Arrival!

Just a quick note...the ornaments are arriving and they are SO CUTE!

There are about 3 sets that have not arrived....once they do, I'll mix them up and send them back!
I hope to ship them next week at the latest!

Thank you for joining again this year.....

I already have next year's theme planned.  Something traditional...hmmmmm

Mad as a Hatter . . .

It has taken me awhile to get on here and share the zombie doll that I sent to Trish.  

One of the "missing zombie doll" requests she listed was a Mad Hatter doll.

. . . so meet Hatter.  I really had fun making him!

As far as zombies go, Hatter is very friendly . . .

but more than a little bonkers!

He loves tea, and never goes anywhere without his hat.

Hatter has been known to be very charming . . . especially with people he knows and

when attending tea parties.  Although, his obsession with tea and tea parties

may also set him off.  Then you may see is “mad”, crazy, eccentric side.

Yep . . . completely off his rocker. 

Enjoy this little zombie doll.  He may be entirely bonkers,

but I’ll tell you a secret . . . All the best people are.

We're not in Kansas anymore...

  Now that my partner has received her package I can show what I made. Mandy was wanting a Zombie Wizard of Oz doll and I just happened to have a 1976 Bucilla Tin Man craft kit, and no memory of why I bought it in the first place, it was Karma.

Photo 1 is what it was suppose to look like and Photo 2 is what I did to it.

A couple of the tuck-in's I made (big cat not included).

  The Wizard of Oz image I found on line and added it to a frame I painted. The doll head is a "non-traditional" flower pot.

I look forward to doing this swap every year.
Chris =]

Follow The Yellow Brick Road .......

Poor ....Poor Dorothy .......
She followed the Yellow Brick Road all the way to Ilinois ......It was a perilous journey, that left her a little (LOT) worse for wear !!!!

This was the "missing Zombie" of choice for my partner Vanessa.

Thanks Val for another awesome swap ...... my little zombie family is expanding !!!!

QUEEN of the ZOMBIES!

Iara out did herself.  I mean seriously.   The doll she made me is AMAZING!
I named her Anastasia.
She has gorgeous hair and a crown and a scepter and and and....well you get the picture.

I can go on and on but I'll just show you.

See?  She even has FLIES in her hair!!!!

And she didn't stop there...she included all sorts of goodies including some "wool?" roving from her OWN bunnies!

I guess everyone knows I like to add poems and/or  back ground stories to my dolls.   She started a poem and it made me laugh out loud so I had to include it with the photo...TOO funny!

Thank you Iara!!!

Total Cuteness!

Lest you think poorly of our wonderful hostess, I did receive my zombie from Val BEFORE the shipping deadline, but have been so busy trying to catch up on the one I was making for her that I had not had a chance to take pictures or post.  Having recently moved to the Gulf Coast, I finally feel like some beach-themed decor is appropriate, so one of my suggestions was a doll to incorporate.  I present to you, my little surfer girl:

 I absolutely adore the tiny touches like her belly button piercing and her anklet:

 She came with some goodies that I refused to touch until after I had sent out the doll I made for Val.  Last night I celebrated by opening up that bag of Chex Mix and promptly attracted the attention of my own local zombies (13 yr-old up past bedtime).

 Also included was this darling felted owl.  I have to fight my daughters off for possession of this too.  Nina loves owls, and Nora loves needle felting. Mine! Back off I say!

Thank you Val -- both for my box o' fun, and hosting these swaps.  I enjoy the opportunity to share my love of things handmade.

Happy Haunting Y'all.

Something Is A Cookin ......

I am in love ....... look at this creature of cuteness !!!
Vanessa you have no idea how excited I was when I opened my package ...... there's a good chance I squealed :-)
Thank you SO much for my Chef Zombie - I adore him !!!!!

Complete with his little chef hat ... but don't be deceived he is completely 100% Zombie .... just look at what his chefs hat hides !!!!

Vanessa also sent me some fun Halloween goodies, including some of my most favorite candy of all .... little Halloween Peeps !!!

Thank you ... Thank you ... Thank you ... for spoiling me, and adding such an adorable Chef to my Zombie collection ... I will treasure him :-)

Thank you Val for hosting another Zombie Doll Swap - I know how much work goes into planning and organizing it, you are SO very appreciated !!!!

Zombie swap package

Thank You Mandy for my Day of the Dead girl, she will fit right in with my DoD display.  I like the anatomy pieces on the charm bracelet and I have a few ideas for the stickers.

It was fun!
Chris =]

Tiny Sneak Peek

The zombie I created is on its way to its new home :0) I am trying really hard not to give it away. This one was as challenging as it was fun. I fell in love (as always) while making it.

Here is a tiny peek. I can't wait for Barbara to get her package. I hope she really does like gruesome!

Thank you Valerie for hosting this awesome swap.

Debbie

Annual Ornament Swap!!!

It is time for my annual Christmas ornament swap!  As always, this swap is for handcrafted ornaments. Any medium is allowed!  You don't have to be an artist to join in!  

This year the theme is "HolidayToadstools." That means that somehow, somewhere, there needs to be a toadstool/mushroom incorporated into your ornaments.

We are doing a "5 for 5"  swap.
What this means is that you will send me 5 of the same handmade ornament.  Then you will receive a variety of 5 ornaments back. 

Once you join, I'll send you an invite so you can post on the swap blog.
You do not have to have a blog or webpage to join.
The deadline to sign up is Oct. 28th. I am limiting participants to 20 this year.

To sign up, send me an email at valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with your name and blog or flickr link/info.  

This will be a USA only swap due to shipping.

The do's and don'ts: 

Please DO create something you would love to receive and be sure to package your ornaments in a nice, 

re-usable box so I can mail your new ornaments back to you in it. 

Please DO NOT send any one dimensional tags as ornaments.  If you do paper crafts, you must have layers and glitter and gorgeousness.    Tags are great and I have a few lovely ones on my own tree but they were created as gift tags, not ornaments.  I just chose to USE them as ornaments because they were so nice.

Please DO take care when wrapping to make sure the ornaments are cushioned, etc. please put each ornament in it's own baggie or cellophane wrap so it doesn't get tangled with the others in shipping.   We DO want all our ornaments to arrive in pristine condition!  

Please DO double/triple check your ornaments before shipping to me.  I had several 6-8 that needed fixing or replacing.  Some I replaced with ornaments that were actually sent to me as a gift.  I had to make more ornaments to replace the others with.  

Please DO NOT join if you are unable to commit to making something you would enjoy receiving in return.  

Shipping: Please send in $10.00 to cover the cost of sending ornaments back to you.  This will also cover tracking.   Please include a return address label already filled out.

Ship in time for me to receive them by Thanksgiving.  That way, I can get them in time to organize, repackage and mail them out by the first week of December.  

Sadly, I can't guarantee you getting an exchange box if your ornaments do not reach me in time.  (If that happens, I'll gladly return your own ornaments to you using the money you sent for shipping.)  
Shipping funds are important!  If you forget to include shipping, your ornaments can't be sent/returned until you have sent me the funds to send/return them to you.

If you finish your ornaments early, feel free to send them to me early so I can start organizing them.

If time gets away from you and you need to back out, no big deal, just drop me an email and I'll remove you from the list.  

Also, don't forget to grab the badge to put on your own blog to spread the word!

Arrival of a New Zombie

For this swap you were supposed to ask for a zombie you've wanted to add to your collection. I gave my partner a few ideas to choose from. Tiffany went with my zombie woodland creature idea and created the cutest little zombie bunny complete with his own woodland scene. I’ve made lots of zombies but I never thought about creating a matching scene, it’s a brilliant idea!  Tiffany crocheted both the doll and the red and white mushroom background(did I mention that I love red and white mushrooms.) I also love the little bunny leg bone that's sticking out. Both the zombunny and the mushroom are awesome additions to my zombie doll collection. Thank you Tiffany!

Tiffany also included Minecraft mini-figures and Mike and Ike Zombie candy. My daughter claimed the mini-figures and my husband got the candy. I get to keep the mushroom and the zombunny so everybody wins! 

Tiffany wanted a My Little Pony Queen Chrysalis zombie so I used Abby Glassenberg’s unicorn puzzle ball pattern but zombified it a bit. I really enjoyed creating this doll and had so much fun collecting tuck-ins to include. I didn’t take pictures of the whole package but I did take a few of the doll.

Thank you for a great Swap Tiffany. And thank you Val for hosting, this is one of my favorite swaps! My other favorite is the ornament swap so I can’t wait for that one. Thanks for being the best swap hostess!

Here's lookin at ya!

little zombie ready to go . . . .

Noting like finishing at the last minute . . . 

but this little zombie is ready to go.  

I am looking forward to seeing everyone's dolls.

Get ready to ship!

The first of October is our ship by deadline and I know of at least two that are on their way!

That being said, when you send your package, please send me and your partner the tracking number.

Once received, please let me know you got it.

That way I can note sent/received on the sidebar.

Also, don't forget to post a picture of what you got because WE WANNA SEE!

And a thank you, please say thank you!!!!!

I am DONE!!!!

I got carried away with my zombie doll.....I can't share it now because it is too distinct and my partner will know which theme I went with. (She gave me several choices...) 

I always do a poem or biography or something with my dolls....

Here is a snippet of what this doll's poem is:

"Gone is her heart and her lovely brown mane,
Instead she is left with a longing for BRAINS!"

a little taste

So who is ready for zombie movies????  MEEEEE!

Coming along

Checking in for the zombie swap. He lost an eye, but I'm on track.
Chris =]

Zombies - Getting Started

I finally have a plan for creating my zombie doll.  I bought some fabric, I have a pattern and I'm ready to get to work.  That's right, I'm actually planning to use a pattern, I rarely do that! I typically create my own patterns as I go. I think it's because when it comes to crafting I like to make my own rules. Or maybe I just don't like to follow patterns, not sure. Either way, wish me luck! 

I'm getting ready to start cutting into my fabric,  but I'm wondering what everyone else is working on. Do tell . . . 

-Jill

Get posting!

Hello zombie creators!

All partners have verified still playing along and I have sent (and just RE sent) 6 more invitations to post on the blog.

Don't forget that some of us are bloggers, on FB and on Instagram so feel free to stalk us!!!!!

I hope you have fun with this swap.  Don't forget to make/find some fantastic tuck ins.   We have lots of categories on the sidebar, including past zombie doll swaps.  Take a sneak peek to see what you can find to inspire you!

a little update!

Announcement from zombieland!!!

We have an uneven amount of swappers as of today.  I am going to give it til tomorrow to see if we can get ONE MORE swapper to join!  That would give us all partners and make my job oh so much easier!  

I have sent out several blog invitations.   If you accept the invitation, you will be able to post on this swap blog and show us  some sneak peeks, some fun Halloween oriented things...a zombie video, etc.

One more day gals....I'll be sending out emails with swap info THIS WEEKEND!

Yarni Gras 8th Annual Halloween Swap!

I am BACCCCCK!  I have been gone a long long time and decided to come back by hosting my annual zombie doll swap!

This year we are swapping "MISSING ZOMBIES"

A missing zombie is a zombie you don't currently have in your collection and REALLY want.  

What we are swapping:

*1 HANDMADE  zombie doll based on your partner's profile.  As always, the doll must be at least 8 inches in length and completely handmade. 

*3  tuck ins.  These tuck ins should be chosen from your partner's profile.  They can be newly purchased, thrifted, re-gifted or handmade.  Use good judgement.

The package needs to be worth/valued at $25.00 before shipping.  As always, my swaps are meant to challenge your creativity, not bust your budget. If you can handcraft everything, I encourage it!  

Shipping has gotten outrageously expensive so this is a USA only swap and I am limiting it to 20 participants this year.

The join by date is August 31st.  That gives you time to invite some of your artsy pals to join in this year.  

I will email your partner info during the week following registration.  I will send out a confirmation email so please reply to it.

Ship date is October 1st.  This gives it time to arrive for Halloween display!  

Please wrap your items up nicely and ship on time.  If you are going to be late, contact me so I know what is going on.  
Please use priority mail so you can track your packages.  If your package is lost or stolen, it is your responsibility to send a replacement package.  It is only fair to do so. 

I'll email all participants before the swap for confirmation.  Please reply and confirm to that email.  
 

To register:

Leave a comment here and email me at valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information:

1. Name and mailing address
2. Cute or gruesome style? Some people prefer cute due to small children in the household.
3. To help us with tuck ins, give us a small list of things you like and use for Halloween including: crafts/arts, colors, candy, collections.
4. Tell us which type of zombie is missing from your zombie doll collection that you REALLY want.  Give us 3 choices!  (Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Prom, Nursery, etc....get the idea?)

I will send a confirmation email, please reply to it!

Loooong Overdue Thanks

     I thanked Jill for my zombie doll back in the fall via email, but never got around to the public acknowledgement that we enjoy seeing so we can see all the cool things we made for each other.  My life has been insane with my husband in another state for six months, and many things fell to the wayside.  I have a big catch-up list.

     I was excited when my package arrived, I had a friend over, and while I had intended to delay opening it until I had finished the doll I was making for Jill, the only way to explain what this swap thing was was to open it and show her the goodies that awaited me.  This little guy is so cute, and meets my 5 yr-old son's approval.  He is allowed to live inside the house on my vanity.  My older boys oohed and aahed about the zombie car magnets, which I made clear were mine, and I can often find my cool flashing eye-ball among my little one's toys.

     The most amusing thing that I found though, was the like-mindedness between Jill and I.  Before I sent her doll, I thought this little boy and girl would enjoy a tea party in my tiny private garden.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the photo that Jill posted of the zombie girl with the zombie boy's twin brother! I had cut out a duplicate of the one I made, and recreating her is definitely on my catch-up list.

     Thanks again Jill for this precious zombie, and thank you so much Val for all the work that you do to maintain this little community.  It really does bring bright sunny moments to all my chaos, even if I did not get a chance to participate in a particular swap, or do the monthly craft-along.  I enjoy reading about what others do, or checking in on their own blogs.  It is truly inspirational

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT I did the November Craft Along

I know I'm really late posting this but...
  I found a ceramic tree at the thrift shop and snatched it up before anyone else could. It wasn't painted fancy so I had no guilt about priming over it and painting it the way I wanted.
  What it did have was it's the exact ceramic tree model that I was looking for. A few years ago I made the same ceramic tree for my sister and meant to make one for myself but never did, then the ceramic shop went out of business and shipping cost for one are crazy. I was really happy when I stumbled across it.

   I wanted to give the tree some depth and dimension. I painted the tree with different colors of green and the base with different colors of brown, to bring out the nooks and crannies I dry brushed a dark brown and wiped the excess off. I still need to add a new light to make the bulbs glow, that can wait until next Christmas.

 

  I'm real happy with the way it turned out.

TTFN,

Chris =]