Blogging By Mail - Handle With Care

First of all, I want to apologize for not writing this post sooner... I present you my excuse - moved between towns just this week. When this round of Blogging By Mail was announced, I even considered not taking part, just because I wasn't sure I would be able to get the package together and in the mail in time, but then, still having time before the move, I decided I can make it. So, this July I took part in Blogging By Mail for the second time. This wonderful blog event is organized by Stephanie, The Happy Sorceress, from Dispensing Happiness. After getting over with my doubts about the schedule, I was extremely excited about being able to participate again. The idea of this blog event is to send a package to a given someone somewhere in the world and receive a package from someone else and then blog about it. It always has a theme too and this time it was Handle With Care - more precisely to send a care package of your must-haves, food-related or not to the person who you are paired with. I sent my care package essentials to the state of New York, USA to Chris of Hye Thyme Café. And I got the honor to receive a package from the woman behind the whole deal, Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness. And here it is:

The package was accompanied by a letter explaining why she has included everything she did.
First off, tea. Stephanie sent me tea from her favorite brand. I love tea too, so I am very pleased to be soon trying and tasting these new flavors. Might take a little while, though, before I do, the weather has been quite hot and humid for Finnish standards and I haven't been craving for tea for a little while. I'll be more than happy to take these out, once fall settles in and grab a good book in my hand and read and sip tea from a big mug sitting in the corner of my sofa.

I mentioned a book above there. Well, what do you know, I don't need to get that myself either, as Stephanie sent me Joanna Fluke's book called Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder! I've never read any of her books, but the name and not to mention the little tag saying "Includes recipes" got me very interested! Looking for to diving in! Next to the book, there's... chocolate! Love chocolate! I guess probably every one of these care packages included chocolate in some form. So essential for care packages :) These are from another of Stephanie's favorite brands. The flavors sounded intriguing and I'll probably sneak these into my work bag so I have something nice waiting for me after a particularly exhausting day :)

Next up: cookies. Stephanie made these herself, two kinds, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate almond biscotti. These I have already tried - and yummy! These have been my moving unpacking prizes that I can eat after accomplishing something in the making-this-apartment-fit-to-be-lived-in area.

Don't you just love these cute soaps?! Raspberry Cream Cupcake, Chocolate Cream Cheese French Macaron and Strawberry Frosted Minu Donuts. These are going to look so cute in my bathroom :) This picture also has Burt's Bees' lip shimmer in it. I've had lip balms from Burt's Bees and really liked it, so I bet I'm going to love this too. The balms have been so nice on the lips and as this has a little (delicate, not too flashy) shade in it too, it's going to be all used up in no time :)

And the last item: a puppy dog! Stephanie included this because she has dogs herself and how fitting it was for me! I'd love to have a dog. So far, our situation in life hasn't really allowed it, but I'm happy to have received this cute fellow to make it easier to wait until we can have a real one!

Well, Blogging By Mail was a blast again, and I'm already looking for to the next time! Thanks so much Stephanie for organizing this and for your wonderful package for me too!

Crocheted Tank Top

The tank top in action

Finally a FO in the blog! This tank top has been ready for some time now, but it really got into use this last weekend. I don't know why I haven't been wearing it a lot more, because when I finished it, I was really looking for to wearing it, but at that time, the weather just wasn't right. And then after it was, this piece of clothing somehow never really made its way on my outings. (Maybe it was because I didn't want to have tan lines that I so often have on my back and shoulders.) Anyway, this last weekend I found out how wonderful this is to use, it's so soft and comfortable and lets the cooling wind breeze through. The pattern I got from one of my mom's old magazines and am very satisfied. I thought that a yarn like this with color variation needed a simple pattern to let the yarn shine. This is one of the first bigger pieces of clothing I've done and am so proud to be telling people that I've done it myself :)