Snail Mail >> Outgoing

It occurred to me that, despite putting quite some effort into my snail mail, I hardly ever show pictures of my outgoing parcels. However, I do tend to take pictures while I put them together. So I've decided to finally post some of them.

 Anyway, this was a little surprise for a lovely mom-to-be. I went with something cute, as well as something very Dutch. The illustrations on the cutlery are the literary characters (Jip & Janneke) every single Dutch kid grows up with!

Of course I also had to sneak an owl in there. And I could not resist color coordinating everything either.

More snail mail coming soon! Including some absolutely wonderful incoming parcels...

In the Mail: alleluja

It has been a rough and uncertain time. So much so that, despite previously having been so excited about my new layout, blogging never even crossed my mind. Anyway, to cheer myself up I ordered something adorable from alleluja that was bound to make me smile. Which it did! And now that I'm back, I thought I'd show you what I picked out.

It's a porcelain kitten brooch inspired by the shape of old-fashioned cookie molds. And it has such a sweet face!

I was so excited to receive this little creature! And I hope to be wearing the brooch a lot. I also loved the colorful and careful wrapping, the cute postcard, and even the tiny business card (which I'll keep and use as a bookmark).

I've blogged about alleluja twice before. And though it had been 5 years since I last treated myself to one of Sawako's creatures, the shop is thankfully still up and running; sending out gorgeous creatures to brighten people's days.

Birthday

So my birthday was quite recently. I had an adorable little birthday party that involved pastries, rose lemonade and a wonderful card game. And through the magic of snail mailed gifts I also celebrated with a dear friend from overseas.

Let's start with cake! Since I had a little party I decided to go with fancy pastries... One of the best decisions I've ever made. I got these adorable pastries with red fruit and chocolate mousse. They were as divine as they were adorable!

But my day started with opening some amazing birthday mail that was beautiful inside and out, so let's take a peek.

I received these amazing animal hair pins and brooches. The three cats I've had in my life so far have been black, grey and kind of white, so it seems this set was pretty much made for me! I also adore the wooden bobby pins.

This amazing owl package held an Alice in Wonderland coloring book! I already did one page, which I posted here.

I also received a gorgeous monogrammed journal I'd been eyeing. And some pencils that are a perfect match for it!

This golden package held a stunning book called the Vintage Tea Party Treasury; which I'm sure I'll show you soon.

One of the friends at my party gave me these adorable stamps. There's an owl, a penguin and a cute little heart. I also received an ink pad in one of my favorite colors, so I'm good to go and can start stamping whenever I want.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of my birthday! There are actually still a few more things I hope to show you later...

In the Mail: Secreta Shop

I've been admiring this artist for a while and recently fell in love with a particular piece. Lucky for me I was at the computer right after it got listed on Etsy. A little while later it showed up at my door, in the most magical packaging!

Now I've seen Etsy sellers with very cute packaging, but I've never felt like I'd become part of a magical society before. One usually only dreams of wax seals and parchment notes. But it's a fantasy that comes to life with Secreta Shop!

Here is a glimpse of what Secreta Shop has to offer at the moment. There is art for your walls, hangings to put wherever you like, and tiny art work you can order either as a pendant or a brooch. Check out the shop for more!

In the Mail: Shop Miss Ella

When I laid eyes on all the illustrations and items from Shop Miss Ella I knew I had found something really special. It's not every day you find something that manages to combine pretty much everything you've ever dreamed about!

Here were my favorite colors, styles and textures I love, cats and woodland creatures, Alice in Wonderland, and even crafts like sewing and knitting. All wrapped up into beautifully illustrated items that I could wear, hang, send or use.

So I quickly ordered some of my favorite things. I was so excited to receive them in the mail! Everything was beautiful and of great quality, I loved the pink gift bags for the brooches and there was even a cat sketch on the parcel itself.

Ella is doing such a spectacular job filling her Etsy with lots of different items! Notebooks, mirrors, mugs, buttons, patches, prints and jewelry. And she always seems to be working on something new entirely. And although I highly recommend you check out the entire shop, here is a glimpse of the cool stuff you can currently find at Shop Miss Ella.

If you're as smitten as I am, I also urge you to follow this lady on facebook. It's where pictures of new items show up first, but also were you can see sketches, as well as Ella's amazing personal sewing projects! Think illustrated cat dresses;)

Late Birthday Recap

Even though I should have done this many weeks ago, I'm only sharing my birthday gifts and pictures with you now. It was quite a relaxed day and I also had a lovely little party a few days after. Anyway, here are some pictures!

If you're a long time follower of my blog you might have seen a very similar cake before. They had green ones in spring or for Easter or something, but when my birthday came round they had the pink again. Not complaining though, it is absolutely gorgeous! And it actually looked much better in my pink home than the green ever would have.

Tofu was a little disappointed he didn't get his own slice though. But he did enjoy the gift ribbons a lot! Anyway, I received some beautifully packaged items from a very dear friend. The bunny box in the first picture was hers too.

I didn't really mentioned this to anyone I invited to my party, but I was really hoping for gifts that didn't take up too much space, were useful or even edible.  Somehow they all picked out perfect things anyway. Like these chocolates!

Another edible gift was this awesome jar of cookie ingredients. I look forward to using it up, but I also enjoy the way it looks in my kitchen. So I'll keep it as decoration for a while longer... until the cookie-craving becomes too strong.

The same friend gave me an amazing notebook that has cute tabs, a zipper pocket and even little folders to hold pictures and loose papers. She also included some magnetic bookmarks that actually match the notebook very well.

These gifts were wrapped in a gift bag with a beautiful crocheted butterfly (which is now gracing my door). And inside I found not only the quirkiest knitting book I'd ever seen. But also an invite to a Burlesque Show! (Which I've always wanted to visit!)

Next up was another dream come true, or maybe more accurately… a nightmare averted. Growing up I just adored Joan of Arcadia. I had always remained sad about it getting cancelled, and I was also afraid I'd never get to see it again (because the DVDs weren't released here). I now have both seasons to watch over and over and over again. I'm so happy!

The same friend also gifted me this amazing owl shirt. I actually blogged about it a while back. It looked so pretty on the picture online, but it's even better in real life. The fabric has such an interesting blend of colors and it's super soft.

Lastly I got my first ever Lush gift box. It contained mostly items I had never tried before, and I'm loving all of them. The shower jelly smells amazing! And the shampoo will probably be a re-buy for me once I finish this bar.

I also got a few items that aren't shown here… some amazing Japanese cookies, a remote for my camera, and I'm actually still getting a nice new water boiler from my mom, but we haven't been able to go shopping for one yet...

In the Mail… Christmas Edition!

So I'm a little behind on my Christmas posts, but I received some amazing gifts that I'd still love to show you! A very dear friend from the US sent me some things that just arrived recently, and they were very much worth the wait.

Everything was beautifully wrapped in the cutest papers and ribbons. Such a treat to look at and open! And the insides were amazing too! I got a stunning silver owl mug, along with chocolate-y treats and even hot cacoa mix to go in it.



In the United States a lot of people make it a tradition to give each other pyjamas. No one does that were I'm from, so I was really excited to be part of that tradition once, and receive three beautifully patterned flannel pyjama bottoms!

Hot drink? Check! Lounge wear? Check! All I need next is books, right? And maybe an owl ex libris sticker set? Yes!

But my friend also took care of any actual reading needs, because I got those gorgeous Puffin in Bloom books I am so smitten with. I had the feeling they'd be amazing, but to see them in real life… wow! They are fantastic!

 

And there were more owls… This gorgeous barn owl plate. I love how it's lifelike, yet really colorful at the same time!

Apart from the beautiful plate, there was also an adorable little hedgehog dish. It even has some slight 3D effects!

*

My lovely friend Amy also sent me some adorable things for Christmas! I got a teeny tiny owl planner that will come in very handy!

And a gorgeous notebook with the most beautiful patterns on the outside as well as inside, on every page even!

Anyway, as you can probably guess, I was over the moon with all my Christmas gifts! Did you get any in the mail too?

In the Mail...

Melissa recently hosted a giveaway on her blog So About What I Said. Up for grabs was a beautiful jewelry set by ADesignJewelry in exactly my style and colors. I'm so very happy I actually won! And it just arrived!

I love purple and often wear it with green. Fluorite has both of those colors in it, and it's such a nice combination with the ceramic beads! That floral touch is wonderful! I am also impressed by the beautiful closure with shop logo.

ADesignJewelry has a lot of unique necklaces in loads of different styles and in all the colors of the rainbow. Some are more classic, others have an ethnic feel. And a lot of the pieces are made with gemstones even.

Anyway, I'm so happy with my necklace and earrings! I can't wait to wear it and match it with the clothes in my wardrobe! I can already think of some fun combinations, but I'm sure I'll discover some unexpected ones over time.