Look what I received! Advent Calendar update

Look what I just got in the mail!

I mean, I knew that Aya had already sent her package - but that was on Saturday (well, the post was on Friday, that's right, but the sticker said November 17th - and now it's November 20th! So, I guess it came flying here on Sunday, then got send from Frankfurt to Saarbrücken yesterday and I received it today in the morning at 11 am)! Who knew that the package would travel all the way from Japan to Germany in only 4 days with a weekend in between? I am amazed. Not only by the travel speed, but also by the package itself! Let's have a look at it...

First, I took off all the papers because I don't want to show either mine nor Ayas address here :)

After taking of the wrapping paper and the bubble wrap I came to see this christmas themed box...

The first look inside!

After taking out the goodies from her "Fumi no hi" giveaway project which lucky me won :) I am so looking forward to December now! And it's all wrapped beatifully :)

Sadly, I can't unwrap all the presents by now... But I had a look at the goodies she sent me! Ooooh I was jumping around with excitement :)

70 paper stamps to use as letter seals or in scrapbooking projects.

A few (some of them self-adhesive) labels - aren't they lovely?

At first I wasn't quite sure what this flower is....

but it's a neat stationery! You can unfold it and then there's writing space inside :)

Christmas themed stickers!

I love these! I just realized that you can't really see that much here - these are some envelopes and postcards and there's also lots of writing paper in the backe (you can see some of it next to the moomin-envelopes. I'm so looking forward to writing letters with this!

Can you see what this is? It's washi tape! Oh my, I am so incredibly happy. 

Aya also included a brochure with many nice pictures of Japan (the leaves are so colorful!) but the photo turned out very blurry, so I can't show it here.

I am so so happy with the package! Thank you so much Aya! And I'm so much looking forward to the Calendar now!

Did you already receive your calendar?

Alles Liebe, Caddi

Advent Calendar - Update!

I sent my advent calendar yesterday! How far are you?

I would love to tell you what I included, but I don't want to ruin the surprise... =)

 A few of the surprises on their way to their recipient.

The wrapped calendar. I loved to use the stickers I got from Katri on this package, as well as the airmail sticker I got from Aida from Malaysia a while back (hello there!). I think they are so much prettier than the German ones, can you see the bird on it? I am very bad when it comes to parting with them :)

Another look of the package. I thought I would need to add an ugly postage sticker in the blank field there, so I didn't make it pretty and just had an old piece of paper with the address on it with me - well, it turned out that that's all I had and I had to use that one. I'm sorry! I would have made it prettier if I would have known that I didn't need to use a postage sticker. Well, luckily I had gotten a letter with Washi tape attached to it so I took a bit of that to adhere the "label" to the package. Also, I used the stamps as "adhesives". And I'm a bit jealous of the receiver because she will get the 500 cent stamp with the Enzian on it - I am collecting the flower stamps and that's one of the few I'm missing. Does anybody have a spare one of it?

Did you already send your calendar? How many days did you prepare until now? Remember to send it by the end of the week!

Alles Liebe, Caddi

The giveaway winner...

... will be posted soon! Sorry for the delay, but I have loads to do!

In good news, I already finished packing all the goodies for my advent calendar and I will send it off this weekend! How far are you guys? Remeber that you should send it in a week or so...

I know for sure that Lou already sent her calendar - when I saw that photo I wanted to know so badly what was inside! Advent calendars are a good way to teach your kids (or yourself... ahem) patience by the way!

More good news: I'm back to receiving mail! (Bad news: It already started piling up again....) In the past week I got letters from two pals from Germany (I already replied to one of them), from Jennifer in the UK, Bee from the Czech Republic, Korina from Guam / USA, my mother (Such a lovely surprised! I haven't received a letter from her in a few years I believe - I do get postcards and Care-packages a few times a year though!), Laura from the USA and Sigrid from the Philippines. I will post photos tomorrow for two reasons which somehow are connected to the same reasen:
a) It's already 10.30 pm and I'm deadly tired and don't want to wait for blogger to upload the pictures.
b) It's already 10.30 pm so I wouldn't be able to take good pictures anyway.


How is life treating you these days?

Alles Liebe,
Caddi

Advent Calendar Swap - Update

Hello,

if you signed up for the advent calendar swap, could you please check your e-mails? Please confirm that you got my mail and then you can get started and go hunting for things for your partner :)

I'm so looking forward to this and I hope we will all have a great experience!!
Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Alles Liebe,
Caddi

Advent Calendar Swap!

Hello dear readers! 

I know, I know, it's not even Halloween yet - but christmas is approaching fast! I'm already looking forward to it! 

There's a saying in German which says "Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude", which translates loosely to "Joy is always in the forecast". As a kid, this proved true for me with Advent Calendars. Every morning in December I would be allowed to open one little present, mostly chocolates of course, and the day I opened the last present, christmas had finally arrived! You can't imagine how many times I counted the little packages that were still there, the excitement rising when I counted fewer and fewer...

I wanted to share this feeling of joy and anticipation with you, my dear blog readers, through a swap which you can find here! Please fill out the form with as much information as you'd like to, it's easier to find little gifts for you if your christmas angel (can you spot that little one down there in the picture? That's our christmas angel. It even has a small bag which may be filled with mail, or candies or presents... but shhh, it's a secret!) knows more about you than just your name. You have time to sign up until the 31st of october and should send your calendar to your assigned partner latest November 17th, so that it'll arrive in time for December 1st.

Are you in?

I'm really looking forward to this and I hope you do as well :)

Alles Liebe,
Caddi

Last year's Advent Calendars