It’s time for an ornament swap!  Back when Sally of Wireworked  announced that she was going to host an ornament blog hop, it sure seemed SO far away. December 17th?  Ages away.  Now here we are on the day of the hop already!

I was thrilled to be paired with the incredibly talented crafter – artist – jewelry designer – and Mom, Patty Gasparino.  I’m sure many of you know Patty as she is a constant support in our blogging community. When I think of someone who radiates happiness, it’s Patty.  If you’re not familiar with Patty, you’ll love her blog, My Life Under the Bus (what a great blog name and for good reason!). 🙂

We were asked to be sure to include an art bead in the creation of our ornaments.   That was easy for all of us, I’m sure!    My inspiration came from lampwork beads by Sea of Glass.  There’s a sparkly bronze underneath the encased layer of glass and I thought it was just right for holiday sparkle.  The vintage crown stamping came from Judy Glende’s Etsy shop.  I love it when she shares her antiquing treasures with us, especially components for jewelry.

I shipped my package off to Connecticut…

And look what I received in return!

Patty is an incredibly creative soul – I know you’ll agree with me if you follow her blog.  I knew I would be in for a treat when I opened my package!  Did she choose this beautiful teal fabric intentionally?  Cream and teal – some of my favorite colors!  But what really caught  my eye was the rare, vintage mother of pearl carved bird nestled right on top.  Patty and I both love mother of pearl.   Mother.  We do have a bond as Mothers of 4 boys.  They say we deserve a special place in heaven! 🙂

And just look at these pretty lampwork beads!  The perfect addition.

I admired every little detail.  The crushed velvet trim, and touches of silver are just perfect.

Patty created a sweet, dimensional shadow box – complete with a tiny bird who sits watching the festivities (or in our house, the ruckus).  Patty spared no detail, as the entire oval box is covered in pretty papers.  What a cute bunch of mushrooms too!  I can only imagine the time it took for Patty to create such an ornament, and I truly appreciate it.

When the holiday decorations are taken down, this special ornament will be moved straight in to my studio where I’ll be able to admire it all year long.

Please visit the participants in the Holiday Ornament Swap: