More Micasita

Rosy surprised me with a gift recently! She’s so sweet to share more of her Micasita stationery and she *just knew* I wanted a magnetic Carminita! Thanks Rosy!

Btw, little Carminita is sporting a new red + white outfit which looks good on her!

Warmth

Sweet Denise sent me all these which includes a Spanish home decor ‘Mi Casa’ (My Home) magazine and pin buttons made with lovely prints by Kirin & Co.

I think the buttons and Lotta’s berry blobs go hand in hand.

Among the many tea packs, she packed in some from Stash which brings to my mind a sample pack of Stash white tea which I was once given together with a copy of this write up and the thing was because I wanted to reserve the tea for later, I kept it safe, forgot about it and eventually it expired. Never got to taste it but now…

Thanks Denise for a great swap! You can visit her at Flickr too! Lots of crafty + lovable pictures + paper toys too.

Loveliness…

…from France arrived yesterday!

Valerie’s stream of from-me-to-you goodness is unsparing.

She made me a lovely apron, with a blend of my favorite colours. Such delectable cupcakes as pockets! Oh, I can’t bear to use it.

But with this madeleine tray, I’m definitely going to bake some traditional French madelines from the recipe she wrote down for me.

She also made a lovely sachet pillow. I’ve been recently falling in love with such little pillows and somehow she just “knew”. My swap mates are simply amazing.

Valerie ordered this book on celtic knots for me. So sweet of her! It’s by an author whom I’m familiar with because I had twice borrowed one of her books from the library.

She also sent beautiful postcards of regions in Bretagne (Brittany), travel-themed stickers, beads, fun cabochons, pink ribbon, chocolates, candies and coffee packs. In addition, she included packs of a light + flavourful green tea that comes in a muslin tea bag, sealed with stitches, right up to the label at the end, which means no glue or staple, just stitches! I had a cup in the afternoon and I even added ice cubes. Tastes good both hot and cold.

Thanks so much Valerie! I fully appreciate everything.

A Christmas gift

Do you count the number of times you say “I love” this and “I love” that? Well, I think not. There are certainly quite a lot of things to love especially when it’s for a very good reason which is exactly why I love these gifts, handemade by Isabelle with me in mind. And they arrived here yesterday, in time for Christmas. This is just so wonderful! She knew I needed a pin cushion though I had not mention it and I have to say this is one of the prettiest and elegant stockings I’ve ever seen. Merci beaucoup Asilis! I really appreciate it and the card as well. The dark chocolate bar wrapped in silver and blue is now in the fridge, awaiting for a tasting session due very soon!

And to all my lovely blog friends, may the full joy of Christmas encourage and enrich you and yours this day and the new year ahead. Have a blessed Christmas!

A perishable gift list

I really really like to give these perishables as gifts, for Christmas (or for other occasions), and hopefully spread the message of natural goodness:

• Coconut oil
  I’ve read about the many benefits here and currently I use this for frying. Can be used for baking as well. I hope to try other brands like Fresh Shores and Tropical Traditions.

• Miso paste
  A good source of the favorable genistein, a soy isoflavone.

• Green tea powder
  This green superpower must be used within 5-6 months.

• Evening primrose oil or fish oil
  Great for dry skin and flaky heels, especially during the cold season.

• Tea tree oil or aloe vera gel
  Perfect for cuts, burns, rashes and unexpected breakouts. Tea tree can be used to kill fungus and mold not only on the skin but also eliminate those lurking in humid corners around the house.

• Bamboo charcoal
  Comes in desiccant/deodorant packs like these. The bamboo charcoal, which is charcoal derived from burning bamboo, can be buried on the ground or mixed in compost when it can no longer be reused.

I will attach a note with each gift, listing the benefits and other bits of details.

What kind of perishables do you like to give?

Wrapping up

Finally after laboring for the past few days, 95% of all the Christmas presents are all wrapped up! Yay! That’s a huge load off my mind. *relief*

The wrapping task is always a pleasant one because I do love to gift-wrap. And for this year, I’ve used one of my all-time favorite wrappers, the kraft paper, along with the ribbons that Catherine gave and the elegant brown+strawberry coloured tags I recently bought at Beverly’s brand new shop. I’ve also made some Christmas tree confetti with the punch from Jessica.

There was one birthday present that had to be wrapped and with an image-packed wrapper like this one, I had to pause to decide if I should add a ribbon or string. Hmm…

Soon, I thought why not use the leftover to show a 2-D display with foam tape. That was like a minor “Eureka!” moment. *ding!*