Swapping = Meeting Inspiration

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, one of the ways I got my craft blogging mojo back was by participating in a vintage swap. It was a great experience not only for the lovely goods that came my way, but also because I was paired with an exceptionally talented mama/crafter/blogger/art teacher named Jennifer. In addition to the lovely goods pictured above and below (pillowcase = already on the bed; small wooden box engraved with the name Chester Avery = my favorite little treasure of the year), Jennifer and I exchanged several great e-mails about the trials, tribulations, and great pleasures of parenting. She encouraged me when I mentioned that I was slowly working up to integrating crafting back into this brave new world of motherhood. I appreciated her encouragement so very, very much. Thank you again, Jennifer! I will post photos of whatever it is I eventually make from these vintage treasures. The great trim is just calling for a starring role on a bag or a pillow, I think.

To Market, To Market

I learned how to make yarn out of plastic bags from a friend. There's a good tutorial here, too. Although both cats and toddlers are fascinated by the stuff (making for very slow project progression), I somehow managed to finish a market bag for my wonderful friend Christa's birthday. (She's also here, and about a million other places online too.) Such a meta craft- making bags outta bags.