I have a lot of papery things in my life. I thought it was about time that I did a bit of a de-stash and sorted out the over-flowing drawers, boxes and bags of papery bits around my desk. Would you like some of these papery bits and pieces? I have three packs of specially chosen quality papery bits for whoever would like them - to be used for mail art, collage, art projects or whatever you've got in mind. I thought of it as a mail art paper supply kit - nothing terribly fancy, but something I know I would enjoy receiving myself.



There is a small catch - a guessing game of sorts. You must guess how many letters I have to reply to in my letter pile - the number is between 1 and 100 and whoever guesses closest will receive a pack. Recipients for the other two packs will be drawn randomly. You may choose a number that has already been chosen by someone else (if a number that more than one person has picked is the right number you'll both get a pack). Make sense?



I have written down the winning number and have stuck it on my wall - this number will no doubt be larger at the end of this giveaway than at the beginning, but the number of items today is the winning number.

Each pack contains;
- at least 7 envelopes
- at least 6 postcards
- at least 20 miscellaneous paper scraps
- at least 5 stickers
- much miscellanea

Leave a comment on this post with your number guess. I'll announce winners one week from today [25th Feb] :)

^ source unknown! :(

I have received some of the most lovely things in my mailbox lately - here are just a handful of them - I must apologise that I can't post them all, I have far too many photos to post, but if you don't see your piece of mail here and you're worried I've not received it please send me a message.



Want to see all of the letters I must reply to? I adore every letter in this crate, though I'm sure you don't envy me!




+ I bought one of Vanessa Berry's fabulous zines and this was the vessel that carried it. Cute, no?


+ A fabulous postcard from Liz G - I love the colours!


+ A pretty little letter from my pal Min.



+ An amazing letter from miss Adeline. She wrote the letter on the back of each of those cards. Superb!


+ Very fun packaging for a great letter from Carrie.


+ A little piece of art from Ria.



+ A wonderful bit of mail from Sharni including a gorgeous little stamp tray, so good!


+ Lovely bits and pieces from Femke.


+ A little note from Marguerite, one of the loveliest pen-ladies I'm fortunate enough to receive mail from.


^ Honestly, the best package I've ever received - so many goodies. Elissa is to thank for this incredible package. Some of my favourite bits and pieces included the light globe earrings, the 'I (L) public transportation' badge and the eye charts!


+ A gorgeous ephemera pack I received from the lovely Ashley of A Catalog of Enchantments, too good!


+ My first bit of mail from Dre - so good!


+ Mail from Liz Gilkey does not disappoint. Amazing mail art skillz! Can you spot where my name/address is written? I couldn't! :D


+ A beautiful envelope from Brittany that arrived at my old address. Gorgeous.


+ A sweet postcard from the pen of Sheba.


+ A grand postcard from Allana (who I was lucky enough to meet up with a few weeks ago in Launceston - she and her daughter are gorgeous).


+ Another great letter from April - Morrissey the kitten seemed to like it too.


+ Words cannot describe how amazed and grateful I am to receive this beautiful camera from Blackbird Corner. Nici held a giveaway a few weeks ago wherein entrants had to send her something 'bird themed', my little bird embroidery was one of the lucky winners. I cannot wait to take this baby out! Thank you again Nici!


+ Some pretty postcards that have come my way lately.


+ Two postcards from Lauren in FL and one from Ashley in Cali.


+ Katyha crocheted me this beautiful heart garland which I quickly found a place for on my (partially repainted) wardrobe door. I am in love with the little pop-up man she included too. A fabulous letter accompanied the goodies.

Apologies for the ridiculous length of this post - in the future I think I will have to select a few incoming bits of mail and post them in a handful of posts!

+ many others.

(+ bits & pieces from pugly pixel)

Inspired by (trawling through the archives of) Christina's beautiful blog, City Girl Rides, this week I thought I'd take my bike out for a little photo shoot.



I ride my bike at least once a day, every day - she also escorts me the 5kms to work and back each day. I lock her up outside work and depending on which register I'm working on, I can usually keep an eye on her while I'm working and often see people admiring her.



I don't know what I would do without my bike, it is my most treasured possession. It has been the best investment I've made. It is a pleasure to ride and very fun to adorn with decorations (ribbons, paint charts in the spokes, name plates, etc). And although pink isn't my favourite colour (I was super keen for a red bike), riding a ridiculous, big baby-pink bike every day makes me smile.



You know the 'cost per wear' ratio? I think my cost per ride ratio is getting pretty low! (Ps. I do have my license but I've never had much interest in owning a car).

A collection of songs about/featuring bicycles;
- This Charming Man - The Smiths | "Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate"
- Apology Song - The Decemberists | "I'm really sorry Steven, but your bicycle's been stolen"
- The Kickstand Song - Darren Hanlon | "What joy it'll bring, piece of metal and a spring, bolted down by the back wheel, activated by the heel"
- Bicycle - Memory Tapes | "We ride home in the night, while under our feet, the rain paints the street with the stars"
- Tony's Theme - The Pixies | "Ride around on my bicycle like a pony"
- Bicycle Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers | "How could I forget to mention that the bicycle is a good invention"
- Bike - Pink Floyd | "I've got a bike, you can ride it if you like, it's got a basket, a bell that rings, and things to make it look good"
- Busted Bicycle - Leo Kotke | [instrumental]
- Rory Rides Me Raw - The Vaselines | "Ride me slowly, ride me true"
- Let Me Lie - Trey Anastasio | "Gonna take my bike, gonna ride it slowly, gonna ride just how I like"
- Bicycle Race by Queen | "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike"
- Broken Bicycles - Tom Waits | "Broken bicycles, old busted chains, rusted handle bars, out in the rain"
- Angel On My Bike - The Wallflowers | "She knows just what I like, the angel on my bike"
- Nine Million Bicycles by Katie Melua | "There are nine million bicycles in Beijing, that's a fact"
- I Thought You Were God - Clare Bowditch | "Riding that boys bike in the dark"
- Black Hole - She & Him | "I'm alone on a bicycle for two"

Any others you can think of? :)



Speaking of bikes, I bought the pattern for this beautiful crocheted bicycle skirt guard (below) last week. I have never crotched and I really don't know where to start, but I am confident that I can get it happening :p The Etsy store also sells the guards fully made, fairly cheap too! Will report back on my crocheting progress.



Happy bike riding!

+ beautiful photo templates by pugly pixel.