Swappin'

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
-Oren Arnold

And, to a fellow crafter, a lovingly handmade Christmas ornament to hang on her Christmas tree.

On one of the blogs that I check daily, I was introduced to the Holiday Ornament Swap 2006. It sounded fun, so I signed up and forwarded the link to my mom, who I must thank for the crafty blood that runs through my veins. We both got in on the fun. And, today I sent my packages for their journey all over the world!!

This is the note that I sent along with each ornament:
"Hi friends,
Thank you in advance for sending me your beautiful Christmas ornament. These ornaments will adorn my first Christmas tree in my first apartment. I have had so much fun decorating my home for the holidays.
I have always been a crafty person [it's in my genes], but with the free time I now have [sorely missed through my four years of college] I haven't been able to motivate myself to get a project started, much less finished. My apartment was filling with craft supplies, and my time was filling with reading craft blogs, but I just couldn't start. Then this swap came along! Although I can sew and have just learned to knit, I chose to make these ornaments with my favorite craft supplies: patterned paper and a little bit of Mod Podge. Hopefully this project will give me the momentum I need to complete all of the Christmas crafts on my to-do list.
Along with this shabby chic ornament, I'm sending along my blessings for you and your family this Christmas and throughout the New Year!
Merry Christmas! Jana"