A Christmas exchange

You know how I love exchanges especially around Christmas.
This year I am partaking in three and this one was the first to be completed so I can blog about it!
It was the #secretsanta2016 exchange organised by sweet Zina of Efzin creations blog.
I received a lovely package from sweet Katerina of mindspinfabrica blog.
She had dressed the box in lovely red and white paper with hearts.

She had wrapped everything beautifully.

She made me a fabric and paper book in which I can stitch and write at the same time.
Also a little fabric pouch in matching fabric.
She also made me a beautiful Christmas card and included a craft magazine and some candy.
Thank you so much dear Katerina.

Katerina and I belong to the same crafty group here in town organised by Anna of In My Closet and she knew what I would like most.
I in turn had to make something and send it to Margarita of  mommywiki blog.
I made one of my stones in red which is her favourite colour but it is so Christmassy too.

I also made some chocolate and put it in a tin box.

I added a couple of materials for handicrafts as well as a card.The card is one I had bought last year from the dog shelter where we got Barca. But I added some embellishments on it.

 Margarita liked my parcel and I am glad.
Thank you Zina for the organisation of the exchange and thank you Katerina for the beautiful gifts you sent me.

Secret bunny 2016

Dear Zina of Efzin creations blog and etsy shop organized one more successful Easter gift exchange called #secretbunny2016.
This year I received a gift from Athena of Mummy's Little Man 

Athena sent me a little porcelain bunny covered in paper,a tealightcandle holder, some chocolate and candies, a beautiful pen, and a handmade card. Thank you Athena.
I sent my parcel to Helen of Karydotsouflo.
As I wasn't sure what Helen liked I decided to visit her blog and loved the banner.
So I started thinking about walnut shells and hedgehogs and finally I came up with copying her banner and turning it into a pyrography scene.

 Then I also cross stitched a little hedgehog family from a pattern I found on pinterest and made it into a bookmark

I then looked around my house for previously loved things I could add to my parcel.I always do that as I believe that sometimes I have too many  things I don't really need but love (usually books and handmade items) and that those could suit another person better.
I had bought a book covered box to post my parcel in so I thought of adding a book into the box too. And I had the most appropriate one The elegance of the hedgehog by Myriel Barbery!Amazing, isn't it?
I also added a walnut shell pin cushion made by dear Sonia of Cozymemories and finally a bunny I bought at the Melissa Orphanage bazaar. I added some little details on the bunny too.Oh and a card of course.
Before closing the parcel I added some chocolate and jelly candy for Helen's kids.
I really loved making this parcel and I am glad my recipient loved it too!
Apart from making this parcel I also made a couple more for two other friends.
One was for Maro aka Akamatra who was visiteing Thessaloniki and we met for coffee at Koumbi cafe
I gave her a box with chocolate.

her blog logo made with pyrography,

 a needle booklet made with aida and felt and I stitched the Stitch for Syria pattern on it,

 and a bunny from the afore mentioned bazaar.

Maro made me a lovely pouch!Thanks Maro!

I also sent Zina a small gift, her blog logo made with pyrography

and a bunny too since she is the organizer of the secret bunny exchange!
I really enjoyed all this gift making,sending and receiving once again!

An exchange (Ah kounelaki=little bunny!)

You might remember one of the exchanges I took part at Christmas was Secret Blog Santa organized by Zina of Efzin Creations.
This Easter Zina organized again an exchange called Ah kounelaki (referring to the Easter bunny).
I was the lucky recipient of Thalia's gift from this blog. Thalia is such a sweet artist and has a lovely blog where she shows her art and her town Distomo which has a tragic history. And of course all that with her sweet talented daughter Georgia.
Thalia sent me a beautiful gift but she showed great trust to the Greek Postal Service which unfortunately failed her.
Her beautiful hand painted pot arrived broken. She also sent me a lovely card she made along with her daughter and some freesia bulbs to plant. All in all a lovely gift.

 I managed to glue the pieces and the pot looks lovely!

But Thalia wasn't happy and wanted me to have something beautiful from her and not to be broken. So she surprised me with a lovely painting a few days later!

 Here is her painting and her pot along with Ahtida-Georgia's gifts. I will take them all to the beach house when we go there in summer.Don't they all look gorgeous together?So many sea colours together!

Here's what I sent to my recipient Dimitra of DimitrArt. I made her one of my stones and added some chocolate and a lovely soap from Karalis soap. As Dimitra is expecting  a baby I stitched her a little baby picture too that I found on pinterest in her favourite colour blue. The picture is by creativita and the frame by Tiger.

When she received the parcel and told me she is expecting a girl I made her another one in a more girlie colour!

Great exchange!Thanks Zina for organising this again!