A thimble exchange with Costa Rica

I am not a collector of thimbles. A couple of months ago I took part in a thimble exchange though.
It was via Kim's blog of Wisdom with needle and thread  and I exchanged with Christy from Peru!
You can read all about it here.
Then a lady from Costa Rica reached me to do an exchange with her too.
Here's what she sent me. A lovely thimble from her country, two fridge magnets, chocolate and a piece to stitch.

Here's what I had sent her. A thimble from Parga.Isn't it gorgeous?

A thimble from Thessaloniki.

(Sorry for the blurred photo!)

And a fridge magnet from my city.

My parcel took ages to reach her! Some postal services are really bad! Anyway I am glad my parcel arrived safely afterall and she liked everything I sent her!
Thank you Arlette for this lovely exchange.

A thimble exchange.

I don't collect thimbles although I do a lot of cross stitch and felt sewing.
Some time ago my friend Kim of Wisdom with needle and thread organized an exchange and I decided to take part! Thanks for organizing this Kim!
My exchange partner was Christy from Peru.(No blog)
I posted my parcel to Peru at the end of April.
This is what I included.

Two thimbles one from the Acropolis of Athens and one of the White Tower of Thessaloniki. Plus a fridge magnet of Thessaloniki and some Greek ouzo candy.
I am not sure if there was anything else in the parcel.I don't remember any more.
Christy posted her parcel to me at the beginning of May.
Some time at the end of May Christy and I started communicating daily by e-mail in Spanish (I know a little bit) and English (she knows a little bit) trying to understand each other and trying to realise what had happened to our parcels. She hadn't received mine and I hadn't received hers.
The funny thing was that we had both posted our parcels registered so we could follow them!
Her parcel to me finally arrived at the beginning of June after she had filed a claim.It took it one month and a week.
It was a lovely parcel filled with goodies.
Here is what she sent me!

 A card, a little bag with my monogramme and two thimbles from Nazca and Cusco in it, a fridge magnet,a DMC thread, some ribbon and fabric and some buttons. Thank you Christy for such a lovely parcel!

My parcel to her was showing on the tracking files that it had arrived at its destination Argentina!
I was shocked. I had the post office receipt that I had paid registered for Peru! So I too filed a claim. To which I have not received an answer yet!
But at last yesterday Christy recieved my parcel!HURRAY! It took my parcel almost two months to reach Peru and it was a registered parcel I had paid almost 10 euros only for postage for such a small parcel! I think that this was the last exchange I am taking part in I am sorry to say!
I also have mailed my Mail Art parcel and have received nothing in return not even a note that my parcel was received.
Postal services worldwide stink!And here speaks a lover of mail and postal exchanges!

Calendars and diaries for the New Year!

I love keeping a diary. A handwritten one. And even my blog is like a diary to me! And I love looking at the calendar everyday.Not a virtual one but a real one on  my wall next to my desk. I am so lucky to have good friends who sent me two this year.
Here they are.
From dear Kim in England, a long time pen pal I met years ago in Kent.Thanks Kim!

From my sea glass friend Andria, a seaglass inspirational calendar too. You can find one in her shop.Thanks Andria.

My diary this year is this little book which is a pupil's diary with literature texts. I bought it cheaply at the book bazaar some months ago. It does not have dates so you can write in it whenever you feel like and you can also read interesting literature texts in it every time you write.

Last weekend hubby and I offered a free shadow puppet performance at a community project in a village outside Thessaloniki to benefit poor people. There was a giveaway bazaar there too.I got some things for free among them this vintage book which I also had as a kid. It shows the seasons and months. I loved finding it again.

Winter

January(because Santa comes on New Year's Eve in Greece!)

Anyway those of you who prefer vistual calendars I will show you two lovely ones.
This one is on my computer since yesterday by Geninne Zlatkis.

Or if you prefer this one by Evdokia in Haveakookie.

Enjoy the new year once again!

The kindness of people (6)

It's Thanksgiving in the States! So I am taking the chance to wish my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving!
I am also taking the chance to show you more of the kindness I received recently!
Thank you Kim for the lovely things you sent me from the Sea Glass Festival. You know how much I love sea glass!
The parcel included the poster of the 2011 NASGA Sea Glass Festival,bookmarks,the programme and lovely cards made by sea glass friends.