YARNIGRAS 2025 ANNUAL ZOMBIE DOLL SWAP !

                                                   

    

Okay everyone!  I've been wanting to do this swap for awhile  The Great Pumpkin is one of my all time favorite kiddie movies and I think all those big headed kids would make awesome zombies!  

So our theme is  "ZOMBIES ATTACK CHARLIE BROWN AND THE GANG!"

Here is what we are swapping: 

1.)You will create one Charlie Brown and the Gang themed zombie doll from your partner's choice list and then add 3 tuck ins (goodies) to round out the package.  

2.)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 before getting the tuck ins!

3.)The doll needs to be handmade and at LEAST 6 inches in height/length.   I have approved premade blank doll forms which are available to use as a base but you must hand make all the details and elements that make it into a zombie.

This is a USA swap only.
The sign up by date is August 8th so I can announce partners before the following weekend.  (I retain the right to close the swap early if I choose so please don't wait to join up.)

Ship date is September 27th so the dolls can arrive to their new homes in time for people to put out their Halloween decorations!  Feel free to ship earlier but PLEASE ship no later than 9/27/25.

Please note if an "angel" swap is needed for any reason other than crisis, that swapper will not be invited back.  An "angel" is someone other than the original partner who graciously steps in to fulfill the swap. 

New request:  Please do not procrastinate on making the doll.  We had SEVERAL late shippers last year and it made people worry about getting them in time to decorate.   I am announcing it a week earlier than usual to give you all more time.

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. Include phone if you would like text updates. (recommended)

2. List of 3 favorite characters for your partner to choose 1 character from.   

3. Choose either "creepy" or "cute" style.  

4. Small list of things you collect for Halloween and/or Fall.

5. Colors you decorate with for Halloween and/or Fall.

Please note:

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

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

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!

February Spooky YOE theme!

 Greetings everyone!!!

February's theme is "PERILOUS PLANTS!"

Think of all the itchy, pokey, prickly, poisonous plants out there!  We even have plants that are carnivorous!  

And those beautiful but deadly toadstools called Destroying Angels, what a name! Ooooo or the DEATHC CAP!

 Toadstools are my fav admittedly but I cannot fail to mention the most famous nasty plant of all....  Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors!!!!! 

The best part is that the plant doesn't have to  EXIST in real life!   Please come up with a horribly fantastic name so it's new owner will know what it is!!!!

Some of you have already joined so this post is mainly for people who stumble across my blog and want to play along.

You are required to send only ONE handmade spooky yoe ornament....any goodies/tuckins are up to the sender. (I have noticed most people are sending a little something.) 

Sign up deadline for the February swap is January 31st, 2023

Shipping date is February 18th, 2023

If you want to join, send your full name and address to valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com asap!  

Daisy-Head Mayzie in Zombieland

 I literally let out an audible gasp when I unwrapped Daisy Head Mayzie re-imagined as a zombie!  She is absolutely PRECIOUS!  Can you really use the word "precious" when talking about a zombie? You tell me!

Her expression!

The Daisy coming out of her head!  An her hair is SO COOL!!

The details of her dress!

And then there is the re-telling of her story....  I LOVE this!

I was absolutely spoiled by my swap partner, Clare - look at the tuck ins!  I am slightly obsessed with Dia de los Muertos - Salt & Pepper shakers - those will be displayed year round!  So many fun things in this package!

Thank you so much, Clare!! I am giddy with the Halloween spirit!

And thank you to the hostess with the mostess, Val!

Shelly K. Hein-Simmons

October 2020

Partnered up!

I've sent all partner information out today, please confirm!

Now to get us in the mood....here is something my brother sent LAST YEAR that I've been dying to share!

Enjoy!!!!

A VERY ZOMBIE HOLIDAY...turn on the speakers for this "instructional" video!

Thank you Melinda!!!

A shout out to Melinda for my fabulous TAILGATING ZOMBIE!  I love the ornaments for my tree and the little tailgating banner!

This year's theme is:

"Partying Zombies!"

This is INVITATION ONLY!  If you played before and would like to play again leave a comment with your info and I'll contact you.

You will create one zombie doll in their party attire.    
Then add a minimum of 3 tuck ins to round out the package.
The add ins need not be handmade.  They can be purchased, thrifted, re gifted, etc as long as they can be used at Halloween and are clean and undamaged. 

Please reply as soon as possible so I can announce partners. 

If you want to play, in your response please give me your:
1. Name and  address
2. List of three party scenarios for your partner to choose from (wedding, prom, etc)
3. Colors you decorate with for Halloween 
4. Pick either "creepy" or "cute" style
5. List what you decorate with at Halloween

The ship date is the last week of September so please respond within 48 hours.

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!!!!!

Another spookify project...

 "Werewolf Drool" sits on my bar....awaiting Halloween night......

Easy to make using an empty bottle, a Halloween sticker and some candles and crayons.....

Spookify me!

Here is my FIRST spookify me project!  Repurposed frap bottles.

I had such fun making them that I put a tutorial up on my own blog.
Pop by and get the lowdown to make your own set.

October's craft along theme

A few years ago, I did a little thing on my regular blog called Spookify Saturday and I would make something and post a tutorial on it.

Remember this?


or these?



or what about these...


Cute, right?


I think that would be fun for this month's theme!

So, here we go.....

Spookify Something for October!

Then come here and show it off.   I am hoping more of you will play along since Halloween is such a fun crafting month.  I've been feeling a bit lonely.....being the only one of late to do the craft along theme!

Thank you!!!!!!!!

The birdies are arriving!   I can't show them to you...but I can show you the cutie that Chris sent me....just a little Halloween surprise!  I love it!

The Great Pumpkin Patch

I wanted to share my pumpkin patch with all of you...since you helped create it!

First we have The White Rabbit from Jill,  Little Red from Kerry and The Mad Hatter from Debbie!

Then we have a mummy zombie from the first ever zombie doll swap I hosted

And here we have Dorothy from Spring.  I created for myself mini Raggedy Ann and Griselda. 

The full view of my Undead group!

I haven't finished the leaves on some of the larger pumpkins....and I need to put some black cloth on the mirror...but you can get the idea of what it will look like come October.

Apparently zombie dolls are like Lay's potato chips....you can't have just one!

5th Annual Halloween Swap/CLOSED

 It is time for my annual Halloween swap and I've decided to do zombies one last time.  I have SO many other ideas and REALLY NEED to move along but there is just something adorable about these little zombies with popped out eyes, missing limbs, exposed brains..........okay, so maybe I'm weird, but I love them and apparently a few of YOU do too! 

 So with those gruesome thoughts,  I give you.... 
"Zombies in Wonderland"  

Sign ups start today and end August 31st at midnight.  Sorry but this year it is USA only.

Mailing deadline is SEPTEMBER 14th.   Please ship using tracking and delivery confirmation. Please email me the tracking number.
If your doll has not been received by September 30th, you are required to send a replacement package.


This year, we will be swapping: 
1 Handmade zombie doll.   
Specifications: 
The doll needs to be designed after a character in the ever popular "Alice in Wonderland" story book.   There are SO many fun characters in Wonderland that the possibilities are endless!  Be sure to read what your partner likes before you go crazy!
The doll must measure a minimum of 8" in size. You can make it using any medium you choose, taking into account any allergies noted on the registration form.
Include at least 3 Halloween related tuck ins. These tuck ins can be thrifted, hand made, store bought, hand me downs....but must be in good condition.  Also, be sure to use the list your partner gives you as a guideline.

Cost: My swaps are meant to stretch your creativity, not buckle your budget. Expect to spend a minimum of $10.00 creating your package. (Cost of packaging/shipping is not included in this amount.)

All levels of artsy craftsy are invited. The most important thing to remember is this: Create something you would love to receive. When your partner opens her package, she should be thrilled. We want this to be a wonderful experience for everyone.

When packing to ship, please use Halloween colored tissues and wrap your package wickedly....but in a GOOD way.  Think Good Witch, not Bad Witch when wrapping...we ghouls want pretty packages!

One last thing. If you join, please do me the favor of posting the swap badge on your blog to encourage others to join in too.  We want new ghouls to join in the fun too!

One for me!

My partner got busy so I decided to angel for MYSELF!

I had this cute little epattern for a little 5" fairy and used it to make a Raggedy Anne zombie.  My son and I chatted while I made her.  He suggested that I sew her head on so it would flop...which I did.  It is pretty funny when it does that.


Thank you all for joining my little swap! 

zombie come, zombie go - the Texas/Pori exchange

Since signing up to Val's awesome zombie swap in August, I've been like a mad professor and laboured over my zombie with a mix of love and obsession, then sent it on its way to Texas.

The deal was that someone else in Texas will do the same and replace my crooked creature with their very own mad creation.

And that is exactly what happened.

The postman rang (three times, like a good postman should) and handed a HUGE box to me. Presenting the goodies inside was zombie Snow White who has the best Tim Burton-esque stare and the softest knitted hands - she is very attached to her poison apple even though I told her she probably ended up dead because of it... She kindly offered me some to taste but I politely refused, telling a white lie of having had my 5-a-day, cheers... She is quite a smart little creature, and very thoughtful too. She's been talking about her creator very fondly and pointed out that she feels very lucky to have been clothed in a warm dress of felted wool under her lace overskirt, as it's considerably colder in Finland than in her birth town in the States. What a sweet creature!

The Texan mad professor who created this kindly zombie girl was Kerry Ann. She revealed how she crafted her in this account here and also wrote a lovely feature of my package starring Zombirella earlier on this Swapper Spot blog - thank you for your praises and your super post Kerry!

I was bowled over by what's been sent - I don't think I ever expected to be so spoiled by Kerry! Again, thank you Kerry for your amazing package, it was like a Christmas in October...like a creepy Christmas to be precise :)

On the other end of the scale, I myself had quite a challenge finding Halloween related things for tuck-ins - in this Nordic country Halloween is somewhat extinct (or rather never really existed) and it's so new here that nobody really celebrates it....for you Americans that must sound unbelieavable, I know.

So I ended up making most of the extra bits and then found one nice jelly sweet called Pihlaja which is made of rowan berries and tastes like Turkish Delights. The other candy I sent was all salmiakki which is so disgusting I had to issue warnings and make a bag labelled 'Trick' to get away with it...

Oh, so you ask what were the tuck-ins Kerry sent me that required such an immensely sized box to be delivered in? Let me be a bit of a tease, and organise another post to show those goodies; hope you guys don't mind :)

Until then, here are the undead lovelies we exchanged for your eyes to feast upon:

Kerry's package and doll for me:

And my doll made for Kerry:

Thank you Val for this great craft swap!

A Work in Progress

 

I'm working on my doll and so far so good!

 

She doesn't look like much yet,

 

but I think she's going to turn out to be the

 

"Belle"

 

of the Zombie Ball!

 

 

 

 

 



a sneaky peek

My zombie is ready too! Don't want to give away too much about it...full story after the swap is completed :)

In the meantime - do you care for a sneak peek?

the 8th dwarf...."CRAFTY"

I've been busy lately...singing my crafty work song...want to sing along?

here we go:

heigh ho

heigh ho

its zombie making I go....

with paper snips.....

and painted drips...

Heigh ho, heigh ho, heigh ho

heigh ho, heigh ho, its off to post I go...

you get the idea.....

The spirit of Vintage Halloween

I have been looking at some vintage Halloween images online - just to get into the spirit of it all for the swap.

I've come across some strange & some sweet - I thought I share them with you here.

(I have also come across something yucky to make - plus have been trying to take some not too revealing images of my doll's progress - will post those up too... soon!)

I hope everyone is having as much fun with the doll making as I am - cannot wait for the big reveal!

x Aniko

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Frank's Fingers

So Frank is not a zombie but he is a monster! I make these yummy treats every year for the family. Last year, between work and church and everything else, I actually forgot and everyone let me know that was not acceptable!!!!

Unlike a lot of recipe on line, this is not a sugar cookie recipe, it is actually for Ice Cream Cookies and is a VERY old recipe which I double when making these.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons softened butter
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 beaten egg yolk (important)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
candied cherries, cut in half (I use green ones but couldn't find them for this batch.)

Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk, vanilla and flour and mix will.
add a couple drops of green food coloring into the dough.
Then, using a small amount of the dough (like a spoonful), form it into a cigarette shape. Sort of squish it on the pan, placing the cherry toward the end as the fingernail.
Take a knife and make 4 little slashes where the knuckle would be. Just look at your hand to get the idea.

Here is what they look like before being baked:



Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. You'll get 22-24 monster fingers.

Here is what they look like after!


Creepy!