a touch of gold

While Sarah was busy last weekend putting together her goody bags for fellow bloggers I was putting together a pack for her. When we first started looking at blogs we came across the idea of swaps, basically where you compile a stash of goodies and swap them for another load of goodies with someone else (both Mr H and Mr P refer to these as rubbish but to the trained eye they are so much more!).

We both thought this was a fantastic way to accumulate more, and different, bits and pieces and the idea of packaging them nicely makes it feel as good as finding a Christmas stocking on the end of your bed. What's more, it is amazing how a bit of careful arranging can make the most mundane of things (ie pegs and paper fastners) seem like treasure. Well, I had some gold leaf I wanted to give to Sarah, and so it was the basis of my theme for this package, which includes old european museum tickets, spanish orange papers, homemade, gold bird labels, bits of paper and doillies and a chocolate coin!



But because of half term it's taken me all week to get around to giving it. Then we set off to the vintage and handmade fair (more on that to follow), where I ended up buying this jar of lace and buttons. I even asked Christine Nullmeyers, of the sea garden if it was meant for decoration or for using - it was so pretty it took me a while to pluck up courage to pull it to bits and look inside. But I loved the way she displayed everything in glass pots and wished I had thought of it for Sarah's gift - perhaps next time.

Anyway, if you like the idea of 'swapping' bits of old ribbon and fabric, vintage buttons and paper and anything else you may have lurking in the far corners of your craft cupboard or sewing room, watch this space. Sarah and I plan to coordinate a swap or two in the coming months.