Here is the thing I sent, it is a bracelet knit with beads and a button closure.

I received my package on Saturday, it was very exciting, especially when we looked on the doorstep for another package then we walked out the other door and saw the mail truck that had only moments before dropped off my package.



It was a box inside the shipping box with all sorts of goodies. A subversive cross stitch that has a fond place in my heart, even though I probably wont put it out in public. Some great jewelry, a bracelet and two sets of earrings that are pretty and light! My ears don't handle weight well. Note cards and magazine envelopes, beautiful paper and something I love, even though it is a silly thing to love, a knitting row marker.

And here are the two skirts that I sent:

My mom started knitting with beads years ago with those little bags. She had a lot of supplies and recently gave them to me because she doesn't do such tiny things anymore. With all her supplies I remembered this pattern

The one change that I made was instead of a snap closure I found a small shanked button and a buttonhole.





I have also made a simple k2 bead 2 bracelet. That one I sewed into a circle and it does stretch around the hand to get on the wrist. 

I got my OTT last night, it is very exciting. A sparkly resin pendant necklace. I am excited because I see a lot of resin stuff and I think it is cool, but I have never received any.



It reminds me sparkly vinyl.

I was at Jo-Ann's with a 40% off coupon so I bought a wire bracelet kit for $5 that wasn't even like spending money, it didn't come from my account, or even cash from my wallet because I recently found a
gift card with a bit of money on it. I got the hang of the weaving very quickly, I also learned what directions I didn't really need to follow. I am really glad they had a nice way of finishing the ends of the bracelet. Each set has three wires and there are four groups.



It was totally a lot of fun, and the kit came with a little clamp, which could come in useful for many things. The one problem I had is that I got too excited and cut the wires too short, so it is a bracelet for child or small wrist person. It also looks a little delicate for me.




But I will do it again, and from what I understand of the instructions you could make it with any number of even sets. "Four sets of two, eight sets of one". So I will either try it with four sets of four, or how about six sets of three. I wonder how that would look. To make it wider and thicker. The only thing that bothers me, (besides the fact that I made it too small) is that they didn't say what kind of wire was used, I don't know the gauge or anything. I saved a bit of the wire and I guess I will have to take it to the store with me and compare. I really don't know anything about wire. And because I have so many interests. I can never remember what things get thicker as the number gets larger and what things get thinner. For example, sewing machine needles go one way and hand needles go the other!

I have been having fun playing with small plastic items and making them into earrings. The problem is that I can't wear them, my ears can't handle any weight!

So I finished graduate school and was determined to use my graduation money for something other than general living (which is mostly how I use money given to me). And what did I decide to do? After spending almost two decades in school, I used the money to take a class! A five day workshop focusing on indigo and shibori. My interest in shibori started a few years ago, with pole wrapping and I have always wanted to learn more (from a person not a book). Yes shibori is a type of resist dyeing, a fancy Japanese word for "tie-dye", but many cultures have "shibori" or "tie-dye" traditions. Here are some of my favorites

My "final" project. I did some stitch resist and small dots with different size beads to make this butterfly on a scarf.

Logwood and indigo on silk




The scarf was dyed in logwood and then in indigo. The rest of the scarf was again dots with different size beads, rice grains and lentils along with binding around wine corks.



This is a type of pole shibori the fabric is stitched to the circumference of the pole then scrunched to one end and dyed.

Indigo on cotton/linen



More pole shibori with the same fabric, but this time it is folded in half, wound around the pole with string then scrunched. You can see that the lines of the string create a stronger, sharper resist line than in the piece above.

Indigo on cotton/linen



It took me a while but I finally made some folded and clamped pieces I liked.

Indigo on silk



This one I call "The Art Piece" It is folded and clamped, refolded and re-clamped. Many layers

Indigo on silk



There is a lot more to be seen If you want to I didn't want to add too many photos.

I got my OTT today. It is pretty great.

Please tell me if I am missing something, so far I have used it as a finger puppet and as a bottle decoration. Oh and it glows in the dark, but I didn't get a picture of that, maybe I am too impatient but the pictures I took in the dark the camera didn't capture the glow, but maybe I need to find a desk lamp to really "charge" it.

First of all I want to again thank everyone who sent me a present, I was lucky to receive so many!

Secondly I want to apologize for not posting photos in a timely manner. This July/August has been pretty crazy!

So here it goes.

I received a notebook to note books I want to read/have read or want to buy from ashestoashes



Some fabric and TWO knit swiffer covers from pogmothion. While swiffer covers may not sound like an exciting birthday gift THEY ARE.



And a GIANT tote bag for groceries from our organizer c_lest_m

No really it is HUGE you could carry two toddlers in it. While most of the time I will not fill it up because then it would be tremendously heavy, I do appreciate the largeness, most of the bags I have are too small to carry more than a few items.

So I mostly do "fiber" crafts. Sewing, knitting, dyeing...but I started to make some silly jewelry. And yes, it is a lot of fun! I just don't know how I will be able to handle wanting fabric, yarn and beads/jewelry supplies!

Oh well, at least these were cheap!

I thought it would be fun to make somethings from little tiny plastic things (mostly animals) but if you know where to get other trinkets or plastic charms please let me know!

It all started with....

Some devil duck pencil toppers I had around


Then I went to some toy/gift stores and found some little plastic animals. I showed my friends all the stuff I got and they commented on the ones they liked the best. So I made these two pair for them.

   

The great thing is that my ears really don't like weighty earrings (even the devil ducks are a little heavy), but I can't even feel the plastic animals. The last place I have to go and search is the party supply store.