My 2012 Ornament Swap.

Dear ornament swappers, I hope by now you've received your ornament (except for perhaps international shippers) or at least have heard something from your partner and agreed to extend the mail out date together, which is fine. If you have any problems, please let me know!

I thought it would be fun to swap with another first time Mama who is just as excited about their baby's first Christmas. Felix and i couldn't have found better swap partners than Jessica and her adorable son Reeve. 

aren't they beautiful?

First, I love that Jessica thought to send a Baby Girl's 1st Christmas card. We were incredibly spoiled!

How girly is that first ornament? Jessica said she found it at this super cute etsy shop called LalaDangerous. Jessica wrote, "that if the pink ornament with flowers and tulle is super sweet and girly, then the puff ornament is sassy and full of personality. Shouldn't a little girl be both?"

Absolutely! As if I didn't love those two already, this last one is hands down my absolute favorite one. 

Jessica wrote, "the little girl ornament was just so sweet... dark hair, sweet smile, cheeks and has that vintage feel that I know you love." 

Did she get me perfectly or what? 

Jessica's little guy is named after Superman himself. She told me Reeve has already owned over 20 Superman onesies in his 8 months which they'll turn into a blanket some day. 

I couldn't contain my happiness when I found this Superbaby ornament for Reeve, from Felix. 

Jessica mentioned that they were having a hard time finding the perfect Baby's 1st Christmas ornament. When I found this sweet Giraffe (i mean look at that tail!) I had to get him. 

I always have fun with this swap dear to my heart, but this year was extra magical as a Mama. This year was extra special all thanks to Jessica who could not have chosen more beautiful ornaments. ♥

I love that she is most looking forward to sharing the Spirit and story of Jesus with her son. 

Check out Jessica's post on our exchange on her blog To Those Who Wait. 

I can't wait to show off what everyone else swapped! If you've received your ornaments, please email me a photo {micaela.maxham[AT]gmail[DOT]com} so I can use it in an upcoming post. Thank-you lovies xo

Ornament Exchangers : Check your Inbox!

photo via

Thanks to Felix taking a long nap in her swing (hurray!), i managed to email everyone signed up for this year's Ornament Swap.

If you signed up and for some reason don't have an email from me, please email me and i'll get it sorted, promise.

I'm so excited for this and hope you are as well! Don't forget to take photos of your ornaments so I can showcase them, one of my favorite posts to share.


Thank-you for playing along and happy ornament shopping!

xoxo

Only 4 more days to join in the Ornament Swap!

Maybe it's too soon to be in Christmas mode but Thanksgiving is around the corner and if you're like my family-- the Christmas tree goes up soon after (um maybe even Thanksgiving night). 

If you haven't join this year's Ornament Exchange, you have until November 12th. 

DETAILS HERE. We'd love to have you!

This year i'll be hanging my ornaments from my past swap partners :  Kaileen, my very 1st swap partner in 2009 (the first exchange was round robin style so i sent ornaments to Erin. I met her through this swap and i honestly can't imagine my life without her friendship), Erin of c'est la vie in 2010, and last year from Bianca and Lauren. 

Every year has been so much fun and this year, i hope you join in. I think ornaments are special memories and it's a swap you can actually use no matter what you get. 

*special thank-you to everyone who's spread the word xo

(pin-up girl ornament from 12LegsCuriosities // 1950s glass ball ornaments from simplychi)

Ornament Swap!

Lovies, it's that time of year again...

I can't believe it's my 4th year hosting an ornament exchange on my dolce vita. I look forward to this swap all year-- I've met my favorite girls through it. Getting to spread Christmas joy while connecting with another blogger is my favorite.

to join:

*email me, micaela.maxhamATgmail.com with subject line : ORNAMENT SWAP

*include your postal address + blog link. If you don't have a blog, you must include your instagram, etsy shop, or fb page please. (also indicate if you can't send overseas)

*cut off date is Nov. 12th  i'll try and get everyone partnered by Nov. 15th // ornaments will be mailed out by Nov. 29th

*ornaments can be bought/vintage/hand-made... whatever you fancy but $10 is the max spend amount because i know it's about to get crazy with holiday shopping. PLEASE put some thought into your ornament--check out your partner's blog/links and see what their style is etc.

*DO include a Christmas card for your person. Tell them about your favorite Christmas quote, song, family tradition, or why you chose the ornament for them.

Have fun with this! snap a photo of your ornament sent/received so we can share them on our blogs (i love the actual exchanges and showcase them).

pic : such pretty things

feel free to use the button on my sidebar lovies. i hope you'll join-- the more, the merrier xo 

a care package swap is my favorite.

during our SF-Anaheim Roadtrip to Angel's Stadium for twinkie

i'm so happy that Ezgi has finally made the jump to blog. She's hilarious, has fancy taste in fashion and dining, and i get to live vicariously through her during her travels (she just got back from Barcelona). Lucky for me, on her last trip to NYC she met up with us in CA to complete the domino five-- most amazing girls' trip! 

She's also one of the most giving persons i know. We decided to do a care package swap when i was looking for eyeliner and she wanted Essie's 'luxxe effect' in pink. 

Ezgi sent Felix the sweetest book and surprised us with this ceramic piggy bank i had in my etsy favorites (thank-you Auntie Ta-Ta!). How cool is that pinhole camera? and thanks to Ezgi, i'm a fan of The Body Shop's eyeliner and will never buy another kind of mascara except Rimmel's Scandal eyes. Thanks to her fancy taste in jewelry, i can't wait to wear the necklace she sent me, especially since i have cleavage for the first time in my life and i have a feeling it will accentuate them. Thank-you breastfeeding and thank-you Ezgi for such a great package xo

I decided to use the nail polish Ezgi wanted as my theme for my care package for her. I thought Emily Schuman's book would be perfect for her love of fashion, decor, and DIY. Also Ezgi mentioned wanting to try more recipes this year and there's always fabulous ones on Cupcakes and Cashmere. We both agreed there's no such thing as having too much stationary (i love the NYC postcards she sent me), so i picked out this notecard set by Emily Hone. The lifesavers were a roadtrip snack of ours and the last two things are favorites of mine: victoria secret cotton panties and popsicle soap from SoapMuch Love.

*Don't forget Lovies, i'm having a giveaway where you can win a pumpkin spice cupcake soap from SoapMuch Love. Details here


A care package swap is my favorite, especially with a dear friend like my Ezgi. 

Be sure to check out her blog View From the Naughty Step (love that name!) and welcome her into the wonderful world of blogging.