Secret Santa Soiree - THE REVEAL!!

It is time to wrap up the Secret Santa Soiree for 2012. I hope you had a great time shopping for someone who may or may not have the same interest or style that you yourself have. For the most part, it went pretty smoothly this year.

Special thank you to a couple of Elves who stepped in to help with a couple of issues that came up. I know who you are and won't forget your kindness.

Almost all of the participants have posted about their gifts. I have emailed several times to the ones who have not posted. I have tried my best to get those who needed to post to do so before I revealed who had who....and I have to say....I can only do so much! I do however take rather accurate notes...and I keep my notes so that next year, I can refresh my mind when I start the signups. Ahem....that is all on that.

I had one snafu this year in the assignments. I tell everyone that the person's name they have is not the person who has their name. I have never made that mistake...until this year. Two people had each other, and I am not sure if the both realized that. I must make sure to not repeat that next year.

I always say, it is not in what I receive but the fun I have in shopping for my Secret Santa person. I really enjoyed it this year and was very thankful for my gifts as well!!I hope everyone else felt the same way.

Now, without further ado......the REVEAL!!! Refer back to the original link HERE to see what number YOUR link was and then what blog matches the number beside your link number. That will reveal who your secret Santa was this year.

1 - 19
2 - 28
3 - 30
4 - 31
5 - 3
6 - 22
7 - 18
8 - 26
9 - 25
10 - 23
11 - 12
12 - 32
13 - 16
14 - 4
15 - 20
16 - 27
17 - 6
18 - 5
19 - 1
20 - 17
21 - 24
22 - 13
23 - 9
24 - 8
25 - 10
26 - 34
27 - 33
28 - 7
29 - 14
30 - 21
31 - 29
32 - 11
33 - 15
34 - 2

Thank you all who participated this year. I hope you had a wonderful time. If you ever have any suggestions or ideas on making this run smoothly or more efficiently, please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts. They are always welcome!! Wishing all of you a very blessed 2013.

Secret Santa Soiree Update

I am still missing a couple of folks delivery confirmation numbers. By now ALL packages SHOULD have been sent. I will be sending out emails on Sunday, so please just send me the information I need and you won't get flooded with emails from me!

Many have posted about receiving their gifts. Check the original link HERE to just look at all the goodies! Remember that I have marked the links that have posted about their SSS gifts.

If you have not done your post and have received your gifts, PLEASE get your post up ASAP. Your Secret Santa person is concerned that their packages arrived to you.

An example of why the delivery confirmation number is important is this week, I was checking the delivery confirmation numbers of those who's packages have not arrived. One person's package said "attempted left message" and not only that, it was getting close to the post office sending it back. The person had not received a notice at all. If I had not checked, the package might have been returned to the sender and thus prompting undue cost in the long run. There really is a reason to this madness and request.

Please let me know when your post are up, and please if you have not shipped, DO SO NOW or let me know you can't follow through and I can take care of it. I want to wrap this up before Christmas so I can reveal who each secret Santa was!

Have a great weekend!

VintageThingie Thursday: Vintage Gifts from My Secret Santa!!

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

Today, my Secret Santa box arrived. My husband was home and wanted to open it...can you believe that? I got home and the first thing out of his mouth was "Lets do it!!"..........not exactly what you might think he meant...he could not wait for me to open the box! He exclaimed he does not do anything like this so hurry and open the box.....I told him to get a blog of his own!!!

Here is my box.....

And here is the box and the dogs sniffing for something to eat as I went to get a knife to open the box..

Just look at all these goodies.......I almost got so excited that I nearly forgot to take a picture.....note the blurry photo!!

Secret Santa, you must have remembered I collect vintage Christmas planters! This little planter and crochet doily is adorable! Look at Santa's sleigh loaded with candy canes...and look at that DOG ornament.....

It absolutely looks like Sammie!!! Even my husband said the same thing....he thought is was so cute! I was jumping up and down as I don't have anything that reminds me of my new little dachshund. And if that was not enough joy and fun to behold.......

.....take a look at this adorable vintage puppy....and yes, it looks like Bailey!! How incredible perfect are these?! I was over the moon!!!

This little cup is vintage anchor hocking, fire king....it is adorable!! Red and white...so cute!~

This is three fat quarters, two red and one green. I can not believe how perfect these are. I started a couple of weeks ago with Bonnie Hunters mystery quilt, Easy Street and I changed my colors from the ones she used. I chose red and green as part of the four main colors. These are just perfect and they will go into that new quilt and will always serve as a reminder of how sweet and thoughtful my Secret Santa was to me this year!!! My secret Santa included yummy chocolate, and Burt's Bees chap stick.

This adorable little ornament is a vintage salt and pepper shaker that is turned into a snow globe. That is snow, little tree and snowman with snowflakes inside. So cute! It is already on my tree!

See these two little boxes, they were filled with adorable vintage wooden ornaments!! I love them!!!

This is a red and white granite plate and it has been turned into a memo board, and  yes, those are adorable magnets that go with it!! Stunning and just so me!!

My secret Santa also included these adorable vintage Raggedy Ann and Andy ornaments. These are just too sweet and I seem to remember them from when I was growing up!! I love these so much.

My Secret Santa said she wanted to include something from Colorado, and found this cute little plate. I could not believe it as we are going to remodel the other bedroom at our cabin and I have already been gathering these souvenir plates to put in that room. The theme for that room is vintage souvenirs from Colorado, and I KNOW I have never blogged about that before now. This will be perfect and I was super excited!

And will you look at the label....North Pole, Colorado!! Just perfect!!!

My secret Santa also included some wonderful smelling body wash, and I truly am thankful and love each and every gift she chose for me!! They are all perfect and filled my heart with joy!! A special thank you to my Secret Santa and all her thoughtful gifts. I love them and am so proud of each and every one!! You were so thoughtful in your selections and really went over the top!! Thank you just does not seem like enough,  I really had a good time opening everything and my husband had a good time watching!!

I hope you enjoyed all my new vintage treasures...because they are just that....treasures!! Totally made my week!! Totally.  Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!

Secret Santa Gifts Shipped Near and Far

Secret Santa gifts are traveling near and far!! And...if I may say, some of these Santas were rather creative with their sending their gifts. Some traveled to ANOTHER STATE to send theirs. Some sent their gifts with relatives traveling away on business to send theirs. So.....that being said, you really won't know by the markings from the shipper if your Santa actual resides close to where the package shows it was sent from....Clever....clever indeed....and lots of fun!!

I still need to hear from a couple of you with your delivery confirmation number or an email about your shipping....so expect me to HOUND you until I hear from you. That is how I roll......blogger be warned!

I have updated the original link to indicate who has blogged about receiving their gifts. If you are new to the swap, this is how it works.....

You will need to go back to the original link where you signed up originally. The I'm a Secret Santa button on the right sidebar of my blog will take you to that original link. Scroll down to the names in the list.
When a link has been updated you will see ( *** ) in front of the name that has been updated. for example:

*** The Coloradolady

I will try and stay on top of this to keep the link current and accurate. There are a couple of blogs that have already received their goodies and blogged about it, so you can take a peek and look at all the goodies!! 

Don't forget to do your post and notify me your blog post is live!! And PLEASE, PLEASE if your gifts have arrived, just get your blog post done and posted live. It serves two purposes really, the first and foremost it removes any worry from your secret Santa that your package did indeed arrive to you without a hitch. Secondly, it shows your appreciation at the thought and effort put into your gift. It is the right thing to do.

If you have received AND blogged about your gifts, email me and let me know your link is live so I can adjust the original link to reflect that. Some have emailed me that they received their gifts, but have not done a post yet. It is a lot for me to try and keep everything straight, (as a couple of you already know) so just let me know when your post is up.!!

I hope you are enjoying this swap!! It is always so much fun and I really enjoy it!!!

Secret Santa Soiree.........This is the week!

This is the week to mail out your gifts to your secret Santa!! Seriously...how did this get here so quick. I don't know about you, but I have got lots to do to make this deadline of December 5th!!

Don't forget to email me the delivery confirmation number once you have shipped your package! And PLEASE don't forget to send me an email once your gifts arrive and you have your post up on your blog.

 I plan to do the same as I did last year, which was highlighting the blogs as they post about their gifts from the original linky list. That way everyone can go look at all the goodies that everyone has received and it will all be in one centralized place. That seemed to work well last year.

I hope you have had a good time shopping for your Secret Santa. I know I have, in fact, it really is the highlight of my shopping during the holiday season. I have received so many emails telling me how this is an event most looked forward to. That due to various reasons, this really is the Christmas gift exchange for many. It is and has become an important part of the holiday season to a lot of bloggers, don't think for one minute it is not taken to heart.

Thanks to all, as this year has been rather easy to host so far! I am confident that I won't even need any elves this year, and that is a good thing. :-)

Like always, I will post updates here until all gifts have made it to their destination!! If you are shipping international....don't forget to let me know you have shipped!!

Now....here is a little note to my Secret Santa......just think.....it could be you!!!!

Now...time to start wrapping.....and boxing.....and shipping!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday And Secret Santa Soiree Reminder

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.


I am crazy busy...and that is all I can say. Between not being able to catch up and having a few medical inconveniences....all I can say is crazy busy.

First, I am reminding the Secret Santa's you have a week to get your package in the mail, sending it with delivery confirmation and then sending me the delivery confirmation number. ( Please know that I understand with the international one's, there may be things that are a little different, but I still need you to let me know that your package is on the way) PLEASE stay on top of this as I TRULY do not have the time to hound anyone to do the right thing. I just this week finally got all the confirmations that each and everyone received their emails about their swap partner information. Not knowing fully how the month of December will go for me, and if I will possibly be out of the loop for a few weeks, this year, I simply CAN NOT and DO NOT have that kind of time to keep hounding folks, so please, please just keep up and meet the deadlines. I would really appreciate that!! I may have to ask some of you who offered to help and I may have to call on you to help me with the finishing up and making sure all have shipped and received their package. I will know more in a week or two. I will email you if I need some help. I am not being bossy, it is just some unexpected things have surfaced beyond my control and well...we will just see.

My vintage thingie this week is a cute little Raggedy Ann Finger Puppet. I thought she was really cute.

I used to collect Raggedy Ann and just recently started noticing her more and more. I never had a finger puppet, but as you can expect.....I do now.

Her is the back of her dress with the markings.

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday......Have a great week!

Secret Santa Swap Partners Complete....Check Your Email!!!

I know you are all excited to find out who you will be buying gifts for! As soon as I post this, I am sending all the emails out. Swap assignments have been made.....very high tech I might add....drawn from a Pyrex bowl! I will not change swap partners. Please enjoy getting to know someone who may be totally different from yourself. As I tried very hard to not make a mistake, there is that possibility one could be made, if you find anything not matching, as in the name of your partner verses the name on their blog...let me know at once. Like I said, I checked and double checked....so I think I have it right!

** Please be sure to respond to the email with your partners info in it, I need to know for sure you got your email. If you don't see your email in your inbox...check your spam folder. If you don't have it, email me at once!!

***If you have any questions about your swap partners likes, email ME, not your partner...remember they want to be surprised!! I will contact them and ask your questions and let you know, give me a day or two, but I will respond as quick as I can.

**** watch shipping deadline, it will be here quick, be sure to send with delivery confirmation and email me the number once you ship.

Above all....have a good time!!!! I know you will!!

Secret Santa Questioneers Have been Emailed

I have emailed all the participants the questioner that needs to be filled out and forwarded back to me. I need these ASAP in order to make swap assignments.

Thank you to all the ones that promptly sent them back...I think as of this evening I have received over half of them back. If you have not filled yours out, try to do that right away! I really want to have assignments made by mid-week if possible.

Thanks so much....I know you are getting excited!!

Secret Santa Swap Signups ending today!!

Last reminder, Secret Santa Signups end tonight. If you want to sign up, be sure to do so today.

We had a lot of fun last year and it will be a lot of fun this year as well. Go HERE to sign up. The link runs until tonight. I know it is a little annoying to see so many post about the swap, but I just want to give everyone a chance to see the post and sign up if they want to. I usually get lots of emails after the swap closes and I hate to turn folks down!

Have a great weekend everyone!! We are having great weather here in Texas for this time of year. Today will be a bit windy, so I am sure the allergies will be a factor!!

Secret Santa Soiree - Swap Open

It's NEVER to early to start thinking about Christmas...

The signups for the SSS are below. PLEASE before you sign up, read the directions in their entirety and make sure you are able to participate.

Signups run through Nov. 9th or when we reach the allotted number of swappers, which this year will be 50. 


If you want to show the bloggy world you are participating and send some folks this way to join in the fun, there are some buttons to grab at the bottom of the page.  I have no idea how to add a code to these for the link part, so you will have to add the photo and link it back to this post. IF anyone does know how to do that and wants to help a technical challenged blogger out, let me know!!

This is going to be A LOT of fun and I am so glad you all want to be part of the Second Secret Santa Soiree hosted here at The Coloradolady...so on with the show...

*How It Works*

You will need to sign up below. ( Please when putting in your link, completely fill out the link part with your name, blog address and EMAIL address.)  Feel free to spread the word of our Secret Santa Soiree here at The Coloradolady. This will be limited to the first 50 bloggers who sign up. The cut off time to sign up is Friday November 9th. ALL PACKAGES NEED TO BE IN THE MAIL BY December 5th. (earlier if you are shipping to an international swapper)

*411*

1) You must have a blog so that when your gift(s) start rolling in you can post pics and blog your lil ♥ out about how GREAT your Secret Santa Soiree exchange partner is. Some folks did not do this last year after I begged them to do so. If you failed to do this part of the swap, I am sorry, but you won't be able to join this year. This is one of the most important parts for your swap partner and there were many who were very disappointed that their partner did not do this.

2) You must not share your partner's address with anyone else-
The only two people who will ever see your full name and address will be myself and your partner. Under no circumstances are you to share that private information with any other blogger.

3) The spending limit will be  $20.00 (not including shipping) if you choose to spend more that is fine, but PLEASE do not be upset if your SSS partner does not. You can spend the money anyway you'd like by buying small gifts or one gift. The choice is yours. I have found that most people do enjoy several smaller packages to open as opposed to one, but the choice is yours.


4) When you're ready to ship your gift, make sure you buy delivery confirmation (DC). This will serve as proof that you actually did ship your gift to your partner, you will then need to email me the delivery confirmation number.

5)
a) In order to sign up you must leave a comment to this post and Be sure to link in at the bottom of the post using the linky as well. Complete linky in its entirety.

b) BUT ALSO you will need to email me. If you link in and do not email me the information I have asked for I will delete your link. I can not and will not try to hunt anyone down this year, I just don't have the time to do so.  You can click on the "contact me" on the right sidebar  with your shipping info-this will be the ONLY way I can be certain you want to be a part of the SSS.  PLEASE put SSS in your subject line and also include a link to your blog-obviously I don't know everyone's real names yet so it's helpful if you give me the name you post under along with your blog link. Once I receive your email with your shipping information, I will email you a short questionnaire that needs to be filled out and returned to me via email. This will give your swap partner some ideas of your likes, dislikes and so forth. **** If you are willing to be a Secret Santa to a international friend. Please let me know in the email with your shipping information. I really want to include international bloggers as well, so I need to make sure you would be willing to ship/swap with an international blogger.  Simply -  (I will exchange with a International friend) is enough to let me know you are willing to ship internationally.

6) You MUST ship by Dec 5th-feel free to get creative with your return address (remember, it is a Secret Santa exchange) while keeping in mind the rules and regs of USPS or your shipping carrier of choice

7) Probably the most important bit of 411-This is a SECRET Santa soiree so PLEASE do not share who your exchange partner is...you want to keep them guessing right?

*How to Participate*

In case you are still a lil bit confused, email me by clicking on the "contact me" button on my right sidebar  your shipping information. (include yes I will ship internationally or no thank you)  When you receive the questionnaire by email, complete and return as soon as possible the last day is Nov. 12. Check your email on or before November 13th for your swap partner and information.  Shop for your SSS partner and remember while you are out trying to find the perfect gift(s) your SSS partner is doing the same for you. Ship By Dec 5th-dont forget the DC, when your gift arrives BLOG about it, take pictures, let the whole blog-O-sphere know how much fun you had participating in The Secret Santa Soiree. 

Feel free to grab a button and link back to my blog to spread the word~ 

Please, please if you sign up make sure you are going to follow through. This is really a lot of fun during the holidays and once you commit to being a Secret Santa, make sure you will be able to follow through. It makes things a whole lot less stressful on myself and others. My time is VERY limited this year and I almost decided not to host due to the amount of time it takes to run this swap. If you'd like to help with any of this, let me know and we can maybe work together. That is not necessary, but thought I'd toss that out there.  I don't have the time this year to beg people to do what they agreed to do. Please make sure you are able to do this again this year and follow through with all that is required without me having to email about what needs to be done over and over. I know that sounds a bit gruff...but I don't mean it to come across that way. This is very time consuming and it can run rather smoothly if all do as asked!
 It just makes is a lot easier on everyone and no feelings are hurt!! Now.....Let The Fun Begin!!!