I adore the STS swaps! What's even better than the STS swaps? Well, a Secret Santa swap with the STSers...of course. This year, I was given the task of doing some non-creepy stalking to find out what I should make for my partner, AS. Here are the crafty bits I came up with:
1. Mine for Life Shrug made with this pattern (27/50)
2. Carryall Bag (28/50)
3. Sewing-themed Noisy Bangle (29/50)
4. Knitting Pendant with Chain (30/50)
5. Dyed Yarns - "You're Making Me Blush!" and "The New Frontier" (31/50)
6. Log Cabin Style Pincushion - based off ones made by AM (32/50)
7. Wee Critter That Crochets (33/50)
8. Fabric Hoop Art (34/50)
Are not my forte. In fact, I get super cranky and foul-mouthed when working with beads. Having said that, I was inspired to give beading another shot because my mama was working on beaded goodies for a craft fair.
I saw some pretty ornaments made by KL in the STS swap and I wanted to figure out how they are made. Since I'm not a beader, I'm not sure if I did them right...but they look pretty darn like the ones that KL made! After making a few of these, I quit because, erm, they're tedious...and really, the fun bit was trying to figure out how they were constructed. I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't intending to decorate a Christmas tree with these ornaments (25/50)!
The other beaded project I worked on was a crystal bracelet (26/50). Okay, it's more of a joint project between my mama and myself (i.e. I designed the combination and she did the stringing bit)! 
For someone who was flaked on.
One of the joys of swapping, is the nervous anticipation of finding out if your swap partner likes everything that you worked on. It must be awful, never to know if your crafted goods were well-received. Hopefully, AGS will like the stuff I've made for her! It's a rather odd assortment of items, but everything is based on her wists.
Handspun Yarn
Yarn Dyeing Kit
Earrings
Button Rings
Button Pendant
Sleep Mask 
Eye Pincushion
Matchboxes of Whimsies (oh, some buttons and so much more!)
Made for my swap partner, who loves all things pink and cupcakes! The little cupcake charms are made with shrinky dinks (drawn with Sharpies).
Two pairs of earrings and some stitch markers! I've gotta get back to crafting!
I've been blessed...again. Last week, I received another surprise package in the mail. This time round, from my friend CD. CD's forte is embroidery, but she also dabbles in other crafts. You'd never guess that the little box which houses a pincushion is just ordinary paper stained with food dyes. The little charms on that bracelet are items which are I love :) Each item was crafted with love and care, and that's priceless.
Along with the usual goodies in June's installment of Care-Packages-From-Mama, I found these pretties in the box!!! Woo! My mama's gettin' good at this :)
These purchases are from the STS2 swap! Whee!
Tree Of Life Pendant:
Taggy Blankie:
Aqua Hand-dyed Merino Yarn:
Atlantic Batt:
Sunrise Batt:
Things have been crazy, but somehow, I found time to restock my Swap Shop.
A mysterious envelope arrived in yesterday's mail. It was from my mama. This is what I found in the envelope!!!
Unbelievable. I've been bugging my mama to take up a hobby. Nothing seemed to stick. Crochet? Nope. Quilting? Nope. Knitting? Hell no! Sometime in early Spring, I sent her a book on jewelry-making techniques, a set of tools, some beads and stuff. There you have it. I think she has found something she enjoys! Here's a happy coincidence. As I was about to toss out the envelope, I noticed that the 2 cent stamps depict Navajo jewelry!!! I'll take that as a good omen! 
So far in Round Two, I've purchased two sets of beaded pendants from the talented KL. Well, I don't have a clue as to what I'll make with them, but I think they're gorgeous!
This weekend, I had a blast making pasties for my swap partner (who happens to be a pasties virgin). Her requests were pretty simple. She likes stars, and she's sorta curious about feathers. Voila! Glass beads and sequins for the star pasties (OMG, they were a pain to work on) and marabou feathers with slivers of shiny acrylic for the feathery pasties! I hope she has fun with them! 
My purchases from various shopkeepers finally arrived! Whoo hoo! The earrings will be sent to a dear friend in Canada, and the bib set will be part of a gift basket for a buddy who's expecting her first child. As for the stuffie...erm. It was meant for my niece, but I've been told that it's not baby-safe. Oy.
