in the name of sanity, i need your help!

you may read the title of this post and think it's something serious, then read further down and think, "danielle's insane." well, my friends, this is serious. it's a matter of sanity, happiness and everything being right in the universe, and you just can't fight that! several months ago i was lucky enough to experience pure heaven in my mouth; it was as if world peace, cotton candy and independent wealth became one on my tongue. and i don't exaggerate. what caused this unbelievable and short-lived euphoria? this bilar candy...

so here's where your help is needed. i'm not in sweden (or another country that sells them, maybe?) so as far as i know, i can't go to the store and buy a bag or two hundred of these delicious treats. if you're in a country where these are sold, do you want to swap those for some american treat? i'm like a woman obsessed, but i can't help it! these are just SO delicious! please help me!

UPDATE: thanks to some friendly bloggers, i've discovered that this candy is sold in the u.s. at ikea. the only problem is: the nearest ikea is several hours away! AAAAHHHHHHH!

i've never been to sweden and bought these candies for myself, but i received a bag of them from a swedish blogger during a blog swap, and she helped to form a serious addiction.

in completely unrelated news, for a few days (and i recently saw that it wouldn't last), we've been having some almost spring-like weather. it's still been a little chilly, but nice enough to want to go outside. chris, kona and i did a little hiking yesterday and playing by the creek, and today kona and i took a walk. while we were out, i noticed that my irises were starting to come up, so i figured i'd clean up all te dead iris foliage from last year so i could see the sprouts a little better. in doing so, i grabbed on to some week with serious thorns, and one of them found a home under my pinky fingernail! man did it ever hurt, and then when i came in and washed my hands with hot water and soap, it hurt even worse! the thorn has been removed and my finger feels better, but just a warning, wear gloves around spiky things!

pretty pressies & metal

First off, let me say that I'm not insulting your intelligence by stating the obvious, but I've made a few changes to le blog. I wanted my pictures to be a bit wider, and that meant editing my html and finally making a new banner. I'm still not sure if I'm sold, so if you'd care to share your thoughts, I'd happy to hear/read them!

I'm not sure how many of you participated in the love vintage exchange that Kellie over at rice babies hosted, but let me just say that the idea was genius, and I seriously got the best packages (I had two partners)! I couldn't photograph everything I received since there's a storm brewin' and the sun has disappeared, but here are my favorites...

These two items were sent to my by Lucy. When I started to open the necklace I didn't actually know what in the world it was, but I could see rocks, which I thought was awesome since I love rocks so much. Then I saw a bit of the rope and i was completely confused. Finally I saw that it was a necklace and I was in love. I've already tried it on with several solid color tops and dresses, and it definitely gives a boring outfit the right amount of awesome!

My second favorite from that package is this pretty bird dish. I know it will be hung somewhere in my kitchen, but I haven't decided on the perfect spot yet; somewhere that will bring it the attention it deserves! In addition to the necklace and dish, I got a pretty mini picture in a gold frame, 1940's black and white photos (many from Germany, my homeland), a brooch and a pair of earrings!

The other package I got was from the sweet as candy Carlen. I have to admit, I wasn't able to pick a favorite, so I photographed the items that were closest. I'm not sure if she saw the "two things I love around my home" post where I shared a vintage hand mirror, but I really love them, so imagine my surprise when i opened up that golden beauty!

Candy. Enough said, right? I may or may not have eaten an entire box of the candy cigarettes in one sitting. Yeah. Yum. She also sent me pretty embroidered hankies and dresser scarves, handmade tissue cozies, and cute little notes explaining each item she picked for me! Aren't packages fun?!?!? Yes, they are!

I had originally planned on walking up to the garage (in the country there are fields between any and all structures) to test out an idea I had for pendants on the metal lathe, but considering the rain is coming down hard enough to possibly drown me as I step out of the door, I guess I'll wait. have you done anything fun or crafty this weekend? Oh, and in case you're wondering what in the heck a metal lathe is, here's a deep and informative voice to explain it for you...

fun exchanges

I spent the majority of my day eating and lazing around the house, either watching TV or stalking people on facebook. Thrilling, I know. I'm glad to discover that after tomorrow, the weather will be spring-like again, so I can get off of my jello butt and get outside! Two fun things I wanted to share with you are exchanges you may be interested in joining...

From the top: vintage round floral rose tin from PatinaVintage, vintage enamel tray from GingersGirl, vintage gold filigree tabletop mirror from ThisOldHouseDress, embroidered pillow cases bird pair from littlebyrdvintage, vintage marigold carnival glass flower frog from GemsOfTimeVintage, vintage mid century industrial magazine rack from havenvintage.

So, if you can't tell by the pictures of my new favorites, the first exchange is the "Love Vintage Package Exchange" hosted by Rice Babies. If you love vintage as much as I do, or even a fraction a much, you should definitely sign up! The next swap is the "Brown Paper Packages Gift Exchange" hosted by Cole at Adventures in Love and Happiness. Just send three of your favorite things, and receive three of someone else's favorite things!

How has your weekend been so far? Are you currently signed up for any blog swaps?

paying it forward & exchange update

I know that there are a few emails regarding knick knack exchange partner info that didn't go through. They were all sent last night, so if you signed up and didn't receive an email, please let me know! You can email me at kissparrotkiss@aol.com

Next on the list, I saw this fun pay it forward idea on Brittan's blog and decided to join! Details under the mailbox (it even has a little flag on the other side)!

How it works:

-I will make a little handmade something for the first 3 people who comment on this post and would like to play along.

-I have a year (365 days) to complete my mission and send off the goodies!

-There is no telling what the gift may be, or when it will show up, it's a mystery!

The fine print... Since this is "Pay It Forward," you, fair readers, must do as I have done and post a similar blog entry, thus paying the handmade goodness forward!