I was psyched to hunt for just the right ornaments for these girls. Micaela gave me a couple tips for Maddie--that she loves owls, and that she'd like a San Francisco ornament since she wants to visit here one day.
I scooped up this adorable owl from Etsy shop Beets and Bernice. If you like it, I highly recommend buying from her--she's so sweet and ships quickly! Plus, the ornament was even more adorable in person that it was in pictures:
I wasn't willing to venture into tourist-land for an SF ornament (I imagine I would've had to go to Fisherman's Wharf or some other tourist-laden 'hood), so I made one for Maddie:
amateur, but cute-ish, right?
and wrapped 'em up like this:
and sent 'em off to Texas!
Maddie had a similar idea about what to get me: one from her home state, and one ornament representing something I looooove.
I love this!! Makes me think of all my Lechuga girls.
love me, love my shoes
A pretty perfect exchange, right? I wouldn't have expected anything less from a partnership with Micaela and Marianne's sister. :) Merry Christmas, Maddie, and thanks for the sweet ornaments!
My exchange with Lauren Nicole was just as great. All I knew about her was that she has impeccable taste . . . so I ordered some vintage ornaments from my sister's etsy shop, Very Fine House:
(four) turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree
sweet vintage deer ornament, also from my sister's shop
Aren't they darling? But I decided to attempt to make one for Lauren, also . . . so I tore up some Vogue magazines and broke out the holiday sparkly modge podge and ended up with this (it's spherical, so I couldn't get a good picture of it! but you'll get the idea):
Lauren sent me two exquisite beauties from Anthropologie. They're pretty much exactly what I would have picked out for myself . . . how did she know? and I quickly placed them front & center on my tree!
This delicate little bird is so pretty, and her underbelly is grayish-silver glitter!
a colorful knit K for my last name
Thank you, Lauren! I love both my ornaments so very much, and as you can see, they went right up on my tree! I've already yammered on and on about how in love I am with my Christmas tree, and now it has four new, special ornaments that make it all the more lovely.
Micaela, I'm already looking forward to next year's swap. ;)