Sweet Treats From Distant Lands and a Call For Helping Hands...

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

~Matthew 25:40 (NIV)~

The divine Lili M. and I entered into a one on one swap based on the Valentine's Petite Inspiration Box swap that was being hosted by The Speckled Egg. I was too late to sign up for the swap and Lili saw my comment and proposed an individual swap. We got the OK from The Speckled Eggs owner, Heather, not wanting to step out of bounds since the swap was full. My box arrived and it is just beyond darling!Lili is a very good packer as it was filled to the brim with artful tokens of love. The box itself is dressed in its finest ~ vintage wallpaper, pretty ribbon, and birds! You have to see the lovely lass that accompanied the package...Just look at her darling rose petal skirt and silk heart bodice, adorable! Lili's loving hands decorated this box...Shall we peek inside? OH MY! Lili packed in a bit of spring from the Netherlands, a sweet songbird and pink blossoms ...

Remnants of red, a tiny rolled up message of amour, roses, hearts, and the number 14 all speak of traditional valentine gifts... Tokens of love: a key to ones heart, a charm of affection, a paper heart with Cupid's piercing, and bobbins of lace and trim... A clever little item all pretty in pink...A sassy little sewing kit for mending broken hearts or loose buttons...Handfuls of hearts...More sweet tweets, you can never have too many of these...Lili's hands dripped with love as she thoughtfully placed each and every item inside...Lili, thank you, I LOVE each and every petite treasure you sent! I can't wait to make a few special things with them.I also received another package in the mail from the land down under, Australia. Many of you have closely followed the tragedy in Haiti. If you were like me, your heart was deeply moved by the indelible images of mass destruction and human suffering caused by this natural disaster. Many in the blog community have come together with open hearts and hands in aiding in the relief effort. I happened across a blog post at Art At The Speed of Life that mentioned an Etsy shop Hearts for Haiti.Right now there are over 1000 handmade items listed for sale on this site donated by artists with all the proceeds save the Etsy and Paypal fees going to Doctors Without Borders relief effort. All items are being sold with seller donated shipping fees. Any purchase, whether large or small will make a difference. I purchased a lovely piece of jewelry made by vintage style accessories artist, Amanda at Femmes de Fleurs (blog) Amanda's Etsy shop.

Green is my favorite color and when I saw this carved jadeite flower mounted on a gold toned adjustable ring I fell in love with it. Not only did I purchase a gift for myself, in a small way I was able to help someone who is hurting. I have made an inquiry to find out how to donate an item for sale if you do not have an etsy shop and hope to have a response soon as to how I will need to list the donation.I urge you to follow your heart as you feel led and maybe check out the Hearts for Haiti shop, perhaps making a special Valentine gift purchase there, or, if you are an artist, perhaps you too can make an artful contribution of your own if you are able. Above all, please pray for the people of Haiti, the needs are so numerous.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy