SaReMa

A QUICK NOTE FOR MY PARTNERS: Please only write the words "SAMPLES" or "CRAFT ITEMS" outside the package/envelope you send to me; don't write anything else (like swap-bot, or "...swap"). Thanks!

I'm married and I'm a mother of a 3 year old son... I have very little time for crafts, but I can always manage a little spare time to make something...mostly when my son sleeps....^_^

Colours I like to work with: White; Black; Pink; Purple; Red; Green; Grey; Brown; Beige; Blue; Yellow...well I think I like every colour...rsrsrs

Colour mixes I just love: orange and cobalt or turquoise blue; green and purple; red and white; black and white; yellow and brown; yellow and black; pink and brown; blue and brown; red and brown; light blue and dark blue; purple and pink; lilac and dark purple; blue and purple or lilac; black and neon pink; black and neon green; black, neon pink and neon green...

I also like those mixed, variegated colours, like those skeins we use to make socks...I like those combinations of colours, there are some very unusual, that when I spot them, it just makes my day! eheheh

I like every handmade things, but I mostly love making things on my own, rather than buying them.

I like crocheting and knitting, either with yarn or cotton, and I love to be surprised with crochet thread...as I make many crochet flowers, among other things...it doesn't matter the colour...and I doesn't have to be a whole skein...it can be pieces (as long as it is enough to make a crochet flower or butterfly...or even a ball)like those spare pieces that you end up with when you finish a work...and there are two particular colours I just can't find, which is dark purple or purple and neon pink...I have found lilac...but not purple...and pink but not neon...:0(...I have searched, even in the net...and here in Portugal we don't have that color in crochet thread...and it's too expensive to order from abroad...

I'm looking for those flowery/happy patterned fabrics...I normally give baby gifts...some of my friends are expecting a baby or their baby has already been born...and most of the children are girls...so flowery fits them, but it can be any other pattern.

BUT there's one which was my first love: organza...and I just love those little organza bags/sachets...they are so beautiful...I have received a square of this material in a fabric swap I joined, and I made my first organza bag...it was purple...I just loved the bag...but it seemed that my mom loved it more than I did eheheh...so I gave it to her on Mother's Day with a crocheted rosary...she LOVED the surprise!

I love ribbons, fabric ones...either those satin ribbons or those that we use to sew on the sides of the fabrics...any other fabrics kind ribbons... except those ones wich are used to wrap present in xmas...those papaer ones...I don't use them much I also started to work with felt, at the begining of the year...although I have managed to cut the pieces right...I have to find some other colours to work with, because I'm runing out of this material...but I do love to make this craft...especially when I have to use buttons with it...but I found out that there are patterns you can use to cut the felt right...but I can't seem to find them here in Portugal...only abroad...:o( I can't find that type of felt that's very thick, like half a cm.

And...I'm becoming a button addict...I think I joined every button swaps... Well, anyway...in case it helps my partners...I'm looking for those buttons for coats, those big ones, like clown buttons...but in pastel colours mostly, but I would love to get the other colours as well...I don't seem to find them...they are always sold out, in the stores I visit...We (portuguese) are getting into the shrugs making fashion, and it seem that everyone had the same idea as I did...eheheh...orange, green, purple/lilac and dark purple buttons are also lacking in my stash...but I don't mind the size I like any size buttons, with shapes like flowers, hearts, triangles, squares, or those plain ones...they are great to work with, especially with felt... Oh...and I just love those shell buttons...the coloured ones...like urple, blue, turquoise, red...well I just love shell buttons!!!

The funny thing about this addiction is that it's getting bigger and it's passing through my family...I have an aunt that gave a bag full of buttons for my birthday (it came a bit late...but it was a great surprise!!!) and she said that for Christmas I'll be receiving another, even bigger...I can't wait...eheheh I think I'll try to confuse her and tell her that this year Xmas happens earlier...like in August...eheheheh

I like to work with beads too, for necklaces and earrings mostly...I'm looking for white, orange, yellow, purple, green and black beads, big, medium or small (but not those really small beads...I just can't seem to work with these ones, altough I was told that there's a special needdle that's used to work with these smallest beads)...and also pearls...big, medium, small... and I can't find old gold colour wire...just silver wire...and also that thick wire used to make rings...Cotton/leather "wire", and metal chains (any size, any colour) for beadwork...It's difficult to get that where I live...and I would love to experience crochet with wire...but I can't seem to find that thin one that's used for that. I'm getting in the beadwork thing...and believe me...the materials are a bit expensive here in Portugal... ...sometimes I find some wood beads...at good prices...as for the wood ones...I always buy them when I find them...

I also love swaping! It's so much fun! ... and addicting too! eheheh

Looking for: fimo bars, fimo beads, fimo buttons...any colour, any shape...I would love to learn this craft. Mini-notepads...I use a lot...but my stock has began to end...

Hey...I started working with FIMO material in my vacation time too, a friend of mine sent me a bar of it...and it's not that hard...well at least with making the round beads...but for the rest of the shapes...and the buttons...and with the things it allows us to make for beadwork...that's another story...I know that there are cutters for this material...but they just don't sell them here where I live...well...I'll keep looking...perhaps I'll get lucky.!!!

I love crochet (lately I've been making all sorts of things, small things, in crochet, for iunstance, the last thing I made was a rosary, it's fun, because it doesn't take much time to do these things, and you end up with beautiful things), knitting (I've been making a pullover for my son, for the last 3 months...eheheh...but I'll finish it soon), but cross stitch was my first love, my mom taught me, decoupage is more like a sporadic hobby, not much into it, but I'm a napkin collector actually, perhaps to use when this craft becomes my next obsession...eheheh, wood painting (I normally do this kind of crafting with my husband...he's the one with all the crazy ideas), felting (I began this craft this year, I just can't seem to get the cutting right...I twist the felt, perhaps I'm lacking the perfect scisors, I don't know, home decoration (I'm always re-decorating...especially my son's playing living-room...eheheh...it used to be our living-room, now it's his)...and I'm open to learn new craft techniques!

Oh...I almost forgot...I'm also becoming a granny squares addict too...mostly because it's the only craft my son let's me do...he participates into it too...by choosing the next colour to use...and he has lots of fun...eheheh I think I'm an addicted collector of materials for handmade things...so I think I love every craft...my closest colleague here at work says I'm going to open a store soon...with the amount of materials I've been collecting...eheheh!

I'll soon be coordinating more private swaps...do take a look to my profile page every now and then...and if you're interested in participating in them, do drop me a line!

There'll soon be an earrings swap and also a buttons swap...

Hope you join!!!

Plastic beads, makeup items (I don't use)