Last night, I had the urge to draw and colour. Yes, I love to colour. Ain't nothing wrong with a little colour therapy! At the end of the evening, I finished two sets of shrinky dinks charms!
First up, we have 'Lab Geek Charms: Glassware Silhouettes'!!! There you have it. I'm a lab geek, and I'm darn proud of it!
Can you identify all the common laboratory glassware? The answers are at the bottom of this post :)
Next, we have 'Forest Critters: Hedgehogs and Mushrooms'. I've been obsessed with hedgehogs lately. They're dreary looking critters, and I needed more colour. Hence the mushrooms!
I felt much better after playing with my Crayolas! Oh, and here are the names for the laboratory glassware (clockwise):
1. Test Tube
2. Flat Bottom Flask
3. Erlenmeyer Flask (Conical Flask)
4. Funnel
5. Round Bottom Flask (Erlenmeyer Bulb)
6. Graduated Cylinder
7. Beaker
It's official. I have run out of excuses for not making a quilt. These pretties were bought pre-cut and ready to be worked on! I'll probably start with the 1930s reproduction squares, and when I'm feeling more confident, I'll work on the second set of squares *sigh* All I gotta do is figure out how to piece everything together! I wonder how long it'll take me to do that?!?
I took on the assignment of sewing a bifold wallet for a gal in Portugal. For special reasons. The pattern for this wallet may be found here. It didn't turn out too bad, I reckon! Time for show and tell!
Exterior, Front:
Exterior, Back:
Interior:
Lined Wallet Compartment:
Of course, a swap package from my craftroom wouldn't be complete without the addition of FQs! I included a vintage FQ, a Japanese FQ and several Hello Kitty items. 
I hope the package makes it to Portugal...soon.
CC and I decided to take a break from crafting. Hence, this is a 'strictly fabric' swap. She suggested a spring theme of yellows, pinks, and greens and I was happy to go along with that!
Goodgrief. What a weekend! I signed up for Craftster's "Shop the Swap" swap and had to come up with five items for my little Craftster shop. Oy vey. After watching numerous DVDs (to keep me awake as I craft) and drinking mucho cups of espresso, I'm done!! Here's a quick recap:
1. Blueprint Notecards and Envelopes
Back in July 2006, I made my first batch of blueprint envelopes and packaged them into a letter set for my friend, CD. After playing around with scraps of paper all weekend, I've tweaked the original design and they're now little notecards!
2. Everyday Wristlet
Nothing glamourous, nothing fancy. Just a simple wristlet that is tough enough for everyday use. I love this fabric! As usual, I winged it. Not a pattern in sight (Translation: I won't be able to recreate it). The multi-coloured dots are anchored by the brown background. It would complement any outfit! 
3. Patchwork Zipper Pouch
After trying several possible configurations on paper, I fell in love with this one! It's my first pieced patchwork in ages. The colours look kinda bright, but I love it. I think I'm just about ready to start working on my lap quilt!!
4. Lined Drawstring Bag
Yes, I'm kinda fussy when it comes to totes, purses, bags, pouches, and what have you. If I make them, I like to line them. It's much neater, and it'll eliminate the annoying bits of thread and fluff. Rant over. I used my well-loved Pucca drawstring bag (which was not lined...oh, the horror!) as a reference for creating my lined drawstring bag. Thankfully, I documented the measurements, etc. for this bag, so I'll be making a couple more...soon.
5. Voodoo Doll Pincushion
I wimped out. For the final item in my Craftster shop, I dug through my stash of goodies to find something. Back in December 2006, I made this little guy for one of my swap partners...but decided not to send it because I was worried that she would be offended by it. This was one of those OOAK items, but I think it wouldn't be too difficult to make another one! 
I think I'm ready for that nap now!!!
For this scarf, I used one skein of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Periwinkle. Knitting with this yarn was an awesome experience! The pattern for the scarf may be viewed here. I finished the scarf during my annual trip to Oregon, but it took me awhile to get around to blocking the scarf *roll eyes* Blocking is one of my least favourite parts of finishing a knitted item. I used 62 pins (yes, I counted) to block this scarf *mutter* 
Voila! The finished scarf. Purdy, ain't it?
The errant matchbox (from Canada) that took the scenic route (to my craftroom) finally arrived in my mailbox this evening!!!
I'm in Round 5 of the Ongoing Fabric Swap, and this gorgeous piece made its way to my stash! It's the perfect fabric for a shoppaholic and fabric junkie!!
I think my swap partner pretty much nailed it with that rubber stamp image. Nuff said.
For one of my recent swaps, I had to fill a couple of matchboxes with tiny crafting supplies. Well, it's easier said than done! First, I had to locate the matchboxes. Most dining establishments have since decided to make their facilities smoke-free. Hence, they no longer give out pretty matchboxes. I found a package of ugly matchboxes and knew I had to do something about that (more on that in a bit). Next, I scrounged for some odds and ends in my craftroom. Not entirely satisfied, I hit the craft shops for more tiny bits (and also ended up purchasing 20 skeins of yarn...). After several attempts to figure out the best way to cram as much as possible into the teeny tiny matchboxes, voila! 
There are buttons, sequins, ephemera, stamped and embossed images, brads, stickers, googly eyes, metal charms, beads, and what have you in there!
I tackled the 'ugly-matchbox-syndrome' by knitting a couple of matchbox cozies! It was a great way to utilize leftover scraps of yummy yarn, and the matchboxes are no longer n-a-k-e-d! Problem solved!
Yet another wonderful swap item from one of my partners. I love corduroys! The teal and brown dotty cotton fabric complements the nubby brown cord perfectly! I've decided that it will be my new knitting tote for small WIPs.
For one of my Craftster swaps, the recipient requested zipper bags in various sizes to help her get organized. As Queen of 250 odd zippers, I was more than pleased to grant her wish!
For unmentionables (aka lingerie):
For change and what not:
For pens and pencils:
For make-up:
For crafting supplies:
For whatever else I might have not covered:
*squeal* I received the bestest (is that a word?!?) swap package from my favourite personal swapper, CC! Back in January, she suggested a Red/VD theme for February (for obvious reasons). Check out the cuties she spoiled me with: 
When CC received the package I sent, she sent me an email to warn me that I'm gonna do a double take when I received her package. Boy was she right! I sent her a needlebook too! Her take on a needlebook is wonderful! I love the random quilted look!! 
CC always sends me a bunch of extras in our swaps, just so because she's a sweetie. I know she's nuts about rick rack, but where in the world did she find a gift bag with a rick rack design?!? 
Thanks for another terrific swap, CC!