Daily Craft - This hat is a hoot!

I'm participating in another birthday swap with some Ravelry folk in one of the birth boards and was determined to find the time to crochet something fun for the recipient.  I seem to have much more free time in the evenings now that Owen has transitioned to regular milk and we got rid of the bottles.  Is that a good excuse to spend more time crafting?  I hope so!

Almost as soon as I started my search for a cute hat to crochet, I came across this rather fantastic owl hat from Repeat Crafter Me and knew it was the one. She's actually written the pattern in newborn through adult sizes, so nobody needs to feel left out! It was a quick pattern to work up and my only complaint would have been that I misjudged the size of the buttons to use for the eyes (although that's user error and the pattern writer should not be held responsible). 


I do hope the recipient loves it. It's just so cute that there may be more owl hats in my future...

Daily Craft - A birthday swap!

In the October birth group on Ravelry, we elected to do a swap in honor of the pending birthdays of our little ones.  It was a secret swap and, as my partner has no clue who their package is coming from, I'm going to share the contents here.  A little pampering for both mom and baby for making it this far!

Here it is in it's entirety.  (Not a fancy background, but this is what happens when you forget to take pics at home and end up doing so at work in the commissary on top of the pool table with your cell phone...)

Top row (left to right)
- some British themed loose leaf tea.  I love the little tins too and would definitely need to repurpose
- vintage photo notecards
- our favorite Sandra Boynton book "Moo, Baa, La La La!"

Middle row
- a tea pouch that I sewed with some of my favorite teas in it, along with dried chamomile flowers to add
- crochet stitch markers that I made
- Sesame Street toddler socks (they were too cute!)

Bottom row
- Josh Groban's last studio album, and the "Whip It" soundtrack
- a couple of soft acrylic yarns from my stash
- puffy bath books (which are also a favorite for Owen)

I certainly didn't get to craft as much for this swap as I have for swap packages in the past, but I still had a blast putting it all together and was happy to add a couple of handmade touches at least.  I have a package coming my way from somebody and can't wait to see what's in it! 

Daily Craft - A swap haul!

In an attempt to get rid of some of the excess in my craft space, I signed up for a destash swap on Craftster - which involved each pair swapping craft supplies that they're not using.  I guess technically it's not reducing the stash, but it's obtaining "new to me" things without additional cost right?  (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it). 

I sent my original partner a bunch of knit and crochet supplies, seeing as she said crochet was her new thing - yarns (both commercial and recycled by me), a crochet hook roll, stitch markers etc.  Unfortunately, my partner turned out to be a flake.  I would like to gripe for a moment about those that flake on organized swaps.  The fact is that crafty types are very giving people.  We're constantly making things for those around us, donating supplies or making things for charity groups, offering free patterns and tutorials to help others perfect their skills.  Quite frankly, not holding up your end of the bargain is crappy.  Of course, for every flake, there are hundreds of wonderful crafters out there who keep up the good name.  Big thanks to my swap angel, Connie, who sent me a substitute package to make up for the one I was supposed to receive but didn't!

She sent me some lovely fabrics.  I intend to turn the blue/green fabrics at least into quilted coasters, which I had fun making previously.  

She also sent me a bunch of jewelry findings and beads, even going to the trouble of making sure that I have at least 2 of each bead in the package.  How did she know that I'm an earring addict?

There was also a "slice of pie" soap bar, and some Halloween stamps.  Never quite managed to get a good picture though as Deuce tried to claim the soap for himself.  As you may recall, this is not the first time...

Daily Craft - Delightfully Dexter

As I mentioned in a recent post, I've been doing a Dexter themed swap on Craftster.org.  My swap partner just received everything that I made for her so now I can share what I made with you!  For those of you that don't watch Dexter, I will once again recommend it.  It's a wonderfully written show and gave me tons of inspiration for things to make.

A quick group shot of all the items I made.  

From top left and going clockwise...

- Garbage bag inspired purse (with embroidered quote inside)

- Blood gel art

-Laminated opening sequence magnet

- "Normal people are so hostile" embroidered quote patch

- Blood slide / blood drop inspired necklace

- Blood spatter analysis candle holder

Here's some bigger pictures for you to check out as well.  I had so much fun creating all this, I would love to know what you all think - Dexter fan or not!

I haven't received the package she sent me yet, but of course I'll be happy to share what I get when it arrives.