Hi Jessy!

I am so glad and relieved that you like the survivors! Being new to the swaps it was not easy to pick something right and that you may like, that was one of the reasons that I picked 2 themes, one had to be right. The red bowl that didn't survive should be an example of what not to do for me and others. I thought with all the bubbles was safe...

The red knife can come in handy with the Valentine's theme and it is a good idea to keep it handy in the toolbox,lol.
The cake plate can be used for romantic desserts, good idea! but I would also use it for appetizers or those small tea sandwiches.

I am very sorry about the red bowl, hope that I can get a chance to make up for that.

Your swap partner,

Silvia

What pretty, thoughtful and useful gifts! Shame about the broken crockery. I love the blue Polish piece!

I ship a lot of boxes with breakable contents to far away places. I have a very good record for intact contents even when the boxes look like they have been through a war on arrival. I find that it's best if there is enough packing material around everything that nothing shifts when you shake the box.

Eileen

Well done Silvia. No one would know that this was your first swap.

Jessica, the Polish Pottery is very pretty.

It is unfortunate that the pie plate broke. Pretty colour.

~Ann

Wow, I love the Polish pottery. I sent a piece of that to someone once in a swap. The tiered dish is lovely. I think Jessy will have to have an afternoon tea and serve tea sandwiches one day. I know Jessica is such a "pinky in the air" kind of person.

What a shame that the pretty pie plate broke. Someone was really slamming that box around, the idiots. My son once sent a box of clothes from Australia and I swear he used about three pieces of scotch tape to hold it shut. There was a trail of clothes from Oz to here. The box arrived with clothes hanging out from every corner.

Very thoughtful box, Sylvia and once again I am annoyed with myself for not participating in the swap.

Eileen - Thank you. This is the first time that something like that happens to me, I am usually very careful packing. I send a lot of jams and pickles to the East Coast and I am always afraid that they are going to break or pop up, but they never do. I told the man at the UPS about the fragile contents and he moved the box around and he said nothing is moving and you already label "fragile" it should be fine. I guess not, lesson learned.

Thank you Ann, I was debating about the winter and the Valentine's theme, so I did a little of both.:)

Dedtired - Thank you. I also love the Polish pottery, it is such a unique design, actually all of the ones that I saw were beautiful! it was a hard decision.
One time I ordered seeds from Canada and the Home Security opened the envelope and went through all the contents! after that they send me the seeds with big signs that they opened the envelope. I wonder what they thought it was.:)

Silvia

Silvia, You were brave to join the swap right out of the gate! I'm still intimidated (self-imposed) and I have participated in most of the swaps. Kudos for an outstanding job.

Cathy

Silvia, what a pretty polish dish and it's a shame about the red dish, it's such a pretty color. I like the two tiered server with the roses too.

Now I've got to get on the stick and get mine done, I already know what I want to send, I just have to find it!

Enjoy your pretty stuff, Jessica!

Annie

Silvia - I also ogle over the Polish pottery. The piece you sent should be very useful! I've also never seen a two-tiered plate with that design - so pretty!

And who can't use more knives??

You did a fantastic job!

Sue

Silvia, you did great, the first swap is the hardest and there has been breakage before, it happens.

Jessy, you be careful with that knife, I wouldn't want your DH to suffer....

Nancy

Silvia, what a nice swap box! You are the bomb! You did great for your first swap. Great great job! ;-)

Jessica, I'm sure that you are going to enjoy that beautiful blue and white Polish dish. It's one of your favorite colors! It really is a shame that the pie plate was broken in transit. Very pretty!

I don't want to be the first to ask but...I'm not sure what the first picture is? The Valentine fabric? Did I miss something? I like but not sure what it is.

Gorgeous pieces, lucky Jessy! Well done Sylvia!
Was the box insured? Can you claim for damages (especially in light of the UPS man opining it would be OK, indicates it wasn't carelessly packed....

How lovely! I love the polish plate and the dramatic roses in the tiered plate.. So sorry about the red dish.. It looked lovely.

Very nice! Use them "wisely" (grin)!

Everything was so beautiful in this package, and I too lament the broken pie plate - that is something I would have enjoyed using, but the tiered cake plate intrigues me even more. Are you sure it is not meant to hold cookies or petit fours? I guess you could put Angel food cake or bundt cakes on those plates, but I've never seen that done before, that I can remember.

The Polish plate is adorable, but I'm not sure what size it is. For some reason, I'm drawn to all the red in this package, especially the red knife!

Lars

What a great surprise package! I am excited to get my box packed up to send -- I hope this weekend!

Enjoy your treats, Jessy, and great job, Sylvia!

Cathy - Thank you for your nice words, I hope to meet you one day since we are almost neighbors.

Annie - Thanks. You still have time to get yours done, I am looking forward to see everyone's surprises.

Sue - Thank you. It is good to know that we all like the Polish pottery. I think the design and colors are winners.

Thank you Nancy for letting me know that I am not the first one with broken pieces...next time, I will be super careful.

Thank you Riverrat for all your nice comments. The first picture is all the items wrapped in Valentine's wrapping paper.

Collenoz - No, it was not insured since the UPS man told me it was safe I didn't think necessary.

GWlolo - Thanks. I am relieved that the other items survived the shipping.

Thanks Compumom.

Lars - Thank you. You do have the right idea about the cake plate, now that you said I remember seeing them with petit fours. It will also look good with cookies, brownies or bars.
I think the Polish plate is the size of a pie plate.
I thought the red knife look different and was good with the Valentine's theme.

Silvia

Silvia, you really did an excellent job! Just what I'd expect from the you we've been getting to know these past months. The red deep dish is a darn shame....maybe it sacrificed itself to keep you to the limit of 3 presents. Smiles. It is hard to decide what to get to give. Like Annie and others, it makes me nervous, hoping what I pick will be liked. You sure picked winners. I too love that rose tiered server. Such an unusual decoration for one of them. Love the Polish dish too and the knife looks really cool. I'm a knife freak. Smiles. Clap, clap... good job!!

Great job Silvia! I love all those items. I like how vivid the colors are. The knife looks interesting. Might need to put that on the list of things to try! I have a pie plate like the one that broke. Doggone. I love mine! Love the tiered stand. I can see all sorts of goodies on that! I don't think I have one anymore. They're great for finger food of all sorts. Good job!

Thank you Mabel.

Coconut - You are being very kind, thank you. But at this time I think that I have to come clean,lol. I went to the store with dh and I picked the three items that I would like it for my own kitchen, when we were leaving dh said "look at this knife! it is so cool, it will go great with your theme for Valentine's." And I just didn't have the heart to tell him no. I just hope is different and maybe funny and not offensive, it was all meant with good intentions. He also packed the items with my supervision (he is the experienced packer) I was hoping that he forget the knife but he didn't and he doesn't even cook!.:)

Thank you Momto4kids, I like many colors of plates for my kitchen, it is like the garden for me, I cannot have just one color.:)

Silvia

Aw Silvia, that is so cute! Believe me, I've only done one exchange but have seen them here for years and keeping it to 3 items is not easy. In fact it's become almost an art form for people to see how many things they can try to make count as one. LOL. . Ann is pretty strict though and I really did smile when she told of her incentive for abiding by the rule of 3. I think last time Sooz took it to a new level. If you get a chance dig around and see what some people considered 3. LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: Rules incentive.

Jessy the cake stand will look awesome with Valentine sweet stuff on it. And the blue plate is gorgeous. Nice box, Sylvia.

It is hard to stick to three items. I like the rule of three and try not to cheat but I think I have have gotten creative with packing materials, lol.

It has taken me forever to get over here and comment, I always have a dog sitting in my lap at the computer and it's hard to type sometimes.

Everything is beautiful! I have lots of polish pottery and it is the BEST for pies, casseroles, crisps, enchiladas. I love the stuff and that is a very pretty pattern. It is a shame about the red plate, I have a bowl made by that company and it is lovely. And what a pretty stand! Perfect for valentine's day. Such cute wrapping paper too.

I'm taking notes too about shipping things, ugh, I don't want anything to break.
Once, I ordered a Mexican blue jug from Eddie Bauer of all places, a fairly standard sized pitcher and it came in a box roughly the size of a refrigerator so I hope I don't have to go that route.

Nice haul Jessy! Sylvia did a great job for a first time swapper! AND Sylvia didn't break the rules, she just added an "In Case" gift for those times when something breaks! :-P

Thank you Coconut for the thread with the cute dog, I have 3 of my own and they are always saying something. When they go in the garden for a long time, they are usually eating the veggies, even tho their meals always have some...

Thank you Katiec, I know what you mean by sticking to the rules and the creativity of the packaging, next time I will do better.:)

Thank you Bumblebeez, at this point I am just glad that most of the items survived the shipping and it is a good lesson for packing next time.

Thank you Compumom, my family in the beginning were upset about the breakage, now the joke is on the knife, that maybe broke the plate, it did help somehow to keep me with the limits.:)

Silvia