Sweet Surprises

If you know me in real life, you probably know that I love mail. 

Well, lets back up the boat.....

I like fun mail. 

Especially fun mail in the form of packages.

Not only do I enjoy fun mail but I also have a bit of an obsession with paper, most specifically pretty stationary.

Allison from Slice of Heaven sent me eight of the the sweetest hand stamped cards. They were so beautiful that I had to show you how talented she is:

Thanks Allison! This was the first "contest" I ever won on the internet (and I've been here awhile) and I didn't even have to "enter" in this one! 

Since we are talking about things that are sweet...

The magnolias are just gorgeous right now. 

They are so southern; So incredibly hearty, and yet beautifully delicate. 

At church Tuesday night a friend gave me the one pictured below. At first I wasn't sure what to do with it because it was all close up and looked kind of like a light bulb with foliage. She told me to put it in some water and it would open up. Sure enough, come mornin', it looked like this:

I was so surprised! I hadn't realized that they were so fragrant but when I walked into my kitchen, filled with dishes and a crazy mess, it smelled citrusy and fresh. So I closed my eyes and pretended it was as clean as it smelled, and it made me feel happy for the privilege of waking up in North Carolina. 

This morning while I was running I would catch a whiff of that lemony scent and just knew I had either passed a magnolia tree or was comin' up on one. I'll miss that smell when the blooms are gone.

This morning I took our dog out for a walk and realized we have some sort of wild blackberry/raspberry bushes in the woods across from my house. I wonder if I could actually pick them? Do any of you southern girls know if raspberries could actually be growing "wild"? That would be VERY cool! 

(Could I sound more like a city-girl?)

OK, I must get laundry and the house tended to today or I will be forced to work on the weekends, and I make it a point not to do work on the weekends (as much as possible, anyway).

Happy Thursday! 

Happy Little Handbags Make Me Glad

Why is it that the ink in our printer always runs out the morning that I plan to address Christmas cards?

This seems to happen every year, so you might think that I would be prepared. 

The truth is that I thought I was prepared. Right before we moved in September I bought not one, but two, ink cartridges for this very purpose. The last thing I wanted to do was to have to spend $50 in printer ink in December.  

However, I cannot find nor remember where in tar-nation I put that extra box of stashed "Christmas Ink".

Of course, the minute I finish hand writing 75 Christmas cards that little cartridge will show up. 

In the meantime, to completely shut down Christmas Card production, as well as tiring out my writing hand, I have spent this afternoon making handbags.  

Teeny, tiny, paper handbags for Christmas decorations that will hang on my tree. 

On Saturday I found this book in hardback at our library. I was sort of in a hurry so I just grabbed it off the top shelf with the hopes that I might have a free moment later to look inside. 

That very night, while in my fuzzy pajamas and sipping some decaf, the book magically opened to the exact page where these sweet little ornaments were displayed, and it was love at first sight.  

I have scoured the Internet for a template for these sweet little morsels of handbaggy goodness, so you could make one too. But the only one I could find was this one, go check it out. It's cute too. 

All that to say, my Christmas cards may not be sent on time this year, but my Christmas tree is going to be very well accessorized.

La Vida Dulce!