a box of happiness

a few years ago i got a job at joann fabrics. i was excited, being that i am a crafty girl. unbeknownst to me, though, my life was about to be altered by a fabulous, one of a kind girl: emily.
we started work on the same day, january 23. we both support causes like veganism, environmentalism. we both love knitting and reading and writing. we're like, crafty-soul mates or something! it's awesome.
i moved away about a year or so after we met and we didn't stay in touch as well as either of us would have liked so we recently decided to swap packages. thus the box of happiness!
here are the goodies!
first, a simple, beautiful handmade card with two matching bookmarks for me and my daughter. including tags with our first initial on them.

i had a sock monkey once, when i was quite young. i think my mom made it. this is the cutest one i've seen! my daughter and i named her matilda. her soft scarf is to die for!!
what fabulous pink art on a recycled seven. its such an adorable thing!
emily's articles were certainly the height of each of these magazines! everything i've ever read that she's written has been enjoyable.
it's almost springtime!! small critters are sure to be found! meanwhile, the baby is using it for a purse.
ah, fun little things: beads, seeds and lipgloss. all indispensible items for a girl like me!
i am admittedly a yarnaholic. emily knows this and kindly contributed to my addiction with my favorite color: pink. oh, and black.
more with the pink. i can't wait to get my sewing machine area cleared out so i can make some little summery things for my child!

speaking of my child, emily made her a customized coloring book using some pictures of us and also some other cute little pages. it's tied with fabulous purple yarn. markers are now the baby's favorite. she colors everything. including her nails. 'sparkle polish' she says. i say good thing emily picked washable! art is so good for toddlers, i really think it helps their brains develop.

i remember getting packages when i was little from friends or relatives and it was always so fun! like little christmases all year. i think we, as people are so used to the instant-ness of our society, and all the technology that makes everything so much faster. to me it seems less full. less real? there's literally less substance.
i intend to write more real paper letters and send more real cardboard boxes this year and every year from now on. that's my new year's 'resolution'. haha.