Last month was my first time participating in the Goody Goody Gift Swap & I must say I loved this experience SO much! I discovered the gift swap via Instagram. Founded by Jen Cantagallo, Goody Goody Gift Swap pairs creatives & makers together to swap either hand-made items or locally bought gifts. It's a wonderful way to meet someone new & spread holiday cheer with gift-giving :)

My swap-mate I was assigned to is Tessa, a Utah-based fellow graphic designer from Tessa Kate Design (check out her work. She is so talented!!). We've exchanged several lengthy emails getting to know each other & we have become instant pen pals! She creates colorful illustrative prints that feature mountain scenes, animals, bearded snowboarders & brush lettering. You can check out her amazing prints here.

Half the fun of putting gifts together the gifts is the packaging. I used pom-poms as bows that my mom had made (she's a quilter & crafter and super talented herself!).

I had the best time picking out & making my goodies to include for Tessa. Below is a pic of everything I put together. I made a calligraphy quote for her since she is a mountain lover. I also included calligraphy gift tags, letterpress notecards from Igloo & a hand-made wooden welcome sign for her home (props to my hubby for assisting me with cutting/drilling the wood). :)

And below is a picture of the goodies that Tessa sent me. She did SO GOOD. I am especially obsessed with the gold foil print. In our email exchanges, I mentioned I love the movie Jurassic Park, so she included a mini gold dinosaur in the package. Super cute!

How gorgeous is this gold foil print designed by Tessa?! LOOOVE.

I've had the BEST time getting to know Tessa, thinking up these gifts along the way & putting them together. I look forward to continuing my pen pal friendship with her! Can't wait to participate next year!!

Goody Goody Gift Swap 2015