Also, in other swap news, I recently got into the ATC phenomenon, and participated in my first two swaps. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of my first card before I sent it off to its new owner, so hopefully she'll take one I can steal from the internets soon. But I received this card for the Craft themed ATC swap:



I am amused that it is kind of piratical, because the second swap I participated in had a pirate theme, for which I made these 3 cards:









And so far, I have received this one:


Cool, huh? I am having fun with this art form. But then, I have always like the challenge of making tiny things. I am also busy at work making stuff for the fairy tale swap, and think I finally know what I am going to make. Now if only I could stop messing things up.

This is Sid: 

He's a dragon, and I made him for the Little Stuffies swap. Part of the swap was to make an introduction card, and include some other small present, so of course, I had to make the dragon some loot to hoard. And I also bought him some chocolate coins to guard for his new owner. His intro card was a wanted poster.

Well, I had some difficulties in getting the bulky flyer attached to the spinning wheel. It didn't fit on there the way that I expected it to, and it took some fiddling to get it to line up right. I am sure there is an easier way to do it than what I did, but what do I care? It worked. 

I started work on the first of my Fairy Tale swap items today. This may be one of the sillier craft projects I have thought of. I hope that it turns out the way I see it in my head.

I had started these mittens for a certain purple-loving friend as a Christmas present: 

Only then, during a conversation we had last week, she happened to mention how much she liked the cabled mittens I had done for a few people, and now I am worried that these are not interesting enough. What do you all think?

Lest you think I have been receiving more than I've been giving, I have actually been hard at work making a few things. First off, I have my first My Little Pony recon. The pony started out looking like very pink. And I made a little fortune teller/gypsy pony which I named Sasha: 

She also had 3 fortune telling dice, and note cards explaining how to use them in a black velvet bag. My partner seemed to like her, so that is all good. In return, I received an awesome zombie pony. Which has joined extrajoker's cthulhu cabinet on our shelf of weird crafts. The zombie pony came with her own severed arm on which to munch. Mmmm...human flesh. I also finished my items for my second partner in the Miyazaki swap:

A Totoro sketchbook

A Muta stuffie (from The Cat Returns), and a Spirited Away themed box.

And I received from my first partner, A soot sprite tote bag, Kodamas stitch markers, and Totoro and Mei stuffies. I also received a thank you present from the person I made the fall bag for. She sent me skully stitch markers. Well, I said I wanted stitch markers, and then I received 4 sets of them in 2 weeks. Woo-hoo! So that's kind of where my crafting is at these days. I am currently brainstorming ideas for the Fairy Tale swap, and am also signed up for a small stuffie swap, so I will continue to be very busy.

I subscribe to the Berroco e-newsletter primarily to ensure that periodically I get a good laugh. Only the last few KnitBits newsletters actually contained patterns for things I want to make.. That's just wrong.

So, yeah, more yarn. Got to play with the wheel a bit on Fri night before my plague overwhelmed me. I learned that trying to make yarn when feeling very tired and ill is not necessarily a good idea, unless you intend to make novelty yarn. 

So my yarn experience started with this very autumnal bundle of wool, which, because I wanted to experiment a bit about how I prepared it, I split into 3 sections, which wound up fitting almost perfectly on a bobbin apiece. The first one looked pretty good. The second one, while very different, also looked okay.  The last one, well, it's definitely more of a novelty, lots of overspun/underspun bits, tufty things sticking out and whatnot: The plague pretty much hit me full force halfway through this one, and I completely lost the ability to do more than one thing at a time. As a side note, I tried to ply this yarn with some pretty gold stuff, which looked really nice, except when it got all tangly and made the yarn develop buboes, resulting in it being painstakingly unwound by me, and my lucky roomie, who gets to witness most of my crafting disasters in person. =/ Should probably stop playing with the yarn and focus on some of my swap things which need to get done. Heh.

So, in addition to my adventures in spinning, I am also working on other crafty things. Finished up everything for partner #1 of the Miyazaki swap: There was the stenciled tote bag seen earlier, though I did clean up a couple of the sploochy parts with cream colored paint to match the background fabric. 

A Nausicaa themed journal, which I am missing a picture for.

 And a little Jiji stuffie: 

 There was also a Jiji magnet. There were supposed to be more magnets, but they met with an accident, and only the one came out okay. Oh well. That stuff is all on its way to its new owner. I also have been working on this fall themed bag:

 The back is still plain, but I think I am going to consider this baby done, and get it out the door. I have other things to do.

I made yarn!

Okay...so it's a little over-twisted, and wonky in bits, and varied in thickness...but still...I made yarn.

Cool, huh?

I made my first bottle cap magnet yesterday. It came out pretty well. I'll post pictures when I finish the rest of the set. My office at work is starting to look kind of like my living room...with crafting supplies everywhere. I have a bag that I am working on, a bag full of felt pieces for a tiny animal I am making, a box of stamping stuff that I'm using on the magnets, my self-healing cutting mat, and several projects in various stages of completion strewn about the room. Heh.

In other news, someone picked me for the birthday swap, so I'll be getting a surprise package in the mail soon. It's not even someone I have crafted for, but of course, I had to go check her out, and she's posted some pretty cool projects, so I am looking forward to see what she makes for me. =)

Help, please. So, I am making this tote:

  

 I made the stencil based on a screen shot from the movie Kiki's Delivery Service. Here's the problem. The freezer paper did not adhere as well to the tote bag fabric as I would have liked, so there are lots of splootchy bits where the paint went outside the lines. Am debating whether I should handpaint the outlines to cover the mistakes, using regular paint, or dimensional fabric paint, or some other medium, leave it the way it is, or scrap it and start over. Thoughts?

I am such a slacker! A couple of people flaked on the skeleton/skull/bones swap that I was in, and because I had become friendly with the organizer (who was also the recipient of my crafting), she asked if I would help out by being an angel for the person who sent me the awesome package. I agreed, but said that I didn't have a whole lot of time to work on things for a couple of weeks, 'cause I'm busy with other swaps, but that I would get to it as soon as possible. Because she is awesome, extrajoker volunteered to help out and make something. The next thing I knew, she had made an etched glass bottle w/ secret note.  Why IS the rum gone? and an address book. and a Memento Mori Mirror. Hooray consonantal alliteration! 

And I had done: nothing. What a slacker I am. So, because one of the things she specifically asked for was some sort of bag, I whipped this up at work yesterday:  Tote bag with stamped skulls 

God. I suck. However, at least the person who made a completely awesome swap package for me is getting some good stuff in return. Thanks so much for your help, extrajoker. You rock.

Fingerless! Mittens that is.

  

I don't think I posted these before, but these were the first fingerless mittens I made, in white sparkly wool-ease. Impractical? Yes. But oh so pretty. 

Hand-dyed superwash wool. You can't really see in the pic, but I used a spiral rib pattern. And I reversed the pattern on the second mitten, so that the spirals go in opposite directions.

 

Most recent mittens. I finished these last night for a swap. The yarn is a marled, self-striping acrylic, but it's quite soft and nice.

This weekend we had a crafting day outing - lordavon, ladygwyn and I attended the Webs Knit for Hope event on Sunday. It was loads of fun. I was very good and only bought a little bit of yarn...and 2 knitting pattern books. Lordavon won pretty laceweight yarn:  Pictures can be found in the Knit for Hope Gallery.

Bub 2, and the knitting needle case have both made it to their new homes, and seem to have been warmly received. Yay! I am always glad to hear that people have liked their gifts.

I made this bunny last week and forgot to post pics. He's keeping Jack company on my keyboard now.

When I wasn't sleeping this weekend, I was working on this: 

It's a knitting needle case. Here's the inside: 

 I wanted to use some black pleather I had, but it kept breaking my sewing machine needles, so I went for the skullfinity print instead. I am mostly pleased with how this came out, but I think my sewing would be much improved if I had a nice big table where I could spread the fabric and stuff out to work on it. It's difficult to work in such a small space.

Mmmm....Brains 

Bub is done! He has his own copy of Salem's Lot, a gun, and, of course, a bucket o' guts.  Yay! Guts!

Me and Bub. Cute, huh?

Number of times today that someone has asked me what I am making: 3. Number of times that the answer was "Intestines": 3 You would think that people would stop asking me questions like that. Heh heh heh. I think Bub is going to like these tasty vittles.

Heard from my partner on the Skull swap, and she liked all of her presents. Yay! I can't wait to see what I get, though the sendout date isn't until Sat, so I may have to wait another week to receive. Finished little felt bunny, except he needs a pom pom tail, and I have no pom poms. Still working on Bub II. He's huge. And I've decided that instead of a sculpey bucket of guts, I want to make the bucket out of fabric, and fill it with parts. Maybe I can pick up some fake, gooey parts at the store, since it's about Halloween time. I might make him other props, too: a copy of Salem's Lot, a gun, and some headphones with a tape recorder. It'll be much easier since they don't have to be so wee.

So, I have a lull in my swapping activity...so of course, I agreed to do a personal swap with someone, and am making them a Bub doll. They are making me...something. I don't really know. Something zombie related though, so that should be good. Am also putting something together for a September Birthday person (I will admit that I have been using the unconditional and Birthday swaps as a chance to get some of my unused crafting supplies the heck out of my house - I'm not sending anything that doesn't have it's original packaging or is in bad shape...just stuff that has been sitting around unused for too long). But I may make another embroidered tote bag type thing, 'cause that was fun, and I was very pleased with the result. This evening, I worked on Bub v 2.0, but had to set all the parts aside to dry, and then worked on making a little felt bunny. It's black and white and cute cute cute. But not done. Should be able to wrap him up tomorrow and post pictures.

Finished up a bunch of stuff this weekend. Wanna see? You know you do. First, I volunteered to be an "angel" for someone who didn't receive a swap package. This was for the August 2006 Birthday Swap. The person listed pinup girls as one of their interests, and indicated she would like some stationary. So I put together this gift box full of 5 x 6 stationary: 

I wanted to make up some printed envelopes to go with the stationary, but the envelopes kept jamming in my printer. Oh well. And then, I finished the stuff for the Skull/Bones/Skeleton swap that I've been working on:

  

 The finished tote bag (I added satin ribbon to the top, and lined it with a black and white skull print; a bunch of hair things, scrunchies, headbands, etc., and a journal. 

Also, some kitty toys.

 I am especially happy with the way the tote turned out. I hope both of my partners like their presents.

I picked up my finished skull tonight. I think it came out pretty spiffy, though the yellows could have used another coat of paint.

Saturday, I paid a visit to Claytopia. Haven't been there in about a year, and everything is different. They layout of the space is different, and they now have puffy paint for use on the pottery. ladygwyn had mentioned that they had gotten skulls in for the Halloween season, so I went there specifically with the intention of painting one. The puffy paint was very tempting, as the model on display looked very cool, but I thought that it would look too much like the last skull I had painted, so I opted to do something very different.

 

 You can't really tell here, but the background should be a very dark blue, with the suns in bright yellow, the moons in pale yellow, and the stars in white. I can't wait to pick it up on Tuesday, and see how it came out.

I forgot to mention that I received my swap stuffie last week. Her name is Tinkalina (my partner and another member of the swap group named her prior to her arrival in my home), and she's a bunny. I think she is pretty cute:

She is very happy to be in Bunnyland now, and is getting along nicely with Mr. Bunny and Penny Dreadful, and all the other buns. I received my Buffy the Vampire Slayer swap package yesterday, and it was awesome! I got 2 CDs, one is the audio track for "Once More With Feeling" and the other is a mix of songs that have appeared in the show. Note that one CD has a still of what is one of my favorite moments in the whole series, and the other has a shirtless Spike. Oh yeah. That's what I'm talking about. 

 I also received a long sleeved t-shirt with three iron-on transfers on it. On the front is the Buffy logo with the moon (from "Once More with Feeling"), on the sleeve is the Mutant Enemy logo, and on the back is Spike.

 And last, but certainly not least, I got my very own Spike pillow. The fabric is a pretty black/grey/blue mottled cotton, and there is a beaded fringe, and a really hot picture of Spike. 

 I may never leave my bed again. Ummm...or something like that. Anyway, I really loved all my stuff; my partner did a great job (though she said she was worried there was too much Spike - as though there could be such a thing as too much). And I am pleased to note that she received the stuff I made, and seemed to like it as well (she even said I was creative - go me!)

I feel the need to post this, because it will mean something to some of you. We had our first picture post in the Buffy swap gallery, and one of the things the person sent was a Drusilla-inspired corset she had made. A friggin' corset? I feel like such a slacker now. And that was just ONE of the things she sent. Yikes. I was feeling pretty good about my swap package until now. =/ Also, UPS tried to deliver my package today, but of course, I wasn't home to receive it. So now, my options are to get my butt out to W. Springfield tonight between 7:30 and 8:30 to pick it up....or wait until Monday. Do you have any idea how far away Monday is? Geez. Who wants to have dinner with me in the Chicopee/Holyoke/W. Springfield area?

Tip of the day: Did you know that it is really easy to make your own iron-on transfers for embroidery? We discovered this at work a couple of weeks ago, kind of by accident, and I just tested it again today, and am very pleased with the results. 1. Print out line art of the design you want from your computer. ETA: I have been fiddling with this a bit, and I don't know if it will work with all printers. I used the printer/copier here at work, which transferred perfectly. Will need to test this using inkjet printer at home, to see if it makes a difference. 2. Iron fabric on hottest setting (no steam) for the fabric you are using (the fabric takes the transfer better when it is hot. 3. Place your paper face down onto the fabric and iron for 10-20 seconds. Peel up slowly to check that design has transferred completely. If something is unclear, you can continue to iron it. Voila! Your item is ready to be embroidered. Maybe you, my fellow crafters, already knew this, but I figured I would share the love. I am excited about this, because I wanted to do this tote bag, but the thought of having to hand trace the design onto the bag with carbon paper was kind of daunting.

So, I didn't get even close to finishing my to do list of crafting for this weekend, but I did at least finish the Buffy things which need to be mailed out today. First we have a book box reminscent of the giant Vampyr tome Giles tries to give Buffy in Welcome to the Hellmouth. I am not entirely pleased with the way this turned out...mostly because after I had finished it, I actually watched the episode (I had been working from a picture) and I don't think it looks enough like it. Haven't decided yet if I will actually send this. Then we have the Spike t-shirt. My first stenciling job, and I think it came out pretty well. Mmmm...Spike. Finger puppets! Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy and Spike. Aren't they cute? I friggin' love them (especially the Spike, which is holding a pack of cards and a kitten). Finally, a Vamp Willow tote bag. I had intended to stitch a Willow quote on the top. I had planned on using "Bored now", but am now faced with the fact that it doesn't fit the picture. =( It still needs something, I'm just not sure what. I have time to run out at lunch and pick up supplies to finish this puppy, so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

I have so much crafting to do this weekend, but I am excited because I thought of a new idea for my Buffy swap that I am actually looking forward to making. I think it will be cool. Yay. I intend to spend most of my long weekend working on various crafting projects.

I need to:
-finish book box for buffy swap
-finish t-shirt for buffy swap
-brainstorm, start, and finish 2 additional buffy items
-make kitty toys for skull swap
-brainstorm for tote bag ideas - i know what design I want to use, but need to figure out how to put it on the bag - embroidery? applique? It's going to be a skull with a tribal looking motif behind it.
-start necklace for skull swap
-finish sock!
-color stupid pillowcases for work

I think I may still be missing something.

I received my package for the zombie swap today, and it rocks. I got a decorated tin:

  

Note that my first felt zombie, the one that lives with dionethoughts, is sandwiched in among the movie images. A Shaun of the Dead hoodie: 

The stenciling on this is really good, and it is soft and snuggly. And finally, zombie art:

 

I can't paint worth a damn, so I particularly love this. It cracks me up.

Crafting Lesson #1:

If you rush your crafting, you make crappy crafts.

This lesson is brought to you by the TWO projects I messed up this week, because I was too impatient to do them right. Will certainly not be repeating that error when I go to recreate them. =/

Okay, so if you've looked at my vacation pictures, you have already seen Annabelle, but she is a crafting project, and therefore deserves her own post here. She is soft and squishy and likes to cuddle. I hope she enjoys her new home. Also, I made this photo album yesterday, using the instructions for a bookbinding kit I bought the last time I visited geekpixie. I printed all of Annabelle's pictures from my trip, plus a couple of "work in progress" shots, and put them in this album, to send to her new owner. There are about 20 blank pages left in the album, so Annabelle can continue to document any adventures she may have.

And my zombie swap package is in the mail. Because I am easily amused, I am entertained by my gift wrapping and card as well, and thought I would share. Made the bloody handprint card last night. This is actually Bloody Handprint Card 1.2, because I wanted to make it look more distressed, and accidentally sent 1.0 on fire. Burning acrylic paint smells bad, just so you know. I splattered and dripped red paint on some tissue paper that I had about and then wrapped the various zombie bits in it. I really hope my swap partner likes all my stuff. And now I really need to get started on my next project.

And now, for your early morning zombie post. I finished these magnets, made mostly with images of Ash from the Evil Dead movies, Bub from Day of the Dead and a couple of Dead Alive pics scoured off the internet, along with a couple text magnets. They fit nicely inside of the zombie tin. I also spent a good part of yesterday making a Bub doll, complete with his very own bucket of guts. Combined with the journal and decorated tin, this was going to be my completed swap package. Only now the deadline has been extended, and even though I have spent hours and hours making this stuff, looking at it, it doesn't seem like that much. I feel like I should make one more thing, maybe something big, so it looks like more stuff. Only I have another swap I wanted to get started on, and I am also fresh out of ideas. So what do you, my loyal readers think? Is this an okay swap package?

I have finished my Necronomicon journal and decorated tin. I love them, and I think you will, too. Front of the Necronomicon journal - the eyes are a bit wonky, but overall, I am still pleased. Front end paper for journal Back end paper for journal This decorated tin was so much fun to make. Even my roommate got in on the action, helping me to cut the little doll in half. Heh heh heh. Closeup of the undead girl. So, what do you all think?

I am having a ton of fun with my latest craft swap. It has a zombie theme. Zombies are fun. In preparation for crafting, I made the roomie watch Day of the Dead with me last weekend. I am planning to make a little felt Bub doll, holding a gun, and saluting, if I can get his arm to do that. I am in the process of making a Book of the Dead, to represent my swap partner's love of the Evil Dead movies. It's starting to look pretty creepy, though it definitely needs more work. And last, but definitely not least, I am making a zombie coming out of her grave out of a Runts tin (I didn't have any Altoids at home). It's completely silly and I love it. I plan to put magnets inside, or something like that. It's a good thing we have all of these supplies hanging around my workplace to help me in my crafting when I am on breaks and whatnot. =) I am also signed up for a Stuffies swap, and plan to make my swap partner a big squishy elephant (in the same style as the squishy sheep I did recently). I haven't decided whether to make him in elephant colors, or to go wild and make him purple or something. But that should be fun. Pictures to come, as soon as some of this stuff is finished.