I got my package from Ladybugger!  Here's the lowdown:

Overall Shot:


Here's what I got:
Local:  handmade beeswax candles
Round:  ball of nice yarn with buttons wound up into it!
green:  ball of handyed cotton yarn from South Africa!
T:  a handembroidered towel with peas on it!
Funny:  handmade "earthworm point protectors! HA!
Hard:  an apron that was "hard" for her to make!  Super cute, it came out great in my opinion!
Sender's choice: a collection of various fat quarters!  Yay for fabric!

here's a couple of close ups:
Apron!


Earthworm Point Protectors!



Thanks again for a great swap Ladybugger!

Quilted, gorgeous stuff!


I recieved from violet_thistle today!  What a great swap parcel to lift my spirits today....

She had all the items wrapped so beatifully...but I didn't get a picture before me and my 3 year old dove in to open them up!

The overall shot...


She sent:
-4 lovely colorful quilted placemats ( bargello style, never heard of before, its stunning!)



-The cutest little glass lidded canning jar ( I have such a jar and container fetish, she must have known!!)  which is full of vintage buttons, and a few erasers to try my hand at rubber stamp making!



-4 bea-useful embroidered napkins we both had on our wist!  They are a cheery yellow.  



- 3 bright and cheerful crocheted dishcloths!

PLUS:
Two gifts for the little kiddos:  ( see pictures in the overall shot above!)

-a stunning doll quilt for my daughter  ( she salvaged some quilt top blocks with amazing Cathedral Window blocks, they are glorious!!)

- and the sweetest crocheted turtle for my teething babe to munch!


I was sooo spoiled!  I love everything violet_thistle!  Best of all, I feel like a made a good friend.

  I was amazed at the depth of this swap....I can't wait for another round already!!

I sent to violet_thistle today...so she should get her package hopefully by the weekend!

Superhooker's my partner!!     Sweet!

So, to help her along..I am finally posting pics of my craft space.  I tried to clean it up as best I could, but there is still some clutter...I guess its a useful space right?
 
Well, here's the overall view:


My crafting table is kinda cramped, with a sewing machine, drum carder, and wool picker.  When I am working on larger sewing projects, the carder and picker get moved off table. 

I plan on painting the walls a golden yellow color. 

Next, my plain boring white built in's....lots of yarn and craft storage. 

Lots of stuff kinda just crammed into there...we just bought this house this past summer, and this room was the room we just put everything that didn't quite have a spot yet....still need to figure some of this stuff out!!  our house is only 1000 square feet.

Next, is the other side of the room, which is the guest room half. 

There is a futon that needs some crafty loving... right now its home to my three year olds dollys and wooden "sewing machine"  you can see in the pic ( its supposed to be a mixer, but she is a girl after my own heart, and calls it her sewing machine!!)  The quilted wall hanging is one my mama made for my daughter, it has frogs and cattails on it.  I plan to use the greens and yellows from this to paint and decorate the room. The colors are more vibrant than this picture...its been raining here ALOT and I couldn't get the light right for the picture.

Anyways, hopefully I will be inspired to spruce up this room after this swap!  It sure needs a little inspiration!

my partner is the total opposite to me LOL! This could be interesting..or disastrous! Maisiemama you are going to have to post pictures quick!

I  am sure it won't be disastrous!!  Well, my kitchen is still getting put back together after our big painting adventure this week, so I don't want to post a pic of the whole kitchen yet....I will work on it tomorrow and post a full shot then...but in the meanwhile, here's some inspiration:



This is my favorite kitchen chair.  Thrifted, of course.... with a homemade chair cushion that I inherited from my late grandma.  I have a whole set, and I love them.  She knitted one big long tube, stuffed it with nylons, and coiled them.  From her I also inherited a huge collection of vintage Fiestaware, which is what inspired my kitchen theme and colors.  My walls are the same red of vintage fiesta ware, and I used cobalt blue and the green from that chair as accents.
   So if you need color inspiration, Sajona,  google vintage Fiestaware...that was my stepping stone for inspiration for my kitchen!!  

I am so glad everyone is already having fun with this....

and seaofstars, my god...you are done, girl?   Whoah...I guess I better go start up a gallery thread!!

I caved and just sent my info in!

Yay!  Glad to have you!

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna too!

Sweet... this swap is going to be fun....

And guess what I did today?   I peeled the nasty wallpaper off my kitchen walls, and primed them to paint.  Me and my mom ( who is in town to hang with the kiddos) will paint tomorrow.....what color you ask?    "Steamed Shrimp"!!!  AH don' t you just love the names of paint colors...who comes up with them?  I would love that job!!  Anyways, its a brick red sort of color.  We are doing cream on the ceilings and trim, and doing some sort of tile mosaic behind the stove.

And I picked out some gorgeous fabric for the valance about the sink window:



After we paint tomorrow, I will post pics with the before and after shots.  Its already looking so much better... the wallpaper from the previous owners was a pastel southwestern print that made me nauseous just to look at!

Can't wait to start crafting for this swap...less than a week before partners!!

Here's my inspirational photo!



These are my "beuseful" shoes, which were designed by me, and handcrafted by a local woman in Chico CA.  They were made to fit my feet, and they are the most comfy shoes I've ever had!  The buttons were also locally made by a woodworker, they are walnut shells. whats more beuseful than a great pair of shoes, eh?


I would have posted a couple more pics from around the house, but my dial up speed makes uploading such a chore!

Can't wait to see the gallery!!!

Lovely post oneredboot.

Ditto.  
We are in good company.
Some of the most useful beautiful things I have collected are seeds from my own garden and gardens of others.


This thread has been inspiring me in so many facets.

Thanks.

I love beautiful bowls!  Here's a shot of some of my vintage fiestaware mixing bowls....


I inherited a ridiculous amount of vintage fiestaware from my late grandma....we knew she collected it, but she literally stashed it in so many cupboards in her house it was bizarre but funny..( hmmm kinda like my yarn stash )  It don't like to eat on it  ( rumours of lead and wierd radioactive stuff in the glazes!) but it sure is pretty to look at.  I am redoing my kitchen using fiesta colors.

Superhooker, I look the look of cabinets with no doors too.  That was the first thing I did in our new house.  The kitchen has these sterile looking mass produced cabinet doors, so off they came!  Now you can see all the cups and bowls and canning jars full of grains and beans and spices!

Ahh, vintage sewing machines... gotta love em!  I inherited my grandmothers Singer Featherweight.  I don't use it for all my sewing projects, but I do love it for buttonholes and simple straight stitch.  And it is so " beuseful"!


Singers are the best!

I am loving this thread!  Keep the beautiful inspiring pictures coming!

Yeah!  I received from laminathegreat this weekend!  I am loving her sparkly homemade batts full of yummy colorful wool, firestar, and fabric shreds.

she also sent colorful beads, more fabric shreds, curly locks and threads.  and of course chocolate that didn't make the photo shoot!
The photo is missing one of the batts, since  I had to start spinning right away before taking a pic!