Sam's Zine

Another project that I've never shared is the zine I made for Sam in the "7 Things in 7 Days" Swap.  The deal was you make something everyday for a week.  Then you make a little zine telling your partner all about your week.  It was tons of fun and was probably the most productive week ever!  I've shared some of the stuff I made that week already, like my hat and the arcade games.  The rest I'll show in a follow-up to this post.  I don't want to bore everyone to death all at once.

I decided to make mine more like an art journal and I loved the results.  It was huge!

I started by prepping the pages to match the item I was going to showcase.  Each page is made up of two 5x7 unlined index cards.  The front one is the funky, pretty side and the back one would have a picture of the item on it.  I glued them back to back, making each page pretty strong.

 Here are a few of the pages before I wrote anything on them.

Here's a few after they were finished.

This last one is my favorite one!

Again, some terrible lighting on this last group.  These were taken late at night.  Anyways, all the pages are held together by a metal ring in the upper, left corner.  Which works great since the pages were thick and some were oddly shaped.  I had a ton of fun making this!  Art journaling is something I've mainly admired from afar, but this swap definitely inspired me to do it more often!

What's your take on art journaling?  Yay or nay?

Speaking of swapping, I'm certainly getting in the mood to start up again.  However, I've got to get on the ball with my etsy first.  And I'm thinking about doing  my first craft fair this summer.  So those will keep me busy for a while.  It's ok though, it feels good to have bigger priorities.  On that note, I've got to get back to work.  The computer is a huge time killer for me!

See you soon, have a craftastic day!

Bluework Quilt Square

Little 5x5 squares stitched up for the "Bluework Quilt Square" Swap.  Bluework....one word?  Two?  Please, enlighten me.

I made this little gal.  The pattern is from Sublime Stitching.

 

I'm not sure if it's really Bluework since I added the crayon tinting, but my partner liked it so that's all that matters.  Right?

My partner, Courtney, made this tea themed square.  (Also with Sublime Stitching patterns.)  Courtney and I also did a private swap on swap-bot, so you'll be seeing more of her work shortly.

Perfect for a little tea wallet, wouldn't you say?  I'll have to whip one up for my bag when I'm at work, I've been on such a Chai kick lately.

Bye for now!

Science Stitches.

For the "Embroidery in Yellow" Swap on Swap-bot, I made three little patches.  My partner is a science teacher so I went with that.  I figured she could use them as applique on a lab coat or a tote she uses to haul her school stuff around.

I used some patterns from the Sublime Stitching Craft Pad.

Sorry about the poor photo quality, I was blinded by science.  I guess that's what I get for only taking one!

Oh, hey- remember this?  After stitching these I got it stuck in my head.

Hope everyone is having a lovely day!  I'm off to run some errands.  I'll be back later to give you guys a little peak at the inside of these awesome journals I'm giving away.  See ya soon.

Pin-Up Party!! Part 2

When I said this swap was a huge success, I meant it.  I saw lots of lovely ladies being exchanged.  Want to see some more of them?  Yeah, that's what I thought.

First up, we have this beauty from Lisa of A Cuppa Tea with Me.

Then, there is this sassy lady from Carrie of The Croaking Crown.

Followed up by this sweet thang from another Carrie.  You can find more of her work here.

And last but not least, we have this sunny gal from Katy of Sew Lovely Embroidery.

Didn't all of the ladies do a fabulous job?!  One of the things I love most about swapping and sharing on-line, in general, is getting to see everyone's unique style.  The same theme but they all look do different.  Amazes me every time.

I love Pin-Ups!  So just for fun, I made a treasury on etsy. 

 Go here to check out all of the goodies!

Thanks for looking, I'm headed back to my little corner to play with needles and thread.

A Pin-Up Party!

The Pin-Up Embroidery swap organized by Snifferooski was a huge success.  Those of you who joined me in it, wouldn't you agree?

I made this one for my partner, while I was in Michigan.  I used the Pin-Up Pattern from the gals at Sew Lovely Embroidery.

Since I had to scan it, the pattern on the fabric is much more evident than it is in person.  Of course, I had to get some Metallic floss on there, oh shiny!  And I also used Rayon floss for her stockings, so they have a nice silky, gleam to them, too.

For that swap, Raegun83 made me this gal.  I think it is a Sublime Stitching pattern.  She also used Metallic and Rayon floss.  Great minds, huh?

When I arrived home, I found my package from Cleof for the "Embroidery in Red" Swap.  And guess what she stitched me?  A Pin-Up!  Funny how that all worked out.  Here's her lady, another Sublime Stitching one.

Don't you just love those gemstones?  I sure do.

Today I'm stitching like crazy, all swap stuff.  I'm going to have quite a bit of mail to send out pretty soon.  What are you up to today?  Anything fun?

Thanks for looking.  Have a craftastic day!

p.s. Thanks for tolerating my lack of nice pics lately, we should be taking care of that soon.

I love Mermaids!

It occurred to me that I never showed you the loot I received from the "Non-Cutesy Mermaid ATC" Swap I participated in on Swap-bot.  You can see the card I made HERE in an older post.

Look what bluehairedmary made for me!

Isn't it perfect for me?!  I do love it so.  Now I just need to find a tiny frame so it can go on the wall with all of the other stitched goodies.

Playing Catch-Up.

So, there have been a few swaps that I've completed that I haven't had a chance to share with you.  Want to see?  By the way, I freaking love Swap-bot!

I made this for the "Embroidery Me a Fairy Tale" Swap.  This was a freebie pattern from doe-c-doe.

 I branched out a bit with this gem.  I was happy to find out that it survived the journey to South Africa.  Thank you, E6000, I love you!

On to the "Embroidery in Red" Swap.  Using a pattern available in the Space Case set from Sew Lovely Embroidery.  My partner hated pink, so it was a nice challenge to use only dark reds to pull this one off.  Love the way it turned out though.

Then there is this lovely lady, for the "Non-Cutesy Mermaid ATC" Swap.  Her tail is on a brad, so it swings inward to fit the dimensions of a true ATC.  Yeah, her arm hangs off but I didn't have the heart to cut it off a Sailor Jerry girl, so I told the future owner to do it with out telling me...if it bothered her.  I found out it doesn't...yay!

Most recently I completed the "Embroider Anything" Swap.  I made this patch, again with another Sew Lovely Embroidery pattern.  I love those gal's stuff...sew much!  The second pic is a truer representation of color, I don't know what happened with the first photo.

Well, that's everything so far, expect a lot more though.  I'm currently signed up for 3 embroidery swaps on Swap-bot alone.  Then there is the other crafty swaps and another stitchy one on Flickr...I'm going to be a busy girl!

Sorry about the late posts, an unseasonably cool day created a hankering for baked pasta and that stuff takes some time.  Oh, and hopefully I'll be done with the remodel soon so you guys don't have to second guess whether or not you're on the right blog.

Thanks for looking, I hope everyone had a craftastic day.

The Swap That Really Tied The Room Together. Part 2

My turn!  Now that Sam has her package, I can share my pictures of it with you guys.  The idea behind the swap was a movie surprise.  A scene and a quote from a film, and the recipient had to guess what they were from.  Okay, so mine we're really easy to figure out but I just had to do those ones.

First up- The Dude and his special lady friend, Maude.  From The Big Lebowski.  Isn't it funny that we both picked the same movie for each other?

(Please excuse the massive amount of pictures.  When I was all done, I was rather smitten with it.)

Maude took over a whole skein of copper floss.  That's one shiny lady friend.

I also made a Fight Club embroidery.

 I'm sure that you can finish the rest of this quote.  I don't want to get too risque, ha ha.

So, yeah.  Those were my big, secretive projects that I have been so mysterious about.  

 Thanks for looking!  I'll be back later with more stitchy stuff.

The Swap That Really Tied The Room Together. Part 1

HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!!  I'm excited, can you tell?  I received my package from Sam for our private embroidery swap.  Of course, she spoiled me.  Check out her awesome piece.

There's painting...and about a gazillion French knots.

And The Jesus even has a real net on his hair.  This pretty much blew my mind.

She even sent me a toe!

I'm such a lucky duck!  Thank you so much, Sam.  You rocked my world.

Thanks for looking.  In Part 2 of this swap, I'll share my pieces with you.  For now it's still a secret.

P.S. Here's a little something to cheer up those of you who weren't lucky enough receive this greatness in your mailbox.  Enjoy. 

Swaptastic!

I'm not sure if I told you guys or not, but I joined Swap-bot.  As a crafty gal and a mail enthusiast, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join a group of like-minded people.  Check it out, I would be willing to bet there is a swap or two that will catch your eye.

I signed up for my first swap too, an embroidery swap with a fairy tale theme.  And even though send-outs are over two weeks away, I already received my package from the talented Snifferooski in Ohio.

Isn't it darling?  I love the tassels she made by putting the knot on the front.  I'm going to paint a frame to go with it.  Can't wait to show you when it's up on the wall.

It's exciting to get a little something a person with a totally different style than your own.  I never would have interpreted it this way, which is why I love it so much.

Now for my piece, to show or not to show?? 
I'm 99% sure that my partner doesn't read my blog but I'm still torn as to what to do.  I've already decided I will not be showing personal swap stuff on here until after my partner has received it.  (Sorry, Sam.)  But what about Swap-bot stuff, is there a protocol?  Since you don't know who your partner is, does it matter?  What do you think?  Help!

Thanks for looking, I hope that you all have a creative day.  I'm off to be productive...hopefully.