picture time!  i wish i'd gotten a picture of the box, as it honestly looked like it was going to burst open spontaneously.  not sure if this was the way customs repacked it, or just because it was jam packed with awesome

firstly - some candy (minus the hershey's milk duds that were too delicious to hand around long enough to be photographed) as AlwaysInspired and i are from opposite (kinda) sides of the globe, we are swapping some candy too.



supplies:  a needle book and pincushion in matching fabrics!  AlwaysInspired made all the supplies herself.  they're super cute (and useful - best combination).  no more needles through the foot for me!!!  i hope the photo shows the lovely detail on the embroidery.



a hipslinger!!!!!!  she even modified the design from comments on my wist, and used fabric on my wists.  could my package get any more awesome?!?!
it's even got a little carabiner for my keys and fastens at teh back with velcro - perfect for theft by sibling (kidding)

please ignore the muffin top


detail shot:



and finally (drumroll please, people), the piece de resistance......... ................... .......... holy crap an awesome pillow!!!!!  the multicoloured fabric kinda reminds me of australian indigenous art.  the embroidery on this is sooooo soooooo perfect. to think my partner rated herself as intermediate. such modesty!

living on my bed for the moment (my bed is kinda overfull with pillows). my old chair is too ugly for the pillow, but as soon as i get a new chair, it will have a nice snuggly home on my chair.


closeup of the embroidery. ooh lah lah!!



thanks so much AlwaysInspired.  you rock!!!!!

i received the most awesome tin ever from bushbaby yesterday!!!  we also did a little my country does't have that personal swap on the side, so hopefully nobody minds if i post those pictures here too.


a tea towel with scottish recipes, some postcards including a music video postcard, some brochures from london, highland toffee which i accidentally ate as soon as i opened the package, and a really cute british postbox keyring.

now onto the actual stuff....i wanted to get a photo of everything in the tin, but i somehow couldn't get it all to fit back in after i'd unpacked it.




i LOVE it!!!! it reminds me of paddington bear and the sex pistols mixed together. lol


a HUGE variety of ephemera including shells, tickets, a patch from scotland, british money, a little fold out thingy filled with stamps, keys, metal doodads, map, cards, ribbon and lots of other bits and pieces


this is the fold out book thingy.  it's really nice and filled with loads of awesome stamps (bushbaby knew i liked queen elizabeth and she included lots of stamps with her on them)


inside - boy am i glad the train network in melbourne doesn't look like that!!


underneath.

thank you SO SO SO much bushbaby!!! it's perfect for me

i received from liasaun1



i got:
- a stuffie (not stuffed, but i don't have any stuffing, so i will buy some when i get a chance)
- some strawberry earrings
- some polymer clay foods
- stickers

thank you

it's been 3 days since my partner received and i haven't herd anything from her, so i'm just going to post some pictures of what i sent. lucky i took some before hand.

2 pairs of lucky star earrings (i thought they were kinda cute and tied in with the idea that kawaii originates from japan, as they are made with origami lucky stars)



and a tshirt, which i bought (just a plain white one), but embellished myself.  it took me ages because i don't have a sewing machine, so all the felt is handstitched. lol. the japanese characters say "strawberry". (this was x-posted to the clothing board, sorry! )

(on me, it's a bit big for me though)

i wasn't sure whether i should put this in general or reconstructed, or even needlework, so feel free to move it.

well, i made this for a swap i was in, and my partner has received, although i didn't hear from her, so hopefully she liked it

i just bought i plain white tshirt, already had the pink fabric, and felt.  as far as i am aware, the japanese charcters say strawberry, although the online translator i used may have not been accurate. oh well.  all up it took me probably over 4 hours, as it is all stitched by hand, and i work very slowly.  the idea was my own original concept. comments/criticism appreciated, as this is my first attempt at non-knitted clothing. let me know what you think!

on me (it was a few sizes to big for me - but it gives you an idea)



close ups:

i would like to do this, but i don't have a huge amount of experience in needlework.  is there room for newbies?

i embellished this bag about a year ago for a swap:

here is a picture i took before sending:



i think he looks pensive here, just the way his eyes are looing down haha



glad you liked them. 

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

ah the joys of swapping - i was spoiled yet again, this time by tracytremble with a parcel from japan!!!

the box was very cutely decorated but I didn't get a photo of it sadly.

first....a whole bunch of cards with pictures of traditional scenes on them and a letter on really cute paper explaining the package.



3 really cute stationary sets and a set of japanese food erasers!!



a lifetimes supply of origami paper, some really cool tape type things that are like an über long sticker made of japanese paper and a really cute box she made herself



an adorable little pouch and some fabric



tissues and band-aids from hello kitty (I can't wait to get sick so i can use them!!!!)



FOOD!!! koala biscuits, a tin of hello kitty candy and melon and orange flavoured kit kats!!



all together



thanks so much faith!!! i got über spoiled!!!!!!!! 

I received today!!  And my ornament was......AWESOME!!!!!

MonkeyThumb made me a TEA THEMED christmas ornament.  The embroidery is lovely and it's such a cute and unique ornament!!!

Here is one side:



And the other:



I also received a few little extras.  Everything came in a lovely gift bag and she even included a Christmas card (my first received this year so far!!)



Thanks so much MonkeyThumb!!!!   You made my day!! (which previously consisted of sorting through which school textbooks I want to keep and which I want to sell - how boring!)

ok so you guys, i think we should call the cops on purpleone because..........sh e is a stalker!!! 

but seriously, she TOTALLY spoiled me with some things that weren't even on my list of stuff i wanted from the UK, but she found out i wanted it anyway!!!  onto envy inducing *cough cough* sorry, i meant pictures.

firstly: a lovely owl card with a note inside, and some playing cards with a really nice pattern on the back. (part of the british things bag)



some kawaii and meomi stuff including 2 cards, some little envelopes, a magnet, 4 kinds of tape and an über awesome purse!!!



More british stuff: postcards, including one of big ben, a lovely christmas ornament and
some pins of a train network, including paddington station!! candy and a little pin with matrioshka on it.



2 kinds of japanese fabric, and some awesome fabric from ikea.



group shot!!!!



thanks so much bea!!! i got spoiled.