Coffee Mug Swap - A Success

I am super excited that I was able to participate in Suzels Says Coffee Mug Swap!

All I had to do was send her an email with my contact information, she paired me up with another swap buddy & gave me my buddy's contact info., we each bought a coffee mug for the other, and sent it on its way...easy enough!

So Friday's mail came, and I got super excited when I saw that my swap package was waiting for me!
Here was what my lovely swap buddy, Abbie @ The Envelope Keeper, sent me:

A beautiful lt. blue/brown (one of my favorite color combos) flowered coffee mug & saucer...how cute is that?! Even the saucer is in the shape of a flower...I'm pretty excited because it is the only coffee mug I own now that has a matching saucer!! She also threw in some Starbucks VIA Ready Brew: Columbia - so thoughtful!

THANK YOU SO MUCH ABBIE! I love it :)
And thank you Suzels Says for hosting a fun swap!

*If you missed this swap, her blog says she'll be hosting another one in a couple of months, so check back and participate next time - it's fun, I promise!

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!!

Coffee Mug Swap over at Suzels Says

I'm pretty excited...I just signed up for the Coffee Mug Swap over at Suzels Says!!

All you do is send her an email, get paired with another blogger, and you swap a coffee mug! Easy enough, and a girl can always use another coffee mug, am I right?!

Hurry up though, the sign-up is only happening until April 30th...so just five more days! Can't wait to see who I get matched up with & can't wait to go coffee mug shopping! :)



Surprise Packages are the Best!

So I walked to my mailbox yesterday, not expecting anything out of the ordinary, and found a surprise package from my Dad. I had no idea he was sending me anything...and aren't those the best kind of packages anyway?! It was very thoughtful and contained lots of goodies that I can't wait to use:

Package included: A combo of K-cups for my Keurig, Raspberry Lemonade packets to add to H2O, a lunchbox/insulated cooler, adorable thank you cards & 3 giftcards (Panera, Starbucks, & Red Lobster/Olive Garden)! What more could a girl ask for, huh?!

With technology taking over so many of our communication avenues, sometimes it's just nice to receive mail, and a package at that! Anyway, here are a few ideas for other goodies to put into a "random" care package or 'thinking of you' package (targeted at females):

• Custom stationary, note cards, sitckers, pen(s)
• Favorite candy or snacks
• Instant coffee packets or boxes of tea bags
• Giftcards to favorite places
• Handmade item (bracelet, scarf, jewelry, etc.)
• Pictures
• Travel-size samples of products
• Stuffed animal
• Magazines 

Be creative, think about specific things that the person receiving the package would use, & don't forget to include a personalized card or note! Happy Package Sending! :)