Swap Spoiler Alert - IntrepidYarn!

Okay IntrepidYarn do not read any further!!

Has she gone???...

Okay, so England were playing all day yesterday, football and rugby, so that was M pretty much occupied all day (he's very partisan!). So yours truely was kind of left to her own devices all day. I was very productive though. I managed to finish my Christmas Short n Sweet whilst watching Charlie Jade. It's quite a deep pink with silver running through it. It perfectly matches a pink and black batik wrap skirt that I love, so I'm really happy.

I also finished crocheting a bag for IntrepidYarn for the Stashbuster Swap. I love the clasp I made - a loop which you put the tassel fasting through to secure it. I just have to line it now.

And then last night I tackled a complete recon job. Quite a challenge, I've never done this before, but I love how it turned out, so I think I'll be whipping one up for myself soon! I present, trousers to skirt recon! IntrepidYarn wanted something to wear and she is quite petite, so I had these trousers in my stash pile - they did fit (they're a little tight now though sadly ) I didn't really wear them very much though because the waistband came up a little high and rubbed on my belly ring. So they haven't had much wear.

So I chopped the legs off where I wanted the skirt to sort of end. They were originally cargo trousers so I wanted to keep the pockets.

Then I turned it inside out and pinned along the crotch seams.

Sewed it.

Trimmed and overlocked it, cutting away the excess.

Then I cut the legs into strips lengthways.

Overlocked on one side of each strip.

Then sewed each strip end to end so I had a long narrow circle, and overlocked each seam.



Then the side that wasn't overlocked, I pleated and pinned it into place, spacing it out evenly!

I then sewed it into place and overlocked it. then I hemmed the bottom.

Ta da!

It still looks a little plain though....it needs something else.

I foind this lovely flower trim in my stash, so I sewed that along the edge above the bottom frill!

I still need to wash and press it, I'm saving that till just before I have to send out though, because IntrepidYarn is allergic to cats and I have two! I think it's really cute and I love it! I just hope that she does!

Bodies and bling

My dress form finally arrived - hurray! She made it to me through the backlog of mail; I have decided to call her Chiana (a gold star to anyone who can tell me the relevance of that name *lol*) At the moment she's in the bedroom corner - M is a little creeped out by her though, so she may not stay there *lol* She needs some adjustment though because I'm not as sylph-like as Chiana, unfortunately!



Here is the Lariat style necklace I also made for my Mums Birthday. I really like it and I might have to make myself one! I keep saying that, but I just never seem to have the time!

To get a better idea of what it looks like when worn, here is Chiana modelling it!

Another thing that finally made it through the postal backlog was my Mighty Boosh DVD's! Hurray!! I'll be watching those this weekend!

I had also claimed Homerof2 for some artwork in the last round of OWS, so I drew her some chalk pastel flowers which are here in my 101 blog! Unfortunately there was no jewellery class this week as Mo couldn't make it, so I've not got any further on my pendant or ring. I did manage to get to yoga class though instead and have a list of the other classes that Mary does, so I'll be able to get back to a regular yoga class (it clashed with my jewellery class, but I've really been missing my yoga! I've been doing it at home, but it's not always the same!)

Paint me a picture

Or a picture frame at least! I have been quite busy lately with school and stuff and in my spare time I have been stocking up a little for Christmas. These Celtic Picture Frames are now available in my eBay shop and there will be more lovely glass to follow as soon as its all dried *lol*

As Mo forgot the borax this week at jewellery glass, I wasn't able to get the finishing touches to the solder on my heart pendant, so I started making a ring instead. This is made from copper with a random line design pressed into it. It was so easy to do I was shocked *lol* It will need soldering to finish it off, and I haven't decided whether to add a bit of enamelling as well. It's a nice wide ring, so it may not need anything else. The join where I pierced it is a little crooked, but hey, it was my first attempt at cutting a cylindrical shape rather than a flat one! I'll see what I think when it's soldered and polished. I also had a go at making jump rings. Again, they were so easy!

It was my Mums birthday on Thursday and one of the gifts I made her was this Tinkerbell painting. (Yeah, she likes Tinkerbell!) I haven't seen her to give her her gifts yet as she is away in Torquay with my Dad at a Rock n Roll Weekender (My folks, the party animals! *lol*) It's painted in gouache with a little sparkly fairy dust. I hope she likes it, Tinkerbell (the real one) has a bit of a weird shaped face (if you've ever looked at a piccy of her) and I had to play with it a little to get it looking okay. I've just got to find a frame for it now.

Invite your Partner Harry Potter Swap

Unbelievably for the Muggle post, Karan has received her parcel from me already!! I can finally post piccys of the things I have been crafting for the last month or so.

Firstly, every new student to Hogwarts has to have their Hogwarts letter:

A wand (made using the instructables tutorial):

And a witches/wizards hat; I used chunky wool so that it will stand up on it's own, or fold down for a more Muggle look:

A scarf in her House Colours (Ravenclaw); I made a corkscrew scarf in blues, with a fancy silver edging for those formal occasions when you want to sport your house colours.

A bespoke Pensieve; this was hard to photograph, but I think you can see it okay here. Here's the bottom, it has runes running round the outside:

And here it is viewed from above so that you can see the inside; I also sent enchanted crystals and candles so that it can be used for scrying:

Ravenclaw Goblets; they have the House emblem on one side and a star on the other to represent Kookaloo*Starr

The goblets have been fired so they can be used:

A set of Hogwarts coasters in a tin so that the House Elves don't get angry about cup rings in the dormitories:

And a Monster Book of Monsters; The cover is removable so that a new book can be put in when it is full!

I love this project and will definately be making one of my own *lol*

A Concise History of Hogwarts Altered Book:

An Owlery windowcling so that the owls know where to deliver the post (it just sticks to the window and looks like stained glass):

And so that Karan can join S.P.E.W. a couple of sets of House knitting needles and a crochet hook:

A bit of bling to wear to the Yule Ball (I made the diamond-y shaped beads from sparkley Fimo) :

Again, another little Starr motif:

And a keyring for when she comes home to the Muggle World:

I also sent some Muggle Wildflower seeds for Herbology classes but I didn't have a photo :-)

I had good fun making all this, and Karan says she likes it all, so it's been a good swap all round!

Scarves, stockings and Short n Sweet!

Window update, we are entering our third night of 'hole in the window temperature torture'. My Dad is arranging a glazier friend of his to come and replace the whole window with a fancy double-glazed one. The window is being constructed (I hope) as we speak. Well, not right now as it's night, but you get the idea. I hope it gets sorted soon, it's cold and noisy with a hole in the window, and the bubble-wrap crackles with every breath of wind.

Anyway, Simplyfussfree has received her scarf from me and says I can nick her photo as I stupidly forgot to take one before I posted it. It's in white yarn and alternates granny square patterns, with fringing. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. She wanted a single colour scarf, so I thought I'd make the patterning through contrasting granny square designs rather than the normal way through colour.



I must be crazy, I've started another Short n Sweet. I have this big cone of machine yarn which I bought at a car boot sale. It's a lovely deep magenta plied with a silver thread and the colour completely matches a Nomads batik wrap skirt I have. It's nice to be making something for me.

I'll be able to post it in Ravelry, which I have been spending far too much time on recently! I've already got 12 projects listed, and 12 queued!

I've also been doing some painting as the gift giving season is practically upon us and I need to get my shop stocked up ready. This is a teaser as I'm not quite finished this yet. It'll be a big Celtic picture frame.

I posted Karan's HPIYP swap package yesterday. I had to send it Standard Parcel so hopefully she'll get it within a couple of days. It's been soooo hard not posting any piccys, but I will post them all when she gets it! Fingers crossed.

I also received from Rosemary in the HPC Weasley Household object swap. A floo powder pincushion and doily, badges, an owl charm, a skein of Sugar and Cream in red, and a packet of HP trading cards which I've never seen before, but then I don't have kids, well, only a grown-up one. The S&C will come in handy, you can't get that stuff here, and I wanted to have a go at some dishcloths. The HP trading cards had a Severus Snape card in! :-) M said that he should have that card as he's a Slytherin.

I signed up for the Christmas Stocking Swap...I really couldn't resist. I've regularly make stockings and fill them for gifts, but I've never had one back, not since I was a child and my Mum used to put a stocking at the end of the bed, filled with small gifts for us to open Christmas morning. We weren't allowed downstairs until Mum and Dad were up, and the main gift giving came after breakfast. The stockings were designed to keep us happy and keep us busy in our rooms till breakfast. We used to get little games, mini colouring books and pencils, puzzles, satsumas, stuff like that, and when we got older, we'd get little bits of cheap jewellery, make-up, and crafty bits. Last year I made mini stockings for everyones tree gifts and filled them with home-roasted savoury herb mixed nuts. I love the Yule Season!

Oh yes *whispers* I succumbed, I bought a dress-form from eBay - *shuuuh* it hasn't arrived yet, I'm waiting excitedly! It was a bargain - luckily I've sold quite a bit in my shop recently and had money in my Paypal account!