Gifties

I feel so blessed as I received a few gifts these past couple of weeks. Not only that, I also heard a very good news but I'm not gonna share it yet as I don't want to get too excited about it and jinx it. I'll just share it when it's already happening. ^^

On with the gifts... I got this really pretty and sparkly anklet from a very good friend who's based in Kuwait.

I LOVE it! It reminded me how much I love anklets and should get back to wearing them. Thank you so much, Amor! Like what I keep on telling you, you're spoiling us too much. *insert green heart here*

Next, I participated in two Redditgifts exchanges, Everyday Carry and J.R.R. Tolkien, and the package from my Everyday Carry secret santa already arrived. Yay! Here are what's in the package

along with this note...

I love everything she sent me but my secret santa did not reveal herself (I'm assuming she's a girl based on the heart on the envelope, the handwriting and the xx on the note). It's like she knows me personally... see, there's this little notebook, pens from Japan (I love anything from Japan!), touchscreen pen, and a GREEN emergency pouch with a mini screwdriver keychain and a small sewing kit inside... perfect for my travels! Thank you so much secret santa! xx

Last but definitely not the least is this package from Sarah Schwartz of The Paper Chronicles.

Here's her sweet note...

She sent me this stationery set in exchange for participating in her letter writing campaign. The lovely set is called The Polaroid Love Notes and is sponsored by Adam Schwartz of Chronicle Books. (No, they're not related. Haha) Thank you so much Sarah and Adam! I really love this set! It really suits me because I love analog photography (and photography in general). The photos are all beautiful and I really like their vintage feel. I'm seriously thinking about using them (I'd rather keeo them. Haha!). I promise to put them to good use.

Happy Mail Week

Last week was a happy mail week for me. Not only did I receive a very nice package but my letter for a letter-writing campaign and my hand-bound books for an online craft swap already arrived their destinations. Wee!

First of all is the letter-writing campaign. I was following a blog about a calligraphy tutorial and I saw this post about a letter-writing campaign. I am into mail swaps, I am trying to learn calligraphy, and I love anything paper, so, I joined.

I used one of the stationery I received from the craft soirée that I joined last year. I didn't take a picture of my letter anymore because my handwriting that time was crappy. Haha! Instead, here's a picture of the stationery that I used which was made by my groupmate or swapmate, Mab.

Pretty, isn't it? And very creative, too! Here's her Instagram post... you an see my messy handwriting here. Haha!


My letter finally reached Sarah of The Paper Chronicles and you can read all about it here. Thanks again, Sarah, for the letter-writing campaign! I really love the idea and I wish there are more like this.

Next is my hand-bound books for the Online Craft Swap 2014, PH version. I mailed the notebooks on Friday and it arrived the next day. Louie posted about them on Instagram and I'm really glad she liked them. You can see photos of the notebooks on my previous post.


Last but definitely not the least is my package from my swap buddy from the same online craft swap. I received it on Friday but haven't got the time to post about it, yet. It's from from someone named Melza and I do hope I get to meet her personally one day.

I love everything that she sent me! Here they are...

The felt craft is so pretty! Like what I said on my IG post, I now have the sea, the moon, and the stars in my room with a bonus cityscape, too! The art knife and mat I already have but I still love them because one can never have too many craft supplies. Agree? Haha! I'm going to put these in my everyday carry. ;) The rubber stamps... I am actually pondering over buying one set like this. Now, I don't have to because I already have one. Yay! Thank you so much Melza! ETA: Just heard from Melza and she said that the felt craft was inspired by the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong and the craft materials were bought in Shanghai. Thanks again! :D

Hand-bound Books for My Swap Buddy

I joined an Online Craft Swap her in the Philippines and what we're going to swap are handmade items or craft materials. I think there are at least 10 participants in the swap, 2 of them I personally. Deadline of sending the goodies is tomorrow and I can't wait to find out who got my name and what I'll be receiving.

Right now, I just want to show you what I'll be sending my swap buddy. She mentioned that she likes little notebooks, so, notebooks it is. :D We were asked to post a sneak peek of what we're working on on Instagram a few days ago, so, my buddy already has an idea of what she'll be receiving. She's the swap organizer and she knows I'll be the one sending her some goodies. That's one less mystery for her. Haha. Anyway, here's the sneak peek that I posted:

I made her two personalized hand-bound notebooks, one with a basic Japanese stab binding and the other one with hardcover or case binding. I personalized them by putting her name on the covers. (Yay 'cause I was finally able to use my metal stamps for the first time! Haha!) Here are some photos of the notebooks...

The last photo is with my handwritten letter together with the books. I'm currently trying the Spencerian script and thought this is a great opportunity to practice it. :)

These notebooks are off to the owner tomorrow. I hope she'll like them!

The one that started it all...

Here’s what started me joining postcard and mail swaps.

Late 2012, I was looking for something to keep me busy and crafty at the same time. I was surfing the net for craft projects when I came across this local mail swap. It found it interesting so I joined... it was the Hey Kessy Merry Merry Mail Swap. The instructions for the swap was to simply create something Christmas related and then send it to your assigned partner. I already forgot what I sent my partner and sadly, I didn’t take a picture. On the other hand, I was really happy with what I received… oh so pretty stuff from Tippy of Googly Gooeys.

Here are photos of the mail I received...