We Have A Winner....And Another Winner....And Another Winner....And Another Winner!!!

Gee, only 4 comments to my last post????? Come on people.....did you not read the part about a GIVEAWAY????????  Oh well, if the 4 commenters are like me, they are probably glad that the comment response was small - better the chance to win!  

The grand prize winner was CalamityJr with the following comment......

I've always loved pretty note cards and unusual stationery, too, but other than birthday and Christmas card notes, I think my last "real" correspondence was a year ago when I retired. I do send lengthy emails to my best friend and cousin. Maybe I need to win your giftaway and get busy writing again!

But wait!!!!!!!  I love it when people leave blog comments AND I love to send snail mail.  So.......I am going to send runner up prizes to the other three ladies that left comments - Cheryl Hutcherson, KimM, and Justine.

Congrats to all and be sure to brighten someone's day with snail mail!

World Stationery Day, A Giveaway, And A Winner!

Earlier today, I found out that this is National Stationery Week and today is World Stationery Day which is about preserving the art of writing letters and cards.

How fun.  I know the week is half over, put you can still celebrate by mailing a letter (or two) on some pretty stationery or a handmade card.  

I thought it would be fun to celebrate by having a giveaway.  Yes, I am one of those weird people addicted to all things related to stationery and correspondence, such as pretty paper, pens, pencils, out-of-the-ordinary envelopes, washi tape, and on, and on, and on......  

I would like to share a little bit of my stash with you.  We'll call it a stationery grab bag prize!  Leave a comment below telling me how long it has been since you snail mailed a piece of personal correspondence.  I'll pick a winner on Sunday.  

And speaking of giveaways, the winner of a sheet of the Italian handmade marbled paper (from the 4/21 blog post) is.........drumroll, please.......KimM!  Congrats Kim.  I will be in touch soon to get your address.

Lovely Snail Mail And A Giveaway!

It has been so long since my last post.  (Can we say 9 months!!!) Is it me or does it seem like the blogosphere is not as active as it used to be?  Oh well.  I guess blog posting on a regular basis is just not gonna happen with me.  Good thing Blogger doesn't deactivate blogs for inactivity.

I have been meaning to do this post for quite a while.  I received some lovely snail mail in January that I would like to share with you.

First of all, take a look at the beautiful envie that I found in my mailbox........

And just in case you're wondering - that lacey "doodle" on the left side of the envie was hand drawn by  my totally artistic friend, Amy.  Should I even mention that it was her first attemp at drawing lace?!?!  And look at how beautiful the address lettering is.  Doesn't it make you smile?  I think I skipped back to the house from the mailbox.  She could have left out the envelope contents and I still would have been thrilled with this piece of art!  But, there were goodies inside!  First there was a nice handwritten note celebrating National Handwriting Day.......

Also enclosed was a little gift which was wrapped in this "upcycled" paper.....

How cool is that?  I plan on upcycling it again as an envelope.  But more about that later because I know you are anxious to see what was inside the package.  Take a look at these beauties....

Beautiful handmade marbled paper from a bookbinding shop in Florence, Italy.  And my photo does not do justice to the vivid colors!  As a side note, Amy and her hubby spent some time in Europe last year.  If you would like to follow along on her trip, she has blogged about it here.  Tom and I were in Florence in 2012.  I totally missed that bookbinding shop.....but, thanks to Amy, I now have a souvenir.  Aren't these papers gorgeous?  I have decided to frame at least one of the papers....and possibly two.  But, alas, what should I do with the third sheet?  Maybe share with someone else?  Yes, that is a great idea.  So, wha' cha think??  Should I mail a note to someone on a sheet of the marbled paper and use the wrapping paper as an envelope?  Do YOU want to be the recipient???  If so, leave a comment on this blog post and tell me your favorite thing about receiving snail mail.  

I'll let Bozo pick a winner on Monday, April 25.  

 How does he do that with his legs?

Birthday Threads......the final installment

As I've mentioned before, I am participating in a birthday thread swap this year with nine other stitchers.  Today I received these from Bernadett who lives in Serbia.

I am working on quite a few Christmas ornaments so I know the green DMC will be put to use soon!  

Thanks Bernadette!  

Birthday Threads (Part 2)

Last month I posted about a birthday thread exchange that I am participating in this year.  One of the participants, Lonneke, lives in the Netherlands.  Lonneke sent me a handmade birthday card and thread two months ago......but the package never arrived.   

Last week I received an envelope from the Netherlands.....Lonneke had mailed me a replacement handmade card and threads.  How sweet!  Take a look.....isn't that a cute card?  

The thread on the left is a DMC Pearlescent (Lilac), the middle thread is a DMC variegated thread  (Tropical Waters), and the remaining on right is a DMC satin thread (Aurora Blue).  I have never used Pearlescent or Satin DMC threads before so I am looking forward to trying them out on a future project.  

Thanks Lonneke!

Birthday Threads!

Cath at The Stitchin' Chicken organized a 2014 birthday thread exchange that I am participating in.  What is a birthday thread exchange??  I send a card and three skeins of stitching thread to the other participants as their birthday approaches.  In exchange, I receive three skeins of stitching thread and a birthday card from each of them.  This exchange has been fun and I've enjoyed keeping up with these ladies through their blogs.

My fiftieth (50!) birthday was last month.  Let's take a look at the sweet cards and pretty threads that I received from the other thread exchange participants........

Mary Jane lives in Peoria.  Look at the stash I received from her.  Two skeins of variegated DMC and a skein of Weeks Dye Works hand dyed floss.  Can you see the name of the hand dyed floss......Peoria Purple.  How clever is that??  Weeks Dye Works needs to come up with a Lewisburg Lime (or something similar) so I can send clever gifts like Mary Jane!  Thanks Mary Jane!

Next up is my treat from Vicky (Waterbury, CT).  Can you EVEN take your eyes off of that birthday card? Ice cream is a favorite of mine, Vicky.  How did you know?  Look at the pretty DMC that Vicky enclosed.  One of my all time fave DMC colors is 931 (that is the blue at bottom right for all my non-stitching friends).  I find myself using 931 a lot!!  Thanks Vicky.

Valerie from California also sent three gorgeous DMC colors.  Don't these colors just SCREAM summertime?  I need to look through my stash of patterns for a little summer sampler which will be just perfect for these threads.

And if Valerie's threads scream summertime, then these DMC threads from Nicole absolutely SCREAM springtime!  What pretty pastels!!  Thank you Nicole.  Oh, you will notice from the photo that Nicole is from Canada.  Don't you love how the threads match the colors of the birthday card?

Gaynor lives in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland!  The coordinating DMC colors that she sent is so pretty.  Thank you Gaynor!!

Sharon from Manchester (United Kingdom) sent a skein of blue cotton thread which was made in Denmark.  I think I would like to use this particular thread to stitch a small one-color sampler.  The other two skeins that I received from Sharon are hand-dyed floss.  I love stitching with hand-dyed floss.  The color variations add a unique look to stitched pieces.  Thanks Sharon!

And last....but certainly not least......Another summery color selection was sent to me by Cath who lives in England.  I immediately think of watermelon when I see this color combination.  Thanks Cath......not only for the sweet card and pretty threads but also for organizing this exchange!

Does anyone else see the common color scheme of purples, blues, and bluish purples that many of these ladies sent?  I think it is quite incredible seeing how the only suggestion that we make to one another is the TYPE of thread (DMC, overdyed, metallic, etc) we prefer, not the color.  The thread colors sent to each recipient are strictly chosen by each sender.  

Thanks again, ladies, for your birthday sentiments and the pretty threads!  Looks like it's time for me to stop blogging and start stitching!

Snail Mail Surprise

In the past I have blogged about model stitching for my friend Beth.  (If you missed those posts or would like to know exactly what model stitching is, you can read them here and here.)

The last project that I stitched for Beth was a pattern called Snow Zone.  The inspiration for the design came from a hooked mat that Beth found at an antique mall.  You can read Beth's blog post and see the antique hooked mat here.

Recently I received an envelope from Beth in the mail.  Hmmmmmm.....what's this?  Beth didn't tell me that she was sending me a package.  Let's see what is inside...

Since Beth has the original antique hooked mat of the Snow Zone design, she sent me the piece that I had model stitched for her.  Also enclosed was a "needle minder" with the cutest little pine cone design on it and the latest issue of Sampler and Needlework Quarterly magazine (which has a couple of patterns that I must put on my "to stitch" list).

What is a "needle minder"?  The round disk is magnetized so you can place your needle on it.  No more "where's my needle" panic attacks.  Needle minders are one of those "why didn't *I* think of that" inventions!

Pinned It.......Did It! "Hello, You"

My bestest crafting buddy, Cheryl, has recently been posting a few "Pinned It, Did It" blog posts.  You can see one of them here.  I have pinned many recipe and craft ideas but most of them just sit on my pin boards.

Recently a friend loaned me one of her Stampin' Up stamp sets, Regarding Dahlias, so I could make some birthday cards for her.  After I finished making her cards, I took advantage of having a "new" stamp set and decided to make a few cards for me.  ;o)

I found a cute card on Splitcoast Stampers using the Regarding Dahlias stamp set (actually I found quite a few cute ideas on Splitcoast Stampers using that stamp set) and pinned it to one of my Pinterest boards.  Since I will be returning this stamp set to my friend in a few days, I knew that I needed to act on the pinned card idea.  

Take a look at the completed card.....isn't it quite cute?

Supplies used:  

Stampin Up - cardstock (Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit), square and scalloped square punch, stamp pad (Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit), Regarding Dahlias stamp set, pearl embellishment

my stash - white cardstock

Fiskars - flower punch

And since I was on a crafting roll, I decided to make a cute envie to mail it in.  Lookie at the outside...

And how cute is the inside flap????

Supplies used:

Stampin Up - envelope punch board

Webster's Pages - cardstock, Everyday Poetry collection

The envie will require 20 cents additional postage since it is square but what is 20 cents compared to the priceless opportunity of sending snail mail to friends???  

Just when you think you've seen it all.........

:

See the samples of handmade paper in the photo above?  I received them along with a nice note from a friend, Nicole,who lives in Ethiopia.  

Nicole recently visited Chiang Mai, Thailand and found this unique paper there.   As a fellow papercrafter, she knew that I would be thrilled with this gift.  The handmade paper???  It's made from elephant poo ;o) - seems Chiang Mai is the location of an elephant sanctuary.   Did I mention that Nicole has an unusual sense of humor??  That's one reason why she's my friend.

Oh, the postage stamp carries on with the elephant theme......

I must admit that this isn't the first time I've received recycled poo as a gift.  A year or two ago a friend visited the Virgin Islands and brought me a souvenir......a bookmark made from recycled donkey poo.  Just in case you would like more information on recycled poo products, take a look here.

What about you????  Did you get something interesting in the mail today?

(Snail) Mail Call - Week of Nov. 3

An Ebay purchase - a book....what else!

A colorful "thank you" from a sweet soon-to-be five year old.

An open house invite from one of my fave gift shops.  The envie had one of these on it......

The new poinsettia forever stamp - how pretty!  

News From the Snail Mail World

• Birth announcement and precious newborn photos
• Update on a friend's remodeling project (reminder to self......at the first thoughts of ANY remodeling, please refer back to this letter.)
• News of a rapidly growing 7 month old sweet baby boy and his "cutest two bottom teeth"
• School picture - isn't he handsome?
• New news ;o) from old friends
• Thank you's
• Letterpress cards
• "Thinking of you" sentiments
• Johnny Cash stamps
• Hand drawn hearts and smiley faces

Pen Pals

I really don't remember how I "happened" upon her blog.  And since I am a firm believer in the providence of God, I know that ultimately, He led me to her blog.  Yes, God's providence is so very present in not only the BIG things (such as our salvation) but also in the "seemingly" not-so-big things (such as finding a dear friend through her blog postings).

After reading some of her blog posts, it was evident that Amber and I not only shared favorite hobbies (papercrafting, snail mailing, reading) but we also shared a love for Jesus Christ.  

It was about this time last year when I started "visiting" Amber's blog on a regular basis, leaving my comments about her posts and having her respond to those comments that I had left.  So many times she would write a post about a subject that I had recently been thinking about or struggling with. So, coincidence?  If you think so, you may want to re-read my first paragraph.

Anyhoo, Amber ended one of her posts last fall with this statement, "If you are looking for someone to write, my mailbox is always open!"  Well, 'nuff said!  I left a blog comment that I would *love* to send her a letter and (as they say) the rest is history.

Both Amber and I put a lot into our correspondence with each other; our responses are not written in haste.  So it may be weeks/months between letters......which is perfectly fine as I know that we will write each other "at the right time" and the letter will arrive in our mailboxes just when we need to "hear" each other's encouraging words. 

Amber's letter arrived in my mailbox last Saturday.  What awaited in the sealed envelope?  Treasures! A six-page (front AND back) handwritten letter with a bevy of enclosures!  

My favorite enclosure?  A white paper heart with some "random" questions for me to answer.  Why is this my favorite?  When I turned it over, a final question was listed on the back.....

'Nuff said!  

Surprise!

Earlier this week I received an unexpected gift from a friend.  It's always a pleasant surprise to get snail mail; but when you open the snail mail and it also contains a gift................I need not say more.  The gifts (yes, there was more than one!) deserve their own (future) blog post so you'll just have to check back in a few days. 

My friend, Beth, lives in Oregon and enjoys farming, animals, crafting, designing cross-stitch patterns and photography.  She posts beautiful photographs of her family and farm on her blog, My Heartstring.  Anyhoo, I wanted to send Beth a special card to express my gratitude.

 

 

supplies used:

  brown cardstock - Bazzill Basics

  brown printed paper - My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Two - Blush collection

  sheet music paper - My Mind's Eye Lost & Found - Union Square (no longer available)

  wrens - Jenni Bowlin Wren collection

  "bling" - Webster's Pages

  sentiment - Our Daily Bread Designs - You Will Find Refuge collection

 

I am also entering this card in the Word Art Wednesday Card Challenge #51 and Twist of Faith Card Challenge #8.





Snail Mail

I wanted to make a card that had a "mail" theme for a friend in Texas.  Here is a photo of what I came up with

I will be mailing this to my friend but I also plan on submitting it to Authentique's monthly challenge.  Both papers used on this card are from Authentique's Journey collection.  All the papers in this collection have a blue and brown color scheme.  I think this is one of my favorite Authentique collections.  All stamps used (postage stamps, "hello", postmark, and pen) are from Stampin' Up.

Why not get your craft on and send some snail mail this week?