12 Days of Christmas Ornament Swap 2021

 Hello Swappers!  I wanted to share the video I made of all the amazing ornaments that were created for this swap (since we all may not be friends on Facebook or on Facebook at all!

So much creativity with these ornaments - love every single one!

Thanks to everyone!

Shelly Hein-Simmons

My mini(zombie)-me!

     My apologies for taking forever to post. Valerie was aware that I have been having some health issues and have just been taking life one day at a time. I have been catching up, but then I turn around and several days have gone by.

     I was absolutely tickled by this little lady! Never having met me in person or even having seen a picture of me, Val absolutely nailed it in creating an accurate representation of me in the morning (right down to my jowls -- thanks Grandma 😁). What were the chances?

     I love the new mug! I like watching it as it fills up under the coffee maker and that spooky image is revealed.

     So many lovely handmade goodies. I am always impressed by the many talents that Valerie has. And I got a kick how we both headed to Bath & Body Works for their scrumptious fun fall scents (not pictured -- promptly put in use).

     Thank you Valerie for organizing another great swap! It is definitely the highlight of the transition from summer to Spooky Season for me.

Thank you to Iara!!!

 Oh my gosh!!!  I am totally in love with my swap package!

I got a "Miss Blueberry Lemon Drop" doll!  She is so stinking cute, check the HAT and her little cocktail!!!!

And look at all the goodies!  I feel like I got seriously spoiled.....even the card and tags are handmade.  Of course, the cocktail tea towels are seriously the BEST!  And that bat thing on the top left of the chair?  I've never seen or HEARD of one.  It is so cool!  Its called a Pioneer Pocket.  I'm going to use it all month long at school to hold my cell phone!

 

Everything is AWESOME, thank you again Iara!!!

**editing post to include this video - this tuck in - seriously - the coolest!

Thank you, Debbie for an AMAZING creepy and BEAUTIFUL ZOMBIE!!

This year's theme - MAD MEN - with the focus on cocktails and a 50 /60's vibe!  Create a zombie and some "tuck in's" with a vintage cocktail vibe -- my swap partner created  TRUE ZOMBIE ART!!

THIS! IS WHAT I RECEIVED!!

This FACE!!! I cannot get over the detail!

She is beautifully articulated - the clothing is SPOT ON! I can literally put her in any pose!!

Those flair leg lace pants and voluminous sleeves - yes!

Love me some CROWN! and love the detail on this custom bottle!

The clothing!  SO GOOD!!

Tuck in's??

I could not be more excited about this addition to my Zombie collection!

October / 2021

Thank You Clare

 Clare sent me a package full of zombie goodness. 

She included a towel which I teen snapped up, a Halloween spoon which I took to school for making playdough with my kids, skulls, Cocktail flavored Jelly Bellys which my family devoured, Jack-o-lantern napkins, a Prim skull and the cutest beaded spider that I totally want to copy and make to hang on our Halloween tree. 

Look how cute this little beaded spider is hanging from our small Halloween tree. I'm in love! I think he needs more friends, a whole clutter of spiders to be with him on the spooky tree.

And now the Zombie. . . . Clare made the sweetest little mojito zombie. She has a lime wedge and mint leaves on her belly, with a lime wedge, mint leaves and a straw on her head. She is the cutest little zombie ever!!!! Clare really nailed this theme, I love this little sweetie. She even has polka dots that Clare painted on, I love polka dots! This little mojito's name  is Mirana. Clare even included a poem for her. I'm so thrilled with her and the whole package! Thank you Clare! Mirana will be set up with my other zombies this weekend.

Thank you Jeanne!!

 I am in love with my little zombie doll! She is enjoying life relaxing in her Martini glass! So cute! I also have the best tuck-ins too! A beautiful spider web egg, a wine glass perfect for Halloween, some awesome Martini glass picks, some fun napkins and tea towels,, and best of all... two Martini recipes that I am dying to try!! Thanks again Jeanne!! I love everything about this swap!

Bloody Mary . . .

What a doll Bloody Mary is! . . . with all her wonderful tuck-ins!

Thank you Jill for such a wonderful zombie package.  I always 

get excited when I see the package has been delivered.  

I love this little Bloody Mary . . . and all her zombie details

Be sure to read her poem below.

I have to post a few pictures . . . because I love all her details.

Skeleton buttons . . . 

Bloody Mary has a big heart . . . 

 . . . and bones sticking out all over the place. 

Oh . . . and this bun!

Bloody Mary is amazing!

Her she is with all of her zombie buddies.

I am now officially motivated to get out my Halloween stuff

and start decorating.

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

And thank you again Jill for such a great zombie package!

 

Yarnigras! Annual Handmade Ornament swap!

     

(image from the internet)

I have wanted to do a candy themed ornament swap for AGES.  Well, this is the year!

The theme is  "Santa's Sweet Shop" and when I say sweets, I mean, any and all!  Traditional Christmas candy not your thing?  No worries, make some faux cotton candy in pink or blue!  Make muffins or cupcakes or ice cream or root beer floats or popcorn balls....the sky is the limit!  All colors are accepted.  The best part is that these sweets won't give you cavities!

The info:

Once again, We are doing a "5 for 5"  swap.

What this means is that you will be sending me 5 handmade ornaments and receiving a variety of 5 ornaments back. You may use ANY MEDIUM you want to create these little pieces of art!

You do not have to have a blog to join.  
There is no deadline to sign up.  That being said, I am allowing no more than 20 participants this year so if you know you want to join, do it now.  I reserve the right to close the swap at any time.

To sign up, send me an email at valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with your name so I can put it on the sidebar.  I will send you instructions when I get your sign up email.

This will be a USA only swap due to shipping.

Please 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.   Be sure to include a self addressed return label for me.

Try to keep your ornaments light in weight and please take care when wrapping to make sure they are cushioned, etc.  We want all our ornaments to arrive in pristine condition!  

All ornaments must be either in a clear treat bag or some other "holiday" type wrap with a tag from you.   It doesn't have to be fancy, but do take some time to do a good job, no throwing all the ornaments in a box with no gift tags , wrapping or tissue.  Remember, these ornaments represent hard work and all participants want to OPEN them as they would a Christmas gift.  

If ANY of your ornaments reach me broken, they will be returned to you.  That being said, if 2 break, you will get 2 of your own back along with 3 different ones for a total of 5.

*New Rule:  Many of us have become dear friends and I even have family members joining now too.  Please understand that in shuffling these ornaments around, your friend or family member may get an ornament you planned on giving them privately.   I ended up giving away my own ornaments from the swap to make sure everyone received a unique assortment.   I am no longer doing this.

May I suggest you either send in extra ornaments to keep this from happening or refrain from giving the ornaments privately until AFTER everyone receives their box.  (Some of you already do that, thank you!)

Shipping:  $10.00 is sufficient to cover the cost of sending ornaments back to you unless they are oversized or heavy.  In that case, please send in a little extra.  Again, please include a return address label already filled out.  

Ship in time for me to receive them by mid November...no later than Thanksgiving.  That way, I can get them in time to 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.  The earlier the better!

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.

Yarnigras! Annual Zombie Doll Swap!!!!

                                                                 

SURPRISE!   I'm hosting my annual Zombie Doll Swap a little early this year!  Feel free to spread the word!!!  

Can you believe I've been hosting Halloween/Zombie swaps for 12 years?  I'm sort of blown away.  I have made so many good friends through this old blog!!!  Okay, so on to the announcement, this year the theme is:

                    "MAD MAD MAD MEN ZOMBIES"

I've wanted to do a "Mad Men" style zombie doll swap for ages simply because my husband was in advertising so we watched (and loved) the show!  I finally decided this year is the year. Can you just see Don Draper as a zombie?  I mean, with the sheer amount of booze in his system, he already walked like one!

Here is what we are swapping: 

1.)You will create one cocktail/beverage themed zombie doll, complete with cocktail or beverage and then add a minimum of 3 tuck ins to round out the package.  

2.)Tuck ins need to be Zombie/Halloween/Cocktail/Beverage themed in nature.  The tuck ins can be handmade, purchased, thrifted, re-gifted, etc. as long as they are clean and undamaged. 

Please check out the answers to your partner's list to help you out.

3.)The doll is designer's choice this time.  It needs to be handmade and at LEAST 6 inches in height/length.  REMEMBER that the COCKTAIL is the main event here so it needs to be part of the doll.

This is a USA swap only.
The sign up close date is July 30th so I can announce partners that weekend or the first week of August.  I retain the right to close the swap early if I choose so please don't wait to join up.

Ship date is September 11th so the dolls can arrive to their new homes by the 1st week of October.

If you want to join leave a comment here and then email me at valpowery(at) yahoo(dot)com with the answers to these questions:

1. Name and address
2. List of 3 cocktails/beverages for your partner to choose 1 from. 
3. Colors you decorate with for Halloween 
4. Choose either "creepy" or "cute" style
5. List what you decorate with at Halloween
6. List any things you collect for Halloween/Fall for "tuck in" ideas.

Please read:

My swaps are made to encourage creativity, not bust the bank.  That being said, your package should equate to about $30.00 before shipping.  

Please create a zombie doll that you feel certain your partner will adore and wrap it up in Halloween colors. 

Also, be careful when wrapping items for shipping so they don't get damaged.  No one wants a busted up Zombie package. 
When shipping, I suggest using tracking and make note of the date mailed.  If the doll does not arrive within 10 business days of shipping, you will be responsible for making and sending a NEW zombie doll package.  

As always, thanks for participating and feel free to use the badge to help spread the word!

Thank You Stacey!

 

I recieved a huge box of goodies from my partner Stacey. She really spoiled me. Everything was nicely wrapped in red or white paper and red paperfill. RED is my favorite color, so the packaging alone made me so happy!!! Then I unwrapped everything and really felt so spoilled.

Stacey included all my favorites; chocolate, coffee, frosted cookies, cozy socks, a soft blanket, a diffuser with essential oils, a hat and ear warmer for the cold weather and a mug that reads "Anything is possible."

Stacey, thank you soooo much, I love everything!!!! Your package is on the way, I hope you will enjoy your goodies. I enjoyed shopping and creating for you.