(AKA Tina's Been Reading My Mail)
Saturday was a really good day. I had an unexpected visit from my eldest son, Ethan. We enjoyed catching up and having a nice dinner together. (For me, it was veggies at a Thai place. I didn't even have a bite of sticky rice or cream cheese and crab filled wontons.)
When we got home late in the evening, I had a surprise - a package from one of my favorite blog friends - Tina at What We Keep. 
What We Keep is one of the blogs I receive via email - a fellow Texas girl. Tina has an affinity for textiles and needlework. She has a sharp wit, great style, and an occasional funny tale about her dog, Bruce. She is a friendly and thoughtful blogger. 
She does custom giveaways! Sometimes, they're almost like a game - and you select your favorite style or something. I saw her goodie bag on a giveaway last fall, and it just blew me away.
I must say, I'm not one to enter every giveaway I see. Sometimes I just don't due to the amount of steps you have to take to enter - facebook, twitter, comment, visit a web site, yada yada yada. 
But when I saw these bags for wine bottles - lovely burlap with images of vintage corkscrews printed on them, I immediately entered. I also joined the "Nothing Will Happen Club." Simple. Just a comment, and I was in like Flynn. (Click here to see her post.) 
Fast forward to Saturday night. I ripped into my package like a seven year old on Christmas morning. I should've taken photos, because she had packaged it so beautifully. I was touched by the details, and all the EXTRA goodies that weren't even mentioned in the giveaway!
Like this whimsical little bird - with a tag that said, "Thought of spring, Makes me sing.
Check out her monogrammed ribbon, that wrapped a couple of surprise gifts. Even the ends were trimmed in the cutest way possible!
What was inside the tissue and ribbon just made me smile.
Two lovely white on white pieces - a square tablecloth topper...
...with lots of lovely embroidery and handwork details like tiny little cut-outs, and a decorative edge.
A custom monogrammed creamy white on snow white cotton hand towel with my initial and name.
Wow. 
Just beautiful. And they were pinned together with this pretty little stick pin. I love beads, and have collected them since I was a child.
She'd even tossed in a some of lavender buds. 
Lavender is one of my top two favorite smells in the world. (The other is Bergamot.)
When I say Tina's been reading my mail...I just have to say - I knew I liked the bottle stopper and wine bags, but the extra little surprises could not have been more perfect for me if I'd been able to pick them out myself. 
One of the items she'd shown in her giveaway post was this great antique glass doorknob-turned a wine bottle stopper. I love glass doorknobs, and wish I had them in my house! This one even has a bit of white paint on it, doubtless from some home renovation decades ago. I love it that it is still there! It makes me wonder where this knob was, who painted, etc. I love things like that - things with a past.
I put it in one of my demijohns just so I could show you.
And there's more!
This is a chalkboard LABEL to put on something. She even included day of the week labels and "Menu" in case I wanted to use it for something like that. This will be my first experience using this sort of thing. I look forward to using it!
If you haven't yet visited Tina at What We Keep, do it. She's got the sweetest post today - a piece of needlework from her grandmother and some very heartwarming memories to share. 
Word for the Day:
And he made an hanging for the tabernacle door of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, of needlework;
 
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