I've been admiring the galleries for numerous rounds of hoopla and finally found the courage to join. Embroidery isn't something that I excel at...but it was worth a stab (bad pun intended...) because the theme of silhouette/negative image appealed to me. While I'm not quite sure if my hoop (7 of 50) examplifies the theme, I did try my darnest. Based on my swap partner's interests, I chose to do something with Dia de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead sugar skulls are typically colourful and vibrant. I chose to do black on black embroidery on a colourful patchwork background. From a distance, it looks like a silhouette of a skull on patchwork: 
Up close, you see the typical designs of a sugar skull!
And a requisite shot of the back of the hoop...
My first one (6 of 50)...made to celebrate my swap partner's vices. I included a mirror in the tin to express the observation that what and/or how we feel is not necessarily reflected in the way we behave!
I've never really had much use for mod podge but having used it quite a bit for this project, mod podge will now be a staple in my box of craft supplies!
There's a wooden frame hanger hook attached to the back of the tin so that the altered tin may be hung on the wall. 
Made with hand torn paper and reclaimed leather, and bound with pearl cotton thread. 
And yeah, the book (5 of 50) is small. It measures a mere 1.375" x 1.125" x 0.25". 
The pages will be filled with a collection of unusual and favourite cuss words.
And it might just not be your cuppa tea. This ring (4 of 50) was made for a swap partner. I don't really consider the word offensive, but it's not for everyone I suppose.
And yep, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I own a pair of pink bling scissors!
My stash of mini note cards was dwindling, so I spent an evening playing with cardstock and rubber stamps. These bifold note cards (3 of 50) measure in at 2.5" square or so. They're the perfect size for gift tags, swap notes, or even as care tags for handknitted items and other handmade goods!
I have an enormous box of fabric scraps...odds and ends leftover from various sewing projects. It was getting rather unwieldy, and I decided to spend an afternoon sorting everything by colour. With my fresh stash of pink scraps, I decided on scrappy quilted hearts (2 of 50) for the mod swap.
A little rough around the edges...
Test model whereby all others will be based on...
Whew! All done!
Oh, and it just wouldn't be right if there was no candy in the packages, so voila!
for my crafty mod chicas on Craftster (1 of 50). They're simple and heartfelt...and hopefully, they convey my love for being part of a community that nurtures my need to create. 
I cherish the time I get to spend with my family during the annual trek to the Pacfic NW. This year, we spent a couple of days in Lincoln City, and I got to see the beach in what was an unseaonably warm winter.
Alas, this is what I returned to. Snow. In my backyard.
As I unpacked, I realized that I didn't buy as much of a variety of craft supplies as I thought I did during my vacation. Ho hum. The only thing I bought was, erm, fabric...gobs of fabric.
And this little gem. 
My mama took me to a new craft mall that I've not been to and I fell in love with this ceramic tile. As I was making my decision, it just so happened that the artist (Sheri Medford) who painted the tile was working that day so I got to meet her and chat for a bit. Nice!
New year, new craft resolutions. I revisited the list for 2011 and was pleased to find that I did get around to achieving some of the resolutions on that list. Nevertheless, there's always room for improvement...so with that in mind, here's my list for 2012 (in no particular order):
#1 Craft more for my family! I love swapping, but I can't help but feel that I need to focus on my family for 2012.
#2 Destash. This is an ongoing resolution because I know I've been blessed with too much!
#3 Craft for the charities that the mod group has made a committment to donate to. It's so much easier to stay on track as a group!
#4 Make another attempt at completing 50 unique proejcts in 2012.
#5 Experiment with cooking dishes that excludes red meat. Fish and chicken will probably be staples in my kitchen, but I'm keen to try new vegetarian recipes as well!
#6 Catch up on all WIPs that have been neglected over the years. There's not much hiding in the woodwork, but I know of at least 2 knitting projects that I've stepped away from and never revisited.
I'm really looking forward to having a good year in 2012!