3 posts tagged “swap-bot”

It's been awhile since my last post. Busy busy!! Plus - the computer seems soooooo sloooooowwww when I'm trying to update this blog. Anyway, here's all the latest:

I've uploaded some pictures of the swaps I've sent out recently. The little dolls are made of wood craft balls, beige pipe cleaners and embellishments from my stash. Really easy, and really cute.

I hosted another altered compact swap. My partner had a kind of sparse profile, but stated she was a girly girl, so I'm hoping she likes butterflys. I'm not sure where this came from. It wasn't the direction I intended to go. Once I got started, it just took on a life of it's own. I really love how it turned out.

The cookbook was quite an event for me. When I signed up for the swap I had visions of documenting my DH's wonderful dishes with photos and recipes. My partner ended up being a vegan,(no dairy, poultry, fish, meat, etc.) Being from a rural area, I certainly had vegetable dishes to include - but it just wasn't what I had been envisioning. So, I went a totally different direction. The girl was early 20's and studying to be an event planner in Germany, so I altered a tri-fold, magnetic closure book, making it a kind of recipe book, dinner planner. On the left was a dry erase board and marker for the menu, in the center a notepad for grocery lists, on the right were plastic pockets for recipe cards and under them was an envelope for spare cards or whatever. Her sensibility seemed a bit goth or dark, so I made the whole thing with glossy black and mat grey and olive tones. I loved the little chef character I drew for the front. I was trying to be Tim Burton inspired. Not sure I succeded, but the cartoon is sweet.

Currently I'm signed up for a handful of swaps, including 2 zine swaps that I'm hosting. Should be interesting.

I'm also currently following a weight watcher diet. It's worked before. I can't believe that I've gained back so much weight. DH is on this time, too. I'm losing steadily about a pound a week. He's a little more erratic. At this rate I should reach size 2 in about a year!! Honestly, I don't want to be a size 2. When I was that skinny I always had a cold or flu or something. My immune system just couldn't keep up. I want to be a nice healthy 8. Able to wear shorts and visit my NYC friends without embarrasment.

The Zeta cancer fundraiser is well underway. We're doing the handbag silent auction again, but not a luncheon this time. On  June 22, 2008 we'll have the auction with a "tea". Sounds easier that a luncheon, but, of course, it's not. Anyway, my KKS Zeta sisters are truely awesome. I love them all. They are working very hard and things are coming together in a very timely manner. The food and drinks should be wonderful, we have all but 8 tables sold and about 60 purses have been donated, with more promised. The raffle is a diamond and ruby necklace and earrings set or a set of 4 tickets to an Indianapolis Indians 2008 game. Both were donated - so the raffle will be money free and clear to the cancer society. At 1$ each or 6 for 5$ we will hopefully do well. The cancer society is such a worthy recipient of our fundraiser. They do such good work, that for privacy reasons, is not spoken of most of the time.

I started a real estate blog at: realre.wordpress.com. My first 3 articles have dealt with the mortgage crisis. I heard a great hour long show on "This American Life" about the subject last weekend. I downloaded the podcast on Monday and have listened to it a couple more times. Just amazing - people deceiving themselves, committing fraud against other. And, my goodness, the money that changed hands!! Where is it now? Such a waste. But, when you consider how fast the bubble expanded in the 90's it is no wonder the fall has been so hard. I can remember saying during the presidential election between Bush and Gore that I felt sorry for whoever won because they would have to deal with recession and the rest of the aftermath of the falsly inflated financial and mortgage industries that were brought on during the Clinton administration.I think that we were lucky that the Fed worked so hard to bring us in for a soft landing.

Okay. I think you are all caught up now. I'll try not to stay away for so long the next time.

Later- Indygirl

Dotee-local

1 comment

Things are picking up around here, but I've still found some time to finish a few artsy swaps on swap-bot.com. I did an Easter jumbo matchbox, some martini ATCs and some Retro 50's and 60's ATCs. I also have a "local dotee doll" all finished and ready for my partner to be named. I've been working on the altered compact swap that I'm hosting. 4 of us will be swapping unless someone else joins. I have the front of mine done, but not the inside.

I keep thinking of doing kind of "step-by-step" photo essays of the art work I'm doing to post them here on the blog. I know there are many times I see someone elses piece and would love to have seen the process.

Anyway - the dotee doll is made with fabric that I had tranfered a peony and rose picture to. The Peony is the state flower and the rose for the nearby city of Richmond that is known as the "Rose City". I also embroidered a cardinal bird on her hand that seems to be whispering to her. The cardinal is the state bird. The compact has a digitally altered photo of my grandmother. The words say,"Each of us is an original", which I found as a quote from the bible in the "Message" bible. There are buttons and fibers. I really like it alot. Once we get partners assigned, if it's not something my partner could love and appreciate I will do a different one for her. I just had to do that exact thing with the Retro ATC swap. One of the cards I had done was called "Pink Ladies" - like a girls biker club or bowling team or something. It had lots of pink...and both partners I was assigned said they didn't like pink or "girly". Oh well. I have a nice card for my own collection I guess:)

I recently found a lovely pair of vintage heels that I bought at the church "Mission mart" (thrift store), for a couple of dollars. I had every intention of dying/painting them and embellishing them to go with a banquet gown I have to wear to an event in April. When I got them home they were just too nice to touch! Absolutely perfect and the the detail is really amazing. They were in the original box and had never been worn. There wasn't a scuff on the bottom and they had the original tissue in the box. Now I'm back to square one on the banquet shoes. And I'm not sure if I'll keep or sell these vintage beauties.
Rehearsals are well underway for "Witness". I'm planning to do a rather stylized lighting of the show, as the director had originally told me it was to be "noir" style, and the set designer is supposed to limit his pallette to just greys and washed out blues. I have a feeling I will be the only one sticking to the original plan...but we'll see. If I am, it's okay. The lighting will look fabulous. I love high contrast and nice sharp highlights and shadows.
Later - Indygirl

For those who like to swap and get cool things in the mail, here's another site you might want to visit. I haven't swapped there yet, but they have tons of swaps going on all the time with timelines that vary from a couple of weeks to a couple of monthes.

Here's the link: www.swap-bot.com

I'll still be swapping here, too:-)

Happy swapping - indygirl