3rd Annual Ornament Exchange Reveal

It's here! Time to link up and show us what you received in the ornament exchange. This post will be published about the time the hubby and I will be arriving at the Veteran's Memorial Arena in Jacksonville to see Trans Siberian Orchestra! The concert, along with dinner out and a night spent in Jacksonville is what we decided on for our Christmas to each other this year. I will share more about the concert later! Now...on to the fun!

Let me just say I was overwhelmed this year with several gifts from some of you ladies. Such kind gestures sent to me as thank you gifts for hosting the exchange. While I sincerely appreciate all the goodies that were sent to me, please know that it was not expected. I really enjoy hosting the exchange and hope to continue it for a long time! Thanks to each of the following ladies. 

Your kindness and generosity are much appreciated!  

Jeanna from Slammin' the Screen Door sent me some adorable Christmas note cards, some beautiful washi tapes and a lovely little quilted bag. I will definitely be taking this with me on my trip to Prague! Thank you so much Jeanna! Some day I hope we can meet since you are a Florida girl too!

Jeanna is quite talented isn't she? Hop over and check out some of her quilted projects!

Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home has sent me a thank you gift every year. Donna is one of the first bloggers I became friends with. She is also very talented! She has an Etsy shop and a antique store booth in South Carolina. She stays busy filling these two shops with vintage and handmade items! Look at the beautiful Madonna plaque she made me. She also sent me one of her tags along with a vintage postcard. 

It is hanging above my Christmas tree. Thanks so much Donna!  I love it!

Next up is this precious snowman in a mason jar made for me by AnnMarie. She blogs over at Musings of a Vintage Junkie. Isn't this the cutest thing? I would love to make some of these to give as gifts next year! So adorable! I love the big bells tied on the side and the gorgeous plaid fabric covering the top.

See it up there on my kitchen shelf? I love it there and think it fits in nicely! Thanks again AnnMarie! I love it snow so much!

I received the next two on the same day! It was like Christmas! First up is this adorable batch of vintage and handmade goodness from Pam. Pam blogs at Virginia Retro. She loves vintage linens...especially tablecloths. She has an amazing collection! She is also very crafty. 

Just look at these adorable things she made me!

And...my favorite color! Look at that little sweetie on my tree! Thank you so much Pam! You are too sweet!

And. last, but not least! Karen from The Feral Turtle sent me a box of goodies, including some of her amazing handmade soap and lotion as well as one of her hand crafted spider ornaments and some other things. Love those adorable glass hearts! Can't wait to find a use for them! 

I think my favorite is this heavenly smelling soap! I don't want to use it...just smell it! I think I will wait until the bathroom remodel is finished and then put it out in there on a soap dish for a while before I let anyone use it...lol! Thanks so much Karen! 

I had this post ready finished and ready to publish, and Guess what? I came home from work Wednesday to find yet another package waiting for me! This one was from my sweet friend Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose. Stephanie has her own Etsy shop, Rose Petal Blessings which she keeps stocked with all sorts of lovely, handmade items. Everything she makes is just beautiful! Look at the adorable packaging she sent my things in!

I am in love with the beautiful fabric flower magnet in Christmas colors! The little Christmas bits are so cute as well! I love the little wax bag she tucked them inside. Thank you so much Stephanie! 

Aren't these ladies generous and kind.....not to mention talented! That seems to be a common theme in blogland though doesn't it? I appreciate the kindness and sweet gestures from each of these dear friends. I appreciate each of yoy as well and am so happy to call each of you a friend. I value my blog friendships just as I value my real life friendships. You are all very special to me! Thanks so much for participating in the exchange this year. It has been such fun and a blessing!

Now, let me share the adorable ornament I received from Bronwyn who blogs at Queen B Creative Me. She is incredibly talented as well and is a kindergarten teacher like myself! She and her family love to travel and she shares their experiences with us. I love to look at her travel photos! I also enjoy her fashion posts where she shares the way she puts her cute new clothing pieces together into cute outfits! This was Bronwyn's first year joining the exchange. She sent me this precious, handmade gingerbread man whom her children named Molasses! Isn't that the sweetest? Pun intended...lol! I was so tickled to receive a gingerbread man since I didn't get to unpack all mine this year. I miss their sweet little faces! Do you see him?

That's better! He is hanging in my kitchen as well. I can't wait to let him join my others on my gingerbread tree next year! Thank you Bronwyn and thank you so much for joining the exchange this year. I hope you enjoyed it. 

And, that my friends is a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined this year! I had so much fun and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. You all keep me doing this every year. Thank you! 

Please take the time to link up below so we can all visit and see what everyone received. I can't wait!

I'll be back soon to share a Christmas tree I was in charge of decorating for a Christmas Tree Walk as well as some other things very soon!

Until then.....

An InLinkz Link-up

Third Annual Christmas Ornament Exchange

Hello friends and Happy Sunday! I hope this finds you doing well. As for me, well, I have been home sick since noon on Friday. I had to leave work early because I felt so bad. I am feeling better now but still have a tickle in my throat causing a painful cough, but even that has improved. Enough about that though! I am excited to announce that it is time for my Third Annual Christmas Ornament Exchange! I can hardly believe it's that time of year again! Seems like I just did this! I am really looking forward to this year as some of my newer blog friends have decided to join the fun! 

The more the merrier I say! 

So, for any newbies.....
No big rules....just don't spend over $15. Your ornament can be purchased or handmade by you. It's up to you...:) You can send additional items if you wish, just remember it is not required so don't feel pressured to send extra items or disappointed if you only receive an ornament. I think an ornament and a nice hand-written note is sufficient, but I know some of us just love shopping for or crafting items for others, so you may choose to include an additional item or two. It is entirely up to you...:) Also, you will make two new friends since you will send to a different person than you receive from! Also, please let me know in your comment if you would be willing to send to someone out of the country. I have a few blog friends from other countries whom I want to be able to participate if they wish. I personally don't mind shipping to another country and it's not too expensive if you keep the box as small and light weight as possible.

Speaking of another country, you may be wondering about the photo I chose for the invitation this year. This photo is of the area in Prague called Old Town, where the Christmas Market is set up every year. I am over the moon across the Atlantic excited about my upcoming trip to Prague to visit my daughter, Miranda! I leave on Christmas Day...:) I thought it would be over before I got there, but I was thrilled to learn that the Christmas Market is open through the New Year! I have heard European Christmas Markets are amazing and cannot wait to visit this one.

OK... back on topic! Sorry, I just had to share! 

Here are the details:

1. Sign-up will run today through Saturday, November 7th.
To sign up you just need to leave me a comment! I will contact you after I get your comment and you can then send me your name and address. Please make sure you are not a no-reply blogger. I won't be able to e-mail you if that is the case. Some of you know already you are a no-reply blogger, so if you don't hear from me by e-mail, I will reply to your comment here and ask for your e-mail.

2. I will announce your partners by Sunday, November 8th.

3. Purchase (new or vintage) or make an ornament (spending limit is $15). This will be easier to decide on when you get the information I willl be sending you about the person you will be sending to. I will send everyone a questionnaire to fill out and return to me by e-mail to assist your partner in selecting what to send you.

4. Ship your ornament by November 21st.

5. I will have a link-up on my blog on or by December 12th so you can show off your new ornament from your new friend!

It has been such a blessing to host this exchange for the last two years and I am excited to host again this year. I do hope you'll participate again (no pressure if you can't) and pass the word along to any other bloggers whom you feel would enjoy participating. If you would like to check out the exchange posts from the last two years to get a better idea how this works, please click here and scroll through the posts. :)
I look forward to hearing from you!

Second Annual Ornament Exchange

Hello friends! I am excited to get my link up for the ornament exchange up a day early! I have had such a busy week. Wednesday night the hubby and I went to pick out our Christmas gifts. We had already decided to get a new large screen TV and a new laptop. I found great deals at HH Gregg, so we went and picked them up and now I am trying to figure out how to operate this new laptop with Windows 8! A tad bit confusing, but I am getting there! Last night was our Christmas Program at school and I was miserable when I finally got home last night. I was so sick, but went to bed early and woke up feeling much better...thankfully! 

Anywho, as promised, here is a link up poat so we can all see the treasures you received from your partners. I sent a package to Karen at The Feral Turtle and I received from Terri, a new blog friend from Christmas Tree Lane . She sent me some lovely things! I also received a box of goodies from my blog buddy Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home and I will share those as well.

I actually received both packages on the same day! How exciting...it was like an early Christmas...:)

Terri sent me a lovely handmade card. 

This was the sweet little post-it note inside!

She also sent me this adorable Spode snowman ornament. 

Here he is hanging on my snowman tree. He's sending you a friendly wave...:)

And this little cutie too! I love angels and snowmen, so this is the perfect combination....a snow angel.

Here she is on the tree.....I just love her wings!

A sweet Christmas apron...sorry for the blurry photo!

A Christmas journal/notebook.

A sweet little crocheted piece with candy canes inside. It hangs and is open like a pocket to tuck treats inside.

And finally this pretty Spode Christmas magnetic notepad which is hanging on my fridge for grocery lists. Thank you again Terri for the wonderful treasures. I love all of it and will think of you when I look at the precious ornaments hanging on my snowman tree...:)

Donna is such a sweet friend.

 Last year and again this year she sent me a box of goodies as a thank you for hosting the exchange. I was surprised to receive a box again this year...:) Look at the sweet wrapping on these treasures.

I love Donna's distressed tags!

And her bleached bottle brush trees!

Aren't these handmade Santa's cute?

Here they are displayed in a couple vintage Pepsi bottles in my bookcase.

I loved these Shakes of Christmas when she shared them on her blog, so imagine my delight when there was one included in my box!

Donna is all about details.

The biggest surprise was these beehive bobbins though! She had shared these on her blog and I commented about how neat they were and I had never seen any. Donna knows I have a subtle bee theme in my dining room and she said these were intended for me all along. She is such a dear friend. So thoughtful! I love how she dressed them with vintage images for Christmas. 

She also sent me some vintage Christmas postcards that I turned into a banner along with a couple I already had.

Thank you again Donna! You are such a dear friend. 

Some of the exchange participants do not have a blog or aren't currently blogging, so I will share here for them. Ann is a sweet lady who received a package from Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose. she writes, "Stephanie sent me beautiful handmade ornaments all in a snowman theme. She also included a magnet, door hanger, bookmarks and a book that holds tea packets. She is definitely talented and you can tell she crafts from the heart." Thank you Ann for joining! Here is what Ann received from Stephanie.....

Next up is Nancy. Nancy is a new friend who happens to be mom to another participant and blog friend, Tania. Tania blogs over at Little Vintage Cottage and you should go check her out. She is an awesome decorator and a vintage lover! Nancy is a toll painter and very talented. She recieved a package from Carol at Art and Sand. Here is what she wrote...

"I received Carol’s package on Nov. 24th. She sent an adorable little stuffed snowman, a heart  ornament she fashioned out of wire, a tiny white clothespin with a Christmas tree attached to it and a journal/notebook. Also included was a glittery Eiffel tower tag. The journal was tied with a red polka dot ribbon and things were packed into a red polka dot bag and a stamped muslin baggie---very cute!"

Here are the things Nancy received from Carol.....

Sweet Belle from Australia has been out of town, so I just updating now with her information. 

She writes...

"My sending lady was Linda Pflum. However I received a lovely vintage style pair of handmade wooden mitts which are so sweet and I think maybe I might even use them during the year and not just at Christmas time as they are adorable. Along with the mitts I received a sparkly white very Christmas' bauble that goes so well in my white sparkly tree. This was all wrapped up nicely in red sparkly tissue paper that I found enchanting to be honest and a lovely hand written card and little notebook and pen which is now in my drawer to be used by all my girls im sure once they find it."

These three ladies were blessed to receive such sweet ornaments from some special ladies. Thanks to each of you for sharing your beautiful gifts.

All of you sweet ladies are such lovely friends and I am blessed to "know" each of you. I can't wait to see the lovely things you received. Thanks to each of you for participating. The link button appears after my signature below. Be sure to link up your post when it is ready.

I hope you were as blessed as I was with the exchange. 

Until next time.....