This is what I did on my Spring Break...

I entered a drawing for this magazine over at Laura's blog and WON!!! It is such a cool magazine as all Somerset magazines are- chock full of all kinds of crafting goodies; I have a feeling this could be dangerous- new crafting ideas! THANK YOU SO MUCH LAURA!!!

I received a very wonderful package from my Vintage Spring Swap partner Tammy! It was filled with all kinds of spring treasures. She is a very talented crafter and sewed this adorable bunny and felt beaded egg. She also made a very cool spring banner that is currently across the fireplace mantel. She included a bunch of other spring goodies...stickers, some images, kitchen towel... I LOVE swaps!!! It's fun to shop for your partner and fun to see what your partner sends you. THANK YOU TAMMY!!

Speaking of swaps- my next stamping one's themes are polka dots and collage, so...here's one idea I was working on incorporating both themes on one card.

I also made a ton of these fabric "posies" in all kinds of spring colors... they're just big polka dots sewn together...

...and am going to use them on this card for the polka dot theme.

For the collage theme I made up a bunch of these tags using distress inks, and perfect pearls spray and fibers. I glued on a dragonfly bead and also stamped the backs using a bunch of fairy and dragonfly stamps. I love how they turned out!

I found and got out my cache of cross stitch design books and floss. I am ready to get back into cross stitching- thanks to Laura's encouragement! In looking at all my old stuff I wish I had taken out stock in the Leisure Arts company. I swear I have every magazine and book they ever put out in the late 1980's and early 1990's. I'm glad I never got rid of this stuff- it is a little dated but the majority of the patterns are still applicable today.

As some of you know- I love decorating for the holidays so the spring stuff has been out for awhile but I got the Easter stuff out and up over break! Below is actually a cross stitch piece I made years ago. I have a lot of decorations but have included pictures of some of my favorites. I actually have an Easter village that I am not putting up this year as well as all my Easter ornaments that I put on the tree in the basement, but I think I have enough things other places that will do just fine.

The bunny on the left is just the cutest thing. It's from my friend Mary. We have birthdays 2 weeks apart and usually get together sometime in March to celebrate and spring decorations are usually part of the birthday gifts to each other. The bunny on the right was made by my dad lots of years ago and I absolutely love it. He made my sister and I each one (hers was pink) out of a sock! Cute!

I love vintage looking glittered decorations and have acquired a few of them.

Below is my favorite Easter treasure EVER! My dad died on Palm Sunday of 1990 and either the year he died or the year before, he made my sister and I each a basket of eggs. They are blown eggs that he painted and decoupaged with seed beads, trims, lace and images- a set for Lisa and I in the colors and styles that we liked at the time. For me it was the Victorian and Country look in pinks and blues. These are just so precious to me and I love to get them out each year to display. They are really quite special.

The details are incredible especially when you figure a man did this!

I also like to collect bunny pottery and accessessories- here are a few in the "hutch"

So in addition to a few Girl's Nights Out and lunches and reading and crafting and some outdoor soccer games, and even working some over at my mom's place, I would have to say it was a wonderful spring break- even if I didn't get a tan out of it ( at least not as of yet...there's still time...)