Bloggers are the Best!

Bloggers are the best, don't you agree?  I have had the privilege of meeting some of the nicest people through blogging.  Warm, caring and genuine people.  People whom I never would have met otherwise and because of blogging I have formed friendships with people from all corners of the world....

Like Gail, from over at Shedding the Wolf.  She does cool things like target practice, fly fishing, sewing, cooking, quilting, crochet, amateur radio and Morse code.  She's also a minister and works with hospice patients and recently she joined a Search and Rescue Squad.  Oh, and she holds 3 degrees.  Gail has no idea how totally awesome she is.  I want to go blast targets with her.  Last fall she was making infinity scarves for gifts and she kindly sent me one.  I don't know what the material is, but it's the softest, most snugly scarf I've ever seen.  I wore it all winter and I love it....  Thanks Gail!

Another one of my favorite people is Debbie over at Lakehouse.  Go and check out her lake house.  It is gorgeous, and romantic and shabby chic and I love absolutely everything she does.  Her house is like a window dressing.  I want to sit at her table and eat cookies and drink hot tea.  She makes lavender scented drawer pouches out of vintage material and lace.  She sent me a couple and Chablis immediately snatched one up for herself.   They smell heavenly....  Thanks Deb!

A new blogger friend is Donna over at Distressed Donna Down Home.   We share a love of vintage treasures and rust.  I love it when she shares her weekly vintage finds because she sniffs out the good stuff.  She re-purposes a lot of the things she finds and then sells them in her Etsy shop.  I want to go thrifting with her!

Donna recently had a give-away over at her blog.  She was cleaning out her hoard of goodies, named Horror Monster, and I was a runner up.  Donna knew that my nick name is Bird, so she put together an awesome box of birdy goodness for me.  Want to see?

First was a pair of vintage embroidered ovals...

A bird mold and 2 dainty little bird cages....

Bird ornaments and a set of flash cards for crafting....

These are fantastic - postcards from the early 1900's..  I LOVE these and plan to frame them.  The oldest one is from 1906, as well as ones from 1907, 1910 and 1927.

An old music book...

And this is my favorite.  A cute little bird with some vintage material, some of Donna's hand made tags and envelopes, and a frozen Charlotte.  The tags are beautiful and I'm going to use them on some of the bigger items I sell in my Etsy shop.   Do you know the history of frozen Charlotte's?  I didn't and asked Donna about them - this is what she said.... Frozen Charlottes were produced in Thuringia, Germany from 1860 to 1900.  They were mostly used in dollhouses.  The name Frozen Charlotte (Frozen Charlies are rare) derives from the fact they did not have movable parts.  The dolls were made of glazed bisque.  If the doll passed inspection, it was hand-painted. They range in size from ½ inch to 4 ½ inches.  These are factory rejects that were thrown out because of flaws in the glazing or missing parts.  The rejects were thrown into ditches at the backs of the factories. Some years ago collectors were invited to come and dig for the rejected dolls.  These come from a collector in Germany who dug up a massive collection.  They are highly prized by jewelry makers and mixed media artists.  The discolorations and flaws make them desirable for various art projects.

If you get a chance, please stop by and visit Gail, Debbie and Donna.  I think you'll agree that they are all very special ladies and I'm so glad to call all of them my friends.