I love preparing for Christmas and get excited when I see Christmas products creeping into shops. I know we haven’t had Halloween or Bonfire Night yet but I can’t help picking up Christmas presents, finishing off handmade gifts and signing up to Christmas swaps (Very Berry Xmas Ornament Scrappy Swap, Festive Faith, Hope and Charity Swapping, and an Advent Swap). Which is why I couldn’t resist this little handful of vintage Christmas goodies on my latest thrifting trip. I found a lovely retro Christmassy box containing vintage Christmas cards and gift tags. Some are a bit sinister (check out that…
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I’ve been busy participating in lots of fun swaps lately and received the most amazing swap parcel as part of the International Craft Swap from Gina. I asked her to make Edward a personalised muslin as he loves a small muslin square to hold whilst he goes to sleep. She completely surpassed what I expected and made him a beautiful quilt which features a giraffe (his favourite animal) and his name. As soon as he saw it he realised it was for him and he’s been snuggling under it on the sofa and wrapping it around himself – very cute.…
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I signed up to the Summer 2011 Handmade Gift Exchange and exchanged a couple of emails with my partner who seems to have similar interests to me. I’ve been meaning to make something from Scandinavian Stitches for a while, the book is full of amazing projects, and I put my own spin on the birds mini art quilt. I got to use my favourite bondaweb for the bird applique (which I finally feel I’ve mastered) although missed out the quilting as I didn’t want to ruin the quilt top! I also got to try some freehand machine stitching on my…
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I love fabric and was pleased to receive a parcel from Ali as part of the Very Berry Scrap Swap. Fabric, embroidery thread, ceramic buttons and an essential bar of chocolate – thanks Ali! I also put together a little parcel for my partner. I haven’t heard from her but I hope she got it. I even popped in one of my lovely new business cards – which I hope you agree looks very professional! I love participating in swaps, especially fabric swaps. They’re a great way to diversify your fabric stash, especially if you love patchwork as much as…
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I’m excited as I’ve signed up for an International Craft Swap, hosted by Zoe to keep my crafting mojo going. The ‘rules’ are simple – there isn’t a price limit, or a time limit, to what you make. Make it with love and they will love it. Be as generous as you can, the point of this is to put a smile on a stranger’s face, but don’t put yourself out. Try to use materials you already have in your stash, and maybe even do a little de-stash to send to your recipient! Basically I have 6 months to create…
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I’m trying to collect a range of fabrics so I don’t just have Cath Kidston fabrics. With this is mind I recently signed up for a Scrappy Fabric swap over at Very Berry Handmade. I sent off a pack of scraps to my partner Nikki (which I hope she liked) and received a little parcel from Teresa at A Time for Stitching. I love getting mail and this packet was no exception as it was stuffed full of lovely fabrics. Teresa also included some vintage buttons which will be great for my stash. My next project is a mug rug…
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As part of my Day Zero challenge I’m aiming to take part in at least one swap a month. So in the run up to Christmas I signed up for a couple of Christmas swaps. First up was the Blogger’s Secret Santa organised by Leanne where I received a copy of Cath Kidston’s Sew! from Helen. It’s full of beautiful projects to make (some of which will probably end up as birthday and Christmas presents). I sent a Moleskine recipe journal to Domestic Goddesque. Then I joined up for the Secret Christmas Ornament Swap organised by Denise and I received…