What? No Blueberries? Not this time – this time we’re talking Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Why the change in delicious desserts? Simple really – Chocolate Covered Strawberries is the theme for my first swap.
I have never swapped before – outside of girl scouts. I have a feeling however, these are not going to be the types of swaps you pin to a hot pink hat and wear with pride. Side note about girl scout swaps – if you think it’s a good idea to do paper cranes as your swap, take it from a girl who knows – it’s not. I had blistered fingers by the time I had finished folding all one hundred and fifty paper cranes. Someday, I would like to make a thousand crane mobile; however, the bloody memories from that swap stop me in my tracks.
Anyways, back to the present and the current swap. Here’s the assignment:
Ok, it’s August so we can’t very well send chocolate in the mail but we can send the next best thing…FQs (no calories, but just as addictive!) If you are like me, you love the combination of pink & chocolate brown together. So this swap is for 2 100% cotton FQs in predominately pink & brown (the challenge here is that they should coordinate with each other AND neither should be a solid color!) and then one surprise that has to do with strawberries! The strawberry themed item can be handmade if you like! For example you could send:
1 pink & brown stripe FQ, 1 pink & brown floral FQ, Strawberry refrigerator magnet
I am proud to say I followed the floral and paisley trend, to the tune of my own horn. The fat quarters I picked (which aren’t actual fat quarters; I had to purchase the full half yard and cut it in half, which gave me my own fat quarter as well) I believe would make an excellent purse – sporadic and crazy yet smooth and classy, all in one. If it were me, I would use the paisley as a liner and the beautiful roses as the exterior. Who knows, maybe it will be me – since I do have the other halves. Not to hold you in suspense a moment longer – here are my selections.
Now the strawberry related surprise posed a bit more of a challenge. I didn’t want to send something usual – magnets or a bag or cell phone cozy with a strawberry on it. However, I did want to make something. I have learned how to machine applique recently and I am practicing like mad to improve my skills so that my baby crib set I will be making very soon looks nice. I adore what I came up with and hope the home it is going to will appreciate it just as much. I do plan on continuing production to include one for my office and a couple for my kitchen – in suitable themes of course. Again with the suspense; here is my surprise:
The best part about it this little beauty is that it is actually a 6 x 6 cork board. It can hold pins, pictures, etc. I will be sad when I send it out on Monday, but then happy as well. The woman who will be receiving it can sit and enjoy a chocolate covered strawberry martini, chocolate covered strawberries (both of which I plan on including the recipes for), and her pictures while she quilts with her new fat quarters. Hopefully that will be as enticing to her as it sounds to me.
Bring on the strawberries! And more swaps! Up next…Monsters!
