boogaj

I've been...

... reading.

... making paletas

... joining a swap (& reliving my youth)

... watching movies

You?

 

Trade Me Up -- Bartering Offer

 
Bartering.  What a great idea!  Selena over at Apron Thrift Girl has started up a bartering challenge called Trade Me Up and I'm participating.  So here's what's on offer today:

For the past 9 years, I have had an online rubber stamp retail shop called Stamping Online.  This past year I decided that instead of holding inventory, I would go to a special order only business model.  Of course, when I made the switch, I still had inventory.  And then there are the random items that I get either as promotion, or because of order errors from the manufacturer.  As a result, I have quite a bit of brand new stamps, ink and other stamping supplies. 

And here's a photo of the inside of my cabinet, showing even more stamping items!  I have word stamps, holiday stamps, birthday stamps... you name it. I'm willing to offer anywhere from one item, all the items or anywhere in between.  I can take more photos if you like and will be happy to put together a custom package based on your request.

So, is anyone interested in bartering?  Here are some guidelines which I have shamelessly taken from Selena's blog:

Here are some guidelines when considering making a Trade Me Up offer:

• Get creative and think outside the box about what you are offering.
• Trade Up means offering something of higher value to the person that you are trading with.
• Once you make an offer please don't retract it. Honor your commitment.
• Follow through with your offer and send it off quickly in the mail.
• Try not to take it personal if the person you want to trade with says "no thanks."

I don't have a wishlist yet, but I would consider offers of art, high quality yarn, high quality quilting fabric, a fancy digital camera, nice kitchen things, or something fabulous that you have and know I would love but I haven't thought of yet  :)

I suppose that I should make an ultimate wish list like the incredible one over at ATG since having a goal is the only way to make things happen, but I'll try to get that together for next week.

Holiday Swaps and Exchanges

I know that I get crazy and really shouldn't take on anything in addition to the usual craziness, but I'm sorely tempted by the swaps and exchanges I've been seeing:

Holiday Traditions Exchange at Sew Liberated -- decoration, recipe & tradition!

Stocking Full 'o Cheer Swap at Going Sew Crazy -- a filled stocking!

Ornament Swap -- happening again this year, but not much info yet.

Any other holiday swaps out there?

Remiss

I've been remiss in thanking all the wonderful women who were in my swap group for the Ornament Swap this holiday season. Look at all the beautiful ornaments I received! I can tell that a great deal of care went into these ornaments and I feel very lucky to have been in such a great group.

Thanks again fellow ornament swappers!

Yo-yo fun!

Have you tried the new yo-yo makers from Clover yet?  I have them in just about every size and shape -- probably because I haven't seen a crafting gadget I didn't like.  They make yo-yo's super easy and fun!  I'm working on my ornaments for the 2nd Annual Holiday Ornament Swap.  (There's a Flickr Group too!) and I'm almost finished making my yo-yo's but I'm enjoying them so much that I think I'll continue making more so I can have a holiday yo-yo garland for my new office.

(Speaking of the office, there has been progress and I'll post photos soon!)

How to make yo-yo's here:

• Heather Bailey's tutorial
• PDF showing how to use Clover yo yo makers

More holiday yo-yo inspiration here:

• Heather Bailey's yo yo garland
• Soule Mama's yo yo garland
• Sunshine Creations' yo yo Advent calendar
• Old School Acres' wool and yo yo ornaments

I'm sure there are ton's more -- leave me a comment with a link to your favorite yo yo idea!

Trade, anyone?

It seems that my mom got me a subscription to American Patchwork & Quilting for Christmas, but the magazine has been going to her house.  Well, I bought all three of these issues from the bookstore -- so now I have duplicates.  I can't stand to just throw them out, so I was wondering if anyone would like to do a little swap.  I'll throw in some other goodies with the mags.  Just let me know if you are interested in trading by emailing me or leaving a comment.

I found someone to trade with already!  Thanks, Lauri!

Mini Swap 2007

Maddie and I participated in the Mini Swap hosted by Molly again this year. Maddie was so excited because we swapped with Jo and her children who live all the way in Australia! As you can see Maddie loved her new softie. Here's a look at all the goodies:

Thanks so much Jo and family! I hope the package we sent arrived safely and that you have fun with it too!

Some mail arrived while I was gone. . .

First, a word about swaps.  I was burned on the the last one I joined.  (I feel bad for the swap organizer -- what a drag.  She had 8 people that didn't hold up their end of the swap!)  So, I was thinking that this was a sign that I should hold off on doing any more swaps for a while -- then the lace swap came along! 

Second, a word about lace knitting.  There are primarily three types of knitting I do:

1. Knitting Felted Bags -- My "mac & cheese" knitting, comforting and familiar.  It's work, but I love to do it.
2. Sock Knitting -- This is my "on-the-go" knitting.  I always have a sock project in my little Longaberger basket, ready to go whenever I hit the door.
3. Lace Knitting -- The knitting I do when I have time to knit -- at night or on the weekends when I want to really *enjoy* my knitting.  I *love* knitting lace!

Okay, so I had to join.  And as luck would have it, I was matched up with Jae who showered me with the most excellent gifts!  The yarn she chose is a beautiful sage green -- Jagger Spun Zephyr -- I've never used this yarn before, so I'm eager to try it out.  It feels lovely!  And the pattern is the Baltic Sea Stole by Fiber Trends.  She included some other goodies including something that I have never used, but think is ingenious -- Post-it tape!  How come I've never heard of this before?  Have I been living under a rock?  What a great thing to use to mark your charts.  Thanks, Jae!!

Another package arrived too. . .

It's the rug hook kit I purchase at Michigan Fiber Fest from Linda at Hooked on Ewe.  So it looks like I'll be trying a new craft in the coming weeks.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Magic Yarn Ball

I'm participating in the Magic Yarn Ball Swap set up by Larissa of stitch marker and that's the yarn ball I created. So what's a yarn ball, you ask? Well, you take some yarn and some treasures and start winding the ball of yarn, hiding the treasures as you go. More info here. And there's a Flickr group showing a bunch of balls from the swap too!

Larissa is also the brains behind the State Fair Along, which I was sorely tempted to join. What fun!

Back-tack 3 package arrives!

My back-tack 3 package arrived all the way from Belgium!  My wonderful partner was Didine (aka Sandrine) of Le Grenier de Didine and she did an amazing job making my softie!  Not only did she make me the most wonderful wee bunny, but she also made a matching bag and included some lovely notecards!  Thanks, Didine!! 

Now I had better get to work on my package, don't you think?

Colorswap Questionaire

Round 2 of Colorswap is about to start and Maddie and I had so much fun searching for orange and yellow stuff to send to Elizabeth, that I decided to participate again.  This time my swap partner is Abigail. 

So here is my colorswap questionaire for Abigail:

Are you crafty?  I sure am!  Here's a list of crafts I've tried.

Would you enjoy things like:  Buttons, ribbons and embellishments?  Sure!

Do you dye your own wool?  Yep!  I just did an episode about dyeing wool on my podcast

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?  I like to, but I almost never have time.  (I actually own a rubber stamp store -- Stamping Online!)

What are your favorite scents?  I'm allergic to a lot of artifical scents.  I like lemon and ginger though.

Do you like stationary and cards?  Yes!

Do you like to sew or embroider items?  Yes -- I'm very much into this right now.  Especially crewel and monochromatic cross-stitch.

Do you like beads?  Yes. And my daughter likes beads too.

What kind of candy do you like?  Dark chocolate!

Do you like hand lotions or soaps?  Yes, but I am allergic to artifical scents (especially floral).

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.  Not really.  I usually only wear rings.

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?  Yes -- I use and make stitch markers!

Do you collect anything?  Hmmm. . . Fiber? Fabric? Yarn?  Maybe craft supplies in general  :) 

Do you have any allergies?: Smoke, food, fiber, pets,etc.  Yes -- Smoke and artifical scents.

Do you have any hobbies?  Crafts of all kinds!

Do you like scented or unscented candles?  Not so much.

Are you a fiber snob?  Yeah, I guess I probably am.

Do you like to play cards or board games?  Love to!  I play Scrabble online sometimes and Boggle is also one of my favorite games.

Do you like neon colors, pastel, light or medium ranges in the color of the month?  Probably anything but neon. 

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?  I have a tiny purse, so no room for keyrings.  My kitchen cabinets are metal though and Maddie loves magnets! 

Do you like picture frames?  I actually have frames that I haven't put pictures in yet.  I'm kind of bad at that type of thing  :)

Hope this helps you out a bit colorswap pal!

Project Colorswap Package

I want to say thank you to Elizabeth -- my swap partner for project colorswap who sent me this great package!  I also want to thank Lynne for organizing it all!

Oh, and Nyokki isn't bald any more!

Back-tack 3 sign-ups open!

Back-tack 3 sign-ups are now open!  They are only taking 100 participants, so get over there quickly if you are interested in participating!

Monthly Pincushion Challenge?

Okay, I've had this idea in my head all week and I can't get it out.  I know I already have a lot on my plate, but I'm thinking this might not be too much work once it's set up.  Here's my idea. . .

I want to set up a pincushion challenge something like tie one on.  Basically there would be a website and a flickr set.  Each month there would be a new theme and you would make a pincushion and upload your picture.

I was also thinking that I could incorporate a pincushion swap a few times a year.  (I know this part would be more work.)  But wouldn't that be fun?  It could be a pincushion & pin swap or something!

Okay, tell me what you really think about this idea.

Back-tack 3!!!!

Back-tack 3 is almost here!  I can hardly wait!  (And it sounds so mysterious!)

Candy!!!

I have a lot to tell you about my super crafty weekend, but I heve to collect my thoughts (& photos) and that will take a bit of time.  So I distract you with candy!

Shellie sent me this super wonderful package from -- can you guess?  Did you guess Hawaii?  Then you are correct!  Look at that Macadamia, chocolate, Kona goodness!  She even threw in some fabric -- candy themed, of course!

This is a result of the candy swap put on by the awesome Mariko.  She started the Candyswappers yahoo group and each month we are doing a candy swap.  This month's theme was local candy.  Didn't Shellie do a great job?  (I did a miserable job.  What's local to Joliet, IL?  Not a whole heck of a lot.  I did include Dan's Homemade Candies caramels though which are the greatest candy you can get in Joliet.  So I wasn't a total loser.  Just hope my swapee likes caramels!)

So a big thank you to Shellie!  And another thank you to Mariko!

Back later with the crafty goodness.  In the mean time go check out Theresa's blog where you can read about day one of my crafty adventures.

Project Colorswap!

Lynne is hosting Project Colorswap to go along with Lolly's Project Spectrum.  It's limited to 40 participants -- so get on over there if you'd like to sign up!  I already did!

And as for the podcasting . . . today we were thwarted in our attempt to get a mic, but we are plucky and have found a local music shop that can special order the model we are looking to get!  Stay tuned! 

Mail! Mini Swap!

Maddie & I participated in the Mini Swap hosted by Molly and Maddie already received her package from Elliot and his mom Paige!  (We are a bit behind them, but are planning on getting our package out this week!)  It was filled with all kinds of great things, including a very nice drawing from the very talented Elliot!  Here's Maddie ripping into the goodies:

She thought it was so much fun and has been making valentines with all the crafty bits and pieces packed into the wonderful package!  She especially likes the cute little hearts that you see in the front of this last picture. . .

After "school" she filled them up with things from each of the little silver containers ( buttons, foam beads, paper heart, etc. . . ) and set off with her "Valentine purse".

Thanks so much Elliot and Paige!!  Maddie & I are having lots of fun with the wonderful package and we hope to put together one that you will enjoy too.

** Update **   There is now a flickr group for the Mini Swap. 

That's not all I received in the mail though. . .

Liz sent a great big box of fiber for Theresa & I to try out!  This deserves an entire post all it's own, so I will save it for another day.  Thanks so much Liz!

And finally. . . the Spring 2006 Interweave Knits arrived.  Can't wait to take a look at that later. . .

Fun Swap!

I joined the Mini Swap that Molly is hosting.  Should be lots of fun for Maddie and me!