Employable Zombie... Meet Brit

I want to apologize for the delay in posting pictures of Brit. My dad has been in the Hospital since the beginning of October and he finally, moved out of the ICU yesterday :( Its been a rough ride and it is still serious but we finally have progress in his health. So, without further ado.. I am thrilled to introduce you to Brit, my zombie hair dresser:

Brit, the zombie Hair Dresser

Cool tuck ins!

I love these scissors

She even has scissors in her hair!!

As always, this was a fun swap. Thank you Val for hosting and a BIG thank you to Shelly for this awesome zombie :) 

Debbie

My name is Bob

Greetings Zombie lovers.

Kerry is having technical issues so I'm going to show you "who" I made for her!

His name is Bob and I absolutely loved making him. 

Bob's former name was Robert but given that he is now confined to "bobbing" around in a pot of gumbo, his sous chef scratched out his name and renamed him.

Sadly, some of his innards are now outtards and have floated OUT of the pot and are hanging around on the handles.   He doesn't have much skin left and I have no idea where his clothes went.....probably in the soup!

I love his wee little Chef Hat and curly hair!

I included tuck ins and a poem but forgot to take pictures of them (sorry!)

Yarnigras Annual Ornament Swap 2018!

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 "Old Fashioned/Traditional."  Think baubles and lace and paper and candle light....or Santas and snowmen and snowflakes....  The sky is the limit!

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. 27th. I am limiting participants to 20 this year.

To sign up, send me an email at valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with your name.
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.  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 $15.00 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 spread the word!

Miss Sarah Bellum . ..

For me . . . part of the fun of this swap is waiting for a zombie to come in the mail.

My wait is over and my zombie has arrived . . . along with some wonderful tuck ins!

Thank you so much Stacey!  I love her!  

You mentioned that you didn't sew . . . you did an amazing job with this little teacher zombie!  

 Meet Miss Sarah Bellum . . . isn't she sweet!

 She has the cutest little books . . . also handmade! 

 She may find a place on my desk at work for the month of October.

I work in an elementary school office . . . . a teacher zombie on my desk

would be perfect.

For now she is sitting with the other zombie dolls I have received 

in Val's Zombie Doll Swap.

Thank you Val for organizing this fun October swap!

Come sail away

This was my first swap and my swap partner was Iara.

Let me start by saying that she went the extra mile by decorating the box. As you can see it was a feast for the eyes. It was a regular postbox that she covered with pattern paper, painted in a sea/ocean color scheme, & added stamped mermaid & fish skeletons!  So creative. I really didn't want to destroy it by opening it, however I NEEDED my zombie...lol.

Decoration on mailing box

Iara also took great care when wrapping the individual goodies. 

As for my zombie...My first job suggestion was a Sailor since my husband is retired Navy.

Here is the little seamen that made his way to me. Iara did such a great job. His sailor suit is very well made and she even put the buttons on his pants! <3

Sailor zombie and his sidekick zombie shark

Sadly he must not have been using his little spy glass (how cute) because a zombie shark snuck up and bit him, thus turning him into a zombie.

Included in the box were some tasty looking goodies & something I had never heard of...a pioneer pocket! What's that you ask...well so did I. Luckily Iara included an explanation:

"A note on "pioneer pockets" I ran across a pocket pattern in a book that explained that sewing pockets into dresses for pioneer women was a waste of precious fabric. Instead, one pocket was made for daily use to be worn around the waist. Of course, day wear and tear of this fanny pack predecessor means that very few survived to be passed down as heirlooms or found in dusty attics."

So not only did I receive a fantastic zombie duo & tasty snacks (chupa chupas = YUM), but I also learned something and received something I had never seen before! SCORE!

Thank you to Valerie for hosting and to Iara for all of the wonderful goodies!

Happy Halloween everyone!

:-) Jeanette

A Zombie or Two

My zombie package arrived last week. Tina sent Lou Lou the zombie. Lou Lou has brightly colored hair, a Halloween tee shirt and a tulle skirt. Tina also sent sugar skull tuckins including a sugar skull travel cup that she personalized with my name. She also included a sugar skull bag and hanging decoration. Thank you Tina! I'm off to pull out my other zombies so I can set up my zombie patch! Lou Lou will be a great addition. Thanks!

Tina wanted a dental hygienist, a mom or a skydiver. I had an idea to create a two in one doll, so I created a zombie topsy turvey doll. I used the Topsy Turvey Doll pattern from While She Naps.

One side is a zombie mom holding her zombie baby. I can only imagine that the Mommy & Me class went terribly wrong and Molly became a zombie. Molly Mama can be flipped over to reveal . . . another zombie.

Once you flip Molly Momma over, the other side is Skydiver Sam wearing his goggles. Skydiver Sam met with some misfortune, now he's a zombie stuck in his parachute. 

I also created a table runner and two coasters using fabric called "Zombie Love." I found a little steam punk Hello Kitty case on ETSY, because Tina loves Hello Kitty. Tina I hope you liked your package, I had fun creating for you!

Thank you Val for hosting!

Eye Doctor Sally has come for a visit!!!

So because my original partner was unable to continue Valerie very graciously volunteered to step in and partner with me.  Thank you so much Valerie.  And she outdid herself!!!  This is my first time in the swap so I didnt really know what to expect, but I was so tickled to see how she put together everything.

So a little background, I had a very very bad case of Shingles in April, it was on my face, head and got in my eye.  I was in bed for 3 weeks, I slept almost an entire week with a few wake ups a day for meds, and bread, I was very nauseated.  I ended up having early onset cataracts that were worsened by the meds and I had eye damage which cannot be repaired.  So I had to have eye surgerys over the course of 8 weeks.  So one of the professions I chose for the Zombie swap was an Eye Dr, since I had seen so much of mine lol!!!

So this is Eye Doctor Sally (created by Valerie)

The attached Caution letter reads:
Sally was an eye doctor but not a very good one.
She really just liked eyes, especially the blue ones
All her blue eyed patients seemed to lose an eye.
Which made the other doctors always wonder why?
I came upon her in the park one bright and sunny day.
And asked her why this happened....she had this to say:
Its really very simple (waving a piece of toast in her hand)
"California Blue Iris Jam is the BEST jam in the land!"

How cute is that....I have blue eyes and I live in California!!!!

The tuck ins also were very clever such as this Blue Iris (berry) Jam, along with the receipe:

The Skele-Fairy is so cute (I love this)

And Little Frankie the happy pin keep:

and who doesnt need a Zombified Worm Pen?

And a cute little pumpkin to make the scene complete:

Dr Sally and her crew have center stage in my Halloween Display this year:

This was so much fun!!  I hope to do it again.  I sent Valerie a Day of the Dead Girl Scout (which I had already started creating when the partner switch happened)  I ended up getting a girl scout doll on clearance (I was looking for the vest) and I altered her by sewing stitches in black, cutting of the legs and reattaching them crooked and not the same length.  Painted her face and added clothing and assessories I made.  Im glad that Valerie liked her!!  Here are a before and after Picture:

Happy Zombie Swap 2018!!!
Julie

I need a nurse... STAT! (Zombie Swap 2018)

It’s that time of year.... Val’s Annual Zombie Swap.  Cute, creepy and fun — I am always blown away by the crafty talents of the participants.  This year’s theme was “Employable Zombies” and I received amazing Nurse Josie.....  wouldn’t you love to see her stagger into your hospital room...

The details are amazing!

The nurse shoes are perfection!

And of course, the wonderful little "tuck ins".....

I am mesmerized by this hand made pumpkin!

Thank you, Debbie Walter for a true work of zombie art!

My working girl will be arriving at her new home shortly.... can't wait to share!

Shelly

Reel Girl's Animal House

Sneak Peek....

Here is a little sneak peek of my little creation since my doll won't arrive until Monday. Enjoy!

The Doctor is in the House

I finally opened my box yesterday and what a delight it was! I am in love with my Dr Helen Walker zombie! She is perfect in every way. My favorite fine detail is her rubber gloves because I have to wear them nonstop at work! Thank you Clare for making me such a beautiful (in her own special way) doll! She looks great sitting with my primitive scarecrow!

Love these gloves!

Also, thank you so much for all the wonderful add-ins! They fit in perfectly with my Halloween Decor! This swap opened me up to new challenges and I am so thankful I joined! I loved every minute of it!

Thanks again!!

-Stacey

A Tale of 2 Zombies

We had a zombie creator who couldn't continue the swap so I stepped in for her.   

Because of that, I am the HAPPY recipient of not just 1 but 2.... yes, that is TWOOOOOOO amazing zombie dolls!

I have Rosa, a lovely little Day of the Dead Girl Scout sent all the way from Cali by Julie.  She is all jazzed up and ready to sell some cookies to poor unsuspecting people leaving the local Whatevermart!

I love everything about this doll!

She is so sassy and insisted she take center stage on the piano!

  
And then I have the Starbucks Barista Braniac made by Kerry.   Brainiac loves Starbucks as much as I do!!!   

And here Brainiac is.... I swear he is checking out Ms. Prom Queen 2016!

Both ladies seriously spoiled me with an abundance of tuck ins that I can't wait to use!

I want to thank both Kerry and Julie for creating such amazing dolls for me this year.   I love them both soooooo much!!!!     And yes....I already have NEXT YEAR'S THEME ready!!!

Her Hero!

I received my package from Jeanette yesterday, but would not allow myself to dig in until I had my package for her ready to go. Such a delight to see that my 2016 surfer girl has a handsome lifeguard to rescue her -- or not. He seems to be in a bit of trouble himself. I cannot get over this cute little shark who just refuses to let go.

I love all the Jack and Yoda goodies included! The high school friend who was there when my name was misheard as "Yoda" will get such a kick out of the bottle. This new bird will be happy perching in the windowsill, waiting to peck out the eyes of an unsuspecting victim. Thank you Jeanette for all the love and talent you've put into this project. I feel inspired to try working with felt more often!

Thanks again Val, for hosting this swap. I know that over the years you have gotten busy, but the fact that you continue to make the Annual Zombie Doll swap a reality makes me very grateful to continue to be a part of it.

Hugs and kisses, iara

just a peek . . .

Sneak peek . . . . this little zombie will be shipped out tomorrow.

I love sending zombie dolls off to a new home . . . almost as much as I love making them.

Undead Zombie Mailing

Dear partner,
Your zombie is in the mail. I repeat . . . there is a zombie heading your way. I hope you will be pleased with your zombie. I had a great time creating for you! Seriously, sometimes I think I enjoy creating zombie wounds way more than I should. Here's a sneak peek of some zombie wounds.

Thank you to Val for hosting this swap. I always look forward to it!

Jill