Heart Swap and Charms!!

We've just completed the most marvelous heart swap, as well as 14 artists exchanging 14 different charms!  And I've never been so thrilled and excited as I was when the box arrived in the post!  I think Debbie Hembree, of Mosaic Magpie, said it best:  "I felt like a kid on Christmas morning!"  The swap was hosted by Sarah Huckman of Gypsy Mermaid Life; thank you Sarah for all your hard work and for the beautiful charm!.  Here's the fabulous heart that Molly Pearce, my secret heart swap partner of Material Gal Molly, made for me!

Isn't it beautiful?  It's SO SOFT, and I loved the way the wire hanger is wrapped in ribbon! Something for me to remember! The little pocket, dressed with 3 buttons, held a sweet note from Molly and the ribbons are lovely!  Molly - thank you SO MUCH for such a lovely gift!  I'm looking forward to hanging it in my new studio!  Molly also included two additional charms - a Ginger ale bottle cap in one of my favorite colors and a sweet yellow frame fronted with three different colored roses!  This was in addition to the little wooden heart charm she made for all of us!!  I'm so fortunate!!

And now for the lovely charms I received!  Ladies - I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and kindness - true artists so willing to share your creative spirits with everyone you meet.  I am truly blessed to know each and every one of you! 

Here are the charms I made for everyone!

I wanted to try using air dried clay, from Crayola, which worked really well.  It's inexpensive and very easy to work with.  Just take it out of its container and start playing with it.  It isn't very hard so it's easy to manipulate.  I used a small cookie cutter to create the general shape, then I started pulling and reshaping to make it bigger and uniquely my own.  I used an even smaller cookie cutter to make the little red hearts.  After cutting them out, I let them air dry.  You want to wait for at least 24 hours; I think I waited several days (got sidetracked!).  After they dried, I painted them in creamy white and brick red acrylic paint.  After the paint dried, I antiqued them and let that dry, then sprayed polyurethane on them to seal them.  This not only gave them a lovely shine; it also provided extra strength and durability.

And here's the heart I created for my secret heart swap partner.  I haven't heard from her though so I'm not sure she's received it yet.  So no name at this time!  But I sure hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it!

This was my first attempt at free motion stitching and I LOVED it!



I've had so much fun with this swap I'm seriously thinking of hosting my own!!  I wonder what the theme would be? Hmmmmm.....more on this thought later!  Until then, take care and may God bless.

Jan of Fursdon House