Remember the C.R.A.F.T. Package Pal exchange I did a few months back... It's a crafty package swap organized by the amazing Jamie from C.R.A.F.T. Long story short is the first 100 people that sign up get paired up by Jamie, you spend time getting to know each other via email and blog stalking:) and then at the end of the month you mail each other a package of goodies!

You can read all about what I sent last time here and what I received last time here.

Well anyway, this time I got paired up with Chacoy over at Living in La La Land and let me tell you, she is one of the most amazing and inspiring women I have ever had the privileged of knowing. She is seriously AWESOME!!! She is a single mom of a tween son. Ahhhh as if that's not super woman enough...  She is also going to school.  She is super funny and kind beyond measure. She is a cancer fighter/survivor and such a happy and uplifting lady! I was beyond lucky to be her package pal buddy!!! and I am so grateful that I can now call her a friend!!!

After talking to Chacoy and getting to know her I realized that her son is the biggest part of her life! So I knew right away that I wanted to include him in the package as much as possible. The first thing I did was make him this super easy paper bag pinata because lets be honest... what boy doesn't LOVE smashing something with a stick until candy falls out:)

I knew when I was getting the package planned that I wanted to send both some things that I made as well as some supplies of things she could do herself. I decided to send two white shirts... one for Chacoy and one for her son, along with some dye. I haven't tie dyed shirts since I was in school but have been wanting to try it with my kiddos for awhile so I thought maybe it would be something fun they could do together.

I also sent two colored shirts, purple for Chacoy and blue for her son, along with a bleach pen. My kids and I have been having a blast with this. It is so much fun to decorate the shirts with the pen and then let them sit and dry and see how they change when you come back. My kiddos are young so not everything turns out perfect for us, but to me it is worth it just to have those moments with them and I knew Chacoy would feel the same way.

Through email I have learned that Chacoy really likes making leather bracelets and bags so I thought a leather stamp would be a great tool for her. I ordered her the 3/8" fancy alphabet set thinking maybe she could use it to personalize bracelets or anything else she chooses.

So if you know me at all you know I am a little bit of an organization/ list making freak so of course I had to send her some of my newest obsession... these chalkboard tags were tags that I purchased and then painted with homemade chalkboard paint. I also made her a chalkboard "A" with a cute little bow and ribbon.

Hmmm... what else. I also sent her a necklace and earrings that were both purchased from Groopdealz... because we all know I have a slight obsession with them!

Ok I'm losing my train of thought... I also included in her package some headbands that Bella and I made together. These have been my new obsession lately. Of course they are not perfect... but hey perfect is overrated, right? :)

I also included in her gift 2 reversible purses that I made... isn't my model totally workin' it!!

These were the first purses that I have EVER made... They were so simple, except for the whole sewing part:) The pattern is found here. On the blue striped bag I went with the original pattern but I skipped the top stitch on the bottom part of the bag. I only did it around the top and the straps. I like it that way a lot more.

On the second bag.. the grey and blue... I made the bag wider and the straps longer and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out... so much so that I made one for myself too:)

Last but not least I sent Chacoy this super cute little black and pink box. I thought it was adorable and new she could use the box for anything. Inside the box I included a message in an egg. The lid of the box had a post it that said "crack me" and inside the egg was a little note that said "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. -Dr. Seuss" This past month Chacoy and I have become such great friends and I thought this quote was fitting. I was sad that our Package Pal exchange was over, but I was definitely SMILING for the opportunity I was given to form our friendship. I look forward to being friends for a long time to come:) Thanks Jamie for such a fun swap!!!!