Celebrating ~ Giving Back with a Gift

Hyacinths for the Soul is celebrating its First Year Anniversary with a Giveback. The winner will be announced on September 1, 2010. I hope everyone will join in the fun.

~ The Gift ~

~ A Package Containing ~

Something Old

That would be this vintage tea table cloth that I purchased last spring at the Round Top Antique Show. 30" square and made of white woven cotton, it is full of lovely details and in perfect condition. Four beautifully embroidered bouquets fill the space in each quarter as delicate pink appliquéd ribbons gracefully weave in and out among the colorful blooms. The workmanship on this piece is gorgeous!

Something New

A friend gave me a set of these "Friendship" glasses sometime ago. They are classic vintage style French glassware with the expression: Un Verre D' Amitie which means "friendship glass" or "glass of friendship." I've so enjoyed using my set of these charming glasses, that I picked up a set of four to include as part of this gift.

"I raise my glass in friendship to each of you!"

Something French

Just for you, I contacted The Frenchy Bee and placed an order for some of my favorite cookies and caramels from Brittany. Barnier's Sucette au Caramel au beurre salé are petite salted caramel lollipops. Each is wrapped in a blue and yellow cover decorated with the Quimper faience figures depicting a Breton man and woman in traditional dress. Barnier has been making candies in France since 1885. The galettes are pure butter cookies, the traditional favorites from Brittany. These thin and crispy cookies come packaged in their own Quimper motif tin. You can read more about these collectible tins in a previous post here.

And Certainly Something Blue

Included in the gift package is a set of 4 porcelain dessert plates, each featuring a different toile design. This set was spotted on eBay and purchased specifically for this anniversary giveback. The plates come in their own little round box featuring a beautiful blue toile design.

So there you have it, and I do hope it will please the one who wins. It is a small token of appreciation for all that I receive from each of you who visit and leave encouraging comments. I wish I could send every one of you a gift. My blogging friends have definitely enriched my life this past year. Thank you!

If you want to take part in this Giveback, leave your entries on the original post HERE.

Thank you to the following hostess. Please visit their blogs to see a list of others participating this week:

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's

Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House

Three or More Tuesday @ The Gypsy's Corner

2009 International Folk Art Market

Today is Outdoor Wednesday @ Southern Daydreamer. Grab your passport and join me on an exciting visit to the International Folk Art Market held in Santa Fe, NM.

Each July, the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM hosts an International Folk Art Market. This incredible event brings together artists from around the globe. The 2009 market featured over 140 artists from 46 countries. Each booth was a treasure chest of beautiful handcrafted items that reflected the traditions and cultures of the the countries represented.

As you might imagine this weekend event was full of colorful sights, music of the world, dancers, international food, and extraordinary art from around the world, not to mention thousands of visitors eager to support these visiting artist.

Costumed ladies entertain on stilts.

Attendees dress in colorful clothes and hats.

Thousands of visitors shop the market during the two day event.

Note the sign: these baskets represent a 

year of work on the artist's part.

These colorful paper maché 

roosters are from Haiti.

These hand forged scissors are the work of a talented blacksmith from Uzbekistan. Several of these came home with me.




The embroidery on these "bayeta" or simple hand woven woolen cloths, depicts scenes of daily life in the Andean village of Chijnaya, Peru.



These brightly colored hand embroidered textiles reflect the flora and fauna of Peru.

Resist block prints were created by

a family of brothers in India.

Mother and daughter from 

Kyrgyzstan are experts at felt making.

They create these charming little felt dolls. Each doll has an expressive embroidered face and wonderfully embroidered details on the clothing.

Artist from Namibia, 

weaves a handmade basket.

These coiled baskets are made from palm leaves and bark and used as everyday domestic use.

Artist from India wears a 

distinctive mirrored and embroidered dress.

Patchwork and embroidered 

quilt from Pakistan.

Batik Dyed Fabrics from Nigeria

Intricate Images 

on Aluminum Panels

Elaborate Seed Beaded Collar from Ecuador

Artist from Ecuador 

demonstrates her beading skills.

Carved horn bracelets created in Lima, Peru.

Textile from the People's Republic of China

Detail of the Textile in the Previous Photo

To learn more about the International Folk Art Market view the video below.

Santa Fe International Folk Art Market from David Moore on Vimeo.
Please leave a comment to let me know you stopped by today. You might also enjoy a visit to the Quimper Club International blog where I am guest blogger this week. Click here to read about a French couple who exhibited their amazing pottery at the Folk Art Market.