Oh mailbox ... how I love thee

Don't forget - I'm having a giveaway! Check this post for details and to enter. It's' fun!

We have a mail routine in this house: I stop by the mailbox on the way home (it's one of those group situations) and grab the mail. And every single day, it's the same thing - from the back seat, my daughter says, "Is there anything for me!? Is there anything for me!?" And just about every single day, she gets disappointed and has nothing the mail for her.

I totally get it. Getting mail is one of my favorite things in the world. On one hand, if you know something is coming, there is the daily anticipation of putting the key in the box or driving up to a package on the porch .... is it here? Is it here!? And then there are the unexpected bits of mail - the ones that surprise and make you giddy for the rest of the day.

I had a little of both this week, and it made me so happy I had to share.

First off, something I was expecting. It's Glow in the Dark Thread from Sublime Stitching. How fun is that? No clue how I'm gonna use it (or how I'm going to get it photgraphed "glowing" - I tried ... and failed) but it was just so fun to get. My mom was here when I opened it up, and she flipped out. Yummy, fun colors! My favorite!

Next was a surprise, but the kind of surprise where you think something is coming, but you aren't sure when or what it might be, and then - whammo - you get surprised with something better than you could have imagined. First off was some fabric love from my friend, Amanda. She mentioned that she had some fabric left over from a home decorating project and wondered if I might be interested in it. Uh ... yeah! What crafty gal doesn't want to add free fabric to her stash? I'd half forgotten she mentioned it when I got a box in the mail. It took me a minute to register what it was, and when I did, I ripped into the package. And - surprise! - it's gorgeous Amy Butler fabric that I've loved for ages! Hoorah! Thanks, Amanda! Now I just have to come up with something to use it for .....


And then - what had my heart all aflutter last night - a gift from my pal Amy (of Early Bird Special). If you've never checked her stitching out - close up - in Flickr, do it. It is absolute perfection. She recently posted an adorable towel she stitched using a vintage transfer. I loved the character in this little baker guy, and her attention to detail is phenomenal. When he showed up in my mail box, I was floored! Thank you, Amy! I love it! :)

And because I crave mail in the worst way, I just signed up for The Lovely Letterbox from Niku. I first heard of Niku through Diane, and when I found out she was here in Austin I knew we needed to hook up. We ended up meeting randomly at Stitch in the fall, and have connected a several crafty events throughout they year. She's got a new project starting up called The Lovely Letterbox where you can get goodies mailed to you once a month for six months for $16. She's digging in to her stash of vintage ephemera and handmade stuff. I can't wait to get my first mailing! I think she may have a spot or two left if you want to jump in - just email her at msfilms at hotmail dot com

In the meantime, I guess I need to start mailing stuff to my daughter ....