Second WOW and third WOW!

I told you yesterday that I had two more absolutely gorgeous gifts from very dear bloggy friends. Both of them are so beautifully made, they take my breath away.

From my very dear friend Dorthe in Denmark, I received this stunning package -

Isn't this card just the loveliest? So many beautiful little details

Dorthe is one of those people who are so good at wrapping everything with so much flair, just look at this -

Inside were these lovely pieces of ephemera, and some of Dorthe's stunning skeleton leaves -

And then there was this beautifully wrapped package. Aaah, those gorgeous jewel colours! -

and inside? I squeezed it very gently, and it was soft, and my heart skipped a beat, because I thought it might just be one of Dorthe's stunning fairies or mermaids. So I opened it carefully, and then a huge smile spread across my face, because it really really was one of Dorthe's creations. And in the same gorgeous jewel colours as the packaging! WOW. -


Isn't she the prettiest little darling? She is going to live with her sisters in France, of course. Dorthe is another one of my bloggy friends, who one of these days will get the biggest RL hug, hopefully in France.

And now to the third WOW. My lovely lovely bloggy friend Suzy also sent me the most adorable gift, you are so going to drool over this one as well. I adore her style, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this -


This beautiful card is so typical of her, just gorgeous -

When I took the wrapping ( dressmaking pattern paper ) off, I found this inside, something wrapped in pieces of the most sumptious fabrics -

and underneath those fabrics was this, drooooool -

All those amazing little details -
on the back, her label -

Sooooooooo beautiful -


This lady is also destined to receive a great big RL hug, lol, as she is planning to travel to France next year!

I just love my bloggy friends. I know I don't say it often enough, but it really does mean so much to me, when I read your comments, get your emails, when we exchange or receive gifts. And my silent followers, of course, who may not say much, but who are there and keep me blogging. THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYBODY!

Which kind of reminds me to remind you that the CELEBRATION GIVEAWAY IS ON until next Tuesday. If you haven't entered yet, you can do so on this post -


Toodlepip xxx

The Kindness of Bloggers

A little while ago I was lamenting the fact that I had never found any pieces of driftwood on our beach, and my lovely lovely friend Dorthe offered to send me a few pieces. I should have known that Dorthe wouldn't just send a few pieces of driftwood, but I was not prepared for the wonderful package which arrived for me today.

As soon as I saw this gorgeous piece of vintage wallpaper on the top, I just went "ohoh, what has she done?" and my heart went all bumpedibump

Now does this look like just driftwood to you? NO, not to me either

Alright, this is driftwood, but look what she has wound round the pieces, laces, vintage ribbon, stamped ribbon, velvet ribbon beautifully embellished with sparklies -

And so many pieces of the most tactile, smooth pieces of driftwood, omg, the wonderful things I want to do with those pieces -

See this? I would think this has come from an old game. I love the colours, the illustrations, just the feel of these gorgeous old pieces -

And what about these little tags? Aren't they the sweetest? Printed on vellum has given them such a magic quality -

Pretty velvet ribbons in lovely colours and sequin embellishments for me to use in projects -

And the most precious thing, a beautiful handmade tag with a lovely message from Dorthe attached to it -

It now hangs next to the tags which my wonderful blogger friend Diane sent me a while ago -
The shelves they are hanging from are next to my computer desk, so I can see them all the time. I do love being surrounded by bits and pieces from my blogging friends, it makes me feel close to them.

It just makes me smile so much when I think about these gifts, that somebody has gone through all the trouble to put together such a thoughtful package, made something so special, spent so much time, parted with such lovely things, and all just because. I adore this wonderful, generous, genuine woman so much and her friendship is so precious to me. And Dorthe, one day we WILL meet in person and I'll be able to give you a great big hug! All I can do in the meantime is say THANK YOU!

Toodlepip xxx

France Post 8 - Blogless but bloggers are always close

And that is because of all the gorgeous little bits and pieces, which I have received from bloggy friends all over the world, both in swaps and as pressies. Some of the them are in our house in England, and some of them are in our cottage in France. It is very comforting to be surrounded by bloggy friends' gifts when you can't blog because you can't get broadband at the cottage.

This sweet flower garland looks so pretty above the old door and below the wisteria, I received it in a flower swap with this lovely lady -

The next two pics are of gifts I received in a "colour" swap from Elizabethd. I had chosen beige, no easy matter, but her gifts were beautiful. I keep the lavender sachet she made with lavender from her own garden by my bedside, and the sweet little "ete" hanger lived on the front door all summer long -

My lovely Kiwi friend's gorgeous girls made me these precious hearts -
They are hanging in the big old armoire and greet me every time I open the doors to get out bowls or platters etc.

And Sarah herself treated me to this beautiful tea towel. I hung it up straight away, and it looked fab in the kitchen in the cottage, and then it struck me that green in the leaves matched my Lloyd Loom chair pretty well.................... and there it has been ever since -

And one day, while I was entertaining 7 guests for lunch in our garden, the postman drove up to the cottage and delivered this from my wonderful friend Dorthe -

She makes the most beautiful treasures, sigh. She also sent me this lovely card -

Oh, and when I feel posh or have friends round who also drink tea, then I do use a proper tea pot and of course the fabulous tea cosy I received from Judy at tapestries of nature -

It does make me happy to be surrounded by little treasures from blogger friends, silly, yes, but it is like having a teeny part of them with me. They make me smile every time I look at them, and of course they also make me wonder what these friends are posting about while I am away.

I must have had a sentimental 5 minutes here, lol, thinking about the summer in France, friends, and I just had to revisit these lovely gifts. I miss them here in England, but they are waiting for me at the cottage....

Have a lovely Sunday afternoon/evening/Monday morning wherever you are,

Toodlepip xxx

OOH, I HAD BETTER MENTION THAT I AM LISTING SOME VINTAGE LACE BUNDLES IN VINTAGELAND THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE VERY DELICATE ANTIQUE LACES WILL BE LISTED TOMORROW. THEY DESERVE GOOD LIGHT TO DO THEM JUSTICE, HOPEFULLY I WILL GET SOME DECENT LIGHT TOMORROW.