Hoopla kit packed

My hoopla swap stuff is all packed up, ready to sew during lunch times at work this week.

Ivy

I spent yesterday evening working in my sketchbook. The current module is about adding interest to pages through cutting and adding extra paper.
The page standing at the back is a practice piece for the ivy page, with leaf outlines cut and folded out from it. I applied pastel to the sketchbook page off the inside of a stencil, this is the one which is going to have the leaves cut and folded from it.
Tonight I'm going to do the cutting, and work on the page below which will be revealed through the cuts.

Beautiful Tulips

Yesterday, Simon surprised me by popping up for the day, instead of sleeping. We had a wonderful day, ate lots of lovely chocolate, and he brought me these beautiful purple tulips. I don't own a vase, but they look great in this purple vase on my dresser.

Pretty vegetables

I was making one of my favorite suppers the other night (scrambled eggs with lots of veggies in), when I noticed all the pepper slices stacking up on the knife in a pretty little row. Lovely.

Swap Partner Stalking Assistance

I'm getting back into swapping on Craftster, and have signed up for the Embroidery Hoopla Round 4 Swap on Craftster. With that in mind, I thought I'd make this helpful post for future partners.

So, if we've been partnered in a swap - hello! Here is a bit about me:

Things I love:
Spending time with friends, geeky board games, cooking, reading recipe books, baking glorious cakes, exploring, popping to the farmers market to pick up tasty bread, cheese and veggies, reading (especially young adult fantasy & sci fi, apparently!) and my favourite authors are Roald Dahl and Jeanette Winterson. I also enjoy taking photos, especially macro and texture shots.

Crafts I do:
I'm a bit of a Jill of all trades - I dabble in knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, spinning, embroidery, cross stitch & crewel, machine embroidery. I enjoy zentangling to unwind. At the moment I am getting over my fear of drawing, and working towards a City & Guilds qualification, which I am really loving. I want to do more papercrafts - altered books, ATCs, etc. I also want to develop my machine embroidery skills.

Music & Movies:
I enjoy a lot of (British) folk mysic, my favourite group are Oysterband, but I also like Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Mumford and Sons, Stornoway, Noah & The Whale, Chris Wood. I love how folk music tells tales that are beautiful and moving, and still relevant to life today. I also like bouncy pop of all varieties, bits of country, and lots of other things. For a better idea of my musical taste, here's My Spotify Profile (needs Spotify to view it).
My favourite films are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Moulin Rouge, Amelie, Stranger Than Fiction, Juno. I love Pixar movies, and am hard pressed to pick a favourite amongst them, but if I had to, I think it would probably be WALL-E or Up, and the Boundin' short.

How I like things:
Bold, confident, bright, burlesquey, striped or polkadotted, natural, oceanic, jewel toned, soft, comforting, Gorey-esque, playful, elegant, symmetrical/patterned, odd, kooky, well made, thoughtful.

I collect:
Driftwood, shells, rabbits, hand carved wooden spoons, 1980s Ravensberger childrens board games, keys, leaves, conkers and other natural things, BPAL perfumes (foody, spicy, woody, not floral scents), art & craft supplies, buttons. I also have a set of the 5 Nat West Piggy Banks from my childhood which I love.

I'd rather not:
Pastels, cutesy, gas masks & post apocalyptic themes, gore & horror, excessive swearing!

I'm really looking forward to swapping with you :)

(With thanks to Knickertwists for the inspiration & headings.)