Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap Received

Before I show you the goodies I received in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap, I wanted to tell you that I think I'm back from my blogging break. It was nice to take time away from the obligations I'm constantly putting on myself. The biggest reason for taking a break was that I was so sick and couldn't stand to think about sewing. You see, the mister and I are expecting our third little bundle of joy. February was full of dry heaves and nausea, but now that I've entered my second trimester, I'm feeling much better (even if I do still gag at the drop of a hat - or the eating habits of my four-year-old). My sister borrowed my sewing machine for a week and a half and then it was off to the repair shop for a good cleaning and tune-up. I'm picking it up today and am excited to get back in some sewing action, especially since my to-do list is getting out of control, but more on that later. Now to show off the cute things Andrea (Knitty bitties) sent me.

Here are all the goodies, fresh from the package I opened on Friday.



A cute table runner featuring half-square triangle pinwheels.



A farm apron that thankfully fits around my belly. (Love those dots on the ties!)





Some adorable stationary cards, which I've already put to good use as a birthday card for my mom. Andrea included a matching cupcake stamp that I didn't get a solo picture of because my two-year-old daughter claimed the stamp the second I opened the package.



Thanks so much, Andrea! I love it all.

Two More Swaps

You can still leave a comment in my previous post for a chance to win some fabric. Click here to enter the draw.

*************
Call me crazy, but I signed up for two more swaps...that's a total of three within a three-month timeframe. I'm so excited for these though. I already showed you my inspiration mosaic and the goodies I made for my partner in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap.

Here are the inspiration mosaics I put together for the other two swaps.

Urban Home Goods Swap



The Urban Home Goods Swap consists of one main item that can be used in your home and covers a pretty broad range of items - pillows, bags, aprons, sewing machine covers, pretty much the entire gamut of anything possibly used in your home.

Make Mine Modern Swap, which was formerly Modern Swappers.



The Make Mine Modern Swap consists of one and a half yards of designer/quilt shop quality fabric, a handmade item, and an item to decorate your sewing room with.

These are the first two swaps that I've participated in that I've actually been pretty specific with the types of things I'd like to receive. I'd really like some sort of tote bag to use for transporting sewing projects here and there. I baste all my quilts at my mom's house or my inlaws' house, so it would be nice to have a big bag to carry everything.

For Make Mine Modern, I listed specific fabric in my Flickr profile that I don't have, but would like to own. I also included specific item requests in my mosaic (pin cushion, needle case, mail organizer, box pouch for storing sewing notions, and/or fabric storage cubbies).

In past swaps that I've done, it's been easier for me to make something when my partners were specific about what they wanted. I figured I'd try that out this time instead of being vague like I was in other swaps.

I've received my two partners for these other swaps and I have a pretty good idea of what I'll be making for each of them. I hope to get started on them either this weekend or next week. I'd really like to have these done well before I head back into the office.

Goodies for Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap Round 1

If you haven't had a chance yet, you can enter the CSN Stores giveaway by leaving a comment on this post. I'm drawing a winner tomorrow (Tuesday 1/17/11), so hurry on over.

*************
For the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap, the deadline to mail the items for our partners is March 1. I started and finished mine yesterday (a month and a half before the deadline and only a few days after finding out who my partner is).

BUT, don't think I'm an over achiever or anything. The real reason I finished these up so soon is that my sewing time will drastically be reduced starting the first of March. See, I've been working from home for the past three and a half years, but come March, I have to start working in the office again. Boo. There are a lot of projects I want to work on (not to mention the other two swaps I will be in between now and April and the bee I'm in this year). So I'm trying to spend as much free time sewing as I possibly can. Thankfully, the mister is very understanding and encouraging. =)

I stalked my partner for a few days, pulled out some fabric, and started brainstorming ideas. I decided to start off with an apron. My partner likes Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey (at least I'm pretty sure she does), and I just so happened to have a fat quarter of this floral print and some of the green stripes. I half-followed this tutorial. Thanks to Traci for making one and pointing out the tutorial.



I opted to make the apron reversible, so I pulled a yellow fat quarter from my stash that matched the Nicey Jane fabric (I'm sadly lacking in the yellow department).



Next up, I made a couple of patchwork towels. I found some really soft bamboo cotton towels and added a band of various fabrics to the bottom. Simple, but cute.



I thought about stopping there (since the swap expectations stated that they didn't want us to get overwhelmed by trying to come up with too many items for the swap), but I had a few leftover pieces from the towel and put them together into a little mug rug. If my partner isn't big on mug rugs, she has a couple places in her kitchen for a little mini quilt wall hanging.

I added a little bit of stitchery because my partner said she liked that too.



So here's all the loot. I hope you like it, partner. I'm planning on sending this off tomorrow. It has quite a way to travel, so I'm hoping it makes it to its new home safely.

Inspiration Mosaic for Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap

There are so many things I want to tell you about - the gifts I made this year, the fabric (ACK!) and embroidery supplies I got for Christmas - but for today, this inspiration mosaic for the Spicing Up the Kitchen Modern Swap will have to suffice until I can get the photos of the other projects off my computer.

I'm so excited for this swap. It's a new one headed up by Erin and Darci. I've been in MAJOR need of some new goodies for my kitchen so I was super happy to see the invite to join the swap in my inbox. Signups close January 7th and we'll receive our partners by the 14th or so.

I don't think there is much rhyme or reason to this mosaic. I just like each of these items. I know that doesn't help my partner much, but maybe s/he can get a feel for my likes/dislikes by looking through my favorites on Flickr. I'll also try to figure out what my tastes are and get them jotted down someplace.



Anyway, I'll be back later for some Christmas-y updates. I hope you all enjoyed a nice holiday.