Favorite Color Swap 3

Wow!

2008-06-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

All I can say is Wow! Thank you to Jill for the amazing candles that I won! They smell amazing.

If you don't already have some of her candles, go and buy some. Now!

Winners!

2008-06-12T10:13:00.001-07:00

Drum roll please!

The winner of the stitch markers is...

MANDY!

The winner of the soy wax hand poured 19 oz. jar candle from Starstruck Cat Design is...

ADELLE!

Congrats, you two! I've emailed you both about the prizes.

Thanks to everyone for making this an awesome swap once again. I'll be sending out an email when round 4 is ready for sign-ups, probably in the fall. Thanks again, see you next time!

Prizes Coming Soon!

2008-06-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Well, for most of you, the swap is long over. I did, though, have a few people waiting on apcakges that took a little longer to get, and some that didn't show up. I've gotten angels all situated, and hopefully everyone now has gotten something. I'm back from a long vacation, and things are mellow here now, too. So, tomorrow, I'm going to be drawing for the prizes! YAAY! Keep an eye out for the blog post.

Oh, and if you're curious about the prizes, take a look over there in the top left corner!

2008-05-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

When is the next one?

Package received!

2008-05-17T00:38:00.001-07:00

Many thanks to my pal, Starfish, for my package! It arrived safely last week and I've posted a pic and details on my blog.

Thanks Nichole for oganising the swap. It was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next one.

I got my Swag!

2008-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Everything from a fantastic windchime which I'm totally in love with to tasty groovy pops and 5 skeins of Caron Simply soft! We just can't buy Simply soft around here and I'm really excited because I have enough to knit my very first pullover. I have plans for making Dahlia!

She even sent my kidlet some cute Strawberry Shortcake ponytail holders and a cute sweater pattern! Pru also confiscated my washcloth lol

And the stitch markers are the first real Markers I've ever owned! I'm totally pumped about that! And the little doodad holder is also a perfect fit for my needs! I'm so excited! Thanks Auntie Em!

Package not received (yet)!!!

2008-05-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm on truble! I have not received my package from my pal yet!!!!

Package received!

2008-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

My package from the wonderful Hockeymom arrived earlier today! Photos of all my goodies are posted over in my blog.

This was a wonderful swap, I cannot wait until round 4!

Yay!

2008-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got my wonderful box full of yarny and scrapbooky goodness and I am in love, love, love with every bit of it. My swap partner is the absolute best and I promise, as soon as a have more than three consecutive minutes available within range of a computer that is not company property, I will be posting extensively about its level of silver fabulousness!

Thank you Anne!

~Kathleen/Serya

Thanks Mary!

2008-04-30T07:23:00.001-07:00

Yay! I received my swap package last week!

Read more about it here.

My pal rocks my socks!

2008-04-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

So, I got this package a good bit ago, but life has kind of gotten in the way of posting. I am completely in love with my pal...all sorts of purpley goodness ensued in my package. See?

I'm sorry the picture is so dark...there are scented candles, an AWESOME bubble wand, some really pretty purple TLC yarn, a knit bag out of that yarn, some lavender scented stuff, some MIX cds, yay...but my very favorite part is that penguin you see in front. It's crocheted, and it's pretty much teh cutest thing I've EVER seen.

Thanks, dear pal. :)

Without further delay

2008-04-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

How wonderful to finally get my box of treasures. Carla did such a great job picking items that I just love including making a most beautiful shawl.

Heart's Delight Afghans book
A cables and lace scarf pattern
2 skeins of Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere - red of course
2 skeins of Leisure Time Yarn - red & black variegated
A set of CS Lewis books - one of my favorite authors -
Made for Heaven, Paved with Good Intentions, and What Christians Believe
beaded stitch markers
Tension Tamer tea
Beautiful gold to red variegated lace shawl

See the goodies here.

Thanks also to Nicole for running the show once again.

Coolest Swap Parnter Ever

2008-04-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today I had a wonderful surprise, I received the most beautiful gifts from my favorite color swap pal Laura from D.C. She is a spoiler indeed. Since I am actually both a quilter and a knitter, Laura spoiled me with both! The package includes a National Cherry Blossom Festival bag filled with:

Washington, D.C . – Then and Now book.
Fons & Porters Quilting Magazine
The Quilters Apprentice – a Jennifer Chiaverini book.
Yarn Harlot’s “Things I Learned from Knitting”.
A cute DPN case
Notecards
7 skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk in plum.

Thank you so much Laura. You are so wonderful! I couldn’t have picked out better myself!

BIG thanks to Megan!

2008-04-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

I received my box from Megan, while I was out of town on business last week. What a great present to have waiting for me when I got home.

There's more details on my blog.

mystery chest revealed

2008-04-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

when this super huge package arrived for me, i couldn't imagine that it could have been my FCS3 package. i was expecting something smaller but to my surprise...behold the mystery chest:

seriously, my pal went above and beyond. first, let's talk about this trunk. oddly enough, a friend and i have been talking about those little cosmetic trunks that our mothers had back in the days of hot rollers and such, and how they would make the perfect knitting case. imagine my surprise when i ripped into the package to find this trunk so carefully wrapped in scrunched paper for protection.

it came over the weekend but i haven't had a chance to take any photos until tonight, so please forgive the lighting. check out it's amazing contents:

there are two hanks of malabrigo worsted in citrus, three hanks of manos cotton stria, three luxurious skeins of royal bamboo, and one skein of life style by zitron; 3 bags of licorice...OMG, i am about to faint over those i love them so much...3 bars of dark chocolate...seriously, someone catch me...some amazing glass knitting needles, a set of 000 addi dpns, "things i learned from knitting...whether i wanted to or not" by the yarn harlot, a cottage cotton collection pattern book by manos del uruguay, some lovely rain dots stickers for my windows, an embroidered "c" initial iron-on (i am having serious thoughts of putting my initial on all my shirts a-la laverne) and last but not least yarn ball cat toys for my cat. whew!

first of all, how she managed to get all that into that trunk is beyond me, i can't seem to get the top shut again with all that stuff in there. second of all, there is way more in here than i could have imagined, my secret pal went way above and beyond. thirdly, she certainly was good at keeping her identity a secret, i had to do a little investigative searching to find out who she was...there was no note enclosed!!

a little birdie told me who she was, thanks kathleen (Serya of Duntrune)!!

WOW!!

2008-04-21T14:51:00.001-07:00

I decided to walk down to the apartment office while Mosterette was napping to get some card thingy for our new washers and dryers in the community laundry room. I walked in and the awesome lady behind the desk asked me if I had a package. (apparently, between far-away relatives and obscene amounts of interwebs ordering, I get a lot of packages.) I said I didn't think I had a package, and she said, " (insert last my last name here), right?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"I'm pretty sure there's a box for you back here..."

She wanders into the package closet, and comes out with a box for me! It's too small to be the box that my grandma sent me (full of YARN! More on that at another date, though), so it MUST be the box from my Favorite Color Swap pal! SQUEE!

I rushed back to the apartment, and tried to calm my nerves enough to take a picture before tearing in to everything:

The card was super cute, and had a great little message from Tami inside:

After reading the card, I carefully took out the tissue paper and folded it up (yes, I'm one of those people. I save tissue paper and re-use it.), and this is what I saw:

I immediately went for the roving, pulled it out, and fondled it a bit before moving on to the TON of other goodies. It's such awesome roving! I need to spin more... Oh, and I don't now if you guys can tell, but all the goodies were wrapped in this great stitched paper. I tried really hard to save it, but then I got all crazy and paper was a-flyin' in all directions. There was so much goodness in that box! It really made me smile. Here's the first round of goodies:

From the bottom left: A bath puff, flower pen, reed diffuser (I've been lusting after one of these FOREVER. How'd you know, Tami?!), orange bell pepper cutting board, note cards (WOOT!), photo frame, yummy orange popsicle scented lotion, bath salts (with bergamot! One of my favorite scents!), and a little felt watering can and maracas for the Monsterette. (Which, by the way, she TOTALLY loves. anyone who knows my kid knows she loves to make "music".)

Are you overwhelmed yet? Because at this point, I was! Can you believe there's more?

Again, from the bottom left: Awesome stitch markers, star-shaped post-its, Cadbury dairy Milk chocolate bar (my all-time favorite chocolate. EVER. Oddly, one of the bars she sent didn't make it to the photo shoot. Hmm.), The awesome roving, SWTC Bamboo yarn (I've been wanting to try this stuff forever!), Panda Wool sock yarn (isn't is gorgeous?! I've been wanting to try this, too!), orange point protectors, and a Critter container that I've been lusting after for a while.

The other thing that didn't make it into the photo (I was browsing though it while I ate my chocolate bar) was the Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave book. This ROCKS! This should definitely jump-start my sock knitting. I've been lusting after sock books for a while, but couldn't justify it, never knitting a pair of successful socks.

Oh. My. God. Seriously, this was one awesome package. Tami, you totally rock! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Hooray for Allegra!

2008-04-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

The other day, I received my swap package in the mail. I opened the box, and here's what I saw:

Once I opened the packages, it was even better! Thanks Allegra - you coudn't have done better if you'd known me all my life!

If you are curious, I provide all kinds of details here.

Thank you so much Jennifer T.!!!

2008-04-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

I love bright rich colors and Jennifer T. really hit the mark. Thank you so much for all the wonderful goodies. To read more about what I received check out my blog! This was my first swap and I must say it was a ton of fun, both giving and receiving. I can't wait to do it again. Thank you Nicole for hosting this and doing such a wonderful job.

So Spoiled!

2008-04-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

I came home after a loooooooong day and was pleasantly surprised to to find a BIG package leaning up against my front door. First, I'd like to say WOW! Thanks Panj! I am so happy and feel so spoiled.

Panj was such a great secret pal. She sent me so many cute and cheerful eCards that made me smile. She is such a thoughtful, wonderful person and I was very lucky to get her as a pal. So, Panj you are a sweetheart! Thank you sooooooo much!

Now...LOOT!!!

It's so hard to choose a favorite out of all this wonderful stuff. I love that she sent a post card from her neck of the woods. I love that she made me a very pretty pot holder! I love everything. Yay!

The Camera Works

2008-04-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Read and see the details of my wonderful haul on my blog

Yay!

2008-04-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Mandy rocks.

Click here to see why.

Got mine!!

2008-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Received a lovely package from Fioleta. Check out my blog:
http://fiddlestix.typepad.com/fiddlestix/2008/04/cool-swag.html

Allegra

Holy Purple!

2008-04-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so can I tell y'all a story about being spoiled completely rotten? I am ruined for swaps from here on out, I'm sure of it.

So, I had the great swap pal who contacted me regularly and very obviously asked the right questions or stalked my blog or Ravelry or something. Make sure to read to the end of this post to find out who my swap pal was...you'll be jealous when you see the spoiling she did!

I came home today from a rather stressful day and was all excited because I was pretty sure my sock club kit from Woolgirl, my Loopy Groupie package from The Loopy Ewe, and my April shipment from Harmony Semi-Solids would be in the mail (yes, I do have a problem). But there was this mysterious 4th package and the HECK if I could figure out who it was from! The name and address were unfamiliar and I was baffled. Had my yarn problem grown to a point where I have ordering black-outs? Very possible, I suppose.

So I tore into the box. Within the box were all these little things wrapped in beautiful tissue paper and black ribbons. Well, many yarn stores wrap things up all fancy, so maybe this was a new supplier for my habit? I tore open the first one and was REALLY confused. It was a stunningly gorgeous yarn that I have heard of but I just knew I hadn't ordered any. Or had I?

Yes. I am a little slow on the uptake. But suddenly it dawned on me. This was my Favorite Color Swap Gift!

I quickly put the yarn back in the tissue and set up the package contents for a photo session (photo quality is not great as I used my iPhone).

Here is what my first glimpse was (we won't discuss that I already ripped into one package and then quickly rewrapped...):

Now that a picture was taken and I realized that I had not yet reached the blackout-yarn-ordering stage of my habit, I allowed myself to savor the opening of the contents.

Since you probably can't tell what everything is, I will share a complete list. There were little notes on many things, which I will include as well.

Black Currant superwash finger weight sock yarn from Have You Any Wool? This is lovely. Gorgeous deep plum colors, and oh so soft. I cannot wait to knit it, but I also want to admire it in the skein for a bit.
Handmade (by my swap pal!) dishcloths. 1 black, 1 purple, 1 black and purple. I have never received a knit item before. I almost cried. They are fabulous and I can't decide if I should use them or frame them! I love these, and I love that my pal went to the effort to make me something special. Little note: "Handmade by me! I absolutely love these dishcloths."
2 Bath & Body Works hand lotions...Sea Island Cotton and Sensual Amber. My pal knew of my hand lotion habit and my favorite supplier, but somehow managed to find two scents that I have never tried. I love them! These go on the list of favorite scents. For the life of me I cannot remember if I told my pal about my hand lotion habit or if she stalked that info. Either way, it cracked me up! The little note on these said, "Feeding your hand lotion addiction - hope you like the scents!"
Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Oh yum. How I managed a picture before scarfing this down, I do not know. Oh how I love the chocolate! And my pal has magical powers. The chocolate is NOT MELTED! It is 80+ degrees today, and it is fully intact. But to be on the safe side, she thoughtfully packed it (and the lotion) in an individual ziplock. Little note: "This is my favorite chocolate!"
Stitch Markers. Beautiful, tiny, PURPLE stitch markers for sock knitting. I do not own tiny stitch markers! The best part? Also made by my pal! And I really need tiny stitch markers cause I am getting ready to try some fancy sock patterns and they will be a life saver. Little note: "Handmade by me, from my Etsy store! Thought they would be good for socks." Etsy store is here, and I highly recommend that you visit and buy buy buy. I can tell that these will never be in the way and will never snag, but will distract the heck out of my because they are SO PRETTY!
Big bag of Starburst Berries & Creme. Oh. My. Gawd. Yum. I love these things. And when I say big bag, I mean a BIG BAG. I have to hide this and the chocolate from DH. He tends to steal, and I do not want to share. Little note: "I know you said you liked berry flavors - I hope you like these!" Well, pal, I do not like them. I love them with every fiber of my being.
Wee little teeny tiny bamboo crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches. Now I know I did not say anything anywhere about this. What are you, a mind reader??? I have the hardest time with picking up stitches and making repairs, and a lot of it is due to a lack or proper tools! I have a zillion crochet hooks and they are all too dang big and awkward to use. I seriously had no idea such a tool as this existed, and I am crazy about it. I use a small bag for my sock projects and I like to limit the amount and size of tools to conserve space. This is the most perfect thing EVER to add to my essentials. Little note: "I love this for picking up dropped stitches. It's a life saver!" I'm sure it will be.
And last but not least by a long shot! 5 gorgeous postcards from her homestate. The pictures are beautiful. I think I need to move to New Mexico now. Seriously. These are going on the mirror in my knit room. I love them and they really make me want a vacation.

So, wow. Has anyone read this far? Can you tell how happy I am? I've had a very rough couple of months and very few things have made me smile this much in quite some time. But dang! This may be getting me out of my funk.

Thank you so much to our lovely swap hostess and my secret pal (told you I was spoiled!), Nichole D. aka SavingNine.

Good News and Bad News

2008-04-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

The good news: I got a terrific package from Dee today. She really outdid herself personalizing this box with my colors and things I like. She made lots of things in the package herself...and this woman has eight children! What a woman! When does she sleep, I want to know.

The bad news: The camera needs charging, so I can't post pictures yet. Soon, I promise!

Yay! It's here!

2008-04-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've just finished posting to my blog about my booty pile from Genevieve. Come on over to see it.