travelling fabric stash!

A few days ago, I was the recipient of the travelling stash box from Katie! This box, and several others, have been travelling around the country for some time now, passing from home to home, losing and gaining items at each stop! What fun!

The box was filled to the brim when I received it, as you can see! 

I then went through it and added a few items; mostly some mini charm packs, some FQs and a few panel pieces that I don't plan to use. 

I took a few things too - a few fats, some white thread, and a small cutting board that will be great for guild meetings! I definitely added more than I took, which is fine! 

Would you like to receive the box next? These are the rules of playing:

Rules and Guidelines 

Be an active blogger -- post about receiving the box and the giveaway in a timely manner 

Update the travel log in the box to let others know where the box has been.

There is a list of rules and guidelines in the box -- be sure to follow these to keep the box full of quality items and the experience positive for everyone. 

You may take any items from the box just be sure that you are replacing them with quality and comparable items. (Guidelines for fabric below) 

Ship box to the next person timely -- and communicate tracking information with recipient.

Shipping is within the US only  (sorry international friends!)

Fabric and other item Guidelines 

Fabric should be quilt shop quality and in new condition. 

Do not include items smaller than a fat quarter unless it falls into one of the other categories and these should be packaged together. 

Jelly Roll -- 2.5 inch strips (typically 40 strips per set)

Honey Buns -- 1.5 inch strips (typically 40 strips per set) 

Desert Roll -- 10 strips 5 inches wide cut the length of the fabric 

Turnovers -- 80 (6 inch) triangles

Candy Squares  -- 2.5 inch squares (typically 45 squares per set) 

Charms -- 5 inch squares (typically 40 squares per set)

Layer Cake -- 10 inch squares (typically 40 squares per set)

Patterns / Books should be in new or nearly new condition and should be kept to a minimum as this adds bulk and weight. 

Other items should be new or gently used condition and should be packaged as necessary to ensure that all parts remain together. 

Important Things to Remember

Please ensure that items in the box are quality. If items in the box are poor quality they should be removed. Items that are being removed can be offered for optional inclusion to the next recipient. Poor quality items can be discarded but this should be done with digression. 

Only include items that you would be proud to own -- this is not a dumping ground for outdated or worn items

Items should be free of smoke, odors  and pet hair 

You must replace all items that you take with items of equal value and replacing with more than you take is welcome. 

How to Save Money when Shipping 

You can purchase postage online from USPS at a discounted rate

When you purchase online delivery confirmation is included

You can schedule pickup from your home or office -- so no waiting in line at the post office. 

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If you'd like to perhaps receive the box next, leave me a comment here and tell me what your current project is. For a second chance, tell me what you're dying to try next! I'll randomly pick a winner next Friday (July 26), and mail the box the following Monday. How does that sound to you? Let your friends know too, so they can try to win! 

I'm a Julep Maven!

Have you heard about Julep yet? It's a monthly service along the lines of Birchbox, but it is all nail polish! Upon joining, you take a quiz to determine which type of maven you are, and then each month, you get a box of nail polishes perfect for you! 

After taking the quiz, it was determined that I am Classic with a Twist, which describes me pretty well, I'd say. My intro box was wrapped so nicely! 

Two colors, a cuticle cream, and some fun little pots of nail sparkle, for fun nights out!

Then my January box arrived, and I received three more colors (on the right), a spectacular hand and cuticle stick, and some fun hair bands. 

On the left are two other polishes, I bought them to send to my sister. 

I haven't mailed them yet...hope she isn't reading this right now  ;) 

This color is called Jodie. 

They're all girls names...I'm just waiting for them to have one called Lexi  ;)

I love this hand creme, it is just fabulous. It has a wonderful light scent, and is not thick and sticky, like some hand cremes can be. I keep it next to my bed, as part of my nightly routine! 

If you're a nail polish fan, I suggest you consider joining Julep and becoming a maven! I just got an email saying that my February box has shipped, so I can't wait to see what they have in store for me this month! They do all sorts of specials, sales and such. Another friend who has been a maven for several months mentioned that sometimes they have little packages where you can buy a necklace and a polish together, something like that! So, so fun.  

So, join! You'll love it!

Are you a fan of painting your nails?

ornament swap!

A few weeks ago, I posted about the ornament swap that I signed up for. Such a sweet thing to do, I think. I love new ornaments, and love meeting new friends, so this seemed like a spectacular idea for the holidays.

I was paired up with the lovely Allison of Nestful of Love, and she is the sweetest thing. She loves burlap! I love burlap! She makes lovely buntings too, and has an etsy shop called Simply Burlap filled with her creations! She also seems to love the Pioneer Woman as much as I do. Remember when I met Ree? Best day ever. 

Anyway. I digress.  

Allison sent me these two ornaments. An extraordinarily sparkly snowflake, and the most darling little birdie! Apologies for the poor quality iphone photo! I love them both, and I love that I can keep them up all winter! I think the snowflake will hang in the window over my kitchen sink. When the sun hits it, the sparkles will send beams all over the kitchen! I'm thinking also that the bird will live in my sewing room. I have a few little similar items hanging there, and I love it. 

Allison, thank you so much for these, they're wonderful! 

I forgot to take a photo of what I sent to Allison, but I think she will be posting them on her blog soon too  :)   Thanks to Mackey Madness and The Smitten Mintons for hosting such a fun little swap! 

Did you participate in any holiday swaps this year? Tell me about them!

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Also. I don't want it to appear that I am posting in vain, and ignoring the tragedy in CT last week. It's unspeakable, hard to comprehend, and because of that, I've felt that there is not much that I could say that hasn't already been said, and I have been keeping these families in my thoughts and prayers this holiday season. 

The 26 Acts Campaign has been an inspiration. Please look at it if you haven't already. 

pillows are the most fun!

In the last year or two, I've taken part in some swaps set up on flickr. There are some seriously talented people out there, and I find so much inspiration from seeing what they've made on their blogs, flickr sites, pinterest boards, and even instagram! (I'm lexilooo there too, if you use it!).

The Pillow Talk Swap is my favorite, and round eight just ended. I haven't participated each time, but this was my 5th time playing along! This is one pillow  that I made most recently for the swap. Here's an earlier one. Apparently I didn't blog about the others, so I will have to post pictures of those too!


Each time, I've received really marvelous pillows, one that I loved so much that I decided to hang it on the wall of my sewing room! I suppose I should post a photo of it, right? Maybe photos of my sewing room too? Anyway, I digress.

This is the pillow that I made and sent off to its new owner, a woman living in California. It's with a fabric line called Vintage Modern, and I think it's just darling. Lots of red and turquoise, which is such a fun color combination! The pillow is big, about 20" x 20," which is what she had asked for.  As you can see, we make coverings for people, and then they can buy the pillow form at JoAnn's, since it's much cheaper to mail a folded cover than the entire pillow!

Here it is stuffed, before I sent it!

This is the pillow covering that I received! It's so perfect for me! You may remember the cute pineapple wall hanging that I made not too long ago. My partner saw my photos of it, and go along with that theme. She did some hand stitching too, writing out welcome, along with witamy, which means welcome in Polish! She saw that I had lived in Poland, and turns out, she had as well! Super fun connection. I love this one so much. I'll need to go get a pillow form for it, as mine are all occupied right now! Actually, I think I need two forms, now that I think about it. I have another empty cover that I never bought a form for!

Side note- see the pineapple cutting board in the background of the above photos? See? Perfect!

Thank you so much Kristen, this pillow is just marvelous.

Pineapple! LOVE!!!

I really like making pillows. They are small and easy, for the most part, and still good practice for me, though I didn't do binding on this pillow, like I should have. See the red "edging" around the pineapple? That is the binding, and I have a hard time with it. I know how to do it, but always have problems with the corners! I can usually do a pillow in a day or so, if I am not distracted by other things that are going on. I should make more I think!

Want a pillow?  :)

I was a winner!

I recently came across a really marvelous company called Baby Be Blessed. They are a doll ministry- each doll comes with a scripture on its tummy. Their mission and deepest desire is for each child to come to know, understand and live for Jesus Christ.

Each doll can be personalized to your liking; it can be a boy or a girl, pick the hair color, you can pick its dress, pick a scripture verse and they also have animals, like lambs and bunnies!

They have a blog where they do a giveaway each Friday.

Well, a few Fridays, I won this little lovie!

This little pink lambie has 1 Corinthians 13:8 on her tummy-

love never fails

So true, and such a good reminder to children everywhere.

I was so pleased to win, and I've decided that I will send her to one of my World Vision babies, either Boikokobetso in South Africa or Majlinda in Albania- I just can't decide who to send her to! I suppose this means that I should buy a second, right? :)

Many thanks to Valerie for introducing me to this lovely company, and also, for alerting me to my big win that day! She saw the blog post before I did, and sent me an email!

Have you won any great giveaways lately? Should I host another giveaway sometime soon?

chain letters are back!

Did you ever receive chain letters in your younger years? I know I did, and I always passed them along, following whatever directions there were! As you know, I love getting mail, so any chance to increase my mail intake was good in my book ;)

It seems that chain letters are making a comeback, as I received one yesterday-

This one asks you to send a children's book to the first child on the list (just two names on the list), and then move the second name to the top, and put your child as the second name on the list, and send the letter to six friends...if it works, your child should get 36 books in a few weeks.

Fun, eh? Now, I know that I don't have any children of my own, but I do have an adorable four-year old godson who loves both books and mail (that's my boy!), so I asked his mother if I could do this for him, and she agreed, saying he'll love it. I just hope it works and he gets a few books back. I hate when people spoil it and don't play along!

So, any of you with children want to play? I'll send a copy of the letter your way, if you promise to send a book out to the first child, and then send the letter along its way!

picture book swap!

I just came across this blog, called Playing by the Book, and Zoe, the author is hosting a children's book swap! I really love this idea, so so much!

This swap is all about sending and receiving wonderful, indeed brilliant children’s picture books. It will be a way for you to spread the word about a picture book you are passionate about, and to discover another equally amazing book through a gift from someone else.

I've already signed up and I know just what book I will send. I don't know where my swap partner will be, but I am hoping for somewhere outside the U.S., as I'd love a children's book from the UK, or in another language!

Want to join? Go here and check it out. You'll have to send some information to Zoe and then she will match you up. So much fun!

So much fun, indeed.

on correspondence, in the written form

Here's a fun fact about me- I love getting mail. Who doesn't really, love coming home and finding a handwritten letter in the mailbox, nestled in between the cable bill and the supermarket ads? I know I love it. I love seeing my name and address written lovingly by someone else, who wanted me to know that they were thinking of me.



When I was younger, I had a number of penpals. I don't recall how I acquired them all, as this was well before the days of the internet. I know that I went to summer camp, so throughout the winter, camp friends and I would exchange letters. I remember writing my name in things called "friendship books," when I was interested in more penpals. I'm sure I drove my father nuts, constantly asking for stamps, so sometimes I would take a dollar bill and put it in an envelope with a note for the mailman, asking him to take the dollar and buy four stamps (don't you remember when stamps were only 25 cents each?!) and mail the letters for me, and he would! It was great.



Now, I don't really have penpals, though there are a few friends that I exchange letters with from time to time. I also am a big believer in random notes, so I send cards to friends, just for the heck of it sometimes. I recently discovered that Taylor Swift has a line of greeting cards, so I sent one to one of my favorite girls. I also keep track of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new babies, etc, and send cards for those occasions. I think it is important.



I will admit though, that I have slacked a bit in the last couple of months. I don't know why, but my heart just hasn't been in it. I haven't sent birthday/anniversary cards the way I used to. I've missed several, and feel awful about about not noting their day, but honestly? I also feel that they didn't even notice. Is that sad? Horrible of me to feel that way? Not many people send cards these days for such occasions. Birthdays, maybe, but wedding anniversaries? Far less likely. Granted I don't have a wedding anniversary or a baby to celebrate, but I do have a birthday and I know that many of the people whom I send cards to, don't send them back to me. Now, I know that I don't do things because I expect something in return, but when I send a birthday card to you, your children, your husband and an anniversary card and a happy new house card, it might be nice to receive a Christmas card in the mail.



I hope I am not sounding bitter, because I am not, at all, really! I think we all know how I feel about not sending thank you notes, and yes, their second anniversary came and went last month without so much as a card from me! Yes, I am still feeling guilty about not sending them a card, even though I know I shouldn't.


Do you send cards to mark special occasions? Should I feel guilty/bad about missing the last several occasions that I normally would send a card for? Should I send them now, and have them be late? Do you want a love note in the mail from me, if I ever get my act together? :)

from Albania with love

A few weeks ago, I came home and found a notice from the post office in my mailbox, indicating that I had to head there to pick up a package. I thought this was interesting, because my mailman is rather cool and usually leaves packages at my door for me, saving the trip down there. I figured maybe my regular guy was out and there was a sub, hence the note. I waited a few days, because I thought maybe when the regular mailman was back, he'd redeliver, but then a week went by and no package came, so off I went to the main post office. 

When I got there, and handed the slip to the lady behind the counter, she said "looks like registered mail from Albania." First of all, I don't think I've ever received registered mail from anywhere, much less Albania! She came back a few minutes later with a big box, though it was quite lightweight. At first I panicked, thinking that it was the birthday gift that I sent to Majlinda in April, as maybe it couldn't get through customs or there were tariffs or something. As soon as I was finished signing for it, I ran to one of the stands they have in there and tore the box open. At the bottom of the box, I found a white business-sized envelope that was a bit bulky. When I opened it up, I nearly cried. Look what was inside---

I know you can't read the letter (mainly because it's in Albanian!) but I wanted you to see how Majlinda decorated the page. Here is part of the translated page---

We hope this letter finds you and your family well. We wish you a very long life and a very wonderful day with your friends and family. I would like to send you for your birthday an embroidery, which I have made myself with much love for my sister's best friend. I hope you like it and I send you the best wishes from my heart. 

I couldn't believe it! In a letter, Majlinda had asked when my birthday was (this was sometime around March), so I told her that I had celebrated my birthday in January. Of course my letter saying this arrived maybe in April or so. I never knew that they could send me "things," but I thought it was just so sweet. It's not embroidery- it's a beaded thing. It is probably about 18" long and 12" wide and just so, so lovely. I was so touched by it, I think it is by far, one of the nicest gifts I've ever received. 

Majlinda had asked for a picture of me, so I had printed out a few to send her. She told me that she loved the pictures and showed them to all of her friends and teachers and family. Her family also hopes that I will continue to send more pictures "from other important moments in my life." I guess I'll need to send wedding pictures one day?  :)

As I've said before, I really love and am so grateful for this friendship that I've formed with both Majlinda and Inaete. It makes me so, so happy to know that I am making a difference for them and their families. Really, what is better than knowing how happy you can make someone, just by something as small as a note in the mail?

I'm a winner!!!!

I'm so excited and I am just now posting about it!

So I know that many of you read Jamie's blog (if you don't you should!). She has the most adorable corgi named Edie who I may steal if I am ever in Chicago (just kidding!) and is just a super fun blogger. She loves etsy and dedicates part of her blog to highlighting people's shops. She asks them questions, they answer. I will admit that many of my etsy purchases have come from something she's recommended, like the stemless wine glasses made from recycled bottles. Love them. So does Steve!

When she highlights an etsy shop, she often does a giveaway and guess what? I WON!!! YAY! I never win things, so I was quite pleased about this! The hightlighted shop was Eliza and Axel. I had an email saying I was the winner, and look what I won---

It's the FLORA shirt, and isn't it adorable?! I love it and can't wait for it to arrive! So springy and fun  :)  To be honest, I can't remember which color I chose...but it comes in black, white and naked. Here is the link for the info, if you are interested-

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22932679

When it arrives, I will post another picture!

So thank you to Jamie, I can't wait to get this shirt in the mail! 

Maybe I should do a giveaway, since I just won?

end of the contest

So I really loved all your stories about the best thing you received in the mail. They all made me laugh and smile and I was glad to find that I'm not the only one who loves sending mail. Long live the US Postal System!

On that note, I decided that I couldn't possibly pick just one of you, so you all win! Keeping in the holiday spirit, I will send each of you who sent me a story a little love in the mail.

Comments are being moderated for this post, so please comment with your mailing address, so I can send your treats. I won't allow your address to show, but if you have something else to say, I may allow that to appear :)