my very first swap!

soap & oddsox had been swapping for some time, & trying to get the rest of the dragonflies to join them on swapbot. i had many excuses valid reasons why i ignored them; but eventually they found a swap i could not refuse: international chocolates!! i signed up immediately, only to have the swap get cancelled a week later. luckily for me i was able to purchase a bar of imported chocolate to calm my by then frantic craving.

i decided to search for another swap, & found hallowe'en whimsy jar. i had no idea what that was, but as love hallowe'en, i figured it was worth trying. for starters i had to follow the rules of the swap: must be black, orange, purple, & white colors only, a hallowe'en theme, fit into a baby food jar (larger was allowed), & things your partner would like. next i had to find out what a whimsy jar was, & head over to my swap partner's profile to see the sort of things she's into.

she seemed sweet, but i got a tad nervous when i saw her tastes were vastly different from mine. it took some serious planning, but i think i managed to get as near what she liked, whilst not straying too far from what i like to make it no longer an enjoyable experience. kwim? i'm going to send it to her this week - i hope she likes it.


this is the lid & gift tag. i love the image on the lid, i just hope it isn't too ghoulish for her. i was going to encircle the image with orange beads, but that increased the spooky factor, so i went with all-over glitter instead.

here are the guts of the jar. from my research i learned that you're supposed to stuff the jar with bits & bobs, according to the theme. her profile said that she liked dotee dolls, altered matchboxes, rubber stamps, & scrapbooking. she also has a young child. for her child, i stuffed in some spider spinners, & a jack 'o' lantern clicker. i know thehobbit is going to poke through my jar when whomever is creating mine sends it; so i thought if her child is the same, i'd include a few things for him.

this was my first dotee doll, & soap had to explain what they were, & how they needed to be done. at first i thought um ooookay; but once i began creating it, i could see how people could get hooked on them except the beaded tails. i don't get why they have them. this one is wearing a cat costume, & carrying a trick-or-treat bucket.

& here she is with her bewhiskered mask removed! i know it's tacky to love all over your own creation, but i just love the mask. sue me. i had intended on the bucket being removable as well, but um, i sort of forgot.

this is a shot of the little package unwrapped. i shrunk vintage hallowe'en postcards, & printed them onto card stock. because they show additional colors, i wrapped them in black & white. i don't know how strict the color rules are, & i didn't want to mess up my first time out. i figure she can use them scrapbooking, or in matchboxes. of course thehobbit saw them, so i had to print more for his borrowers' house.

this last one is the interior of the matchbox shrine. i'm sorry for the glare, i hadn't known it was there until i uploaded the photo. if you cannot see it clearly, the image is a vintage ouija board. i'm not very good at paper crafts, so the matchbox is quite plain. lastly there is a pumpkin gnomie. this is the first time i'm showing my wooden gnomies to the blog world! normally their cloaks are in forest colors, they are stained instead of painted, & they have no faces; but it was fun to do one differently for a change. oh, & the stitching on this one is wretched - i apologize stranger lady swap person! by the time i got to the gnomie i'd had a leeetle too much coffee. & tea. & possibly another coffee. instead of breakfast.

***

so that is the story of my very first swap. it was loads of fun to do, & a great way to work my creative muscles. i'm glad i stopped ignoring soap & oddsox, & joined the world of swapping. soap is in charge of 2 swaps that i've joined: waldorf pocket trinkets, & fiber arts mushrooms. time to get out my wool felt & roving!

a certain short person is swearing he is unto the very brink of starvation, so i must be off. i could babble all day; it feels fabulous to be crafting again; but i'm sure the authorities would prefer i feed my hobbity boy. i hope you get to create something today.

~peace.

p.s. happy rosh hashana! currently thehobbit is singing "i've got a rash on my shana" over & over. just for you. you're welcome ;-)

** edited to add :: i hope i did not imply that there was anything wrong with my swap partner's taste. i only meant ours differ: her style seems more mainstream & sweet, whilst i prefer my hallowe'en to be more dark & witchy. that's all. **