Amour Swap - What I Sent

This was the Amour Valentine Swap package I sent to Bryanna. There were a few more little things in there, but I didn't get pictures of everything. She requested lavender as her color, so I used as much as I could in making the boxes and valentines. I included some thrifted heart jewelry and a little owl & pearl sweater keeper (because Bryanna mentioned she liked owls) along with a little kewpie figurine holding a "home sweet home" sign since Bryanna had recently moved to a new home. I love kewpies and thought I had seen some kewpie dolls in one of her older blog pictures.

Since Bryanna likes Alice in Wonderland, I made a little collage using images from one of my old books. It's kinda funky and different, not my usual style, but I was trying to be brave and experimental.

I also put a little valentine mouse by Jennifer Murphy (for Seasons of Cannon Falls) because it was just so adorable. Some glittered, feathered birds also made it in there, along with some vintage chenille pipe cleaners in luscious aqua and lavender in case she wants to do some crafting. There were some little bags of crafting bits, like porcelain doll faces and little flower stems.

I'm just happy the box FINALLY MADE IT TO HER!!!!

There was a huge glitch in the mailing process. I mailed my box on January 28, Priority shipping, with delivery confirmation. It arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas on February 1 - with the wrong address. Two numbers had been transposed when Cathy gave me Bryanna's address and I hadn't verified with Bryanna before I mailed it. Mistake #1. Then, when I hadn't heard anything from Bryanna after a week, instead of emailing her and asking about it, I started telling myself she must have received it and hated everything in it. Talk about paranoid! Mistake #2. When Bryanna emailed me inquiring about when she might expect the package, I realized something was amiss. I had received her amazing box previously, so I checked the return address and discovered the aforementioned address mistake. I called the post office 800 number to find out what was up and they simply reported it as "Undeliverable as addressed." They told me it would be returned to me, but they couldn't tell me where it was. It had been over a week and it should have made it back to me. I filed a claim to open an investigation. The post office was to call me back within 2 days. After 2 days, no call. I called again. Sarah at the 800 number was condescending and almost rude when she told me that the day I initially reported the problem didn't count, and I would have to actually wait 4 days to expect a call. Mistake #3 - I should have gone up the supervisor ladder at that time. Four days later, no call. Finally on Thursday when I reached Lisa at the 800 number, she was very concerned and apologetic and gave me the consumer complaint number. When I reached Stephanie at that number, she was able to contact the Fayetteville post office, where my package was still sitting after all this time, and get it forwarded on to Bryanna WITHIN HOURS! I love Stephanie. It took my 2 - 3 day package over two weeks to get to her. I'm just so glad it did - I felt like a swap partner failure.

I think I'll use UPS next time.