More Swap Gifts and "Painting Around" Finished

Day 3, 4, 5 and 6 of our 13 Days Swap!

I was the participant responsible for Day #3. I actually started planning my swap gift way back in October and set about creating the sun[printed fabric for the project then. that is a big first for me- planning that far in advance! I created these Giving Cones from my sun printed damask linen and plastic doilies. I lined the cones with vintage deep green velvet and trimmed them with vintage lace and old buttons and a few beads. I made each one just a bit different with the trims and beads and buttons, as I do not create multiples well!

Day 4 was the responsibility of the awesome and amazing artist and my dear friend Leslie Brier.

Leslie did a wonderful job with her packaging and a little bird told me that her talented daughter designed the bows out of left over holiday napkins!!! Too Cute!
this was the adorable ornament that was inside. Leslie used a condiment cup decorated with sewn and cut crepe paper to form a hot air balloon basket and outfitted the interior with a little bottle brush tree, some vintage trim made into trees and some wonderful vintage images. It looks so kitschy vintage on the tree, I just love it!!
Day 5 was created by my good friend and past On Line group art pal, Ms. Patti G!

Patti brilliantly wrapped her package in some muslin which I will immediately put to use making more sun prints!!

She made a glorious Victorian cone from layers of batting muslin sheet music, silk flowers and cheese cloth. Everywhere one looks you find anew little detail. She adorned the front of my cone with a wonderful black and white image of a little girl holding a doll. Just precious!!!

I just love cones and someday I would love to have a whole tree decorated in different varieties of cones. Patti's art work and style has always been a favorite of mine as it is so delicate and detailed and unlike my loud style! Thank you so much Patti!!

The package waiting for Day 6 was created by the talented artist and gifted teacher Ms Martha Brown. I first met Martha in the same on line group where I met Patti. We have exchanged art work many times and she and I are the ones who hatched the plan to get a Christmas Swap. You may remember seeing some of Martha's awesome sewn art work in magazines such as Sew Somerset.

MArtha always amazes. this time she started off with her wrapping being a recycled heavy duty bag of some sort that she stitched with red thread and then simply stamped with the red 6. Too cool!
Inside was this wonderful glass ornament with collaged paper message that she sealed and dotted with red paint.
On the tree the glass glitters with the lights behind it, so simply elegant and so Martha!!

We have 7 more days to go and I know that I am not alone when I say that it will be hard to have this wonderful exchange end. It has really made the season of giving and caring so much more personal for me. I am so grateful that all of these wonderful artists have agreed to play along with me!!

And now for something completely different!!

Several weeks ago three art friends and I gathered in my studio to try a Painting Around exercise that I wrote about here.

I had a few moments the other day to add some finishing touches and today Tom helped me hang it over the fire place in our family room. One of these days we must paint that end of the room as the walls surrounding the brick are a deep green- it makes the end of the room very dark and it has been this way since we moved in. If this wall were not two stories tall I would have painted it myself, but this is definitely one of those jobs that we need a pro for! This painting, which I ahve called "Painting Around", has definitely brightened up the spot and more over it makes me HAPPY!!!

Below you can see a detail shot.
Next weekend Karen, one of the other painters in this project, and I are going to introduce this idea to our art Group and see if we can give it all another go with a much larger group! That should be very interesting!!! Stay tuned!!