STV Book Readers Gift Exchange!

Do you love to stamp?  Do you love to read?  If you love to do BOTH of those, then you should think about joining in the chat at STV where we combine the love of both! 

Over the months we’ve been getting to know one another and have been sharing what books we’ve enjoyed reading!  It’s really opened up my repertoire of authors! 

We organized a little secret sister gift exchange among 6 of us – calling it a Tale of Two Hobbies: Stampin' Secret Sisters filled out a short questionnaire with info about us and my DH drew the names to keep it anonymous and fun for me as the organizer.  He sent out all the emails to the ladies with the secret sister they would send a gift to. 

Above is the gift I got from my secret sister who was Cat Tidwell!  She sent a fabulous card and matching box bag with my favorite snack (sunflower seeds), a dip mix, 3 books (I love James Patterson but have only read his romance novels and he writes a good mystery I’ve been told) so she sent me Sail and Cross Country to read as well as a book I already own Same Kind of Different As Me that she told me to pay forward.  Then she sent a little gift to John for being so sweet to help me with this exchange – a bag of pecan pralines made locally in Hooks, TX! and my favorite, 2 handmade bookmarks which are just FABULOUS!  wow!  Check out the personalized metal bookmark in front!  it’s just like what Tim Holtz made on Day 10 of his 12 Tags of Christmas!  I told her if that was the ONLY thing she had sent, I would have been just as HAPPY as I was with it all! 

Here is a sweet Thank You card I got from Tina Gilliland, who I was Secret Sister for – isn’t it so pretty??  Her favorite color is purple so I sent her the purple organdy swirl ribbon and purple rhinestones she put on the card.    I just love this card!

I hope you will consider joining our little discussion if you love to read over on STV!  In fact, after I finish this post, I do believe I will start reading one of those books Cat sent me – it’s been about a month since I’ve read a book! 

Congratulations to the new Gina K. CenterStage Spotlight team for January – check out Gina’s post for details & pictures of the ladies!

Today would have been my dad’s 76th birthday; I still miss him after all these years (he died when I was only 9 and it was one of the worst days of my life).  That hole in my heart will always be there.   I always reveled in the fact he was born on New Year’s Day and remember having so many celebrations around the holidays from Christmas to my sister’s birthday on the 26th and then my dad’s just 6 days later!   Donald (my namesake) was such a wonderful son, friend, uncle, brother, husband, and father - I look forward to the day we’re reunited in Heaven!