The Pampered Swap.

it's true i love a good swap but this one i was especially excited about because it was my friend April's first swap! everyone should enjoy being spoiled right? what made this swap more fun was no two people were sending to each other so there was the surprise element of who got your name.

i was happy that Phoenix got me! if you've visited her blog, you immediately know what a talented artist she is. i'm always amazed by crafting goddesses... i mean instead of putting my gifts in a box, she painted a gorgeous nude on the outside. 

phoenix was worried that i'd feel "skimped on" since a lot of my gifts were hand made so she tried to make up for it. i wish i could playfully shake her! hand made to me has always meant more than anything store bought. she went above and beyond for her swap gift that i almost felt guilty unwrapping everything. 

sending me the above would have more than sufficed the actual swap (again, i love the home made lavender salt scrub she made me more than anything!) 

but then she also included the cutest vintage toy i will save for our future baby, button magnets, a venice mug to add to my coffee cup collection, and home made orange filled french bon bons that were delicious! she also sent me a plethora of snacks, including my favorite chocolate ferror rocher, articles on van gogh, another home made banner that says, 'kiss me you fool' and recipes from her kitchen to try out.

clearly i was spoiled and then some.

phoenix, i was overwhelmed by your generous heart. thank-you so much for making me feel special xoxo

i was sending out to alexandria. Since we hadn't met before the swap, i decided to do a theme for her package based on tip from april's original swap post,  'send a piece of jewelry that would make Marie Antoinette proud!' Marie Antoinette was my muse.

these were the pieces i started with : bracelet i fell in love with at target and a relaxing mixed cd i made for her

+ my momma made the doily 

i  wanted everything to smell like dessert (and of course i included my favorite cookies!). She mentioned being a newly minted red lipstick lover so i bought sally hansen's red crackle overcoat to match, along with my favorite Boots hand cream. 

+ you can see alex's sweet blog post about what i sent at her blog here.

thanks april for hosting-- cheers to your first swap!