PIF Purse Fob from Kathy!

Boy, I sure wish I could take better pictures! This pic doesn't do justice to the PIF purse fob I just got from Kathy V! (Click on the photo to enlarge it.) You can see her wonderful creations, & her brand new book, here! She is an incredible artist, beader & writer! Thank you, Kathy!!!

Secret Project Revealed!

So, a year ago, I promised to Pay It Forward to the first 3 bloggers who signed up to also PIF. I wasn't sure what I'd make, & then I saw "Friendship Dolls" online. The pattern was developed by Jill Maas, & you can find it here. She lets you use the pattern for free.

But I know myself & I had to change things up! First I had to make some faces from molds & paint them. Then of course there's the beading around the face. I also wanted to do a funky rolled edge instead of turning the dolls. And I wanted to put a pocket on the back for wishes!

Now that all 3 of my blogger pals have told me they got their dolls, I can finally let you in on that secret project. Here's some of the process as I made them.

I hope they enjoy their dolls. I stuffed 'em with natural cotton & a little lavender for comfort. There's a little saying that goes with the doll, & I think I included them all. Here it is:

Hearts for Love
Kisses for Wishes
Beads for Joys
Flowers for Growth
Colors for Happiness
Gold thread for Health
Stitched with Friendship and
Wrapped with Love.

Pay it Forward

There is a blogger Pay It Forward going on, & since I love the concept, I decided to join in. The idea is this: As part of the PIF venture, I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment here on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. I am not sure what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days! That is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is to pay it forward by making this same promise on your blog.
I really love that this supports the random acts of kindness philosophy, & gives a boost to handmade, all in one. I saw this awhile ago on someone's blog, but forgot who it was! Then I saw it again on a fellow BJP blog, KV, which you can check out here.
I also want to tell you about another person who is so generous! I buy some of my face molds from The Enchanted Gallery. You can check it out here.
Kimberly, of The Enchanted Gallery, has some beautiful stock photos online that she lets us folks use. That is how I got the background for the picture at the top of this post. I just added the text. I will keep this graphic on my blog under projects I'm involved in...just as a reminder to myself to give back, since I've been given so much.
I'm looking forward to see who the first 3 people will be to comment! I will have to be able to contact you to get your gift to you, but we'll deal with that once you comment!
So, on your marks, get set, go!