I want to bounce, bounce, bounce around the house. I feel so elated it's making me high. The caffeine-withdrawal effect is taking on a totally different route. I'm suddenly more hyper than usual.

One reason I could think of this sudden change is the bright sunny weather we're having today. It's been dreary, wet and cold for the past weeks which I actually loved, by the way, but the sunshine perked up the energizer bunny in me. And I like it!

I've recently received two surprise packages in the mail. Surprise because I really wasn't expecting them. At all. Maybe these also explain my hyper-bouncing mood as well. Eeeee!

Dyanie sent me a package of crochet and sewing sundries with a handwritten letter. I was expecting a postcard from her, but instead, she sent me more than that. How thoughtful of her!

And, there's the mixed cd from Nicole with a letter sent with hugs and a lollipop (of course, Mike ate it - lol). I absolutely love the songs! I'm actually listening to them right now for the nth time!

Thank you so much for the lovely mail surprise! *bouncing hugs to you both*

Ah, so much catching up to do!

I'm so way behind posts. There are lots, and I mean LOTS of things I want to write about but simply don't have the time and energy to. I hope to catch up though and get back to regular posting because I think this blog needs a bit of lovin'. It's just really been a busy week.

Last Tuesday, I received two lovely packages from Japan. The first one is from my creative swap partners, Xena and Jim.



They both made me this clock using an Oya Stone which is said to be a kind of tuff created 20 million years ago. Amazing huh? What's more amazing is that they decided to part the stone and give it to me, as it was a souvenir they bought in one of their out of town trips earlier this year. With their combined creative talents, they were able to whip up this clock. I'm really really touched by this gesture. Such generosity and ingenious talent they shared to someone they only know by name. Thank you so much, Xena and Jim! I will treasure this clock. I'm planning on hanging it in my craft room when we're done working on it.



Aside from the handmade clock, they also sent me some Japanese snacks, beads, paper craft materials and notebooks. Love them all! Thanks again X & J!

The second parcel is from Ivy, who I have been doing swaps with since December last year. This time, we decided to do a theme swap, which is one of my favorites. Fruity!



I love all of the stuff she sent me. It's all so fruitilicious! I couldn't help but gasp ooohs and aaahs while opening the box. They just look so yummy! By the way, the Apollo Meiji chocolate was so good! <3 strawberry + chocolate!



She also included some non-fruity things like the flower interior lanterns, ribbon, mini fan, incense and decoration balls. She forgot that we agreed on doing the fruity theme and bought some "flower" stuff. But I love them all the same! Thanks for the great stuff, Ives!

It was definitely a good mail day. I'm looking forward to more days like that! Haha. I love getting mail. :)

As much as I aspire to, I'm not really in the mood to write these days. I'm enjoying crocheting more granny squares (I want to finish the blanket!) while we're watching movies in the evenings. My days are nothing out of the ordinary - I just do my usual stuff.

The movies we watched since last weekend:

- Batman Begins
- Knocked Up
- August Rush
- Bourne Ultimatum
- Legends of the Fall



I also discovered these miniature food cuteness in an model kit store downtown. I've seen Re-Ment stuff on some websites I visit and on flickr, and wished I had them, too. I don't really know where to get them online so I thought I'll save it for when we go to Japan or US. When I saw them lying on the bottom glass shelf among the boxed vinyl Tokidoki toys, I just knew I couldn't leave the store without them.

Now, I'm on the hunt for the furniture pieces! The collection begins!



These postcards came in my mailbox recently, except for the Normal Rockwell painting on the top left which was the first postcard I got via Postcrossing. They are my favorite among the 16 cards I received so far. The cutest one, though, got here today all the way from China. I guess you know which one I'm talking about. I can't get enough of kawaii things. They make me all mushy and childlike. I love it!



These, too, was a colorful surprise which came all the way from Japan. Thank you, Caryn, for these origami paper goodies! I will definitely use them in my future origami projects.

I like sending postcards, and, of course, receiving them! I look forward to it at the end of the day. These are the recent three I'm dropping in the mailbox later.

Do you want to exchange postcards? Let me know! I'm up for it. :)

Anyway, we'll be off to the camping with the parents tonight until Sunday. I'm looking forward to relax, enjoy the sun, bike around town, crochet and just be out of the house.

What are you doing this weekend?

My mailbox has been filled with lots of good stuff lately which are enough for a week's worth of blog entries. Aside from the postcards I received from postcrossers which I have yet to photograph, these cute books and a couple of online purchases, a box of creative pretties greeted me yesterday morning which came all the way from Charlottesville.



Jess made these origami boxes herself. They're pretty nifty, aren't they? I have been looking for packaging materials for my jewelries and this got me thinking of making my own boxes for the jewelries I'll be selling in the shop. I didn't only get presents but I got me some ideas, too! How cool is that?

She also included postcards from Virginia showing a scenic view of Charlottesville where she lives. They're now kept in the box of my postcard collection.

"Virginia is for lovers" is the official state motto.

The boxes alone were presents on their own but I was in for more surprises when I opened them. They were filled with cute strawberry buttons, fruity erasers, flower ribbon and bags of yogi tea. I really really like them! They are oh so lovely! I already have projects in mind for the buttons and ribbons. I'm gonna try the tea tonight, maybe it will help me fall asleep on time.



Thanks Jess for the sweet surprise!

I got my first product review!

Two weeks ago, Jess ordered the flower charm. She is actually my first long distance customer so that got me pretty excited! Since I still owed her the birthday giveaway, I packed the charm in the parcel and sent it away that Monday. It was like a momentous event when I got the payment in paypal and handed the box to the woman at the post office. Same feeling I got when I sold the slipper charm, which is the very first item that I sold in person. It's a very good kind of high!

So imagine my emotions soaring this morning when I checked my e-mail. I felt a boost of happiness and inspiration running through my whole body. I'm so happy to know that someone is happy with the stuff I make as this is one of my major fears about my craft. It feels good to know that people appreciate my work.



"The charm complements perfectly with my electric blue phone and coordinates against the pattern of my Vera Bradley bag."

Thanks, Jess! You surely made me happy today. :)

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And I got these in my mailbox this afternoon. My first etsy purchases with an address label freebie. I love them both! I even like the envelope she sent it with, stamped with the artsy stamps she designed herself. Now I only have to find frames to put them in. I already know where to hang them.

The Seattle postcard is from Gail. She's one of my first blog friends when I started blogging in 2003. Somehow we drifted apart - got busy with our lives, I guess, but when I checked her blog again lately and saw that she also joined Postcrossing, I asked her if she wanted to exchange postcards with me. Now, I got one. Thanks hun! :)

So yeah, these nice surprises really made my day. What a great way to start my July!

A package of goodies from the pretty Sleepyjane has arrived in my mailbox today. Love everything especially the notebook she decorated and personalized for me. Sweeeeeet! :) Thanks for the lovely stuff hun. Yours is posted too and will be there soon, I hope!