Wow, I'm going to break the three-day no posting streak.

Anyway, my package from my swap angel arrived!  DELLASTELLA was my swap angel!

I wanted to take a picture of the box to put on here, but I don't have the technical know-how to smudge out addresses, but the shipping label is the Slovak flag!  It looks very cool!

Without further ado:


- a teapot cozy in a wonderful matryoshka fabric
- knitted handwarmers
- a set of mug cozies
- and a cute little needlebook!



I had to put in an up-close shot of the handwarmers... I love love them and have been wearing them all day!  (50 outside, 60 inside... perfect weather for them!)  They're so pretty!

Everything is so well made and very professional-looking!  And I do love everything-- it suits me perfectly!

Thank you so much-- you're a great swap angel!

Got my package today!!

Mclied, you were spot on with what you sent!  I LOVE them!


Jiji chopstick rests!  lol, at first I pulled them out of the package (before I read the letter) and was like "oh no, they got bent!"

an action shot:

because you know you want to see more Jiji.   

I have been wanting chopstick rests for a while... but had never found a set I wanted to buy that was a reasonable price.  These are perfect!  Thanks so much!

Good thing you set up the gallery!  I received my package yesterday, all the way from Canada already!

thefett drew me two pictures from my favorite TV show, The Good Life.  I'm amazed at his drawing abilities and my mouth was left hanging open as I opened the package!


The cast of The Good Life... Penelope Keith, Richard Briers, Paul Eddington, Felicity Kendal.  I recognized it from the original photo immediately!


The Good's House... done very nicely!

The frames are perfect!  I have several other similar silver frames in my house. 

Thank you sooo much!  I have them in my dining room right now... haven't decided on the final location as I might need a few new nail holes.

I got my magnets from onecrazymom yesterday!  Actually, they came earlier, but I was gone.    However, I was excited to get home because I knew they'd be waiting for me in the mail.

- two glass magnets that say "inspire" and "vision"
- classical architecture
- clothespin magnets!
- Slovakia... I've been to the city in the middle, Banska Bystrica.  And, below the "explore" is Lucenec, my home city. 

My favorite is the Slovakia one, but I also love the clothespins!  I also love all the colors in the architecture one.  Thank you so much, onecrazymom!

got my inchies from waterbaby!  yay!

I love them!  let me show you:



They're inspired by my (many) interests... a set of cacti, a flower, cityscape, cooking, mountains in Slovakia, and yellow and red woven threads.

My favorite is the mountain triptych... the mountains are so pretty and luminous!  With a pleso (mountain lake).  They're hand-drawn and colored with pencil... oh, how I wish I could draw!

She also sent a card with the picture of an arbor... taken in/next to a graveyard!  It is so pretty and light, love the contrast.

Thanks so much, waterbaby!

Yay!  got my stuffie from SKooKuM today... glad I didn't have to wait until next week, with no mail on Monday.  It's fun to have swap partners who live in neighboring states... you don't have to wait as long for the package to arrive!

I've sent already for three swaps, but this is the first one I've received.  I thought the fun was in making something for someone else, but opening that package is exciting too!



Meet tarepanda (lazy/droopy panda in Japanese)... I love him!  or her?    Perfectly hand-sized, and oh-so-cute!  Look at that cute little tail and nose.

I have a plan to include him as a backdrop in a bento photo or two.    Perfect atmosphere, especially with my panda picks and baran.

Also, SKooKuM sent me a few shrinky dink charms!

I had a hard time photographing these... no close-up on my camera... they are so cute!  onigiri, sushi roll... all bento-ready, as I'm obsessed with bento!

Thanks so much!  I love everything!

I have two (actually, um... five) friends who are expecting, and one has a shower on Saturday, so I needed to get something made quickly!  Thus these two hats... I'll be making another for a little girl soon.  I made both of these yesterday.


This one was a compilation of three different patterns: one for the base of the hat, one for the brim, and one for the flower.


A newborn monkey hat... it turned out so cute!  I used a soft brown cotton.  I modified the ears a bit so they wouldn't be complete circles as the pattern suggested (yes, to me, patterns are suggestions!) 

Enjoy!  I've started looking for new patterns...

Yay, my inchies swap partner finally got hers, so I can post them here... along with other sets of inchies I've made.  I feel like I'm developing a "style"... I really need to break out of that and try a different format!  Right now, I paint a background, cut pieces from old magazines, cover with mod podge, and then add some last-minute decoration.


Inchies #3... made for my swap partner waterbaby!


Inchies #4, and my all-time favorites


Inchies #5... not sure what I'll do with these as animals aren't really my thing.  But, I was inspired by kawaii amigurumi

You can find my first two sets of inchies here:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=370159.msg4352461#msg4352461

After browsing around Craftster for a few months, I finally decided to make something... and, for once, something I could finish!  yay for quick, finishable projects. 

My first set, made yesterday:

colored pencil on cardboard, stamps, covered with several layers of ModgePodge.  These will probably become refrigerator magnets.

second set, made today:

magazine cut into quilt patterns.  I'm sending these to my Mama... she's a quilter.