Silver Bella 2009: Swaps!!!

Oh...this was the night everyone had been waiting for...Thursday night Swap Fun! Right after the wonderful Welcome Dinner and group project, the Silver Bella beauty started coming out from all over the woodwork. I participated in only three swaps but I think there were 20 something swaps to choose from! There were crown swaps, ornament swaps, holiday swaps, charm swaps, apron swaps, banner swaps, ...you name it, they had it!

The three swaps that I participated in were the Holiday Fat Book Swap hosted by Michelle Geller; the Saint Tag Swap hosted by Gina Grable; and the Mini Art Quilt hosted by Sheila Rumney. All were just beautiful!

LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS AHEAD!!!

Take your time and enjoy all of the little details!!!

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Let's start with the Mini Art Quilt...

Sheila made this tag above, one for each of us, thanking us for participating in her swap. She attached the cutest little pin to wear in memory of the art quilt!!! Soooo sentimental, she's so sweet. I was glad to finally meet her in person.

To give you a little idea of how this swap was put together, each of the 16 participants had to make 4 mini art quilts and mail them to Sheila. There were no rules, no color scheme...just do what was on the top of your head and mail them to her. She then sewed the background and placed 4 mini art quilts onto each one. In return, each participant received one mini art quilt showcasing their work plus three other participants.

Here is my Mini Art Quilt...isn't it just fabulous? 

It's amazing how everyone's art and tastes just came together so beautifully...

In the photo below, this one was my contribution...

This beauty was made by Wendy Hue Robrecht...

This one below was made by Joanna Lewis...

And last but not least, this one was made by Kim Hesson...

I cannot wait to hang this in my studio. Cannot wait I tell ya!!!! ;) First I need to find some wall space...I need a major renovation in there. Never mind...let's get back to the beautiful swaps!

Now...I hope you are still with me here and you are ready for some more mouth watering creations...

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Let me show you the Holiday Fat Book...

First, let me tell you how this swap was put together. Each of the participants had to make (12) 6x6 fabric pages in a holiday theme of any color or style, as long as it was fabric and decorated on the front and the back. Once finished, we mailed them to the hostess. In return, she made the cover and bound 10 fabric pages together to make the Holiday Fat book, which each of us receiving a completed one.

I saw these last year and jumped at the chance to be included this year...they are simply amazing!!!!

Inside the front cover...

The first page was made by Janet Doherty

front...

back...

The second page was made by Cynthia Flores

front...

back...

The third page was made by the hostess herself, Michelle Geller

front...

back...

The fourth page was made by Valerie Jones

front...

back...

The fifth page was made by Pamela Keravuori

front...

back...

The sixth page was made by yours truly...ME! :)

front...

back...

The seventh page was made by Sandra Marotti

front...

back...

The eighth page was made by Sandy Navarro

front...

back...

The ninth page was made by Cheryl Stoneham

front...

back...

And last but not least, the tenth page was made by Cherie Wilson

front...

I must not have photographed the back...sorry Cherie :(

Michelle added this page in the inside rear cover...

And she added this on the backside of the rear cover...too cute!

I told you that you would have lots of eye candy here...I am known to tell the truth and nothing BUT the truth ;)

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Let's continue to my last swap, the Saint Tag Swap...

The same with the other two swaps, each participant was to make 13 tags of their favorite Saint, decorated front and back and mail them to the hostess. She in return put made tag books with each one of the participant's tags.

I loved being in these three swaps because I didn't have to worry about packing swap items in my suitcase and hoping they wouldn't get lost or broken. Having them mailed in was easy and I received them in completed form, ready for me to get my hands on them and enjoy the details! It's the only way to go but it is a LOT of work for the hostesses to complete all of these projects and bring them to Silver Bella. They deserve a lot of credit!!! ;)

Back to the Saint Tag Swap...

All the beautiful tags were gathered on a key ring...

Cynthia Flores...The Holy Child of Atocha

Me...Saint Vincent de Paul

Julie Baxley...Saint Clare of Assisi

Sabrina Sane...Saint Peter

Sandra Marotti...Saint Joseph

Betsy Begens...Saint Francois

Molly Quigley...Saint Anthony of Padua

Wanda Clark...Saint Michael

Wanda Clark...Saint Mark

Pam Kern...Saint Bernadette

Gina Grable...Jeanne d' Arc

Peggy Lucas...Saint Therese

Marlene...The Child Jesus

And, that's it for my "real" Silver Bella swaps. Aren't they just beautiful? The best part about all of them is I just love having a piece of art from each and every one of these talented women. Every time I flip though the tags or the fat book or look at my mini art quilt, I see more little details that I missed the first time. These women are truly amazing. I'm so honored to be in the "mix" of them :)  I tried to link every one to their blog but some do not have a blog which makes it hard to keep in touch :(

Everyone should have a blog...what do you think?