When I was younger I had a pen pal (maybe more than one ... I can't remember). It was always fun to imagine people a world away who knew my name. I think I found them through some weird ad in the back of a magazine like Tiger Beat. Anyway, Aranya is the modern equivalent of a pen pal. Andrew and Aranya crossed paths on IM and they've kept in touch for years.
Aranya lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand and works as a nurse. She is such a sweetheart. I once complemented the plush dog-shaped purse she was wearing in a vacation photo and she sent me one of my very own. There is a zipper along the spine, so all your stuff is like the dog's guts. His little feet are hilarious, too. OK, words don't do the purse justice, so here's a middle-of-the-night bathroom photo. Even the strap is plush!
This year for her birthday, Andrew commissioned a wristlet. He picked out the color and style, and I think it turned out way cute. The fabric zipper pull was a brilliant suggestion from MaryBlanca, who purchased
my second wristlet. I sent her a key fob made of a fabric strap to match her wristlet. She emailed me to let me know she'd attached it to the zipper. Now why didn't I think of that?! The brown zipper is the first thing I've used from my
Green Kitchen stash.
Also included in her birthday package was the
elephant I made for her in January 2006. Oh, goodness, was it really that long ago? I didn't include the monkey ... the google eyes are just too goofy. How funny are those early blog photos? They're making my eyes hurt. :)