I love the idea of handmade swaps, especially charm swaps. I participated in one held by Cloth Paper Scissors a couple of years ago. (See my flowered fabric charm I created for that swap.)
I think what appeals to me is that you're getting a piece of handmade art . . . that you can turn into another piece of handmade art! Plus, I'm just a huge fan of charms and I use them all the time in my jewelry.
How I Created These Charms
To create these bohemian-style charms, I embossed the Vintaj brass blanks with a flower pattern that is slightly different on each charm. The embossing sheet was a Christmas gift from a friend. It's something I would have never picked out myself (it seemed a little too girly), but I really love its lacy look on these tiny charms. I hammered the edges of the charms for texture and riveted a tiny copper-plated flower to each one.
Ornamentea Charm Swap Details
You still have time to play, but you need to hurry! Your 7 handmade charms need to arrive by February 29, 2012. See the details at the Ornamentea blog.
I can't wait to see which charms I receive in the swap. I'll post photos here!
P.S. About This Photo
Isn't this photo frame cool? Now that Picnik's closing, I've been looking at other free photo software. I learned about this new free photo editing software via Lorelei Eurto and Heather Powers. You can read more about it on Lorelei's blog.