the gift of giving & a giveaway

It is already time to start thinking about the 12 Days of Christmas! Last year's swap was so amazing and, really, one of the most fun art collaborations I've ever been a part of. Think twelve artist friends (we have 2 groups of 12) sending beautifully wrapped packages all over the world to be opened on each of the 12 days of Christmas. (Except, our little group has taken artistic license to celebrate the 12 days before Christmas instead of the 12 days after Christmas which is traditional. I mean, we already have to wait almost a month before opening our beautiful baskets of goodies--how much can a girl take??) Inside the already artfully wrapped packages are handmade gifts, one made by each of the artists in the group. Just thinking about it now makes me all giddy!! Many of the girls chose to make things we could use everyday of the year like pouches, art journals, wallets, jewelry. I still use many of my gifts from last year every day. It really makes you feel the childlike thrill of Christmas morning all over again.

I'm still pondering what exactly I'm going to make this year. Last year it was the first of my patchwork pouches. We were asked to make a list of things What We're Into so that our gifts could be personalized, and for some reason making this list was extremely taxing on me. Besides the fact that I take most things way too seriously, I really wanted to think about it and not just answer off the cuff. I find I have one idea of myself that creeps out that has little to do with the real me. It is the me I want other people to see and/or think they will approve of. So, here's my final list, about 3 times longer than anyone else's list and probably a lot less helpful:

Vintage fabrics & buttons; handmade everything; melancholy music; santa red, cadmium yellow, cayman blue & boysenberry pink; thrift shopping; simplicity; my kids; antique gold filigree; raw edge patchwork; juxtaposition; pushing the limits; mark making; authenticity; hope; religious imagery; working with my hands; the new domesticity; basil & rosemary; date night; found objects; Japanese street fashion; vintage aprons; big clunky shoes; tattered elegance; thinking, reading, learning; every day art; visual journaling; Pembroke Welsh Corgis; paper lanterns; vintage children’s books; my children’s drawings; list making; my husband’s tattoos; traditional Mexican culture and iconography; feathers…

You probably noticed that obsessions, irrational fear, and isolation are conspicuously absent from the list, ahem. Soooo, what I'd like to know now is: what are you into? Obviously you won't have as much time to overanalyze it like I did, but that just makes it better. Leave me a comment on this post letting me know what kinds of things you are into (or are into you) and I'll enter your name into a drawing for a giveaway! Your choice: a pack of my handpainted papers or goodie bag of vintage fabrics. (These are not the actual contents, but to inspire you. Don't worry. Ask anyone who knows, I give great gifties!)

I'll chose one name at random at the end of the day on Wednesday, Sept. 26 and I'll post the winner on Thursday the 27. So paint me a picture of who you really are and have a great weekend!

Comments

[Hanna]

I'm:

everything pink, lace, white, romantic, bold colours, roses, vintage, wabi-sabi stained, cute, cats and kittens, b/w photos, striped tops, red shoes, black fingernails, quilts, granny squeares, notebooks, black ink pens, messy collages, gesso, jeans, buttons, wool in rainbow colours, runny watercolours, hello kitty, green frogs, owls, browns, 1970ish patterns, golden ornamental frames, insence candles, brown paper, coffee smell, flea market, junk collector, polka dots, moleskine, candy, feelings, vanilla, pippi longstocking, crafty, documenting, decorating, bold flowers, curious, art journaling, cutting images out, visual, sunshine, parsly, gluestick, cozy.

:-)

[Dana]

I love shabby chic, cottage style, but I also
love bright yellow, red turquoise and black.
Living in a home with lots of boys, my hubby and my daughter and I, the girlee things are few and far between ;)

Thanks for the nice giveaway, and for reminding me to think about x-mas crafting!

Dana
[email protected]

[Pilar]

I had the same exact problem when I wrote my list. I completely drew a blank! You are into some cool stuff! xoxooxoxox

[Kira]

cute little things from Japan, lace, old paper, bright colors, strings of words, polka-dots, vintage patterns, wallpaper, silhouettes, sakura blossoms, turquoise, yellow, bright purple, fresh pages, journals, books, white gloves, large beads, deep red, rings, dangling earrings, a punkish edge, Japanese culture, ancient languages, codes, cyphers, faeries, Welsh folklore, Victorian dresses, vampires and spirits, ghost hunting, moonlit graveyards, typography, fonts, hand-lettering, stuffed animals, comic books, memoirs, drawing, illustration...

I could go on!

[Lina]

street art, red, black, dresses, electro music, ladybugs, buttons, owls, France, French, Paris, macarons, idla, African dance, Stockholm, cinnamon rolls, dark strong coffee, chocolate, photography, cute shoes, barefoot, painted toe nails, white wine, ice cream, graffiti, feminism, languages, hugs, wool, crochet, bright colours, black, fika, thinking, listening to music on public transportation, Astrid Lindgren, sleeping, vintage, walking, dancing, poetry, novels, prints, patterns, texture, piano, jazz music, bisous, notebooks, red + turquoise, berets, mittens, scarves, vanilla, cumin, freshly baked, sallad, queerness, subversive, creative, cinema, opera, polka dots, Camper shoes, DIY, night life, cardamom

[Heather Thorp]

Okay, here's mine! I love hand dyed fabric and yarn,(particularly doing the dyeing - I'll dye anything!!) making paper, collage cards, glittery shiny stuff, any kind of beads, ribbon, lace, Tchaikovsky, piano music, Alexander McCall Smith books, Lauren Child books, actually loads of fiction! oriental food, boiled sweets, crochet, inspirational Bible verses, light, the colour aqua, and my little baby Mira!

[Julie]

I'm experimental, curious and suffereing from extreme do-it-yourself-itis! I am in love with pretty things, vintage things, and painty things....this weekend, I am in love with solder things...only they don't love me yet! ;)

[Jessica Hood]

i love to scrapbook...am obsessed with new embellishments & pretty paper. also love cool buttons!

[malin]

I dress black, I decorate white, I love pink, Japanese kawaii, Victorian goth, pretty punk, yarn, fabric, books, books, books, magazines, blogs and blogging, swaps, vintage, shabby chic, pinups, mushrooms, hedgehogs, owls, crafting (knitting, sewing, crocheting), amigurumis, bentos, shopping, kawaii stationary, chocolate, being vegan, vampires, red tea, note books, 50s, and i´d love to win some fabric!

[Karin]

I love~ happy thoughts, my children's jokes, my husband's smile, vintage buttons, classical music, floating dreams, friends old and new, vintage fabric, new fabric, hugs, aged books, people's handwriting, my father's laughter, my mother's melancholy, bird nests, fleeting moments, mother-daughter trips, the feeling of prayer, family gatherings, well-loved kitchen tools, softly-worn linens, breath-taking views, being with my sisters, subtle breezes, and the time to enjoy them all.

[Leah R]

I'm into:

painting on rainy days, collages, sequins, dried flowers, mmm hot chocolate w/mini marshmellows, hot pink toe nails, pin-up girls, vintage/historical magazines/newspapers/cookbooks (LOVETHEM), finding old diaries @ garage sales, warn rain, sparkling snow days, cooking dinner for the boyfriend, music!, disco, paisley, carmel apples, buttons, variety, fabric swatches, alll sorts of stationary/cards, red dresses, photography, handmade goodies, sleeping in, australian accents, SHOES, people watching, writing, dreaming, creating, hoping, living, loving.

[Jennifer]

I am a nature-loving child at heart. I believe in fairies and ghosts (nice ones!) and in infinite possibility. I love Disney World and Maine and Chicago (my hometown) and Massachusetts (where I live now). I love color and I believe that everything goes with everything. It does! I quilt and I paint and I sew and I scrapbook and I'm a photographer and a cook and a gardener and a baseball fan (go Cubs!) and I am the assistant coach of my son's soccer team though I know very little about the game (I'm a volunteer!). I make collages and I collect things and I wish on stars.

[Debbie]

Thanks for the invite Debra! I love simple, classic, vintage, blue jeans, white tees, sterling silver, old handwritten love letters, vintage children's books, miniature snowglobes, tuscan reds and yellows, french while tulips, daisies, Nascar, Bon Jovi, the beach, the salty taste on your lips at the beach, the sand, the wind, fall, rain with lightening at night, weekend flea markets, Sunday afternoon drives and Bruster's Cake Batter Ice Cream and most of all I love my 3 young adult children and my husband.

[Jackie Mixon]

Wow I'm into too much - glass beads, lampworking (I'm a glass bead maker), pmc, jewelry making, sterling silver, dogs - especially mine, diamonds, leather, handbags, shoes of any kind, checking my blood sugar, getting on the scale (sounds funny I know but I have to do it every morning!), pink, raspberry color, ink blue glass, lavender especially with limey green, working with my hands, learning a new craft, playing on the computer, paper of any kind, the printed piece (I buy printing for a living),reading blogs, watching my ebay auctions, beautiful fabric, knitting (especially socks), reading a good love story or an exciting mystery.

[Katherine]

I'm into new or vintage fabric, vintage tablelinens & patterns, embroidery, needlepoint, tapestry wools, knitting, quilting, sewing totes and organizers, bright handknit socks, corduroy, minky fabric, vintage buttons and trims, herbal tea, homemade bread, lavender, roses, colours pink, blue, brown and red, and lots of books - especially crafty books!

[Jennifer]

I'm all shades of green, crisp papers, rainbow hues of ribbons and buttons, thrift store finds and garage sale treasures, time to create, quilting FQs, little bottles of cheap paint, new techniques, lightbulb moments, new pens, anything chocolate, the smell of Sharpies, dangly earrings, deep coral nail polish and a fresh pedicure, comfortable shoes, long skirts, Chinese food, dancing with my girls, soft yarns, crochet hooks in every size imaginable, new magazines to rip up, my mil's desserts, browsing the aisles of a local art store, blog-surfing, staying up late and waking up early, my latest journal page, watching my girls play nicely together, hugs ... just the tip of the iceberg ...

[Maggie]

paint a picture with golden leaves & grained chestnuts. Orange sunsets and salads of green, white & red. fresh tomatoes hanging on the vine. laundry hanging on the line blowing in the breeze.
squished bottle caps & lost earrings found on the street. flat stones to skip on the water. I am all this & more.

[Bev]

ok, here's my list:

teddy bears, mystery stories, vintage fabrics, red, royal purple, beads, celestial figures (moon, sun, stars), mohair fur, labradors, markers (especially those that work on fabrics), natural stone cabs, writing, sunrises, sunsets, creating new things, quilts, knitting, flowers, music, cookbooks, chocolate, "fluffy coffee", thick velour clothing, shrimp, my daughter (especially when she sings), mexican food, stationery stores, playing outside the lines, symbolism

[Ariane]

My grandkids, travel, most anything UK-related, reading novels or art-related or creativity books, Santa Fe or Spanish Colonial inspired art/items, angels, religious art/items, vintage paper items/fabric/wall paper/books, art - mixed media/handmade books/ATCs/altered art, santa figurines, jewelry-beads/PMC/fused glass, chocolate, baked goods, water (beach/ocean, lakes, rivers - the Pieces in me), walks in the woods, sunsets/sunrises, flowers

[Nicole]

Wood stoves; blue jeans; flying kites and sailing; dark, rich colours; nature; gardens; knitting; singing along; wild apples; simplicity; pretty notebooks; making funny faces with little kids; gardening; math; paper; baking pies; reading; glass and stone and wood; chocolate; dancing; looking for constellations; origami; dinner with my family; napping after lunch; beads; tea; long walks on crisp fall days; Scrabble; red wine; cozy blankets; days off; music; swimming; climbing trees...

It's been fun reading people's lists.

[Beth]

I am into the shabby chic vintage type of stuff. Yard sales, thrift shops and swap meets are my kind of places. I also like to decorate all year round with Santas. I have a large Santa collection. Unfortunately, DH doesn't see it the same way, so only a few are out now, the rest have been banished to the garage since we moved in together a few years ago.

[Allison]

Country,cottage,primative,blue jeans, casual,
batiks, greens, purples, browns and blues.
I love sewing, quilting, crafting, friends, my 5 daughters :-)mocha lattes, chocolate and mexican food. yum. Second hand sales, Country Living magazines, blog reading, blog reading and more blog reading. Someday I'll start my own blog.

[Allison]

Country,cottage,primative,blue jeans, casual,
batiks, greens, purples, browns and blues.
I love sewing, quilting, crafting, friends, my 5 daughters :-)mocha lattes, chocolate and mexican food. yum. Second hand sales, Country Living magazines, blog reading, blog reading and more blog reading. Someday I'll start my own blog.

[Michelle Cummings]

What fun!

poetry,sparkely fine glitters, fluffy feathers, cashmere sweaters w/embroidery designs, tank tops,bare feet, dirty feet, lot's of glue, custom colors, paint, too much fabric not enough thread, knifty knitting, sewing, beading, dreaming, iced tea, hot coffee, caramel apple martini, feta cheese, basil,thyme, peppermint geranium, vintage everything, old family photo's, pack rat,after the rain smell,just before a storm smell,bonfires,historic building,picket fences,home movies,secret garden, musicals,play dough,crock pot cooking,playing dominos with my hubby,doodeling,jazz,blues,swing,upbeat country,showing my toddler how to rock out to "walk this way" kitty cats and taking nature walks with my toddler

[Gina]

I'm : in search of my artistic side, learning to blog, preserving old things that were loved by someone else, documenting my days for my children, baking bread from scratch, keeping a journal and not caring if I miss a day, scared to open my new sewing machine because I will spend even more time crafting, I am learning to let go of things that weigh me down, Loving my family for supporting my pre mid life crisis in wanting to be creative, I am loving paper...I must create something that includes paper everyday, and I just discovered I love roses, cats and painting.