Soup Swap, the swapping

The soup swap at work went off without a hitch! Everyone took turns choosing a soup to add to their pile until they were all gone. I got 5 great soups including pumpkin black bean, lentil, leak and potato, a Mexican posale, and sweet potato curry. Yum!! I gave out awards to the first soup picked and the last soup picked, a wooden spoon with a bag of candy attached.

Bartering!

I did a private swap with Jessica of Patisserie Jolie Bath Products. I sent her a pillowcase pinnie in this super-fun colore scheme chosen by her.And she sent me four of the most lovely soaps! I love handmade soap, I just can't get enough! She was so kind, I had only chosen 3 "flavors" but she was extra generous and sent me not only a fourth soap but also a pressed penny for my collection!Thank you so much to Jessica for the lovely trade!

Valentine Card Swap

Myspace Graphic Codes
Do you still like those little Valentine's that you used to get in grade school? I love them! So I am hosting a swap for them on Swap-Bot. Come join me, we'll be sending out Valentines to 10 "classmates" and getting that many back!

Myspace Christmas Graphics

Not my weekend

This has not been the best of weekends. It hasn't been the worst, for sure. Just annoying at best. On Saturday I slipped on the ice and hurt my ankle and my butt! Sunday I sneezed through a box of tissues, rubbing my nose and face raw in the process. Today I stayed home to recuperate from the achy-sniffly-sneezing-coughing and because it was too cold to start my car! Wind chills have been below zero here this weekend. Right now it's 14, wind chill is 5. And last week we had an ice storm that hasn't melted away yet and left LOTS of branches down around here! I got a few last-minute presents crafted up today but mostly I just slept and listened to Christmas music. Mike took me to the library to get some new reading material so that's what I'm up to tonight. I am thinking about doing on of these reading challenges I've been seeing online. I like the read your name one where you read books whose titles spell out your name. Or the Support You Local Library challenge. There are lots here. Not this weekend but last, we had our holiday party for my work. I made this dress a couple of years back for a wedding but it has spaghetti straps, not very winter-friendly. I ran out and bought 1/2 yard of velboa (on sale, 40% off) and made a quick shrug and I was set. (And I do mean quick, it was sewn into a tube, then one seam in the middle of one side to create the arm openings, so easy!)
Club Little House arrived but I haven't had time to document all the wonderful little littles! Everything was so dreamy, lovely packaging, lovely items, I loved it all!
And speaking of packages, our tree seems to be shrinking, the bottom has disappeared behind all the presents! I don't know if we just got each other large gifts or what but despite the recession, I think this is our most gifteriffic Christmas yet!

The Barter Bunch

I love to barter! Online or in "real life", I love exchanging goods and services for things that would normally cost me cold hard cash. I'd rather save that for mortgage payments and groceries. Strangely they won't accept my home made dog biscuits in exchange for a month's car insurance either. But maybe you will! I'd love to barter with you! If you do any of the crafts that I don't/can't and would like something that I do make, let me know! And I encourage you to sign for the Barter Bunch, and post a list on your own blog, complete with the Barter Bunch badge. Offer up some of your specialties in exchange for someone else's hand crafted lovelies. I'm open to swaportunities with a due date after Christmas.

What I Can Do:

*Sew-clothing, toys, handbags, I have lots of vintage patterns and a big fabric stash! Most recent projects include recycled wool sweaters into the cutest mittens, fancy dish gloves with oil cloth ruffle, pillowcase pinnies and black forest scoodies (of course!) Felt foods also a specialty.

*Quilt-free-motion quilting, foundation piecing, yo-yo's

*Knit-hats, shawls, scarves, can incorporate beads, NO SOCKS

*Crochet-yarn and thread, doilies, amigurimi, hats, scarves, bags, jewelry, play food

*Handmade dog collars/leashes

*Home baked dog treats in LOTS of flavors like peanut butter/banana, cinnamon cranberry, and sweet potato

*Cross stitch/embroidery

*Miniature polymer clay food (great for dollies or I can make jewelry out of it for you)


What I would like in return:

*Soap-cold process vegetarian soaps, fun colorful melt and pour soaps

*Other body products like lib balm, lotion, sugar scrub, etc. all vegetarian please

*Glass-lampwork beads, fused glass jewelry, blown glass, shiny and colorful!

*Ceramics/pottery, I love porcelain/ceramic jewelry and simple bowls/vases

*Knit socks

*Resin jewelry

*Scented candles- in tasty food smells like chocolate, cinnamon buns and sugar cookies

*Gooco/printed stationary and notecards

*Tatting

*Your own quilting (table runner, wall hanging, coasters, etc.) and aprons. I can't get enough!


How it works:

1. Post your own list of what you can make and what you would like in exchange on your blog.

2. Sign up via Mr. Linky, linking to THAT post so that we can find it easily.

3. Once you post your list, other bloggers can contact you and offer up barter proposals. You and that person arrange the swap terms including deadlines and monetary values.

4. To find others who make things you might want, you can check out each of the members who sign up via Mr. Linky.

5. No pressure, if someone offers you something you don't really need/want/have use for, politely turn them down or offer up a different idea for what you think would be a good barter.

Ornament quilt blocks

I joined a quilt block swap over at Quilting Fiesta for these adorable Christmas ornament blocks. The top two are mine (I had to make myself 2 since I was getting 7 in the mail and I want to do a 3x3 wall hanging). The others are from the other participants. Aren't they awesome? I'm just waiting for one more but I couldn't wait to show them off!

Talk about swaps

Rachel from Swap-Bot said some really nice things about the SwapDex and CorgiPants on the blog over there! How sweet is she?

I am expanding SwapDex to include interviews with swappers and swap hosts. If you are interested in being featured, just let me know! I am looking for a wide variety of swappers and hosts, I think it'll be a lot of fun!

Scrap Challenge completed!

I participated in the Scrap Challenge hosted by JCasa Handmade. We each sent in a scarp of fabric and got 10 smaller scraps back with which to create something and post to the flickr group. Here is what I made:

Just kidding! Those would be some crazy big earrings! They are two brooches made using this tutorial. (Except I hot glued mine into the backing instead of sewing it. I hate hand sewing!!)

You can see all the other participants' challenge pieces that have bee posted so far here at the flickr group.

Swap news and more swap news!

Hooray, I made it into one of Club Little House's juried spots this round! This is doubly good because I couldn't possibly purchase a spot on Friday when they went on sale-I was in the dog show ring! So it was either juried or nothing for me. Now to get to work on my little masterpieces!

In other swap news, I have organized a Swap-Bot swap for pressed pennies. If you like those hand-cranked souvenir squiches pennies then join me! We'll be sending 2 partners each one penny. I squished mine while we were up north! The picture is of some of my pennies in my "Penny Passport" which is a plastic binder made specifically for keeping pressed pennies.

In ever MORE swap news, sign up for the winter round of Lucy's Sassy Apron Swap before Monday and get your name in the drawing to win a copy of my Pillowcase Pinnie Pattern!

What a pigsty!

This is the messy state I have left my work table in tonight. I'm not done and it would just be a pain to clean it all up and then drag it all out again. Plus, what good is having my own studio/crafting space if I don't just let things sit once in a while? I do tend to like to clean up after myself but I'm just too busy and I have TOO MUCH stuff out! I've been working on these:

I'm calling them yo-settes. They're genuine rosette ribbons from my 4-H days, embellished with a yo-yo, all sorts of new and vintage trims and made into wearable brooch, albeit a little ostentatious. I will be adding them to the shop along with Christmas-themed and customizable monogrammed ones.

You might see some polymer clay on that table too. That's for a big secret and not one I'm sharing right now. It's for my project for Club Little House. I am attempting to create something to win one of the 12 jurried slots. I'm a little nervous but I am so, SO excited about finally realizing my idea! I've had this idea since the last round of Club Little House, but couldn't decide between this one and the chairs I showed you a couple weeks ago. I chose chairs because it was summer and the chairs are just so beachy and fun! But this time, I'm letting loose on this idea that has been in my head for over a YEAR! And I already had the supplies stored away!

Vintage Apron Swap arrived!

Another swap that I can check off as received by both my partner and I! Love it when the mail works like it's supposed to.

My partner, Apron Thrift Girl, got her package and loved it! Hooray! Here's her post about it.

And today mine came! This is such a unique apron! It's got pockets in front and back and can be closed up like a pouch with a drawstring! Perfect for gathering fruits and veggies, or for taking small items like clothespins or gardening gloves out to the backyard with you.

Along with the apron, she sent candy! And a cute little notebook and some lovely lace trim. Thanks so much for the lovely package!

Super Busy Making Make-Do

I have been busy busy working to get the very first edition of the Make-Do Mail ready! Today I finished up the last little bits and just need to print them out! Hooray! I hope you're all ready for Zucchini recipes and gingham!

I got my Summer Sassy Apron Swap. My partner was tied up for a bit taking care of her mum in Mexico so it was a bit delayed but it is awesome! And it came with a bag of lovely cherry candy, green tea towels and two new spatulas which I used last night to make zucchini cupcakes with old -fashioned caramel frosting! Yummy! Thanks so much to Danezka for the lovely package!
Oh, and what's that sneaking into the picture? No, not the prominently displayed zucchini. It's Mike's newest toy, the Kitchen-Aid mixer he just bought and promised to make me cookies with every friday from now until eternity because he bought it without consulting me! We have a perfectly good hand mixer (Hamilton Beach) and stand mixer (Sunbeam). Here's a better look at the new giant:
I have yet to use it but he did make some pretty tasty chocolate chip-molasses cookies last week!

New swap!

So, before and during the move I really tried to cut down on my swaps. I didn't do ANY for about a month. But now that the craft room is unpacked and I the dreary weather is ripe for crafting, I just couldn't pass up Yarn Miracle's Wee Tiny Sock Swap! I bought my knitting-at-work friend and I each one of these adorable sock blocker keychains for Christmas and I whipped one up last night. So cute! I can just imagine a few of these little devils on a wreath in the craft room!

Apronful post!

This is one post chock full of apron content! I finished this apron tonight. It's is from the Susan Branch pattern you can find free here!

I think the pattern is really simple but there is a ton of small seam binding and I'm not too fond of that stuff, especially trying to catch both layers of fabric while sewing in on! But the apron is really fun and really flattering for fuller figures!

In other apron news, I got my Valentine's mini aprons swap package! This was a swap held on the Mary Jane's Farm forum. All those little aprons, so cute!!

And in non-apron news, today's project besides the apron was to recover my garage sale find vintage Cosco step stool chair. It had yucky dark green vinyl that was ripped and taped back together. Is this fabric vintage or anywhere near the original? No. But it sure does go with my new laundry room color scheme!

Great mail awaits!

When we got back from our trip, not one but TWO great swap packages awaited me! (So sorry for the delay in posting, secret pal and swap partner, Mike and I are nursing colds but luckily I took yesertday and today off so I should be back to the swing of things tomorrow.)

First, my Fall Into Autumn Dishcloth swap package! Oh my goodness, when I first opened the box, it was stuffed FULL of candy! Better then going trick or treating, my booty was delivered to my door instead of the other way around!


Farther inside the box were all kinds of treats! Cotton yarn and more cotton yarn! Not one but TWO handmade washcloths! Mango-passion fruit soap and a sachet which is going in my car which smells a little musty (combo of wet dog and sweaty yoga mat). And the cutest ghost and bat stitch markers!


But wait, there's more! A mousepad calendar (never saw those before!), notepad and magnet, Halloween tattoos (definitely wearing one to work tomorrow), a dishcloth pattern book and a kit for making Halloween ornaments! Thank you so much secret pal! But to me, you are still secret. Unless I missed a note, I only know that your first initial is A and that you are from Atlanta. Please reveal yourself so I can thank you properly!


And from a swap on Swap-Bot, I got a darling clothespin doll all decked out in a dress and carrying a purse. And with her came a traveling case full of travel stickers, tags, beads and fun things!

5-A-Day Swap

garden's bounty
Originally uploaded by Corgipants

This weekend (Sunday night) is your last chance to sign up for the 5-A-Day Fruits and Veggies themed swap I am hosting over at Create A Connection. We'll be swapping (with one partner) at least once fruit or veggie themed item (preferably handmade) and at least one recipe featuring fruits and veggies. Come join us!

Club Little House arrived!

Club Little House arrived
Originally uploaded by Corgipants

I've posted pictures of each item I received over on my Flickr if you'd like to see. This picture is my own contribution, Adirondack chairs. And the knitting basket is from Maggie.

I wish I had room for my doll house here but I really have no place but the basement to put it. It's at my parents' farm, wasting away. I will have to devise some sort of shadow box to display my favorite little items so I can at least enjoy a few at a time.

Club Little House

I got my package today and WOW, I am blown away!! I set the stage at lunchtime when I came home for lunch and saw the box on the stoop. I went outside and picked a bouquet of Zinnias to set on the table. I poured myself a glass of lemonade. I spread out all my little packages on the table and one by one I relished them! Now I have each of them sitting on a metal tray on the dining table so I can walk by and enjoy them. I don't know which I like better, the adorable little rabbit made from pipecleaners, the cupboard complete with little craft books, the Christmas decorations! There are so many wonderful little lovelies to choose from and they're all mine! So I don't have to choose!

Cotton yarn!

I picked up yarn the other day for an up-coming swap. The Fall Into Autumn dishcloth exchange! Mark your calendar because registration opens September 1 and closes September 8!

No-swap swap doll

No-swap swap doll
Originally uploaded by Beastbunny

A testament to my last post, this is what I came up with for HopHopJingleBoo's No Swap Paper Doll Swap. Would I have ever decorated this pretty lady if Debra had not used the word Swap? Most definitely not. Call it a swap, even if nothing is swapped, and I feel motivated! I'm going to try this trick and call my closet-cleaning project the Super September Closet Extravaganza Swap! We'll see if it works.