Bought cute pots

I actually bought these a couple of weekends ago but finally got round to putting some stuff in one of them. I put all my buttons in them. Its great because I can see them all and the tops pop off - in terms of the side handles hold the lid down so you have to undo them. I find it amusing. I don't know what I am going to put in the other one yet. I only bought 2 but I am hoping to start gathering better storage items as when we buy a place I will want to move all my stuff into our 2nd bedroom and Sam has already pointed out he doesn't want it junked up so proper storage is the way to go!

I did finish an ATC last night but no picture at the moment. Its a lady with a big hat and then i wrote the phrase does my head look big in this. Just made me chuckle - its a great picture. I am planning to include it in my blindswap sister scavenger pack. This is something that bonnie on our ATC group set up. Everyone makes a pack which they send to the next person on the list and so everyone gets a surprise pack. There is guidelines on what needs to be in the pack and one thing is an ATC you have made. I think Pat will like this ATC. I just need to get the rest of my pack together and sorted so I can send it out. I will be sure to show you guys a picture before I send it out!

Scrapbooking

Thats right its something I have been wanting to get into for ages. I have had a subscription to a scrapbooking magazine for over 2 years (I have used idea's and papers for other stuff, I have a big scrapbook (nothing in it) and the only thing I have actually done is when my friend jenny went to Japan over 2 years ago I made her a mini scrapbook. However I am closer to actually completing my 1st page - I printed all the photo's I took from the roadtrip I went on for a couple of days with Cayleigh in the states and I bought some fun embellishments which say things like road trip and stuff on them. I do now however need to actually make the page and have I found time - not a chance. I feel good in that I am slowly closer to actually achieving it but with so many art/craft things I am working on/want to work on, it seems like it may never happen.
I guess I should really take the photo's with me and mabe try and draw a layout plan so when I do come to actually doing it - I have some idea but then without knowing excatly everything I am going to use, I might not like my layout. So many questions and few answers. Do any of you scrapbook? Do you create a rough layout design with pencil and paper 1st of just play as you go?

Apart from that I had a couple more people ask for leaflets to join in The Contortionists Mail Art call which I put in the post today - I did a little more stitching on my witch last night (although was late in from work and had tired eyes so only did a little) Hoping to get away early from work today, to head up to Bristol and see Sam. We are viewing 4 houses tomorrow as we are looking to buy which is exciting - aiming for 2 bedrooms so soon some space to store all my craft stuff - horray! I did in fact by 2 smallish nifty boxes from woolworths which one I have put my buttons in - they look great, its see through so I can see all my buttons which I like. The other I have not put anything yet but part of that again is down to time. Ahh the weekend is nearly here - maybe I will manage something this weekend!

Contortionists Call incomings

Thats right I've had a couple of pieces in for the contortionists call which I have posted on Seuss's Cats Post - http://seussscatpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/contortionists-call-incomings.html follow this link to view the pieces.

One of the ladies who sent a piece in Marlene Russum Scott currently has a mail art call going on at the moment which you can see below: -

MAIL ART CALL:
As a member of Chicago Hand Bookbinders (CHB), I plan to create a book for the annual show that will begin at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee Wisconsin in January 2008 and at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois during the summer. I’d like to spread the word about mail art and plan to create a book that will display all mail art received through this call. The book style is called "Storage Book" and was taught to me by Hedi Kyle.

The theme for the exhibit is “Forever 29.” The theme was selected because CHB isn’t sure ifthis is the 29th or 30th exhibition. What does “Forever 29” mean to you?

If you’d like to be included in my book, here’s the info:

Theme: Forever 29
Deadline: October 15, 2007
Size: A6 flat card (4 1/2 x 6 1/4, thickness up to 1/8”)
Documentation to allPlease mail to:

Forever 29
c/o Marlene Russum Scott
204 N. Kenilworth, Unit B
Oak Park IL 60302
USA

journal page, inchies and more

Thats right, last weekend was really quite productive. I spent a little bit of time in my local library where of course i wandered round and picked out some books but I also went and sat in the upstairs quiet bit and worked on a journal page which I had the idea for quite a while ago but hadn't gotten to give a go yet. So i took my journal and pencils with me and just got on with it. I found it relaxing working there and there was nothing around me to make me think of other things i needed to do plus it was quite quiet and i generally just found it very enjoyable to work on the page there.

I might see about doing it again in the future. Its not often i get a weekend to myself so it was nice to just spend some time somewhere else.

Following on from this i designed another halloween inchie. This time its a ghost - i just drew the design out myself, trying to work out what would look like a realistic ghost as such and then started stitching. I think it turned out well. In the end i posted 3 to bonnie but I am making another set which I plan to send to someone else but I am reversing the colours. So if in bonnies set they were orange, in the other set its purple and vice versa.

And lastly i completed the halloween bear which I have now mounted on some purple card but cannot decide what I want to do with next. Do i make it into just a halloween card to send or do I go for the trick or treat bag. I think I am going to attempt to make a trick or treat bag because i think that would be more fun and something I haven't done before. Then I can send it to family in the states for them to make use of. So following on from this I have now started on my other halloween stitching which I am making for me so when I have my own place and its halloween I can get it out as a decorative picture as such. Its of this cool witch, its from a stitching magazine and I am sure I will show the progress of it on here - well definately when I complete.

Halloween Inchies

Thats right I actually made a couple of halloween inchies last night. Having got all the bits to do my halloween stitching and with an episode of House on my DVD player I set to work, creating the pattern to stitch the spider and the bad. That took a bit of time, playing around with how manay stitches and such so it looked likie it should but on a small scale. Spent ages trying to work out what angles I wanted the legs on my spider. Then i stitched them, I had already made cut the backgrounds up so it was a matter of deciding what ton put on them, i decided to draw on them and then adding my stitching. I am happy with them, i think they look cool and I hope Bonnie likes them when she receives them in our swap. I am going to try and do a couple more before sending them out to her. She's being lovely and letting me send however I make rather than have a set number - bless her.

I know the pictures aren't great and I may replace with better ones in next couple of days. I just wanted to get something up!

less paper but more stitching

as the title suggests I have done less paper craft of recent just because I haven't found the time but I have been doing a bit more cross stitching as this is something I can do whilst watching TV and therefore making me social with the family as well. If I am papercrafting - I am up in my room, mess surrounding me and therefore much more anti social.

Anyway I received my postcards back from the swap and I shall post pictures of them on my received blog as such in the next couple of days.

I finally finished some stitching for a coaster I was doing as part of a series for my family in the states so decided to do something else whilst looking for my next piece for a coaster. I had just received through the newest cross stitch mag I subscribe to and it had some great halloween pieces in them. So over the weekend I popped into Hobbycraft to pick up the threads I was missing and made a start on what you see above. This I am either going to turn into a card or I am going to make into a bag so that I can send it to my family in the states for them to put their halloween candy in. I think I like the bag idea more its just whether I can work out how to do it.

Anyway I am also going to make a halloween piece as a framed piece so that I can have it to put out around halloween - My stepdads newest wife Angie has loads of ornaments themed around seasons and special occasions. I like the idea - I have quite alot of stuff for christmas but for other stuff not really. I mean I know halloween isn't that big a thing in the UK as it is in the states but I stitch loads of things for other people and I liked the picture so I am thinking I should make something for me.

I will be sure to include pictures once I start making it!