Valentine's Day Mug Swap

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Today I am linking up with Sew Caroline & Rags to Stitches for the 2nd Annual #VDAYMUGSWAP! 

Last month I decided to participate in the Valentine's Day Mug Swap that Sew Caroline & Rags to Stitches were co-hosting! I am a huge fan of both Caroline & Alissa's blogs and read them religiously! I love all the DIY Posts that Caroline shares with us & I enjoy Alissa's Coffee Dates very much! If you aren't familiar with Caroline & Alissa, I suggest that you start following their blogs because you are missing out on a lot of fun posts! You won't be disappointed! 

I was partnered with Katherine from Confessions of an Art Major! Be sure check out Katherine's blog and show her some love! 

Katherine was such a sweetheart and sent me a mug that was made & signed by a local artist from Mississippi- how cool is that?! I'm so happy to be adding this mug to my collection! 

Aside from the mug, Katherine also sent me hair elastics (pictured) & some candy in an assortment of flavors (not pictured). Isn't the red elastic so cute? I love all the glittery goodness and plan on wearing it for Valentine's Day! 

Side Note: I don't have a picture of the candy that Katherine sent, because my son Lansen ended up eating them before I could take pictures of it! If you're a parent, you know how that goes... On the bright side, Lansen really enjoyed the sweets! 

Katherine, thank you so much for the goodies that you sent me! I loved everything so much & Lansen really enjoyed the candy! I look forward to reading future blog posts and I hope that you have a fabulous Valentine's Day! xoxo

I'm linking up with Alissa & Caroline for the #VDAYMUGSWAP Link Up! 

If you would like to see what I sent Katherine, click here.

2013 Valentine Blogging Party

Last month I came across a post on Growing Up A Thomas about the 2013 Valentine Blogging Party  that Ashlee is co-hosting along with 4 other bloggers: Casey, Nicole, Lauren, and Alycia. 

I don't normally celebrate Valentine's Day but I couldn't pass up on participating in this fun gift exchange for a few reasons:

1. I may not celebrate Valentine's Day, but I do love all the Valentine Goodies that I see in the stores around this time of the year! Pink, red, hearts, florals & chocolates? Yes, please!

2. I love being able to meet new people in the blogging community and I felt this was a good opportunity to make a new blog friend!

3. I looooove getting fun packages in the mail! It almost feels like Christmas! 

I was paired up with Kyla from ford-ology.blogspot.com.
 Kyla's blog is about family, faith, food, fun, fashion and all things FORD.
Be sure to check out her lovely blog! 

Here's what Kyla sent me for the Valentine Blogger Party Gift Exchange:

 1. Felt "XOXO" Valentine Tote | 2. Valentine Lollipops, Assorted Flavors

3. Heart Shaped Bean Bag | 4. M&M's | 5. Valentine's Card

(Note to Kyla: Thank you so much for all the goodies you sent me! I loved everything so much & Lansen enjoyed the lollipops! You're such a sweetheart- I look forward to reading your blog posts & getting to know you better! Wishing you and your family a Happy Valentine's Day!)

If you would like to see what I sent Kyla, click here.

Introducing the Shoe Box Swap!

On New Years Day, I asked my friend Dana if she was interested in doing a Shoebox Swap- I have actually participated in a couple Shoebox Swaps that Dana hosted a few years ago! My friend Dana found this fun swap idea when she came across this post on The Homespun Heart back in 2007. She and I haven't participated in a Shoebox Swap in years, so it was pretty exciting deciding who to invite to participate in this swap & picking out a fun theme! 

Dana picked out the theme COZY! Dana invited her friend Nichole to participate in the swap & I  invited my friends Marilyn, Ronya & Brittany. Once we heard back from each of our friends we emailed them a questionnaire to fill out:

Shoebox Swap Questionnaire 

1. When you think of "COZY" what comes to mind?

2. What are your favorite colors?

3. What are your favorite hobbies?

4. Tell us a little bit about yourself/What would you want your partner to know about you?

Once partners were assigned, we sent everyone an email with their partners information & questionnaire answers, and the swapping began! 

Partner Assignments: Nichole & Ronya | Dana & Brittany | Marilyn & Cindi

Swap Pictures:

 

Since it was our first time co-hosting a Shoebox Swap together, we decided our first swap be "invite only" among our friends... However, Dana & I are hoping that fellow bloggers, followers & friends will be interested in participating in future Shoebox Swaps! I think that it would be a fun way to get to know one another better & make new friends! 

If you think you'd be interested in future Shoebox Swaps, be sure to leave a comment below!