Taking and giving and giving back

I've been asking some ridiculous things lately. Making outrageous requests, if you will. My thoughts on asking are that when you ask, you don't have an expected answer. Maybe a hopeful one, but not expected, so it doesn't hurt to ask, worst case you're in the same spot that you started in, and at least you won't wonder what if you had asked. I partially credit this TED talk that, among other points, encourages making use of your weak ties.

Everyone has been so awesome lately, and pretty much everything I've been asking for I've gotten in some degree. (Numerous helpers with my basement flooding including getting the water out and offering me hot showers while the water heater was out of commission, being offered places to stay out of town (with excessive hospitality), dog sitting while I was gone, borrowing of equipment, giving/sending me excellent mixes, and so on.)

So it's my turn.
In the past week I've signed up for a couple volunteering opportunities at upcoming events, one this weekend and one in August. I'm really excited to be a little part of a bigger machine and give back a bit to lots of people at once, even though it's really just little stuff in the big picture. I'm not exactly saving the world by passing out water to runners or pouring beer for festival-goers, but if I can put a smile on their faces, that works for me.

I've also had this big Gratitude Postcard project on my mind's back burner for literally years (I'm pretty sure I discussed it with Katie soon after meeting her at The Fest 9), and I think this is my push to start it going. It's going to be different than originally thought (current lack of letterpress access and all), but I think it'll be better this way, a lot more personal. I also think I'm not going to figure it out completely ahead of time. Start anywhere, right?

Physical Inbox #2

This edition of Physical Inbox is showcasing TWO goodie boxes that I've received recently.

First off... the March Cara Box from Melissa from After We Tied the Knott ...

(What's a Cara Box? See here!)
This month's theme was "Hello my name is..." which translated to, the box would be full of things starting with the first letter of the recipient's first name! My match up, Katie, from Unwritten  is getting a box full of K things, and I, being Laura, got a box full of L! I'll link up Katie when she gets her box, and posts it.

Melissa was SO on top of this, and got my box sent out to me almost instantly! I'm not so good at that--I tend to try to think things out for awhile, and since there isn't much of a turnaround (two weeks between finding out your match and the shipping out deadline--not that long when you've got to figure out a person you've never met and then shop/make for them on a limited budget!) I always find myself at the post office on the last day.

Anyway, what I received went a little something like this:
The box came filled with bright pink tinsel-packing. So sparkly. And so much like quick-sand. I tried to put the items on top of the tinsel to photograph them, but they kept drowning in it, haha!
First off above, was a Lion toy for Remi. She loves her plushies, and this one had a squeaker too! I gave it to her right away, and you might notice that the tail is already missing by the time I snapped the photo. Good puppy!

LED Flashlight, in green! I let on that I'm a big fan of mint & seafoam greens, so Melissa sure took that green to heart as you'll see from the rest of the box. March is a great month for green, right?

Loofas! Also in "laurcolor" as I refer to mint/seafoam in casual conversation.

Lucky Clover grow kit! I could always use a little bit of Luck.

Lifesaver Jelly Beans... yep, these are Long-gone by now. Super tasty, Melissa noticed my sweet tooth and included this sweet treat!

Last but not least, Lingerie! Melissa found me a bra once again in the favorite color! Just the explosion of mint and seafoam when I opened this box put a huge smile on my face.

Definitely a great birthday-month box, Melissa did such an amazing job at figuring out things that were so me and fit in nicely with the theme too! <3 Make sure you check out her blog, After We Tied the Knott, and on instagram and twitter too!

Make sure to check out ALL of the March Cara Box exchanges, posted/hosted through Wifessionals.

Next up, the Sugar & Spice VoxBox from Influenster...

Awhile back I'd signed up for Influenster, as it seemed interesting, kinda like Klout but with more product/brand reviews. Apparently I've contributed enough to qualify for this VoxBox, and a box showed up at my house full of many things, including Colgate Optic White toothpaste & goodies, Vaseline Spray & Go moisturizer, Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel towelettes, belVita Breakfast Biscuits, and Nectresse no calorie sweetener.

I'm still making my way through giving all of these products a good try, so I'll be sure to update my thoughts on them soon! Make sure you're following me on twitter and instagram to keep up to date!

Physical Inbox

I'd like to share some of the lovely things I get in the mail... sometimes it's for content, and sometimes it's for delivery...

First one comes from Kristin! She was sweet enough to think to send me a thank you card for teaming up with Michele (from Short Girl, Long Island) for a giveaway a little bit back (which, she won!). Wax seals are awesome, I think I need to look in to getting one of my own. I *LOVE* getting mail (non-bills, non-spam), and even more so when it's stamped with my creation on its return, I just seriously love seeing these things in the wild... so if you've gotten a stamp from me, you've got my address—send a message back, it'll probably make my day!

Next up, this lovely print by Lea Rizzo. It was a perk for the IndieGoGo campaign from The Yards last Fall, where I opted for the Lea print with my donation. The Yards does amazing art shows and events and are truly a great addition to our community in Rochester. They're located at the Rochester Public Market, in a great, versatile space.

What have you gotten in the mail recently that's put a smile on your face?