24.9.12

Brooch Swap

Jen of Sewn Natural and I have been conspiring, and we have hatched a plan. Autumn has newly begun, and seems to us, 'tis time for some crafting and time for a swap... a brooch-swap!

The gift of jewelry and adornments is a special one... a small way to carry blessings from a friend over our hearts.  And so, to introduce this swap, I hope you'll indulge me while I share a little story about an adornment I received from a friend many years ago...

When I was 21, I set off on an adventure, Eurail-Pass in hand.  A few days before my departure, I had tea with a friend, and when I arrived at her home, I immediately noticed the peculiar necklace she was wearing -- a couple of seashells hanging from an old bit of leather cord.  This ornament was at odds with the usual sort of thing she liked to wear, and so, not only was I drawn to the simple beauty of the shells, but I was curious as to why she was wearing them.  After an hour of listening to tales of her own travel-adventures, she unlooped the leather cord from her neck and placed it over my head.  I was surprised to receive such a beautiful (and slightly strange) gift until she explained that she had gathered these shells on a very special beach and kept them close as a reminder of this wonderful place.  She wanted to give me the shell necklace as a talisman -- to keep me safe and guide me in my own adventures.  And she hoped that my adventures would be as wonderful as the ones she'd had.

brooch and photo by Ellen Munro
Not every piece of jewelry we might create or give is necessarily a talisman or imbued with such meaning.

brooch and photo by Rie Aoki
Sometimes it's fun to wear something to add a bit of dash, panache and sparkle...

brooch by Emily Cater
How could a girl not walk with an extra bounce in her step sporting a feather in her cap?

brooch and photo by Kate McCurrach
Do you favor ornaments which reflect the change of the seasons?

brooch and photo by Rie Aoki
Perhaps you live in the Southern Hemisphere where spring has sprung.  Will you greet the season with a posy of bright blossoms?
brooches and photo by Elsa Mora
Are you feeling inspired? Let your imagination fly!

HERE ARE THE DETAILS

-- Sign-ups are open starting today.  To sign up, please email me margaret (at) flyingteapot (dot) com or  jen (at) sewnnatural (dot) com with your name, mailing address, email address, blog URL (if you have one), plus a few sentences about yourself; you can mention your family, information about where you live, what kind of crafting you like to do, materials you like to use, etc...  This will help you and your swap-mate get to know each other a bit.

-- Sign-ups will close Friday, October 5th and information about your 1:1 swap-match will be emailed to you Saturday October 6th.

-- By signing up for this swap you are agreeing to create, with you own hands, a brooch for your swap-mate and send it off in a timely fashion.

-- Preferably, brooches should be posted to recipients by October 22nd.  If you are delayed in sending your parcel, it will be important to communicate this directly to your swap-mate so they know when it is coming.

-- Any questions?  Please feel free to send one of us an email!

brooches and photo by De Nardi Creative Design
For more inspiration, do visit Jen at her blog Sewn Natural.  She has more lovely photos of brooches posted there!

brooch and photo by Alina Bunaciu
We hope you'll join us and look forward to hearing from you...

PLEASE NOTE: SIGN-UPS FOR THIS SWAP ARE NOW CLOSED
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4 comments:

  1. StaceySeptember 24, 2012 at 6:20 AM

    OHHHHH! I'm in! I will be emailing, just not tonight as I should be asleep already. Thank you for organising with Jen. An an extra special thank you for the song link you sent through a while back now. Life has been hectic with overseas family arriving and getting married, so sorry for my tardiness but I did appreciate it x

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  2. KSeptember 28, 2012 at 8:00 PM

    I'd love to join. But I have just made two scary halloween cats, nine stuffed ponies, a big market basket, a needle felted rabbit, a woven reindeer, a painted/burned child stool (which is hubba, hubba), an organized (ha) craft room, nine updated databases (moving through 4 software packages), sixteen knitted camels, one stripped and repainted bathroom wall, and a muslin bird prototype you'd be proud of me for. I may be coming to burn out point. Did I mention four books in three formats? And a wonderful batch of fried, breaded cheese. Does this count as a valid excuse to head for bed?

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  3. ClareSeptember 29, 2012 at 1:37 AM

    0>)-------------
    Hey, that's my brooch and I am wearing it right now.
    What a coincidence. Yep, i will joinup. I think you have all the details at hand, if not you know where to find me.
    Warm wishes
    @)----------

    ReplyDelete

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