Swap Fever

I have recently grown interested in sites that allow people to become connected via snail mail. I guess being a stay at home mom makes being connected to the world in any form sound attractive! So I did a bit of searching and found Swap-bot.com. At first I thought the swaps there would not be for me. For example, look at this one.


Now I don't know about you, but I have enough cereal boxes and such sitting around as it is; I really don't want to receive bits of other peoples' in the mail! Can you say "Regretsy?"



Well, this is little better. I probably have a mangled postcard somewhere. But do I really want someone else's mangled postcard in return? No thanks.



Ah! Now this is more like it! I have crocheted all sorts of things but never a dishcloth, so this would be something new. I found a pattern online (see link at the end of the post) and got started.
I was so surprised to receive my dishcloth yesterday, on Valentine's Day, way sooner than expected! My swap partner, Lee, really went all out. She wrapped it in beautiful glittery polka dotted tissue paper tied up with ribbon, attached a hand-written note, and tucked in a packet of Twinings peppermint tea!



How absolutely perfect is that? Lee, you are amazing! Thank you so much :D



I am still working on the dishcloth for my swap partner to receive. I have plenty of time to finish it and will definitely have it ready in time. The pattern is simple and fun and I love the way it is working up in this buttery yellow Peaches and Cream cotton yarn. This cloth should be great for scrubbing pans or would even be a nice washcloth! Make sure you check out the pattern at Simple Sweet Yarns. When I finish it I will add a post with the final product photos.

Nubbie Scrubbies Pattern

So far my swapping experience has been a lot of fun and I plan to do more in the future. If you're considering doing the same, make sure you read the site's policies and that you understand what is expected of you. Also, be aware that some swaps will not take newbies!

Happy Massacre Day! (KIDDING!)

Years and years ago, when I was in middle school and had just developed an interest in classic crime, I thought it would be horribly funny (pun definitely intended) to make a sick but silly Al Capone Valentine's Day card. For those who didn't get it, this is because he is the person generally believed to be responsible for the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in which men dressed in police uniforms corralled six of Bugs Moran's men into a garage and shot them up with tommy guns.

Interestingly, the violent deaths of six gangsters horrified the nation and served to convince them that something had to change. Either the times have changed or people feel differently about rooms full of school children than they do about criminals.

But I digress.

Anyway, despite my horror of war and violence and such, I guess I have a dreadful sense of humour, because now that I have GIMP, I finally have made some Valentine's Day cards. I'm only going to share one of them here.

Hope you enjoy it in spite of yourself.

Happy Valentine's Day!



PS. I am offering this for free, to be printed and given away as you like. However, it may not be sold either in printed or in file form without my consent. If I catch you, you're toast. And remember, I have read up on this stuff, so I know all of the methods ;)

An Unexpected Honour

Back in December I received a comment on my "Thank You, Everyone" post saying a fellow blogger, Sara at A Ghoul's Best Friend, had nominated me for a Liebster Award. I had never heard of this and am trying to be very careful that I get it all right. It's an award that you pass on to a a fellow blogger to show that you enjoy their blog. This way you can learn about them, share about yourself, and get more readers for everybody involved! Sweet, right?

First off, for those of you that I end up sending this Liebster Award to here are the rules!

The Rules:

1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2. They must also answer the 11 questions the tagger has set for them.
3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
4. They must then choose 11 special bloggers WHO HAVE LESS THAN 200 FOLLOWERS to tag & award with the Liebster award
5. These bloggers must be told in a comment on their blog

So, here goes.

11 Things About Me

1. I was married with an elvish wedding band. (So was my husband).

2. Sometimes I think that if reincarnation were real, I must be Louisa May Alcott.

3. I hate onions. I have to read all of the labels to make sure I don't buy anything with onions in it.

4. I'm addicted to paperdolls--buying them, drawing them, making them, thinking about making them...

5. When I am alone or very happy, I sing opera loudly.

6. I would love to work for Mythbusters!

7. I talk in my sleep and sometimes walk too.

8. I have only two phobias: the fear of large grasshoppers, and the fear of gory/violent movies and tv shows. Unless you count claustrophobia...hmmm

9. When I was a kid I wanted to be Nancy Drew.

10. I believe that just about everything is better with ginger in it, and I cook accordingly.

11. I sometimes watch British shows and movies just to get my fix for that gorgeous greenness that can't be found anywhere else on earth.

Here are my answers to Sara's questions.

1. What is your favorite season and why?

Autumn, because of the cool weather, bright leaves, Halloween, and that general feel of electricity in the air.

2. If you could live in any US city which one would it be and why?

This is hard...I like where I am, and would prefer to move to England if anywhere. But I guess if I had to pick a place in the USA it would be either Williamsburg, Virginia, because it is beautiful and so full of history, or one of the towns on Whidbey Island, in Washington state. I loved the foghorns and sea mist in the mornings and the great green ferns everywhere... Both would be better than Florida climate-wise too! I would love to live somewhere with snow.

3. If you were in a horror movie where an escaped mental patient was hacking people to bits, do you think you would be a survivor?

I just might. I've survived a lot already that I never would've thought possible. I would be the quiet one that everyone forgets about...until I either talk down the loony (I actually have a little experience!) or bring him/her down with a few of my ballet kicks.

4. What is your favorite color?

Green, especially emerald green.

5. Dogs or cats?

Cats always!

6. If someone gave you $1000 today, what would you most likely do with it?

Pay bills! I know that's not exciting but it's necessary.

7. What is your favorite perfume or cologne?

Poison Ivy by Demeter

8. What is your favorite memory of 2012?

This one is hard, but I think it is probably the rainy day when The Precious was just crawling around and figured out how to turn her Twilight Turtle on. Watching the wonder in her eyes grow as she projected stars across her face and then all over the walls while the rain pattered on the tin roof of our new house...it was just beyond words.

9. What is one thing you would change about yourself if you could?

My temper! I would love to be the sort of person who can keep anger inside without soon turning into a volcano.

10. What is a song that you can't stand so much that it makes you change the station as soon as it comes on the radio?

I don't know the name but it has a chorus that starts with "So you had a bad day..."
That song can give me a bad day!

11. If you were a member of the opposite sex for 24 hours, what would you do?

I would go hiking and camping alone in the wilderness without having to worry about being raped or having to find a bathroom. FREEDOM!

Here are my picks for the Liebster Award (in no particular order):

Simple Sweet Yarns

Lost in Dictation (I hope it's okay to pick your husband--I really do enjoy his blog)

The Things I Do

LDP

American Girl Fan Club by Sky

My Sweet Peace

Blythe Doll Blog

Helena

Sew Knit Me

Girl Once Known As

Simply, Sara Jean

You folks need to answer the following questions in a post like this one.

1. What is your favourite musical?

2. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

3. If you could be any animal for one day, which would you choose and why?

4. What song best describes your life?

5. What character from a book is most like you?

6. Of all foods in the world, which is the most disgusting to you?

7. What slogan or catchphrase annoys you most?

8. Who is your greatest source of inspiration? Can be anyone, living, dead, or make-believe.

9. What is your dream vacation?

10. Complete this sentence/thought. "If everyone just (insert your idea here) the world would be a better place."

11. If you could own any car ever made, what would you pick?

Okay, enjoy! And please feel free to the link to your Liebster Award post as a comment on this post... who knows, you may get some more views and some new readers!

Upcycle Those Shades!

Do your shades have a short life? Do you sit on them, fiddle with them until you break the arm off, or drop them often? If so, this project will probably allow you to use them to make a really fun, geeky-chic necklace. Unless you've completely mutilated them, that is.


See Sunglass Necklace! and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Nerdy Quote of the Week

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”
― Oscar Wilde

If this is true, then I am a very mixed up person indeed. But then we all knew that anyway. I wonder how my love of Dickens will affect my actions, and whether those actions will be equally affected by my admiration for Ray Bradbury. Where on earth does Wodehouse fit in?

What about you? Do you feel that your favourites have helped to create your true self, and if so, how? I would love some insight.

Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy