I recently saw Plan 9 From Outer Space and it has so many great lines I was inspired to preserve one of them in needlework.



The picture is a little overexposed but I used florescent green for the aliens and I wanted them to show up better.

I received from Plucky today and your eyes are going to collectively pop when you see the box she made me.

First, here's the cover:



Inside I found these little trinkets: a skull eraser, a pumpkin ring, and a vampire rubber ducky. The rubber ducky really made me smile. I love it.



And the inside is a beautiful as the outside, look!



This was a really fun swap and I love my box so much. The vintage images are amazing and the craftsmanship is awesome. Thanks so much plucky, you made my Halloween bright as a jack o'-lantern in a pumpkin patch. 

I received the coolest package from Plucky yesterday but I didn't have access to a camera today.

Take a gander at these decorative Halloween clips:

Group shot



As you can see, I got a bit artistic there with the mummy in the background. lol

And here's a close up. The detail and designs on these are amazing:



I love these a bunch. The magnets are on my file cabinet at work and the others are holding by bags of Halloween candy.

Thanks so much Plucky! You're a great swapper.

As promised, here are the pics of the wonderful package I got today from Amber.

First is the group shot:



There's a hair bow, a kitty bat, and a fun collection of Halloween rings.

Next is a close up of the kitty bat. He's going to join some Halloween friends in my office.  



Here is a fun piece. A Frankenstein picture frame. I'm still trying to decide whose picture will grace this one. Probably my brother.



Underneath you can see the cool candy corn fabric and a colorful Halloween bandana.

But the coolest thing of all is this mini wallet made with monster fabric. This is so great I'm going to carry it all year round!

The front:



And the back:



This is a such a great package Amber. I love it all!

Happy Halloween!

I did this piece for the monster swap currently in progress. Since my partner has received I think it's safe to post pics. She said she liked Freddy Krueger so I did this:



I found a site called DragoArt.com that has how-to tutorials for drawing our favorite monsters. It's pretty cool. Here's the link: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/2323/1/1/how-to-draw-freddy-krueger.htm

The embroidery is backstich, satin stitch, french knots (eyes) and long and short stitch (which I had never done and was more difficult than I anticipated). The knives are done with metallic thread to make them shiny.

Here is a close up:



Overall I'm happy with how it turned out. I hope my partner agrees. 

My mother had surgery two weeks ago and she's been having a rough time. So I was especially glad to get this great package from torilimcadle Saturday. I apologize profusely for the length of time it's taken me to post pics. I'm so proud of all my stuff, I've been enjoying it all immensely. Thanks so much for crafting me such a great package torili.

I love this little plushie. She suggested I name him Fred and I have to agree the name fits him to a T.



I love his big yellow eyes. He looks curious.

Then I got these cool notecards with the cutest little monster. I've got a lot of thank you notes to write and these will bring a smile to the recipients for sure.



This plaque of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is awesome. It's going up in my bedroom. Yeah, I'm weird. lol



And she added this great dragon coloring book. I haven't decided whether to color the pictures or use them for patterns. Maybe I'll try both.



Thanks for everything torili, it's great having you for a swap partner. 

I received a wonderful swap package from Staar84 on Friday. Everything is so well crafted. I especially like the Raven embroidery which is somewhat wrinkly in the pictures but will look awesome on my wall when it's framed. So, without further ado, here are my goodies! 

First up is a series of magnets with two of my favorite poems, "Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost and "suppose" by e.e. cummings. They were made line by line so I can mix and match them when on display.



This is the last three lines of "suppose". Even in the daytime the light isn't too good in here so I tried to improvise, but I'm afraid they're a bit blurry.

Then I got two notecards with another favorite "Daffodils" by Willam Wordsworth.



The best part here is that the lines of the poem are on the flower petals. Just a perfect way to share this great poem.

But best of all is this awesome embroidery of "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. You all should see thise stitches, so tiny and neat. Simply incredible!



I also got a book of the Best Western Poems, which I've been enjoying this weekend.

Roses are red
Violets are sweeter
This amazing swap package
Just couldn't be neater!

Thanks for everything Staar, I love it all!

Here's a little blackwork bookmark I made from a pattern I found on the internet. The flowers are pansies so I thought they would look nice in blue. It's backed with felt. I wanted to do blanket stitch around the edge but it's been so long since I've done it I had to look up a tutorial. 

Ok, so the closer it gets to Halloween, the more my neighborhood has become beseiged by vampires. It's gotten so you can't step out to pick up a newspaper without a garlic necklace and a cross in your handbag. The worst part is, since they started to sparkle, even then daytime isn't safe.

So as I was driving my bright yellow, bulletproof, fangproof, humvee to the store yesterday I thought, "There must be a better way." After dispatching a couple of bloodsuckers in the Clamato aisle and another one in the parking lot (he looked like a box boy but I wasn't fooled) I drove home and on my porch I saw this:



A package. Curious and wary, I put on my hazmat suit and unwrapped it to find:



The box was ancient, worn. Could it contain the key to my salvation?



With trembling fingers I opened the scroll and read...

"The Blood of the Damned:
The Son of the Dragon,
The Prince of Darkness.
Dracula Himself.
Saved from the devastating
Fire that reduced his castle to ashes.
Given now to use as a
Weapon Against the Dark.”

There was a secret compartment and within lay the greatest weapon the world has ever known:



Taste the Blood of Dracula!

“Drink and become the undead, in order to fight the undead,” it urged. “The mirror on the back of this tin will gauge your progress into Damnation.”

Could this be the answer? Could I rid myself of the plague by becoming one of *them*? It seemed perfectly logical. So I downed the vial in one gulp. It burned like fire, it froze my veins like ice! I clutched my throat and rolled dramatically upon the floor and when I arose I turned over the box and looked in the mirror…



It was true, I had become like they are. I was able to fly. I looked backward and said goodbye. Now it is I who rules the night. It is I whom *they* must fear! My transformation is complete! Mwahahahaha!

And it is crendon whom I must thank. I hope when I visit her tonight she will be kind enough to invite me in.

The End?

I received from kewlmomma today! Wait until you see the booty I got.

First up is a group shot: a ghost tote bag, a spiderweb dreamcatcher, and a headband/mask combo:



Here is the tote bag close up. It's perfect for carrying projects, and it has a pocket in the front for those small items. The ghosts are so cute and spooky, and the workmanship on this is amazing!



Here is a shot of the mask close up. This is going to be part of my Halloween costume:



Then there's this spiderweb dreamcatcher. This will either keep the nightmares at bay or create them, I'm not sure which. lol



And this didn't make it into the group shot but it's so cool! It's a shrinky dink bracelet with the Peanuts characters from "It's the Geat Pumpkin Charlie Brown. One of my perinnial holiday favorites:



You outdid yourself kewlmomma. Thanks so very much!