Sarah: Ornament Swap 2012: IT'S ALIIIIIVE

Whoa, is this thing on? Thanks to Lisa for keeping the blog alive while I did weird stuff like quitting my job, moving to New York, finding another job, and forgetting to blog about all of it. The short version is that life is incredible, but I still cry sometimes.

But remember how once upon a time, we had an annual Ornament Exchange? Want to do that again? I like getting stuff in the mail and I've already decided what to make, so I say we do it. Can you handle that? Then check out the details and send me an email, yo.

The guidelines:

1. Send me your details:
Email sarah at twolooseteeth dot com on or before November 29th.
- name
- address
- email address
- you website or blog (if you have one)

2. I'll send you an email back. It's like we're pen pals:
On November 30th I'll send you all of the addresses that you'll be sending ornaments to. There will probably be 10, so plan your ornament size accordingly so that postage doesn't break the bank!

3. Make stuff:
Handmade! Hangs on trees (if you're in to that sort of thing)! No other rules! Make 10 of them, plus one for yourself if you are like me and get a little greedy.

4. Send em out:
Wrap them up so that they'll survive the mail, and send them on their way by December 19th so that they'll get to hang on everyone's trees on Christmas. Email me once you've sent out your ornaments, so that I'll know what's up. It comforts me.

5. Drink some eggnog. You've earned it.

Lisa: 2010 ornament: Dita's Sleep Mask

As you probably know, Sarah hosts a Christmas ornament exchange every year. I know she still has some to show from this latest exchange, but take my word for it--the ornaments are just getting more and more awesome and we have so much fun coming up with something and then seeing what everybody else has made. Before I let it get too much later in the year, I wanted to show those of you who weren't in my swap group what I ended up making this time.

Preface: it probably doesn't mean anything to anyone but me, but for each swap I try to make an ornament that represents something that has been influencing me in the last year--either in subject matter or in technique. The first year we did the exchange, I had recently discovered knitting and was getting excited about the crafting potential there, so instead of glass balls I made little balls of yarn, each topped with a tiny pair of knitting needles and the beginnings of a miniature scarf. Our second year, there had been a LOT of discussion about zombie apocalypse preparedness plans, and I planned to buy Blake largely zombie-themed presents. A zombie ornament seemed like the next logical step. For 2009, I got obsessed with amigurumi and nerd culture, and crocheted tiny Cthulhus for everyone.

In 2010, I started getting more into vintage beauty, burlesque, and specifically the incredible Dita Von Teese. I drove away the few male readers we had left babbling on about it, and the rest of my free time sewing dresses from vintage patterns. Sarah and I and some of our girlfriends also had fun checking out a local burlesque troupe, the Voodoo Darlings. And don't tell her parents, but a certain like-minded friend and I actually went to see Dita perform at the Crazy Horse in Las Vegas. So fun.

But I digress. When it came time to decide what to make for the 2010 exchange, I couldn't stop thinking about an image Dita had posted on her twitter feed, featuring her beautiful self holding up a glamorous Moschino sleep mask over her eyes. I decided (because I am possibly cracked) that miniature versions of the sleep mask would make awesome Christmas ornaments. The fact that I had a lot of the fabrics I needed already on hand made it an even more attractive option, since we were pretty broke at the end of the year.

I copied the shape of the mask and the style of the lashes and writing as best I could, swapping out "Dita for Moschino" with the more fitting phrase "All I Want for Christmas." I'm sure these details were hand-embroidered on the original, but in my slacker way I substituted carefully-trimmed printable iron-ons. I decided to line the back of the mask (which you can't see in either Dita's photo or the photo of my finished product) with a dark red satin, and I stitched in little loops of black satin ribbon on each side to accommodate either ornament hooks or a longer ribbon (for practical use by the very small-headed).

Once I had the system down and the materials in hand, I decided to make a few full-size sleep masks as well, as Christmas gifts for some of my friends. The larger version has sewn-in long ribbon tails instead of the little loops. I hope Dita would approve!

Sarah: And it's not even November

I signed up for Kendi's 30-30-30, so while I'm sifting through my closet and doing laundry to get my 30 clothing items pinned down, I thought it was about time to recap the lovely ornaments from this year's Ornament Swap.

First up is Rachael, whose ornaments completely cracked me up.

Nothing says Christmas like penguins and dinosaurs. Awesome.

But tragically, Rachael's ornaments didn't make it through the mail unscathed.

In case any of you in Group 2 were wondering why there were a few loose plastic animals in your package of ornaments, I took the liberty of keeping one of Rachael's extra ornaments (Rachael, let me know if you'd like me to send it back to you!) so that I could show you how I fixed it. It's super easy, I promise.

First I scraped off the snow from the bottoms of the little dinosaur feet. I thought it'd be best to start with a clean surface.

Then I glued them back in place. I used Tacky Glue, but I bet that hot glue or superglue would work well too.

And then done! Easy fix. Thanks, Rachael! You are a sassy broad and I like you as much as you like cats (a lot).

Lisa: 2009 ornament: Cthulhu

Since I'd been so obsessed with making amigurumi earlier in the year, I decided I had to crochet some for the 2009 ornament exchange.

I'd been wanting to try a pattern from my new Creepy Cute Crochet book, and some nerdy reading on the internet helped me decide that tiny Cthulhus would be just the thing.

I got started in early December, making all the pieces assembly-line style.

I find terrible/awesome movies from the past are the best to watch while crafting. Start with The Cutting Edge. Use the time when you're actually looking at the screen to contemplate the inexplicable hotness of D.B. Sweeney.

I thought when I got to assembling the heads, little tentacles and eyes and hanging ribbons and all, that I was almost done. I was wrong. Because you know what takes an excruciatingly long time? Crocheting TEN of the same amigurumi all at once. Heaps of thirty tiny tentacles, twenty tiny arms, and twenty confusingly-shaped wings can get overwhelming.

Anyway. Once the pain of construction was past, and I just had ten cute little baby Cthulhus staring up at me, I picked up some white fold-down bags and blue ink from Xpedx. The uppercase O stamp from my alphabet set was perfect for simulating sucker marks across the top, and I just wrote the theme title across that in coordinating blue Sharpie. Success!

Sarah: 2009 Ornaments, Jeff, Jo, Jes, and E

I found a blog entry I started in January with several photos already pulled together. Behold, the blog that should have been:

My little brother Jeff makes great snowflakes. He made one for each participant with chubby penguins and their name along the edge.

Jo made delicate globes of hand-tatted lace in several different colors. Jo, let me know when you want to come teach me and Lisa how to do this.

Jes made little stained glass Christmas trees. Whoa. I was so impressed by this ornament. She really put me to shame this year, and I'll have to step it up next year.

E folded tiny gold paper stars, then hung them inside a clear glass globe. I love the ribbon that she used on the top.

Sarah: 2009 Ornaments, Jillian's Red Horses

Jillian took some red felt, added a little white felt, topped it off with some white embroidery, and ended up with something adorable.

They look to me like they're inspired by those red folk art horses that the internet tells me are Swedish and are called Dalecarlian horses.

Regardless, Jillian's ornaments are adorable. And her neat little stitches!

Austin Scarlet would be proud.

Sarah: Accordion Books

In 2008*, I made accordion books for our Ornament Swap.

I was interested in trying my hand at (extremely rudimentary) bookmaking and thought an accordion book could have an extra layer of specialness. Let me explain:

When I was growing up, our family was once given a sort of hideous book ornament. The pages had drawings depicting the nativity story and for some reason, I was fascinated by it. The cool part of the book was that you could tie it back so that the pages were on the outside and the cover was on the inside and, when you did, the pages formed a star shape.

That's sort of what I was going for.

The covers of the books were made with red or green duck cloth with white screenprinted bonsai trees that I had left over from another project. Successful recycling and I thought that they worked perfectly for the books.

Ta-Da! Next up: Stay tuned for Jillian's ornaments from last year's swap.

*Yeesh, I am just a teeny bit behind here.

Sarah: Ornament Swap 2010 Check-In

This is my favorite part of the Ornament Exchange: when the parcels start to pour in, full of all of the cool stuff you've all made! Observe:

Today at noon:

And then this evening:

I've been holding off on opening the packages (okay, true confessions, I peeked in the shopping bags) because I am excited to lay out all of the different ornaments. To distract myself, I'll be posting some ornaments from years past over the next few days. Stay tuned for a Christmas explosion.

For those of you that are participating in the Ornament Swap: Your ornaments should be finished and on my doorstep (or better yet, in my warm house and out of the elements) by December 15. That's only a few days away! As for me, I'm putting the finishing touches on my ornaments and then I'll be adding them to the growing pile. It feels like Christmas!

Sarah: Ornament Swap 2010 Update

The Ornament Swap for this year is officially closed. And this year is going to be great. For the first time, we have too many people for a single group, so I used a random number generator to decide who would be swapping with whom. And the results:

Group 1:
Megan in Provo, Utah. Megan is returning from last year. I love seeing familiar names in my email inbox!
E in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last year E gave all of the participants ornaments without asking for any in return. I'm excited that she's taking a more self-serving route this year. We owe you, E.
Mallory in SLC, Utah. Mallory's been in since Year 1. Hardcore. In addition to making cute ornaments, she's a talented artist.
Jennilyn in Orem, Utah.
Becky in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
B in...? Hey B, send me your shipping address and other info so that I know where to send your ornaments. Thanks!
Gail in Kilsyth, Victoria in Australia.
Marci in SLC, Utah. Marci's another long-time friend and participant. One year the US Postal Service prevented me from enjoying her ornament, but luckily she's just around the corner from me, so I'll make sure that no one comes between me and my ornaments.
Annette in South Yarra, Victoria in Australia.
Rachael in Richland, Washington. I first met Rachael when, before ever meeting in person, we threw a surprise party for a mutual friend. It was awesome. This is my one and only plug for Facebook.

Group 2:
Jillian in SLC, Utah. Jillian participated last year. I'd like to think that it was because of the swap that she decided to work with me over the summer. Okay, fine, that didn't occur to me until now.
Jeff in SLC, Utah. Jeff is my little brother. He makes the most amazing paper snowflakes I've ever seen.
Melinda in Canton, North Carolina.
Johanna in Camby, Indiana. Johanna is another returning participant. I can't wait to see what she comes up with this year!
Me (Sarah) in SLC, Utah.
Lisa in SLC, Utah. Lisa is the other Loose Tooth and her ornaments are the stuff of legends. I've never seen one of her craft projects come out badly. I don't think she knows how to screw up.
Colin in...? Hey Colin, send me your info!
Jeannie in Park City, Utah. Jeannie works with me. Her nickname is Happy Meal. I insist that I not be the only one that calls her this.
Jill in San Antonio, Texas. Another familiar name. This will be Jill's second year of swapping with us!
Sarita in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Our first participant from Mexico! Sarita, I don't have your shipping address, can you send me an email?

I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with! I only wish I could be swapping with all 20 people. And now, a mad dash to finish our ornaments by December 15. But more importantly: team names, anyone?

Sarah: Ornament Swap 2010

For the last three months, I've been living in denial that the year is passing so quickly. But, alas, I can no longer pretend that it's August, and so I am now facing the oncoming holiday season. So that must mean that it's time for the fourth annual ornament swap! I'm a bit more on top of this than last year, which will hopefully mean that we'll all have a little more breathing room for crafting this year. I know there were some late nights for some of you, and I was more rushed to make an ornament than I would like. But 2010 is the year for awesome. Trust me.

I haven't quite decided what I'm making this year. Possibly some tiny version of something in my shop, or perhaps a craft I've been dying to try. Lisa has been showing me up every year (a ball of yarn with miniature knitting needles, a zombie rising from the grave, and TINY. CROCHETED. CTHULU.), so I definitely will be stepping up my game.

Do you too want to put just one more project on your plate this year? Oh, I hope so. Here's what you do: Leave a comment below with your email address or send an email to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll send all of the details. Sign-ups will be open until November 25 (Thanksgiving) and you'll have until December 15 to make your ornaments and ship them to me (I need to receive them on the 15th, so plan your shipping time accordingly). I'll ship out packages on December 16, just in time to finish trimming your tree.

Details are after the jump. See you in a few weeks! Well, hopefully I will see you sooner. And also hopefully you will see a blog entry from me sooner. But I will bug you guys about the swap in a few weeks. Sarah: stop talking.

The guidelines:

1. Sign up for the swap by sending an email with the following information to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com by November 25th. If you leave a comment on this entry, I'll try to get in touch with you, but an email will make sure you get all of the information ASAP.
- name
- address
- email address
- you website or blog (if you have one)
(Note that when you submit your information, please submit it in this order with traditional capitalization - it makes things a little easier on my end!)

2. On November 26th you'll receive an email from me confirming that you're in the swap and containing the number of swap participants and the address to send your ornaments to.

3. Design a handmade ornament that you can create multiples of and make your ornaments. You will not have to make more than 10 ornaments, but last year's participants only had to make about 6 or 7.

4. Package your ornaments well...especially if you create anything fragile.

5. Send your ornaments to me by December 15th at the latest. Send a picture of your ornament in an email to me (sarah at twolooseteeth dot com) notifying me that you've mailed your contribution.

6. Sit back, relax and wait to receive fabulous handcrafted ornaments in the mail!

7. Once people have received their ornaments, I'll try harder than ever to post the pictures here, along with a link to your website, unless you request otherwise.

8. One last note: I'd encourage you to research the cost of shipping and take that into account when you design your ornament--lighter and more compact ornaments are cheaper to ship. I want this swap to be fun, so it shouldn't be a financial burden.

Most Common Questions

What sort of materials can be used?
Anything! Knit, sew, letterpress, gocco, paint, draw, sculpt, glaze, cut-out, glue, weave, blow glass, weld... whatever you do or want to learn how to do.

Who are the other people I'll be swapping with?
The other people on the swap list you receive on November 26th.

Will my address be on the internet anywhere?
No. I'll be the only person who will receive your snail mail address and email.

What about shipping costs?
You are responsible for the shipping cost to get your ornaments to me. I will pay for the ornaments to be shipped to their final destination. Please check your local shipping rates ahead of time if you are wary of the cost of shipping.

What if I don't receive my ornaments or I can't send my ornaments out on time?
Please email me if you're having problems meeting the deadline. Depending on the situation, I may hold back the packages for a day or two or ship your ornaments separately. But please try to have them done in time! If you don't receive a package from me with all of your ornaments, let me know and I'll track it down. Anyone who participated in the past who did not follow through and ship an ornament, however, is not invited to participate again. That sounds scarier than it is: last year everyone was angelic and on time.

Do I need to have a blog to participate?
No. If you have a blog, that is lovely, but absolutely not a requirement to join the swap.

Other questions? Email sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

Sarah: 2008 Ornaments, Finally Part 2

Lisa always blows me away with her ornaments. In 2008, she went with a zombie theme.

That's undead Santa rising from the grave, clutching a jingle bell in his cold, dead hand. Awesome.

Plus, I liked seeing her original sketch and how that translated into the final product. Thanks, Lisa, for bringing just the right amount of creepy to Christmas.

Sarah: 2008 Ornaments, Finally

I'm starting off my belated review of last year's ornament exchange with Marci's glittery words.

Marci made some sparkly stars in 2007 and again brightened up our trees with a little glitter in 2008. I'm a little bummed that my ornament got lost in the mail. All I ended up with was an envelope, but the other swappers, and hopefully a postal worker somewhere, got to hang these adorable ornaments on their trees.

Ornament Swap 2009

Edited to add: Hey guys, I heard I was having email problems. A new email address is below. Thanks for your patience.

Oh hi. Good to see you again. It's been a long time. Are you feeling the holiday spirit? I have the constant urge to eat stuffing, so it must be time for Thanksgiving. And then, all too soon, it will be Christmas, which means: Ornament Swap! Are you in? Do you have the urge to cut and paste, stitch and glue? Glitter with wild abandon? I hope so.

I'll be ringing in this year's third annual ornament swap by finally posting photos of last year's contributions. They were cute, and everyone played nice, and then I slacked off. That's what happened.

But! I hope you'll still be game for crafting something this year! We'll be doing things a little differently: to prevent the occasional swap no-shows that we've had the last two years, I'm asking everyone to send their ornaments to me. Then you'll get one big package from me with all of the ornaments. It'll be fun! And if any of your ornaments aren't reciprocated by other swappers (which would be sad), you'll get them back for your own tree or to use as extra gifts (which would be happy!). I feel so much more at ease with this. I hope you do too.

So here's what you do: Leave a comment below with your email address or send an email to miss dot sarah dot anderson at gmail dot com and I'll send all of the details. Sign-ups will be open until November 28 and you'll have until December 19 to make your ornaments and ship them to me (I need to receive them on the 19th, so plan your shipping time accordingly). I'll ship out packages on December 20, just in time to finish trimming your tree.

Details are after the jump. Let me know if you have any questions. You are looking really pretty this year. Have you lost weight? Started using a new conditioner? Tell me your secret. In the comments.

The guidelines:

1. Sign up for the swap by sending an email with the following information to miss dot sarah dot anderson at gmail dot com by November 28th. If you leave a comment on this entry, I'll try to get in touch with you, but an email will make sure you get all of the information ASAP.
- name
- address
- email address
- you website or blog (if you have one)
(Note that when you submit your information, please submit it in this order with traditional capitalization - it makes things a little easier on my end!)

2. On November 29th you'll receive an email from me confirming that you're in the swap and containing the number of swap participants and the address to send your ornaments to.

3. Design a handmade ornament that you can create multiples of and make your ornaments. You will not have to make more than 10 ornaments, but last year's participants only had to make 5 or 6.

4. Package your ornaments well...especially if you create anything fragile.

5. Send your ornaments to me by December 19th at the latest. Send a picture of your ornament in an email to me (sarah at twolooseteeth dot com) notifying me that you've mailed your contribution.

6. Sit back, relax and wait to receive fabulous handcrafted ornaments in the mail!

7. Once people have received their ornaments, I'll post the pictures here, along with a link to your website, unless you request otherwise (for real this time. I promise).

8. One last note: I'd encourage you to research the cost of shipping and take that into account when you design your ornament--lighter and more compact ornaments are cheaper to ship. I want this swap to be fun for all of us. This shouldn't be a financial burden, it should be a chance to craft and get to know each other a little bit.

Most Common Questions

What sort of materials can be used?
Anything! Knit, sew, letterpress, gocco, paint, draw, sculpt, glaze, cut-out, glue, weave, blow glass, weld...go nuts.

Who are the other people I'll be swapping with?
The other people on the swap list you receive on November 29th.

Will my address be on the internet anywhere?
No. I'll be the only person who will receive your snail mail address and email.

What about shipping costs?
You are responsible for the shipping cost to get your ornaments to me. I will pay for the ornaments to be shipped to their final destination. Please check your local shipping rates ahead of time if you are wary of the cost of shipping.

What if I don't receive my ornaments or I can't send my ornaments out on time?
Please email me if you're having problems meeting the deadline. Depending on the situation, I may hold back the packages for a day or two or ship your ornaments separately. But please try to have them done in time! Anyone who participated in the past who did not follow through and ship an ornament, however, is not invited to participate again. If you don't receive a package from me with all of your ornaments, let me know and I'll track it down.

Do I need to have a blog to participate?
No. If you have a blog, that is lovely, but absolutely not a requirement to join the swap.

Other questions? Email sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

Sarah: Swap Housekeeping

Just a quick note: I've sent an email to all Ornament Swap participants. If you didn't receive an email from me, I didn't get your info or I've typed your email incorrectly. Leave a comment if I somehow missed you.

Let the crafting begin!

Sarah: Last Chance!

As a reminder, today is the final day to sign up for this year's Ornament Swap. Follow the link for instructions on how to sign up.

If you're here in Salt Lake City, it's also the last day to see Lisa in The Music Man. Lisa and the rest of the cast have done a great job. Congratulations, Lisa! The play starts tonight at seven. See you there!

Sarah: Swap reminder

Hello lovely crafters, this is a reminder that you have until this Friday, November 21 to sign up for our second annual Ornament Swap. To sign up, send an email to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com with the information listed in the detailed swap information. Thank you and happy crafting!

Sarah: Swap 2008

Hey you guys, is anyone up for a second annual ornament swap? Leave a comment below with your email address or send an email to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll send all of the details. Sign-ups will be open until November 21 and you'll have until December 19 to make your ornaments and ship them to their new homes.

Details are after the jump. Let me know if you have any questions. Everyone that participated last year did a lovely job and I hope they'll sign up again. They also have insight into how last year worked out, so I hope they'll let me know if they have any suggestions. Thanks!

The guidelines:

1. Sign up for the swap by sending an email with the following information to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com by November 21st. If you leave a comment on this entry, I'll try to get in touch with you, but an email will make sure you get all of the information ASAP.
- name
- address
- email address
- you website or blog (if you have one)
(Note that when you submit your information, please submit it in this order with traditional capitalization - it makes things a little easier on our end!)

2. On November 23rd you'll receive an email from me containing the addresses and email addresses of the other swap participants to send your ornaments to.

3. Design a handmade ornament that you can create multiples of and make your ornaments. You will not have to make more than 10 ornaments, but last year's participants only had to make 5 or 6.

4. Package your ornaments well...especially if you create anything fragile.

5. Send one of your ornaments to each person on the list of other swap participants by December 15th at the latest. Send a picture of your ornament in an email to me (sarah at twolooseteeth dot com) notifying me that you've mailed your contribution.

6. Sit back, relax and wait as you receive fabulous handcrafted ornaments in the mail!

7. Once people have received your ornaments, I'll post the pictures here, along with a link to your website, unless you request otherwise.

8. One last note: I'd encourage you to research the cost of shipping and take that into account when you design your ornament--lighter and more compact ornaments are cheaper to ship. I want this swap to be fun for all of us. This shouldn't be a financial burden, it should be a chance to craft and get to know each other a little bit.

Most Common Questions

What sort of materials can be used?
Anything! Knit, sew, letterpress, gocco, paint, draw, sculpt, glaze, cut-out, glue, weave, blow glass, weld...go nuts.

Who are the other people I'll be swapping with?
The other people on the swap list you receive on November 23rd.

Will my address be on the internet anywhere?
No. The only people who will receive your snail mail address and email are the people you are swapping with.

What about shipping costs?
You are responsible for shipping costs for your ornaments, just as others are paying to ship ornaments to you. Please check your local shipping rates ahead of time if you are wary of the cost of shipping.

What if I don't receive all my ornaments or I can't send my ornaments out on time?
This is why you will be given the other swappers' email addresses. Please email your group with any concerns directly. You may also post announcements on this blog entry or email me if you have any questions concerning your group. Anyone who participated last year who did not follow through and ship an ornament, however, is not invited to participate again. If you're running late, let us know and ship your ornament when you can.

Do I need to have a blog to participate?
No. If you have a blog, that is lovely, but absolutely not a requirement to join the swap.

Other questions? Email sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

Sarah: You know, some people leave Christmas decorations up all year.

So maybe January 3 isn't doing so bad.

I present to you the lovely Christmas ornaments swapped by some lovely people.

Jen's ornaments were globes of glittery string that made a lacey cage for the gold jingle bells that filled the inside. They came in cute Christmas tins.

Marta included instructions to fold out her ornaments (it made me feel a little like I was participating in the process). These adorably patterned paper ornaments came with a tag so that we could remember when these ornaments were given to us.

Marci's glittery stars hang from a curly silver loop. I'm excited to finally have a star to put at the top of my tiny tree.

Jeremy personalized each of these South Park-style ornaments to look like each of the recipients. Clockwise from the top left, that's Marta, Marci, Sarah, Nora, Blake, and Lisa (the Smith family hit the jackpot!). Jeremy took the time to study our pictures and carefully choose clothing and makeup that he felt suited each of us.

Lisa crafted ornaments about crafting. What a great idea! I'm left wondering what gauge of needle one uses to start tiny ornament scarves.

I tried my hand at silver leafing and gave each person their first initial. Things I learned: metal leafing isn't as easy as I had imagined in my head (and it's a whole lot stickier), some craft stores are significantly cheaper than others, and the decision to try again after my first run of ornaments failed horribly was a wise one.

Thanks again to all who participated! My tree is so much cuter than it was before this exchange, and I love how these ornaments each have their own personality. I'm so happy with how this swap turned out and look forward to doing it again next year.

Sarah: Self Motivation

After classes are over on Monday, I will:
- remove the chipped nail polish pathetically clinging to my fingertips and give myself a new manicure and pedicure.
- get to work on my ornaments. I have lots of ideas!
- actually shave both legs on the same day, rather than one calf or the other. Seriously, I am not up to my usual glamour standards (not that they're usually very high anyway).
- rearrange the furniture in my bedroom. I think I've found a solution to the "where the heck does one store a yoga ball in a tiny apartment" dilemma.
- get to work on the ever-lengthening list of recipes I want to try.
- finish some projects to put up in our etsy shop.
- catch up on personal email correspondence.
- get out of the "clean laundry pile, dirty laundry pile" mentality that I fall into when I'm busy.
- smell my niece's delicious baby head. I miss her.
- blog with pictures.
- fill at least one big bag of stuff to donate to goodwill. Why? Because it's Christmas time, and I have too much stuff.

Okay, now I better get back to work so that I'll be ready to enjoy the things I'd rather be doing than studying!

Sarah: Swap Update

Hello everyone,
The Ornament Swap info has been emailed to all participants. If you didn't get an email from me, I must have somehow missed your request to participate. Drop me another line and we'll see what we can work out. if you did get an email from me, I'm excited to be swapping with you! Now to figure out what sort of ornament I'll be making...

Sarah: How I Spent My Time Today

In the last few minutes of Nov. 23, a quick run-down:

How I Spent My Time:
-Listened to my dad recite an elegy to lull the baby to sleep.
-Visited the Co-Op Mercantile in Ephraim, Utah. Remembered why I sometimes have "craft" shame. There were some adorable handcrafted items. And lots of ugly items, including countless fairy dolls with creepy, toothy grins.
-Chatted with some of the many talented artists that live in this little town of Spring City.
-Talked my grandma out of buying a hideous neon pink ensemble for Nora, only to have her purchase a second hand grass green sweatshirt with balloon-holding pandas embroidered across the chest. I'm sorry, Nora, I didn't realize that this would happen.
-Laughed, and laughed, and laughed. My family is pretty great. We played Speed Scrabble and Apples to Apples, plus countless crossword puzzles (and a little sudoku on my own).

How I Didn't Spend Time, But Should Have:
-Sent an email to all of the Ornament Swap participants giving them the information of their swap-mates. Tomorrow, I promise!

Now I'm headed to bed because the agenda for tomorrow is quite busy. We'll be putting up Christmas decorations, getting a tag so we can cut down a tree, and buying a few pumpkin shakes at the local Drive-In.

Sarah: Ornamented

As promised, I've found a few links to inspire you to make a few Christmas ornaments of your own. Wouldn't ornaments make cute gift toppers? I think so. I apologize that I don't remember where I found these links.

And because I couldn't resist, instructions to make a Droidel. Get it? Droidel?? That made me giggle.

This entry has spiraled out of control and marks the end of the Christmas-centric posts for the next several days, but I hope I helped get your creative juices flowing!

Sarah: Swap

Ladies and Gents,
I'm excited to announce Two Loose Teeth's first Christmas ornament swap. Thanks for your interest! You'll find all of the details after the jump, but to get started, if you want to participate, send me an email with your information before November 20th. Please write "Ornament Swap" in the subject line of your email so that I don't miss you.
Tomorrow I'll post some ideas for ornaments to get your creative juices flowing, but I'm sure that you're all going to blow me away. Stay tuned!

The guidelines:

1. Sign up for the swap by sending an email with the following information to sarah at twolooseteeth dot com by November 20th.
- name
- address
- email address
- you website or blog (if you have one)
(Note that when you submit your information please submit it in this order with traditional capitalization - it makes things a little easier on our end!)

2. On November 21st you'll receive an email from me containing the addresses and email addresses of the other swap participants to send your ornaments to.

3. Design a handmade ornament that you can create multiples of and make your ornaments.

4. Package your ornaments well...especially if you create anything fragile.
Things to NOT include in your package: food or candy or any perishable items.

5. Send one of your ornaments to each person on the list of other swap participants by December 15th at the latest. Send a picture of your ornament in an email to me (sarah at twolooseteeth dot com) notifying me that you've mailed your contribution.

6. Sit back, relax and wait as you receive fabulous handcrafted ornaments in the mail!

7. Once people have received your ornaments, I'll post the pictures here, along with a link to your website, unless you request otherwise.

8. One last note: I'd encourage you to research the cost of shipping and take that into account when you design your ornament--lighter and more compact ornaments are cheaper to ship. I want this swap to be fun for all of us. This shouldn't be a financial burden, it should be a chance to craft and get to know each other a little bit.

Most Common Questions?

What sort of materials can be used?
Anything! Knit, sew, letterpress, gocco, paint, draw, sculpt, glaze, cut-out, glue, weave, blow glass, weld...go nuts.

Who are the other people I'll be swapping with?
The other people on the swap list you receive on November 21st.

Will my address be on the internet anywhere?
No. The only people who will receive your snail mail address and email are the people you are swapping with.

What about shipping costs?
You are responsible for shipping costs for your ornaments, just as others are paying to ship ornaments to you. Please check your local shipping rates ahead of time if you are wary of the cost of shipping.

What if I don't receive all my ornaments or I can't send my ornaments out on time?
This is why you will be given the other swappers' email addresses. Please email your group with any concerns directly. You may also post announcements on this blog entry or email me if you have any questions concerning your group.

Do I need to have a blog to participate?
No. If you have a blog, that is lovely, but absolutely not a requirement to join the swap.

Other questions? Email sarah at twolooseteeth dot com and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

(Thanks to Kathleen of cake & pie and Nicole of freshly blended for the template for these guidelines)

Sarah: Ornament Swap

Hey everyone, I'm considering hosting a swap and I'm just trying to see what interest there is. I wanted to participate in the Ornament Swap being hosted by Kathleen of cake & pie and Nicole of freshly blended, but the sign-ups have ended. Then I thought that we could just have our own swap! It's starting a few days later, but I think it could still be fun.

The idea is that you make several handmade ornaments (I'd make sure each person had to make less than 10) of any style and then you mail them out all of your swap partners. Then we each get several new hand crafted ornaments to hang on our trees in time for Christmas!

My head is spinning with the possibilities. Knitted or crocheted, sewn bits of lace or delicately patterned fabric, paper and glue, embroidered or glass, the possibilities are endless.

If you're interested in participating, leave me a comment. If there are several of us, I'll make an official announcement, complete with ideas and rules, on Thursday, November 15. I hope you guys are as excited as I am!