The Games We Play - charm swap

Recently I posted about a Steam Punk Charm swap.   The Group, Charmsters, is a Yahoo group and it is wonderful.   It also lets members suggest themes and run swaps.   I put up a poll and had 18 people committed to doing the swap (1 dropped out); so we had a charm swap with 17 people.    I wanted to use game pieces and that was the only requirement. 

The last charm posted, the part of a playing card and miniature dice is my charm.

I will need to find the chain to mount all the charms into a bracelet.  

Charms with a Steampunk Theme

Last year, I posted about my experience with Art & Soul Camp.   One of things I posted about was a charm bracelet embracing the Safari theme.  

 

You can read about the whole experience Here

 

Well, I found another group there that also do charms and not necessarily in affiliation with the Art & Soul group.   I joined that group and they announced a Steam punk themed exchange.   Here are the results of that swap. 

 

 I am just overwhelmed with the clever ideas that people came up with.   All different and all spectacular.   The very last charm picture is the swap that I made.   (always makes me a little nervous to submit a charm to a new group -- Do I measure up?)   All in all I am really enjoying this process.  

 The one above is the swap I made.   The Heart is full of little clock gears. 

The charm came packaged in this little steam punk bag.   So very cute.  Don't know where it will end up, but  I will use it again.

 

This group will allow anyone to host a swap and, of course, I jumped right in to host, The Games We Play and you will see the results of that soon. 

 

 

The Little Box that Grew Up to be a Table!

I love yard sales and I love wooden boxes.   I have such a weakness for them that I buy them, mostly when I don't have a clue what I will do with them.    This box appears to be made by an individual and not a factory.   The drawer is way smaller than the box (there could have been a big drawer in it), but guess what - IT WAS ONLY $1 - one dollar, how could I go wrong.

After ruling out lots of uses, I decided it should be a table.   I looked for months on eBay for table legs.   When they got up to 35 - 40 $, I was out.   Didn't want an expensive table - just a table.   When I saw these Ikea legs for $8 on eBay plus shipping, I knew where I was headed.

Scrap board that just needed to be cut.   Width was already correct size. 

Started gluing letters to the box.   The glass was from an old project and was the perfect size.

Letters on the drawer.   It says PULL.  Who would have thought?

My eBay found Ikea legs.  Very easy to install. 

Top of the box.  The row (2nd back from front has my named, so I guess it's a signed piece.  

Front View. 

Out side view   New drawer pull installed. 

Moved inside.   It is so cute.  

I just love little tables (although I have too many of them).   I love a finished project.    Total price of box, legs and drawer pulls was less than $25.00.  

Yard redo

I've been posting a few posts on my yard.   When I went to the artist studio tour early this year, I was more impressed with the artists' gardens than their studios.    I did a little bit of the work myself, but decided I had too many achy joints to do it all myself.  

The before pictures looks like my yard was having a bad hair day.  

The pea rock has started to disappear.   The plastic to keep back the weeds have become all too prominent.   

BEFORE 

 The little area in back looks like it has been neglected for a long time.   No real plan here. 

 Side yard isn't any better.   You can see our outdoor shower.   Very nice when we have a house full of people.   When Aaron brought his Army buddies home, they loved it.  

 Next to the round block, you can see some boards.   That was our stairs on two entrance.  They were very unsteady and I was sure either my husband or I would 'break' something very important.   Don't want that to happen. 

 Side entrance to our yard.   It looks better when he trash containers are put in the proper place.  

 

AFTER

 

Fixed the boards for stairs and our landscape guy had blocks of stone cut.   Very sturdy!

 Had a short wall built to keep the pea rock in it's place. 

 I wanted a grapefruit tree.   I got a cocktail tree.   It has grapefruit, Persian Lime, Myer Lemon and Tangelos on it.    

 In the back going round the house. 

 Side yard.

 Side stair.   Maybe I won't fall on my bottom when I step outside. 

 Birdbath revamped and moved.   The mosaic is very attractive when the sun in shining on it. 

 Our Desert Rose.   It's a lovely plant. 

 

I still have one little thing for the yard.   I have ordered banana trees for the yard.   I love bananas and the trees look so very tropical.