What? October's Over?

So, looks like I almost missed this month! But, wait, I have some photos. Not very good-I can't seem to get the lighting and background thing right. I am always taking my photos late at nite or early in the morning. Even though I know that I shouldn't. And I have to apologize for not being able to figure out the secret of getting my photos where I want them to be. I know this should be much easier than it is.

First, I won a prize. And what a prize it is. Paulette, made this beautiful Practical Magic art book for me. It's one of my favorite movies, and you can be sure that the book will stay out, and not be put away just because Halloween is over. Visit her blog and you will see more pages, and lots more beautiful things. Thank you Paulette. It was a wonderful surprise.

And I made two Halloween books myself. One, I sent to my dear friend, Fleur, just barely before the holiday was over, and the other I may just have to keep, since it didn't get mailed in a timely manner. I folded the pages of old books, added lots of pictures and paint, and voila! Stand up journals.

I went to the annual giant booksale this fall, looking just for books, I could tear apart and alter. I'm not too successful at that, even though I love art books. Once, I get them home, I can't bear to take them apart. I am trying to not have more books than I have shelves, but I am honestly thinking that may never happen.

I did have a bit of fun with my decorating. The first picture, now that I have given up trying to get them where I want them to be, is an old tin document box. I think this one was actually for art supplies. I opened the door to the compartment, stood the box on its' side, and added a few things to make it spooky. Now I'm going to take it apart and start changing it for Christmas. Don't you love it when you can use something you've had forever in a completely new way?

I did have a very busy month. I think I've overcommitted myself. I'm hoping that my new sewing machine-more about that in another post- will break me of the recently acquired habit of wandering around stores shopping for nothing, instead of going home to my quiet house.

Paper Stories

Yesterday we had our annual Christmas craft nite. I've talked about our group before. We have been meeting once a month for over 30 years. Dinner, lots of laughter, and an easy craft. We have several very talented women in our small group, so there are always wonderful projects. At Christmas we don't craft but have a gift exchange. This is what I made. I love it and plan to make more. I am a book lover, hoarder, keeper, so it was very hard for me to tear a book apart. I bought this one especially to reconstruct. It was already missing a few pages, so that is my defense. This was a late nineteenth century (yummy thick and textured paper) novel called "The Old Mam'selle's Secret''.  And I have kept the cover for more projects.  More budget book projects coming right up.

Gypsy Vagabond Caravan

I know that I am late posting this birthday gift, but my camera has been doing baby duty the past several weeks. All the family cameras broke at once except mine, so I happily sacrificed it to the cause. Baby Cass changes every day, and his parents don't want to miss it.

And now, on to my very own GypsyWagon Birdhouse. I just love this. It was made especially for me by a dear friend who knows my quirkly obsession with all things Gypsy. The Gypsywoman on the front is wearing real earrings, and there are lots of bits and bobbles on it. Visit Cindee and see what a talented doll artist she is. Her work has appeared in several ArtDoll issues and other books and magazines. She also teaches at Joggles and at workshops all over the country. And yes, I do have a Gypsy doll that she made for me. I'll get a photo now that my camera is back, at least for a little while.

And the Winner Is

Using my trusty gypsy cards, I picked Marie as the winner. Her blog is called Art from the Heart. I hope she likes the Vagabond Bag. I'll post photos of the goodies inside in a few days, so I don't spoil the surprise!!

Today's Wish:
This time, like all times, is a very good one if we know what to do with it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Festivities Begin

Here it is the very first day of my birthday "month" and I got a present in the mail. My dear Silver Bella friend Jodie of everything vintage made this beautiful necklace and gift box for me. My pictures don't do it justice. It is gorgeous, and of course, I love my gypsy lady. What a thoughtful and wonderful birthday gift, and two weeks early! I am such a procrastinator that I buy my belated birthday cards ahead of time. I always know I'll need them. Thank you dear Jodie for starting my month off in such a great way.

Look at this great box. It's tied with rayon seam binding! (Sorry about that picture. Of course the dangling jewel should be dangling, not pushed over to the side.) She is so clever. And I am so lucky.

My Birthday Give A Way will be posted in a few days--but sign up anyway. What's a birthday without surprises?

Skipping Thru May

Well, it's pretty obvious that's what I've been doing. Skipping, that is. Here this month is practically over, and I've barely been here for it, so a quick update on what's been happening.

First of all, I haven't posted all the wonderful treasures I received from ArtsyMama. This was the May Basket swap and she sent me the best bunch of goodies. Lots of vintage lace, cards, art boards, one with a pocket. I loved these! Just oodles of stuff. All great. I mailed her a May Basket made from coiled vintage fabric. Don't know if I'll make another one of these. It wasn't easy getting that cone shape! I've been making small gypsytreasure baskets though. I really like these. They are embellished with charms, beads, and buttons, and can hold your treasures. I have some on my etsy site.

I can't quite get my pictures where I want them, so hopefully, you'll know which is which. I'm out of time, so more to come later. Pinky promise.

OWOH Hand Warmers And A Bit of This and That

Gotta love these hand warmers I received from Barbara at All About the Buttons. They are just perfect to wear while typing here in my chilly attic. Look at her packaging too. They arrived wrapped in tissue, with a large button sticker. The little folder of handmade paper is adorned with a real button and encases her business card, which also has a teeny, tiny button glued on it. I love how she does that. If you like buttons, be sure to visit her site. She has an etsy shop too.

Things have been kind of crazy here lately. I've always thought that being flexible was one of my strengths, but now it seems like I have no schedule at all. I won't be working full time again until mid April, and now it seems like I'm never quite sure where I am or what I'm supposed to be doing. My first temp job has ended. This was my first experience with being an office temp and I am really not suited for it. By the last day I worked, some of the people were actually saying hello to me, but most of the time "the temp" felt pretty invisible (and clueless, I might add). I was hoping to stay there longer, but they fired someone on my first day, and then decided that they needed to have a full time office manager with accounting experience, rather than a two day a week receptionist. Originally, I was going to be there for a couple of months, which would have been perfect, rather than just a few weeks.

About half an hour after I was "released from my contract", and feeling like I had been totally rejected by the workforce, I got a call and picked up about 40 hours in March as our soap maker at my real job. We are going to be selling lye soap in our LHF gift shop and as of now, I'll be the first one making it. So that will help. See what I mean--no set schedule, no continuity, but lots of surprises, and very small paychecks.

Mystery Gift

I received this in the mail, totally mangled. How sad for me, and for whoever it was who put so much work into it. I can tell it was a lovely handmade card, and whatever was in the bag has disappeared. The return address is unreadable too. How frustrating, both for me, and for whoever sent it.

Presents by Post

I must have been good recently because I've been getting lots of presents! First, from my sweet friend Jodie of everything vintage are these lovelies that she sent to me for No Reason. Am I lucky or what! Two packages, the first was this lovely Valentine, tied with vintage seam binding. Don't you just love that stuff? And then, this pretty bookmark, which is getting lots of use, because I have been on a reading binge lately. More about that later. Thank you Jodie, I am so fortunate that we met! And I just discovered that another friend from Silver Bella has started a blog. I believe she may have been shamed and bullied into it, but no matter, it is gorgeous. And already she's posting more frequently than I am. So please visit Sandy at Sew Revived, and you'll be glad you did. I shared several classes with her, and she was so generous with her materials, and so much fun. And I still can't believe how quickly she finishes her projects. You'll love her new blog. I do.

I can't get my pictures where I want them, but this first shot is my Year of Color swap with

Stacey. She sent a box filled with ephemera and other gorgeous goodies. A little picture frame, decks of cards, sheet music, labels, cards, and just about everything you could think of. Thanks, Stacey. It was great fun.

More to come: I won two things in OWOH drawings. Pictures tomorrow-yes, I did say tomorrow.

OWOH- The Clock Is Ticking

It's almost time to draw for the OWOH GiveAway!!! It ends February 12, and I will be drawing for mine at 6:00 P.M. Central Time. There is still time to sign up, so I am hoping to get a few more visitors. As I write this, I'v had 150 visitors sign up to win my "Off the Cuff" Cuff. It's so nice to have new readers. I've made some very good friends here in BlogLand, and kept in better touch with old friends, too. It's so much fun to read the comments and to discover other kindred spirits. Good luck to everyone who has participated. I'll be back tomorrow with the news.

Silver Bella Bling

Here's my very first project at SilverBella. On Thursday nite-oh my, it was a week ago, already! the entire group made these darling little door hangers. The secret is to stamp the image and then embroider over it. It adds so much dimension to the picture. I even sewed some seed beads to the wings. (Thank you, Sandy, for being so generous with your supplies) A crepe paper ruffle, a velvet ribbon, a peace banner, and some mica finished everything nicely. Cute and simple. And finished! I just love it that I was able to mostly finish most of my projects. I did go back to my room most evenings and work on my projects. I think I was really in need of some quiet time so I did enjoy it. I do wish that I had mingled with all those Bellas who had those late night chats though. This was the first time I've gone anywhere without a roommate so it was quieter.
I promised to post on time today and didn't quite make it. I just got home from my monthly night out with friends. We started our Craft Nite over 30 years ago, and tonite I took all my new projects for an informal show and tell. I'm pretty proud of myself that I've completed these, and loved talking about the fantastic time I had. I think they probably want to be Bellas too.

This and That

I keep forgetting to mention that I'm in the "Not Too Shabby" Summer Swap. Isn't the logo for this just so cute???? Roxi is still taking sign-ups so check it out.
I think that maybe a few people might be reading my blog. I hope so. Last week I was contacted by two old friends. I hadn't seen either of them for a long time, but they had both read VictorianGypsy. How exciting for me that they emailed. I always feel that I am writing to the big empty spaces and that no one actually sees it. The majority of my comments seem to come from spammers lately. That's the reason for the deleted comments.
I've just finished my first week of working full time again. What a difference! I think that working three days a week is probably my ideal job wish. Plus, of course, lots of money. I do love being back at LHF again, but it uses so much time, doesn't it? I have basically been my own boss during the last two years, so that takes some major adjusting. And the getting up so early..... Not really the getting up, but getting up and out of the house. I like to loll about. I do think that this will make me more productive though. I have lots of new ideas. I just need to schedule some time for them.

Tea Time

Look, look, look at the beautiful treasures I received from Cris Cunningham at Enchanted Heart Studio. I love this little Tea for One pot! It'a pale yellow, and goes perfectly with the blue and yellow plate. I also received a box of note cards-love Jane Austen, however did Cris know? And a sweet little notebook, and LOTS of tea. And all wrapped in gorgeous black and white toile tissue paper.

And here's what I sent to her: A little white tea pot with a crocheted tea cozy. I added beads and charms to the tie. I included two napkins trimmed with rick rack, a vintage apron, and a scattering of my TeaThyme Wishes.

This swap was a lot of fun. It was hosted by Teresa McFayden as part of her Bellatoria Zine. If you haven't subscribed to one of her Zines yet, please check it out. She has the most wonderful ideas. And she makes all sorts of fantastic projects sound easy!!! I confess that I haven't done too many of them yet. Just seeing and reading about them makes me happy.

Thanks Teresa for Bellatoria and the swap. Chris and I had a good time, and I think we're blog friends now. Hope so

Spring Banner

Hi,

Look what I received from Linda Harre at StudioStuffGirls. I won a drawing! I've been pretty lucky lately--maybe it's time to start buying lottery tickets. She has a much better picture of this at her blog. It is very sweet, with lots of detail and pretty bird eggs. She also sent a pack of vintage wallpaper. I've been wanting to make a banner for baby Tess's room since she was born in November. Guess I'd better get a little busier.

One World One Heart Winners

We have our winners! I'll be sending a bottle of GypsyWoman's Wishes to Lisa OceanDreamer and another bottle to Staci Rose !!! They'll go out on Monday. If anyone out there would like some sample Wishes, just send me an email with your address. I also have them for sale at www.sandimoran.com or on Etsy.
I will miss having all these visitors. Hope some of you come back again.
Well, it's time for bed for me. I'll be back later today with some pictures (finally) and news about the drawings that I won.
Thank you Lisa for all that you did. This was phenomenal. I'll be reading new blogs forever. There are so many that looked fascinating.

I Won Something!!!

Kari at ArtsyMama held a drawing and I won! The prize is a goodie bag from Anthropologie (so, who wouldn't love it). I'll post when it comes. I was so excited I emailed her twice, thinking maybe she wouldn't recognize the different addy. Kari's is one of my favorite blogs. She was the hostess for the Valentine Supplies Swap. She's had several others, but this is the first I got in on. You have to move quickly for these things. Anyway, I am thrilled. It was a good day for me. I won something and got a job offer-more on that later.
Well, isn't this One World drawing just turning into the biggest thing ever. I do hope some of these people come back and visit me again and that I can get some visitors to my little blog in "real time". I've been trying to keep track of where I've been, but it gets confusing. I participated in this last year, but it was much smaller. Last year I didn't win anything, but I found all sorts of new places to visit, so that made it more than worthwhile. Thank you Lisa for all this hard work you've been doing. This was truly an inspiration.

Valentine Swap

Here's the box I mailed to Elizabeth for ArtsyMama's swap. Got it out today which was the duedate. I swear, I am never early with anything. I think it has some fun things in it. Ribbons, lace, charms, butttons, trim, beads, stickers, and Wishes I hope she enjoys it. I hope it doesn't arrive all jumbled.

One World One Heart

Hi!

Here's my give-a-way. Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in to the drawing for one of my Wish Bottles. Wishes are magical little messages to brighten your day. Each bottle contains up to fifty quotes, thoughts, sayings, and things that I just make up. The bottle also includes a fairy wand to help you get your Wishes back into the bottle. Remember, just leave me a note, and on February 14, maybe I'll pick you!

UPDATE: I decided to add another bottle and have two drawings. What would the VictorianGypsy's blog be without a bottle of her GypsyWoman's Wishes, I ask you!! When you win you can choose either style. Here's what the tag says on this one: To know the present, See the Past, and Foretell the Future.

Good luck and good fortune!

One World One Heart

It's time for Lisa OceanDreamer's One World One Heart Giveaway again and I'm going to play. I don't know what my item will be yet, but I'll have it posted by February 1st. The drawing will be held on February 14. Last year I posted a collaged journal. It was great to have all the visitors and comments and to visit everyone else. This is the year I've promised to be more active, creative, and involved. The last two years of changing jobs, downsizing, moving, and remodeling kept me away from blogland. I am always amazed at those who find time to post everyday, and that they have something to post about. This year, that still won't be me, but I will be better!!!

Memory Collage Ornaments

Before I finish with Christmas completely, I want to show these collage ornaments I made. It was our turn to host this year, and the hostess always has a little gift for the women of the family. I made these ornaments from pictures of my inlaws. The ornaments are two sided, one showing them as a young couple, and the other side after many years of marriage. I made several shapes and colors, but of course, I forgot to take pictures of them! Each was different, but all used the same two photos.