Jeudi Gras!!

My clever, thoughtful Secret Pal struck again this week. Her creativity started with the box, which was beautifully, purply stenciled with designs.
It arrived on Monday, I think, but I was so involved with big, difficult stuff with my mother that I decided to wait to open it until I could take time to really enjoy the Event (and opening my sp's gifts are really capital-E Events!) Finally, on Thursday, I found the perfect time to open the package:

I got the theme (she does theme packages!) the minute I opened the first two flaps to see the Mardi Gras coins sitting there. I'm sure she packed it that way (remember my first package had a balloon that gracefully and perfectly floated out when I opened it.)
And here is the purple-green-gold -packaged fun:












and all the amazing treasures out to admire.







My detail pictures didn't come out so well, but there are Mardi Gras beads and coins, ceramic heart magnet, a set of zippered pouches, two round paper-covered boxes, one purple and one a Mary Engelbreit box ("Queen for the Day" - oh,yeah!), crafty spiral stamp and punch, some bits of shell and a little vial of sand, matreshka part III, a New Orleans jazz CD (which I am listening to right this moment), an intricate origami star, a purple-and-green-and-gold feather boa (whoo-hooo), a box of Zataran's Gumbo mix, and a gorgeous, mysterious, magical Peacock Mask.





SP wrote wonderful words in this card relating it to New Orleans and her residents today. It's a Mary Engelbreit illustration that also has some deep meaning for me right now.
The traveler is at a crossroads marked "your life" and "not an option" and headed off to her life...

And oh yes, this is a Secret Pal exchange among knitters, so there was this gorgeous stuff:

Adriafil GOLD

It's all shimmery, glimmery and looks like what I imagine Rumplestiltskin spun. It invites touching which I did every time I walked by the table
and I just had to try something with it, so I combined it with purple Malabrigo in this spiral ornament,
which I must admit looks like a bottle brush, but I'm sure I'll find the right way to use this spun gold in the future.



There was also this very interesting-looking fiber mixture to spin tucked in a pouch made of the most lovely black/purple/green iridescent fabric. Both fiber and pouch deserve a much better picture!!

Thank you so much, SP! You are wonderful at choosing things for me that are perfectly me. I love it all and opening this package was
a wonderful treat after a difficult week!






and now I'm going to post this and hope it doesn't come out all layout-weird as I've tried to be clever with text and images here instead of my usual image-center postings. Here goes....