The Red, White and Blue jar

This afternoon while it was cold outside, I sat down and felt inspired. I was inspired by the sheer number of really ossum photos that have been uploaded today. I felt. Right. Time Trink to go and make some mail art happen. I checked my swaps. And spotted I had a Whimsy jar to make - Squeeee!
These jars of joy have always been one of my favorite things to make. I at least try to make one a month, since posting them is often a tiny bit more than I normally want. Course I think my action this afternoon was swayed by some of the lovely crafts like this jar pictured on the right and made by Swap-bot user: mariatralha
Would have liked to have known what swap this one was from it looks like a proper quality Jar. The only clue I have is that the label reads 'red,white and blue whimsey jar' and that these are its contents here.

Wooty Good Owls

Whos the bird everyone loves to hear tweet-twooo. Owls. I didnt see the facination with owls myself before joinign swap-bot and making a few owl themed cards for folks I know, but I do see it now. (It also doesnt help that I grew up in a house thats very firmly Sheffiled Wednesday supporting, thats an english football club whos mascot is an owl).
I would love it if one of these owls though fluttered into my post. they've got bit wooty eyes and cool wings. I have complete respect for those with the manual dexterity to knit of crochet, after having been taught myself, I still dont get it.

These were made by Captain Schlumpy (cool name btw). Who has a really nice blog over here showing an ossum first ATC.

Wiggly BIts, Chunky Books and Rwr!

What an interesting wiggly collection of things in that photo, I thought to myself as I clicked. I staired at it a bit. Realising I was proberbly not quite awake it took me quite some time to realise these were a pair of chunky pages. OMG! How cool are they. They've got wiggly bits coming out of every side, and hearts and poppy outy bits (yes thats an artistic term).

I read down the page, something I should have proberbly done first. These are for a swap-bot swap. My first Chunky Book swap. Not even the one I hosted. I checked, so I can't even tell you which swap-botter made them, only that folks can go leave lovely comments about the poppy outy, wiggly bit combo these pages have here at h_grace's flickr.
And of course check out the ossum close up pictures here and here.

Did that Cactus wink at me?

Amigurumi. Cute things croceted by hand? at least this is my understanding of what the craft is, and its anything from under pants to space hoppers. Some have smiley faces and others dont, most ive seen do. Kinda like this little smiley cactus that greeted me this morning when I flicked over to swap-bot. Its quite adorable.
Though Im not sure its small enough to count as Amigurumi, who cares, its smiley and a plant. Swap-bot user: hellovader really made a prickly plant soft and cuddly. Thats ossum.

Check out his? (I assume its a him, Cactus's to me seem like a fairly manly plant) side profile here and please check out hellovader's home site, they have got some great art work to show off, even movies.

Quite a Quote

Valentines is still looming ahead of us, a time for romance and deep meaning ful poems, well kinda. I tend to think baking a big fat cookie in the shape of a heart and having dinner cooked for me covers the day without any mass produced cards with bunnys kissing on them (I mean rabbits dont kiss do they? surely they are too occupied with making more bunnys and skip the flirting part).
....I may have got side tracked.
This is a nice card though, part of a larger journal I believe made by a lady named nicht-fisch-nicht-maus;'s (quite a mouthful tee hee), however she has a very artistic Flickr gallery and this quote just happened to catch my eye 'You asked me for forests but all I have are leaves' awww...

Wishes Really Do Come True

This is a small package recieved by Flickr user: Lennav its got a bit of everything in it. Then again this was a package from a wishlist group. I can just see the small list of tea and Kawaii goodies. mmmmm.
Im really loving the little clover paper thingy though, recently smiley japanese objects have been earning a place on my regular wishlists too. Im not quite sure why *checks for subliminal messages* I swear its mind control or something, because the only cute eastern character that ever used to appeal to me was Choco cat. And that was just because it was a smiley brown cat with a big head. (big headed kittys squeee!).
Kudos to those people who granted Lennav's wishes though, that looks like some really well thought out goodies. From Tea with little Jasmine flowers to funky face clover stationary. You did really good.

Mermaid Rocks Trinkets Socks off (its official)

Okies. Swapbot user: Playswithneedles may totally have to hate me for this link tonight, but! I kid you not when I say I adore this chunky book page mermaid. This is the first page I have ever recieved (and was part of a swap I hosted for newbies to chunky books, like me, to give making a page a try for one partner) This page, shes seriously the pride and joy of my swap table right now, Im looking at her, with her pink sequin boobie cups and her mottled green print fabric tail and Im seriously thinking I should have put more into my own chunky page for my partner, because there is just no comparison here. This Chunky book page really rocked my socks off Pwn, you did really good.
Her hair is so soft too. Im not a huge underwater fan. The little mermaid did nothing for me, this page does though. Gosh. I reckon I get excited when ever I get post, this really made my day. Right. Time to go rate my partner. Squeee!

pst. yes those hello kitty thingys swimming close by, they arent bits that fell off my table into the photo, they are cute little extras that came with the page. I feel uttery spoiled. My coat now has a new shiney Kitty badge on it. Shame she doesnt smile though. Bad kitty.

Her name is Clover...

There are never enough Dotee's out there.
So this little St. Patty's dolly made me smile. The weather is cold and snowy outside, but shes happy sitting warm indoors with some fruit. She has just been finished by swap-bot user: Peacewytch. Her name is Clover. Though Peace has said, she may yet gain hair. Which would be cool.

Id love to do a swap where everyone starts out with a basic Dotee and then gets to add more things to it, and create something by adding 'accessories' Kinda of like decorating a blank something and making it fabulous for your partner or even decorating the one you got from your partner. Gah. I dont know Im just kinda feeling I need to tart something up. I entirely blame Clover for this, shes a very charming looking Dotee.

Jars and Stars

Origami stars, Small fiddy, quite infectious once you work out just how to make them. I felt for a time I had cured my addiction to making them, course then a lovely lady on swap bot started the Origami stars in a jar swap. Which is a brilliant idea. Due to issues beyond my control I had to drop out (lack of funds, strikes again).
So I was wondering how long it would be before I saw pictures of these lovely objects on the swapbot page. Im not certain what I would use the jar for, proberbly just decoration, they look really pretty.
This jar on the left was made by swap-bot user: Jex. I love the label and how this one has been treated like a small whimsey Jar. I was thinking how it sort of reminds me of a spice pot for cooking. mmmm today, I'll put stars in the soup etc.

The Sweetest thing

It would take a good measure of will power to both eat theses, and resist. How lovely are these little chocolate russian dollys, all semt by Swapbot user: Drachenfrau for her sister? Kawaiicraz2.

Im not a big chocolate eater so I would admire them for being really pretty and shiney and colourful, but then I reckon Id be tempted and one by one they would disapear, course then I also have to count the few my Mr. would snaffle as well. In their place would be left finely pressed russian dolly wrappers, I cant be the only one who gets a little artistic with sweetie wrappers.

The Winner Has Taken it all

When your on swap bot, you can sign up to the group trades. These are safe trades, where your content to know that even if your partner is a horrible nasty flaker, you can get a certain measure of revenge and leave them a nasty bad rating, a one. But then, there are the public forums, a place where we can rant about the many pro's and con's of internet swapping, talk about pizza boxes being the perfect shipping size for sheets of paper, the creeping prices of US postage and ah yes...tags.
This however isnt about any of that. This is about those cool threads, known as Winner Takes all. Ive never really played them myself, with postage and all I like to think I am gonna be posting something to someone along with getting something posted back. Im a one on one baby at the core. I can though marvel at the things folks recieve as party of their WTA games, and you know what these little kittys are just that. How sweet are they. They were recieved by emsanpemsan. As part of an Etsy addicts WTA.
Smiley cats are always full of win juice. But like Emsanpemsan said on the comment for these two, when she won her WTA game it was like birthday and christmas all at once. I can imagine so. I dont even think I have enough Etsy favorits to even play in a game like that.

All Cats Smile even when they frown.

Its been three weeks of the blog. and OMG! SMILEY CAT!
Look at this stunning orange, SMILEY, stuff cat. But this apparently is a a cat on a mission. His smiley name is Lovekatz, and he is on a mission to spread love around the world.
He also has a jolly big box of chocolates look here.
He was made by Swap-bot user: Flufftail who has the most wonderful collection of feline pictures over on her flickr gallery, that have all been sent out as thank you postcards I believe, to her partners in swaps.
How really thoughtful, I dont think ive seen many swappers sending out thank you's for exchanges.

I have to say I was quite a fan of this picture that Flufftail recieved though, here, Gosh if only all kittens were that clean. I seem to remember mine when I was growing up going for a roll in just about anything they could, from sticky things to black stuff (they could never avoid the black stuff...).

With Extra Metal bits

Why so special? I bet your thinking. Well I thought so too while browsing the usual pictures, I looked at these and was hmmm. Those are a bit strange, what are they? (I think this often on a day to day basis).

But these are metal ATC's. They are the first Ive ever seen, Ive seen cards made from most things from Terra Cotta clay, chip board, wax, someone's (tasteful) bra cup but not metal before. They were made by Swap-bot user: ShandaPanda and are an example she's given of an non-paper ATC, to help promote her Non-Paper ATC Swap. Its really worth checking out, looking at the quality of these cards, you could really be in for an rare and unusal treat for your ATC collection, well if you sign up before the march 1st sign up deadline.

Smiley Rainbow

Happy Feburary snows if your over in the Uk like me. sadly its not snowing enough for me to go out there and make a snow man or roll around in it, its just that ice slush combo of doom, that generally makes everyone cold.
Fortunate for me I guess the rainbows were in doors today when I checked through swap-bot. Look at this cheery little guy. Hes a rainbow stuffie. I seem to remember reading in the new swaps section about the make a rainbow stuffie swap, was tempted to even try my hand but never got there (my sewing is a scary thing, more daunting than the snow slush).
I was however wondering when we would see one of those little guys on the swapbot photos though. I would never have made one like Swap-bot user: breathsymphonies made. This one is her first stuffie too, I am extremely envious of this one fo a first stuffie, its brilliant. (I think I have an obsession of putting first time makes in the Letter box).
Either way, nice rainbow. Time for the morning cuppa (or well in my case, morning mug of Cola, same thing, I need caffine!).

Its not just black and white, its ATC!

Take some card, a sharpie, a fineliner and doodle. Thats the simplest way to make a black and white ATC.
These four cards by swapbot user: gem are just that, but they couldn't be classed as doodles at all. Nice paper, careful lines, they put my patterned pieces to shame.

This does remind me about an excercise my junior school art teacher told me (memory lane alert! flee now). A good way of making yourself create new patterns for drawing later on. Take your pen for a walk around in circles like in gem's fine ATC's pictured, and then fill in the spaces with colour, patterns, pictures, you can do it with a number of different things. Id reckon a cool one could be texture, mmm soft, ooow pointy, eeerr sticky?
Its definatly a fun mini project and a nice way to create simple ATC's of your own. All credit to gem though for taking me back down memory lane, kinda makes me regret not signing up to the black and white ATC swap now. Doh.

Here's an over view of the set. Go take a look for yourself.