Swap partners announced! Get shopping, thrifting and making!

Ok swappers, I've randomly assigned people within the same countries, I'll try to make sure I give non-followers a shout to check the list, but please do get in touch with your partner and introduce yourself as I won't be able to email everyone individually this time.

Jem @ Beautiful Clutter ----- Rose and Bird

Stacey B @ Pill's Place -----  Krista @ Peetee's Palace

The Joyful Thrifter -----  LP aka A Crafty Southern Chick

Erica Louise @ Recycled Fashion ----- Desiree @ Pull Your Socks Up

Dazed but Enthused -----The Undomesticated Scientist

Alex @ Odd Socks and Pretty Frocks ----- Curtise @ The Secondhand Years

Nicole Needles ----- Liz @ Shortbread and Ginger

Max @ Blackbird has Spoken ----- Aunty Bee @ Mayberry

Lucy @ Being of Sound Mind ----- Ivy Black Chat

Jenny @ The Gingerbread House ----- Pixie's Ponderings

Julie @ Pretty Little Jewels ----- The World of Twiggy Peasticks

Vintage Vicki ----- Caroline @ What's Happening at my Place

Mongs @ My Thrifty Closet ----- Lizzie @ Tragically Chic

Rachel @ Firebird ----- Scarlett Loves Elvis

Tasha @ Fresh and Feathered ----- Eloise @ Sunday Girl

Vintage Sweetheart ----- A Blessed Life @ Serendipity Rain and Roses

KezzieAG -----New World

Handbags by Helen ----- Penelope @ L is for Love

Flo @ Atomic Betties ----- Sam @ The Junk House

Kylie @ Lucy Violet Vintage ----- Sarah @ Misfits Vintage

La Dama @ Vintage Passions Just Like Mine ----- Danni the Girl

Sian Lile Makes ----- Kestrel Finds and Makes

Gem @ Tales from the Cherry Tree ----- Miss Magpie Musings

Wida @ Missing Amsie ----- LaSophia

Diary of a Middle Aged Drama Queen ----- Little Dotty Bird

Quincee Taylor ----- Meghan @ Tales of a twenty Something

Wendy @ The Butterfly Balcony ----- Shirl @ The White House

Vintage Hearth ----- Wendz @ 15 Coast Road

Alice @ An Alien World -----Susan/Miss Tea @ Tea Diary

Joy @ Alex drake Vintage ----- Loll and Tom @ Toadstool Vintage 

ChrisTea and Cakes ----- Lucy @ Tete en L'air

Lisa @ Jumble and Jelly ----- Michelle @ Crafty learner

The Syders ----- Sky Blu Pink

Diary of a 30 something Skellum ----- Please May I

SG @ Cotton End girl ----- Nicky/Quiksave @Creative Flourishes

Sophie @ Country Girl Does Norfolk ----- Hannah @ Bubblebay

Helen @ I accidentally Spent my wage in Topshop ----- Sophie @ The Story of a girl who lives above her Means

Leonie @ Kiwi at Heart ----- Helga Von Trollop

Vain Glory Sinner ----- Me!

PinkTutu72 ----- Lesley @ Fabulously Flawed

I'm hoping I've not cocked up any of these links, but I started to go blind towards the end so let me know if you have any problems making contact, and I will check the spreadsheet of doom. Have fun, and remember the rules below:

• Send a minimum of 3 items, maximum of 5 to your swap partner, try to get an idea from blog posts/emails what kind of things they like.
•  Maximum spend is £12 or equivalent in local currency
• At least one item must be sourced from a charity shop/boot sale/garage sale/jumble or similar
• At least one item should be handmade - it doesn't have to be handmade by you if you're not crafty!
• One item should be a Christmas decoration of some sort
• Swap to be completed by 15th December. Remember to let your swap partner know if you are having problems / will be delayed for any reason. 

If you need some inspiration, you can check out some of the previous swaps here

Lakota x

PS. Someone has offered to buy my house, so I can start living in squalor again - yay!

Not Pinterested Part 1... Mollie Makes

Aah Pinterest...the website more addictive than watching the X Factor with your crack-pipe and a tube of Pringles. Like so many others in blogland, I'll admit to getting a teeny bit obsessed with this virtual pinboard which allows you to keep all your ideas and inspirations found online together. No need for bookmarks and favourites - just click on the image and you're taken straight to the original site. Not only that, but if you can't find anything to pin from your own browsing, you can follow other people's boards and spend your time frantically repinning what the 'tastemakers' have decreed is hip.

Yup. It's a time suck and I haven't created anything except an internet history

It's genius, but spend a while on there and it does start to feel like everyone's pining for and pinning the same things. And of course, while I like to pretend that I'm an arty type doing vital research for my er, art; the reality is that I've pinned several thousand craft projects I'm never likely to attempt, let alone complete, plus made the discovery of a zillion more bloggers who have obviously been created by an evil gene splice of Martha Stewart and Kirsty Allsopp.

Anyway, while I'm happily pinning away, I can't help but notice certain trends - the things people are pinning which I just fundamentally, completely and totally DO NOT GET. [Like burlap. More on that another time]. Hopefully you've accepted my misanthropic tendencies by now, so maybe you'll also see the need for  'Not Pinterested' - a place where I can put all the stuff I'm currently bored and/or enraged with, but that everyone else seems to love - my internet room 101. So, here's the first in a probably-not-that-occasional-and-actually-quite-frequent series. Enjoy!

*****************

Do you ever get the feeling you're out of kilter with everyone else? I picked up a copy of Mollie Makes in Smiths recently, and instead of taking it home, reading it cover to cover and then blogging about how charming it was, I flicked through it, got infuriated with myself for even considering spending a FIVER on yet another issue, and wondered why I didn't understand the apparent obsession with crafting your five a day. I'm thrilled that stitchery is having its moment in the spotlight, really I am, but does the cover always have to be 'the hands' clutching some kind of fake food?  Every. Single. Month. We've had felt biscuits, fabric strawberries - the complete madness which was the crocheted jacket for your apple - and now patchwork bloody pears. The day I actually bought a magazine whose leading story was 

"Sweet and Juicy!...freshly crocheted vegetables" 

 with a handful of peas made from yarn on the cover was the day I realised things had gone too far. I could almost see my teenage self, clutching a copy of Kerrang and laughing. Whatever next, Needle felt this stunning radish brooch? Knit a hat for your lunchtime jacket potato?

Mu-um, the other kids in nursery get REAL food...

Veronica! Dinner!

I know why I'm supposed to like this magazine, and periodically, when I'm in a cosier mood, I do. Kind of. There's a bit of thrift oriented property porn, new ways to display second hand finds, and some lovely photography inside -  but so many of the makes seem designed to delight nine year olds.  I have never felt the urge to make myself a felt pet - despite the patterns for both hamsters and chihuahuas - but then I'm not the crafting Paris Hilton. Or maybe I'm just dead inside?

Reading the mag is pretty much like sitting down with the laptop and flicking between Etsy and the prettier blogs on my blogroll, only I can get those for nothing, and they don't come with innumerable ads for sewing classes. The 'free' gift sewing project seems designed to somehow justify the extortionate cover price - but how many more ways can there be to stifle an MP3 player? Poor Steve Jobs, feted as the saviour of modern design - I imagine he's looking down now wondering why he ever bothered to make the iPod without a jaunty Scandi-style fabric bird attached to it.

What do you think of Mollie Makes? Despite my sniping I'm pretty sure it will exert its pull on my purse strings again sometime. In fact, I'm working on my pattern for felt asparagus now. I see it as the Valentine's cover star for February. Can anyone crochet Hollandaise sauce? 

Lakota x

 
Feel free to follow me on Pinterest - I'll happily stalk you back! Oh, and those of you taking part in the swap, I'll be announcing partners in the next few days. Last chance to sign up!

Linking up to newly discovered FFS Friday

Have yourself a merry little Vixmas...

I got home about 30 seconds after the postman had been today, and had to literally chase the van down the street whilst waving my 'You were out' card. It was so worth it though - as I discovered when I came back to my house victorious with my parcel. Everyone's favourite boot sale beauty and style queen - I speak of course of Vintage Vixen - had sent me one of her legendary care packages. [insert your favourite term of excitement here. Jem and Luce, that'd be Squeeee, right?]

 Worth chasing the postman for...

As you can see, not only is Vix amazingly generous, but she also manages to be really thoughtful at the same time. She's obviously gleaned a lot from from my posts and comments on other people's blogs. All in all, she sent:

A hand knitted bag

Necklace - I love this - and clip-on earrings

Woman's Own from 1958 - vintage mags are fab

Stick on sparkles for card making/crafting

Book called 'crazy sewing'

Little silver notebook - I need a notebook in every bag. I have many bags. 

Vintage playing cards with groovy yoga people design

Silk scarf

Book about birthstones - if your birthday is this month, you're Opal too.

Something I half thought was a magic wand, but turns out to be an Indian hair stick for holding up a bun. I may have attempted to cast a spell to ensure someone finally buys my house this weekend. *sighs and tidies up the lego yet again*

Purple tights - my favourite colour

Thank you so much Vix - you're a wonder. 

If you'd like to be the recipient of some second-hand and handmade loveliness, whilst shopping for goodies for someone else, why not sign up to the festive Faith Hope and Charity Swap? There has been an amazing response again, and there's still time to sign up here. Be quick though, it closes October 10th so I can assign everyone their partners and allow plenty of time for the hunting and gathering before Christmas. 

Lakota x