: ATTENTION 'DOG PEOPLE' : this one is for YOU! : the first-ever holiday gift-swap for your pup! :

okay, okay!
this post is for all of the dog owners out there.
[and i know you are out there]

poor daph ; this is one of the first pictures we ever took after she was rescued. 

she looks a little rough..

last weekend, we visited my dad. he trained hunting dogs my entire life & enjoys larger dogs.
he was so great with daphne & she LOVED his place. [remember, he is a butcher!] he gave her sausage & tons of blankets to bring home. annnnd he gave her a 10 pound box of smoked meat bones!
daphnes dream day, for sure.
when we got home, one of our neighbors had left a huge bag of organic dog treats for daphne.
she is so loved!
so, it got me thinking!!

lets all do a holiday gift exchange for our pups!!
what?!
here is how it will work : 
*your dog signs up for the exchange [you can do the work ; if they havent learned to type yet!] ; his/her age // size // breed // likes // dislikes // allergies // ect.
*and then your dog will get a partner with similar [maybe?!] interests // size // age.
*you will send them a package of 'fun dog goodies' and then share about how much fun you had & then get an awesome package in return ;)

you could send homemade treats, store-bought treats [i highly suggest buying products that were made in the US + canada!], fun toys &/or handmade toys or accessories.

the cutoff for signing up is november 8th ; with partners announced that next day & packages sent out by the 16th.
if you have more than one dog in your household ; sign them up individually ; so they each get their own box!

are you in?!
[great!]
here is what you need to do :
either leave the following in a comment below OR send it in an email [dianapantz[at]gmail[dot]com]
[remember ; one comment // email per dog. two dogs = two separate emails // comments]

she wants to knit your dog a sweater!

1) your name & address ; + a few fun facts about how cool you are
2) your dogs info [age // size // breeds // likes // dislikes // special requests [wheat free, no squeakers, ect] & a few fun facts about your pup
3) where would you like to send? [us // canada // worldwide] [right now, i would like to keep in us/canada ; but if there is enough international interest, i will open it up] [sorry everybody ; shipping overseas is outrageously expensive!]
4) anything else you want to add?!

[sorry cat-people ; i dont know enough about cats to organize a meow-swap]

also, i would LOVE to have you share this swap on your blog // facebook // twitter, so we can reach as many awesome pups as we can!

: may foodie pen pals reveal :

hey everybody!
last post of the month.
and what is it?!
FOOD!
last month, i participated in my first ever foodie pen pal exchange. you can read my post here.

so, this month is my month 2 reveal.
want to know more about foodie pen pals // want to be involved for june?
head here for all the details.

this month, i got my package from cassie.

what did i get?!

all of my goodies came from the native roots market in norman, oklahoma.

cassie included a fun postcard + the store newsletter.

this chocolate was good ; my first time having bolivian chocolate.

we broke it up into tiny pieces & added it to the container of trail mix she sent.

we got a HUGE container of trail mix full of nuts, seeds & raisins. 

whenever we ride, we always bring a container of trail mix along. 

the health benefits + the protein makes this such a rad refuel.

along with the container of ready-made trail mix ; we also got 4 containers of almonds, dried turkish apricots, raisins & goji berries to make our own.

[i am loving the goji berries & apricots cut into small pieces & added to morning smoothies]

plus, three strips of vegan jerky.

blake really enjoyed the texas bbq. 

he bikes 35+ miles a day to work & back, so he enjoyed these as a protein // energy boost.

wanna see what i sent MY pen pal? check out kims blog here.

and if you want to see what everyone else sent // received, check it out here.

i will NOT be participating in june ; but plan to do it agin later in the summer.
if you are interested in making some new friends, checking out some cool blogs & expanding your food horizons, check it out.
[also, you do NOT have to be veg to do this swap]

tomorrow is FRIDAY!

: valentines day gift swaps :

happy valentines day!
are you doing anything special today?!
blake and i will probably make a simple supper, maybe a vegan cupcake [or two!] and workout.
we really are that exciting in real life.
[we are getting super close to finishing insanity ; that is exciting!!]

last winter i hosted the :dianapantz: holiday gift swap!
i had a lot of fun with it, but i never gave myself a partner. instead i sent a small ornament to each participant.

so when i heard there were a couple of valentines day gift swaps happening around the internet, i totally wanted to participate.

swap #1)
hosted by becky & olive
my partner : christy ann
what i sent :

journal & pack of cards , 'radish' note tag, face scrubbie [this etsy shop is now closed], photo, bar of caramel soap [koisan soap company] & novelty door hanger

what i received : 

2 hand painted mirrors + a vintage valentine. i LOVE the purple one.  [and yes i am wearing my bathrobe ;)]

swap #2)
hosted by caroline & alissa
my partner : beth [blog here]
what i sent : 

'eggplant' note tag, face scrubby [this shop is now closed], photo, hair pins, notebook, novelty door hanger, lip tint from clinique

what i received :

 bar of dark chocolate, burts bees, alba lip balm and two [super cute] hair pins beth made herself!

fun, right?
how about you?
anything good in the mail lately!!?

wanna see more swap gifts? head to this flickr group!

>

: snail mail makes me smile :

happy friday!

so, this morning [super early!], blake and i are headed down to kansas city for the weekend.
its a 7 hour drive.
we are just headed down for a royals game, some new vegan food, and a bunch of sightseeing!

yesterday, i had a million and one things to do [which, btw, i didnt get half of what i wanted done...]

i checked the mail and got this little gem.
this is a handmade card from my pen pal, lani!

isnt this the cutest card in the universe!?!

to all the rad people that say nice things and send me cute cards and packages : thank you.
really. i so appreciate it, and it always brings a smile to my face.

i love that there are still people in this universe that do teeny, tiny deeds to brighten others' day.

your goal : tell someone they are awesome today!

: a super-fun surprise! :

happy saturday, everybody!

today, its 90+ degrees, again!

i wanted to share with you a little mail-surprise that totally made my week.

head over here and meet jess. she is a pen pal of mine and i know we would hang out all the time if we didnt live across the country from eachother ;)

when the mailman came the other day, i received a little package. totally surprised. tore it open [some things never change] and in it was this ADORB necklace from this fun shop!

i LOVE this. such a fun necklace and totally me!

head over here and tell jess she is cool.
and then head over here and support ashleys fun work!

thanks again jess! you totally made my day!

: look at all my goodies! : and, check out these fun shops and blogs :

hi everybody!

if you come here often, you know that i love penpals. 

[wanna join? theres more info at the top of the page!]

i also love trading with other crafty folks.

[a couple of weeks ago, i made a few really rad swaps]

1) look at this super sweet birdhouse!!! its covered with fruits and veggies. my cute friend kerri sent this to me. isnt it so cute?! i love this vintage planter, so i think the house will look super cute in the planter in our living room.

2) i swaped these two things last week from fia[pdx]. sophia makes super fun stuff and she lives in my old stomping ground of portland! look how cute this iphone holder is. same with the bobby pins. i LOVE the owl. [and this totally helps me stay on track with wearing more jewlery]

 [front]

 [back]

3) look at this super rad necklace from vintagevalleygirl! ahhh! love it. its a necklace that was made from a vintage earring. eeeeep! 

4) and remember two weeks ago [on my friday post!] i linked to this headband? look how cute it turned out! its made out of a measuring tape. i didnt have any elastic, so i used a hairtie. [im like a crafty macguyver!]

5) and my final swap for the week : these scrubbies from this bright-colored shop! i got 5 of them, thinking i would give a few as fun little gifts. but now, i think i need to keep them all ;)

please go check out all the shops and blogs.
these people are so fun, and so talented.
i love being surrounded by inspiring humans.

[also, if you want to be penpals or do a swap, send me an email!]
[take.a.picture[at]live[dot]com]

: craft room redo! :

hey everybody!
[thanks for coming back and reading. i appreciate all of you. seriously]

my mama was here this weekend and we spent some time at ikea [swoooon]

when we first moved in to our apartment [this past october!], i made the craft room 'cute and fun', which is great. but in the past 3 months, my business has more than tripled [YAY!], and my [small] space isnt as functional or 'creative' as i need it to be.

so, we headed to ikea for a few new pieces to make it feel more like a business space instead of just a small bedroom with paintings on the walls.

[we bought:  a super cute hanging chalkboard, and the 4-basket wire drawer for fabrics. i cleared off one desk [it was just full of paint] and now use it as my 'mailing center'. also, i was using a card table from the 1980s for my sewing stuff and it was just uncomfortable. i switched it out with a cheap, longer table, and it fits like a dream ;). ]
all of those things are super cheap and easy, but they honestly make my space feel like a WHOLE. NEW. ROOM.

[that was a lot of writing. i apologize. onto the photos : ]

 why yes, that is a magnet of the twilight werewolf with a speech bubble..

 stop talking, start doing!

 basket organizer for ALL MY FABRIC!

 paint. paint. paint. stamps. buttons!

 basket under the table = projects neeeeeding to get finished.

 this is a little nook in our kitchen. i have an old, old canning jar, and starting filling it with my empty spools. [i just HAAAATE throwing stuff away!]

there you have it. theres a little peek into our apartment!

also, this suuuuper cute journal came in the mail from my southern belle/30 day shredding pen pal mandy. go see her. shes so fun. and how cute is this journal?!?

[also, do you want to be my pen pal?! send me an email. pen pals is SO MUCH FUN!]

bye!

: lets get down to business :

hey!
two things and then i am off to bed...

1) i want to be penpals.
with who?
with you.
honestly.
lets send fun goodies and paper notes and other rad stuff.
are you interested?
[please say yes]
and then email me.
take.a.picture[at]live[dot]com

2) one of my may goals is to have 100 blog followers by the end of the month.
the reward was going to be a fun giveaway.
but then my brain got to work and i thought :::: i know what to do!!!! :::
ill open up my blog to FREE advertising for AT LEAST two months.
that way, small blogs can gain more exposure and we can all work to create a stronger community.
so, if you are a lurker, hit :follow: [please] and if you are a follwer, tell your friends.

ok, so what did you learn here?!?
be my friend [cuz i send cool stuff]
and follow my blog, so we can get some sweet blogs on here.

thanks for reading.
and for coming back day after day.
i appreciate it!

[i could always join the circus...]