The last mail swap I organized was a a little bit more serious than usual. The theme I picked was HOPE. And it was because at that specific point in time I was very much burdened by many dark and dreary things happening around me — to people I know, in our community, our city, the country, the world. I felt like, in some way, I had to do something to keep the light burning and not give in to sadness and hopelessness. So I thought maybe exchanging words and images of hope and life can be a simple yet good way to do that. I'm glad many expressed interest and really embraced the message. Those Read More
Sharing Summer Memories
On a cold, rainy day, I think the next best thing to reading a book with a cup of tea (or coffee!) is receiving and reading heartfelt letters from pen pals. It's been months since I organized the Summer Mail Swap but I recently read through all of them and how they made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The theme of the swap was "Best of Summer 2017" and we all shared with each other through words, pictures and artwork our favorite summer experiences. The stories shared were varied — from out of town trips to making art projects at home, from finally watching their favorite band perform Read More
2016 Christmas Mail Swap
Why am I still talking about Christmas in February?!? I'll tell you why! It's because I haven't had time to sit down and blog so I'm so very late in featuring this one…BUT the things I'm sharing with you in this post deserve to be acknowledged and adored no matter the delay! And I'm talking about the lovely handmade letters and cards I received from the ladies who joined my Christmas mail swap last December. I love organizing swaps because I'm interested in people and in people's original ideas. In having craft swaps, participants are challenged to come up with something nice regardless of Read More
Hearts in Letters
Phyllis Theroux said, "To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart." And I do feel like parts of me went to different places in Manila a few months back when I sent handmade cards to the group of ladies who joined my mail swap. And just the same, I was touched to have received thoughtful messages and works of art from the same women. The theme of the swap was "Favorite Movie Lines" and I really had fun collecting film quotes which stuck with me the most through the years. I realized I had a lot of them so I narrowed down my movie selection to five: Read More
It’s A Mail Swap! [REGISTRATION CLOSED]
Receiving mail from friends (and my go-to online craft stores!) always makes my day! I love the thrill of finding something on our doorstep or in our mailbox and the entire process of opening it and discovering what's inside. All the more when I receive something that had obviously been carefully and lovingly made and written by hand — it's like receiving a part of that person, fragile and precious. It's intimate without being invasive. It's upbuilding and a breath of fresh air. So I thought it would be good idea to make another person's day and have a bunch of others join me in Read More
A Happy Handmade Accessory Swap!
A couple of months ago, while working on some crafts at home, an idea came to me to put together a craft swap. At that time, I was into making wooden pendants and was also in search of inspiration for making handmade accessories. So I thought, why not organize a handmade accessory swap! I've joined swaps before but have never put together one, so I immediately contacted one of my craft friends and asked if she thought it was a good idea and if she knew of people who would join. Excitedly, she said she loved it and that she knew of some friends who would be very interested. So that same Read More
Papercut Hearts
One of my friends who share my love for crafts invited me to sign up for a postcard swap in time for Valentines Day. I immediately agreed because it's something I've been wanting to do. Naturally, the theme is "love," and the only rule is that you send something you made yourself. So early last week, I busied myself making my cards. I wanted them to be simple and yet look fun and pretty. So I took out my trusty craft knife and cut out different fancy hearts on the front of my blank cards. I didn't have a solid idea what to make when I sat down to work on it, but I came up with four that Read More