Postcard Scavenger Hunt Swap

Hello lovely people. I hope you have had a good week. Lately I've been thinking about mail and letters and I want to do another swap on my blog. It makes me miss my little mail group which I've stopped because it was too difficult to do by myself. So I thought I could do some occasional swaps on my blog instead.

I thought I would host a Postcard Scavenger Hunt Swap. How it works:

♥ I will assign you one swap partner for the duration of the swap. There will be four prompts and each week you will need to send out one postcard to your swap partner for four consecutive weeks. I will give you at least two weeks to find your postcards and then the swapping begins. 

Swap timeline:

♥ Sign up closes on the 31st May 2013 Closed 

♥ Partners assigned by the 3rd June

♥ First Postcard to be sent 21st June

♥ Second Postcard to be sent 28th June 

♥ Third Postcard to be sent 5 July

♥ Fourth Postcard to be sent 12 July

Prompts:

♥ Black and white

♥ Arty/illustration

♥ Colourful

♥ Beauty

These prompts are fairly general so you can send whatever you think fits the topic. This is a pretty low risk swap and really doesn't cost much to send a postcard (interstate or overseas) but I ask to please not sign up unless you are ready to commit to sending four postcards. Plus if you do sign up please send postcards that you will like to receive yourself and to put some thought into it. 

To join:

♥ Email me gracienne.nancy{at}gmail{dot}com with the following:

1. Your full and address

2. Whether you are willing to send overseas (depending on who signs up you may need to send overseas so please keep that in mind if you really don't want to send overseas) 

3. List 5 likes (to help your swap partner)

4. Your blog/Twitter/Instagram/Other social media site

So this is supposed to be fun but I need to set guidelines because I want everyone who joins to receive their four postcards. Please only join if you have a blog or Instagram or Twitter or some type of Social media site that you can be checked so you don't just disappear on me. I'm sorry if this sounds so strict but mail is meant to be fun and enjoyable and I know it can be disappointing when you don't receive anything. 

I hope do more of these light swaps so be on the lookout and sign up :)

Quote Card Post cards

Hopefully everyone who participated in the Quote Card postcard swap has sent out their postcard with quote and received one back. If not just email me :)

So I had the lovely Erin as my swap partner (she had two because we had an uneven amount). 

I sent her postcards along with a letter. 

The postcards I sent her. The first two are from Belle and Boo Etsy and the bottom two are from The Littlest Fox Etsy. 

A part of the quote I sent. I realised I didn't take a photo of it. Here's the quote...

" If you want your children to be smart, read them fairy tales; if you want them to be even smarter, read them more fairy tales."

~ Albert Einstein

My postcards (I love them) and some notes from Erin. 

" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." 

~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

" A person's a person no matter how small."

~ Dr Seuss

" How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

~ Anne Frank

I really enjoyed this swap and thinking of doing this particular swap more often. Sending a post card with a quote. And yes, I will have details on the snail mail group soon. 

I hope all that participated had fun :)

Post Card Swap - Closed!

Via Julia Davila Flickr

Hello lovely people! I hope your weekend was fabulous. I have an idea that I want to share with you. I've been wanting to do another swap but that last one was too stressful (people flaking either by not sending a package or didn't understand swap requirements). So I thought I would do something really simple. A post card swap.

But I had another idea. I want to create some sort of Pen pal/snail mail group where each month or every few months there will be a snail mail swap. Something simple like post cards, lists, a letter, a little bit of mail that can bring happiness to your mailbox. Although you don't have to join the group, it just means I will email those in the group upcoming swaps and perhaps have a few that are just for group members.

For this swap, it's something quite simple. It's a Favourite Quote postcard. You need to send a lovely post card with one your fave quotes written on the back. If you have room, write why you like the quote. Please at least write your name and what this swap is for.

Ok so...to join this swap here are the requirements.
1. You must have a blog! (I'm sorry if you don't but I really need to know that you won't just disappear after receiving something)
2. Email me (gracienne.nancy[at]gmail.com) with your full name, address and whether you want your post card sent with or without an envelope. 
3. In your email write a few of your favourite types of post cards you would like to receive (but please don't make it too difficult)
4. Whether you don't mind sending overseas - because this is quite light it won't cost too much to send overseas but of course that is up to you :)
5. Let me know if you want to join this Penpal/Snail Mail group. I will have more info about it soon. But you can just let me know if you're interested in your email. 
6. Sign up until Monday 11th April

I'm really excited about this so I hope you are too :) And I will have more information about this Snail Mail group next time.

Ornament Swap

Hello hello! I participated in Micaela's ornament swap. I love getting involved because you make some really great friends!

This is the ornament I sent...

An aqua blue/teal/turquoise chandelier. I think the colour was definitely Bethany. I also added a Frankie 2011 diary and one of my heart headbands. 

This is what I received from Bethany! Some beautiful vintage baubles. She said she hopes that I enjoy the romance of ornaments that have hung on trees for years. And it's true! It's hard not to think of the background story of who owned them and whether they were given as gifts or bought for the prettiness.

It was such a great swap and I know that I will be participating in next year's one!

Oh and I got this ornament made with Snapfish. Just something I wanted for fun. I do like how it turned out. 

Well it's the last weekend before Christmas and there is so much to do. Lots of cleaning, finishing up with gift wrapping (thank God I've pretty much finished buying all my gifts - but still waiting for some to arrive from overseas, slightly panicking now!!) 

We have Jason's brother's uni graduation tonight. Well he's graduating his Honours year (Wow I was at his highschool graduation too! Time flies). And Sunday night is our church Christmas carols which is always fun.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Tired with some mail to do

Hey lovelies! It's been a hard work week. We are opening our Christmas shop at work and I've been unpacking all the stock. We've running around trying to get it open. And today I had to work out on the loading dock area opening more stock! It was an extra shift. And tomorrow is a 9-9 :(

Anyway, this is just a small mail post with some of my outgoing mail. I have a lot more incoming mail that I will share next post.

Outgoing mail...

Some Postcrossing post cards that I've recently sent. I don't usually take photos of them but I didn't really send the touristy ones for once.

I found this in one of my fave shops, Mombasa.  I was excited to find they sell postcards now.

One of the tourist postcards that I actually like.

I've had this postcard for awhile but it seemed to fit one of my partner's profiles.

I received this cute postcard from Megan :) 

Another postcard I bought from Mombasa.

These are the cards I'm sending out for my Spread the Love post. Sorry ladies they will be sent out very soon!

And this is for Jasmine for the Just Because Your lovely Swap. She has received half the package which is why I can't show photos yet :) 

So next post will be my incoming mail (I have so much mail to catch up on). And to announce the giveaway winner. Make sure you have entered my giveaway before Friday :) 

Have a wonderful rest of week!

Mail and other pretty packages

* I'm guest posting over at Erin's blog Pugh's News. Check it out!

Hey everyone! Thanks again to everyone who signed up for the swap. I've been working on partners for awhile now and it's so close to being done. The only thing is I forgot to add myself in the count and now it's an uneven number. Oops. I was so caught up in it I didn't even realise until late last night. That's alright though I'm sure I will figure something out.

I have a small mail catch up to do. And it's a gloomy day which makes me want to just sit and read (and finish putting partners together).

Incoming...

This is from Caro. When she found out that I loved pens she sent me some from her work. So sweet! This was from awhile ago but I forgot to add it to my last mail post.

This is from Alicia. A pen pal from awhile ago and we are getting back to writing again. She saw the ornament and thought of me :) The angel is holding a butterfly!

I bought this pretty fabric tape from Anastasia's etsy shop Percival Road. She always adds pretty little extras.

I purchased the little teapot necklace and the macaroon print from Anna from her Much Love etsy shop. She added another sweet print from her other shop Dahliaville. It's so pretty and her packaging is always very sweet.

I purchased this from Janetstore. Lots of cute stationery and she added a few stickers with my order. Plus she is lovely and sends personal emails with the order.

Assorted post cards from Postcrossing. I never take pictures of the ones I send because they are always the boring tourist ones (well maybe boring to me)

This is from Ingrid. She sent me a few Friendship books she made because I didn't know what they were.

Outgoing

An old letter for Megan. I can't remember if I have showed this before because I send this awhile ago.

A little something for Alyssa. A thank you for everything she does for Project You. Plus the little sunnies reminded me of the travelling heart shaped sunglasses.

My first Dear Darling letter to Hazel.

Another Dear Darling letter. This one to Ruth.

And another Dear Darling letter. This one to Nicole. There are 4 (inc. me) in our pen pal group.

These little stud earrings are off to Alyssa. I've been making a lot of them for my etsy and for an event I'm involved in.

And that's pretty much it for now! I hope to have a lot more mail to share next time. I hope to have your swap partners today. Maybe tomorrow. Have a beautiful weekend!!

My Hunger Games Love

* Swap is now closed

Just a few things first, it's the last day to sign up for the Just Because You're Lovely Swap. I've already started matching people up so I might assign partners earlier than I said :) So that means more time to put together a pretty package for your partner!

Thank you to everyone who has signed up. I really hope you enjoy it! It's my first time hosting so I hope it all works out.

As the title suggests I have this obsession with The Hunger Games trilogy. I've mentioned this trilogy countless times on this blog and my love for it has not changed.

With the release of Mockingjay next week (25th in Australia which is pretty much the 24th in the US) my excitement is feverishly gaining momentum. I'm planning on re-reading the books just before the release so it feels like I'm continuing on.

It will be so good to find out how it all ends but at the same time so sad that it's over. When I first read The Hunger Games I felt so weird after (because I couldn't stop thinking about it) and have re read it countless times since then. There was the horrible wait (for a year) to read Catching Fire. Once that was out I had to wait again (for a year) to read Mockingjay.

Seriously if you have not read these books yet I urge you. I don't think I had a person that I've recommended the series to that hasn't liked them. It is not you're usual young adult book and I love that. (It gets compared to Twilight a lot, though I have no idea why because this is written so much better but I can't complain because it was Stephenie Meyer who introduced me to the series when it was first released)

But, these books are just amazing! Suzanne Collins is the master at wanting you to keep turning the pages. She creates characters that make you care. She is by far one of my favourite authors (I've also read her Underland Chronicles which I loved). If I could meet an author I would love to meet her.

Anyway, I've bought a few Hunger Games merchandise. I got a shirt from Zazzle.

What I love about it is that you would not understand it unless you have read the first book.

I'm going to wear it when I go pick up Mockingjay next week.

via The Meadow etsy

I bought this necklace which has a few of the lyrics from Rue's lullaby. Again something from the first book.

Via Dragonflycurls etsy

I bought this handmade rubber stamp of a Mockingjay from etsy. It's to use on my letters (especially for the Hunger Games fans)

I'm sure I will be getting more items very soon. Anyway, sorry that turned into a huge post. If I recommend any book series this year it will be this one.

P.S. I'm guest posting at Pugh's News on the 19th August.

Have a great rest of week!

The randomness of Monday

Hello lovely people! When Monday rolls around I always feel all over the place. A few things to mention.

It was supposed to be our week of organisation last week but it didn't really happen. My cousin and her hubby were here for a few days from America so we spent those days with them. By then we got a bit lazy and didn't do much. I did start cleaning my creative space though. At the moment it's a mess because I have all these boxes full of memories and I'm sorting through it and trying to decide what to do with it all. Leave them in boxes or put them in a journal??

We did get go to the Sunshine coast with the fam to show my cousin and her husband where my brother Alvin and his wife Melly are moving back to.

Considering it's still winter it got quite warm that day. I decided to see how cold the water was.

It was still freezing but the warmth of the sun was lovely.

I can't wait for when we can go to the beach all the time. I miss our warmer weather. That was a lovely taste of summer.

Anyway, a few things I have to do this week...

♥ Finish and send my letter for the Dear Darlings pen pal project.

♥ Send some postcards for Postcrossing (I need to find some good ones)

♥ Package up some stud earrings for a giveaway (I'm not sure if I can mention where it's happening yet)

♥ Start on my journal with Jasmine

♥ Put my mixed cd's together Bianca's cd swap.

♥ Continue cleaning and organising

♥ Purchase more Hunger Games merchandise (and prepare myself for the release of Mockingjay next week!!!!)

♥ Put my giveaway for the blog together

♥ Plan our overseas trip (hopefully - more about that later)

♥ Work on my Just Because You're Lovely Swap which you have until Wednesday (18th) to still join. I've already put all the participants into a spreadsheet so far and have started matching people up. I'm seriously trying my best to match you with the right people :)

Have a beautiful week everyone!