These are ATCs I made for an online swap. If the idea of swapping anything appeals to you, they have everything from recipes to you name it, check out http://www.swapbot.com/. I am currently obsessed with it, I've done several email survey swaps, which is a lot of fun, but not for everybody; other people have jobs and kids and not as much time to fill as I! Aside from this ATC swap, I did a candy bar swap, see the Australian candy I got below, and am currently in swaps for kitty stuff, dollar store Easter stuff (love it! an excuse to go to the dollar store!!), potholders (right up my alley, see post of 3/19/09), and mono prints. So much fun! I love waiting for my swaps to come in the mail, I'm so much like a kid.

Now about the ATCs. They were for a movie quote themed swap, and I chose what I thought the recipients might like, based on their profiles. The Sabrina card features some gold paper from a Godiva shopping bag, moon and star shapes cut from Halloween themed fabric from Landa, a crescent moon print made from a wooden cutout plundered from a Halloween themed something (again from Landa), scraps of netting and fabric, and some gold paint. All free, free, totally free. Not really, I did at some point buy the paint and thread. So I'll say made for practically nothing.The recipient loved it, I included the bracelet below and some tiny pieces that I called imaginary maps made from dried paint peeled off an old palette (wish I had taken a pic) that she said she will frame!! How awesome to hear that about your work, and I use that word very sparingly, not thrown around at the drop of a hat like they do now!

The Mame card is a cheater, I printed a black and white illustration from the web then painted over it. It was fast, and I was on deadline. I like it as well, but have not heard from the recipient, she has limited Internet access and lives in Brazil, I think she must have gotten it by now, but has not had a chance to check in. For extras in her package, I sent some articles and illustrations from a beading magazine, and stickers for her kids. I want to earn hearts, you see. I love the feedback, and the good feeling that comes when what you share is appreciated....

I am so proud, I finally figured out how to make the pictures go where I want them. Woo-Hoo!!!

Lamp Shade ReMod

Neglecting the blog lately, are we? Yes, but I'm here to make up for it. Below is my lamp revamp. The shade was too short for reading in bed, the bulb glared out at me. I used some fake flowers and leaves (from Landa, my supply fairy) to make a skirt to lengthen the shade, then went wild with the flowers. Weird, I know, but what can I say? I like it, and it was free, free, totally free!!!!

Current project, and a cat litter tip

My latest projecy is directly from a Craftstylish tutorial:

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/39345/how-to-crochet-a-rug-out-of-t-shirts

I didn't have a crochet hook, so I'm doing it the way I used to make tailor tacks in the alteration shop, it's basically the same chain stitch done with your fingers instead of a hook. I made some mistakes in the beginning, particularly forgetting to stretch the strips before chaining, it makes a big difference. And it's another thing I can take on the bus with me...reading makes me sick! I plan to use multicolored tees, probably with random placement. The thing I love about this project is there is no perfection involved....it's very forgiving.

So here's the cat litter tip: For years, I have been using shredded newspaper instead of litter. It works so well for me - it's free, the odor problem is much diminished, and I don't have the dreaded litter tracked all over my carpet. I had real problems with getting the litter out of the carpet, and even a covered box didn't help. I'm sure it's better on the recycling front than cat litter, as well.....

American Craft Guide

I fell in love with this place...it is a true time suck, but lots of interesting conversations and information. Plus, you can win stuff!!! Check it out:
http://americancraftguide.ning.com/