Swap Reveal: Favorite Color Swap

By now you should know that I am a co-host over at the blog swapping blog, Chaotic Goddess Swaps.  My partner in crime is the fabulously talented Beth over at Printcess.  We've been friends for so many years, and it turns out our working relationship is just as great because we balance each other out.  I design and market while she plans and keeps everything in good running order.  I'm so grateful for that because I have very few organizational skills. lol

If you're not sure what a blog swap is, it's where you get matched up with another blogger for a themed swap.  You get to know your blogger, and then you each send each other packages within that theme.  It's so much fun!  Recently we hosted our Favorite Color Swap, a swap where you send your partner a box of goodies in their favorite color.  I was matched up with Erin from Erin Everyday, her favorite color is Purple and she loves elephants.  See what I got her HERE.

My favorite color is Teal, and here is what she sent me:

The package included a turquoise bracelet, a wood glittery bird, a small stuffed turquoise elephant (funny thing, I almost bought her one like this but they didn't have any in purple at the store!), a cute little birdhouse (with glitter inside and a floral roof), a clipboard with a floral background, and some turquoise skull earrings (man, I have a think for these little skull beads!).  It was such a great package and she really picked, and it looks like she made (did you make the wooden things Erin?), things that I totally love.  She was such a great partner!

Thank you SO MUCH Erin!  I love it all!

Want to try swapping with us?  We just announced our Local Flavor Swap-a swap where you are matched up with someone else in another location and you each send the other a box full of goodies that are local to your area.  It gives you both a taste of somewhere different, and it's so much fun!  There's also a giveaway right now to celebrate the announcement, the lovely Creative House Shop has offered one lucky winner a Custom State Mug from her shop!  Don't miss it!

     

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You Probably Don't Know...

Hey, I saw this cool link-up over at Chasing My Extraordinary, who linked me to the host-Helene in Between!  Like my pineapple picture above?  I chose it specifically because of Helene's pineapple picture. Themed? Yes please!

So this is a fun little link up about things you might not or probably don't know about me...

- I own 300 bottles of nail polish and my nails are almost always bare.  (Thus why I'm selling about 100 bottles HERE)

- I blog daily while at work, but very very very rarely when I'm at home.  It's just too hard to go from my work computer with my ergonomic keyboard and three giant monitors to my little laptop with it's 13" screen.

- I'm the most disorganized person.  I don't use my planner I bought, my house is in a constant state of clutter, and I'm always feeling like I'm running around with my head cut off trying to keep blog stuff organized.  I'm working on this. lol

- My typical style is jeans and a graphic T-shirt, but I also love a nice flowing sundress.

- I wear a shaper top everywhere.  It's an issue, I know it, but I just don't feel comfortable if I don't have it on.

- When I was 16 years old my grandfather made me a deal.  He said if I lost 100lbs and kept it off for 6 months he'd pay me $2,000 or put it towards a new car.  You'd think that would have been a motivator, but I think my damned rebellious spirit took issue with it and I never did.  I found out Sunday that this deal still stands...  I just don't know how to feel about it.

- I've only had one lasting monogamous relationship, and that was my very first one.  We were together for about a year and a half.  I had one other relationship that was about that long, but he wanted to be "Polyamorous"... For him that meant he was keeping his options open.  Other than that, I get a few months out of them-not for lack of being great at being a partner, I really am, I just pick the wrong guys.  It's a pattern.

- I'm extremely impatient.  Yet I'm always waiting for things.  WTF is up with that?

- I buy things and then never use them.  Thus, the 300 bottles of nail polish and planner I never use... Or my gym membership...

- I seriously don't know how to budget, but I'm buying a house and doubling my outgoing, so I really need to learn.

- I'm incredibly loyal.  Not to the point of being a doormat anymore, but I'll pretty much stick by you unless you give me a really good reason not to.

- I'm both an introvert and an extrovert.  No really.  I want to go out and make lots of plans to, until the time comes to actually go out and then I just wish I could stay home.  However, if I then go out I have a great time... But then it takes two or three days at home to recover. Haha!

- I love to cook, but hate cooking for just me.  I want to cook for other people.

- I learned to type with a double space after the period and I cannot break the habit no matter how hard I try.

- My thumbs bend at backwards at almost a 90 degree angle.  "Hitchhiker Thumbs"

- I am easily susceptible to food advertising.  If I see a really effective ad or photo, it doesn't matter if I don't even have to like the restaurant to suddenly crave it.  Such as a double cheesburger from McDonalds (ew) or Animal Fries from In-N-Out.  Neither place I eat at or usually want, but man that one ad will get me obsessing. (While writing this, I literally stopped and went to In-N-Out because Shawn set me this link and number three got me bad. lol)

What don't I know about you?

Photography: Muttart Conservatory Tropical Pyramid-Edmonton, AB

Back at the end of May I was able to go visit my best friend in Edmonton, AB.  He moved to Canada almost a year ago, and it was my first trip up to visit.  One of the places we visited?  The Muttart Conservatory.  We're both HUGE plant/flower nerds, so it was so much fun to go through the four different pyramids and look at all of the pretty plants.

The first pyramid we went into was the Tropical pyramid.  It was filled with all kinds of tropical plants, including something called a Corpse Flower, or if you want to get technical, the Amorphophallus Titanum.  It is called a corpse flower, because when it blooms it smells like decomposing flesh, and we were informed by another patron that he had been there the week before when it was flowering.  They then chop it off as it starts to wilt (probably due to smell), and they only bloom every 7-10 years, but you can see how it looks as it's growing before flowering in the next photo after this one:

There were so many gorgeous flowers in there.  So many I'd love to fill my home with (definitely not the corpse flower), and the pyramid was wonderfully humid and tropical.  I also enjoyed taking a great shot of Josh's new friend Chaslee as she took selfies for her boyfriend who is back in Chicago.  It was a great time!

Check back later, as I'll have photos from the other four pyramids over the next few weeks.  :)