Anything Homemade Swap

You are right Sonshine, there are a lot of talented people on this board.

I like the pen Rohn made very much and I've never seen a strop attached to a board before either.

Joe does some very fine woodworking the tackle box is gorgeous. I like the name plate too.

Nice job everyone

I opened mine, but need to take pics. They're very nice. And while I would have like to have waited, I needed a box and the one the stuff came in was just the right size.  So, my stuff has been shipped and should get there on Wednesday or Thursday.

I couldn't make the one exactly how I wanted to make it. I had a bit of trouble finding the right stuff, and because of how crazy November was, had to improvise for part of it.  

Sonshine, I added an extra box in there w/something that I had already made years ago for someone-they ordered it, then never came back for it. I figured Tyler might like it. And since I had to wait until today to mail the stuff, I whipped up another one over the weekend in different colors. Figured if you did get this other boy, he might like one as well. If not, Tyler can have 2.

Good job Patrice, that gift took time and a lot of thought.

The name plate and tackle box are amazing Joe!! Excellent work.


I had guessed there was talent here, from all the crafty posts, and itsy shops, looks like I was right.

Patrice, those valences you made for Mountainmama are gorgeous, as well as the rest of the stuff.  I'm so glad that everyone recieved such beautiful gifts.  I never understood why people feel they have to go out and buy store bought gifts for others, when homemade gifts are prettier (IMO) and takes more thought and care to make them.  All of you do such wonderful work.  Thank you all for sharing your gifts and talents with one another.

dizzy wrote:I opened mine, but need to take pics.  They're very nice.  And while I would have like to have waited, I needed a box and the one the stuff came in was just the right size.  So, my stuff has been shipped and should get there on Wednesday or Thursday.

I couldn't make the one exactly how I wanted to make it.  I had a bit of trouble finding the right stuff, and because of how crazy November was, had to improvise for part of it.  

Sonshine, I added an extra box in there w/something that I had already made years ago for someone-they ordered it, then never came back for it.  I figured Tyler might like it.  And since I had to wait until today to mail the stuff, I whipped up another one over the weekend in different colors.  Figured if you did get this other boy, he might like one as well.  If not, Tyler can have 2.  

Can't wait to get them. I know Ty will get excited when he finds out there's something for him in the box. He loves homemade gifts and takes better care of them than the store bought items. He still has a baby quilt my Mom made for him when we first brought him home, of course I have it put up now, but then when he was about 5 my Mom made him a cute afghan with trains on it, he still has it in him room and keeps his friends away from it so it won't get torn up. He doesn't use it any more, but still treasures it. About 5 years ago I made him a more grown up afghan, it still looks good as new, even though it's his favorite throw to sit and watch tv in.

I am enjoying seeing what everyone else received.  All the gifts are really nice.  

For those of you who never saw a strop attached to a board before, here is one that is sold at Wood Craft Supply:
http://woodcraftsupply.com/Product/2000241/10514/Strop-Handled-2-sided.aspx

They work great, I use mine all the time and my knives are razor sharp.   

Sonshine, I have an afghan my Mom made for me when I was in high school. It's still in fairly good condition. Next year, I think I'm going to make one for my son and one for my DD.

dizzy, I had a quilt, I believe is was Suzy Sunbonnet, that my Grandmother had made for me when I was about 8, but unfortunately lost it in the fire. I really treasured that quilt. A few years ago my Mom made me one that she applicqued with the Lord's ascension. It's gorgeous!

Thanks everyone, I really enjoy sewing and crafting. I think part of the fun was starting early enough to get to know the recipient and have time to hunt for the perfect supplies. Giving gifts with though attached to them means more than any old store bought bauble.

PATRICE IN IL wrote:... Giving gifts with thought attached to them means more than any old store bought bauble.

yes it does

And how.

Got my package from Kerrig.  I absolutely LOVE the quilted bag.  It'll be great for traveling to carry my yarn and books in.  The scarf is gorgeous as well as the kitchen towel.  I'll get Joe to post some pictures tomorrow.  Thank you so much Kerrig.

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I'm glad you like them. You are very welcome.

I love that scarf Sonshine. The bag is very cute as is the towel. Nice job kerrig

Dizzy, got your package today.  The covered wagons are adorable.  I'm just learning how to do plastic canvas, so it's neat seeing what other people are doing with it.  The rug must have taken a lot of work, and thank you soooo much for the painted jar filled with peppermints.  I think the sanddollar ornament is a cute ideal.  Thank you so much.  Pictures will be coming.  

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I had to improvise on the rug. For those that can't tell from the picture, it's made of baling twine. I wanted to figure out a way to dye the twine so I could have the designed worked into the rug. But since November was so crazy, I didn't have the time to figure that out and just used fabric paint instead.

I need to get some pics taken of what you sent me as well. I really like it, especially the flower pot soldier! He's so cute! And,the basket you made w/the soaps fits into my bathroom design quite well.

I'm glad you enjoyed them. I had seen one of those soldiers a couple of years ago on base and fell in love with them. I didn't add fragrance to the soap because I remembered you telling me you were allergic to most of them.

I really like the rug. I think it turned out well. It'll be hung on my wall in the den. I bet it will be really nice when you dye the twine, but you did a great job painting it too.

That was a stencil. I've been wanting to make one this way for a long time. Doing latch hook rugs is one of my favorite crafts to do. If I can figure out how to dye the twine, I'd love to see if I could make them and sell them. I'm thinking that people that have livestock might really like them.

That rug is really cute! I did latch hook years ago but never thought to use anything but yarn. Very creative idea to stencil the matching design on the candy jar. Those covered wagons are adorable as are the ornaments. Good job dizzy

Maybe if you tried loosely coiling a length of twine into a container of something like beet juice, it would absorb the natural color. Then you could hang the twine to dry, perhaps down in the same room as your wood stove. The stove's heat would help dry it and maybe lock in the coloring. Just an idea or perhaps try the new colored stains, they may work as well.

I bought a pack of regular dye when I was in Wally World not too long ago. I had to hunt for one that didn't say to put it in the washer. (Can you imagine baling twine in the washer?) So, once I have some breathing room, I'm going to try to cut a bunch of pieces, then dye them. If it works, I'll be able to start working on my designs. I'm going to use those flexible cutting boards to make my stencils out of (which will be fun since I can't draw!), stencil on the design, then see how it works.

Sounds like a wonderful idea. Patrice, I like the idea of natural dyes too. I think that would be a big selling point for people that like the unique.

Bump

looking for the most current Christmas swap thread...

Keith I'll start a new post for this year's swap so there isn't any confusion among this year's participants. Could you please sticky the new thread so hopefully it doesn't go missing again?

no problem

Thanks Keith