In The Mail

I ran across a swap a couple of weeks ago that intrigued me. It was on the Just Be Connected blog and it is called the 'Re-Gift Swap'. The object was to gather things that your partner would like based on their interests then to go shopping at home for items that chase away the winter doldrums. This was a blind swap in that I did not know who was sending to me, only to whom I was sending. My first try at putting together a package for Anna in San Antonio was just too heavy to mail. She is a beginning quilter and I have tons of stuff (duh!) that I have been given or that I have purchased for quilting but no longer use. I ended up sending her three books including the Idiots' Guide to Quilting. I also sent her a bobbin saver, a couple of pairs of silver earrings (I can't wear silver), a bunch of quilt labels, and a big brass thing to hold it all. I put it all into a Quilt Festival tote. For the price of postage I got to reduce the clutter by a tiny bit and, I hope, made someone's day.

My day was made yesterday when I received my Re-Gift Swap Package. The package included fat quarters, a quilt book, darling note cards and a lovely pin. My sender is a very talented water colorist and the cards are printed from her work. Even the interiors of the cards are completely decorated. The pin is an original watercolor and proceeds from the sale of the pins are donated to a charity that digs wells for clean water in the third world. Here's what the package looked like:

The website for the cards is: http://farmhousestudio.blogspot.com/ - I don't see how to order the cards on this site but I am sure that if you comment to her the two of you could work it out.

Jacquelynne's blog is at: http://thenoblewife.blogspot.com/ where she has the water color pins and a new wool pin. The proceeds of the wool pins are donated to a charity that buys sheep for third world individuals.

Although my style is not so overtly country as my package seemed I was still thrilled to get it and I already have plans for using the fabric in a crazy quilt style bag for the Kingwood Quilt Guild sale.