Wednesday, March 28, 2012

ATC color series - orange and yellow!

Another day, another round of ATCs - finally took pictures of these ones. ;)

ATC color series - orange:


ATC color series - yellow:


Made my first rolodex card. Not sure what I'm going to do with it - I doubt I'll swap them, but who knows? (Trying not to start new collections of things that take up space!) For now, I'm having fun making them. Maybe I'll include them as extras when I get swap partners who collect them, or something.

We'll be meeting up with our realtor tomorrow morning to do the paperwork and make an offer on that house - trying not to get excited!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

J ATC, Weird ATC, red/yellow/orange ATC, 4/2 Sender's Choice ATC

House-hunting is exasperating! I've been good with taking photos, but usually only think to upload & post every couple of days. *sighs*

"J is for..." ATC:


Weird ATC:


Red, yellow or orange ATC:


4/2 Sender's Choice ATC:


We're actually going to be putting in an offer on the one we looked at last night - think happy thoughts! We're not able to meet up with our realtor until Thursday morning, so here's to hoping no one else puts in an offer before then. :P There's every chance the seller might not accept our offer, or that it might not pass an inspection, so I'm trying not to get too attached...but I like it!

In the meantime, I'm trying to sort through and organize random stuff in the house, selling unwanted DVDs and such on Kijiji, and generally pare down as much as possible before we move. If we don't need or use it, I'd be happy to get rid of it now so we don't have to drag it to the new place - and every little bit helps! :)

On a crafty-note - I've started messing with rolodex cards. Oh dear. Everything I'm in right now is either sender's choice, or I've already made the ATCs for the swap...I need to take photos of them still, though!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Sender's choice ATC x2 round seven, QUICK ATC swap #63

Apparently, I failed to post this yesterday. Oops!

Sender's Choice ATC x2, round seven:


QUICK ATC swap #63:


Currently not doing anything crafty, though I have to fuse a mini-Hama bead twinchie still. Sorting through a ton of DVDs, Blu-Rays, books, etc, and listing everything we don't want/use on Kijiji. Whew! Doing a ton of housework on top of that...fun day! :P

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Acrylic felt inchies.

Managed to get those inchies done and in the mail sooner than expected - yay!

Four acrylic felt inchies for LauraAust (private swap):


Laura is hosting a felt inchie swap, and was kind enough to offer a private swap with me - being the mushball vegan I am, I didn't want to risk getting wool felt inchies, but also didn't want to inconvenience my potential partner. Best of both worlds this way - I know my partner is using acrylic felt, and I still get to play! :D

I actually really enjoyed making these - I will be making more to include in sender's choice inchie swaps! (The dent in my finger is not happy with this, but oh well.)

PC~ Non-Paper Twinchies

Hey look - something other than ATCs!

Tackled some twinchies today. They were fun to put together, but man, I'd forgotten how long it takes to put together patterns with mini hama beads! My neck kinda hurts from being hunched over my desk all weird, but I'm happy with how they turned out. :)

PC~ Non-Paper Twinchies:


Need to tackle four felt inchies for a private swap next!

Non-crafty-related: House viewing scheduled for Saturday! I'm really hopeful about this one - it's in the area we're currently living in, which I love...and we wouldn't have to switch schools for the kiddo. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's THE ONE. :D

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

ATC color series - red!

Okay, I guess it's more like, another day, another *few* ATCs. :P

ATC color series - red! ATCs:


Talked to my Mom earlier today - she's going to save all of their cereal box-type cardboard for me, haha. I have a TON of ATCs waiting for stiff backs, and we don't go through much in the way of cereal and whatnot. I doubt it'll take her long to amass me quite the cardboard stash. :D

3/26 Sender's Choice ATC

Really does seem like 'Another day, another ATC' now. :P

3/26 Sender's Choice ATC:


On an unrelated note, I'm feeling absolutely terrible today, and I only have myself to blame. (I made the mistake of risking gluten contamination when we went out to eat yesterday...BIG MISTAKE.) I'm better off never dining out if it means feeling like this. D:

Also-not-craft-related - house-hunting is exasperating. It's a total seller's market here, and it shows. Blargh.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Fabric ATC #3, CPG ATC PIF tag for Batmamma.

Another day, another few ATCs. Wee!

Fabric ATC #3 swap (that actually went out a couple of days ago, but I apparently failed to post a photo 'til now):



CPG ATC PIF tag for Batmamma:



Next up: 4 embellished felt inchies. 3 non-paper twinchies - I'm thinking I'll do one felt, one cross-stitch, and one fuse beads. Beyond that, it's all sender's choice stuff and a few swaps I haven't decided on joining for sure yet.

I'm still not brave enough to face my sewing machine. Maybe later this week. Those last three ATCs are still mocking me!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Rainbow cupcake ATC, robot ATC

Guess I lied when I said I had no specifically-themed swaps in the works! Joined a new group, and two swaps jumped out at me - knocked 'em both out today while the kidlet was napping and I was re-watching Doctor Who episodes for the millionth time. For both swaps, you could use any of the named things - one, two, or all three. I went with rainbow & cupcakes for the first, and robots for the second...love cute robots! (I even had robot ribbon. :D)

Unicorns, Cupcakes and Rainbows ATCs:


Ninjas, Zombies and Robots, or Ninzombots? ATCs:


I had fun with them, at least. :) Finger-painted with (glitter) Mod Podge for the first time too, on the cupcake ATCs - definitely less wasted than when using a paint brush!

Oh! I figured out where to go for my "N is for..." ATC - I actually finished it earlier today, but apparently failed to take a picture. I'll do that later, or tomorrow after work.

Currently working on backgrounds for my "M is for..." ATC as well as a few random ones. Trying to figure out where to go for the "O is for...", but I have quite a while to plan, I think. (We're still only on I and J!)

Bright & Colorful postage stamp ATC

Postage stamp ATCs are right up my alley, so this swap was easy enough to knock out!

BC with a postage stamp ATC:


I'm still annoyed with having only THREE of my ATC army left incomplete, but I'm not ready to face the sewing machine yet. :3

I actually got a chance to make a few random ATCs last night, so that was kind of fun. :D They ended up being super-random and weird...I have so many random collage images to use that I decided to finally start using them. Combine that with backgrounds cut from part of a Welsh? map (random cool extra I got in a swap a long time ago), random postage stamps and rhinestones...yeah. Fun!

I want to finish up my "M is for..." ATC, and figure out what to do with N. (I like having things done ahead of time, as I never know how busy I'll be on any given day!) I'd like to do something with needlework for N (because I have a single letter 'N' to stitch on - like the one I used for G) but using "needlework" AS the word for N seems too...bland/cheap. So I have to come up with a theme starting with N that I can pull off in needlework. Hrm.

Beyond that (and the "twisted" twinchies, which I may not figure out in time), I'm pretty much just in sender's choice-type swaps lately. Oh, and I've started my ATC color series in one group, as well as a "weird" ATC swap. (Yeah, the latter may have been inspired by my random ATC creations from last night!)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sender's choice stuff.

A couple more swaps went out, wee~!

Sender's choice ATC x2, round six:


QUICK ATC swap #62:


Still need to figure out those "twisted" twinchies. It's such a fun idea...I hope I can make it work in time!

Decided to drop from the upcoming super hero ATC swaps, as I just wasn't feeling them.

I finished all but THREE of the ATC army. My sewing machine went bats, got jammed, and the needle bent. It made a super-scary sound and scared the hell out of me. I got brave, changed the needle (for the first time ever!) and decided to try again...and it got jammed again. I'm too scared of it to try again any time soon, so the three remaining ATCs will have to sit unfinished for now. Maybe I'll get brave again in another couple of weeks and poke and prod at my machine 'til I figure out what the heck went wrong!

I'm itchin' to make some random ATCs, but I've been under toddler attack or doing a ton of housework pretty well constantly. (Sometimes both, which never goes well.) I'm down one kid for the next day or two (my parents took my five year old for a sleepover), so maybe I'll get in some crafting time when the kidlet naps! (I should say -IF- the kidlet naps...*sighs*)

Ohohoh, and on a random positive note - mortgage pre-approval secured! We're going to e-mail the real estate agent she (mortgage specialist lady at the bank) recommended tonight/tomorrow morning, and the real journey begins! :D Wish us luck!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Few of my Favorite Things inchies.

Finished - yay!

A Few of my Favorite Things inchies:


A little bit of clarity, not that they need a ton: My favorite colors are pink and orange, especially together. I like flowers, and love gardening. I have a minor (hah!) obsession with Lalaloopsies and Doctor Who. I've been wearing Chucks for the past 10+ years, and my current pair is black. When the 10th Doctor came along and happened to wear Chucks too, that was extra-awesome. (He's still tied with the 9th for my favorite Doctor, but he's more easily recognizable.) Larabars are wonderful, and one of the few treats still available to me - and yes, the label was snipped from a box of the apple variety. I love baking (especially cupcakes), and I love stars. This is me, in an inchie "nutshell". ;)

For Emika and Leejas72.

I'm actually putting a dent in that ATC army I mentioned earlier, yay! Did the stitching on all of the yellows, oranges and browns. Going to attempt to tackle the rest later today.

For Emika (tag ATC):


For Leejas72 (private swap):


Still working on that set of "me" inchies - three are basically done (have to crack out the E6000 to glue bits onto two of them), and I know what I want to do for the other three...just need to do it! Haven't figured out what to do for the "twisted" twinchies, but I still have some time.

Tomorrow morning is our mortgage pre-approval appointment with the bank - think happy thoughts! I'm getting SUPER antsy and keep checking the real estate listings...hope I'm not getting ahead of myself. :)

Monday, March 12, 2012

PC Sender's Choice ATC & spring inchies.

Took me a bit longer than expected to knock them out, but they're done! Why did it take me longer? Because I've been piecing about a million postage stamp ATCs over the last few days. I'm exaggerating of course, but it doesn't feel like it's by much...definitely over 100 ATCs! I still have to whip out the sewing machine to finish them, and then stick 'em all to sturdy backings...I'll finish that this week, I hope!

PC~ Sender's Choice ATC:


Spring inchies (5, plus a random tagalong - I can't bring myself to send less than 6!):


Finally got my blood work done today - it actually wasn't a massive wait, for once! I think I was there for maybe 40 minutes all told, which isn't bad at all. 6 vials later, here I am. Wonder how bad my iron levels are...

Ooh, in good news - our mortgage pre-approval appointment is set for Thursday morning! Think happy thoughts for us, please! :)

Currently working on/need to finish: 5 more "me" inchies. 2x X-Men & 1x villain ATC. Superman villain ATC - I'm going with Lex Luther. 3 "twisted" twinchies, if I can figure out what the heck to do with the theme before the sign-up deadline. And of course, I need to do the sewing portion on my million ATCs!

Probably going to start an ATC color series in a few groups soon...I like having rainbow ATC pages. ;)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

More stuff.

Okay, here we go with a few random swaps and whatnot!

QUICK ATC swap #61:


Sender's choice ATC x2, round five:


H and I ATCs:


I finished a few more of the letter series ATCs, but not going to bother with pictures until the swaps are actually up! ;) I was SO tempted to use a dingo stamp in place of the family stamp on the left of the I ATC...but I thought that my receiving partner might not have as strange a sense of humor as I do, so I refrained, lol! (Makes me think of Oz's band on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hah!)

Currently working on my 6 "me" inchies. Hoping to knock them AND my 10 spring inchies out today, but we'll see!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A through E ATCs.

Got the last of 'em done today - whew! I officially need to stop doing needlework ATCs for a bit, but yeah, knocked out my last two for this private swap. I had originally planned on doing them all in cross-stitch, but in the end, I just went wherever inspiration took me. The result? A random mixture of collage, needlework, and a lonely hand-drawn watercolor dinosaur. I'm still a bit nervous about hand-drawing things, but I try to make myself do them from time to time...won't learn otherwise, right?

Here we go:


Hubby got me a glue stick (only one - I'll be surprised if it lives past the weekend!) so I'll be able to work on more stuff tomorrow. :D I'll be attacking a ton of almost-finished ATCs with Mod Podge momentarily. Beyond that, I need to work on 6 "me" inchies and 3 "twisted" twinchies...still haven't figured out what to do for the latter.

Monday, March 5, 2012

For bjmonroe.

I saw that a new swapper was unable to participate in the Color Me Pink ATC swap due to insufficient ratings, so I hopped in and volunteered to do a one-on-one swap with her so she wouldn't miss out. So yes, this is for her!


I really need to stop with the needlework ATCs...that crater in my finger is getting worse.

On a stupid crafty note, I have a bunch of stuff to finish (or work on in general) but can't...for the most ridiculous reason ever. Why can't I craft? Because I ran out of GLUE STICKS. How did I manage that?! I'll have to bug my hubby to snag me a few tomorrow. D:

I saw my doctor today and am still alive. However, again, I'm stupid - I forgot to mention this weird pressure-pain I've been having in my right eye. It wasn't bothering me while I was there, so I didn't even think about it. (My left feels weird, but nothing compared to my right.) If it gets worse, or doesn't let up, I'll make a new appointment, I guess. I hope it's nothing and just a new symptom of my constant tiredness. (Have to go back for bloodwork for that too...I still think it's just my iron levels being crap, but he wants to rule out a bunch of stuff.)

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Pictures, go!

Gosh, I'm silly. I was just freaking out a little, thinking I'd failed to take photos of my Hermes & Zoidberg ATCs before I sent them out...and then I realized that I had taken photos earlier in the day, and was fine. D'oh!

So, yeah. Pictures!

Fabric ATC #2:


Batman & Penguin ATCs:


Hermes & Zoidberg ATCs:


Trying to restrict my swapping to themes that really call to me, but it's hard to narrow it down - so many swaps seem fun! Considering how many regular swaps I host, combined with how many regular swaps of other hostesses that I regularly join...I'm going to TRY being reasonable about the amount of 'other' swaps I join. Except that I don't think that'll go too well. Operative word is TRY. ;)

Tackled a few random alphabet ATCs today, but still need to attack them with Mod Podge. Made about nine million envelopes out of a no-longer-usable recipe book last night and this morning. (100+ for sure, but it felt like millions!) Still need to finish my B and D ATCs for that private swap - B is mostly done, D isn't started yet. Gonna knock out at least B tomorrow, but hopefully both! (Then again, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow...combined with the bloodwork wait, I might not have that much free time, heh.)

Friday, March 2, 2012

For jannieb.

Someone wished for ATCs and inchies in the Wishlist group, so these are for her!


I finished my Batman & Penguin ATCs, my Hermes & Zoidberg ATCs, and two more of my A-E set for that private swap. (So now I'm done A, C and E, and have a good start on B.) They're currently being squished flat, so I'll have photos tomorrow.

Next up: Finish my B ATC, tackle a D ATC. H ATC. Simba ATC. 3 'twisted' twinchies - haven't decided where I'm going with that theme yet, but it seems fun! 3 X-Men ATCs - one villain, two heroes. More stuff I can't think of right now.

One dozen inchies & Three twinchies for March.

Man, the swap-bot partnering system makes me laugh sometimes...it seems to get stuck in ruts for who people should send to. I host two sender's choice inchie swaps (one swap each in two groups, each swap has two partners) and two sender's choice twinchie swaps (one swap each in two groups, one partner per swap) monthly. This month, I ended up with the same partners in both inchie swaps, and I'm sending to one of them for a twinchie swap too! Poor Tommie must be so sick of me by now. ;)

Without further ramble, the stuff!

One dozen March inchies for Tommie:


One dozen March inchies for margoartist:


Both sets of 'Three twinchies' for March (and one is sideways, derp):


Currently finishing off my Futurama and Batman ATCs, and working on my remaining A-E ATCs for that private swap.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Sender's choice round four, CPG March ATCs, QUICK swap #60.

Yep, even more random stuff. I'll have more coming later, but partners haven't been assigned yet - holding off to see who I'm sending to before I decide which ATC to send! :)

Sender's choice ATCx2, round four (one is upside-down, derp me!):


CPG March '12 ATCs:


QUICK ATC swap #60:


Going to try to tackle that hand-drawn ATC later - we're leaving to get our taxes done soon-ish. (Hoping for a decent refund!)