My Package Came!!!

My package from Kerry came today. Yeah!!! Enclosed was a sweet little blue wooden doll complete with feathers and a crown. She also sent a beautiful notebook, awesome tote bag (with a bird on it) and sweet little wooden pencils. Thanks kerry I LOVE it!

xoxoxoxoxo

5th Annual Halloween Swap/CLOSED

 It is time for my annual Halloween swap and I've decided to do zombies one last time.  I have SO many other ideas and REALLY NEED to move along but there is just something adorable about these little zombies with popped out eyes, missing limbs, exposed brains..........okay, so maybe I'm weird, but I love them and apparently a few of YOU do too! 

 So with those gruesome thoughts,  I give you.... 
"Zombies in Wonderland"  

Sign ups start today and end August 31st at midnight.  Sorry but this year it is USA only.

Mailing deadline is SEPTEMBER 14th.   Please ship using tracking and delivery confirmation. Please email me the tracking number.
If your doll has not been received by September 30th, you are required to send a replacement package.


This year, we will be swapping: 
1 Handmade zombie doll.   
Specifications: 
The doll needs to be designed after a character in the ever popular "Alice in Wonderland" story book.   There are SO many fun characters in Wonderland that the possibilities are endless!  Be sure to read what your partner likes before you go crazy!
The doll must measure a minimum of 8" in size. You can make it using any medium you choose, taking into account any allergies noted on the registration form.
Include at least 3 Halloween related tuck ins. These tuck ins can be thrifted, hand made, store bought, hand me downs....but must be in good condition.  Also, be sure to use the list your partner gives you as a guideline.

Cost: My swaps are meant to stretch your creativity, not buckle your budget. Expect to spend a minimum of $10.00 creating your package. (Cost of packaging/shipping is not included in this amount.)

All levels of artsy craftsy are invited. The most important thing to remember is this: Create something you would love to receive. When your partner opens her package, she should be thrilled. We want this to be a wonderful experience for everyone.

When packing to ship, please use Halloween colored tissues and wrap your package wickedly....but in a GOOD way.  Think Good Witch, not Bad Witch when wrapping...we ghouls want pretty packages!

One last thing. If you join, please do me the favor of posting the swap badge on your blog to encourage others to join in too.  We want new ghouls to join in the fun too!

GORGEOUS GIRL !!!

Thank you .... Thank you .... Thank you Missy for my gorgeous girl-) I love her !!!!

Isn't she just the cutest ..... she reminds me so much of a Scandinavian Doll ..... complete with her reindeer. She will definately be treasured :-)
There were some other lovely things in my box too ...

The tag and the heart are so cute. I adore the felt needle case.  I so love handmade needle cases, and have a number of them now that friends have made for me - they all get put to good use.
Missy also sent me some bath salts which my daughter snaffled:-) and a delicious chocolate, which didn't last long enough to make it into the picture !!!
My box was filled with lots of little Christmasy bits and pieces, that I can put to good use in my Christmas crafting.

Thank you again so much Missy, for my lovely package - you really made my day, when I needed it most. I've had a REALLY hard time adjusting to being back in the US without any Family near, after spending the most wonderfully, perfect month back home in South Africa with my Family.

Love it!

My package from Melinda arrived today.  It's been awhile since I've done a swap, so long it fact that I'd forgotten how exciting it is to get fun mail.  Melinda has been sick with pneumonia and felt bad about sending it late.  Melinda, don't feel bad, this great package was well worth a wait!

 Look at this cute wrapping, I almost hated to open it.  What some people can do with paper amazes me. Yep I'm talking about Melinda & you too Kerry.  Wrapping, cards, crafts and more! You ladies are pretty amazing when it come to paper crafting.  It inspires me and makes me want to be a paper crafter too.

This gorgeous hand painted glass bird ornament was tucked in along with . . .

This cute little wool bird that made my heart melt.  So cute.

  This is a picture of the birdhouse ornaments, tags and bird ornaments Melinda sent.  Love it!

 This is the table topper Melinda created for me using vintage fabrics and a retro reproduction.  It's awesome! My pictures don't do it justice(I really need to work on my photo skills.)  Thank you Melinda for an amazing package!  I love everything! Opening my package made my day and it's making me look forward to Christmas already. Of course I shouldn't rush the snow and Christmas as it will come soon enough; so for now I'm headed out to sit by the pool in the sun. Have a great weekend!

Another peek for Jill...

It is on its way, but I thought it only fair that she gets another teaser.....

Show and tell...and gratitude!

Here is what I sent to Amy, my partner:

A Christmasy apron, a daily devotional, a little sewing kit, a handmade pincushion since she loves them...and 3 crowns.  (I made her 3 ornies because they were small...I used water bottle caps as the base.)

a close up of the crowns...

I wrapped each item in Christmasy paper and then wrapped the whole thing up in the red velvety fabric in the first photo.....I love my fabric scraps!

And THIS is what she sent me!

What do we have here....chocolate, botanical post cards, knitting needles, plant markers, a wee garden book and a tissue holder.  Plus, Amy wrapped two of the gifts in Christmas fabric! 

a close up of the bird

Thank you to Amy for my sweet birdie package!  I love it!  

I am so happy to have hosted this swap.....now I'm eagerly awaiting a change in the weather...I'm ready for Halloween!

Thank you!

Who doesn't like surprises? 

Look at this sweet package I got in the mail from Jill last week........
a t shirt scarf and pen along with a wine glass and snowflake ornament!

here is a close up of the wine glass....this is soooooooooo neat!

Dean and I go to wine tasting events every 6-8 weeks and I cannot wait to use the glass the next time we go!

Thank you SO much Jill!

My beautiful pink package from Jill!

Totally spoiled, yep that's me! It came on such a great day too. I have had a bad case of pneumonia and was really feeling awful. This package was just like Christmas for me! I think I smiled for the first time in a few days. My ornaments are pink, sparkly, delicate and so pretty. I have a pink tree and I know they will look so good on it. I don't know how to make a paper airplane let alone this kind of paper manipulation! She also made me the coolest Christmas journal for lists and recipes and even included stickers so I can personalize the tabs. Of course in pink... The inside and back cover have pockets which I love. I would've never thought of it. Olivia and Taylor were right there and they both tried to lay claim to my journal. They even mentioned how they could change the name on the front with the provided stickers. "I would cut off your hands!" I responded while coughing my lungs up. Nice picture for your mind. Jill also sent me a John Grisham book of whom I am a fan and I adore reading and the cutest felt chicken to hold my ear buds. She knows I love me some chickens. Finally she said she found these cute little chickens and she wanted me to have them for my garden. Here is one nestled in my green beans. Right where my real chickens would love to be. Here is the other in my upright flower pallet. I finished Jill's and I want to show it so bad! I haven't been able to mail it because my kids work during the post office hours and I have been too sick to drive. I am pretty sure it is going in the mail tomorrow though. thank you so much Jill for making it so personal and so "me". You are a doll and I appreciate you.

It's On the Way!

I'm the worst at giving sneak peeks!  I want it to be interesting yet not give too much away.  That shouldn't be a challenge, but for me it is.  Once I'm done creating I get so excited, that I just want to show the whole package. The good news is that my package has been sent on it's merry way.  Here's my attempt at a little sneak peek while we wait for the package to arrive.

Val thanks for hosting this swap!  It was nice to participate in a swap again.  It's been a long time! Thanks!!