Slacker Swap

These two items I sent to JeweledClaws for the Slacker Swap at swap-bot.com.
The object of the swap was, "THIS SWAP IS FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SWAP BUT DON'T HAVE GOOD RATINGS...
HERES THE DEAL... EACH PERSON WILL HAVE 2 PARTNERS, IN CASE ONE FLAKES OFF.
YOU WILL SEND 2 HOMEMADE ITEMS TO EACH OF YOUR 2 PARTNERS.
NO THEME, WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU DO, DO IT.
MAYBE YOU CAN GET YOUR RATINGS BACK UP, EH?"

I was compelled to send 2 special items after reading her profile at Swap-Bot. She had struggled to keep up with her swaps and was so sweet about trying to make everything right.
The other funny thing is she has the same birthday as my oldest daughter, how cute is that!
And when I read that she liked altered clothing I knew I wanted to throw in one of my embellished jackets.
I hope her package gives her a measure of joy!

My First ATC

Look! I made my very first ATC. Please tell me what you think of it.
I titled it "Definition of a Friend."

Winter Scarf Knit Kit Swap

This is the package I sent to my Swap-Bot partner in the Winter Scarf Knit Kit Swap. Surprisingly she lives in the same state as I do!

The object of the swap was, "Brrrrr! It's cold outside! It's a great time to relax with a cup of cocoa or coffee and knit a scarf!
PLEASE read through the rules of the swap before signing up! :) DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO SEND YOUR PACKAGE!!!!!!!!
Participants in this swap will exchange a Winter Scarf Knit Kit containing:
Hot drink mix (at least 2 servings)- Coffee, cocoa, tea, hot cider mix, etc.
A mug
A scarf pattern
Knitting needles to use for the project
Enough yarn to complete the scarf pattern
Minimum kit value is $20
You can give your Knit Kit a winter theme, or any theme of choice...Valentine's Day, a yarn theme...whatever you like! Get creative, and have fun! Decorate a box according to your theme. Make a handmade note card to accompany the kit. Whatever you want to do! The goal is to give your partner a warm fuzzy evening of knitting, and a warm scarf to enjoy afterwards!! "

It was loads of fun picking all this out for someone. I found a beautiful mug the exact shade of Robin's Egg Blue at Target and loved the size, probably 12-14 oz. My partner loves tea so I shared with her one of my favorites, darjeeling.
The needles are from a company called Bryspun and they are supposed to soften and become flexible in your hands as you use them.
I sent her two scarf patterns. One is called the Potato Chip scarf and I got it from
the free patterns section at Knit Picks.
The other was a free scarf pattern at Lion Brand using Fun Fur yarn.
However, I sent her a luxurious yarn called Fizz in a dusky purple, pictured on the left.
Fizz has longer strands than Fun Fur and has a silkier feel.
I also sent a unique imported yarn, the brand is Baer and the style name is Franca. It is a blend of red and black and it looks like it would make a cute fashion scarf. I pictured it in the Potato Chip Scarf style pictured below.

More Swap goodies and ATCs

Have you heard 0f ATCs? They are Artist Trading Cards and are basically a small canvas for many styles of art. I've seen them stamped, collage, drawn, painted, 3-D, quilted, fabric and computer generated. Each is unique and most artists only create one design. An Artist may create a series or a number of cards that are similar. The one photographed above says on the back that it is #3 of 5. One requirement of the cards is that they measure 2.5" x 3.5".
The cards are frequently traded or swapped and not for sale.
You can find more information at these links:
Stampington & Company
ATC Trading Card Forum and Community
Wikipedia on Artist Trading Cards
ARTIST TRADING CARDS: A COLLABORATIVE CULTURAL PERFORMANCE

These two pictures are of ATCs that I received in the mail from Swap partners. It inspired me to try my hand at ATCs and I made a few tonight. I will post them later this week.


The cool thing about swapping is even the envelopes are fun! Look at these unique ones featuring stars and another with Mickey.


And you never know just what little treasure awaits in the mailbox. This is a tiny notebook. I don't know if my swap partner assembled it or not. I will be passing it on to the little girl we sponsor who lives in San Salvador.

Quilt for my Sweeties!

My Yellow Brick Road Quilt
This pattern uses fat quarters and is very easy to rotary cut and assemble. I believe it used 8-12 FQs for the throw size. It is bigger than a crib size and smaller than a twin.
I made this for my darling son and his delightful fiance for their wedding shower. It was fun to pick out the different fat quarters with them in mind and their likes. Notice the tea set, she loves tea. My son likes deep teal green so I tried to incorporate that as well.

Jean Jackets

These are a work of art for me. It is strange, but the jackets almost speak to me to tell me what color and style of embellishment I should add. I have a couple more jackets at the store now that are a bit different than these in this album. Next time I work I will get pictures and add them to this album.
My neices get a new embellished jacket every year for their birthday and they always get compliments on their jackets.
I have several for sale at a local gift shop called Ramshackled Treasures.
I did make some adult and juniors jackets, however, they haven't sold as well.
The baby, toddler, and preschool sizes are by far the most popular.

My Embellished Jean Jackets

My darling girl turned two and these are pictures of her at her various birthday celebrations.

She had her favorite breakfast, a bagel with cream cheese.





Yummy chocolate cake!

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.

Take this quiz!



Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

I love merino wool, it is so soft!!! Many wools are itchy, but this is almost like cashmere.

Purse Swap

This is the purse I received from my Purse Swap partner. Isn't it pretty!?!
I gravitate towards purses that are a little more like a tote bag, which this one is. It also has an inside pocket and a divider, which I alos like. It is a beautiful golden brown leather and I like the design cut into the front. Here is the odd thing, I don't think I would have bought this purse for myself, yet I love it, love it, love it!
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This is the purse I sent to my swap partner in Canada. It is a really fun bag that is a scak style. I have one just like it, but in purple, of course. I have a collection of vintage scarves and thought the one above accented this purse and looked adorable. There are some smaller flowers along the edge that is nearly exactly the color of the purse.
When I bought this bag I saw the adorable make-up case and couldn't resist adding it to the package.
My SWAP partner is in college so I thought this would be handy for her as she can fit a notebook and probably even a textbook in this purse. I hope she likes it.

Swap-Bot

Have any of you tried http://www.swap-bot.com yet?
It is a swapping forum set up for crafters mostly, however, there have also been swaps for books, magazine articles, photographs and gift swaps.
I love this concept! It reminds me of the secret sister concept and apenpal all in one.
My favorite part of swapping is getting special mail that is not junk and not a bill. :-)
If you are a crafter I recommend you check this out!!

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Lapbooks in Your flat travels and homeschool!

Hands of a Child Lapbook Learning resources

If you have not tried utilizing lapbooks in your homeschool, I strongly suggest you check out the company Hands of a Child. Lapbooks are a great alternative to reports, tests, textbooks, etc. In the process of completing this hands-on project your child will learn vocabulary words, history and/or science, anatomy, dates, reading comprehension and SO much more. You will find a huge variety of topics and they seem to release new titles weekly, sometimes 2 or 3 new subjects. If you have been wanting to experiemnt with a thematic or unit study I can't think of a better resource than a lapbook and Hands of A Child.
On top of the great projects you can complete you will find a tremendous support system in their Hands of a Child Yahoo Group, their blog and at their chats.

1-04-07	9pm	Let it Snow	Kimm and Katie
1-11-07	2pm	Weather	Kimm and Niki
1-18-07	9pm	Ground Hog's Day	Katie and Niki
1-25-07	2pm	Q &A Session	Kimm and Katie
2-1-07	9pm	Valentine's Day	Kimm and Niki
2-8-07	2pm	Homeschool & Organization	Katie and Niki
2-15-07	9pm	Pirates	Kimm and Katie
2-22-07	2pm	Homeschooling	Kimm and Niki
3-1-07	9pm	Saint Patrick's Day	Katie and Niki
3-8-07	2pm	Iditarod	Kimm and Katie
3-15-07	9pm	Easter	Kimm and Niki
3-22-07	2pm	Who is Jesus	Katie and Niki
3-29-07	9pm	Q &A Session	Kimm and Katie
4-5-07	NO CHAT	NO CHAT	NO CHAT
4-12-07	2pm	Pioneers	Kimm and Niki
4-19-07	9pm	Homeschool & Organization	Katie and Niki
4-26-07	2pm	Mount Everest	Kimm and Katie
5-3-07	9pm	Homeschooling	Kimm and Niki

Please tell them cherylroni@gmail.com sent you to Hands of a Child!

Our Honeybee Lapbook

We had a delightful time visiting our local honey farm. The next day we started a lapbook to record thigs we learned and to make a colorful reminder of our field trip.

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