ArtiphyTheHeart

On The Ninth Day Of Christmas. . .

. . . Shelly gave to me. . .

 

. . .This adorable snowman package, filled with a gorgeous treat! 

You all know that I usually just cut to the chase!  No packages first, I go right for the gift!  But in this case, I thought you needed to see the snowman bag first.  There is something really special about him, aside from the fact that he's adorable.  If you pull the ring at top, the package opens magically, without disturbing the bow, and the gift is in your hand!  I didn't go so far as to take a video of this process, so you'll have to take my word for it!  It is a touch of magic.  Opening this gift definitely restored a sense of child-like wonder in the process!  Way to go, Shelly!  This is fantastic!

But as good as that is, it's nothing compared with what was inside....

 

. . . An artful altered domino collage on a waxed-string necklace!  I am gob-smacked!  Isn't this the greatest combination of beauty and fun??  What a conversation piece this will be!  I can't wait to wear Edward!  Such a handsome lad in his old-school cap, don't you think?  And the card that he's attached to is a wonderful little work of art, too!  But to get the proper effect and see Edward in his full glory, you need to see him off the card....

 

...here, on top of this piece of Christmas sheet music for good contrast!  Isn't he wonderful!  I can't thank you enough, Shelly!!  I have fallen in love with this little guy! 

You can see more of Shelly's beautiful artwork on her blog by clicking HERE.  There are also some wonderful tutorials on her blog, too!   And If you'd like to see all of my posts on the Twelve Days of Christmas swap, you can find them all in one place and in order, by clicking HERE.

Now....on to day 10!

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Eighth Day Of Christmas. . .

. . .Jeri gave to me. . .

 

. . .This adorable pincushion nested in a beautiful antique cup and saucer!  The perfect marriage of beauty and usefulness!  Jeri Aaron is our hostess for this swap, and also the bearer of today's gift.  You can see more of Jeri's wonderful artwork on her blog:  An Artful Gathering. 

This was the perfect gift!  Not only do I keep several pincushions going at once and can never have too many, I also have a small collection of KLM porcelain from Germany, and the cup and saucer are a perfect addition!  Needless to say, I am thrilled with this gift!  Thank you so much, Jeri!  Not only for the gift, but for hosting the swap of swaps!  I can't tell you how much fun this is.  All of us in the swap get together every evening to discuss our gifts and whatever else we have to share with each other.  We have all had so much fun with this that none of us are looking forward to the end of this swap, so we've made a pact to stick together.....get ready everyone....we'll be celebrating the 14 days of Valentines!! 

Another thing you need to see is the fabulous box this gift came in!  The box could be a gift in itself, and mine has been put away in a safe place....you know about "safe places", don't you?.....they are the little nooks and crannies where very special things are kept....the places that are so truly safe that they remain a secret....even to yourself!  Have you guessed it?  Jeri's gorgeous Christmas box is in one of the "safe places" in my home, and one of these days...sooner, rather than later, I hope....I'll remember which "safe place" I put it in!  In the meantime, I didn't want to hold-up posting about Jeri's wonderful creation while I continued to search for the box that it came in, so here's a link to our swap-mate, Shelly's blog, where you can see her pic of the box: The Art And Musings Of Shelly Rae Wood.  Once you've seen the pic, you'll want to take a tour of the other wonderful things on Shelly's blog!  It's a real treat!  And if you'd like to see all of my posts on the Twelve Days of Christmas swap, all in one place and in order, you can do so by clicking HERE.

Now on to day 9 (am I getting away with this??  It's really day 11, you know, and I'm running fast to catch up...)!

Have a wonderful day, Everyone!

On The Seventh Day Of Christmas. . .

. . .Gwynn gave to me. . .

 

. . .This elegantly feminine gown of crystals and snowflakes!  What a beauty!  The light travels through the gossamer skirt catching the snowflakes and crystals and making them glisten!  The top part of the skirt which connects to the bodice is a beautifully embroidered linen hankie. 

There is a spot on the lower half of our Christmas tree, just where the branches begin to full, that is perfect for this lovely gown, and it looks stunning there!  Thank you so very much, Gwynn!  After Christmas the gown will hang elsewhere -- in plain view -- because it is much too beautiful to be hidden away and not be seen! 

And now, on to day eight!  If you'd like to see all of the posts for the Twelve Days of Christmas swap in order and in one place, click HERE.

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Sixth Day Of Christmas. . .

. . .Gloria gave to me. . .

 

. . .An altered silver spoon!  How gorgeous is this!  Right this minute, this lovely little piece is hanging from my Christmas tree, and it catches the light and sparkles like diamonds!  What looks like glitter around the bowl of the spoon is actually a lot of tiny silver beads dusted with silver glitter!  It's fabulous!  The photograph doesn't do it justice! 

And take a look at how it was wrapped!  Isn't this the greatest?  The package is lovely enough to be a gift in its own right!  That's a cotton fabric print with a Christmas music design!   And the tags and bells are adorable!  Thank you so much, Gloria!

You'll want to visit Gloria's blog, Art From the Heart of Hanes and see her beautiful work!  And if you're interested in taking a look at all of the Twelve Days of Christmas artwork in one place, click HERE.

Now I'm off to catch up on days seven through nine!

Have a great day, Everyone!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

Whatever you call him...

 

. . .Agios Nikolas, SinterKlaas, Santa Claus, St. Nick, or any of the other names he goes by, December 6th is the day he is celebrated, world-wide!  Read more about Jolly St. Nick, who he was, how he is depicted, the history of this man who truly lived, and the legends and customs that surround him and the celebration of his day by clicking HERE.  

Happy name day to everyone named Nicholas, Nick, Nicole, Nicolette, Nikki, Nikita, Nicolai, Kolya, ...! 

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Fifth Day Of Christmas. . .

Diann gave to me. . .

 

. . .This gorgeous set of  crystal and silver drop earrings!  I wore them all day long and got compliments galore!  I wanted you to be sure and see how they sparkle and shine!  The crystals are so beautiful that I just had to hang them from the lace curtain in front of a bedroom window with the sun shining through so you could get the full effect!  Thank you so much, Diann!  I'll be wearing these to all the holiday parties and all throughout the year!

You can visit Diann's beautiful blog by clicking HERE!  You will definitely want to do this!  Diann's artwork is gorgeous and she also shares plenty of other pics as well!  You need to see the gorgeous tree in her November 23rd post!!

To see all of my posts on the Twelve Days of Christmas swap all in one place, click HERE.

And on another note, well......it's almost.....St.Nicholas Day......SinterKlass.......December 6th!   Read more about Santa Claus day and how it's celebrated all over the world, HERE! 

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Fourth Day Of Christmas. . .

. . . Cris gave to me. . .

 

. . . The most wonderful, fragrant little gift!   In the photo above, I'm standing in front of the Christmas tree, holding it in the palm of my hand!  Oh, If you could only get a beautiful whiff of the fabulous scent!  How could anything so lovely and tiny have such a full and gorgeous aroma!  I'm wishing my blog had a scratch 'n sniff widget so you could experience the gorgeous, seasonal fragrance!  Very delicate, yet very powerful!  I LOVE it, Cris!!   The lovely, tiny, pine cone and berry wreath with a sprig of pine make the perfect topper! 

Cris has the most wonderful seasonal blog, An Enchanted Christmas!  Please do yourself a big favor and stop by!  You are certain to be uplifted and refreshed by the sheer beauty of it all!   You'll want to bookmark that link and stop by daily throughout the season, as Cris adds to the loveliness on a continuing basis!

Thank you Cris, for *artiphying my heart* with this wonderful gift!!

You can see all of my 12 Days Of Christmas posts in one place, and enjoy seeing and reading about each gift and the artist who made it by clicking HERE.

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Third Day Of Christmas. . .

Connie gave to me. . .

 

. . .a FABULOUS angel! . . .with a beautiful tag and package topper, and take a look at the background...those gorgeous, shimmery snowflakes are actually the fabric that this beautiful gift was wrapped in!  Thank you so much, Connie!  I LOVE it!

You can see more of Connie's fabulous artwork on her blog, Altered Route, and you can see all of my posts on this swap by clicking HERE.

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The Second Day Of Christmas. . .

Everyone else received. . .

 

. . . The angel that I made, since day 2 is the day that my gift is opened. 

I owe a huge debt of thanks to swap-mate Shelly Rae Wood for photographing my art angel ornament, as I completely forgot to do this before I wrapped everything in their packages and put them in the mail.  This seems to be a habit of mine.  I had to ask Lisa to photograph the pennants that I made for her swap a few months ago.  Once again, I was so caught up with making them, keeping on schedule, and getting them in the post, that I forgot to take a minute to snap a few pics.

Be sure to stop by every day I as unwrap all the beautiful little gifts, and post them one day at a time.  Jeri Aaron is hosting this swap, and while you're at it, you should scroll down to yesterday's post and take a look at lovely gift #1.  It's a gorgeous pendant from my swap mate, Angie!  You'll want to stop by her wonderful blog, too!

Now I can't wait for tomorrow when I get to open gift #3!!  This is so much fun!

Have a great day, Everyone!

On The First Day Of Christmas. . .

Angie sent to me. . .

 

. . .A lovely, charming necklace!!  Isn't she adorable in her Santa hat, holding her candy cane?  What a beautiful gift!!  It's on a lovely green ribbon with white dots.  I love the pearl button at top, and the mother of pearl snowflake below!  Simply gorgeous, Angie!!!  Thank you so much!  I can't wait to wear this through the holidays!

And here is a pic of the adorable little package it came in!! 

For those of you who don't know, I'm part of a 12 Days Of Christmas Swap, hosted by Jeri Aaron of An Artful Gathering.  We've been making, packing-up and sending-out our individual gifts since October.  By Thanksgiving, each of us had received them all, and today is the day we begin opening them, one at a time, each day through December 12th!  How much fun is this!!!

Today's gift, Number 1, is from Angie Hall Haviland, and you can see more of her beautiful artwork on her blog:  Angie's Art & Full Life .

Have a great day, Everyone!!