The Winner is . . .

. . . Tracy from Pink Purl!

I couldn't wake Scout up to do the drawing, Dill wants nothing to do with my silly nonsense, and Mr. Magpie wasn't home, so I resorted to Random Number Generator, which gave me 24, and Tracy left the 24th comment.  I'm thrilled that she won, because Tracy's blog has long been an inspiration to me, and she is one of the most creative and thoughtful people I've met in the blog world.  I've already gathered a few treats for her package, and now that I know it's for her, finding the rest is going to be an extra-special treasure hunt.

Thank you to everyone for your incredible comments.  It's an honor and a pleasure to know you, whether in the virtual world or the physical one.  You inspire and teach me every single day.  How lucky am I?  Beyond compare.

Here are the petals of a pink rose for Tracy, with the promise of more treasures to come!  xo g

A Giveaway . . With Love and Thanks

The Magpie's Fancy will be two years old on February 26th!

More than 280 posts into this adventure, I am still delighted, moved, and awed every single day by the people I encounter and the talent I see on blogs all over the world.

Thank you for inspiring and challenging me, for encouraging my crazy ideas, offering support when I've been low, and for kicking me in the pants when I've needed it, too.  In the blog world we make amazing friends, often without ever meeting face-to-face.  As Archie Bunker once said, "I got a lotta best friends--some of 'em I don't hardly even know!"

To celebrate two years, I am hosting a giveaway.  Please leave a comment between now and noon EST, Friday, February 25th, to be in the running for the prize.  And what is that prize?  Well, in keeping with my magpie nature, it will be a collection of wonders and curiosities that I am gathering together.  It will include something that glitters, something to read, something handmade, something vintage, and any other delicious treats that capture my heart.

I will announce the winner on Saturday the 26th.  Please feel free to enter no matter where in the world you live, whether you're an old friend of The Magpie's Fancy or a brand new visitor.  I'm just happy that you all are out there, making magic, and I thank you from the bottom of my magpie heart.

xo Gigi

Grace

As some of you know, my word for the year is grace.  Matthew 7:7 reads, "Seek, and ye shall find."  Well,  all I had to do was type the word, and already grace has arrived this year in many forms, including intense conversations with smart and inspiring people, real paper notes and emails from dear friends, links and features online from beautiful prairiegirl and amazing Bine, wonderful enthusiasm about the Freewrite Series from lovely people like Robin and Karen, and incredible support from my husband in more ways than I can count.            

And then this morning, while I was scrubbing out the bathtub, grace arrived right on my doorstep in the form of a package from my sister-in-law (and fellow magpie) Cate.  Cate and I share many traits, including a passion for paper, an obsession with all things sparkly, and a love of crafting with--you guessed it--paper that is sparkly.  So when I opened the package to discover a glittery gift inside, I almost didn't want to open it.  It was that pretty.  See the polka dots on the paper?  Those are lovely flocked circles underneath the glitter.  Sigh.

But open the gift I did, and what was inside?  Eternal grace, of course.  Cate had read my word-for-the-year post, and she sent me some grace of my very own to begin the new year right.  What a gift she is.  

Thank you so much for your emails and comments about the Freewrite Series.  I've been hearing interesting stories about the map exercise, and I look forward to hearing more this coming Friday when I post the next exercise.  Please feel free to stop by and join in any time it strikes your fancy.

The Art of the Parcel, revisited

Thanks for the lovely comments on my last post.  They brought comfort and cheer.  You are the bee's knees.  

And now it's already the weekend before Christmas, which means my kitchen table has been transformed into gift-wrap central, and everything on my holiday to-do list (cards, shopping, crafting, baking) is half done, or half undone, depending on my mood at any given moment.  But I love wrapping gifts, I truly do.  When I was a girl, I'd volunteer to wrap gifts for my mother and father, and I'd spend hours cutting the paper, folding over the edges, curling ribbons, and making gift tags out of Christmas cards from previous years.  I imagined being the woman at Filene's who got to wrap Christmas gifts for customers.  My dream job!  All these years later, I don't usually have has much time to linger over the gifts, but I still love to wrap them, especially for people like my sister-in-law Cate, who adore paper and ribbons and pretty boxes as much as I do.   

Last year, I crocheted little ornaments from the sparkly yarn above, and I attached one to each gift.  This year I've been making paper flowers.  I often save and reuse beautiful paper from the year before.  Or old pages of books . . . or old maps.  I even reuse tissue paper.  And, of course, I reuse ribbon.  A quick iron, and it's ready to go.  And I love creative reuse of containers.  All year I save the metal canisters that Republic of Tea tea bags come in and then I glue pretty paper on them and repurpose them as beautiful containers for small gifts.  I also love gifts that double as packaging, like a pretty vintage purse with smaller gifts tucked inside.

As far as opening gifts is concerned, I'm a sucker for Christmas stockings.  Bigger gifts are lovely, but the stocking has always been my favorite part of Christmas morning.  When we were kids there were certain stuffers we could always count on: a Lifesavers Storybook, a bag of M&M's, an orange, a pair of socks, and a quarter in the toe.  I loved those "regulars" just as much as the surprises.  As we grew older, Santa, always a hip guy, began to toss in scratch lottery tickets.

Okay, the sun's coming up, time to get cracking with that list.  Have a beautiful day, my friends!  

  

C is for Cadeau

A special parcel arrived last night--special because of what was inside, special because of how it was wrapped, and , most importantly, special because of how it came to arrive at my doorstep.  Sande, the woman behind the amazing blog and online boutique, A Gift Wrapped Life, hosted a North American giveaway in celebration of her one-year blog anniversary.  Dustjacket Attic, the woman whose blog we all visit for fashion, beauty, humor, and a large dose of wit, was one of the winners of Sande's giveaway.  DJ, who lives in Australia, shared her beautiful gift with me.   

First, I need to say that I tried to resist.  Really, I did.  I tried to wait until morning light to open this package in order to photograph it in natural light, but when the delivery man arrived in the evening with this parcel--well, let's just say I'm only human.  Even the brown shipping box was decorated with Sande's gorgeous blog-header photo.  I dove in, pausing just long enough to snap a few shots.  Please excuse the less-than-stellar photos.  My hands were shaking (Who has time for a tripod at a moment like this?), my knees were knocking, and the lighting--ugh.  

Yet the package, even under the circumstances, was glorious.  Let's begin with the photo above.  That was the label on the envelope just inside the box.  I photographed it behind a few of my own peach blossom branches.  

Inside the envelope was this knockout card from Sande.  Underneath the card lay perfectly pleated pink tissue.  Sigh.

I lifted the tissue to discover this ruffled peony tucked into a satin wired ribbon bow in a deeper shade of pink.  This was tied around a box impeccably wrapped in dove-grey patterned paper.

I lifted the lid (the box, by the way, is gorgeous, too) only to discover more pleated pink tissue fastened with this delicious tag.  At this point, imagine me talking aloud to an empty room.  I was so excited that I needed to comment on every stage of the unveiling.  There I was exclaiming, squealing even, with no one but the cats to hear.  I think they were just hoping I'd drop some tissue on the floor for them to play with.  They were out of luck.  It was too perfect to just toss on the floor.  I carefully laid each piece in a stack on the table as I went.  And look what I found next:

Beneath perfectly creased tissue triangles were two paper roses tucked into more ribbon--grey this time.  And these ribbons were wrapped around my giveaway gift:

a trio of exquisitely-scented Left Bank candles from Charlotte Moss.  The candles are stunning, the silvered glass is perfection, and just look at that marbled paper inside the lozenge-shaped box!  Swoon.  Serious swoon.

Thank you Sande and DJ, for generosity and beauty and un cadeau much loved by me.  When I started blogging a year ago, I wrote a post called The Art of the Parcel about how I often love the parcel, the wrapping and card and ribbons, as much as I love the gift itself.  When someone takes the time to make receiving the gift such a delight for the senses, it adds layers of meaning and memory that I treasure.  

I've received a few other magical treasures recently, but I'll save them for another post.    

The Winner is . . .

. . . Ange!

Scout and Dill were both asleep, and Todd was teaching, so I had no helper for the drawing.  Instead, I used Random Number Generator.  What a joy to discover that the beautiful and gifted Ange had won my giveaway!  She is a calligrapher, mum, and thinker extraordinaire.  Here's just a taste of one of her works below.  Hope you'll pop by her beautiful blog, Signed by Ange, for a visit.

Find more of her beauty here.

I have been having a ball collecting treasures for the giveaway.  Some of the treasures are from Nesting on Main in Concord, MA; at least one is from a recent walk; another is from Black Ink in Cambridge, MA.  The box itself is a cigar box I bought at a flea market and that I've customized just for this giveaway.  Wish I could send off boxes to everyone who entered.  Your words and wishes mean the world to me.    

Ange, drop me an email with your mailing address--oh, and let me know which photo you'd prefer.  I'll print it, tuck it into the giveaway box, and send it all your way.

Be on the lookout for my next post: B is for . . .

Thanks and Wishes

I have come to love my mailbox.  It seems each time I open it lately there's a surprise waiting inside.  It all began recently when the lovely Christina sent me a package full of treasures that were utterly and completely me, including one of her own original photographs and a little ticket with the word WISH printed on it.  I'm saving that ticket for a very special and particular wish.   I can't tell you what yet, but you'll be the first to know if & when it comes true.  

And do you remember my friend Eric , the amazing graphic designer?  He and his wife Carolyn sent me a copy of the Where the Wild Things Are film storybook, which you know I'll be using in my Children's Literature class this coming spring when I teach the book and, now, the movie, too.  Plus, Eric made me a card that I adore.  Art made by friends--sigh.

More recently, Kim from the wonderful blog A Box of Chocolates , knowing that I collect sea glass, sent me a tin of sea glass that she'd collected on the shores of Queensland, Australia.  So now my sea glass collection's gone global.  So cool.

This week I received a gorgeous box of goodies from my blogging pal Colette .  I'd won her giveaway , and what a giveaway it was, complete with some of her own beautiful photocards, a handmade Christmas ornament, a puzzle, and even a copy of Pippi Longstocking!!  She is one of my all-time favorite characters.  In fact, I dressed up as Pippi for Halloween in first grade, complete with coat hanger wires in my braids to make them stick out.

And my brilliant and creative friend Marlowe, who, like me, is a magpie of the most adamant kind, salvaged skeins and skeins of beautiful chenille yarn for me that someone was giving away at her dump's trade center.  She popped them all into a box and shipped them to me.  Free yarn that was just going to end up in a landfill--now that, I love.  I can't use it for the Knit-a-Square project, because they need wool yarn since it's more fire resistant, but you can bet I'll be whipping up some pretty, lacy, curly scarves for Christmas gifts!

I also received--well, this one Todd & I both received--the three lovely vases pictured above from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jen, and her husband Ed.  The vases are handmade by Heath Ceramics in Sausalito, California, and they are completely and utterly us.  

I'm thinking of the day I opened up Christina's box of treasures.  My husband said, "Wow, she really gets you, doesn't she?"  Yes, indeed.  I have friends who notice the little things--a favorite color, a loved author, a collecting habit, or a hobby.  That kind of attention is a gift in itself.  In fact, if wishes are friends, then nearly all of my wishes have come true.

Just one more thing: thanks to blogging friends, old and new, for stopping by this week!  Hope you have a fabulous weekend!  xo

The Winner!

Tonight we are burning the midnight oil, Scout and I, 

because it's time to draw the giveaway winner!

Scout volunteers to make the selection

(it's amazing what tossing a little catnip in the bowl 

will do for a girl's community spirit).

She takes her sweet time . . .

. . . but at last we have a winner!  

It's Jacqueline from Home, 

a gorgeous, smart, and funny blog.  

I so admire her for her senses of style and humor both!   

I asked Scout what she thought of the drawing, 

and she said it made her hungry (that's my girl),

so I'd better give her a treat for being such a sport.

Speaking of treats, 

I so hope you'll enjoy the ones I've gathered for you, Jacqueline!  

Send me an email at the address that's on my profile page, 

and I'll pop your gifties in the mail!

Thanks so much for playing along, everyone!  

Just send me an email if you'd like to get a copy of the chapbook. 

I can't tell you how much your words 

of support and friendship mean to me.  

Thank you.  xoxo Gigi

100th Post & Giveaway!

I can hardly believe it, but I've written 100 posts since I started this little blog of mine back in February.  As a huge thank you to all my friends, new and old, who read The Magpie's Fancy, I'm offering a giveaway.  To enter the drawing, just leave a comment between now and midnight Tuesday the 15th when I'll choose a winner at random.  What's the prize, you ask?
Well, it includes a few goodies I've been gathering: some gorgeous colored artist pencils, a pretty notebook for daydreams and flashes of inspiration, a few special vintage trinkets and lovely baubles that I've discovered in the shops in Portland's Old Port, plus a signed copy of my new poetry chapbook, Learning to Tell Time, which recently won the Midnight Sun Chapbook Prize from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  UAF published it this past month, and it will be my pleasure to share it with one of my friends.   

When I first started blogging, I had no idea what it would bring to my life.  Little did I know that just around the corner waiting for me were so many awe-inspiring people who treasure beauty, creativity, and authenticity just as much as I do.  It has been a huge joy to meet you folks, and I feel like this is only the beginning of the journey!  

So, please leave me a comment, and be sure to check back here after Tuesday at midnight to find out who won.  Oh, and don't let location stop you from entering.  It doesn't matter where you live; I'll be happy to ship these goodies anywhere in the world.  That's how much I adore you. 

xoxo Gigi

P.S. The cover painting on the book is by the very talented Nancy Nichols.  My photo above doesn't do it justice.

The Art of the Parcel

Perhaps it is true that you can't judge a book by its cover, but I believe that you can judge a gift by its packaging.  In fact, I have to admit that, whether giving or receiving, I often care just as much about the box, the tissue, the ribbons, or string as I do about what is inside all that delicious concealment.
  

Just think of the Varga girl, those World War II-era pin-ups painted by Alberto Vargas.  They were all the more enticing because of the satin and pearls and chiffon in which the artist draped them.  Part of the power of the 1940s pinup lay in what was barely hidden, what was anticipated; the fabric or flowers or ribbons revealed the form of the woman without giving away everything.  There was room for imagination, lust, and even a sense of humor.  After all, what's sex without humor?

So it is with most things in life: the form of a well-written poem is satisfying to the eye and ear; the shape of a well-made coffee mug is pleasing to the hand; how we contain things matters.  My favorite buttons housed in a plastic baggie appear a little sad.  Slip them into a vintage teacup or a wooden bowl and they are as luscious as candy.

My craving for pretty parcels was deeply satisfied today when my husband and I visited two of our favorite shops in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Red Chair Antiques and Bowerbird and Friends, where we bought vintage labels, bottles, drawer pulls, and thread in vivid shades of plum and blue and red.  We spent only a few dollars in each shop, but the women who sold us the items wrapped them with care in paper adorned with ribbons at Bowerbird and vintage stamps at Red Chair.  Once home with our small bundles, we had the pleasure of discovery all over again as we undressed them to reveal the treasures within.