Holiday Swap package received!

Mandy Vlak hosted a Holiday Swap on her blog, Mini Modern Mind. I was lucky to participate, even though I came in a little late. Another blogger, Annie, had also asked for a partner after the deadline and so we were paired together. Here is Annie's blog: Petite Wonderland. Do check it out!

This swap was very cool and I had a lot of fun putting it together!

According to Mandy's page, 

"Each swap has to contain six items.

Nr. 1:  one of the items must be something big! Like for instance furniture...
Nr.2: the second item has to be an accessory. What kind is totally up to you
Nr.3: the third item has to be something for a dollhouse Christmas…
Nr 4: the fourth item has to be something that’s related to the room I’ve picked out of the hat for you.
Nr. 5: the fifth item has to be something you’ve made your self. This can be whatever you can think of!
And Nr 6:  is a surprise item."

 There was a lot of room to have fun with this one! 

Well I just received my package from Annie today and wanted to share the awesome goodies she sent me!

First there was a lovely card:

 Then, in box #1, some "big" items (aka furniture):

I love these!!! They are similar to a saucer chair I have in my (real-life) bedroom AND I love white wire furniture! They're perfect!

Next, came box #2 (accessories):

How generous! Two beautiful Mexican woven rugs (I think I have places for these!), a cute little bird house and bird feeder, as well as some adorable little pots!

Box #3 had Christmas stuff in it, and this is what she sent:

Working Christmas lights! I love these! I think I might have to see how these look on the Glencroft. :)

Next is Box #4, something kitchen related (that was the room Mandy picked for us):

So cute! Some dishes (everyone needs dishes!), an adorable little rolling pin and mixing bowl, and a cute little retro cookbook!

Next came Box #5, something handmade by the sender:

Annie, I love these!!!! The pillows are perfect with the finest detail! And the little knitted pieces could be couch pillows, floor cushions, meditation cushions, smaller scale bean bag chairs - so many possibilities!

And last, but not least, box #6, which held some special surprises!

A little chest (I love these!), a skeleton, and a jacket. I love the variety of the items you sent along, Annie!

Thank you so much for a fun swap! I hope my package made it there safe and sound!

Birthday gifts!

Last weekend, my fiance treated me to an amazing weekend in Vermont for my birthday. We stayed at an awesome little place called the Manchester View (in Manchester, VT) and enjoyed a fireplace and a lovely Victorian-decorated room. I loved it!!!

Not only did he treat me the whole weekend, but he spoiled me with some wonderful (crafty) gifts, too. (And a dress from the Marimekko outlet!!!)

Anyway, here's the eye candy:

The little shelf with hooks and basket are from Memoriesnminiature on Etsy. The book is one I have been wanting for a while and has lots of cute crafts, many of which are definitely applicable to miniatures. :) Maybe I'll share some stuff I make from the book. :-D And of course, a cute little maple leaf punch which are really hard to find in any of the chain craft stores around here. :)

 The cute little stamp is from Terbear Collectibles, also on Etsy. And of course, more HoM stuff to grow my collection. The book is one I think I already have in my collection (my bad, since I likely didn't update whatever wishlist he used). He mentioned he didn't mind if I did already have it, that it would be good for another giveaway. ;) What a sweetheart! I will announce that in the new year.

It was a fun birthday and we had a lot of fun.

Today, I have been getting ready for Christmas. I made gift card holders and money holders for some of our family members.

And I decorated the dollhouses, too. :)

I still have lots of baking to do, as well as wrapping presents, but I have most of my shopping done, which is nice. :) I hope all of you are having a good holiday, no matter which one you celebrate. :-D

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER(S)!!!!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to December! Wow! I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by.

We had some snow overnight so I woke to this dusting on the ground...

Hmm...kinda gets me in that holiday spirit!

Speaking of holiday spirit... ;) Today is the drawing for my holiday giveaway!

Now, since I opened the giveaway a couple weeks ago or so, my blog followers have hit the 200 mark and I have over 105 subscribers on Facebook. I want to thank ALL of you for following along with my adventures in this hobby!

So, on to the part you've been waiting for!
*drum roll please*
Random.org picked a number out of 40(!) entries from this blog and facebook and chose:

This matches with: 

Congratulations, Kelly! I will announce this on facebook, too! Please message me on facebook or email me at lindasminis @ gmail . com (without the spaces) with your mailing address! Thanks!

But wait, there's more!

I didn't want to leave my blog readers out of this and have decided to draw for a second prize!!! The second prize is a little surprise with some holiday goodies as well. So, I grabbed all of the names of the people who entered here on my blog and drew a second number...

This number matches with:

So, Jazzi, you have a special happy mail surprise coming your way! Congratulations! Please email me at lindasminis @ gmail . com (without the spaces) with your mailing address! Thanks!

And, again, I want to thank ALL of you for your comments, friendships, and also your very very fun blogs to read!!! I read everyday and love to see the wonderful creations out there! Miniaturists are really an amazingly fun and creative bunch! And do stay tuned for some future giveaways - these are just too much fun!