I love mail! ...and giveaways!...

Look what I found in my letter-box when I came back from work yesterday!!! The most artistic parcel I've ever received! I knew who it was from, I knew what was inside...well, part of it anyway, but never expected it to be so beautiful on the outside.

Lovely Sarah from Circles of Rain sent me my giveaway present and wrote my name and address on this gorgeous painting of hers. It's so typical of her work; I could recognize it anywhere. Visit her blog for more of her art if you like.

Anyway, little one was with me so there was a lot of ''come on, mum! Open it, let's see what's inside" and "oooh, there are stickers! I'll get these" and me saying "you're blocking the light from the window; come from the other side, so I can take a decent photo" and "hey! mum, don't look at the pictures now, just open it" and ...

..."look at the back, more stickers! Come on! Don't read the note now...let's see what's inside!..."

..."it's a book! Can I get the stickers now?"
Well, giveaways are always fun but when what you win is a book, that's perfect. Sarah has sent me 'The Secret Garden' and some lovely printouts of her own collection. (If you enlarge the last photo you'll see the black and white drawing of a girl.) The book is a copy that belonged to her and it smells like you're in an antique bookshop. So precious! I'm over-excited!!!

And there was another surprise in the book: a set of Royal Mail stamps showing postboxes! Wonderful! I can enlarge these and use them at work to bring an air of England to my classes and I could also turn them into bookmarks.


Here's a view of everything that was in the parcel.

Thanks so much Sarah!

Have a lovely rest of the week everyone!
xxx