Stationery Swap Partners

Thank you to everyone that signed up for the Super Stationery Swap

Here are your swap partners and a little reminder of the guidelines.

Tracy (me) and Louise (Welsh Dreams Now Reality)

Debi (Busy Little Chicken) and Laura (Beads, Buttons & Birds)

Barbara  and Joy (Daisy Row)

Debbie (Fairy Bluebell's Craft Adventure) and Linny (email)

Melanie (The Patchwork Robin) and Tracy (Sunny Corner Farm)

Ellie (Feltabulous) and Amanda (Graham's Landing)

Tracy (Me) and Maria

Kimberley and Glenda (email)

Contact your swap partner, get to know each, read each others blogs and generally be nosy!!

Make, Buy, Thrift, Upcycle, Recycle, use your own stash 

and put together a parcel of 

5 stationery items, 

plus one handmade item. 

(It doesn't have to be handmade by you but it's kind of nice too add a little something that you made)

Parcels need to be posted out by Thursday 24th March

(before would be great as it would be nice to receive some goodies in time for Easter)

Please feel free to share the swap on your blog/instagram page using #superstationeryswap. I will also add a links doodah to my swap posts after the 24th.

Happy swapping and any problems just let me know.

Thursday Treasures, Friday Finds and Recent Makes

My Thursday Treasures this week, 

a brand new leather wallet for £2 

more pictures frames (I haven't photographed the ones I picked up in the afternoon so there is only this one from my morning shop)

a lovely big bowl to brighten up my kitchen

and some Mr Men books to add to my growing collection!

In the afternoon I also picked up a book for Tomas for our bedtime read and another copy of Peepo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg I love this book, the rhyming words and the illustrations, it's has been a favourite of ours since our big ones were small and my copy is a little bruised and battered so I was pleased to pick up an almost new version. (not photo as it's still in my car - not sure why?)

At the beginning of last week week I posted out these two bags as parts of dips that I'd sold on Vintage Bazaar over on Facebook. 

The pink heart one was an UFO which had been sitting forlornly in a pile of UFO's when I suddenly decided that pink gingham lining and red polka dot handles were just the things it needed to make it beautiful.

And this hedgehog bag was ready and waiting to find it's forever home

This week I made another version of my heart bunting cushion, this time using up the last pieces of the owl fabrics that I had left over from making this bag. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out and I have also managed to squeeze out three more cushions from the fabric too. These aren't quite finished as I ran out of stuffing but hopefully they should be finished next week.

Talking of bags I have finally got around to making a start on upcycling this woven basket that I picked up from a charity shop trip ages and ages ago. The top rim is a little damaged so I thought I would repair it by chain stitching all the way around the top two rows with green yarn and adding lots of flowers to the rim. After working out how to do this by reading some tutorials about crocheting around polystyrene wreaths I now just need to make some crochet daisies and add the pretty daisy fabric as lining. The crochet daisies are proving trickier than I thought, especially as I'm watching a video on how to make them in a foreign language with no subtitles!! 

My Friday finds; I haven't bought any magazines in well over a year as I tend to use Pinterest and google to search for patterns and ideas but I couldn't resist these ones today, the creative pastimes was actually for Tomas as it has some brilliant dot to dot pictures and mazes in. He has already completed one 370 dot to dot picture and tried out a few of the other activities too.

Both the sewing magazines came with lots of patterns and ideas. I really wanted to look inside the magazines before buying them as you are never really sure what you are getting when they are in these packs but I'm not sure if you should open them or not. Do you have a peek or do you take a chance like I did today?

I think I was lucky this time as there were lots of really good ideas and patterns in both magazines and I found the perfect pattern to make a bag using these fabrics. Just needs a few tweaks!

Finally I've been trying to have a tidy up in my sewing room and I thought I would share a quick photo of my swap treasures shelf. Please excuse the messy piles on my cutting table there is still some work to do.

 I have realised I still haven't shown you all the photos of my sewing room revamp so I must dig those out over the next few days and share them with you. Don't all my swap treasures look fabulous, I do love that fact that i can now have them out on show and enjoy them everyday.

Easter Swap

Kimberley over at Creative Chaos

is hosting an

Easter Swap

It's a quick one has we don't have much time before the Easter holidays.

Pop over to her blog to sign up before the 28th February.

Super Stationery Swap

Happy Saturday everyone, we are feeling a bit sorry for ourselves this morning, sore throats and tickly coughs have come to visit, so a duvet day is in order and I seem to have welded myself to the computer and I'm refusing to move unless it's an emergency. People are being fed and watered as the need arises but this is a day to do as little as possible.

Whilst sitting at the computer drinking my seventh cup of tea, I told you it's one of those days, I've been trying to think of some new swap ideas, something nice and easy as I know we all have lots of projects on the go and other commitments.

So.........how about a 

Stationery Swap.

EDITED - we're having a stationery swap and not a stationary swap!!!!

I know we all love "happy post", "snail mail" anything as long as it's not a bill.

It would seem that lots of you love to decorate your parcels/letters etc with stickers, labels and what not. 

So who would love to receive some stationery pretties through the door?

Yes, okay then here are the guidelines.

Sign Up to the Stationery Swap by Sunday 28th February by leaving a comment below

Partners will be announced on my blog on Monday 29th February

Parcels need to be posted out by Thursday 24th March

(before would be great as it would be nice to receive some goodies in time for Easter)

This is a worldwide swap, please let me know if you are happy to post worldwide or your own country only. I will do my best to accommodate everyone but it will depend on numbers.

You don't have to have a blog to take part but I will need an email address from those who don't blog.

Please feel free to share the swap on your blog/instagram page using #superstationeryswap.

Contact your swap partner, get to know each, read each others blogs and generally be nosy!!

And now for the best bits........

Make, Buy, Thrift, Upcycle, Recycle, use your own stash 

and put together a parcel of 

5 stationery items, 

plus one handmade item. 

(It doesn't have to be handmade by you but it's kind of nice too add a little something that you made)

Some Ideas

pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, paper clips, sticky notes, note books, paper, journals, envelopes and cards, embellishments, stickers, washi tape, scissors, punches, stamps, diaries etc

The handmade item could be a book mark, a notebook cover, a notebook, paper, envelopes, a pencil case or pouch etc

Okay I think that's everything, if I've forgotten anything please let me know.

Please feel free to use the stationery swap image on your blogs and #superstationeryswap on instagram.

Let's get swapping!!

xxxx

A Swap Catch Up - StitchingSanta Secret Santa Swap

Back in October last year I signed up for a Secret Santa Swap organised by Sheila over at Sewchet

The idea being that you spend a maximum of £10 of crafting goodies on your secret santa based on their choice of either sewing or crochet/knitting. You could add as many thrifted, gifted or handmade bits as you liked.

My secret santa was Leah over at Faith's Crafts Box and her craft choice was crochet/knitting.

and here is what I put together for her.

My knitting isn't up to this standard and with two girls I thought that Leah might be able to put the pattern and the yarn to good use.

I had two copies of this Cross Stitcher magazine and although technically not knitting or crochet I did see that Leah liked to cross stitch and she likes vintage style so it seemed an ideal way to recycle my extra copy.

I picked this book up on one of my charity shop trips and I saw that Leah likes to read so I thought it would be a lovely book to enjoy over the Christmas holidays.

During my reading stalking of Leah's blog I also saw that she liked candles, so I added this one to her parcel, it smelt wonderfully christmassy. I had these candle holders in my gifts box for a while (does anyone else buy things as they go through out the year thinking they will be idea for swaps etc) and it casts a lovely shadowy light when the candle is lit. 

I picked up these vintage card tags from my WI trade table and the pink metal bird hanger was also from my gifts stash.

I initially bought these to do a lavender inspired giveaway but when I read that Leah liked lavender I knew I needed to add them her parcel.

And a notebook which I know Leah has been using to keep track of all her wonderful makes this year as well as things that have made her smile. It will be wonderful to look back on at the end of the year.

I also bought some stitch markers and a knitting needle holder but i can't seem to find a photo of them, but they match the project bucket bag that I made for leah in this lovely bright flower fabric.

My secret santa sender was Jo over at Through The Keyhole

you can read all about Jo's #stitchingsanta here.

I chose knitting/crochet and this is what Jo sent me.

Some gorgeous mint green Bluefaced Leicester Aran wool

Some pretty pastel Drops cotton yarn

I crochet mini makes books, there are some wonderful patterns that i'm itching to try from this book.

I've never heard or tried teapots before but they were delicious and i certainly did enjoy them whilst opening my gifts.

Along with these tasty chocolates.

Some wooden buttons and pretty lace trim.

Some very cute mini knitted christmas stockings

Some stitch markers and handmade hand charms.

And Jo obviously had a good look through my blog and realised that I do indeed love foxes so I was over the moon to see this fellow in my parcel.

Finally Jo made me this gorgeous scarf

which even prompted a selfie to be taken ( when I say "a" selfie what I really mean is that I stood there for what seemed like an hour trying to get a half decent photo of myself wearing her beautiful scarf without me either looking in the wrong direction, looking vacant or looking ever so slightly mad!)

Thank you Jo for all my wonderful #stitchingsanta gifts and thank you to Sheila for organising the swap.

Here are all my gifts altogether 

Oh and I nearly forgot Jo also made this very cute robin cross stitch card.

Here is the collage that I posted on Instagram using the #stitchingsanta tag.

(Cue another selfie!!!)

A Swap Catch Up - Santa Sack Swap

 The next few posts are all about my Christmas Swaps that I didn't get around to sharing the time.

Santa Sack Swap 

This swap is a big swap as it begins in the summer with everyone signing up and being paired off by Cheryll from Gone Stitchin

It's quite a big commitment as you need to make either a christmas sack, stocking or bag and 5 gifts for your partner.

This is the second year that I have taken part and this time I was partnered with Melanie from The Patchwork Robin.

Here are all the wonderful gifts that Melanie sent me. 

My very own Santa Sack

I couldn't wait to open my sack and see what was inside

beautifully wrapped parcels

How cute is this little fellow.

A robin and heart hanger

A beautifully embroidered sewing case

look at all those lovely neat stitches

and inside, tissues, pins

and some new scissors

Downton Abbey fabric, the colours are wonderfully rich on these fabrics.

A wise and pretty owl to help keep my cutting table tidy!

Some gifts to help my inner (very well hidden) domestic goddess.

Far to pretty for my cooking so hung by the oven to add some festive cheer.

a fab festive snowman cake card

and lots of christmassy ribbons to add to my stash.

Here are all my gifts together

and to collage I posted on instagram at the time.

I have already thanked Melanie for all my gifts but I just wanted to say thank you for being a super swap partner and I promise no robins in the Send your Country Swap as we are partners again!!!

Here is what I made and sent to Melanie. 

Does anyone else's crafting kind of evolve. I do find I start off with an idea then it sort of runs this way and that until I end up with the finished project which wasn't entirely what I was thinking off in the first place!! I'm not sure that sentence makes sense but basically this is what I eventually made....

I wanted to use the christmas robin fabric scraps that I had to make a sack but because I only had small pieces I decided to make a hexagons which eventually turned into a fabric panel for the front of this hessian sack.

I didn't want any of the robin fabric to go to waste so I made a tiny hexagon flower and turned it into a hanging tag for the sack. Not what I had initially set out to make but a much nicer end product.

This wreath was really simple to make and Mr Mad About Bags initially thought it was for our home but I sadly had to tell him "sorry no, its for Melanie"!! I didn't make the robin but swapped my sewing talents for someone else felting talents to get this little fellow. I did crochet the holly and tie the ribbon though!

I found the perfect robin themed cross stitch alphabet on eBay and teamed it with another cross alphabet I had to create this patchwork cushion using my christmas fabric scraps. I was really pleased with how this cushion turned out and was tempted to change my blog name to The Patchwork Robin and keep it (sorry Melanie it very nearly didn't make it into the sack).

 I forgot to photograph everything else but luckily Melanie posted a photo on her blog.

As you can see lots of robin themed goodies 

This is a brilliant swap, and although its a big commitment with quite a few makes its so rewarding both in the sending and the receiving. Keep yours eyes peeled for the sign up over on Cheryll's blog on June 1st.