3 favorite things right off the bat-paper, buttons & candy. The paper pack was to die for-we know how I love paper!!! LOL I have never seen those papers before-who makes them? The buttons you got from the estate In NY were gorgeous-I have never seen buttons like that before either.

I love bird stamps (how do you know these things-is it the March baby thing? :o) & both the ribbons & brads were marvelous. I don't have any heart ones of either the brads or ribbon. I laughed when I saw the post-it's. I could cover my entire body daily w/ those & still forget things. I loved the whimsical lantern & read the book, "How to avoid making art" while eating the remaining toffee bar (yum). I especially related to two pages in the book, 'compare your work to the masterworks of the great masters' and 'let your studio accumulate enough clutter that work becomes impossible there'. You have seen the photos of my mess. LOL The 2 Shawn Mullins cd's were great & were immediately downloaded. I am totally ignorant re: the German crystals. I know they have something to do w/ stamping....

Your pressies were perfect & I loved the variety.

To Dawn from Debra

2008-02-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

Debra sent a wonderful box full of treasures, complete with a heart shaped treasure map. Some of the goodies she sent me included:

1. Fabric of various patterns and textures, such as upholstery fabric. (I do need to sew ... but this material would also make very cool book covers or gift wrap too ... since I'm the Glue Gun Queen)
2. Funky Paper ~ patterned decorative papers and her very own hand-painted papers ... Mmm!
3. Books (including a miniature book and 4 blank handmade journals)
4. Stencils ~ love the retro lady and birdie shapes.
5. Chinese Lanterns (what fun!)
6. Vintage buttons, Gemstones, Rose soap, Jasmine tea (one of my faves too)
7. Patchwork ~ ooooh so pretty, Debra sewed a beautiful little zip up bag and an awesome patchwork tote! Lucky me!!
8. Trims

Thank you so much, Debra for spoiling me, and even including a
scrumptious heart-shaped peanut butter cup which I shared with my hubby.

To Amy from Linda

2008-02-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Amy says:

In my set of goodies was a little bag with a gorgeous rhinestone closure, some lovely fabric and a terrific goodie bag filled with all kinds of notions, foil, thread, etc.

I also received a favorite stamp, some alcohol inks (love them!), distressing powder that I can't wait to try, a little journal and a little book of scenery drawings which I can't wait to use to fill the journal!

I was also the recipient of a darling knitted washcloth and one of my favorite rose soaps. We were definitely in synch and it turned out amazing all neatly tucked away in a cigar box. Linda went way above and beyond!

To Lelainia from Liz

2008-02-14T06:18:00.004-08:00

Liz's gift arrived in thei wonderful box, in my most favourite colour! It was chock full of little surprises.

When I took the lid off, there were all kinds of pretty packages inside, each one wrapped and tied with a ribbon and a tag explaining what she chose. Liz, like Barbara has gorgeous handwriting. Liz did such a nice job of the info tags that I am going to make them into a small book so I can keep them.

It wasn't long before the paper was off, revealing all the treasures she had carefully chosen and sent. Everything from handmade soaps to tomato scented incense, to a mixed CD, to candy, chai, magazines, ephemera and ornaments and more!

The thing that I loved the best though was this little antique articulated ruler. It folds in four segments and is edged in brass and made from boxwood. I adore old tools and it felt so good in my hands. It reminded me of my Gramps. I am going to find a special place for it in my studio because I know I will want to pick it up from time to time and unfold it, just because. (It's sitting on top of the box in this photo.)

Thank you Liz for all the beautiful and thoughtful gifts. Your choices reminded me of what kindred spirits we are. I loved everything and thank you for making today special for me. Opening your box felt like you were right here with me. I hope the PO has your parcel today. xox

To Lelainia from Barbara

2008-02-14T06:03:00.002-08:00

Barbara's package came beautifully wrapped. She included this card explaining a bit about her choices of gifts. I just love her handwriting-so pretty.

Inside everything was neatly packaged. It was so lovely, I didn't want to mess things up by opening them! Eventually the temptation won out and I began gently removing the paper.

Inside was a paper plethera of delightful paper goods. I could hardly believe my eyes! I thought I was the queen of paper mongers, but after seeing what Barbara sent, I realize I am only the paper princess and Barbara is the queen! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to open all the little packets of goodies, each one filled with amazing things!

Look at this collection of tags!! Barbara is a big Cavellini fan, like I am and I adore tags! I will have so much fun finding special ways to use all this wonderful stuff.

This card didn't photograph very well but it's so soft and sweet and I want to find a frame for it and hang it in the studio. There was a fun postcard that I also want to frame. It's artsy and says: "You should perform your tricks as calmly as possible and say very little during your performance." I love that-it's so right on the money about remaining humble.

Thank you Barbara for such wonderful goodies. You were incredibly generous and I loved each and every little gem. It was so wonderful to learn more about you through your gifts. Happy Valentine's Day my friend! xo

Linda Koch

2008-02-13T06:38:00.001-08:00

And last, but not least, here are Linda Koch's gifts all boxed up and ready to make their way to Amy's house!

See you tomorrow and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY everyone!!

Amy Huff

2008-02-13T06:27:00.002-08:00

The little monsters were keeping an eye on Amy Huff's gifts before she mailed them off to her partner Linda. Remeber, only one more sleep till we open our goodies!! Come back over the next few days to see what was inside!

Debra Cooper

2008-02-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

OOOO! Check out these prettily wrapped gifts! These are Debra Cooper's favourite things that were sent off to Dawn. Love the big pink heart!

These parcels are so tempting. Is it Valentine's day yet?!?

Liz Smith

2008-02-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

See all these pretty goodies? These arrived at my door from the lovely Liz Smith. If you are keeping track, yes I have two partners-due to an odd number of sign ups. I can't wait to see what goodies Liz loves!

Only 2 more days left till Valentine's Day!!

Caren McNee

2008-02-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

This towering stack of presents is the work of Caren McNee. She's carefully wrapped them and sent them off to her partner Arlene. I'm sure Arlene can't wait to see what they are!! Neither can we!

Arlene Travnik

2008-02-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

Brown paper packages, tied up with string...Arlene took the theme literally when packing up her favourite things! This mystery went out to her partner CarenMcNee.

Dawn Supina

2008-02-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

This box is making it's way to Debra Cooper's house from Dawn Supina. Love the polkadots! I wonder what's inside?!

From Barbara

2008-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

We're kicking of the sharing of this exchange with Barbara Atwell's wrapped gifts. She has mailed these delightful goodies off to her partner Lelainia. Don't they look intriguing?

The Premise 2008

2008-01-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

This year, just to do something a little different, we are pairing up and filling a box full of the things we love to send to our partners. It's a fun way to get to know someone. Usually in an exchange you send gifts to suit your partner's tastes, but this time, we're choose things that are dear to our own hearts to share with them.

Each participant will be mailing their box out by the end of this week. We will be opening our parcels on Feb. 14th and then sharing what was in them. Please bookmark us and visit often as we share photos of our wrapped gifts in the days leading up to Valentine's Day!

The Premise 2007

2007-02-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

Picture if you will, a group of friends exchanging lovely handmade gifts through the mail. Each person carefully saves the gifts they've received until February 1st. Can you then imagine how delightful and exciting that would be to open 15 heart themed gifts, one each day for 14 days?!? We could-especially after all the fun we had with the 12 Days of Xmas exchange, which is why we decided to do it!

Welcome to the Be My Valentine blog! Be sure to visit us often as gifts are wrapped and sent out to each of our artist friends. We will be sharing our exchange from beginning to end, so come watch and share in the fun!

All Together Now!

2007-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of all the gifts together. THANK YOU to all the ladies for making this such a successful and creative exchange. And a special thank you to Jennifer Rowland for her help in posting pics on the days when my mail was late. I couldn't have done it without you!

And Finally...

2007-02-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

And last, but not least, there is my (Lelainia Lloyd's) gift, which was #16. (This was the one each person opened on the day everyone else opened theirs, so there was a gift each day for everyone.) I made a silver bracelet and created this charm from paper and fabric on a metal tag base. It's my way of saying I send my love to each of you!

Tomorrow I will post a final picture of all the gifts together. THANK YOU to each of the ladies for such amazing and creative gifts. I know we all loved each and every piece and will treasure them!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Two Gifts for Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, we opened TWO gifts today, just to make the day extra special! This soft and pretty embellished fabric heart ornie was gift #15 from Melissa David. It was a beautiful way to wrap up our swap!

A Piece of Home From Her Heart

2007-02-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

Gift #14 was this playful dream house heart ornament, collaged by Kristen Robinson. It's wonderfully folky!

For the Love of Red

2007-02-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

Lucky #13 belongs to Penelope Harris. She came up with this fabulous little tag book, celebrating the colour red. It has a poem and each one was personalized for the recipiant. COOL!

LOVEly Ornies!

2007-02-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

Liz Smith made us these beautiful double sided collaged heart ornaments for our studios for day #12. Mine said "Wonder" and "Dream" and has handstitching like a crazy quilt on it. Can't wait to hang it up!

We Love Lace!

2007-02-11T07:28:00.000-08:00

Day #11 brings the wonderful romantic siver necklace made from a fragment of vintage lace, the work of Jennifer Rowland. What's Valentine's without a little romance? Lovely!

2007-02-10T06:22:00.000-08:00

We are up to day #10 and the opening of today's gift revealed this beautifully collaged frame, the work of Linda Koch. It's perfect for housing a little piece of art of a picture of your sweetie! What a great idea!

Special Delivery!

2007-02-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

For day #9, Fiona Mortimore sent a beautiful fabric embellished fabric postcard. The base is made of a beautiful pink and red batik fabric, bordered with pink binding sewn on with variegated pink thread. There are lots of lovely embellishments quilted on to the fabric base. Lace, rickrack, organza, ribbons, sequins, and many beads which have all been sewn on by hand. The main heart is a beautiful iridescent fabric heart which has been sewn on and embellished with a big red button. It's just a beautiful!

*Due to a technical glitch, this reveal brought to you by Jennifer Rowland. Thanks Jennifer!

Have Art, Will Travel!

2007-02-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

For Day #8, Dawn Supina created this fun vintage heart danglie to hang in our cars. Dawn personalized each one for us on the reverse side with our names! It's perfect for the artist on the go!

We Love Love!

2007-02-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

Day #7! We are half way through our exchange and today's gift is a beautiful romantic lacquered domino charm, perfect for wearing on a necklace. This goodie was created by the talented Amy Huff.

Be Still My Beating Heart

2007-02-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

Look at this! It's an original collaged watercolour painting created by Caren McNee for day #6! Aren't the colours earthy and rich? You can definately see Caren's South African/New Zealand roots in her work. Beautiful!

From the Heart

2007-02-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

Arlene Travnik's playful soldered charm, "She Alters Her Heart" came nestled in a quilted fabric heart. What fun for day #5!

Catch Me, Hold Me

2007-02-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Ruth O'Connor created this darling little tag book for everyone day #4. It has some cool art inside and it really is a small wonder! Beautiful and creative!

Key To My Heart

2007-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Pretty and sparkly are two words to describe this amazing work of solder and glass created by Kathy Strittmater for all us lucky girls for day #3. Oh we are destined to be such a spoiled bunch of princesses with all the finery coming out of this exchange! *wink*

Sealed By Your Love/The Long Arm of My Love

2007-02-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

Today is day 2 and we opened a very funky, 3-dimensional, beeswax vellum heart from Crystal Neubauer. The heart has a cool little pearl white button in he shape of a flower and is dangling from a big 'ole cool Inventory tag. What fun! It's entitled "Sealed by your love".

On the back of the tag there is a note that says: "Place me like a seal over you heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame." Song of Solomon 8:6 **

*Edit: There were actually 2 versions of Crystal's gift. Some of us received this tag with a beautiful wired heart with a bisque doll arm on it. Both versions were lovely!

**Due to a technical glitch, this reveal brought to you by Jennifer Rowland. Thanks Jen!

Feeling the Love on Day 1!

2007-02-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

Day #1 starts off with an incredible etched copper and brass Valentine heart necklace. There are two etched hearts which hang independently, one copper and the other brass on a fabulous copper bar chain necklace. The clasp of the necklace is also 'hand-forged' by Cece Grimes. It's absolutely AMAZING! We are starting off our Valentine swap in Style!

*Due to a technical glitch, today's photo and description come courtesy of Jennifer Rowland. Thanks Jennifer!

One More Day!!

2007-01-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

Our fingers are itching as the pile of presents grows. Be watching here tomorrow (February 1st) as we unwrap our first gift!

Last, But Not Least

2007-01-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ah lucky #13! This candy striped goodie is the work of Penelope Harris which means all the wrapped gifts are posted. Now we sit back and wait for February 1st to reveal what's inside the first gift! Stay tuned!

Still More Goodies!

2007-01-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

On day #10 well will have the pleasure of opening these lovely gifts from Linda Koch. Can't wait!

You Shall Have Roses

2007-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

What would a Valentine's exchage be without roses? Fiona Mortimore's gifts add a pretty floral element to day #9.

More Goodies!

2007-01-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

Day #3 comes artfully wrapped in beautifully marbled paper. These beauties are Kathy Strittmater's offering.

From Far and Away

2007-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Pretty in polk-a-dots, day #6's gift comes all the way from New Zealand from Caren McNee!

Lucky #7

2007-01-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a big pile of parcels created by Amy Huff. We will have to wait till day #7 to find out what's inside!

TWO!

2007-01-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

WOOHOO! Look at #2! These mysterious packages are the handiwork of Crystal Neubauer.

Bright and Beautiful!

2007-01-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

Gotta love these fun and funky gifts from Liz Smith for day #12. If that doesn't brighten up the mail box, I don't know what will!

Sheer Elegance

2007-01-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

Beautifully wrapped in organza bags, these lovelies are our treat for day #4 from Ruth O'Connor! Gorgeous!

So Many Gifts...

2007-01-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Rowland has been busy! Just look at these delightful offerings! How will we ever wait till day #11?!?

All Wrapped Up!

2007-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Kristen Robinson's gifts are so sweet all gathered up in this wire basket! They are one of two gifts being opened on day #14!

Hot Stuff!

2007-01-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

WOO! Look at this hot pink package from Cece Grimes! It's a good thing we only have to wait till day #1 to open it-it's so tempting!

More Goodies!!

2007-01-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Arlene Travinik's gifts are beautifully wrapped and ready to go! We get to enjoy them on day #5!

Noteworthy Gifts

2007-01-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

Ah look at Dawn Supina's gifts cleverly wrapped in sheet music! These lovelies are for day #8!

My Heart's Aflutter!

2007-01-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

Isn't this delighful?! This is Melissa David's gift which is one of two that will be opened on Feb 14th! (She's #15.)

More gifts to follow!

XOX

2007-01-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

And we're off! This is my (Lelainia's) gift all wrapped and ready to go! I am #16 so each participant will open my gift on the day that everyone else is opening theirs, so they won't be without one. I had such a good time making my gift and I can't wait to see what the others think of it!

Stay tuned for more wrapped gifts!