Witching You A Happy Halloween

Greetings Ghoulfriends~

Are you all ready for little trick or treaters? Only one more day til the hordes ascend your doorstep!

I have a little seasonal witchery-stitchery to share with you today! This is the very last of my Swap-bot swaps for the season. As much as I love them, I gots to get to work on "C" gifts... I can't bring myself to say the word just yet, but y'all know what I mean...

Do you guys remember the Pin Up Swap I did a while back? (refresher link here) That was a good bit of fun, so when I saw that Snifferooski was hosting a Round 2, I signed up straight away. Seeing as how the send to date was coming close to Halloween, I knew immediately that I wanted to do a witch. A sexy, pin up witch, meow!

I loved seeing all the pin up girls that were swapped during the first round, and there was one that I was especially smitten with. It was given to Katy at Sew Lovely Embroidery and it was made by Carrie, who makes LOTS of cute stuff, and is one heck of an embroideress! You can see her Flickr Photostream here, and her blog here. I mean seriously, look at the detail! It's amazing! Very inspiring indeed, so I set off looking for the perfect witch to stitch!

As luck would have it... guess who my "send to" partner was for this swap? That's right, Carrie!! Ack, the pressure was on! This had to be good, after all, it was her piece that inspired mine - in a round about way.

My witch had to have stockings, not the orange & black striped kind (which are remarkable similar to those on my feet right this very instant), she needed some va-va-va-voom stockings!

Let's get to it, shall we?

Firstly, I gave her some seriously hot shoes, then I added the stockings. I used sheer ribbon.

Stitched down, then carefully snipped away with very sharp, very pointy scissors.

Next, I did the broom.

I padded the broom with a lot of different length stitches to get it to look like a real straw broom.

Moving on to her dress...

I cut the dress shape from velvet ribbon and stitched down. I love the result, but I'd use a different fabric next time. Velvet sheds so much once it's cut into that it almost melts away at the edges. It had me nervous, the piece of ribbon that comprised the dress was so small it wouldn't have taken much for it to shed enough around the edges to loose its shape.

Then I started her hair

I used two colors of brown, a light and a dark. I started with the light, the "highlights", then filled in all over the place with tiny stem stitches, two strands of floss.

Seems to me that I remember the hair taking a looong time.

Lastly I stitched on her hat and the bright swath of orange under the brim of that pointy hat. And lastly, I stitched her face.

Oy-vey, that face! Sure it looks nice now. What you don't see is the 3 or 4 times I snipped it out, blotted the water pen off of the fabric, let it dry, then tried again. These two little eyes, a nose and lips took an entire evening... ugh. Faces aren't my strong suit.

Almost ready to ship!  But first, I needed to finish the back.

I stitched my name, and the year on the back of some left over black fabric.

After carefully removing the extra fabric from the hoop (with an Exacto knife), I hot glued orange ribbon down over the back of the hoop.

I added some ribbon to hang the piece from, and viola!

She's ready to fly away to her new home in Oregon.

Carrie sent me a very sweet email when she received it. Apparently her boss thought it ought to become an "office" decoration, even had the perfect spot to hang her so "everyone could enjoy it" but Carrie is fast on her feet, and she snatched this little witch up and took her home... good for you, Carrie!! I would have too!

Carrie was also, very sweet and patient about getting her piece. I'm embarrassed to say that I was shockingly late on getting this piece in the mail... like almost 3 weeks late. (Eee-gads, talk about scary!)

So there you are my friends, a sexy, Pin Up, witchy-pooh!

Have you guys done any Halloween or fall sewing or embroidery? This is the time that weather cools down and I feel more like sitting down and stitching... good times!

Wishing you all 

A VERY HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

oxo,

Lisa

The Stitching Is Sublime!

It really is, you'll see! Ok, this was the last of my Swap-bot embroidery swaps from August. The theme of this swap was Sublime Stitching. Everybody already knows about Sublime Stitching, right? Right!Looking back, I was cranking out some serious stitchery in August! It's no wonder my garden went to pot, I was inside on the couch stitching away the summer... 

I'm excited to show you this one guys! Turns out the partner chosen for me on this swap, was none other than Snifferoski, aka Keni, (Hi Keni!) who was the first person I swapped with when I joined Swap-bot. I sent her this piece, remember?

Check it out what Keni made for me!
First, there's this hot little dish!

Ack! Isn't she adorable?? I want to call her Trixie for some reason. I love her, she's perfect!

And as if that wasn't enough...

Keni also made me something so super special that I had to sit down when I opened the package.

Oh my. Not only do I love mermaids, which I really, really do.

I love Shel Silverstein.

This was my VERY MOST FAVORITE book as a kid.

When I was in the 4th grade, every day after the lunch recess my teacher, Mrs. Diohep, would read to us for a few minutes. Those precious minutes were my favorite of any day. I think she did it to calm us down and return our focus to the classroom after our playground antics. I don't know if teachers still have the time and/or freedom to do such things. I sure hope so, but it seems like they have such a tight schedules to keep. To me, that time was so valuable. Twenty-seven years later, the clearest memory I have of the 4th grade is listening to Mrs. Diohep read to us. I can still imagine it, I'd put my head down on my desk and close my eyes... and just listen... Where The Sidewalk Ends was one of the books she read to us. She also read us A Light In The Attic (another of my favorites) Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing, and Indian In The Cupboard. These are classics, right? Even kids today like these books... don't they? I still do.

I'm getting a little sidetracked again, I do that a lot... sorry about that. I was reminiscing...

If you are a dreamer, come in...

The first line, of the first poem in Where The Sidewalk Ends.

Thank you Keni, this means so much to me!

♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥

The piece I stitched for my partner was also from Sublime Stitching's Krazy Kitchen transfer set. That's the same set where Trixie, up there came from. I made my partner, Amanda who loves vintage kitchen goodies and who loves to cook, a pretty dish towel. I also sent her some cute napkins and a new set of measuring spoons that, while not vintage, kind of had a vintagy feel. I love that Tang orange!

{Sorry for the badly lit picture... it really was a cute dish towel, I promise.}

All righty then kiddos, this just about wraps up my summer swaps! Thanks for all your wonderful and always encouraging comments along the way, and thanks again to my bloggy friend Jacquie for turning me on to Swap-bot, in the first place. This has been a fun thing to do. You never know what surprises you'll end up getting in the mail! It's more fun than bills, I can tell you that much! I'm a little sad to say that this is probably the last Swap-bot swap I'll do for a little while... cuz, you know... "that" time of year is coming. Don't get me wrong, I love "that" time of year, but it requires time when you make all your gifts by hand.

Lots and lots of time. 

Speaking of which, it's already past my bedtime, so this happy blogger is going to hit the hay and dream for a while.

Sweet dreams, my friends!

oxo,

Lisa

Embroidery In Yellow

Was the theme of another of the swaps I participated in recently. Let's get right to it!

Because yellow can be so light, I choose a fabric that would make the embroidery jump out against the background. I chose a bright aqua blue! I've always been partial to that color... psst... come in real close, I'm gonna tell you a secret... my whole prom dress in high school was aqua. Like, entirely aqua. Bright! Aqua. Taffeta. And tulle! All of it... aqua! {shaking head} It was not good people...

Sniff... I'm getting side tracked aren't I? Hm. Well, moving right along!

Where was I?

Oh yes, jumping embroidery. 

A big ol' yellow flower!

Filled in with lots of chain stitching.

Extra spiffy on the backside too, if I do say so myself.

I finally found a way to finish "hooped" pieces that I'm happy with. Firstly, I took a simple wooden hoop and painted it white, then I layered another piece of the same fabric against the back of the embroidered piece before placing it in the hoop. Next I closely trimmed the excess fabric from the back of the hoop, then finished it with some pretty yellow trim. Lastly I added a ribbon to the top of the hoop so my partner could hang it if she wants to.

I had a little trouble with the trim. This stuff frays like crazy! Just for future reference, how should one cut & apply this stuff so that the edges stay neat? Fray Check?

I used seven different shades of yellow in this piece.

I was happy with the end result, I think it pops!

My partner, Julia (Hi Julia!!) who is one heck of an embroiderer too, tells me that she really likes it, yay!  ♥

The partner who sent my piece (Hi Perla!!) was SO on top of her game, she rocks! Her piece arrived just a few days after the start of the swap, I was so impressed! I was like "last minute lisa" rushing to the post office just a day before the last day of the swap.

Looky~looky what I got!

Isn't it great?!? Look at all those French Knots! Oh, I love this little birdie!! I haven't decided what I'm going to do with this little beauty just yet. I'm thinking I might like in incorporate it into a quilt... maybe a quilted pillow. Wheels are a'turning...

These swaps are super fun! I really enjoy this swappin' business!

Hey! Did you know that today is the first day of fall?? Yup, it sure is! And I didn't need to hear it on the NPR this morning either, I knew it as soon as I got out of bed, touched my cold tootsies to the floor and wondered for the first time in months

"Where are my fuzzy slippers??"

Happy Fall Y'all!

oxo,

Lisa

Over The Rainbow Whimsy Jar

More swappy goodness coming at'cha! Another swap I recently participated in over on Swap-bot was one called "Over the rainbow" and this was a whimsey jar swap.

Whimsey jar? What's a whimsey jar? I had no clue... do you guys know? After some quick Googling, I discovered a whimsey jar is a jar packed full of whimsical {go figure} things usually based on a theme...

Aaaaall righty then! So we had a couple of rules, the jars had to contain at least one Wizard of Oz item, and you must include rainbow items in the jar, everything else was senders choice. I'm really lucky that my partner Leah is easy going and smart, because she has a nice long list of little things that make her happy listed on her profile. This made my job very fun & easy-peasy!

Leah emailed me today to let me know she recieved her package. She loves her jar! That makes me so happy.

Shall we begin?

Here is the top of my jar. I used fabric reminescent of Dorothy's iconic dress and embroidered a rainbow across the top. Fitting, no? I had one heck of a time with this pouffy-jar-lid-thing, you guys. I read several different tutorials, and was pretty sure I did it correctly, but I. COULD. NOT. get this darn jar to screw closed. I eventually gave up and *taped* the lid to the jar. How lame is that?? Rrrrrrr!

Seriously, how hard could that be??

Geesh.

{banging head on desk}

It still frustrates me... I better move along.

The first thing I aquired for my partner, and what guided the colors of everything else in the jar was a little zippy bag. I found this on Etsy, it was made special for Leah by Bibi Rodriguez at funkygoodstuff. I fell in love with the fabric, so bright and cheery and totally different than the Wizard of Oz themes and colors that I'm used to.

It's got yellow polka-dots inside! So cute!

Also pictured, a bright rainbow of DMC embroidery floss and an extra little scrap of the blue-check fabric.

I made a little strawberry pin cushion...

and stuffed it with cute birdie & flower pins...

Colorful erasers in fun shapes... check!

Chubby little dinasaur pencil toppers, not on the list, but too cute not to get... check!

Pretty paperclips...check!

Various office goodies. Highlighters, little sticy notes, big ol' binder clips, a kitty cat hole punch and some really cute scotch tape from the Farm Chicks store... check, check, check!

All stuffed into a standard mason jar, Tetris style!

I also added some bright fabric samples in fun & funky colors and patterns to the box. It was pretty cramed.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Sadly... it seems as though I've been "flaked" on for this swap. The partner chosen for me seems to have disapearred off the face of the planet. I'm not alone, it looks like she's signed up for a LOT of swaps and isn't responding to any of them... her account has been suspended. That's not very nice.

Karma... it's everywhere you're going to be.

♥

~ ~ *EDIT* ~ ~ 

Just to clarify, this was a "one way" swap, the person that I sent to was NOT the same person who was supposed to send to me.

♥

The swap coordinator offered to "angel" for me, that means to make a package for someone who was flaked on. It's very sweet of her, and I sincerely appreciate the offer, but I declined. She lives in the United Kingdom and postage is beastly. Not to mention it's probably rather a pain to have to put together, and mail out another jar. She's a gem for offering, but I'd rather her not spend her hard earned cash, it's not her fault.

I really enjoyed putting Leah's jar together and since this was my first whimsey jar, it's good practice!

I love these whimsey jars though! Don't you think these would make terrific Christmas presents?? Oh, the wheels are turning... it's mid September already... have you guys already started your handmade Christmas presents?? {ducking!}

Heehee... me neither! I better get moving!

oxo,

Lisa 

Handmade Book Mark Swap

Hi everyone! Ready for some more swapy goodness? I'm really growing quite addicted to Swap-bot! This here is another little swap I recently did, this was for a handmade book mark. Here's what I sent to my partner...

Similar to the ones I made my book club friends back at Christmas.

(I stitched these little flowers at a baseball game :o)

It's true... we're ALL worth hand made.

Magnetized so it clamps down on your page and won't fall out. I hate it when that happens.

Here's what I got in swap!

My generous partner sent me not one, but two handmade bookmarks!

Both very pretty.

Live~Laugh~Love

I've never had a book mark like this, I think it's called a "thong". It's so pretty & delicate, I love it!

This one is simple and pretty, silk ribbon woven through plastic grid and beaded at the ends. I think they're both terrific.

Now, if I could just find the time to sit and read a bit more... I better get to it, we have a book club meeting in two weeks, and I'm hosting because it was my turn to pick the book. I've only read about 20 pages, yikes!

I have several more swaps in the works, all of them embroidery based. I'll be sharing more with you guys as my partners receive their packages. I never like to post anything before then, I'm always afraid my swap partners might stumble into my blog and see their surprise here before they see it with their own eyes in the mail. I like to be extra careful because I myself LOVE a surprise.

Speaking of surprises! I arrived home night before last and found a box on my porch...

My best friend bought me a new Vespa for my birthday!!

It's a 1:12 die cast model, isn't it adorable?!? I love it! I took it to work, it now lives on my desk

(so I can drive it over my paperwork when I get bored).

My birthday isn't until Monday, the 16th but this was a great way to start the weekend, thanks Melissa!

I hope you're having a great weekend too!

Lisa

Swapin' Pin Up Girls

Say, have you heard about Swap-Bot? No? Well then I suggest you mosey on over and check it out. I was turned on to this nifty site by fellow blogger and embroidery rock star MafiosaGrrl. Seriously, she kicks some major floss booty! I mean look at this. She's brillz, I tell you, brillz.

Ok, so Swap-Bot is a site where you can go and peruse a data base of categories of things that people want to swap. You name it, quilting, ATC cards, coupons, post cards, clothing, tea, journals, movies, stickers, sewing notions, stamping & scrapbook supplies, comic books, etc. ad infinitum... Swaps can be both domestic and international. You find something you're interested in, say Embroidery for instance, hit search, and viola! Up pop all the swaps relating to that category. It's fun, give it a shot. Besides, look at that cute little envelope face! Who could not love that face?

MafiosaGrrl mentioned Swap-Bot on Facebook a few weeks ago, and I thought I'd have a look-see. I signed up immediately. There was a Pin Up Girl embroidery swap about to begin, va-va-vavoom!

There's a cool circular story happening here and I want to tell you about it. Moons ago, when I first surfed in to Jacquie's blog, she was having a giveaway for some embroidery patterns from Sew Lovely, Jacquie seemed like a pretty cool chick, and who doesn't love a giveaway right? I commented on her blog, and entered the giveaway. I didn't win... Fast forward a few days or weeks (I can't remember) and I get an email from Jacquie, it seems the winner of her giveaway already had the pattern that she'd won, and asked Jacquie to choose another winner. Jacquie chose me... I DID WIN! And guess what the pattern was... go on, guess... Pin Up Girls! It only seemed fitting that I would use one of the Pin Up patterns that I won from Jacquie, after all, it was she who piqued my interest in Swap-bot.

Here's what I stitched up and sent off to my swap partner in Ohio...

Oh, la, la!

Pucker up, buttercup!

Here she is in all her ginger glory. She had to be a redhead. Everything else was negotiable.

I picked up this pretty fat quarter at The Top Stitch while I was on vacation in Spokane a couple weeks ago. I loved this fabric and didn't exactly have a plan for it, but I thought the colors were nice and sorta matched the floss colors of my pin up, so I used it to wrap up my Pin Up girl and as an extra little bonus for my partner.

My partner received her package today so it's finally ok that I share here with you guys. She says she loves my ginger girl, yay! I can't wait to see what arrives on my doorstep! When it comes I'll totally share it with you all.

Thank you Jacquie for your constant inspiration, you have a fan in me.

Been missing your voice this last couple weeks, and can't wait to see you round in blog-land again soon.

oxo,

Lisa

p.s. Now go on over to Swap-Bot and sign up, shoo... Maybe I'll see some of you over there :o)

***UPDATE***

I received my swap partners Pin Up Girl, here she is!

(sorry for the crummy picture, it's getting dark outside...)

Isn't she a cutie-pie? I love her shoes! She now lives on my dresser, she looks at home in the boudoir.

Thanks for looking!