Mail Call

I LOVE mail days like this!
When there is this much good news, I don't mind the bills so much. :-)
Look at all the goodies just waiting for me to unwrap.

Bookmarks

I am trying my hand at making bookmarks and am having a lot of fun. I was inspired by a bookmark swap at Swap-Bot. Now I need to make some for me!







How do you like these bookmarks?
Do you make bookmarks as gifts or for yourself?


I usually use the subscription inserts in magazines for bookmarks. I pull these nuisances out before I read my magazine as I hate the way they make the page flip and bend. They have come in handy for page markers though. :-)

Chilca, Peru

One of my favorite adventures on my recent trip to Peru was the mud bath in Chilca. The black mud is beneficial for the body and the white mud for the face. I am not a believer in miracle cures (apart from God's healing power), but I will tell you my skin was so soft and smooth! And my face looked healthy and deep down clean. The lakes are mineral lakes, deep green in color and so full of salts and other minerals that you float in the water.
The water was warm as a soothing bath and because I just floated right on top it was tranquilizing, peaceful and refreshing.
I could float here ALL day!
I wish someone could make a bed that makes you feel this weightless and comfortable.

Tea Swaps

Tea swaps are definitely a favorite! The turn-around is fast, the swappers all seem to follow-through and I get a great variety of teas to try.

Pick 3 Swap

I had a mother/daughter duo for this swap, so instead of mailing them something to share, I mailed them each a little package. It was fun! Having 4 daughters of my own I know how much girls love packages! Even grown up girls like me love packages.

Handmade Bag Swap

I knitted and felted this gorgeous bag. It has long been one of the favorite bags I have made.
This bag has been sent to Britta in Denmark and she loves it!
Included were a few little goodies based on her Swap-Bot profile.
This was for the SEW KNIT CROCHET FELT QUILT EMBELLISH TOTE Swap on Swap-Bot.

Anything You Can Do Swap

This was my gift from the Anything You Can Do swap at Swap-Bot. It is a lovely package filled with several bars of homemade soap.

Knitted Bags I am Working On

These are bags/purses/totes I am currently working on.
The first bag is knitted and will be felted. It will be a clutch style as it has built in handles. I love the touch of novelty yarn in the center.
The next two are felted, I need to add a handle and maybe a lining with a pocket.
Adding lining to these bags is such a drag! I can't just sew through all the layers with a machine, I have to hand sew the top and hand tack the bottom. And it takes a lot of measuring, sewing, cutting, and re-sewing to get the lining to lay right.
I didn't knit handles for any of these bags as I thought I would add something unique like beaded handles or bamboo, but nothing looks right.
This orange bag is ADORABLE! It is already felted PLUS I added dry needle felting with the cute circle/dots. It also needs a handle and lining. I ordered some handles for it, but when they arrived they were way too big. I can envision what I want, but finding the supplies is a whole 'nother matter.
The colors on the sixth bag are gorgeous with deep blue and shades of brown.
The last bag is a purse with a ruffled top edge. I think the ruffle will look cute once felted. I'm curious to see how the two colors together in the body of the bag will look.

Flat Goodies Swap

Look at all this wonderful stuff I got in the mail. She just stuffed this envelope full of wonderful things like tissue paper, an address book, stickers, a magnet unique pictures, a coaster, some ribbon, scrapbooking embellishments and even tea.
I just adore packages like this.
THANK YOU!!!

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.