A Summer Swapperoony!

I can't believe it's the end of August already! The summer has flown by and left me feeling a whole lot craftier. I won't lie, after the initial buzz of arranging the swap and having people sign up, I suddenly felt a little bit overwhelmed. Once I realised that some of these talented ladies had their own online craft shops and all are involved in crafty things. I felt most inadequate. Like a paddler in a baby pool suddenly hosting the olympic diving... Way out of my depth! I think I managed to hold my own for my first attempt ever but see what you think...

My swap partner was Martha from Ethel Maude blog and here is what we sent each other.

On Thursday I received a parcel from the postman. Much excitement filled the room as I began to tear off the plastic post bag. Inside was a lovely bundle of goodies, carefully wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a pink ribbon and a card.

So here they all are, unwrapped in their glory. A pretty notebook, perfect for my handbag. I never leave home without one. Pens to go with the notebook, also perfect for my bag ( I have hidden the permanent marker in an undisclosed location in case Chaos should find it). A pretty heart on a ribbon. I am trying to find somewhere safe to hang it as I love it! A packet of Refreshers - Nom Nom Nom, Gone! Also there is a little magnet from Corbridge which made me giggle. There is a sheep sheltering from the rain under a brolly saying "Wish ewe were here".

This gorgeous scarf with a crochet flower brooch is wonderful. I am off out tonight and it will go perfectly with what I am going to wear. I will feel a bit girly for a change!! 

This is just genius! Being a photo nut, this is a brilliant idea. It is a flexible frame made from recycled leather and it comes with an envelope so you can just pop your photo in and post it off to your nearest and dearest. Not that I'm going to. It is staying here and going on our photo wall.

I must say a huge thank you to Martha. I have really enjoyed my first craft swap and may just do another one...
 For anyone who loves receiving things in the post, you may wish to sign up for a mug swap hosted by the very lovely Hannah the Cupcake Mumma You can read about the swap HERE If you haven't done a swap before sign up for the mug swap as you don't have any pressure to make anything. Its a great way to start and meet new bloggers!

Here is my swap gift to Martha

Magnet
I looked all over the place for a summery magnet but they proved as elusive as the sun itself and couldn't be found anywhere. I bought one with a quote and some flowers on but it wasn't quite what I originally had in mind. I decided to make one. I had a few sunflowers I had got on the internet that weren't quite what I had needed at the time. I cut the back down where the stem is attached and stuck a magnet on with some super glue. I put it on our fridge and it certainly brightened it up so I might just make us one as well!

Craft
I spent ages worrying about what to make. I had loads of ideas. Some were pretty good, some were awful and some were near impossible for my inexperienced hands or the time allowed. I got in a bit of a flap about it. I decided I wanted to make something my partner would like to have in their home, rather than a first time experiment. That ruled out knitting and sewing of any kind. The only thing I know I am good at is taking photos so I started to think about what I could do with some pictures.

I originally thought about doing a decoupage summer scene using photos I had taken but this would prove quite tricky and not something I wanted to test out on someone else. In the end I decided to make a multi picture frame of summery things.

I selected photos that I think capture some elements of summer. Sunset, morning dew, strawberries, blue skies behind tall grasses and a daisy.

I had some packs of wooden photo frames so I began trying to work out how I could lay them out and put them together. I considered linking them by hooks and eyes but thought that might not be too stable or appeal to someone else.

I tried painting some of the frames to see if they looked better but the pictures didn't stand out at all so I decided against it. I did wonder if it would have been better to paint them white but I was running out of frames and I wanted to keep some for just in case.

I decided on this lay out for the pictures so just had to work out a way to hold them together. 

Once they are held together they should give a layered effect once they are hanging on the wall. I thought it would be a bit more interesting and add some depth.

 I decided to nail the frames together. This was quite a delicate job as the places I needed to nail fell on or near the joins in the frame.

 Although I was careful, I did split one of the frames. This meant having to take the split frame off without twisting the others too much in case they split as well. I managed to replace it and fix it in place without any more splits which was a relief!

 I used the split frame to add some support at the back and help provide some rigidity to the whole thing. Unfortunately, the back loots a little untidy due to this but once on the wall no one would know.

So here is the finished frame. The four outer photos can be changed easily. Due to the extra supports on the back the Daisy photo can not be changed unless the back is removed. An oversight on my part. 

I am thinking of making another one to go on our wall at home. I thought we could each choose our favourite photo of ourselves to go in it.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken part. You have made my first swap a very enjoyable one and I'm thinking I may just host another one for Valentines Day so keep your eyes peeled!
I you want to link up your post about your swap, please join the linky below.