Be jealous.

The lovely Kim from A Cuppa Kim hosted a mug swap which was BANANAS.  The crazy awesome kind of bananas.  Not the horrible kind that weird people eat.

All over instagram it was MUGMANIA. 
The best/ worst part was it was a secret swap.  You knew who to send to, yet you didn't know who was sending to you.
The suspense...
I am so bad with suspense!!!

Each day I tried to play Sherlock Holmes and figure out which mug might me mine.

Then, when I saw this post from Lindsay of Pen & Paint I LOST MY MIND.

I am in awe and amazement at the beauty she creates from her hands.
Thinking that someone would get a one of a kind Pen & Paints creation was more than I could handle.

See that little comment on the bottom?  Ya.  I was hoping.  HOPING she had me.

 
Imagine what went through my mind when this lovely package showed up in my mailbox.
Seriously.  Imagine.
It was crazytown.
CRAZYTOWN.
I could frame the dang box it came in, it's so cute.
For reals.
But wait, it gets better.
SO MUCH BETTER.

 
Are you still alive?
Because I sort of wasn't when I opened it.
The mug?
Are you kidding me??????
Hand painted.
HAND FREAKING PAINTED.
The only one in the entire world, and it is mine.
Be jealous.  I sure would be.
But I don't have to, because it's mine.
Deal with it.

She totally could have stopped there.
I still would have won the most amazing mug in the whole dang swap prize.
No, she had to go and get even more awesome and add in some cards.
Cards swathed in the glory of what she drew.  MUGS of awesome for days.
On cards.
For me.
Proceed with the hating of my guts.  I understand.  I can take it.  I certainly deserve it.
Honestly, I cannot believe it.  Cannot.

Since I am more of an iced coffee girl, and the simple fact that this mug is way too rad to hide in a cupboard, I needed a reason to keep it out on the counter foreverrrrrrr.  A little succulent from Lowes did the trick, nicely if I may say.  That is until my black thumb kills it.  But then I will just replace it with another little plant.  Then another, then another, then another... It is a cheery hello as I stand at the sink and wash dishes for days.

Lindsay- I love your crazy talented guts.
Thank you.
You're BANANAS.
(Visit Lindsay's shop.  You won't regret it.)

I was paired up with the lovely Susan from Life at Pemberly.
I love that girl.  She is all kinds of encouragement and sunshine.
The quest was on to find her something special.

I settled on a simple, hobnail-esque latte mug (from Target in case you need one) that would hold lots of coffee, and tucked in a little cozy cuff and mug rug.
I even cut into my PRECIOUS donut fabric that is tragically out of print, and I have been hoarding forever.
She is worth it.

Kim, you are a spreadsheet rockstar.
Thanks for hosting.
Thanks for pairing me with such amazing friends.

Are you ready for next year, or what?
Pretty sure it cannot get better than this.

17 Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2012 at 5:11 PM

    I'm so doing this next year! It's been fun to see all the mug reveals. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Handbags*and*PigtailsSeptember 10, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    What a great story! Love the mug and all your goodies. And how sweet of you(pun intended) to use your donut fabric. Its super cute.
    I'm convinced that blog swaps are the next best thing to Christmas. Seriously! And its great getting paired up with someone you didnt know before too.

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  3. SusannahSeptember 10, 2012 at 5:50 PM

    Oh goodness, so much fun!!! I'm totally doing this next year! :-)

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  4. JoySeptember 10, 2012 at 6:06 PM

    LOVE both what you gave and what you received. I may have swooned over that doughnut fabric.

    This was super fun. We should do it again next month.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michelle PenningtonSeptember 10, 2012 at 6:12 PM

    Super jealous. I didn't know about this until I saw your mug on instagram....wayyyy to late!
    I can't wait until next year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Krulls in HaitiSeptember 10, 2012 at 7:22 PM

    I love a good mug, these are both awesome... yes, I am jealous!

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  7. {cuppakim}September 10, 2012 at 7:43 PM

    ohhh bananazzzzz.

    also. spreadsheetzzz for dayzzzzzz.
    dayz, and dayz, and dayz. :)

    i knew lindsay would be good.
    but seriously i had no clue.

    i also knew you'd bring it.
    but that donut fabric.
    you left me speechless.

    this was fun. i am so glad you were in. thanks for helping make it all kinds of wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sara NeufeldSeptember 11, 2012 at 4:37 AM

    oh man you won the mug swap lottery. but seriously, so did susan. a mug rug and and a cutiecutiecutie coffee cozy...that is awesomesauce.

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  9. SusanSeptember 11, 2012 at 7:39 AM

    Thank you, Julie! I love what Lindsay sent you, but I was thrilled to be on your receiving end. Thank you for being you and for being such a bright spot to me! And thank you for parting with your beloved fabric. For me. I'm astonished. And honored and humbled. I love it so much and I love you for sharing it with me.

    And yes, people are jealous. I've got my mug rug and coffee cozy on lock-down. For realz. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. HomoHausfrauSeptember 11, 2012 at 7:52 AM

    Stunning! That mug is just STUNNING! She is so talented. I'm so happy you got something you loved!

    Now I want to do a mug swap with friends!!!

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  11. mel @ the larson lingoSeptember 11, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    I didn't realize she hand painted your mug!!!!! WOW!!!!
    She could sell those to Anthro, for reals. And, the notecards? I would be freaking out also! Love what you got Susan, so super cute. Love that fabric.
    All these mug pics are killing me. Dying to get my mug.

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  12. CindersSeptember 11, 2012 at 4:24 PM

    dude, i don't really know who the person is that made that mug, but they are AMAZING!!!!

    LOVE that you put it on display for all to see!

    also, secretly sad i didn't get your mug. i kinda want to marry that fabric.

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  13. Leslie @ top of the pageSeptember 11, 2012 at 5:01 PM

    kind of a mean post for the rest of us who didn't get parcels in the mail from lindsay, don't you think?

    ReplyDelete
  14. BeckySeptember 11, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    I was watching that pen & paints mug to see where it would go...lucky duck! Super, super, super cute.

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  15. AllisonSeptember 11, 2012 at 7:04 PM

    ser.i.ous.ly. You really did win the mug swap with that gem of a mug. She needs to put them in her shop. Lindsay, you hear me? in.your.shop. The end.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lindsay - Pen and PaintDecember 10, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    So I just came back to this. And I'm so happy you like it. I almost did a ball jar for you but then went back to the mug. I hope your succulent is surviving and I'm just so flippin' happy it's in your home!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  17. jaime ♥ raising up rubiesAugust 1, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    love this Joy! what a cool thing to get Lindsay's mug!!! i'd so freak out.
    so excited to participate this year ... was going through the linky from last year on Kim's blog, and i saw your post! much love ♥ jaime

    ReplyDelete