Postcrossing Surprise Swap.

this week's saturday swap is one i've been meaning to share for awhile. It all started when i received this beautiful postcard from a sweet girl named Faith. The postcard is her Mom making a flower crown for a tea party they had to celebrate the vernal equinox.

when i registered the postcard on postcrossing, i left faith a message telling her how delighted i was to get my first handmade postcard & how i believed in magic and faeries. We emailed back and forth & agreed how lovely it is to meet a kindred spirit. Imagine my delight when i got a curious little package in the mail a couple of weeks later. The handwriting was familiar but it took me opening the package to realize that it was Faith's.

a true delight and such a wonderful surprise!!!

Faith & her Mom Mary Beth sent me a mix of their favorites:

an old copy of "I capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith (with a picture her younger brother drew for me tucked in the pages), home made plum jam Mary Beth made, along with a knitted wash cloth (great for kitchen messes) she also made, a bar of sweet scented soap ("scent is often a great transporter to another time + place"--i mean how cute is Faith?), a neat-o fabric strip faith made that i use as a belt, a tin of natural treasures, a milk carton wallet faith made (creative crafty goddesses, aren't they?), and a couple of "silly" add-ons; a game of hearts and a minnie notebook.

i could not believe how wonderful everything was! and that together they took the time to package a beautiful surprise for me. I was completely touched.

i decided to send back a return surprise. It was so much fun putting together bits & pieces of whimsy for them both.

i sent along ephemera cards, my old copy of "A Wrinkle In Time" with a letter inside, glittery key ornament, vintage crest buttons, handmade heart soap from Poland, incense brass holder, indian purple cloth tea candle, Dolci scented shimmer powder, vintage photograph postcard, spring embroidery, spool of baker's twine, wooden frame, coffee cup with a heart handle, a necklace my auntie made, and my absolute favorite european cookies for my coffee/tea.

i just adored this surprise exchange.

Mary Beth has a little corner of the internet called salt and chocolate (you can read her part of the exchange here). Thank-you Mary Beth!!! & how wonderful you must be as a Mother. xoxo

(next week we'll talk music)