Tea Time

Back in early October when I first learned of the Vegan Pal Swap, I have to admit I was rather reluctant to join. I know, vegan foods and crafts; It was perfect for me and I truly did want to join… But it’s so much work, and I already had so much on my plate at the time. With a little cajoling and convincing, I threw up my arms and accepted the fact that I didn’t really have a choice in joining the swap. Before long the partners were announced, and how excited was I to be paired with Michelle! Having read her blog since before mine was even in existence, it was quite a treat to learn more about her personally.

…And then the honeymoon period ended. Time was slowly ticking away, and I soon found myself in a pinch not only to figure out what to make, but to get it out there before the deadline. Since I am notorious for procrastinating given half a chance, I wanted to get my bundle of vegan love out there with time to spare… But the window of opportunity was closing fast. An amazing bit of luck came my way on a thrifty venture one afternoon when I just happened to find an unpainted teapot, and I knew exactly what to craft.

I NEVER, and I mean NEVER paint. Years ago I attempted to color a single canvas with simple acrylic paint… and I’m still embarrassed that I didn’t burn it immediately after completion. Of course, none of this occurred to me in the thrift store because the teapot was so perfect, it was destiny, right? At home, it sat alone on top of protective newspaper, surrounded by the brand new paints and brushes, just waiting for a little kindly attention.

How I loathed that teapot. Why would it expect me to devote hours to it when I couldn’t even stand being in the same room as someone else in the act of painting? What a horrible, half-baked idea this was. There was no way to go back either, with the days falling away like the grains of sand in an hour glass, never to be heard of again.

I couldn’t undo this terrible transgression and I accepted that, so there was nothing to do but suck it up and face this piece of porcelain hell. Sitting with brushes poised, I hesitated still, but figuring there was nothing left to do, I hastily slopped on a base coat in a cheerful lime green. Good enough, I supposed. The real pain would be the details.

While there is truth in that statement, it certainly wasn’t the death of me. I was actually impressed with how much my bunnies looked like… Well… Bunnies! Coming from the person who NEVER paints, it wasn’t half bad! To fit the swap a little better, I figured that animals and berries are the perfect “vegan” themed pattern out there, seeing as I have yet to meet a vegan who doesn’t love both.

Finally, the deed was done, and all I needed was to paint the very top of the lid so that it resembled a strawberry – It was the exact shape after all!

The rest of what I sent off wasn’t so interesting, and therefore has few photos in which to document it. Lacking sufficient funds for anything else really amazing, I poked through my mothers old vintage sewing patterns and selected two to share, since it seemed to be a common passion. At the last minute, I cooked up a big batch of vegan fudge, adding in a few generous dollops of raspberry jam to up the ante a little bit. [Unfortunately there were some packing issues with the fudge, which I’m still so sorry about! Argh, next time I’ll make some food that’s easier to send through the mail – I didn’t really consider that when I was brainstorming for the swap!]

Oh, and at the last minute I threw in a simple crocheted bunny magnet. Nothing to write home about, but I though its silliness was a nice touch to soften an otherwise serious package.

I feel like my end of the swap still left much to be desired, so I’m really sorry that I couldn’t come up with anything else for you, Michelle. Maybe next time I’ll atleast remember that I NEVER paint, and therefore won’t waste most of a month attempting it again.