I got a wonderful box from . . . Sereneseen! I will post pictures later but just had to say: it arrived in perfect shape and I love everything in it. Photos to come . . .

Wozer!! Shirty, I LOVe those handpainted tiles you got from Flag, and Crafty, another wozer of all those cool cool tiles you got from Becky!! Every one seems to have hit the jack pot

The variety is just AMAZING!! I had no idea there were so many wonderful items I never seem to find!!!

Can't wait to see the rest!!!!Flag, can you give us a tutorial on how you make those gorgeous tiles?? Are they polymer clay, or hand painted porcelain etc etc!!

WOW! Nice treasures! Those are some amazing colors on those tiles! Great selection, Becky!

Lucky you, Shrty, for getting some of that great red tile!
And all the handmade things...wow! You put together an awesome collection, Flag!

I got my package from MERMAID today, LOADS of wonderful stuff. I'll post pics a little later!!!

All I can say Crafty is WOW....what wonderful treasure you received from Becky. The colorful tiles, a ready to mosaic substrate, and tons of tess. You are going to have so much fun.

Shrty those handmade tiles are gorgeous! Not sure if I spelled that right. Anyway, beautiful stuff! Love the red tiles and the crystals. I just know you are going to make something really wonderful with your treasures shrty.

Becky and flag, where do you get all those beautiful colored tiles and patterned plates and tiles. I've been going to garage sales for years and all I find is boring white and brown plates. Northwest Iowans just don't think outside the box I guess.

Ok, got my pics into photobucket. I am SO VERY HAPPY with everything I received from MERMAID! I don't know if she read somewhere that I love SEA TURTLES, but the little card she sent was enough to make me happy, and all the tess was big bonus!!!! And much of it was in the cutest little cloth bags :) There's stained glass, vitreous tiles, focals, brown toile dishes, so much more, including swirly Oceana glass which I'd never seen, and it's LOVELY!

Closeup including glass shells and pc leaves and flowers, so pretty!

Closeup including a focal and Oceana glass:

Woo-hoo, what a haul!! Drooling over that oceana!

Lady,

I'm glad you liked your goodies, Yea, I knew you loved Sea turtles, you mentioned something when I did Madam Loggy. . The babies are hatching right now but I haven't seen any this year, unfortunately Fay wiped out some of the nest.

That Oceana glass I bought on Ebay from Wholesale mosaics. She came across a batch of glass that is discontinued and bought it all up. They don't make it anymore.

I got my pk also .Will post pic later .I have not been feeling well.I do love it so much.

Maria - I am so glad to know the box made it safely. I am glad you like the stuff I sent,it seems like not enough as compared to some of these stuffed boxes. What a lot of amazing stuff! WOW! I thought I had a lot of things in my studio, but I have never seen tess like the stuff shown in these pictures.

becky_ia- that is some beautiful stuff and I am drolling over the 4" tiles with the bright colors, wberever did you find those??

Mermaid, I will give you all a tutorial on the painted tiles soon if enough are interested, they are not PC, the 9 together are a sheet of porcelian tiles from Lowes cut into fourths and painted with porcelian paint.

Serene - All the color is not in Texas! I have seen a lot of color on here from all over the US & Canada. The tiles becky_is posted I have only seen online and from Institute of Mosaic Art or someplace in CA. Laurel True's website has a link to them. I hope she shares with us where se got those?

Ronnie- awesome box you got there! I can see the wheels turning already. And that Oceana is to die for Mermaid. I have some I got from Jennifer also and love it. I am trying to get up the courage to do some gog wiht it since seeing Sirrus' spiderweb. I have a piece started with it but not gog.

Great job everyone. This exchange has been the BEST! I wish Slow would jump in here and drool all over the keyboard. Sorry you missed this Slow. I will share with you if my box comes soon. It will be at least Tuesday now with the Holiday...dang it is hard to wait.

Oh, Flag, don't think you didn't send enough!! I love the box and I think I've got an idea for your painted tiles!!

We had this old B&W TV with a BEAUTIFUL cherrywood cabinet. My mother cound't part with it so my dad made a storage cabinet out of it. He put doors on it, but they don't look quite right..I think they need mosaicing and your wonderful tiles!!

Flag, I really want a tutorial on how you did that. I was just at Lowes last night looking for tiles to replace out broken ones, and saw some porcelain tiles, but they looked all to be glazed, and I didn't think you could paint on them.

So please, do tell us how you did those, I know it takes an artist to make them look as pretty as yours do, but at least I could play like I am one. :)

And, also, how DO you cut those thick porcelain tiles?? What do you use? Do you have cut with a wetsaw?? I don't have one

Such great stuff!!! This is truly the best exchange yet!(I keep saying that with each exchange don't I?!lol!) Flag, do Please share your "Hand Crafted Tile Tutorial"!!!PLEEEEAAASSSEEE!!!! (

I'm worried!!! I mailed 2 boxes on the same day, one went to Carl's and one went to someone here. The other one arrived in 2 days from shipping, not a word on this one. I hope it made it!
It is so exciting to see all the treasures shared! What a great group of friends!

rchovey

if it eases anyones fears, I haven't been to the PO since Friday. So something could be waiting for me.

In that same vien, my GW box has not been acknowledged yet either and my Carl's exchange arrived in 2 days so it may just be a case where someone hasn't got access to post...

Nicethyme I got my pk friday and I love every thing in it .Thank you so very much.
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WOW! Nice stuff...Nice!!!heh heh!

Cool box!!

Wow! That is some nice bling there! Great collection, NT!
Lucky you, Nan...hope you are feeling better.

Hello everyone!

Been gone all weekend to the lake and couldn't wait to get home to see if my package arrived :>( ..which it didn't yet.. and to get on the computer to see everything with this exchange! OMG!!! AMAZING TREASURES!!!!

First I am so glad the box arrived to Barb (crafty_lady) safe & sound. Yes, I did take a peek at your pictures before I filled the box to see all your marvelous works! It made it all the more fun to add things knowing it might be something you could and would use. The colored tiles are some of my treasured items brought back from Phoenix (SAMA conference a year and half ago).. And I am so sorry I can't remember who I purchased them from...at the conference there are so many vendors and I was terrible about remembering where I bought stuff. But I had been hording those tile just waiting for the right place and I am so glad you like them.

The stained glass butterfly is another special piece and no I didn't make it....but love to use on birdhouses, or to set them in the hypertufa troughs I make as a focal point. I was really fortunate to find a few Sue Zipkin pieces at Good Will! Yes, we are lucky in the midwest to be able to find many pieces of china at rummage sales, household auctions and second hand stores. But have to admit...it is getting harder and harder to find things....

I have to comment also on all the wonderful things I am seeing here. Many things, I too have never been able to find or even knew about. Can't wait for my box to arrive! The anticipation is killing me!

Becky

P.S. Putting my two cents in too about a tutorial on making those georgous tiles.

Well, how fun is THIS? What wonderful treasures, and isn't it fun to receive things we'd never even imagined were available? Flag, those handmade colorful rainbow little tiles are fabulous. What a gorgeous set. Mermaid, the things you sent are absolutely wonderful. Everything I looked at up close is a treasure. Nicethyme, lots of pretty bling and I love anything green! Becky, you put together some wonderful things too! The toile plate pieces are so pretty!

It's the holiday and I ran home today to check the mail, but nothing here yet. I bet tomorrow will fulfill a lot of our fantasies! I can hardly wait to see more!

I got my wonderful package today from ladyronnie!! Thank you so much! I will find a use for every bit of it! Just got in from work....I will take pictures later this evening. I am absolutely thrilled! You know my tastes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Well, mine is in it's new owner's city. Hope you get it tomorrow whoever you are!

Here are the pictures of my wonderful treasures:

Oh my gosh, that cross is just stunning. And I love blue, and focals and country scenes and stained glass. How fun! I told Flag today that I bet the post office wouldn't deliver heavy boxes to us in the US today because of the backlog of mail due to the holiday. You lucked out, rchovey! I am anxiously waiting!

Oh RCH!!! I am SO glad you got it and SO glad you are pleased! I love the cross also, got two of them, and have been playing around just this evening with mine beside some of the tess I received in the exchange(s). Can't wait to see what you do with it! (I think I said that already, didn't I? :)

OOh, great stuff!!

This is the most exciting exchange! I love seeing all the
mosaic treasures you all have to share! Such unusual and
beautiful stuff! so sorry I couldn't participate in this!
You are all so lucky!! I can't wait to see what becomes off all new found treasure! You should make a thread of the projects from your exchange goodies! That would be so much fun to see for everyone!......I know I'd would've love to see what became of my stuff...wish I could've played with you all!!!

Good morning everyone!

Received my exchange package yesterday from Pat in Texas (no forum name included but think it might be "curbdiver?") THANK YOU!

Included were: a butterfly, blue marbles, pink and purple tile, several broken tiles (duck, pig, cow & hen), black crash glass, oneida plates in the freesia pattern, 1950Âs blue glass and a numbered flower plate with flowers with a beautiful poppy center. CanÂt wait to start something and already the wheels are turning! Again thank you Pat for the goodies.

Becky

See how pretty they look all together! Like a giant puzzle! thanks for numbering the plate...made putting together a lot easier.

All numbered and labeled, too!! Great box

WoW, Awesome treasures everyone is getting. THIS was a great idea!!

OH! THE DELIGHTS! I opened the front door at 5AM this morning and there sat a box of wonders from Shrty411! Maria! How could you part with all these wonderful pieces? My gosh! Thank you soooooooo much! There is precious dark red cathedral glass, another gorgeous piece (well pieces...lol) of red glass, beautiful strips of colored glass, focal pieces (look at the wonderful windmill plate), sweet-sweet little pieces covered with little lavendar flowers...trim tile, flowers, plates, tiles, greens I so love green!! I just kept opening and opening....oh, I am thrilled. Oh, you want a picture or two? LOL Here you go!

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Maria, I am thrilled. Thank you so much! I love each and every piece!

Yippy Skippy, my package arrived! Everything is so beautiful. Thank you, Thank you crafty_lady. When the mail man handed me the box, I almost fell over from the weight. No joke. The box was bulging at the seams! Crafty-lady used glass globs as filling. When I unloaded the box and laid everything out on a six foot banquet table (my project table), the teasures almost completely filled the table. Tons of plates, stained glass, china, glass globs, crystal danglies, etc.

Crafty-lady, your hands must be awfully sore from all that nipping and cutting of the tess. I'm guessing you used a saw to cut out the centers of some of the plates as the edges were completely smooth. There must be nine different plates plus the really thin oriental patterned piece. There were so many things in the box I would like to describe but I would probably take up too much space.

Thank again crafty_lady. You were way to generous!
Veronica (aka-SereneSeen)

Becky, I am so relieved your box arrived and that you like it! That cobalt glass from the '50's *was* a 1 pint measuring cup until our cats knocked it and a cobalt 1 cup one off the shelf - somehow the matching juicer survived. The glass was simply too pretty to throw away. The 1 cup measure went into a gog piece for my sis..challenging to grout because of the lettering, but the light is gorgeous thru it.

Pat

Unfortunately, **I** (and the digital camera) are out of town until tomorrow AM!! ARGH!!! IF I get back before time to get up and go to work in the morning, will take and post pics....that being said, what DH has described to me sounds fabulous! He said there's loads of china that's gorgeous, roof tile, beads, metal leaves, metal fish, metal grape cluster and grape leaves, 2 golf bags on picks, nipped tile leaves, more stuff he couldn't identify....and a sweet note from daisyme!

AND, as though perfectly timed with getting a package of tess from a birdhouse mosaicer, my neighbor dropped off an octagonal birdhouse this afternoon - she thought I could do "something" with it! I'll say, I can...sounds like trying new things is in the wind for me as well!

Thank you, daisyme (Gail)!

Pat

Oh, Pat, I hope it was enough! Seeing some of these beautiful boxes, and getting one too, Geez! I hope, hope hope, you like the things I sent. Enjoy!

I'm SURE she will Daisyme! EVERYBODY went so over the top with sending each other treasure!!! WOW!!! I'm working with the leaves Louisiana Greetings sent me as we speak!!!

WOW! I got behind and now just have to say a collective WOW to everyone's treasures! Great job, everyone!

Oh sereneseen, you don't know how happy I am to know you received your box! I sent 2 boxes using click and ship, scheduled a carrier pick up and they were both returned the next day saying I owed 50 cents on each. Lugged them both (you know how heavy yours was? Well I had 2 that weighed that!!!) to the post office and was told that they should not have been returned to me. I was worried though because they were never scanned so I couldn't track them to know when they were delivered, and neither one of you (until now) said you had received it. I had visions of both boxes sitting in the back room at the post office because some jerky clerk thought I still owed postage. PHEW!
I am so happy you liked your stuff! I wasn't sure what your style was and the only pictures of your projects I found was your patio tables so I just took a big guess and gave you a big variety of stuff to pick from. I have been nipping plates since the exchange was announced and when my hands got too sore to nip, I took a few days off and then got back to nipping! I used my grinder to smooth the edges of them. I hope this inspires some wonderful ideas for you!

I am way behind in commenting on these individually so I just wanted to say there has been a lot of gorgeous and unique tess shared with everyone here. Everyone has been so generous in what they have sent and I would like to thank Roni for organizing this swap!

Daisyme!! Glad you got your box. I see a few casualties, but I hope you can use them anyway. Enjoy

Crafty Great box you sent out!!

I will never get caught up here!
Sorry for being gone so long, mom's health issues, all is ok now.
Well, I got mine last week and send mine out as well (again sorry for the delay).
I am sooo excited, got so much stuff and immediately started putting it to use. Will post pics later when I get caught up.
Thanks so much Ramona, I love it all, and it has inspired me!
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Beautiful box

Well, finally I get to come in here and post a link to my fabulous exchange gift from Sereneseen. I love everything you sent. I wrote out a very long description of everything but lost it when I clicked over to Photobucket, so won't repeat it, but will just say THANKS Sereneseen, I will use everything you sent and it was a very successful and rewarding gift exchange.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Finally!! Getting a chance to show off my wonderful box from daisyme!!! Pulled just a few pieces from each bag 'coz the cats were being a little TOO helpful and re-arranging everything just as i got ready to shoot. Hopefully they all look as good here as they do in person! Don't say anything, but I ***think*** I'm actualy going to have some "me" time this week-end! YEA!!

Thanx again, daisyme, I will enjoy each and every piece!

Pat

Gracie had to get into the act with arranging the tess....then she made it known that the box is HERS! Heaven help another cat in the house who tries to get in here...she's VERY protective of it! Her eyes aren't really that demonic reddish-orange...they're actually golden like an eagle's.

Pat

What a haul you got Pat...Daisyme outdid herself.
I got a box full of delicious items today from Texas Fern.Pat thank you so much for all the goodies. I have already used some of the metallic gold tiles. I am in love with the seahorses and all the ceramic fruit. The chandelier prisms are to die for. The marble and unglazed tiles will be in a project very soon...I am already thinking and thanks for the vitreous tile and especially the tiny red ones. Red is so hard to find. I think you put this box of tess together so thoughtfully, thank you very much. I love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tess exchange from Texas Fern

A big huge thanks to Nanatricia for so many wonderful and UNIQUE pieces, 1st off - she wrapped everything up in reusable mylar of different colors. tons of gems that she has backed with different foils and fabric... AMAZING.. I love the pinkish ones - looks like a candy wrapper foil

Also tons of molded items - you can see the painted ladybugs but theres way more - roses, hearts and cupids and crosses. Nana what are they made of?

also under all that are many many sheets of mirrors too

thankyou Nanatricia!

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I am so glad you got it I was beging to worry .They are made with hard as a rock puddy .I soaked one in some water and it never got soft .It is fun to work with .You can also use it to make molds with .You can pant it right way .

well I'm thrilled with it Nana, thanks for everything.

Is that the end?

how about a round of applause for the illustrious LadyR!!!!! our hostess with the mostest!!!! wooot!

and cheers to all the participants for the big hearted sharing you all did!

Congrats to all who gave and received. Everyone was so generous. Post office made big bucks off y'all. Everyone must be on inspiration over-load w/all this new stuff. What an exchange!!!! LADY - you hit it on this one.