Swap-o-rama!

Phew! It has been a busy few weeks around here. The boy has been sick again but is now feeling better. I'm hoping that with the weather warming up he will stop getting these nasty viruses! I have also been keeping busy with swaps.

Thanks to whoopdwhoop.com, I have been making hats like crazy. Also, a friend of mine on Facebook started a craft swap group and we completed our first swap a few days ago. The theme was Sci-Fi, and it was really cool. I received my package on Friday, and I was thrilled with what I got. Check it out!

I was amazed at all the cool stuff I got. She made these great hairpins and ring out of bottle caps and filled them with an epoxy.  It was crazy that she made me stuff from bottle caps because I had planned on making her a necklace with one (but it did not work out). And how great are those shoes!? It looks like she hand-painted them. (If you're my swap partner, Allison, stop reading!)

And here's what I sent my partner. I was late sending my package (sorry!) so my partner probably hasn't gotten hers yet. She was a fan of the movie District 9, so I made a couple things with that in mind. Here are some pics:

Here, I tried to replicate a sign from District 9. I put the image together in PhotoShop from some pics that I got from a Google search. I printed it out, minus the red part (because I don't have a color printer), painted in the red part, and then used spray adhesive to stick it to some foam core. I then sprayed it with some Krylon glaze to make the paper a bit more durable. I considered using Mod Podge, but just painting it caused some wrinkling, so I knew Mod Podge would make a lot more wrinkles. Then, I used some brown acrylic paint to make it look dirty. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

These earrings are made from an old circuit board. I had seen some like them on Etsy and decided to give it a go. I used a Dremel to cut out the pieces, and it ended up being more difficult than I thought it would be. I also sprayed on some triple thick Krylon glaze to make them look a bit more polished. I think they turned out pretty well for a first try.

Space food! Who hasn't always wanted to try astronaut ice cream? This I put in as a reference to another of my partner's favorite Sci-Fi movies, Moon. 

I'm most proud of this shirt. I used a freezer paper stencil, and it turned out great! Now my husband wants one. :)

This bag was made from Dana of Made's tutorial for the Hobo Sack. The only adjustment I made was lengthening it in order to accommodate the sign I made. It was made completely from remnants I had from previous projects, and it was a nice way to wrap everything up. My partner has a baby boy, so I figured the bag will come in handy with him eventually, too.

Now I wish I wold have gotten a picture of my package all together, but I'm sure my partner will when she gets it. :)

So, that's what's been occupying my free time lately, plus a few other things here and there. I'm really loving this swap business. I've gotten so much cool stuff from Whoopdwhoop, and I LOVE getting little packages in the mail. :) Our next Facebook swap theme is woodland creatures. It's going to be super cute! Let the swapping continue!