Fabric Bag Swap - Stacha Reed, WI

Stacha wrote that she doesn't usually sew, but you would not know that by looking at this bag! She even added a cool magnetic clasp. Click on any picture below for more detail. Thanks for participating, Stacha!

Fabric Bag Swap - Heather Alwaisi, MN

Heather from MN sent in the coolest knitted bag - I think it's knitted? (instead of crocheted). This bag is so soft and textured . . . mmm! thank you Heather! Here are a couple of photos:
So cool!

Fabric Bag Swap - Linda Bean, NY

From Linda Bean in NY - Two fabric bags that are different from all the others I have received! Linda has created bags with a hanger on top! Here are some pics so you can se what I mean. Thank you Linda, for your creative contribution to our Fabric bag swap - I love these! : ) lenna

Fabric Bag Swap - ShuWanna Stout, St. Thomas, USVI

From ShuWanna Stout in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands comes another fabric bag to amaze and impress me. Thank you, ShuWanna! This bag is quilted with beaded trim along the front flap and a velcro closure. It's just beautiful! I have been having so much fun with this swap that I am considering running it again; not due until the end of February, 2008. Let me know if you are interested by voting in the poll at the top right of this page. Here are some close up views of ShuWanna's beautiful fabric bag; click on any photo for more detail!

Fabric Bag Swap - Cynthia Weed - Wyo

From Miz Cynthia Weed in Wyoming, another most wonderful Fabric Bag to add to our swap, thank you Miz Weed! Wow, all of the participants just keep amazing me . . . . so glad i decided to host this one!
Cynthia wrote me a note saying she would love to do another fabric bag exchange now that she has explored some of the "Baggy" possibilities : )) -- well, what do you think? Maybe I will add a poll . . .

Fabric Bag Swap - Susan Metcalfe, Texas

What a sweet bag Susan Metcalfe has sent in for our Fabric Bag swap. It has a darling handle that looks like it's been stamped . . . made of beautiful silky fabric with a great closure & it has collage images on the back, wow! Take a look, I think you will agree with me -- it's fab! Click on the photos for more detail & enjoy! Thank you, Susan.

Fabric Bag Swap - Donna Eck, CA

Oh My goodness! More gorgeous fabric bags keep materializing (no pun intended!) in my mailbox. Wow, I just love the bag that Donna Eck has sent to us from California. The postcards & letters on the bag even bear the San Francisco postmark on them, so cool!! Donna wrote in an email to me, "I took a "Three Hour Tote Bag" class at my local quilt shop and I've been having so much fun with it, putting my on slant on it. This exchange really got me thinking and creating. I do appreciate you hosting these swaps. Can't wait to see everyone else's."
Me either, Donna!

For a closer look, just click on any of the photos . . .

A look into swapping out the Mother Goose ATCs!

Here's what the floor of my office looked like, before I even swapped any of the ATCs for our swap. This was just the preparing stage! You can be very sure that the door to my office was closed at all times during this procedure to keep curious, playful kittens at bay! It really was not a bad job; I prepare by setting everyone's work out on top of their mailing envelope and then I usually figure out the swapping on paper first; making a chart of sorts. When doing the actual, physical swapping there always seems to be one piece leftover needing a swap, so I end up doing another swap with someone to make sure everyone gets different art in the exchange. It typically works out without too much of a hitch. : ) Packaging them up after they are swapped is another job it itself, but I don't mind doing it despite the work because of all the great art I get to see first-hand. Thank you for joining my art swaps! They were all mailed yesterday, November 5th, 2007 - and included a gift from Alpha Stamp's owner Leslie Elledge.

Below is a peek at the folders I told you I was making for the swap to hold your swap returns . . . . . they are stamped with Humpty Dumpty and Three Little Kittens rubber stamps from Alpha Stamps.

Fabric Bag Swap - Fiona Brockie, Scotland, UK

Look what Fiona has sent from Scotland for our Fabric bag swap, WOW! Fiona chose to make 2 bags and they are both beautiful! One is a quilted bag I think, obviously not knowing a lot about quilts! But the bag on the left looks like a quilt block pattern to me. It is such a neat shape too. The orange one is just dreamy, Thank you Fiona!

Here are a couple more pics - click on them for a larger picture.

Fabric Bag Swap - Pam Chasen, Montreal, Canada

A beautiful silk bag has arrived for our swap from Pamela Chasen in Montreal, Canada. Pam writes, "I enjoyed creating this bag. The lining is cotton that I dyed. The outside is silk, hand-dyed by me using shibori techniques. The background silk surface of the pouch (front pocket) is also handmade by me, embellished with Angelina fibers, mesh and other threads. I also made the cord of the bag by twisting three different fibers and machine sewing them together. I hope the recipient of this bag enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it." I am sure they will Pam : ) thanks so much! Here is a new close-up that I scanned because the flash of my camera did not let you see the work on the pocket Pam created as you should . . . . click on any picture for more detail.

Mother Goose ATC swap - 1st & 2nd place winners!

. . . Well, everyone is a winner, really . . . . as each participant in the Alpha Stamps Mother Goose ATC swap will be receiving a free gift from Leslie at Alpha Stamps when I send your swaps home to you! Also, everyone will be receiving their Mother Goose ATCs in a little hand stamped and painted ATC Folder I have created for you, just because I felt like it! There is a photo of my first mock-up of this folder on my website if you'd like to see. I'll post some photos here eventually, but for now, I will let the actual folders for this swap be a surprise!

But, wasn't there something else, you say??
Wasn't there mention in the swap call of a special first prize for the most creative artwork; a Mother Goose Tote bag printed on 2 sides?? Yes! This was mentioned! And since the deadline for this swap was Saturday, all the swap entries have come in and I have just now gotten all the swaps scanned & uploaded - sorry for my delay! We are finally CLOSING on our new home tomorrow & I have been busy with that instead. Without further ado, I would like to announce the First Prize Winner, She will receive a Mother Goose Tote Bag, perfect for holding books, art projects or whatever ~ donated by Leslie Elledge of Alpha Stamps . . . . . the winner of the First Prize is the person who created this ATC:

SANDY BABB!! of Quill Cottage

I thought Sandy had the most creative and most exceptional Mother Goose fabric ATCs of the whole wonderful bunch. You will be amazed to learn that this was Sandy's first ever swap, and the first ATC's that she ever made, wow! Sandy did do some investigating & learned about ATCs via the internet, and you can read about it here on her blog, Quill Cottage - This is where she also tells us how she created her wonderful folded & pop-up ATCs!

* Congratulations to Miss Sandy! *

I will be sending you your Mother Goose Tote bag from Alpha Stamps with your ATCs that you'll receive in trade, later this week. : ) You'll also receive some collage bits from me!

***

Additionally, I thought there was one more set of ATCs that were really different & creative - enough to merit a 2nd place prize winner in this swap. A large goodie bag of collage pieces will be sent to the person who created these beautiful ATCs:

MARY ZIMANY!! : ))

Mary's ATCs are so wonderfully different and beautiful - so creative, I wanted to award her a small prize too. Congratulations, Mary! I will send you your extra special collage pack with your ATCs. I hope to get the swaps in the mail by Thursday or Friday . . . I still need to physically swap them & pack them up, adding the gift from Alpha Stamps. I will keep you posted on my progress, and please wish me luck that all goes according to plan tomorrow at the closing! We have been renting here until now when the owner was ready to close . . . it should go A-OK.

I so enjoyed this swap - you all amazed me at what you did with the Alpha Stamps Mother Goose images, wow! : ) creatively yours, lenna

Mother Goose ATCs - Vicky Martindale, MI

From Vicky Martindale in Michigan, this is the final scan for our Mother Goose Swap! We had 23 participants complete their Alpha Stamps fabric ATCs and get them in on time - hooray! Vicky used images from the Queen of Hearts #1 sheet in sepia; so lovely!! Thank you, Vicky.

Below are all of Vicky's ATCs - click on the scan for more detail!

Mother Goose ATCs - Rena Matus, CT

From Rena Matus in my home state of CT, 6 very cute Humpty Dumpty fabric ATCs! Rena hand stamped Humpty Dumpty onto fabric to create her ATCs. You can see the rubber stamp she used that's offered by Alpha Stamps, HERE. I really like these, Rena. Thanks for your great ATCs! Rena also included a funny poem on the back of her ATCs. Click on the scan below to read it! (hmmm, it's still kind of small!) It reads ~ The Rewrite ~

"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, this little egghead was just too darn cute to have a great fall. So out came the blankets and out came the sheets, and the Royal eggcatchers caught Humpty before he hit the street." : ))

Mother Goose ATCs - Melissa Woolsey, OR

From Melissa Melissa in Oregon - hand stamped and sewed, 'Laugh Little Dog' fabric ATCs! I love them!! Melissa used the Mother Goose Little Dog Laughed rubber stamp from Alpha Stamps, so cool! She added embroidered flowers and beautifully hand-stitched them together. Thanks so much, Melissa!!

Mother Goose ATCs - Vickie Trancho, NY

From Vickie Trancho in NY - ATCs with a door! This close up, above shows a fabric sheet image Vickie used from Alpha Stamp's My Lady's garden. Don't you just love all the fibers Vickie has added to her ATCs? See the photo below to get an idea of ALL of Vickie's fabric ATCs - click on any photo for more detail. Thank you, Vickie for your contribution!