Another Surprise Package!

I can't say it enough...I love getting mail, especially packages! Anyone else with me??

They just always have such a nice, personal touch & it makes a person feel good to know that someone out there is thinking about them and wanting to brighten their day, just a little bit.

I met Jenn when I was living in Monterey, CA. I was having a hard time meeting people (as is sometimes the case when you move somewhere not knowing anyone) and decided to join this knitting group on Meetup. The group contained about 5-10 ladies (all different ages) who got together every week to eat, knit & chat...it was a blast! Anyway, Jenn was one of the leaders of the group and we very quickly became good friends...going to get coffee or dinner, taking short road trips, attending the midnight release of Twilight's New Moon at the local Borders, and even taking a sewing class together. Our love for knitting, DIY, Twilight books/movies, etc. bonded us for life, I'm pretty sure! :)

Have I mentioned that she is one of the craftiest people I know?! She knits, crochets, paints, cooks, makes handmade cards, sews...you name it, she does it...or she'll figure out how to do it! She has such great ideas - I just love them all. She has a blog too - Piles of Patterns, and she's promised me that she'll be updating soon!!

So I received this uber-thoughtful package from her and had to share it:

It was partly a belated birthday gift - even the gift bag was personalized!

Cutest handmade card AND envelope - it says "Sparkle & Shine"

Some AMAZING sea salt caramels from Lula's Chocolates in Monterey (I also featured them here on Friday - so you can see what the caramels actually looked like). Needless to say, they're gone by now, not a trace of them left! :)

A darling bookmark that displays the quote: "Where there is love there is life" ~Mahatma Gandhi. I am currently putting it to good use, as I'm starting the 3rd book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series!

Some fun 'create-your-own' magnets...you just stick a picture or piece of scrapbook paper or whatever you want behind the glass, stick the magnet on and you have personalized magnets for your fridge! Very cool idea - will have to share my finished product when I'm done.

And finally, a beautiful, handmade cowl - made from jersey knit material. It is soft, light-weight AND reversible (you can see both sides in the pic)!! I love it and have a feeling that I'm going to get A LOT of use out of it.

So as if I hadn't listed out a lot of ideas & suggestions for care packages here, there are many more options above, if you enjoy DIY/crafts/sewing/etc. Jenn knows me SO well, and this package screams it - I love her thoughtfulness and can't wait to send her one right back!! Thanks Jenn :)

Do you all have any other items you enjoy receiving in the mail or in packages? Please share!!

Stocked Full of Memories

So, this past fall, my parents moved out of the house that my siblings and I grew up in...it was a good decision for them at the time, but sort of sad too. It meant that "home" would have a very different feel each time I visit, and it also meant that I would have to go through all of the memorabilia that I still had stored there, dating all the way back to grade school (yeah, I'm serious). It was fun going through it all, even if it meant getting rid of some things. You know, those things you come across and think to yourself "Um, why the heck do I still have this?!" But nonetheless, it meant something to me at one point or another. So while going through all of my belongings to choose what I would keep/pitch/donate, I came across a TON of old t-shirts from almost every dance recital and musical that I was ever in...and there were a lot. That was definitely something I wanted to hang onto, but what was I going to do with them?! Some of the dance recital shirts are from when I was a little girl, so the t-shirt would obviously NOT fit me! Well, my sister came across a company that takes your t-shirts & turns them into a quilt. Now, I know this isn't a new concept...people have been doing this for years upon years. But needless to say, I knew this was my best option & I couldn't wait to have a quilt made out of all of my own t-shirts!

The company I went with is called 3 Stitch Creations and they're located in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. They were great to work with, very communicative from the time they received my t-shirts (because who really wants to mail those things off, in fear of them not getting to where they are supposed to, and ultimately getting lost forever) to sharing with me the final product before even mailing it to me. The experience was great! They offer all different sizes of quilts (which is dependent on how many t-shirts you send them) and customize it just to your liking. You decide the color of the backing, the stitch design, and you proof the final design before they begin stitching it together. I think their prices are very reasonable (and again, depend on the size of the quilt)...I mean, I can't imagine how many hours go into a quilt like this. But anyway, here is my finished product, that is now in my possession:

As you can see, mine is very colorful & I was very active as a kid!

Backing: Black

Stitch: Loop-the-Loop

Size: Lap Quilt (15-20 shirts)

You can see the stitch detail here:

*This was the t-shirt I was talking about that was teeny-tiny...my 1st ever dance recital back in '89-'90!

I can't really express into words how much this quilt means to me - every time I look at it, I am flooded with memories from each and every recital/show! I would have loved to be able to do it myself, or have known someone that quilts who could have taken on the project, but I am extremely happy that I went with 3 Stitch Creations - they do amazing work. They also have an Etsy Shop, which makes ordering even easier! Just think about all of those t-shirts you have lying around or stowed away in dresser drawers - they would look great made into a quilt! :) One of the most popular quilts that they create are for sports teams - so maybe your hubby has a favorite sports team & has tons of apparel - get a memorable quilt made!

Hopefully this gives you a great idea to put your old t-shirts to good use!