Valerean

Thanks to Writer's Block book shop in Winter Garden I got hooked on Blind Date with a Book self-gifts a few years back, but lately I'm seeing the concept expand to include things other than books. It's especially nice when the items you're blind dating are used or thrifted, as that gives them a second chance to be appreciated (and saves money, too.) My recent find of a Blind Date with a Cookbook was a lovely surprise -- I may steal this idea to make a blind date holiday gift for a neighbor who like me enjoys reading cookbooks. How about a blind date with a puzzle? If you have a puzzle lover in the family, you can pick up sealed/unused puzzles at thrift stores very cheap. This would also make a fun kid's gift as well as something a senior might enjoy. A blind date with a movie could be a cozy alternative to going out. You could also build a whole treat basket around this gift with popcorn and candy you'd usually get at the theater. For your cra...

Someone who loves me promised to thrift a birthday gift for me for $10.00 this year (I always ask for no gifts, just cards, but no one listens.) Last Saturday the package arrived. I suspected it was fabric, but when I opened the package I got a color explosion surprise: a rainbow quilt made with macaron fabric! It's beautiful and especially apt. I'm now known for my French macarons, which as this person well knows I only bake for people I really love because they're a pain to make, lol. The squares have a lovely pinwheel 3D patchwork on sand-colored tonal fabric, which is also very me. It's in super good condition, too. My dear one also sent the invoice, which showed they thrifted it for $9.99. What a perfect bargain!

The floral brooch lot, one of the Christmas presents I gave myself, arrived in time to go into my new stocking. All the brooches are really pretty, and in very good condition. The listing claimed some of them were vintage, but all of them look fairly modern to me. I fell instantly in love with this rabbit and bumblebee basket of flowers pin. Two of the rose pins match, although one flower is a bit darker than the other. This one had a tiny Catholic medal attached to it. It's hard to make out details of the figure but I'll guess it's Blessed Mother. My mom would have loved it. Since I'm no longer Catholic I might take it over to the local church and offer it to them for one of their parishoners.

My guy turns 72 on Saturday, and I'll be making him his new favorite dinner (sausage pasta skillet) and a German chocolate cake. I also invested in some birthday gifts this year, and this gardening kit was one Maria recommended. This is a really nice gardening set, too. Everything looks sturdy and the tote will be nice for him to use to carry things out to our gardens. Shutterfly sent another free wall calendar offer, so I made him one with pics from his trip to Montana. For this I just had to pay shipping. Total cost: around $25.00 for both gifts.