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.

I have been looking at my Amanda doll, and feeling sad that she had no eyebrows, and so, even though previous attempts at given her eyebrows had been an utter failure...I determined to try again. As it turns out, the trick to getting them to look halfway decent was not to try and stitch all the way through the knitting, but instead make nice small stitches, just through the topmost layer of the yarn. Only, now I am looking at her face and thinking she needs a nose, or something, but I'm not sure how I should make it. I might also fix her mouth.

I made these for the July 2006 Birthday Swap on Craftster. Basically, if your birthday is in July, you could post a list of things you would like other people to make for you, and some basic information about your likes and dislikes, and then people would volunteer to craft for you. The person I chose listed fingerless mittens as something she would like to receive, and said that her favorite colors were purple and "peacock" colors. I love making fingerless mittens, and this seemed like a good opportunity to use up some yarn that I happened to have. I am really happy with the way they turned out, and as it happens, have enough yarn that I could make another pair in this colorway, either for myself, or someone else. =)

I picked up Lily Pond Dreams from the frame shop this morning, and it looks fantastic. I love it, and I hope ionia_dreaming will love it, too. I can't wait for extra_joker and I to see her so we can give it to her. The two of us worked very hard on this. design by Black Swan Designs Changed fabric color to a hand-dyed grey/slate evenweave, which I think looks really pretty with this design. Made minor alterations to the skin color and shape of the face. Changed ball shaped flowers on either side to irises and added greenery. I am particularly pleased with the way this turned out, even though it was a pain in the butt. Next time I decide to re-chart something, I am going to try not to double the amount of stitching needed.

Leave it to me to sign up to make someone a pair of fingerless mittens during a heatwave. Go me! Anyway, here are some art shots of the yarn I am using, 'cause it's pretty. God it's hot, and the last thing on earth that I want to do right now is knit with wool. Blah.

I received the best package ever for the I Love Ewe swap.

 This is all the stuff. A cute bag with a felt sheep on it (which has pockets and things for knitting needles or whatever. A little pouch with a sheep needle felted onto it. And a sculpy covered tin with a sheep on it. 

 Closeup of the needle felted sheep. She was hard to take a picture of, so you will have to trust me that she is even cuter than this picture suggests.

 Closeup of the top of the tin. Yes. It is a zombie sheep. This is just about the most awesome thing ever. I love it. Zombie sheep. Baaaaaaaaa.

 Inside the tin is some little knitting supplies: measuring tape, scissors, row counter, tape measure, and stitch markers made with felted beads. Cute, no? My partner is the bomb, yo. Seriously, this was an awesome package. Yay!

Look at me, finishing stuff all over the place. Heh. Okay, so I got it into my head that it would be funny to make Dresden Dolls dolls...adapting the rock star pattern from SnB Nation. So, I started with Amanda: Only, I am not entirely happy with the way she turned out, so I don't know that I will make Brian. Maybe I'll do them both out of felt.

Another item for the sheep swap: Sheep notecards. I was going to write silly things on them like, "Have a Be-EWE-tiful Day!" but then that was too corny, even for me.

I finished my first sock! Woo! and also Hoo! Pretty spiffy, eh? Now I just have to see if I remember how to do the toe part, so I can start on its mate.

So...some of you may know that I am working on a swap on Craftster which is sheep themed. The send out date isn't for 2 weeks, but I feel the need to share the cute sheep things now. First up, we have an assortment of hair thingies: The thing on the left is a headband...it looks kind of silly without a head to put it on, but at least you can see the cute sheep fabric. The hair clips were made with sheep shaped buttons, and I really like them. In fact, I made some for myself. Here I am, modeling one of the sheep clips. I am wearing them today to test how well they hold up. Cause if the sheep fall off halfway through the day, I will not, in fact, be sending them to my swap partner...unless I can figure out a better way to attach them. But I am hopeful that they will be okay. I have already opened and closed the clip several times, trying to get it in my hair, and it seems to be okay so far. And finally, at least for now, here is my sheep shaped pillow: This is my new favorite thing that I have ever made. It's sewn with fleece, so it's very soft, and extra squishy, and damned cute (if I do say so myself). I almost hate to send it to my pal....but I have enough fleece to make a second one for me. =)