tuesday

i received this valentine from my partner, Joyce. So sweet!

monday

i will post a valentine every day this week. happy monday!

It's time to "wrap" this thing up!

It's been such a fun swap! Thank you to all who participated, and even to those who just visited this time to share some of the fun! Please continue posting your pictures on the flickr group page this week- it is so fun seeing what everyone received!

If you have not received your package in the mail AND have not heard from your partner as to why there's a delay, AND/OR if you still haven't received it by Valentine's Day, PLEASE send me an email so I can follow up! We have such an outstanding group of swappers and I want to continue to protect the integrity of our group so I do follow up and follow through to be sure everyone receives a package.

I will continue posting vintage valentines on the blog this week, and on Sunday, February 14th you can begin signing up for the NEXT swap!
Pssst...the NEW swap badge is posted too! Isn't it cute? It makes me think of Spring...and of May Day when I was a little girl....

So many heavenly things!

Have you been following the flickr group page? SO many amazing swap packages are being opened this week, filled with heavenly treasures! Check it out! I will be posting my treasures from Joyce on the group site tomorrow!

Speaking of heavenly things, the next swap will be announced on Valentine's Day!

Happy February!

It's February 1st! And hopefully everyone will have their packages mailed out by today. If you cannot, please send an email both to me (aswapforallseasons@live.com)and to your partner to let us know.

As your packages arrive, please post pictures on our flickr group page so we can all see! And again, if you cannot post on flickr, send your pics to me and I'll post them for you.

I have to share this fun vintage valentine and a story with you. I went to a mother-son banquet & dance with my son at his college in Kansas this weekend. We had a wonderful dinner, then danced the night away with his buddies and their moms, then of course we had to go to their local hangout afterwards. We had such a wonderful time. My son will be graduating in May and this is his last semester at school so it was really special. Mary Grace and I made it a girl's trip and she hung out with Justin's girlfriend, Julie while Justin & I were on our "date". So yesterday, we "antiqued" our way home from Kansas. I stopped at one of my favorite antique malls called "Artichoke Annie's" and found some of the cutest valentines! This particular valentine is very special because my brother Mike plays the saxaphone (a hobby, not professionally) and his wife Linda is a singer (she has the voice of an angel and has sung professionally since she was a teenager). The little characters on this valentine even look like them a bit. I just have to send this to them for Valentines Day! I know Linda will love it! So that's my story for the day...

Hey, guess what? The doorbell rang as I am typing this post, and my husband just told me that my swap package from Joyce just arrived! Must go see!!!

time to start heading on over to the post office!

mail that package to your partner either today, tomorrow or monday at the latest! many of you have already mailed your package...in that case, don't forget to post picures of your vintage valentine treasures when you receive them! if you do not have a flickr account that allows you to post pictures, email them to me as a jpeg attachment at aswapforallseasons@live.com and i'll post them for you.

there are lots of "sneek peeks" posted! have you seen them? click here!

i think he's sneaking more than a peek!

it's that time again....."sneek a peek week"!

post a "little snippet" or teaser of your package or something in it on our flickr group page this week! it's so fun to peek at what people will be opening! if you have already gotten your package from your partner,go ahead and start posting the pictures! we want to see!

as a reminder: suggested mail dates: this friday or saturday, jan 29-30th. deadline mailing date is monday february 1st.

is anyone curious about the next swap?? .... sometime this week there will be a new swap badge posted on the blog for just a little while! let's see who spots it! leave a comment if you see it!

just one week to go!

The mail date for the swap is fast approaching! Hopefully we're all adding the finishing touches to our creations, and getting it all wrapped up and ready! Here'a a few helpful hints:

1. Wrap and pack your items carefully! It would be sad for both partners if a package arrived with broken items in it. Use bubble wrap, packing peanuts, tissue, etc to protect the treatures you're sending.

2. Make it fun to open! Individually wrap items, make little tags & notes on things, use festive wrappings, etc to make it as special as possible for your partner.

3. Be sure to take a picture of what you've made & what you're sending prior to/during/or after packing it. We will be posting a "sneek peek" of what we're sending to our partners on our flickr group this week! (Details will be announced tomorrow on the blog.) Also, in case your partner is unable to take a photo, you'll have one for your blog and to post on the group flickr page later on.

4. The "official" mail date is February 1st. I encourage you to mail your package on Friday or Saturday, January 29th or 30th if possible so it gets to your partner as early in February as possible. If for some reason you cannot get your package in the mail by Monday, February 1st, PLEASE EMAIL BOTH YOUR PARTNER AND ME to let us know. You can email me at: aswapforallseasons@live.com. I follow up to be sure everyone has gotten their packages in a timely fashion.

I've posted a few pictures that I found on the web of some great valentine swap packaging to give you some ideas, especially for the newbie swappers!

If you have any questions this week, drop me an email! Happy Creating!

today's "Queen of Hearts", winner of Giveaway #3 is...

Linda F of Lambsworld! Congrats dear cyber buddy! Your package of vintage valentiny sweetness is on its way to you!

...somebody stop me!

I hope you don't "tire" of being reminded, but you really "auto" sign up for Giveaway #3 by midnight tonight! Sign up under the girl with the rash, "police"!

sent in by linda f.

i love this! i don't think i'd get in her way- she means business!

here's a few for any "foodies" in the group!

so cute...

sent in by susie

a fun vintage valentine atc made by susie from South City Hues...you gotta love a good beehive! and the bobby pin is the perfect embellishment! if anyone else has any funnies, send them in!

these are out of this world!

...and so 60's!

glad i never received this one...

i'm not sure this is the friendliest valentine, but i thought it was funny. when i was young, this old pickle might have even scared me a bit!

giveaway goodies

does digging for buried treasure in a tin full of vintage buttons sound like fun? this tin has a dozen or more buried treasures! i've also included a valentine bingo card that i altered just for fun...and a hugs and kisses punch!

just leave a comment under the "girl with the love rash" post below to enter the giveaway...and a funny valentine story if you've got one to share! don't forget you can also send an email jpeg with any funny/punny valentine pics that you'd like for me to share with the group to aswapforallseasons@live.com.

have a great day! XXOO Linda

My Funny Valentine Giveaway

Or should that be "punny"? Either way, leave a comment on this post telling us any funny valentine story...like something that happened way back when... or to one of your kids... or you can share a funny valentine saying... or send me a funny valentine picture that I can post on the blog... a great play on words...whatever! If you don't have anything to share, that's okay too...just comment anyway and you'll get in the giveaway! I'll be posting funny/punny valentines all week, so this should be fun!

What is the giveaway package?? I will post a pic later today... it's 5am and still dark out so i can't get a good picture yet! (why 5am you ask? well, the house is quiet, i'm sitting here at the computer in my jammies with a cup of coffee...i love early mornings!)

You can comment anytime this week until Thursday at midnight. One lucky winner will be announced next Friday morning!

woo-hoo! we have a winner!

...it's Debbie from Kitten Creates! Debbie, the giveaway package is being mailed out to you this morning!Congratulations and enjoy!

The next giveaway will be announced tomorrow!

Did you sign up for the Giveaway Yet? It sure is Sweet!

...of course there's still time! Just scroll on down to Saturday's post and the picture of the giveaway goodies and sign up by midnight tonight! Hopefully everyone has been in contact with their partner by now...if not, drop her an email today or stop by her blog to say hi! I will have the drawing tomorrow morning, announce the winner and mail the goodies!
AND... there will be yet another giveaway announced on Saturday!

Our inspiration idea for today is: sweets! What sweet treat will you send your partner? what does she like? drink? find out today!

Day Three: There's still time!

...to knit or crochet your partner a valentine scarf! this one looks downright vintage with it's lovely coloring. i found it on etsy.

how? start with a nice soft yarn in a great valentiney hue, or you can tie yards of differant yarns together to make it look more like the one in the picture, then with a simple knit or crochet stitch, start working! i would make it on the narrow side so it works up quickly, and as long as possible!

if time permits, sew some vintage buttons on the ends! love love love!

Day Two: Valentine Collages

Collages are such fun to do! Get out all the fun Valentine-makin' stuff you have and start gluing and painting and stamping and glittering and doodling! Make a big masterboard collage on a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock, then cut it down into smaller collages, atc's etc. I wish I took the time to do more of this type of art...it's so freeing and fun.

Here are some great collages I found... check out the links for a closeup or to let the artist know you admire her/his work. I love these!

1. This lovely collage made inside of a heart shaped box can be found here!

2. The Valentine house collage can be found here!

3. This adorable collage uses wooden cutouts.

4. You gotta love Marie!

5. I really love this set of 4 adorable little collages

6. You will find Sweet Cakes here!

7. & 8. Where oh where did I find these gorgeous collages? I love them both.

9. Isn't this a delight? I found it here.

Vintage Valentine Inspiration Week! Day One: Valentine Garlands and Banners

Oh how I love these! Handmade banners are such a wonderful gift to receive, so fun to make, and a great swap idea! You can click on the collage to view a larger image.

If you have time, visit these oh-so-talented artists and get a closer look at their creations by following the links...

1. Teeny Tiny Cabin's flickr site

2. Pam Garrison's blog
- includes detailed description on how to make this from cupcake liners!

3. I can no longer find this photo to be able to share the artist or the source with you. I must have saved this a long while ago. I simply love the choice of papers and the look of the edges!

4. Visit this very talented artist, Sharon on her blog. Her jewelry is fab!

5. I cannot find the original source of this lovely fabric heart garland, but I wanted to share it with you for inspiration.

6. Don't you just love the soft colors in this hugs and kisses banner? You can find it here

7. The Be Mine Banner can be found here

8. The precious, yet simple I Love You banner: take a look!

9. I also love this collaged banner- yet another that I can no longer locate online.

Another Vintage Valentine Giveaway!

This giveaway is just for participants in the Vintage Valentine swap. And it's easy!

Simply leave a comment on this post stating that you've been in contact with your swap partner...either by email, or by commenting on her blog to say hello. Your comment can say something like, "I have!" or "me too!" - you don't have to be specific. Leave your comments between now and midnight on Thursday, January 14th. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Friday morning, January 15th.

In case you've ever wondered, I choose my winners by asking my son Andrew to pick a number between 1 and however many responses I get on any particular giveaway. The person the number corresponds to is the winner. Scientific, right? But it works well!

This is a pic of the prize package that will be mailed out to the winner on Friday morning! A special handmade valentine glitter blend in a vintage shaker, milinery flowers, a jar of vintage buttons, a vintagy yo-yo pin, ribbon, a piece of vintage ledger paper, charms, a bit of german scrap, and a bunch of glittery valentine tags and die cuts. Good luck!

Swap Specifics

Are you full of that Valentine feeling and ready to start putting your swap package together? Here is a recap of what to include.

1. One vintage Valentine: by this I mean one of the little valentines that we use to exchange as children. Where to find them: antique malls, flea markets, etsy, ebay. They are usually inexpensive, say 50 cents to $2.50 or so. You might even be able to find one that matches your partner's interests, profession, special likes, haircolor, etc. This is not necessary of course, but serendipitous finds like this have a way of happening! I encourage finding an original vintage valentine if possible, but if you cannot get your hands on one, you can make one from an image of a vintage valentine printed on cardstock, cut out, then distressed. The originals often have the printing of the original giver (often the delightful handwriting of a child!) on the back, which I think is very special.

2. One handmade vintage Valentine creation. Whatever you want to make, as long as it is vintagy and valentiney! Next week I will be showcasing lots of ideas on the blog, so if you're not sure what to make, be sure to check in frequently for inspiration. Here's a few ideas: a valentine banner, collage, a sewn or knitted item, embroidery, handmade book, jewelry. What is your handmade specialty?

3. One sweet treat. Does she love chocolate? coffee? gourmet popcorn? I have been seeing plenty of lovely Valentine confections in the stores recently, so this should be the easy part!

Lastly, make sure your package is a special gift to open. A lovely presentation means so much. Take the utmost care in wrapping and boxing the items so nothing arrives broken. Write little notes or make little tags, use or make pretty papers and wrappings. Decorate the box. Fill it with things that you would LOVE to receive. Make it sing!

I'll have lots of inspiration on the blog next week, so check in frequently!
And don't forget...a new Giveaway will be announced tomorrow!

And the winner is....drumroll please...

The winner of the "Who is YOUR Favorite Hearthrob Giveaway" is...Michele W. of Michele's Treasures! I am headed to the post office with your package, Michele! Hopefully some of the goodies will come in handy as you create your treasure for your partner!

The next Giveaway which will be announced tomorrow!

From Elvis and I, a special "Thank you, thank you very much." to all who participated! It was such fun!

and finally... i've saved the best for last...

these guys are truly in a league of their own. Legendary. Priceless. Timeless.

"Who's YOUR Favorite Hearthrob" Giveaway ends at Midnight!

Sign up under David Cassidy's picture, telling us YOUR favorite hearthrob! The winner will be announced on tomorrow morning!

to joyce with love

Today's hearthrob is dedicated to my current swap partner, Joyce! Presenting... George Chakiris... and I must agree...he was a cutie- love that cleft chin! He appears to have been quite a dancer, too! This picture was from West Side Story.

I'll post the final hearthrob pics and last chance giveaway sign-up notice later today...stay tuned!

who could resist?

back in the day, i used to watch "The Groovy Movie" on TV every week, and more often than not it was one of Frankie & Annette's beach movies! i thought he was the cutest thing ever!

You can continue signing up for the Giveaway under David Cassidy's post by telling us your favorite hearthrob!

p.s. just wondering... was "The Groovy Movie" local to St Louis, or does anyone else remember this? it would start by showing a silhouette of a girl dancing in a bikini and an announcer would say something like "welcome to this week's groovy movie. tonight it's..."