Send Something Good Package Pals - Part 2

pink strawflower

The whole goal of the Send Something Good project was to connect with other bloggers you may not otherwise find. I have to admit, I'm in my own little food blog bubble. When I have a spare second, I scroll through food blogs... and wedding sites. So checking out the sites of the bloggers in the Send Something Good project was a lot of fun, and a new perspective. How interesting to get a view into someone else's life, interests, relationships -- to get to know other people in other places in the world so easily.

I received Mary Kate's contact, the author of the blog From the Guest Room, as the person I'd be getting to know (via her blog), and then surprising with a package. Mary Kate lives in Nashville. The south is close to my heart (I was born and lived for years in North Carolina), and I loved looking through Mary Kate's blog -- she has beautiful photos, great style, and she is always posting about something interesting (book clubs, recipes, photography pointers, DIY, guest posts, fashion ideas). It was fun to put together a package for her, and also strange sending a stranger a gift -- trying to imagine who she was, what she'd like. I wanted to send something from California, something personal, something unusual, and of course to have it all be something she'd like.

So, I packaged up two of my botanical photos into blank greeting cards, mixed up my favorite multi-grain pancake & waffle mix, found my favorite dark chocolate bar (with raspberries!), a pair of shell earrings from this lovely etsy artist from San Diego, and some easy-to-grow flower seeds. A California postcard with directions for making the pancakes, some bakers twine & tissue paper, and my package was on it's way to Tennessee to Mary Kate.  Stayed tuned -- I'll share the multi-grain pancake & waffle mix in my next blog post!

A few days after I sent my package to  MK, I returned home to find a sweet package from Deidre over at from the desk of Miss Edmunds on my doorstep.  I opened the box to find so many sweet gifts wrapped with beautiful peacock paper and purple ribbon (I love the color purple).

Like Mary Kate, Deidre didn't immediately seem like someone I'd come across on my own. This pen-pal-esque exchange was really working to make new connections. I loved all the thoughtful gifts Deidre sent, and the notes that accompanied each item. While it's always fun to get mail (and presents!), what I most appreciated was getting to know someone so different from me. It made the things that she sent more special, more meaningful. It was like a good friend had mailed me a thoughtful package that she knew I would like. (Not to mention that her package came at the perfect time! It's always such a pick me up to get something something sweet in the mail during a stressful, busy time!)

She'd clearly read my blog to get to know me -- she sent me beautiful yarn for a new knitting project, three bars of dark chocolate, and a wonderful new cookbook (I have a recipes bookmarked for blueberry buckle, peach pie and crepes that all look incredible). Deidre competes in Miss America and other pageants... which is how she scored me a  Miss Idaho Spuddy Buddy. This smiley, tiara-adorned potato doll can only come from Miss Idaho or someone close to her. I'm psyched about it... who would have guessed?! It makes for great conversation, sitting prominently on the coffee table.

Additionally, I now have new journals for recording jokes and quotes. How did Deidre know this is one of the best jokes in my repertoire?

Deidre has a sweet blog that chronicles her life -- funny (hilarious), sincere, down to earth. I love that her blog features Michael Jackson and 'N Sync videos and that she makes silly faces and takes photos of her outfits (what a good idea -- I can never put together an outfit). She seems like a positive person with a good attitude and outlook on life. It made me happy to get her gifts in the mail, and even happier to get to know her.

Send Something Good was a nice slice of life -- new perspectives, new people, new ideas and friends. 

Success! 

Check out the participants below -- make a new friend, see something different.