It’s time for an ornament swap! Back when Sally of Wireworked announced that she was going to host an ornament blog hop, it sure seemed SO far away. December 17th? Ages away. Now here we are on the day of the hop already!
I was thrilled to be paired with the incredibly talented crafter – artist – jewelry designer – and Mom, Patty Gasparino. I’m sure many of you know Patty as she is a constant support in our blogging community. When I think of someone who radiates happiness, it’s Patty. If you’re not familiar with Patty, you’ll love her blog, My Life Under the Bus (what a great blog name and for good reason!). 🙂
We were asked to be sure to include an art bead in the creation of our ornaments. That was easy for all of us, I’m sure! My inspiration came from lampwork beads by Sea of Glass. There’s a sparkly bronze underneath the encased layer of glass and I thought it was just right for holiday sparkle. The vintage crown stamping came from Judy Glende’s Etsy shop. I love it when she shares her antiquing treasures with us, especially components for jewelry.
I shipped my package off to Connecticut…
And look what I received in return!
Patty is an incredibly creative soul – I know you’ll agree with me if you follow her blog. I knew I would be in for a treat when I opened my package! Did she choose this beautiful teal fabric intentionally? Cream and teal – some of my favorite colors! But what really caught my eye was the rare, vintage mother of pearl carved bird nestled right on top. Patty and I both love mother of pearl. Mother. We do have a bond as Mothers of 4 boys. They say we deserve a special place in heaven! 🙂
And just look at these pretty lampwork beads! The perfect addition.
I admired every little detail. The crushed velvet trim, and touches of silver are just perfect.
Patty created a sweet, dimensional shadow box – complete with a tiny bird who sits watching the festivities (or in our house, the ruckus). Patty spared no detail, as the entire oval box is covered in pretty papers. What a cute bunch of mushrooms too! I can only imagine the time it took for Patty to create such an ornament, and I truly appreciate it.
When the holiday decorations are taken down, this special ornament will be moved straight in to my studio where I’ll be able to admire it all year long.
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my goodness! This is amazing! How very sweet and charming. Patty is one talented lady … and you’re not too bad either!
Over the top stunning for both of you! WOW!!! I’m doing the happy dance for you both, they are just so beautiful and a constant reminder of freindship, peace, and love!
Hugs!
Cindy, I love your beautiful ornament. The lampwork beads are just gorgeous, and the vintage stamping works perfectly. Patty must have been thrilled when she saw your gorgeous packaging. That’s a gift in itself.
Oh Cindy I am not putting my ornament away EVER!!! I absolutely love it. Thank You so much for you kind words and spirit XOXO, Patty
Cindy the ornament you made for Patty is just stunning…
and the little bird box you received is so sweet….what a wonderful idea….
Have a great Holiday 🙂
Cindy! I love the one you made – it was truly in your style . The ornament you received is so stunning! And a lovely sparkly feminine ornament for you to treasure as Queen in the realm of boys! I would keep it up all year round as well. Lovely!
Happy Holidays!
Cindy—The Crown Ornament is Fantastic! And well deserved for both you and Patty with so many boys around 🙂 The beads and pearls are so pretty and soothing and i just love the connector pieces you used. The shadow box ornament Patty made is so so beautiful and delicate and peaceful. Love what you both did!
Beauties! What stunning packaging and lovely ornaments. I love the velvet with silver. I would love to see both your trees in full view.
Cilla
WOW!! Cindy, I don’t know where to begin! Both your beautiful vintage style ornament with it’s beautiful crown and lovely lampwork beads and Patty’s little shadow box are amazing!! You both have such a lovely keepsake for years to come!!
Thank you so much for taking time to participate in the swap/hop! Have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Both ornaments are GORGEOUS!
The ornament you created is really beautiful! I love how you dangled treasures from the crown, such a clever idea! The lampworked beads from Sea of Glass are also amazing! Your packaging was a gift in itself, I have never seen such beautiful packaging!
The ornament that Patty created for you is truly a piece of art! I bet it is a beautiful addition to your tree! Love the special packaging she sent it in too.
You and Patty surely outdid yourselves 🙂 Both ornaments are absolutely stunning in their gorgeous palettes and sweet details. What wonderful pieces!
I am picking my jaw off from the floor right now! What beautiful ornaments! Merry Christmas!
Oh. OH! That is just so very thoughtful! Miss Patty certainly shares your taste of vintage and sparkly. SO lovely. I think that Miss Patty should wear a crown all the time (you,too!) to remind her how fabulous she is. And your ornament from Patty is so very lovely. That scene is so pretty and deserves to be displayed all the year. Merry Christmas to you!
Enjoy the day!
Erin
There are both stunning! I am getting ideas to start making some of my own ornaments!
Hello dear friend, I didn’t know you were also participating in this fun exchange. I love the ornaments you and Patti made for each other. They are both beautiful and uniquely different from each others.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Jeanette
Cindy what a treasure you have created. Patti and you have made lasting gifts that make it Christmas everyday. Glad to see you have been busy with the boys—I was a little worried! Wishing your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I’m so sorry that I missed this! I would have definitely loved to be apart of it, even though I don’t think I would have done as amazing a job as everyone who participated!
Just looking at both your ornaments…WOW-talk about creative souls 🙂
I have no doubt these ornaments are going to bring nothing but beauty and great memories whenever they are viewed!
Hi Cindy, I love the onrament that you sent to Patty and I know that she loves it too, how could she not it is so very beautiful. The ornament Patty sent to you is very quaint and beautiful and I don’t blame you at all for wanting to have it out all year long so you can look at it whenever you want. It looks very old and delicate, but yet it is a new creations, that just goes to show how tallented Patty is.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas
Therese
Leave it to Patty to create something so special, so spectacular, so memorable. There is no doubt that you will treasure that ornament for years to come. Of course, the one you made for her is nothing short of spectacular. I definitely think that y’all were a perfect pair for this swap!!
Hi Coindy,
Gorgeous ornaments, each one is a work of art. I just brought the one from the ArtbLiss swap last year out of the studio to hang on the tree:-) I keep hoping I will run in to you one of these days. Merry Christmas!!
I just came back from Pattys blog and you are so right…what lovely creations she has.Plus I got to see your amazing ornie on the tree.So beautiful Cindy!! If I dont speak to you…Merry Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family.Big Hugs,Cat
Cindy, Oh goodness, what you created for Patty is stunning! (and, really, i’m not that surprised it is…) And yep, love her ornie for you too! Those mushrooms and that little bird are just sweetsweetsweet!
As I said on Patty’s blog, both of your ornaments are simply awesome and stunning and amazing! You are both so majorly talented!
Absolutely beautiful and so unique. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
It’s all so gorgeous!