Handmade Treasures

I recently celebrated my birthday, and let me just say that Facebook is the best. I got so many birthday wishes from friends all over the globe, it was fantastic! Thank you to my fellow Facebook friends and followers.

I had a wonderful day filled with simple joys like a free massage from the local spa, free coffee of my choice from Starbucks, some great gifts from my family, lunch with my hubby, and a couple surprises from some dear friends of mine.

My long-time pal Lisa Russell actually made this amazing bracelet for me for Christmas, but she also popped in on me yesterday with a fun cake pop maker as my birthday present. While the cake pops were super delicious (I had to test it out right away) the bracelet is one of my all-time favorite things ever hand made for me.

It's so unique and so ME. It has a very natural feel about it and I love the green beads with the deep dark leather binding. It's a wrap-around style bracelet so it crosses over itself. 

Here's a view under my wrist. It looks so complicated to make. I've seen bracelets like this on Etsy.com and they go for beaucoup bucks. I'm so lucky to have a Lisa Russell original! Lisa is my favorite go-to gal for creative collaboration. She's a fellow junker and vintage-lover. She can see possibility in almost anything she finds in a thrift store or garage sale. Just yesterday she was telling me how she bought up a bunch of skinny belts from the local Goodwill for less than $2 and how she's going to make bracelets from them. Amazing. She has a blog, mostly about family and everyday life. You can find her here. I'll bet if you comment on her blog, she might start posting more stuff about her thrifty creations.

Another awesome woman in my life is my uber-creative friend DiAnn who is constantly crafting up something beautiful in between taking care of her adorable granddaughter Bella. This is a woman who creates, among other things, mini-album masterpieces and gives them away. I've urged her to start an Etsy site, but she simply loves creating everyday and giving those creations away as gifts to people she loves. She says it gives her more joy than trying to maintain an online shop and keep track of business expenses, etc. Well, all I can say is I'm lucky to know her. She has made me countless beautiful things that I save in a special box. Cards and tags and things that I could never throw away I love them so much. So yesterday, she surprised me with a beautiful box on my front porch.

Yes, she made the box from paper and card stock (I don't remember what line, but it's beautiful) and added some soft lace and these pretty tags that she embellished a bit further.

This is how she works. Details and layers galore, and although it appears to have taken her days to make, she can whip these creations up in an afternoon. So what was inside the box?

This gorgeous bird and birdhouse home decor piece. Not shown in the photo is a piece of pretty organdy ribbon at the top of the house so I can hang it up. I know just where it will go by my front door when people first walk in. The size is about 6 x 6 inches, like a large ornament. I just love the colors she used and all the details.

Her bird is made from wool felt, again handmade with love. She stitched a tiny blanket stitch around the the wing and the bird. So sweet. I love this tiny tag from Papertrey Ink attached to the beak. 

 Felt leaves behind the pretty paper flowers, pearls, glitter, beads. Just love the details.

If you'd like to visit DiAnn's blog, you can find her here. Her photos don't do her work justice, but I'm sure you'll be inspired just the same.

Off I go to make Tim Holtz a birthday card now. 

What on earth can you make for a guy like Tim? 

Stay tuned.