Crafty New Year

New Year's Day, I hosted a craft swap. We had about ten participants. The idea was to distribute names in random order and provide each person with some keywords to run with. They had to be creative, and handmade. Some of the players were out of town for the big swap so their crafts will be exchanged at a later date but there was still a nice turn out yesterday.

It began with 'Beans'(black eyed peas to be exact): Some cooked on the stove. Some in the crock pot with a ham hock. I made jalapeno cornbread. Cooked a little to long but at least it was not recooked like those poor cupcakes. These gals comprise the 'bitches' part of the title: Carmen is fairly innocent (when compared to those on her left). Head Bitch: Zola Von Z.
'The Brawn', or creative energy that drove the event: I made this llama, my buddy didn't make it to the swap, hopefully he will be delighted. Doug cheated, he bullied Barb into doing the work for him. I think this photo makes up for his lack of effort. T went all out. She got me, the words I gave her were: bearded men, big trucks and bees. I must say I'm thoroughly impressed. I have never doubted this womyn's creativity but she really out did herself on this one. And, she did it all in one day! WOW! Carmen and her memory board. My Mom made that travel bag. She's got a knack for sewing and upholstery, mad skills. Felisha made a 2010 calendar with her themes. I thought it a tremendously useful and creative idea.

My co-hostess, T, chose the entertainment of the night, 'make your own, artist trading card.' This was the highlight of the evening. Everyone had a blast and the products were priceless. Once they were all complete we threw them into the basket and everyone got to take a piece of art home. The Loot. Can you pick mine? Got it? (Bottom, 3rd from the left.) Here are they back of the cards: These guys even showed up! We had quite the turn out. It was a riot! T got a "Bigtop Cupcake" pan for Christmas. This was the product: It replaced the sad, melted cupcakes. It also sported a beard. Despite the hesitation, Carmen proves it was edible and not half bad. Everyone had a bite of black eyed peas for luck. Great company and lots of laughs. Perfect way to begin 2010!