Yay for pocket letters!

New addiction: making pocket letters. Check out these lil jewels I made in the last week or so! Both sent out for swaps-so over the moon excited to get one in the mail soon!! So many little goodies tucked in the pockets! 

Here comes pumpkin flavoured everything!

Well doesn't today just feel like fall. All cloudy and drizzly outside and cozy and warm inside! What a shame pumpkin spice lattes aren't out yet! I love fall-a season of excuses to stay inside and craft while listening to the rain fall outside!

We went on a boat tour of the Fraser river this weekend-right in the middle of what some are calling the great storm of 2015! 

How beautiful is that picture! I'm thinking about getting it printed and using it in some of my fall themed cards! 

 

Here is a commissioned wedding card I whipped up this weekend-in the middle of the doom and gloom I decided to seize the forced indoor time to create some prettiness! 

Another wedding card I made this weekend! 

Thanks for reading <3

-me

I opened an Etsy store today!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/245936632/home-made-cards?ref=shop_home_active_1

I have decided to sell some of my homemade cards on Etsy! if you want a surprise package of 15 assorted greeting cards, check it out! as that is the only item available at this very second ;) stay tuned!

Post crossing

My latest snail mail hobby-post crossing! Today I sent out two cards, one to the Czech Republic an one to Poland! Usually I like making post cards myself but I find post crossing a great way to use all the post cards I find myself with from my little adventures into Vancouver or to other beautiful spots around BC! I wrote these post cards while sipping on a cup of glitter and gold tea from David's tea. A very cozy night :) 

A few swaps gone by!

Just a few photos of things I've made! I think envelopes are my favourite. In my short stint as a post office worker, a cheerful envelope made the world of difference to the boring envelope bin! 

Home made post card 

More home made post cards :)

A few of my envies 

A lovely stack of incoming mail! Nothing makes me more excited then a full mail box!!

That's all for now! 

-me

They laughed at my needlework, I laughed at their stitches

I recently re discovered cross stitching. I went through a phase of making 1 a night!! Here are a few pics. I have grand plans of adding mini cross stitch art to my next (first!) pocket letter! Stay tuned! 

Swaps sent!

When inspiration hits I like to craft a whole collection! This particular night was inspired by a bag of odds and ends I got at michaels for cheap! I love florals and mixing patterns!!

This night was inspired by my favourite blue colour and a package of flower stickers I bought! I love the look of the brown 'butcher paper' mixed with delicate things like embossing and lacy flowers! I got a Fiskars scrap boss from a local 'bidding wars' group on Facebook and I am in love! Keeping my eyes open for more 12 x 12" templates to use in my handy new embosser! 

-me

Getting to know you swap!

Maybe I should have posted this one first! not all the answers are up to date but still an awesome way to get to know someone! :)

1) where are you from? 

BC-I have lived about (no more than!) 4 hours from where I was born my whole life

2) whats your favorite color? 

Depends on the day! Usually teal/sunshiney blue

3) what do you collect?

Penpals! haha no but really anything to do with stationary etc

Oh. And anything with seaturtles

4) are you married, single, in a relationship, etc? 

In a relationship with a pretty great guy 

5) Do you have kids? if so how many?

No kids yet!

6) Whats your favorite activities/hobbies? 

Crafting! I love making cards and pretty envelopes and making an intentional trip to the post offce

7

) whats your favorite tv shows?

The walking dead!! I am obsessed!

 8) whats your favorite kind of music? Favorite artist/band? favorite songs from each?

I love country-really like carrie underwood little toys gubs. I also like florence and the machine

 9) whats your favorite movies?

world war z and beauty and the beast

 10) Tell me 3 random things about your self!!

Today is my first day as a receptionist-and here I am on the computer working on swaps! haha not as busy as i thought it would be!

I graduate book keeping in 1 week!

I love kittens and am considering getting a kitten tattoo ASAP

20 Questions swap!

1. What was the last song you listened to? -I don't remember the last song that played on the radio on my way to work today but the last song I searched on youtube to intentionally listen too was from a movie called rudderless-the song was called Home. So good!!
2. What is your favourite thing about the place you live?  I love all the hiking trails and mountains and hidden little lakes all over BC! Just yesterday we went swimming in a little gem of a pond with an absolutely unobstructed view of Mount Baker 
3. What is your earliest childhood memory?- I remember visiting my mom and sister in the hospital when she was born, I was about 3 years old
4. Is there a movie that always makes you cry?-Depends on the day! sometimes I am in a 'sappy' mood and anything and everything makes me cry!! Rudderless I sobbed in (Just watched it the other day-can you tell? haha) But the classics like the notebook or a walk to remember always get me to tears too!!
5. If you could be any animal, what would you be? Seaturtles! They dont just swim-they fly underwater!!
6. What is the first album you ever bought? Kutless-A christian rock band, they were also my first concert! 
7. What was your favourite TV show as a child? Arthur
8. If you could travel back to any era, which one would you choose? The 70's, pretty sure I would make a great hippy
9. Who do you trust the most in your life? Myself :P 
10. How many languages can you say "hello" in? 4
11. What is your favourite kind of weather? I am happy in whatever weather it is outside! rain is cozy and refreshing, snow is beautiful, sun is amazing and cold crisp fall air is invigorating! 
12. How did you discover that Santa wasn't real and how old were you? Grade 1! my older brother came home from school and told me thats what his grade 4 teacher had told him
13. What is the best feeling in the world? not setting an alarm but waking up in time for the sunrise anyways-and being able to lie in bed and watch it!
14. What is your favourite colour?  sunshiney Teal bluey
15. Is there a language you would love to learn? Spanish-I have tried so many times!
16. How do you feel about reality TV? I think it is dumb entertainment. Sometimes I watch it to kill time. Only a few select shows, the bachelor and bachelorette make me so angry
17. Did you ever skip school when you were a kid? Yes! I am prone to migraines and used that a time or two to get out of going to school! or one time I cried so much about my 'bad hair day' my mom just gave up and let me stay home. High School was more of a just didnt go back to class kind of skipping haha
18. What is your least favourite food? Probably sea food. I am vegetarian but something about seafood just particularly turns me off
19. Do you have any pets? I wish!
20. Do you have a good luck charm? I wear a ring my mom got me everyday-Its kind of my good luck charm!

15 Questions swap!

1. If you could be a flower what would you pick? I would be a pink peony. They are delicate, beautiful and complicated. They are my favorite flower and make me so so happy-just like I would like to make others happy!
2. What one thing would you recommend I try and why? Living off of next to nothing! No credit cards, not increasing any debt, etc. My food budget is about half of my swapbot budget! haha, the rest goes to savings or donations. It is freeing knowing that I dont need a whole bunch of 'stuff'.
3. The end of the world is coming and you have been chosen to be saved in an underground bunker. What 10 items would you choose to bring into the bunker with you? Five of the items must be used to define what you think should be saved and passed on to future generations of humanity (examples: things you want preserved like historical transcripts, the bible etc) and 5 can be whatever you want to bring with you. What would you choose for the 10 items and why?                                                                               1. I would like to bring my family photos.                                                                                           2. I would bring my history textbooks! the future generation needs to know the past in order to move forward.                                                                                                                                             3: My oma wrote a book about my families history. I would love to be able to pass that on!                   4:The bible. I don't always agree with the way it is interpreted but it is a huge part of my family, I think it should be passed on (with a grain of salt ;) )                                                                                     5. Music. I dont know how this would work...like maybe an ipod with an ininite battery? or a record? those are pretty indistructable. I think music tells a lot about the culture where it originated from, would be a cool snapshot into the past for future generations (PS if it is the end of the world, where do these future generations come from??                                                                                             6: Blankets. I hate being cold and I hate when other people are cold. When people stay at my house I try to make sure they have at least a few blankets on their bed!                                                           7:Wapons! Guns! Knives! Unlike the walking dead, living in canada, I feel like it would be a lot harder to just come across weapons should I need them!                                                                               8. Food enough to share with people and trade for protection as I really wouldnt want to be the one using the weapons I brought haha                                                                                                           9. The people I love. If the end of the world is coming, I don't want to face it alone!                               10. the keys to my invincible underground bunker where I would be safe from radiation, zombies and any sort of apocalyptic bug infestations.  No I don't have a bunker but I will work on that ;)
4. If you could do anything you wanted, without penalty, what would it be? Why? (This could be things that are illegal, or things that you just couldn't do without the possibility of dying.)                                                   I would steal half of all millionaires wealth and pay off my student loans and give to the poor! Just call me robin hood ;)
5. If you had to describe yourself in three words, it would be...                                                                        Stormy, eccentric, loving
6. You've just been hired to a promotions position at Kellog Co. What would you put in a new breakfast cereal box as a gimmick?                                                                                                                         one in every thousand or so boxes had a voucher for $1,000
7. What's the most interesting Question here you have ever been asked?                                                           
8. What is your hometown most famous for? (or the next bigger city if you are living in a tiny village)                  Abbotsford has a berry festival because we produce most of the berries in BC/Alberta 
9. What does your first name mean?                                                                                                        something stupid about trees/standing tall. At least thats what my mom told me! My middle name is my moms adoptive moms name which I think has more meaning than my first
10.  What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex                                                                           Their hands!! I love mans hands.  OOO or if they have a beard. I love love love beards
11. What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? Would you recommend it?                                               50 Shades of grey.  meh, probably not. I enjoyed the books but the movie made it all seem pretty abusive and dark                             
12. When you were 6 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?                                                   A trucker. I pictured myself in a big rig with a little dog :P
13. Would you consider yourself religious?                                                                                                   No. Religion was created by humans, at least the way it is today, and can kind of twist/distract from actually having a relationship with God
14. If you were the eighth dwarf, what would your name be? (draws from the german tale: Snowwhite)              Poopsy.  I'm not really grumpy but sometimes I get poopy and I think that would be a lot funner to watch in a movie than grumpy ;)
15. What one rule did you always disagree with growing up?                                                                        Having to finish everything on your plate, especially when I didn't dish it up for myself. I think that knowing when youre full and knowing when to stop eating is a vital part of getting to know yourself!

One Word Answers Swap

        Here are the answers from a one word answers swap I did awhile ago! I love swaps like this-so much can be learned from such short answers! If you want to answer these for yourself-copy and paste into your own blog and let me know so I can read about you!

        thanks!

       -me

    

           What is your favorite color? Teal

          2.          What is your favorite mode of transportation? Train

          3 .       What surprises people about you? Smart

          4.       What is your favorite meal? Breakfast

           5.       Do you have any body art? Yes

          6.       Where is one place you would like to visit, but have never been to? Fiji

        7.       Who is your greatest hero? Roosevelt

       8.       When was the last time you bought yourself something nice? Today

       9.       Your reaction to someone cutting in a line you’ve been waiting a while in: Laughter

         10.   Describe the outfit you are wearing right now: Jammies

         11.   What is your favorite form of exercise? Ha!

      12.   If you had no alarm and nowhere to be, what time would you get up? 0900

      13.   Describe your current relationship status: Happy

      14.   What is your greatest fear in life? Failure

     15.   If you saw someone shoplifting, what would you do? Confront

     16.   What do you fill your day doing? Stamping

        17.   You’re in a crowded room full of loud people, suddenly the room goes silent. What caused this? Distraction?

      18.   What is something you’re open to, but haven’t tried yet? Skydiving  (OH! Side note! I did this since I wrote this!!!!)

       19.   What are your nightmares about? Buried

      20.   What is your favorite type of swap on Swap-bot? PC

       21.   If you were stranded on a desert island with all the basic life amenities (food, fresh water, shelter etc.), what would you like to have with you? Boyfriend

        22.   Why do you think there are so many wars? Ignorance

        23.   Describe your last swap: Seuss

       24.   The name of your future artificial intelligent robot? Walden

       25.   What is your preference when it comes to movies? Historical

         26.   Beverage of choice? Coffee  

       2 7.   Define your current state of emotional being: Searching

      28.   If Aliens arrived here on Earth, what would be your approach? Peace

      29.   Your opinion on unicorns: Idealistic

        30.   You suddenly have the afternoon free to yourself, how would you spend it? Creating

       31.   Describe your hair: Bedhead

       32.   Where do you want to be in five years? Somewhere

        33.   What is the greatest thing you’ve been able to overcome? Undetermined

        34.   What was the last thing you regret buying? Bacon

        35.   Describe your crafting: Frugal

        36.   When was the last time you cried? Today

        37.   Do you have pets? Boyfriend 

       38.   How do you feel about a swarm of bees? Terrorized

        39.   What do you have a craving for? Affection

         40.   Wish list item? Independence

          41.   Describe your mother: Sassy

        42.   Why did you join this swap? Ratings

         43.   If you were to be remembered for one thing, what would it be? Sunshineyness

      44.   Favorite holiday? Christmas

     45.   Kids? Future

      46.   Where are you at this very moment?Floor

        47.   What is the meaning of life? Joy

        48.   If you could write a book about anything, what would it be? Erotica

        49.   Guilty pleasure? Control

      50.   What was the hardest question on this list for you to answer? 41

The pilot

Good afternoon people of the internet!!

As most people of my generation-I have started many a blog in my day, never to be revisited or read by anyone!

This one will be different,  Why? I have passion now! I have purpose! I have direction! I HAVE SWAPBOT!

That makes me sound incredibly lame.

I joined swapbot a couple of months ago and have absolutely fallen in love, it combines all of my favorite things-snail mail, crafts and getting gifts! How shallow am I!

I have always been crafty, not necessarily a talented crafter but a dedicated one to be sure! my mom used to get so frustrated at the sheer volume of drawings and papers and glitter glue and works of 'art'! I have never been able to sit in front of the TV with idle hands, and now I have an avenue for my short attention span! I can craft to my hearts content but not drown in the vast sea of 'crafts made past' Solution-I send them to my dear swappies! A heartfelt thank you to all my swap partners who seem to genuinely enjoy receiving my little bits and pieces of art/who allow my to share my heart and soul with them via crafting!

I love card making. I love card making with a deadline! Swapbot gives me that-20 cards need to be sent out tomorrow? done! boyfriend gets frustrated sometimes when I ban him from coming into my craft room (cough my used to be dining room) because I need to focus! when I sit down to churn out that 20, I usually end up with 35! I love how card making can prepare my mind for the seasons to come! I was dreading fall and leaving this surprisingly dry and beautiful summer behind, until I had to make a fall card for a swap! I was reminded all over again how absolutely beautiful and warm and cozy and romantic fall can be! As good as 'living in the moment' is, there is something to be said about being excited for the future-whether that is one day from now, one week, a season from now or a lifetime from now!

My passion is joy. I love joy. I try to share joy, I try to inspire joy! Crafting is my joy. Love is my joy, CATS are my joy!!! Happiness just wasnt enough for me. I craved something deeper. Joy is so much deeper, it is entangled with every fiber of my being.


time to get back to work. I will be back, my dear people of the internet, I want to post pics of some of the swaps I have sent out over the last couple months!!
PS-Swapbot username is Lindor1770-hit me up


peace

-me