Lucky Lucky ME! - Urban Home Goods Swap -

Oh, I do love a swap!



What I always forget is that, after all that toiling and worrying about what you’re making for someone else, something delicious arrives in the mail that someone else has agonised over, created, crafted and MADE FOR ME !

As part of the Urban Home Goods Swap on flickr, the lovely Amy (bixandbee on flickr) sent me this wonderful sewing machine cover, all the way from the mountains of North Carolina! 



I am utterly delighted - I feel like a proper seamstress now!  And Damiel the boy racer machine has the choice of being in touch with his feminine hexie side (above) or donning the go faster stripes that also suit so well (below)



You’ll notice a little scrappy bookmark there too … I’m going to need it as I make my way through this fantastic International Quilt Festival mega mag … swoon!  If only I could get hold of magazine-a-books like this here in the UK!  Thank you Amy.



Really, truly, from the depths of my thankingness, thank you! 

Hey partner! DQS10/Make Mine Modern/{Urban} Home Goods Swap

This is really a little open post to my stalker(s) secret swap partners 


 

on the Doll Quilt Swap 







 
… the Make Mine Modern Swap

 

and the {Urban} Home Goods Swap!  - no button yet! Sign-ups finish tomorrow for this one, so get on over!  (probably tonight as I’m in the UK!)

(although we don’t know our partners yet for the last two … )

These three swaps, featuring some truly fantabulous quilters, are all hosted on flickr, and I’m lucky to be taking part in all 3 - nothing like biting off more than you can chew eh? LOL. 

You might not be able to access the links as I think some are restricted to participants only, so, sorry if you can’t see the wonders that others are making, but I’ll post some links as we progress a bit …

In the meantime, I thought I’d post some of the mosaics that I created for inspiration for these swaps … My mosaics are usually populated by images/creations that I wish I'd made myself, wish I'd received or would like to make for someone else.   The links displayed under each mosaic will take you to that item's flickr page ... go feast your eyes!

So partner(s) … Please don’t feel restricted by them.  I would much rather you created something that has something of you in it, than made something you aren’t happy with! And PLEASE, don’t go out of your way to buy a whole heap of fabric - I’m happy with whatever is in your stash  

Make Mine Modern Mosaic 

 

  1. FMF quilt top, 2. 278 Spiralling Step's of the Amedee Lighthouse, 3. Vintage Kitchen fabric, 4. flickr.com/photos/27443336@N07/4908706581/, 5. scrappaliscious! - square2, 6. FMF Snail Trail quilt, 7. squares and rectangles~ for cristin, 8. Poppyprint - mugrug pears 3, 9. WIP- Picnic 9-patch quilt, 10. UHG Item 3, 11. How should I finish??, 12. Sew-do-I's block detail, 13. UHG Tablecloth Teaser, 14. Birds, 15. Scrappy Hoop Swap - Received, 16. Scrap-Along, 17. Nesting Baskets and a Button Bouquet!!, 18. Oh 2, 19. Joseph's Coat Pillow - it's done!, 20. Half Square Triangles Galore, 21. Quilting Divas , 22. Pillow Swap 2 pillow FINISHED! =), 23. Pillow Talk Swap, 24. PMC1: Mary Pustejovsky - Quilt, 25. flying farfalle version 2

DQS10 Mosaic

 1. scrappaliscious! - square2, 2. FMF Snail Trail quilt, 3. "Collectibles" block for Kerry, 4. Birds of Paradise, 5. Sew-do-I's block detail, 6. Oh, 7. Pillow Swap- Received, 8. PTS #3 , 9. Pillow for....., 10. Joseph's Coat Pillow - it's done!, 11. R #2's quilt, 12. Bee Modern Too - October, 13. Doll Quilt Swap 5 received, 14. Doll Quilt Received, 15. Doll Quilt from Holly, 16. Around the Block for Annie - Applique Circles

 {Urban} Home Goods Swap

 1. PTS4 pillow, 2. crab, 3. Urban Home Goods Received, 4. Fancy Fabric Bins, 5. tea towels for urban home goods swap, 6. My machine feels so loved!, 7. Urban Home Goods swap package, 8. UHG Item 3, 9. UHG Tablecloth Teaser, 10. DQS 9, 11. "Collectibles" block for Kerry, 12. WIP, 13. molly's work in progress, 14. Birds, 15. High Texture Hand Embroidery of the Moon, 16. Joseph's Coat Pillow - it's done!

If you’re still really stumped, just have a browse through my blog and you’ll soon get to know me!  … Just go with the flow … I can’t wait to get going myself, and I’m just excited that you would take the time to make something for someone you don’t know!! Lovely!

Anyone else out there participating in any of these swaps? 

Or anyone out there who has never taken part because of fears of inadequacy? (I was in the latter camp, but this year is all about stretching myself …)

What are your experiences of swaps?

My Creative Space - Take Me Home

Here’s something that floats my pay-it-forward boat muchly … The Toy Society.

A movement that started as a little street art project in Australia (and is now international) The Toy Society operates on a beautifully simple premise: make a toy, put it in a bag with a note saying “Take Me Home, I’m Yours” and then leave it somewhere out in the big wide world for someone to pick up and, well, take home. 

I love it for its randomness and for the fact that it’s not through a blog (although you know I love a giveaway!) it’s out there … where random acts of kindness are oh so welcome.  It’s a way to rejoice in our humanity, rather than feeling ashamed of it, as we so often do.

Dropped: Newport Restaurant, Broomfield, CO USA
Number of toys:1
Made by: decapod
Dropped by: decapod
When: Nov 28 2010
And decapod says: corduroy double-headed tiger inspired by Chinese toys,
left in a stone lion outside of the restaurant
via

What I really really love it for, is that it is NOT seasonal.  It operates all the year round.  Even so, I've just signed up and I'm going to do some now.  What the heck! I thought I'd make one to cheer up my fellow teachers at work perhaps? ...  just nonchalantly leave something in the staffroom?

Which leads me to my real "creative space" for this week ... it's in my bonce, not my viewfinder I'm afraid ... 

I know we are all focusing on Christmas and our loved ones right now, but I want to plan for something fun to do early in our shiny new year of 2011. Start how I mean to go on. 

Once all this 'ere festive stuff is done and dusted, I’d love to run a Toy Society inspired swap in early January -  If we all made something, swapped it and then left our partner’s gift somewhere near where we lived, it could be kinda cool?   

I'd like to open it up to include gifts for grown-ups too ... so you could just leave a pincushion, or a teatowel, or a toy ...


What do you think?  Fancy a flickr swap in January? We could spread the lurrrrve? Please take a few seconds to leave your thoughts … there's a poll right at the top of the page, on the right - I'd love to know ... 

You can never be too busy! Christmas Card Swap from the Creative Collective

You know what they say - if you need something done, ask a busy person to do it! So why not get involved in this fab Christmas card swap from the Creative Collective? (via Kellie @ 74 Lime Lane)

Click on the link or the picture above to go to the instructions for how to join in - you send out handmade cards to 5 partners by December 10th, and you need to register with swapbot, but otherwise it's easy peasy christmas treesy.

I love getting cards, so I'm already over-excited :) - let's spread the festive cheer chaps!