Mermaid Swap (part 2)

This was the second part of what I did for my swap. The bath products were a essential oil scented lotion. I do those all the time for family, so that one was easy. Bath bombs. One is the usual type and the lighter colored one is a milk bath bomb. I've been asked to do a tutorial on that so I will blog on that at another time. The last in this bunch is a bath brush. The story with that one is funny to me. I drew a simple mermaid on the handle and gave it to my mom to paint with a paint pen. I'm allergic to the solvent in the pen, so I had enlisted her help. Well, the pen spilled and my mom was beside her self. So, I just took some acrylic paint that had to "fix" it. Happy accidents I remember calling things like that. ;) It was then fixed to the handle with an acrylic spray. Anything in a humid environment needs to have a bit more care.

The other thing I included was a print of a picture I painted in watercolor. I had actually been away from the pallet for quite a while. I used this opportunity to get me to paint a bit. My partner wanted a bunch of bath stuff since they were making the bathroom a mermaid paradise. So, I painted a mermaid in a bathtub. I just drew her out and then painted it. I will have the original painting in my Etsy shop. I just need to cut a simple mat. I don't like cutting mat, but I don't like shipping anything without some sort of backing to it. Makes the picture safer. Granted others will ship in a tube, but those are hard to come by and a bit expensive.

Well, those were the objects I placed in the swap. Now, I just have to wait anxiously to hear back. I think I'm more nervous about what I sent than what I will get back. Of that, I have no doubt I will like it. It was a fun swap and one I may do again. Depending on what it is, I may have to wait until after Christmas as I have a few projects I have to finish first. ;)

Mermaid Swap (part 1)

After being a part of the Craftster community, I finally decided to do a swap. I chose the mermaid swap since I've been a fan of mermaids since forever. There are personal reasons, but those could embarrass those that I love... and I chose those times carefully. You know these people know where I live. :)

Anyway, thought I'd share a few of the things I did for the swap. I feel it is safe to do so since the recipient got the package yesterday.

As you can see I did several sewing projects. The purse you see on the side was from a project designed by SewSpoiled on Etsy. It is her small ladybug purse, but I just couldn't resist seeing the tail of the mermaid in the design and found the perfect pattern that would allow me to split it in an eye pleasing way. The other two projects were easy ones for me. The first picture is obviously a head band made with mermaid fabric. The other is an eye pillow. I've made these before, but I decided to add a sleeve. That way the outer shell can be washed since the inner pillow cannot. That way everything is kept quite hygienic. Since the pictures were getting a bit screwy on me and I'm being lazy and not dealing with the html or css, I'll continue this on another blog post. So there will be more to come soon.

If you are considering doing a swap, there is a walkthrough there at the Craftster site. Makes it for newbies like me to have a bit of fun without a lot of the worry. Now I only hope that my partner likes her goodies. To be continued....

Look What I Made!

I had seen this saying on the web somewhere and just loved it! I thought it would go perfect with another old watercolor Bette painting I had found. And since I love mermaids, I felt the saying and the picture would go well together. It was my first attempt at soldering. Granted it isn't the best, but eh... not bad. 

This picture was printed out by my computer and I placed it between 2 microscope slides. I then foiled it with copper foil and soldered it with some non-lead solder. You can find that at most crafting places, but I got mine at Etsy. I really enjoyed this and I think that I might just do more later when I get the technique much more professional looking. Otherwise I guess family might figure out what they "could" get for the holidays. ;)

My Etsy Store

Thanks for visiting my new weblog. I just started an Etsy store where I've made a few mass paperback book covers. I've found that it helps keep the book in pretty good condition. It took me a bit, but I figured out how to make it so it was just right for the average mass paperback. Now, I can read what I want without anyone knowing what it is!