Swapbot section on uniqueeuphoria

As you know , I love, love, love me some swapbot.  I have been working on a section of my shop, just for swapbot users looking for fun little extras to send to their partners.  Not everyone is crafty and not everyone has time to be crafty.  I am really hoping I can offer a little something to the swapbot site.
Today I focused on making some treat envelopes.  Made from vintage fabric and felt, I sew these all by hand in the shape of a little mug.  You can then stuff this with little goodies like a letter and some tea, honey sticks, coffee, sweeteners, chocolates, hot chocolate packs, pencils, pens, chap stick, whatever you want to fill it with for your partner.  Lets say you are to send a friend a beverage and a nice long letter.  This would have plenty of room for your letter and beverage and possibly a stir stick/peppermint/bookmaker/etc.  See?  Just one more little something to make your letter than much more special.  So, here is the new additions to the swapbot section.  Along with the treat mugs, I also made coffee sleeves with vintage fabric and managed to list a couple of zipper pulls/purse charms.  any of these would be a welcome extra for your partner.

New stuff just listed

Everything is free shipping for the month of December. I added a few new bits for the holiday season as well. 3 new bottles will be comming

in tonight as well as another new bird feeder. Stop in later tonight to take a look.

Edible Napkin Rings

I love, LOVE getting a brand new set of dishtowels, tea towels or napkins. Its the little things-and my little thing is clean, bright, starchy brand new towels or napkins. I have several family members that feel the same way, and a cozy kitchen basket with new towels and maybe a couple of cookie cutters and little sweet measuring spoons would be adorable. Here is how you can make it special:

First of all, find a nice big seasonal cookie tin leftover from a previous year, or a neat basket--anything that is shallow but roomy and would make a cute base for your project. I have several baskets I got from the thrift store. Sometimes they even give them away because they get a lot of these. Take advantage and be creative! Next, if you can sew, you can buy a yard of white cotton and sew some napkins/tea towels or you can buy them premade. The difference is a few dollars and if your trying to save money-do it yourself is always the better deal.

Now, you can give these plain, or you can decorate. Take an apple or a pear and cut it in half lengthwise. Dab dry with a cotton cloth or paper towel. Make sure to make it as dry as possible so it does not interfere with your paint-yeah! Paint! Acrylic paint is very affordable (a dollar a tube or less) and is permanent. Choose a color and paint the surface of the cut pear/apple. Choose a darker version of the base color and paint the lower edge of the pear/apple to give the illusion of shadow, and stamp straight down and firmly into the corner of the towel. Lift straight up so as not to smudge and you should have a really nice fruit print. You can go in after it is dry with black and pain small black seeds-then, when the paint is completely dry (give them a good 24 hours to be safe) lay an old dishcloth over your painting and iron to help set the paint. If you are doing napkins, you can also do this to plain white place mats to match.

Okay, so you have your napkins/towels and they are adorable. You have your cute basket or tin and its a matter of putting them together-here's where we can make this really special:

Make a simple yeast roll recipe and half it. One half stays plain while ground fennel seeds or poppy seeds are added and mixed with the other half. Roll all dough into long, narrow strips, like snakes. Take one plain and one flavored "snake" and twist together into strands, then make rings.

When they are baked, use your bread "rings" for napkin rings on your fancy new napkins, or you can wrap your bread rings in one of the tea towels and tuck the others around the package. CUTE!

Add a festive bow and a silk poinsettia blossom and you have a really sweet and yummy gift.

Happy Holidays!!!

It's that time of year again. Cold, cold, coldness. The leaves are gone and it's time to get out your roomiest pants because now-for the next 4 months-we eat!

Okay, okay, I know there are the disciplined few out there reading this that can turn up their noses at Halloween garbage, Christmas treats and Valentine chocolates. Oh and lets not forget the New year's drinks. Who knew that something so wonderfully good for you like orange juice can be so violated by a shot of vodka? I wonder if you benefit at all from the juice vitamins, or if your liver waves the white flag regardless of your choices? Well, at any rate...read on...

So, it being as cool as it is outside, I am able to really fire up the kiln and mean it in my secluded upstairs studio. It being my only heat source at the time, I enjoy my kiln time these days. Anyway, after a visit to my local dump and a short conversation with whom I have always called "The Dump Dude," I learned that wine is a mighty popular drink here in the woods and after a little glass bin manipulation, I was able to score quite a collection of awesome wine bottles!!!

Some scrubbing here, and scraping there-a little Goo Gone to help finish those pesky labels off, and some sauna time in the kiln-HA! Serving trays! I have daydreams about loading these little beauties up with Christmas cookies and leaving them on the neighbor's door steps, or getting some of those holiday shaped cheese blocks from the creamery, or CHOCOLATES...not that I like chocolate...you know, biscotti and coco is good, or coffee and creamers...sausage and crackers...

The options are ENDLESS!!! Yep, I'm excited. So, here are a couple of pictures so you have an idea of what is going on here:


This one I etched a little snowman enjoying his holiday cheer-you know, tis the season and all...




While I really like the etched stuff, mostly because it's top shelf dishwasher safe, you really can't see the prettiness when you have your snazzy cheese log on there. On the other hand, you have the beaded ones that are really nice, though you have to hand wash :(. I should make some stands for these...

What you see here and more is posted on my website. Feel free to browse :)
http://uniqueeuphoria.etsy.com/