My Secret Pal's Valentine Extravaganza

And here it is, in all its glory (well, except for a fair number of edible goodies...) I unwrapped things every day for four days! And if it was candy, I ate it: Aplets & Cotlets, jelly babies, Japanese gummies...
Pictured are Jan Brett's Beauty and the Beast; Mary Engelbreit note cards; a heart punch; embossing templates; note pads; little ceramic magnets of a heart, question mark, and four letters: Z-A-N-N; beautiful handmade items (detailed below); 3 balls Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (oooooh, so soft)....closeup of the goodies I didn't consume by picture time:

a heart mug filled with Stash (one of my faves!) herbal tea and a scrumptious-looking raspberry hot chocolate; jellies attached to a sweet 'n squishy little bear, a purple tube of M&M minis attached to the cutest little tin suitcase (certainly to become a holder of something in my knitting basket), and of course, a little traditional heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Wow.
I love everything, but will play favorites to the things my SP created with her own loving and talented hands.
A pink-and-white washcloth with heart and embossed heart-shaped soap that smells terrific, but I can't seem to identify the scent! I think perhaps it must be a combination of a couple.

This is a little beaded bag, white cotton and pink beads. Tucked inside was another matreshka doll (hmmmm...the first tiny doll in my first SP package just fits inside...) and in that was tucked wee bits of nature: shells, seeds...

And here is a pink crocheted teeny bag with a heart button - tucked inside that a glass heart on a pale pink ribbon - just sweet and lovely!


Ahhh...I actually can pick a favorite from all the abundance of gifties...this purple crocheted pouch. I love love love it. Not only did my SP crochet it in my favorite color, but she dyed the cotton herself - with blackberries!
I have a Blackberry Thing - I love to eat them, but I also have precious memories of picking them wild in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina on family camping trips. And one summer, I was staying near Penland School of Crafts with the family of sculptor Al Vrana (my first husband was his assistant ) and we had an amazing day of picking blackberries and making jam (and of course eating at breakfasts thereafter.) While we were out picking by railroad tracks, a train roared by - I've never been so close to a train... my goodness, this pouch seems to be my Proust's madeleine...
You can't see it in the picture, but the cord is purple and green (a very, very, very favorite combination of color to me ) and my SP also dyed the green, with Queen Anne's Lace...how cool is that?
She says that I should not be surprised if the color changes as it ages...and that is okay. That means it's alive.
A 3-language thanks to my dear SP- Danke, Merci, Gracias!!!
xo
'Zann