Sunday, December 30, 2012

A Ten Year Love Affair.

I love Sundays.
Sunday is the day I sneak off to meet with my endermologist. 
I cannot keep it a secret any longer.
I want to shout to the world how good I feel every time I leave.
This love affair has been going on for about ten years now and I think I will never put an end to it.
Some people get pedicures, acrylic nails, massages, etc. 
I on the other hand, have a tete a tete' with my endermologist once a week and I love it.
My husband doesn't mind at all that I look forward to seeing Shelley each week.
In fact, I think he likes it.
Are you surprised that my endermologist is a female or that my husband doesn't mind?
I know by now that your imagination has conjured up all kinds of lurid scenarios, hasn't it?
Well rest assured, that it is all innocent and that if you had an experience with Shelley, you'd be hooked too.
Now, get your mind out of the gutter and go google endermologie.
 
Here's some mail to get your thoughts back on track.
 
 
A pretty package and nice gift from my penpal Rachael.
 
Here's what was inside:
 
 
A really nice note card set.
I really like the designs.
They are very pretty.
 
 
 
She enclosed this cute card with a nice note written inside.
 
 
A nice multi view post card of Yosemit National Park.
This is from a swap I joined, "A Postcard in The USA"
 
 
Another postcard form a different person, same swap.
I really fell in love with this card.
It's a photo of Zane Grey, the author of numerous western novels.
The weird thing is that I was just talking about him a couple of weeks ago.
I think it's Synchronicity that I got this card in a swap.
I love these type of cards because they capture a mood, a personality and evoke feeling.
 
That's it for Saturday's incoming mail, but it definitely made my day.
 
I sent out two letters yesterday.
 
One to a penpal and a thank you to my nephew's in-laws.
 
 
I got the beatnik stationery for Christmas and I used every peice of paper in this one letter.
Now, I have these cute envelopes with no matching paper.
I did however, get two sets of this stationery so I suppose I could make copies of the paper in the 2nd set so I can have more paper to go with the left over envelopes in the first set.
 
The second envelope in the photo is handmade by me.
 
I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year's Eve.



Friday, December 28, 2012

Friday Fulfillment

Today is Friday and yet, I thought it was Tuesday.
Following is two days worth of mail and let me tell you I got some good mail.
All mail is good, but I got a couple of unexpected surprises:
 
Like this box below from Becky.
 
 
I won't show you everything, but there were lots of paper goodies inside.
 
 
I love this ephemera.
But then again, I love anything that looks retro or vintage.
Honestly, I think I was reincarnated from another era.
 
In addition to what you see, there were many notecards, postcards, old photos, scraps of paper, etc.
I love that everything inside is something different.
 
I recall as a kid, there was this store we used to go to called Grant's.
They sold all kinds of toys and other things and they had grab bags that you could buy.
My sister and I loved the grab bags.
It was the excitement of not knowing what was inside and the anticipation of finding out.
That's kind of how I felt when going through Becky's gift of goodies.
It was very exciting and I did feel like a little kid again.
Thanks, Becky.
I loved everything inside and I definitely will put the items to good use.
 
 
Another surprise from a blog reader who found my address via Mailbox Happiness.
She made this postcard with her own photos.
It's very well done and shows some lovely places.
Quite beautiful, Mariska.
 
 
An official postcrossing card from Poland.
The sender writes:
Hello JarieLyn,
I'm a teenager from Poland.
This postcard shows beautiful place in our polish mountains, The valley of Five Ponds.
This photo shows the big pond. I hope you'll like it.
Best regards,
Natalia.
 
Yes, that is a big pond. It looks more like a river.
Thanks, Natalia. It's very pretty.
 
 
My first postcard from LR who found me via sendsomething.
She wrote a wonderful note on the back of the card.
I love this card.
 
 
This is a Christmas card from my mom's cousin.
But she's closer to my age than my mom's age.
 
 
This is such a cute card.
I'm not sure but I think someone that I sent a swap to sent this to me.
I have no clue who it is.
I log all of my mail and my swaps and I can't trace it.
I do however, seem to vaguely recall writing an envelope for this person.
Shame on me.
I love this card.
 
 
A thank you card  from our nephew's in-laws.
We met them for the first time in December and had dinner with them and our nephew and his wife.
Tucked inside this Thank You card was a $100.00 gift card for Outback restaurant.
It was a total surprise and very thoughtful.
 
 
A nice holiday card from my penpal Lisa.
And.....
she sent me this lovely postcard from La Papierre.
 
 
 
I adore this postcard.
I immediately went to Julie's Lapapierre.com shop and browsed.
An order from her shop is in my future.
 
 
Speaking of Julie, this card from her was in my mailbox today.
She has the neates handwriting ever.
Maybe I should practice my penmanship.
 
 
An official postcrossing card from Singapore.
I think it's a fabulous card of the city.
The sender writes:
Hi Jarielyn,
"If it comes from your heart, how can you fail?"
I love that last statement of yours.
Sorry could not find the card that you like.
I picked this as I was walking towards the subway going to work in Marina Bay; the area that you see in the postcard.
Singapore is a very small country and this area is one of the nicest spot that I'm proud to share with you!
Sincerely Azhari.
 
Very nice.
 
 
A letter and a card from my swap partner for six weeks of snail mail.
I received week one and two on the same day.
This card is one of the prettiest landscape cards I've ever seen.
This photo does not do it justice.
It really is beautiful.
And her letter was very nice too.
 
 
This is a really nice postcard from another swap I joined.
I'm not sure what the picture is of but it is quite beautiful.
 
Here's my outgoing for yesterday.
 
 
This is for a swap I joined called snail mail.
There are some paper goodies inside for my partner.
 
 
An official postcrossing card on its way to Belarus.
 
 
An official postcrossing card on its way to Georgia.
 
 
An official postcrossing card on its way to Germany.
 
 
An official postcrossing card on its way to Ukraine.
 
I had three things going out today but I forgot to photograph them.
 
I have lots of letters to reply to.
 
Have a wonderful evening.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Christmas Card Display

Here is a photo of the Christmas Cards I received this year. 
 
 
They cover my whole fireplace.
 
When I was a kid, I always admired my Grandpa and Grandma Philpott's collection of Christmas cards every year. They were the only people I knew who received so many cards. I wanted to be just like them with a large Chirstmas Card collection every year.
They had them displayed on top of their giant TV and I would look inside every single card and read what friends and loved ones would write inside. Most of their cards were from friends and family who lived far away so there was always some written updates inside.
 
To this day, when I send a card I always write some sort of note inside, even if I barely know the person...... I do my best to make it interesting for the recipient.
 
These cards will stay up until January 1st.
 
Next year, I will probably have to hang them on a door becuase I anticipate getting more.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Lonely Mailbox This Week

Hello everyone. Christmas is just three days away and I still have so much to do. My family celebrates on Christmas Eve, so I really only have two more days to get my S*** together. I hope all are more prepared than I at the moment. Nonetheless, I couldn't be happier. I love this time of year.

My  mailbox was pretty lonely all week until BAM! I'm not sure what happened but it was like an explosion occurred and everything landed in my box. And it made my day yesterday. Take a look at what came in.

 
This came all the way from Belgium and it was from the person I was assigned to send something to in my very first swap ever at swap bot.
I love her handmade envelope.
Check out the back of it.
It practically screams my name, or should I say my style.
 
 
And inside were not one, but two Christmas cards.
 
 
This adorable little ferry topping off the tree.
And.....
 
 
This lovely sentiment.
I love both the cards she sent.
 
 
A lovely postcard from my penpal Mendy.
I love her letters and cards.
 
 
A Christmas Card from my good friend Deyanira.
She knows me so well.
 
 
A Christmas Card from my youngest brother and his family.
Aren't they gorgeous?
 

 
A Christmas Card from my husband's aunt Betty.
And she enclosed some pictures.
 
Like this one of her dog with Santa.
I love it, and I adore Misty who got to spend Thanksgiving at our house.
 
A beautiful card from a fellow blogger who I had the pleasure of meeting back in 2010.
She always sends the most beautiful cards.
 

A Christmas Card from my husband's aunt Ann.
 
 
A nice long letter from penpal Lucas
 
 
A super cool letter from Derick
 
 
A postcard from a Gratitude Challenge swap.
This is a re-send because the first one never arrived.
 
 
A Christmas Card from someone on Sendsomething.
I don't believe this is related to a swap or anything like that.
There was no indication where it came from but I found her profile on sendsomething, so I assume it is a random mailing. I love how she decorated her envelope. She really put some amazing stickers on here. Check out the other side.
 
It's really nice.
And I LOVE the card inside.
 
 
So retro and so cool.
So, as soon as I get a chance I will send something in reply.
Thank you for this.
 
A super cool Christmas Card from Lucas.
I like it.
 
 
A big envelope from penpal Lynn with a bunch of awesome stuff inside.
 
That concludes the incoming mail for the week.
 
Here's the outgoing:
 
 
This is a letter for a swap I joined called snail mail 45 +.
 
 
This is for a postcard swap.
 
Same swap, different person.
 
 
Same swap, different person.
 
Same swap, different person.
 
Same swap, different person.
 
 
This is an official postcrossing card on its way to somewhere in the USA.
I don't really want to say because as chance has it, out of all of the hundreds of thousands of people participating in postcrossing, I got the address of someone in the snail mail blogging world.
Someone that I'm sure we are all familiar with and know very well.
It's definitely a small world.
 
I forgot to photograph another handmade postcard going to a friend.
And a Christmas card going to another friend/former sister-in-law.
 
Ugh!
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.