The day is finally here! The box is in the mail and I am posting everything I have been up to making for this ever so delightful swap box for Hope,
http://thequeenofre.blogspot.com/The Queen of Re. Here's "hoping" Hope likes it! The pictures are the hardest part of it!
I knew I'd need a box for the box swap, so I bought this photo box at The Christmas Store and then decoupaged it with all the jpegs I found on-line. Cutting them out was a blast and layering the hodge podge glue was a new treat fro me too! Added some rick-rack and a few ribbons so HOPE has a place to put the pictures of all her swaps now! Only one problem though, my ideas outgrew tthe box, so I actually had to put the box in a box!
Hope told me she really likes The Queen of Hearts and Alice so I themed my box for her around these characters. The first thing I gave her was a Barbie Alice In Wonderland postcard via email Here's the link so you can send one too! It'sopyrighted so I can't show you the postcard but go here and make one too!
http://www.barbiecollector.com/showcase/product.aspx?id=1003743&t=modern&t2=years&x=years&y=g220&sort=name
The first thing I made was a Queen of Hearts Command Performance and Summons greeting card. I love the way the Queen of Hearts tells The Queen of RE who is who!
Next, I found this cute little wooden heart box at a dollar store, glitter painted it, added a few decals and filled it with some lucious hard candy and sugar cubes!
The Looking Glass for The Queen of Re, her own full size hand-held mirror, decorated with what else but HEARTS!!!! Upcycled from the dollar store, a few hearts and lots of ribbon to be sure!
Here's where Alice's adventure begins..." drink me and eat me!", So here is what I made for Hope to drink... a little homemade Chai Tea, just add water and stir! (4-5 tablespoons of the mix to 8 ounces of piping hot bubbling water, yummy!!! )If you want the recipe just email me or leave a comment here on this post and I'll be happy to send it to you!
A set of 4 dark chocolate cherry flavored spoons and dark chocolate dipped marshmallow sticks and then my sis made these dainty spritz cookies in hearts and spades...
incredible meringue mushrooms for her swap buddy so we shared my chocolates and her meringue mushrooms and the Chai Tea. Yummy! The Chai Tea needed a container so I recycled a jelly jar and covered it with this cute fabric and padded the top... maybe Hope will recycle it and use it to stash buttons or other little items in it... I know Hope loves to recycle so I tried to recycle and upcycle many of the things I put in her box!
We made some teenie tiny heart sugar cubes for the tea party and I put them in the little heart box I made for Hope...
Who is a queen without her own jewelry? This beautiful choker is all upcycled ribbons and a new faux heart bauble gem from Michaels and YES I had help making this one from a very crafty creative sister. She also helped me embellish an upcycled bracelet with handmade gems that this sis' painstakingly crafted... all themed in red, black and white, isn't this charm bracelet the best! Fit for a queen and in her own custom embroidered jewelry bag.
A fancy little jewelry tray, again upcycled from a dollar store, loaded with faux gems and ribbons galore, just perfect for all the BLING Hope got from me!
Through The Looking Glass and mirror on the mirror wall, who is the true Queen of them all? Got this mirror picture frame at one of my favorite dollar stores, Yankee Dollar, added some red heart jewels and a picture of The Queen of Hearts costume from one of my web hunts for jpegs of Alice In Wonderland!
These little flower pots are so cute! I found them at The Christmas Store, just added glitter and a couple of little cardstock tags I made of Alice In Wonderland pictures! Great for all those important notes and reminders a true queen needs!
I know queens make to do lists, so I found this cute little dressy notebook and upcycled it with gems and ribbbons. Now "Re" can make lots of lists!
Along with to do lists, I figured The Queen of Re like the Queen of Hearts might need a new journal, so back to Michaels and I found this cute pink journal, so I upcycled it with a little Bling HOPE and added a picture of Hope in the hole and inside a special message to remember this swap event by... for extras I picked up these cute coasters, paper clips, and a couple of key chains!
Spending too much time on the computer is one of my vices. I found these awesome jpegs of old Alice In Wonderland and Disney , as well as the originsl artwork and decided they would make great push pins and magnets. Then that presented me with a dilemma of what to put them in.... So I found these little tins at Ollies and upcycled them into these precious little flower tins, handmade ribbon roses and lots of ribbon too! I also made a bunch of ATC tags for the little goodies I sent Hope!
I also made a bunch of ATC tags for Hope themed with of course...Alice In Wonderland!
Speaking of true queens, isn't this crown absolutely adorable? Again my incredibly talented sis' owns an embroidery business, we selected the design, sewed it out, and then I upcycled it with plenty of bling and delicate ribbon. HOPE I want to see a picture of you wearing this!!! LOL The biright yellow crown is another embroidery sew out I embellished and added a few magnets to so HOPE can have her reminders right on the 'fridge! That's HOPE on a cute little tag I made in remembrance of this swap, crowned of course like the true Quenn of Re that she is with her own jeweled crown! Tee-Hee!
I have it on good authority that Hope, AKA The Queen of Re, loves dark chocolate, so here's a liitle flavor of cherry and dark chocolates I made for her. Being Dutch American we are chocolate lovers and I enjoyed making these for her, hearts, roses, and little treats. Of course I upscaled the little plastic heart box I found at a dollar store and couldn't resist putting some fluff on it too! Some more little tags I made too!
Here's one of my favorite things I made for hope, it's a recycled tin I covered with this cute polka dot fabric and ribbon roses; originally the mushroom pin cushion was going to top ot off, but I decided to let it stand alone. Want to know what's inside? A little stash of ribbon roses and a couple of leaves to use for embellishsments as she wishes!
These nexts items I put together are just too cute, don't you all wish you made doubles of all you did, so you'd have a set for yourself?
What's an Alice themed swap box without something for the tea party? Here is an adorable little tea set I found, put it in a recycled blueberry box, added ribbons, handmade ribbon roses, cute little mouse fabric (remember the Doormouse gets stuffed head first in the teapot), and tucked inside are 2 little finger puppets (Alice and The Queen of Hearts)! Those finger puppets were made by my sis' that incredibly talented Vanessa of Stitches'N'Stuff
http://www.stitchesnstuff10.etsy.com/, if you'd like to order them just place a custom request there! She is so talented!!!
I found this cute little teapot at the dollar store and just loved the colors and decided to dress it up with some ribbons and ribbon roses so Hope has a teapot for her Mad Hatter Tea Party.
Now of course you need tea for the tea party so here's the little shaker box made of balsam I found, added lace ruffles, handmade ribbon roses, ribbons and transferred the Alice In Wonderland Mad Hatter Tea Party on some delicate fabric remnant that was begging to be used! Inside of course tea bags for The Queen of Re to use for her very own Tea Party!
Alice always could use a new dress so I made her one. I just love these colors together; maybe she'll wear it to a premiere party... tee-hee!
Now I know how busy queens are and how much rest and beauty sleep they need, so HOPE, here's your sleep mask. REST, 'cause I know you and Alice must be tired from all those dreams from Wonderland! I know I am going to go Rest now too! I can hardly wait to see what I am getting from you!
Have a Wonderland Dream of your own and let me know how you like the movie!
Good Night!
It reminds me of the years I spent living in the Washington DC metro area and visiting the cherry blosssoms in early Spring at the National Mall. Dogwoods, cherry blossoms, magnolias and the beautiful forsythias, all the first noticeable signs of spring, and not to forget, I saw and heard my first robin yesterday! Yea!!!!! Spring is in the air!
It reminds me of the years I spent living in the Washington DC metro area and visiting the cherry blosssoms in early Spring at the National Mall. Dogwoods, cherry blossoms, magnolias and the beautiful forsythias, all the first noticeable signs of spring, and not to forget, I saw and heard my first robin yesterday! Yea!!!!! Spring is in the air!
