margaret_loves Miniature Swaps!

I just wrapped up my first miniature swap parcel for Alisa (studioseven) whom I met on the Modern Miniatures group on Flickr! We set a budget of $10 for the swap, and I suggested the color blue for the theme. She uses Playscale and 1:12 items, so I included a mixture of both. Since she already received her package from me, I think it is safe to post pictures of some of the items I sent her :)

On the left is a photo of a few mostly handmade items I included in her package. I've seen the hanging Bubble chair idea a lot of places, like Mad for Mod and Minimodernistas, and I have been wanting to make my own version. I made cushions from my thrift store blue velvet shirt fabric, filled them with dry long-grain rice and stitched the openings together. I used a jewelry chain to hang it, and I think it came out pretty nice. The chair is half of a plastic Christmas ornament globe from Michael's. I am going to make another one for myself with the other half.

The two cubes are wooden craft cubes from Michael's with squares of felt and mirror board glued on to create cube tables/ottomans. I also cut the grey textured rug and zebra print rug from felt sheets. The acrylic table is one of the display risers I purchased on ebay.

The round rug (on right) I made was inspired by Amazing Miniatures. She has posted a super quick and easy rug making tutorial using simple materials most crafters already have on hand. I liked using multicolored twine and the spiral pattern it makes. The other "rug" is origami paper by Jonathan Adler. I found the blue Barbie chair at a thrift store. Below it is a side table made from wooden bits that I glued and painted, and below it in the photo is a Playscale cake stand by Re-Ment. The knitted pouffe is a hacky sack/footbag from Party City. The picture frame is a Scrapbook sticker from Michael's. The lion (or faux "Foo" dog) is a painted bead coated in gloss medium. The hand is an eraser from Target. I also filled a blue toothpick case with beads and other small bits and miniatures. 

It was a lot of fun working on the swap, and I enjoyed the challenge of working with a budget and theme. I hope to do it again soon. Let me know if you are interested in a miniatures swap! When I receive my package from  Alisa, I will post more photos.