Happy Mail Days

I think one of the best pick-me-ups after a long day is finding something fun in your mailbox. I've been lucky enough to have some of these this month:


My lovely swap package that arrived from Vancouver. This was for a Fall swap that I put together, with a group of only 4. It was my first time and lots of fun to see everyone's creative ideas.

I won a giveaway on Apartment Therapy's Nursery site and was so excited to get this package from artist Leeza Hernandez, who has designed this think.jot.draw pad. It's a cute little notebook with a mix of differently designed pages - lined, blank, or both on one page. Just perfect for everyday thoughts and scribbles. It came along with a pack of colorful Sharpies and small samples of Leeza's art.
Check her out work here.



A pack of 3 beautiful hand printed cards arrived last night, from a giveaway at London Mummy (I was on a roll this month - two giveaways! My husband thinks I should play the lottery now...) Thank you Esther, this was really generous of you. They are so pretty. I'm going to frame two and give one to a friend who I'm sure will end up framing or putting it up somewhere too. The cards are from Seed Prints, where you can find all sorts of gorgeous designs on recycled paper and card.

New things

fallswap1
Originally uploaded by nomadmama

It's a new month and there are a couple of new things I'm taking part in that I've wanted to do for a really long time: participate in a swap and be part of a book club...

Ever since I read about creative, crafty swaps on blogs, I've been eager to be part of one myself. But every time I came across one, it was either out of my league (I can't knit or sew or...) or it was too late to sign up. So a couple of weeks ago I decided to organize my own little swap (the idea was to be inspired by the colors of Fall), let a few friends know about it and was excited when they agreed to be part of it. Yesterday I sent off my package to my swap partner in Vancouver... I really hope she'll like it! More photos to come soon of the other swaps sent and received.

And the book club. Well ever since I read Reading Lolita in Tehran and then later The Jane Austen Book Club, I have wanted to be part of one myself. Reading fiction is one of my passions and I'm lucky that I often get to be paid for it professionally, but nothing beats sitting with a group of people and discussing a really good novel as it unfolds. The club is kicking off with Love in the Time of Cholera, just in time for the film adaptation that will be released this month as well. I got my copy of the book yesterday and can't wait to start reading it next week, once I've wrapped a few other things up.