The Curiosity Project

We're Closed!

2012-01-10T20:43:00.001Z

We'd like to thank everyone who got involved in our Curious Christmas project or sponsored the site-without your support and enthusiasm it just wouldn't have been as rewarding as it has been. We've brought people together from all over the world, built new friendships and given those who are unable to get out and about to socialise a real life line. Reading your wonderful comments and kind messages has made it so worthwhile.

Let's not forget those boxes! Ahhhh, those wonderful boxes...although we're actually missing 150 odd that didn't land in our inbox or indeed on the doormats of some of our participants...

Still waiting to see your box on the blog? Still waiting to receive one?

Unfortunately as this project has now finished we're unable to blog any more boxes. We're also unable to continue chasing as the time taken to do all the admin is taking away from time we need to spend on developing The Curiosity Project.

If you'd like to chase your box yourself, we are more than happy to pass on the email address of your sender or recipient for you, just drop us a line to the usual address.

So What's Next?

Well...first we have a break...then we'll start conjuring another fabulous idea for our next project. No idea when the next will be or indeed what it'll be, but rest assured there'll be one!

We're also working on getting together an option to join our mailing list so you can hear the latest news first.

In the meantime, thank you for taking part and keep supporting us!

Miss Curiosity

XX

A Curious Christmas! Box #336

2012-01-10T20:30:00.000Z

"After some time spent eagerly awaiting the arrival of my box I began to get slightly worried that I had been forgotten, or better case scenario that the postie hadn’t managed to get into my apartment block to leave the parcel or a card. I had finally written the project off as another disappointed expectation of 2011, which hasn’t been the best year for me, despite some wonderful moments in it. I decided to get in touch with Tiffany in the New Year, and when she got back to me she told me that my parcel was being sent all the way from Dubai, and had been posted at the beginning of December! There was hope again, but it did cue even more anxieties about Mr Postie struggling to deliver the precious package! However, I was suddenly excited again, and had renewed hope for 2012 to fulfil the expectations that 2011 never did.

Well, after a busy first week back at work after Christmas I came home to a little white parcel propped up against my front door. Could it be...?? It was! It was finally here! All the way from Dubai (via London)!

I hurried inside, grabbed my camera, and slowly starting tearinginto the parcel, attempting to savour every last exciting moment! Within thepure white paper wrapping there was a beautiful black, present-covered box,which I knew would be filled with curious and wonderful presents inside!

First I pulled out a beautiful pink flower box (just my style!). Ihaven’t decided what to keep in it yet, but it will go beautifully on mydressing table for now.

Next came a gorgeous cream and black flower purse (just my style!).I have already used it with pride, and whenever I use it I can’t help but tellthe people I’m with all about the project and the wonderful treasures Ireceived!

Then I reached for the cutest notebook I’ve ever seen in my life,complete with the best patterns I could ever wish for - black cats, polka dots,forget-me-not florals and typography! I didn’t think it could get anybetter...but then I opened it! On the first page was a handwritten note in themost BEAUTIFUL handwriting, with the most BEAUTIFUL of sentiments! The writingand thoughtfulness of a true princess =)

With the biggest smile and warmest heart I continued to pulltreasures from my veritable treasure trove! Next came an intriguing paper bag,covered in scripture and historical images. Inside was a fantastic magnet,which is now taking pride of place on my fridge! I absolutely love thesentiment...and 2012 is the year that I most definitely want to be treated likea queen - if not by other people, certainly by myself!

Then I pulled out a cute little plastic wallet, with three pockets,and layers of more polka dots, flowers and birds. I look forward to finding theperfect use for it, but it would be great for travel documents to accompany mewhen I go on my travels. It will be a well travelled wallet - all the way fromDubai to the UK to beyond...!

The penultimate treasure was a beautiful green scarf with whiteprinted flowers. The design and colours are so beautiful that I am trying tothink of a way that I can enjoy it as often as possible. I am thinking aboutusing it as the focal panel on a large hand-made bag, or perhaps making acushion that can sit with pride permanently in my humble home. I love how evena little piece of fabric can make me feel so inspired!

Finally I discovered a little silver pen, which I promptly tested bywriting a little note to my dear sender. I really mean it too...

Thank you so much to my sender - Princess - for helping to give my2012 such a great start! I’m so lucky to have had you as my sender, and Icouldn’t have asked for more wonderful and thoughtful gifts. It has beenamazing to know that they have travelled so far to reach me, and that from halfway across the world you have been thinking of little old me - and managed tochoose curious treasures more suited to me than I could have ever imagined!

Thank you Princess. I wish you good health and spirits in 2012. Lovefrom your curious new friend, "

Eleanor xox

A Curious Christmas! Box #335

2012-01-10T19:56:00.001Z

"I received my box in work, where everyone had been instructed to keep a look out for something addressed to a A Curious Person. Needless to say when it arrived everyone was dying to see what was in it but I resisted until I got home. Under the brown wrapper was a very festively wrapped box and inside lots of individually wrapped goodies from a very talented person. The card inside read " Dear Curious Christmas Person. Merry Christmas! I hope this box brings you as much pleasure as I had putting it together. Have a glorious festive season and a wonderful new year!" My Curious person had spent a lot of time and thought in creating a box based on some very sketchy information I provided. The contents were:-

a beautifully embroidered tea towel with macaroons
matching pot stand with a teapot and saucer ( I work in a tea room!)
set of coasters - I don't own any but am always dripping wine/ tea!
cracker with truffles
two handmade Christmas decorations for my tree
little origami stars
a blue octopus dog toy for my best friend Woody!

Thank you so much my Curious Friend and to Tiffany for organising such a wonderful project!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #334

2012-01-10T19:17:00.002Z

"My curious friend sent me a lovely collection of treats, all packaged in a pretty silver box.

Firstly, some ginger & mandarin teabags – they are just delicious and perfect for a cold afternoon.

The box also contained a lovely hand written note, some chocolate bars and essential oils.

I love all things stationery related, and the little set of coloured felt tip pens, a sweet note pad and pocket sized pens were perfect.

The best bit about the box was the three yarns of wool – in pinks and creams, my favourite colours, together with a hand written instructions of how to knit a scarf. Luckily my sender also sent through some knitting needles! I have no idea how to knit, but have been saying for ages that I want to learn; so now is the perfect time!

Thank you lovely sender, it was so sweet to receive my surprise box full of treats!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #333

2012-01-10T19:12:00.000Z

"I'm convinced that the stars covering my Curiosity Box and its contents really do have magical properties. It's the only explanation for:

- the postman ringing the doorbell at 9.15am (a rare occurrence for him to appear before at least elevenses) on a Sunday (yes, a Sunday!) with a brown paper package for me. He explained that he left a card on the Friday and was concerned that it might be a Christmas present so bought he would try redelivering!

- time accelerating at lightening speed since it arrived. That's my excuse for submitting so close to deadline anyway!

- Every single item being brilliant.

The first item I opened was a container of delicious spiced biscuits, perfect for a snackaholic like me. I was born to be indulged! I'm also a (discerning) lush, so the "Kate Made" sloe gin was a perfect accompaniment. I shan't divulge whether they were breakfast ....

I'd love to be musical, but alas when I say I'm an expert fiddler it just means I can't talk on the phone without constructing, deconstructing or playing with whatever is within reach. To prevent me gumming up my fingers semi-permanently with overwarmed blu-tack yet again, my Curious magical sender gave me a bag of miniature Paris landmarks and a book of origami animals to play with. Brilliant! I've always wanted to have a go at Origami, and I have many lovely memories of Paris so what better adornments for my desk?

I love books, and am meticulous about taking good care of them, which is why a bookmark is ideal for me - and so is the book! Especially as its about food, which will certainly inspire to don the lovely handmade pinny.

I'm so lucky to have had such a thoughtful and creative Curious sender. "

You totally had the gin and biccies for breakfast...didn't you. ;-)

A Curious Christmas! Box #332

2012-01-10T19:03:00.000Z

Eeeek! Another cat in a box!

"Me and my sister received our curiosity box on Christmas Eve :)

We opened one part each at a time, luckily the first thing we opened was a Christmas cd our person made which we put straight on whilst opening the rest of our goodies!

In our box we had

•a jingle bell tree decoration

•a heart tree decoration

•nursery rhyme snap!

•a giant chocolate coin

•a card homemade by her mum

•some mini carollers

•candy canes

•curious Christmas book

•a Christmas mug

•manger scene

We loved every bit of it :) needless to say there was squabbling about who got what!

Thanks Rachel!

P.S. My cat (Christmas) Evie loved the suitcase it came in too :)"

A Curious Christmas! Box #331

2012-01-10T18:22:00.000Z

"First of all I just wanted to say how sorry I am that this is being sent so late - unfortunately I've been really quite poorly for the last six weeks and so haven't been able to do much at all but I wanted to make sure that my sender knew I had got my box and how much I loved it!

So firstly it was all packaged in a beautiful tin, which will be so useful for holding bits and bobs and with a beautiful postcard on top.

And inside, was an amazing amount of little parcels, all wrapped in brown paper (my favourite!) and each had a little label on it with a little clue as to what might be inside.

I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of surprises and how perfect and well thought out they all were!

I am now the very proud owner of :

A lovely blue wooden ornament which I put on my Christmas tree and which will now live in my study. My secret sender also said that she had one on her tree as well and I love the thought that we both had the same thing!
A beautiful gingham heart (made by the sender?) which has a ribbon to hang it on which will be going to hang with the little birdie to cheer up my study!
A gorgeous little tea light holder shaped like a bucket with little hearts cut into it
A little jingle bell which also had a home on my Christmas tree
A lovely little heart shaped wooden peg which will be really helpful for keeping work stuff together
A breakthrough Breast Cancer badge which I shall wear with pride
A cute little robin cross stitch kit - I have always wanted to learn how to cross stitch and now I have no excuse!
Some pink polka dot baking cases which will have some yummy cakes baked into them as soon as I'm well enough!
Some sweet little duck buttons which will be perfect for my knitting
A magnet saying "Keep Calm and drink tea" which could not be more perfect for me!
And finally, a gorgeous silver pebble saying "success" - I told my secret sender that I was doing a phd and that has been put seriously behind because of health problems of late. I can't tell you how much this pebble meant to me above all the other gifts as daft as it sounds, it felt like someone I'd never even met had faith that I would succeed no matter what!

So dear sender, I thank you so so much for bringing a lot of happiness into a few slightly bleak weeks and I hope that we all have a healthy and happy new year!

And of course to Tiffany, thank you so so much for organising this project. It has been wonderful!"

Thanks, Cheryl xx

A Curious Christmas! Box #330

2012-01-10T18:08:00.000Z

"My box arrived just a few days before Christmas. I was unwell and had no idea how I was going to get everything in order to leave for Sweden very early the next morning. Thankfully, the box proved to be a great motivator and I slogged through all the packing before opening it.

The plain brown packing had concealed a sumptuous box with gold trim and a festively contrasting vintage scarf.

Inside were hand made and hand picked gifts, each individually wrapped with a curious themed luggage tag telling me more.

I was touched by the sheer variety, effort and thought that had gone into tailoring the box to me and the generous and kind nature of the gifter.

Thank you. Your box cheered me, the gloves have kept me warm ever since and the crafty knick knacks have kept me occupied. You're lovely."

A Curious Christmas! Box #329

2012-01-10T17:56:00.000Z

"I really had thought that my sender had forgotten about me after Christmas came and went. Until one day I arrived home from work and found that little card that the post man leaves (which usually makes me sigh with frustration) but this time made me so excited when it read the words 'Curiosity Project'. I went to collect immediately and found that it was actually sent on the 10th of December but had come all the way from CANADA!

I opened my parcel (bursting with excitement) to reveal a quaint little cardboard house which I love and is great for keeping bits and bobs in! Inside were some fantastic curious treats. Including a handmade Christmas bauble (although too late to pop it on the tree it's now hanging on my bedroom door handle), a mini camera keychain which has loads of amazing pictures of Canada inside on the spinning wheel, a bottle of 'Northern Comfort' MAPLE SYRUP (haven't tasted it yet but I'm sure it will be opened when pancake day rolls around), some magnetic polaroid picture frames which I LOVE! and some other cute little trinkets <3

It doesn't have to be Shrove Tuesday to eat pancakes ;-)

I was so happy to receive a box at all! Let alone the perfect box for me, I had told my sender that I love polaroids and photography :)

So thank you very much my curious friend and to Tiff for setting up this project. I loved sending my box and getting one in return :)"

All the best

Hannah

A Curious Christmas! Box #328

2012-01-10T17:48:00.001Z

“I was feeling very sad that I didn’t have a box yet but I was holding out hope! Then today, the last day of the project it arrived!! And it was well worth the wait!

It came with a little note apologising (her husband forgot to post it – men huh!)

Inside was some wrapped prezzies, a soy wax candle and some vanilla button bath soaps plus a box crammed with Christmas goodies - Two big candy canes, a bag of delicious homemade truffles and a bottle of Babycham which the senders Grandma used to give her at Christmas.

I also received two books – Eat Love Pray, that I haven’t read yet ;) and a Gordon Ramsey Healthy Appetite cookbook! (this is actually ON my Amazon wish list – how good is that!)

Thank you so much curious sender, you made me very happy in a wet and windy January!”

A Curious Christmas! Box #327

2012-01-10T13:42:00.000Z

I received this wonderful package containing all sorts of fabulous goodies from the UK! My curious friend wrapped all of the following treasures in a floral fabric:

Chocolate currency

Whimsical painted wooden ornaments

Fun Christmas ribbon

Little curiosities from her personal stash

Shells picked up on her travels in Vietnam

Adorable napkins

An origami kit

and authentic London tea

I felt very spoilt as I unwrapped each of the presents in my box!

Thanks so much to my curious friend!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #326

2012-01-10T13:19:00.001Z

"A big thank you to my curious friend! I opened my box the day I got home from university, and it was a lovely start to christmas. The box was fantastic and they really tailored it to me. I was especially excited about a book called 'Derelict London' which is a book I have been meaning to buy for ages!

This book looks AMAZING!

Other items in the box were:

a packet of cute festive tissues,

candles - 3 small and a beautiful spinning angle candle

a tree decoration

a cd collection of christmas songs

a home sweet home door hanger

illustrated bunting with cameras on it

a gorgeous note book

a tiny pin badge with a cassette tape on it

Thank you again to my curious friend, i really enjoyed taking part in this project!"

Lauren

A Curious Christmas! Box #325

2012-01-10T11:13:00.000Z

"Dear Tiffany and the Curiosity Project team,

I do apologise it has taken me so long to send in my piccy's, I've no excuse, I was simply getting carried away enjoying the contents of the box and haven't got round to emailing you! Firstly I would like to thank you for this wonderful idea, it was quite honestly the BEST christmas present I've EVER had! The warmth and happiness I felt inside when I received my box and found that a complete stranger had gone to such selfless efforts to fill it with such thoughtful gifts, was just wonderful. So thank you Curiosity Project for your fabulous idea!

Onto the contents of my beautiful box...

The spec I had given to my curious friend was that I adored anything fluffy, sparkly, vintage and silly. That I had recently become engaged and that I am a loving kitty cat owner. And by golly did she hit the mark, every single prezzy was soooo me, and so brilliant, it felt like a gift from someone who had known me for years!

A cat in a box!!!

Something for your ears...An Alternative Mixtape! I stuck this on instantly and loved every single track, listening to these gave me a little insight into my curious sender and what she/he might be like!

Something I made... was the most beautiful PolkaDot heart pillow, which I hang by my dressing table to remind me of my talented, thoughtful curious friend.

Something from one cat lover to another... was the most hilarious Simon the Cat book, I watch him on youtube all the time and giggle away, it's something only a cat owner would truly understand!

Something Vintage-esq... was the most gorgeous little hair clip that I wear all the time and get loads of comments about!

Something for your home...two quaint little bird ornaments that I instantly hung from my Christmas tree, and they looked perfect!

Something cosy... the best, most squiggly, warmest, cosiest Christmas socks EVER!!! As you can imagine they went straight on!

Something Curious... This one touched me so much as I LOVE a good book, my curious friend had actually given me her copy of 'The curious incident of the dog in the night', I am still in the middle of reading it, and it's fantastic!

Something yummy... some choccy coins, which I gobbled up straight away!

Something Fun... these brilliant little finger tashes, which I got out on Christmas day, and the whole family loved them.

and finally my absolute favourite... Something silly... These fabulous, ridiculous Bride and Groom fluffy bird pens... I actually adore them so much that I think on the big day my fiance and I are going to sign the marriage certificates with them! pahahaha!

I can't thank you enough my curious friend, you absolutely melted my heart with your generosity, and I only wish I could thank you in person. Happy new year!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #324

2012-01-10T11:02:00.000Z

"The main photo of everything is attached, it was a treasure box of loads of cute goodies from rock, to hand warmers to cookie cutters! AND the sender somehow knew about my little girl Mia and sent her a very cute cuddly monkey and jigsaw horse, she sent me a cute message saying how she couldn't forget her.

So sorry this is just an Instagram shot - Im shooting back to back at the moment - which is great, but with my postman not delivering it on time (it arrived this weekend) I wanted to make sure you got it on the blog! x"

A Curious Christmas! Box #323

2012-01-10T10:56:00.000Z

After sending my box, I almost forgot I would receive one myself. Then one day at work a colleague brought through a heavy parcel wrapped in brown paper. I was so excited to open my box! The parcel was written on to ask me to open the envelope first, so I did.

I received a hand written card with a wonderful message, which was really personal and special. My birthday is on Christmas day so my curious friend had decided I should have a special day on a quieter, more relaxing day!

I couldn't wait to open my box but as instructed I tried to find a free day to open it. I eventually opened the brown paper to find a gorgeous box!

Stunned, I opened the smart case, only to find some step by step instructions for my special day, one for myself and one for the person helping to treat me on my un- birthday. It was incredibly thoughtful as the whole lovely day was planned out for me.

I had gifts, socks and hand warmers to keep me warm whilst walking the dogs, party banners, candles, party poppers, sparklers and much more. There was even a recipe for my birthday cake. I felt extremely special!

With Christmas coming up things were still hectic, and I have to be honest and admit that I haven't found my day to do as instructed yet. I didn't send this sooner as I was hoping to include a picture of the cake and some of the festivities. But I will find my day, and I still have it to look forward to! I also still have a mysterious envelope to open at the end of my special day. I can look forward to this during January or February to brighten up a dull day. My other half has promised to play his part and can't believe how thoughtful my curious friend has been. Neither can I, it's as if they knew me! I actually thought the person who sent it might have found out who I am somehow!

Thank you curiosity project, and thank you so much to my thoughtful and kind curious friend.

Thank you!

Claire

A Curious Christmas! Box #322

2012-01-10T10:21:00.001Z

"I eventually received my Curiosity Box on Christmas Eve, and couldn't wait to open it!

It was encased in brown paper - strangely exactly what I used for my Christmas wrapping this year - and some rather lovely festive stickers.

Inside, there were tons of little parcels, all wrapped up in tissue paper, and each individually notated with another of my favourite - luggage tags!

My curious friend had been very generous and thoughtful in the trinkets and nik naks she had included in my parcel.We shared fascination for vintage detail, and boy, she didn't let me down! She included things she will use at her wedding, and things she themed her hen party around too...a lovely personal touch!

In my Curiosity Box, I received:

A wonderful note that told me that my friend enjoyed collecting and creating the box for me. She told me it was tailored to my profile but very much reflected her too. She also said she had customised her husband to be's converse trainers in a 'Graffiti-esque' style for their Ceilidh wedding as I love urban art (I'm honoured!).

My little gifts included:

Some cute doilies (which are in my dining room as we speak), some pin up playing cards - our bride to be had a pin up themed Hen! A vintage 'tea and cake' jigsaw and notebook, some beautiful hanging heart Christmas decorations (I'm mildly obsessed with these!), a beautiful pink fabric photo frame and a sweet smelling lavender pillow (something else I'm mildly obsessed with!). However, my 2 favourite things included in the box, which I'm still blown away by, are my embroidered Home picture, hand sewn by our lovely pal, and my Tom Kitten story book. It was so thoughtful that my friend remembered I love cats and vintagey things and combined the 2 in such a thoughtful way.

To my curious friend. I cannot even find the words to tell you how much your lovely gifts touched me. I know you enjoyed making the box for me, but honestly, no-one could have enjoyed it more than I did receiving it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I hope your wedding goes wonderfully well. With your eye for detail and consideration of others, it will no doubt be beautiful and touching for all involved. Happy 2012!"

xxxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #321

2012-01-10T10:09:00.001Z

"I was so excited to receive my curiosity box on Christmas Eve- what amazing timing!!

And what a lovely box it was!

The box included beautifully knitted mittens for my baby boy (so thoughtful, and already put to good use) and a lovely knitted heart pomander that smells gorgeous.

It's so nice to receive something handmade.

I also received:

some chocolate and caramel Teapigs- flavours I hadn't tried before, yum!
some notebooks- especially useful for a woman with baby brain...
Christmas earrings
a lovely Christmassy candle and glass holder
and some "sew on" buttons, to be used in my next craft project. A perfect "mini project" which is perfect at the moment!

Such thoughtful and creative gifts, a real treat. Thank you so much to my curious friend!

Wishing everyone involved in the curiosity project a magical 2012."

Nicola xxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #320

2012-01-10T09:57:00.001Z

Another entry with no blurb, sent in by recipient Laura.

A Curious Christmas! Box #319

2012-01-10T09:43:00.000Z

"Oh, the agony of waiting! I missed the postie on New Year's Eve and was told to wait 5 days to collect it from the sorting office! 5 days!! So, after a nail-biting 5 days I toddled down to the post office and they couldn't find my parcel!! Argghhh!! If curiosity killed the cat, then I must be part-feline. I went back on Saturday and was over the moon to be told that they'd found the Curiosity Box! Hurrah!

Despite all this, I still took around 25 minutes to photograph the various stages of unwrapping from several different angles, on 3 different cameras. Only one is digital, so I have attached those photos here.

I loved everything about the curiosity box - inside it I found a small notecard on top, which read "Dear Curious Person, Merry Christmas! Here are a few little things just for you, love from Me"

Inside was a veritable treasure-trove of goods! I literally cannot describe how exciting it was to unwrap each item in the box. Here's what I found:

An artist's journal - absolutely love this!! I'm going to use it as a photo journal - perfect for keeping geeky notes on film types!
A beautiful greetings card
Sparkly nail varnish - who doesn't love sparkly nail varnish!
A book called The Small Pleasures of Life by Phillipe Delerm - perfect book for the Curiosity Project!
A handmade (I think...) phone case - really cute
2 different Teapigs tea bags - one Chai (my fave) and one liquorice and peppermint
.....and saving my favourite item for last..... the cutest teacup and saucer set- with an illustration of Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son on it. I love tea, I love kitsch, I have already enjoyed a chai tea from this very teacup!

The Curiosity Project left me grinning like the Cheshire Cat, absolutely loved everything I received and am looking forward to reading The Small Pleasures of Life.

Thank you so much to the sender of my curiosity box and thanks to the Curiosity Project. This certainly brightened up the (usually dreary) first week of January!"

xxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #318

2012-01-10T09:37:00.000Z

Here's a photo sent in by recipient Kelly from Oz...

A Curious Christmas! Box #317

2012-01-10T09:33:00.002Z

"My box arrived one Saturday morning, when I was about to leave to meet a friend…Of course I had to postpone my plan, cause I couldn't just go out and leave the unopened box at home!!

Everything was lovely wrapped in tissue and above there was a note saying “Read me once all gifts are opened. Xx.”

Here is what the note said:

“To my curious friend,

Merry Christmas!!

Inside you will find some essential (and some not) things for the Christmas season.

Inside you will find –

- Earmuffs – for Christmas outings

- Lollipops – essential sugar before an outing

- Necklace – a handmade tree -+

- A tote bag – another handmade gift, for carrying all your presents!

For when you get home…

- Cozy panda socks – for warm toes

- My favorite Christmas Eve books

- Hot chocolate – please drink whilst reading above book, in bed on Christmas Eve!

- Cinders Bath bomb – I hope you have a bath! Also great for warming up!

- Santa Pez – well, why not?

I think that´s about all. I hope your Christmas Eve Pack gives you a joyous and cozy time.

Stay curious!

Much love,

Naomi”

Naomi, thank you so much for every present in the box, the lovely wrapping and the box! I am actually using it as well in my bookshelf! I have followed your advice and read the book in bed with the amazing hot chocolate and my super warm panda socks!! Everything was just perfect, and matched my taste so perfectly! The only thing I haven´t been able to try yet is Santa Pez, and that's cause my boyfriend literally stole it from me the moment he saw it!

Also I would like to apologize for taking me so long to email the photos. After I got the box I went back to my parents' for more than two weeks, and some technical problems kept me from doing so!

And thanks to everyone who makes this project possible! I loved it!"

xxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #316

2012-01-10T09:09:00.002Z

"I couldn't believe it when my box arrived on my birthday - such great timing! I was even more excited when I saw that it came from the USA. My thoughtful sender enclosed photo cards of nearby scenery in her home town of Oregon (I've just added it to my 'must see' travel list). The box was packed full of locally made products, including chocolate and beauty products. My husband commented that the sender knows me well. I have loved taking part in this project and just hope that the sender reveals herself in the comment box below."

A Curious Christmas! Box #315

2012-01-10T09:05:00.001Z

"My lovely box arrived really close to Christmas and it was such a lovely treat to receive something for me when I was in the madness and chaos of doing and making a lot of things for a lot of other people.

The box came wrapped in newspaper, which was sweet and the box itself had pretty pink flowers on.

When I opened it the first thing I saw was a little gold pine cone to hang on the tree along with another adorable ornament. So cute!

And then three lollipops for my three children, and a lovely little note for them. They soon claimed the spinning top too!

The perfume bottle is so pretty and I still have the oilcloth for a little project.

I have really enjoyed being a part of this project again. I would like to say thank you to Tiffany for organising it and for my lovely box maker Nina! xxx"

A Curious Christmas! Box #314

2012-01-10T08:50:00.000Z

"So sorry to the lovely sender of my Curiosity Box for leaving it until the very last minute to send in an image! I was delighted with my box which arrived the week before christmas - my Assistant opened it for me, as you will see below ;)

It contained a lovely note which explained the contents…

"To my curious friend - I hope you're well and you're happy with the package I have sent your way. I tried to put together a festive box that would make you smile. I thought the shot glasses would be handy to spread some Christmas cheers! I think you'll find the book {The Cooks Book - for the Cook Who's Best At Everything!} useful {unless your name is Nigella!} It's full of handy hints and kitchen tips. I love the necklace {a gorgeous bronze colour with 3 cute pendents} and was tempted to buy one for myself. I thought the envelope on it made it quite appropriate for this box.

The robin and phone box Christmas decoration is so cute and I love red phone boxes. I hope there is a place for it in your home this Christmas. The hot chocolate is from a local market and I thought it would come in handy to warm you up on one of these cold winter days. The rock is in there purely for the curiosity factor - it's the strangest flavour of rock I've seen! {chilli!}. The Buffet Bar in Slalybridge is a curious persons's dream, it's full of old pictures, curious signs and my favourite says 'beware pick pockets and loose women!' {hence the postcard enclosed}...

I hope I have brought a little happiness to your day"

Yes you did Hailie! Thank you so very much :)"

Annabel xXx

A Curious Christmas! Box #313

2012-01-09T21:02:00.001Z

"Thank you to my curious friend for the awesome box of gifts! I was thrilled to receive it and I am most grateful for all the thoughts that went into the homemade gifts. My box arrived in a treasure chest and contained the following:

- Homemade up-cycled apron made from an old dress - I wore it on christmas day and got lots of compliments :-)

- Homemade lace earrings with instructions on how to make my own

- Homemade bright button bracelet

- Homemade lavender bathsalts

- Tutorial and items to make a purse from a recycled tie

- Homemade lavender bag (already hanging in my wardrobe)

- Lace trims to supplement my fabric stash

- 2 fat quarters for little projects

- Fairtrade paperchains

- Homemade advent calendar made from green baubles.

Thanks again xx"

A Curious Christmas! Box #312

2012-01-09T20:58:00.000Z

"I received a 'sorry you were out card' and had to wait a whole two days to collect my box. I travelled home with the box on the bus and I did undone some of the tape on the bus, I couldn't wait! Though I saved the grand opening until I got home.

My shiny red box contained:

A wand (to wish me all the best for the next year)

A lovely doily (made by my sender??)

3 chocolate bars with the cutest 'calorie content' on the back (see pic - Cute cute cute!)

Heart shaped soap (that smells yummy)

An embroidered bag with a bow bracelet inside (love it!)

Some sweet william seeds (with thoughts to my wedding )

A hanging bauble - that had a gorgeous surprise inside - a purple floral scarf!

'The Girls Book - How to be the Best at Everything.' (love that there is 'How to survive in a horror movie') there's also a awesome sticker on the back 'to remind you that you are one of the BEST' I loved finding this message, really brightened up a dreary day.

And Santa and Mrs Claus salt and pepper! LOVE that my sender added this fun and kitsch pressie!

I want to thank my sender for providing me with a smile and beautiful items. The book as already been read and chocolate devoured.

Thank you sender. Hope you had a fabulous christmas, all the best for 2012. x"

A Curious Christmas! Box #311

2012-01-09T20:47:00.000Z

"I was so excited when my husband came back from the sorting office with a parcel for "Miss Curious". I have no clue who sent it, but I would like to thank whoever it was for putting such a huge smile on my face after what has been a tough 4 weeks. My husband is off to work in Saudi Arabia for 2 years, leaving this week, so the last few weeks have been rather emotional. We have had problems in our rented home with the spare bedroom flooding out Christmas week and now my living room. Lots of other little things have gone wrong to and I have been at my whits end. But then this lovely box of goodies arrived and cheered me right up.

The parcel contained individually wrapped gifts each with a note giving a clue to the contents. They were:

Deck the halls! - Cute festive paper chains, table confetti and winter card crafty bits
Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow! - Instant magic snow
Eat, drink, be merry! - A 'Need more cake' mug (very me!)
Santa's got a brand new bag! - A reusable shopping bag that's not only pink, but covered in cupcakes!
He's making a list, he's checking it twice! - A gorgeous colourful diary from Paperchase LOVE
Walking in a winter wonderland - The comfiest pair of socks in the world, complete with polar bear heads
Cookies baking in the kitchen! - A festive cookie mix complete with snowflake cookie cutter. We had a great time baking and then eating all the cookies.

Thank you again for such a wonderful box, it took my mind off things and provided the dog with much entertainment! ;)"

A Curious Christmas! Box #310

2012-01-09T20:39:00.001Z

I finally received my curiosity box, just in the nick of time, yaaay! Was starting to get seriously worried until I received an email from Tiffany explaining that my box had been returned as the address was incomplete. After a re-direction to my work address instead, it has now safely arrived, phew!

I am off work with Tonsillitis at the moment so had to send hubby to fetch my box, he was dying to know what was in it as well so he didn't really mind.

Anyway, here's what I received...

The box had 2 parcels inside (I must have said I love green as they were wrapped in lovely green polka dot paper) and some chocolate coins, which hubby immediately got stuck into - he's the chocoholic in our house!

The parcels contained a bottle of flavoured whisky and a framed print of a NICE biscuit.

I'm looking forward to trying the whisky, it smells lovely! Thank you to my curious sender.

A Curious Christmas! Box #309

2012-01-09T20:26:00.001Z

"Firstly, my huge apologies for not posting sooner. I hope my curious (and very generous) friend didn't think her box had been lost in the post and will forgive me! I have been on maternity leave from work since May after having my first child, who is now five months, so the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least! The Curiosity project has given me a little bit of sanity at times, and, another excuse to spend time making things at Christmas. My box actually arrived a couple of days before Christmas, so, picking it up off the doorstep and opening it was like, well, Christmas!

Presented in a very pretty silver glitter box, which I will definitely be using again, all my curious friends goodies were individually wrapped in silver paper and blue tissue paper, topped with a lovely hand written note explaining that some items were vintage, some handmade and some picked just for me.

Firstly, a beautiful sparkly red bird decoration by Gisela Graham- this now perches on top of my cake tin. Four silicone cupcake cases in the form of teacups and saucers- I LOVE these, and have never seen anything like them before. A baking book, a vintage teacup and saucer with a candle inside, a very lovely vintage apron to be sure I look just the part in my new kitchen! A bookmark in the form of a calendar, some really carefully and well made crochet snowflakes (I assume were made by my curious friend) these decorated my kitchen sideboard over Christmas, and some chocolate coins!

My other half has been mocking me regularly about all this. My taking so much enjoyment out of exchanging little gifts with complete strangers, waiting for the postman every day like a little girl, but I think even he was surprised when I received so many lovely things. Thank you my curious friend, I think you got it all just right, and thank you Tiffany for such a lovely idea, I will definitely take part again!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #308

2012-01-09T20:18:00.002Z

"My curiosity box arrived just as I was about to leave for work today, it contained the following treats:

Two novels by Aldous Huxley (never read, looking forward to it)

Some Irish cream flavoured coffee-I subsist mainly on coffee so this will make a nice change (is the Irish cream a nod to my heritage?)

A hot choc drink from Lancashire, a clue to my sender's home? I'll be having this when I get home tonight at 1am.

Some handmade jewellery-the earrings will glam-up my scrubs today!

A beautiful green velvet purse (green is my favourite colour) I think I'll be using this as a make up bag.

And most curiously-a hedgehog stamp. I love him!

How lovely to get a Christmas present in January when everything seems a little dull.

Thank you curious sender. X"

A Curious Christmas! Box #307

2012-01-09T20:14:00.000Z

"I am thrilled to announce that my box arrived this morning! I hope you're able to squeeze this into the blog before you shut up shop for this project.

I actually just arrived back home as the postman pulled up in his van to deliver my box. It was wrapped in Orla Kiely paper (no pics I'm afraid as the baby got to it before I could get the camera out!). But it looked very inviting and I couldn't wait to get it open. It was actually nice to get it when January is well underway and Christmas is but a distant memory.

My box was late arriving due to an unfortunate chain of events; first time round, it got returned to my curious friend (who I now know is called Lucy) either because the postman refused to deliver it due to no proper name (where's the festive spirit, Royal Mail? Where?) or delivery was attempted when I was out, but no card was put through the door to let me know to pick it up. Anyway, once that had been established and Lucy was on the verge of resending, she got burgled. So, hats off to Lucy for actually getting round to sending it at all!

When I finally did have it in my possession, I had a great time opening all the goodies inside the shiny shiny box from the North :-)

And here's what I got:

* A heart-shaped pendant (now hanging on the kitchen door handle)

* A red reindeer, ready to jazz up next year's Christmas tree

* A cornucopia of curiosities including: a key to a mysterious place; a bright red button (I do like a good button, perfect for adorning my craft projects); a badge; some slides of places of holiday snaps (we're only venturing as far as Wales this year, so these pics will liven things up a bit!); and some postcards. Lucy included all these for my little person and he will love inspecting them in his chubby mitts :-)

*A retro 'Make Your Garden Grow' book and some cress seeds. Unbeknownst to Lucy, I do have green fingers and since my maternity pay is soon to run out and purse strings will need to be tightened, this is a great call!

and my absolute favourite

*a tea towel with cats in a tea pot and cup. Too nice to dirty with drying up, I'm planning on getting a frame and hanging this in the kitchen.

I know I'm not meant to know your name, Lucy. But, this was a fantastic haul and I send many thanks to you, my curious friend up North. And many thanks to all Tiffany and all those at Curious HQ. This is a fab project that I've really enjoyed taking part in."

A Curious Christmas! Box #306

2012-01-09T19:51:00.001Z

"I am so lucky to have received all this yummy goodies all wrapped lovingly in matching red and white ribbons!

Thank you from me. I love receiving lots of little goodies in a house where I am the only female it is great to receive goodies."

Sian

Attention!

2012-01-09T09:46:00.000Z

Photo of postman via Parish Of Dundry

Wow, what a crazy few months it's been here at Curiosity HQ! Over 560 participants from all over the world, over 300 boxes blogged and a new site that launched early November which to date has received over 110,000 hits!

We're now coming to the end of our Curious Christmas project which officially closes tomorrow. If you've been sent a box and you've not sent your images in, DO SO NOW. They won't be blogged beyond this point.

Having spent the last few weeks chasing boxes, we are now unable to continue beyond this point. If you've been in touch in the last 24 hours for a chase then this has been done for you.

Boxes will continue to be blogged all day tomorrow as they come in but posting will stop at 7pm GMT when we'll post up further information as to what to do if you did not receive your box or see it posted on the blog.

See you on the other side!

Miss Curiosity

xx

A Curious Christmas! Box #305

2012-01-09T09:24:00.000Z

"I received my box all the way from Poland!!

I was very excited to be woken one morning shortly before Christmas by a knock at the door- it was the postman with my Curiosity Project!! I had written in my details that I was interested in other cultures and after a quick look at the packaging I realised my box had arrived all the way from Poland- How exciting! Not only that but my sender had also taken note of my interest in culture and the fact that I was from an Italian background, so she sent me a box full of things MADE in Poland and very sweetly wrote what they were in Italian (as she had lived in Italy herself for a short while!) :)

Inside my beautiful box I found some yummy Polish Chocolates ready to be hung on my Christmas tree and some beautiful handmade Little Red Riding Hood Character Christmas Decorations!

I also found a small cupcake keyring, a little mirror with a famous polish landmark on it, some pretty coasters, and some GORGEOUS sleigh tea light holders!!

I absolutely love my box, the fact that it came from so far and how much effort my sender had put into it!!! I especially loved the Red Riding hood Christmas decs and the sleigh candle holders and I can't wait to use them every year at Christmas!

Thank you so much to my curious sender! :D xx"

A Curious Christmas! Box #304

2012-01-09T09:17:00.002Z

"My box arrived back on the 5th so apologies for not emailing until now - I was pretty under the weather, so it was lovely to have the box to cheer me up!

The Curiosity Box contained a wonderful mix of things, with lovely little notes explaining each item. Probably my favourite things were the 'Handmade by You' corsage kits - such a cute idea. They contain everything, from needles to decorative buttons, that you need to make your own corsage. I will very much look forward to getting creative whilst relaxing one dreary January evening. Also in the box was a Hot Chocolate Spoon (which I have already used - YUMMY!); a really unusual brooch (it reminds me of a sea anemone but in beautiful autumnal colours); a very old copy of Wind in the Willows (I haven't read this since I was a child so it will be a trip down memory lane); and a wee pot of moisturiser handmade by my curious gifter (sadly I have a stinking cold but I'm sure this will smell fabulous!)

Thank you, Curious Friend, for brightening up a drizzly January day!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #303

2012-01-08T20:48:00.000Z

"I got home from a very very long day at university and was pleasantly surprised when my Curious Box was sat on the staircase. I was so pleased. When I got up the stairs, it took a lot of strength not to open the box before preparing a place good enough fro images. I must admit I didn't choose the spot with the best lighting, instead I chose somewhere closest.

Thank you very much for my gifts. My hat is awesome and I love love love my necklace!"

Best wishes,

Neen xxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #302

2012-01-08T20:39:00.000Z

"I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to post this. I have been away for quite a while and was delighted to get home to my glorious box of treasures from my curious friend!

The amazing thing about the project is that people put such a massive amount of thought into the gifts and in my case my curious friend put an outrageous amount of thought into the wrapping and presentation too. It was simply beautiful.

The socks were super snuggly, the book will be coming with me on my next trip, the coasters had their first outing at "safari supper" on Friday, the cookie stamper will be in use for next weeks shortbread

mission, the homemade treasures are absolutely beautiful and as for the chocolate - a superb choice which lasted about 3 minutes...

The CD though was my favourite. Having songs that someone else had selected specifically for my dancing joy, was so great. I turn 30 later this month and this will be sure to feature at some point in the

evening.

Thank you so much, my curious friend, for such thoughtful gifts and for being so patient in waiting for me to post. The box made me squeal with delight and I will treasure all the lovely treats. I hope that

you had a terrific festive season and that this year is your best yet.

Much love,

Your Curious Friend xxxx

p.s. Thank you all for doing this project, it's like grown up and much more exciting pen pals!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #301

2012-01-07T20:19:00.000Z

"I was really excited when the box arrived - but I made myself wait to unwrap it so I could enjoy it properly. Inside there was a beautiful vintage-style paper bag with a picture of birds on it (how did you know I love birds?). Inside the bag, between layers of fantastic pink tissue paper, there were wonderful, thoughtful, beautiful presents.

There was an envelope with a letterpress deer on the front and card with a message inside telling me all about the items and where they came from - and giving some very sound advice on how to spend a perfect Christmassy afternoon.

There were a set of heart-headed pins which I will certainly use for sewing and knitting projects in the future....a little bundle of fabrics (some new, some old, all gorgeous) tied up with fancy ribbon. I can't wait to use it :) I had been cheeky and asked that my curious friend send me a picture of their view and, sure enough, there was a little photograph which - because it was double-exposed - was both a portrait and a landscape. I have it up on my wall now and it is beautiful and haunting.

More layers of tissue and more goodies! A string of lace bunting! A card of black buttons (definitely going on the next project whatever it may be)! A little Chinese paper lantern! A crystal drop for the window! A funny little rabbit Christmas-tree ornament! and a wonderful vintage paper bauble with birds on it...Actually, this was my favourite item...I loved it the second I saw it but after a few days playing with it and moving it around the house from place to place I discovered that it opens! It was like another little Christmas!

Inside there was more fabric and a little packet of pretty buttons in a handmade envelope with a letter-pressed rabbit on the front. I can't tell you how delighted I was with that! Everything was so wonderful and thoughtful - I find it hard to believe that you are a stranger and that we've never met. If I had to buy a present for myself, I couldn't have picked anything more perfect. Thank you so much! I have packed away some of the decorations carefully, but other things - like the bunting, the photograph and the big bauble - have found a home for themselves in my bedroom and will remind me of you, and of the kindness of strangers, every day.

Thank you curious friend!"

Jxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #300

2012-01-07T20:05:00.001Z

Today I received my box! Having spent most of November and all of December away from home, I have been feeling all of the classic post-New Year flatness and inertia. My box had been delivered to the address where I had been staying, and had to be posted on to me. So while expecting its arrival, I was still stupidly excited when it was finally handed over by our bemused postman. Opening it really did chase away the January blues!

Well wrapped in brown paper, I found a smart black box that contained layer upon layer of goodies; all nestled in shredded printed paper. While I had provided rather a lot of information for my sender, like many people, I was really surprised by the feeling that some of the things were chosen by one of my best friends. Almost every item has a link to something in my life. For example, a copy of Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. Murakami is one of my favourite authors (a fact I’m sure I didn’t provide), and as a trainee typesetter I worked on the first English translation of one of his books. “What I Talk About…” is one of the few books he has written that I haven’t yet read, it’s already on the bedside table. There’s a fabric clip purse; and I know I didn’t mention the fact that I love purses. I always have about four of them in by bag at any one time, containing random things that range from the sensible to the sentimental. I’m also a sucker for bracelets, and I now have a new set of six beaded ones and a gloriously sparkly friendship one (a type that I have looked at loads of times, but never bought, thinking “I’ll just make one of those” and never have). I’m going out this evening, and will wear them all together.

What my fantastic sender sent me:

A card made by my sender as part of her Christmas Thank You cards – I opened this first, and it gave me such a laugh that I knew my box would be great!

Three pieces of felt (use felt all the time, love the colours).

A piece of fabric in a fun farm print (can see me making something for one of my nephews with it).

A blank Artist’s exercise book (I’m a list maker and journal writer, perfect).

An incense coil and stand set (this made the whole box smell wonderful, can’t wait to light one).

A Bronnley lavender soap (reminds me of my Great Auntie Barbara, Bronnley was her favourite).

A vintage glass with a fisherman on it (my Great Aunt – see above – had some of these with hunting scenes on them. I’ve always wondered what happened to them, now I have my own).

Six beaded bracelets and a sparkly friendship bracelet.

A painted wooden spoon, with a cool matryoshka face on one side (I collect handmade spoons in a vague kind of way!).

A lovely floral fabric purse.

A bag of sequins (love the colours).

A cool B&W photo of Canary Wharf tube station (the site of many a happy meeting with one of my friends).

A copy of “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”.

A brooch made from old book pages (I do loads of crafts – one of which is altering books (again something I didn’t mention), but have never made any jewellery from one).

A pouch of vintage buttons (many ideas of how to put these to good use already).

Four candy canes (one eaten so far, don’t think the rest will last the day).

A bundle of silky tassels (now adorning my crochet bag).

A beautiful satin pouch (vintage?) embroidered with a bird (this was just made for keeping something special safe – my journal fits in it perfectly).

To my Curious Friend – Thank you so very much. Opening the box gave me such pleasure, and I know the contents will continue to do so as I use them/wear them/read them/craft them/look at them. They are all fabulous!

Wishing you a very Happy 2012, Jo xx

A Curious Christmas! Box #299

2012-01-06T20:04:00.001Z

"I have received my box & I LOVED it! I have attached some pictures of some of the lovely things that were inside it.

This really could have been made for me by one of my friends, it seemed so well matched to me. I had even very nearly bought the same candy cane decorations the week before, so I was very pleased to get them. All the decorations went straight on the tree, as you can see.

The ladybird pins came in very useful as I had just been complaining earlier that day that I had lost my drawing pins & so the Christmas cards kept falling down. Plus I love ladybirds! I had never had Winter Nips before, but they are yummy!

The Wonder Woman cushion, which I love, came with a message saying "you are this woman", which even though the sender didn't know me, still made me feel good.The eye mask is going to be put to good use shortly as I have a relaxing early night planned. I had been meaning to buy a new one of these for a while too, I think my sender may be psychic! I only ate the lolly last week, but it was so so good, I both wanted to eat it slowly to prolong the loveliness and couldn't eat it fast enough! I don't know if it's because I haven't had a lolly for a while or because it is from some special amazing lolly shop?

Anyways, so sorry for the delay in sending this in & worrying my sender, who was so thoughtful, psychic & wonderful. I really felt like they knew me and had put a lot of thought into it."

Victoria

A Curious Christmas! Box #298

2012-01-06T19:52:00.000Z

"Hi There,

Just when I had given up hope of my Box arriving soon, The postman knocked on the door with a box all the way from Canada!

I was so excited I couldn't wait to open it, so there are no pictures of the box as it arrived!

Inside;

An Article 'Therapeutic use of Humour; Occupational therapy clinicians perceptions and practices' by D, Leber and E, Vanoli (I am an Occupational therapy student so this is wonderful!

Small Glittery owl ornament

Little Christmas stocking

Some AMAZING smelling coffee from Equator coffee shop

Some Beautiful vintage maple leaf earrings

And a Skeleton key that is roughly 115 years old!!

This parcel is incredibly sweet and so thoughtful! I am hoping to emigrate with by Boyfriend to Canada when I qualify so it couldn't be more perfect! I am especially in love with the earrings and the key!

Thank you very much for my box! I can't wait for the next round ;)

Regards

Freyja X"

A Curious Christmas! Box #297

2012-01-06T16:00:00.000Z

"I was so excited to receive my box and had to resist the temptation to tear into it when the postman delivered it - it deserved undivided attention with a large mug of tea. Tied with a black satin ribbon the box was filled with individually wrapped goodies and a card which instructed me to ‘open last’.

My sender had obviously gathered that I’m a kid at heart, especially when it comes to Christmas and I was treated to a variety of seasonal novelties:

Snowman Ear Muffs (appropriated by my 4 year old daughter)

A glittery pink piggy bank (complete with £1.00 inside)

A snowman poppy-up thingymajig

A Santa ‘…days to Christmas’ blackboard and chalk (which we made use of straightaway and will be used for years to come)

A Bauble Photo Frame

A sequin star box with some flashing Christmas tree earrings inside.

Some Magic Snow Powder (not yet used, but may be soon if we don’t get any snow)

As instructed, after opening the pressies I opened my card which explained all the gifts and had a lovely little note.

It was so much fun, just the sort of things I used to get in my Christmas stocking and I’ve enjoyed sharing them with my daughter.

Thank you, Curious Friend. xxx"

A Curious Christmas! Box #296

2012-01-06T15:54:00.000Z

"My box just arrived! Yay! It had to travel all the way from Poland and when I saw the postmark I was very excited to receive an international curiosity box! It came in a beautiful box but the real treasures were inside – and so many of them!

There were a couple of Christmas Cards with paper cut messages in them – amazing! And a beautiful hand drawn card from my Curiosity friends daughter – so much work went it to it – they went straight on my wall!

Each item was individually wrapped with tags on giving hints and clues to what lay inside! There were plenty of chocolates that didn’t last long and I also received:

· 2 ladybirds – one ceramic, one that moves!

· Beautiful handmade bird bunting

· Swizzle sticks in bright colours for drinks

· From my curious friends home – a book, map, coaster and playing cards and badges from Poland

· A beautiful necklace and matching earrings

· What looks like a handmade felt bag

· A ceramic red Santa shoe stuffed full of chocolates!

· 3 Christmas decorations

· A set of Chinese coins to bring me good fortune

Thank you so much to Tiffany for doing the project and extra thanks to my curious friend for an amazing box!"

Laura

A Curious Christmas! Box #295

2012-01-06T15:29:00.000Z

"I received my box of gifts yesterday - our parcel delivery is at 8:30am every day and at last the van stopped at our front door. We are on our summer holidays at the moment so we were all home to enjoy opening it - my three kids were only just a bit less excited than me. A lovely collection of things with a mad hatters tea party theme:

Eat Me and Drink Me note cards
Three mad hatter hats
A tin of tea
Tea making instructions
A beautiful little cress garden to create (created and already sprouting happily on top of our fridge)
A collection of embroidered felt 'biscuits'
A lovely note from Lisa

I love everything but two things that felt like they were specially meant for me - the hot air balloon or parachute cigarette card tucked into one of the hat bands - I collect things with hot air balloons! And when I was breaking up the packing box to put in the recycling bin (the box was from a garlic farm on the Isle of Wight) I discovered a little lichen covered twig tucked under one of the flaps - I'm going to believe that it's found its way to Australia all the way from the Isle of Wight - how cool is that?

So, thank you Lisa, for a wonderful box of gifts and thank you Tiffany for organising such a lovely project - we enjoyed it immensely."

Ann

A Curious Christmas! Box #294

2012-01-05T20:51:00.001Z

My parcel arrived a week or so before Christmas and although eager to open it, I decided to save it for Christmas Day.

A beautiful, bulging christmassy box, filled with red wrapped parcels was a real treat to receive and open:

Disposable camera

Ball of wool

Knitting and sewing magazines and pattern

Zips and Bias binding

Giant tea cup

Marshmallows

Sprinkles

Wind in the Willows book

My sender thoughtfully covered several potential areas of interest with her chosen gifts. Knitting and sewing options were catered for with wool, zips and bias binding and will be used in future projects, perhaps inspired by ideas in some lovely patterns magazines and when I need a break from all the hard work I can enjoy a massive cuppa or hot chocolate in a bowl size mug. A disposable camera will capture my creative efforts and when time allows I can relax with Wind in the Willows, a book I have never managed to read but shall thoroughly relish when I do.

A BIG THANK YOU to my sender, and for her patience in waiting to see that her box safely arrived up here in wind battered Scotland. And my thanks too, for such a generous and fabby parcel, I love it.

A big thank you to you Tiffany, for creating, and working so hard, to make The Curiosity Project such a great thing to be part of. I can't wait for the next one and will aim to get better organised next time!!!"

Regards,

Debbie

A Curious Christmas! Box #293

2012-01-05T20:41:00.000Z

"I received my beautiful curiosity box a few weeks ago now, but before I had a chance to take photos of all the gorgeous goodies contained within Christmas took over. Having spent the last 3 weeks trotting all round the country I am now back home, reunited with both my camera and my curiosity box. So, apologies for not having sent pictures sooner.

My gifts were hidden in a flurry of pink tissue paper and beautiful cream netting fabric. Simply opening the box was a delight in itself. On the top was nestled a homemade card from my sender 'a little curious elf'.

She explained that 'as it is cold outside most of the bits inside are around a warming theme. I like to make things so have made most of the parcels especially for you'. How lucky I am! And what a talented sender.

The bits inside were lovely; A gorgeous cloche hat with a silk bow, a little handmade paisley egg warmer (funnily enough I collect these, who could have known?!?!), a box of tea (which was instantly opened and consumed, lovely), an adorable felt flower brooch, and a beautiful hand made, hand embroidered tea cosy. I cant wait to use it! Each item was individually wrapped with a little tag saying a bit about them.

It really was a most thoughtful curiosity box. Despite having said very little in my bio, everything that I received was just so me! Thank you soooo much to my curious sender!"

E x

A Curious Christmas! Box #292

2012-01-05T20:36:00.000Z

"I received this box just before Christmas and what a fabulous surprise it was. A bleak and dreary winters day was made a million times better when I opened this colourful box to find the goodies stored within. I'd like to send a big thank you to my curious project partner who had put together such a fantastic box of treats...I loved everything and it really made my day to receive such a lovely collection of presents, so much so that I spent about half an hour after opening the box running round the house with glee!

So what did I get... well a lot!

A beautiful old copy of Little Women- one of my favourite books
A fantastic vintage words game which we played over Christmas!
2 hand picked selections of 50's Christmas songs to get me in the festive mood
Some gorgeous decorations for my tree
Fab reindeer socks (I wore these on Boxing Day!)
Hand warmers (great for my chilly hands)
Some glittery nail polish (which I had nearly bought earlier in the day- how spooky!)
A lovely Christmas pud bath bomb
Some notelets
A candle and lastly a scrummy selection of sweets

The collection came with a card from my sender explaining why she'd picked all the items.

All in all, I was well and truly spoilt. My particular favourite items were the handmade robin decoration (so cute), the book (beautiful) and the word game.

Big Christmassy hugs to my sender and Tiffany for organising this project (I can't wait for the next one!)"

xxx

A Curious Christmas! Box #291

2012-01-05T20:29:00.004Z

It was approaching Christmas and I was getting worried my box may have been lost or worst in the post! But then I received and email from Tiffany saying that the sender of my box had tried to send me the curiosity box but it had been returned to sender! Outrageous… I went downstairs and scoured the hall and checked inside the letterbox looking for any card or anything the post lady may have left, but there wasn’t anything. I confirmed my address again with Tiffany and just a few days later I returned home from work and was greeted by a Note Left card from the Post Lady… Unfortunately I’d just missed her… the card said she’d been at 1pm and I had to wait 3 hours before it would be back at the post office… It was only 1.30pm L

Come 3:30pm I was just too excited to wait anymore so I invented a reason to go out to the next village, where the post office is, and as I was “just passing” the post office I called in “on the off chance”… How excited was I when the post lady knew exactly which parcel I was coming to collect… she handed it over to me through the little security hole thing and I scurried out of the shop as fast as I could. I got back into my car and looked at the parcel….

O how exciting this was. I start looking around the car park to see if anyone is looking at me. There were a few people looking at me but I think that was because I was looking at them… They had no idea I had a box of treasure on my passenger seat J and it was very exciting treasure. I proceeded to unwrap the box in side and found:

Now this was awesome. I real proper shoebox wrapped in tissue paper and silver Christmas paper. I couldn’t wait to get inside and this is what I found:

The card was a surprise. I hadn’t put a card in my own box, I wish I had now. I put the card to one side without opening it thinking it would be disciplined of me to wait. Ha. Inside the box was an array of goodies and delights, my most favourite being the Christmas Ball in the red net bag – it’s hanging from my lamp stand now (it was too heavy to go on my ickle Christmas tree but I don’t care – I simply LOVE IT):

Everything in the box seemed to indicate it had come from somewhere up North, not North (as in Birmingham), but North North higher than Newcastle. The highland biscuits gave it away and they were delicious. The iron bru didn’t last long – I saved it for the evening when I was watching a film on the DVD player. Yum yum yum. I’d forgotten how good Iron-Bru is! Now in the bottom of the box was an extra surprise I wasn’t expecting. A bar of Belgian Chocolate, not just any bar, but a bar that had a personalised professionally printed cover. It was amazing! It was wrapped separately in tissue paper. Here’s me starting to unwrap it:

A secret message! I love this sort of thing…. Onwards I went with peeling the tissue paper off:

And on the back was printed:

And then I cracked and opened the card. Here is what it said:

The Chocolate Library. Pure brilliance. Check it out.

How wonderful.

Dear Curious Scottish Lady,

Thank you so so so much for your gift. I’d been dreading Christmas for lots and lots of reasons but I can honestly say you started something that totally transformed the season into something memorable. It completely lifted me and I am very thankful. I can only wish that you received a box so equally delightful and you had a very wonderful Christmas. I will definitely be keeping one of the reindeer to remember you by and passing the other one on to someone else… with much love, your curious x"

A Curious Christmas! Box #290

2012-01-05T20:12:00.002Z

"My children were very excited about a parcel arriving that we could actually open before Christmas so we unwrapped it together on the kitchen windowsill. I had to stop them from getting everything out of the box before I could take photos!

When I opened the parcel I was very amused to see that it had been wrapped up with dinosaur wallpaper, so the dinosaurs were on the inside. There was a very smart shiny red tin within the paper.

I opened the lid of the tin to find two sticks of rock and some pretty cards and postcards. The sender had very kindly written out some of her favourite cake recipes (I am a keen baker) which I will be trying out soon. Clipped on to one of the cards was a magnetic cake shaped bookmark – perfect for marking the page in a cookbook.

Next, some beetroot seeds (perfect for my veg patch) and some edible glitter which will be extremely useful. My daughters use buckets of the stuff when decorating fairy cakes. Plus some very smart cupcake wrappers and some edible goodies.

All in all a thoughtful and useful box of lovely things that I am very grateful for. Thank you to my curious friend!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #289

2012-01-05T20:04:00.000Z

"I saved my box to open on Christmas Eve and what a lovely treat it was! A sparkly crocheted snowflake that I hung straight on my tree, ribbons and pens to brighten my last minute present wrapping and divine Christmas cake and pudding fudge which kept me going until New Years Eve! And all in a beautiful box that I will keep all my bits and bobs in.

It was a great, thoughtful Curiosity Box – thank you so much to whoever sent it!"

Maria -

A Curious Christmas! Box #288

2012-01-05T20:00:00.000Z

"Just when I had stopped thinking of when my box would arrive there was a knock at the door and there was my curiosity bag all the way from Pennsylvania!

I have to admit I was suffering from post Christmas blues and this bag of goodies definitely cheered me up and put a spring in my step, getting my creative juices flowing.

Inside the bag were many small boxes and parcels but firstly a letter from my new kindred soul Claudia explaining a bit about her life, her influences and her new passion Mollie Makes - mine too!

The bag contained collections of buttons, wool, beads, fabric, ribbon, trims all wrapped individually and gave enormous pleasure to open.

There was also a pair of earrings and a brooch which Claudia had made from her collection of vintage buttons - which made it all the more special.

My favourite little bundle was a small note book with a wooden ruler and some postage stamps - it just appealed to me and I will be using the book to note down ideas for the vegetable patch.

Thank you Claudia for a very special package and as you said in your letter we have many things in common so I will be in touch.

Happy New Year to all who took part, I cannot wait for the next project."

A Curious Christmas! Box #287

2012-01-05T19:49:00.001Z

"My box arrived on Christmas Eve! I was so excited, and it was the biggest present under the tree.

Now I go a bit gaga when it comes to craft. So you can imagine how I reacted when I opened a pink crafting box to find a horde of crafting materials!

Inside was;

· Felt – so much felt so little time!

· Metallic pens

· Funky swirly pencils

· A Christmas tree decoration - looked super cute on our tree

· Pink craft scissors and Pritt stick.

· Balloons-these looked awesome at new year

· Pom poms

· Pipe cleaners – these rely took me back to my childhood.

· Coasters

· Very useful string

· Violet and Pink food colouring time to get cupcake making!

· And a hippo who smelt of orange – how awesome is that!

Thank you so much to my sender, you obviously put shedloads of thought into my box. Time to get crafty."

A Curious Christmas! Box #286

2012-01-05T19:35:00.001Z

"When I received my curiosity box, my lovely sender included a note saying that one of the items wasn't ready yet and would be forwarded on when complete. It was a wonderful surprise to get a Christmas Tree Pin cushion in the post.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their New Year!"

Love Sarah

A Curious Christmas! Box #285

2012-01-05T19:33:00.000Z

"Hi Curious team,

I’ve just returned from Christmas overseas to find a box sitting on my desk (so glad I provided my work address, and not my home), and my desperately curious colleagues insisting I open it immediately to see the contents inside (they all know about the project). So, I cast my two weeks of emails aside and got to opening …

Inside I found some nicely wrapped packages of varying shapes which sparked some curiosity; especially because my curious sender’s note said ‘I had thought about getting you a pair of the glittery Miu Miu peep toe booties but it blew the budget!’

The contents included a fabulous shoe calendar (which now sits on my desk, and attracts the other girls in the office to look and discuss), a badge with a cat on it and a cat toy (I have a spoilt, Himalayan whom I adore) and a little cross stitched picture stating “I love tea” which I found hilarious because I work with nine Brits who LOVE their tea and are trying to get me to love it too! Admittedly, I still drink coffee.

I really enjoyed this project – both putting a package together, and receiving one – thanks for putting it together ... and to my curious sender thank you very much indeed!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #284

2012-01-05T19:21:00.002Z

"After a month's long vacation, I expectantly approached my desk at the office, and squealed with delight to find a brown box peeking from underneath. I'd like to let my sender know that if I hadn't been away, I would have shared my box on the blog a lot earlier.

As I opened the box and saw the contents, it was exactly what I had imagined it would be - MAGICAL. It was filled with so many pretty things that I couldn't help but gasp like an excited little girl at every piece I held. I love the dainty bracelet and necklace with a very charming pendant that my sender creatively put together for me. It's as if she knew what colors I liked when she made them. There was also a DIY kit, complete with materials and a booklet so I can create my own pieces. Plus, I love the candle that had a yummy, relaxing scent which I've found a special spot for on my desk in the office.

The box I received was perfect. I'd like to take this chance to THANK the person who sent it, and tell her I will treasure everything."

Chasing Boxes...Please Note...

2012-01-05T08:37:00.002Z

Hello All!

Just a quick note to reassure you that if you've emailed in regarding the whereabouts of your box then your request will have been sorted for you. Given the volume of emails we receive on a daily basis it just isn't possible to respond to every one individually, however we chase senders and recipients once a day and blog the boxes daily as they arrive into our inbox.

The project comes to a close on January 10th and we won't be blogging boxes beyond this point. There will be further information to come to help you trace your boxes after this point if they've still not arrived.

Happy New Year!

Miss Curiosity

xx

A Curious Christmas! Box #283

2012-01-04T21:57:00.002Z

"It took a while to persuade the man in the Post Office that, despite not being called 'The Curiosity Box', I was the intended recipient and he handed over the box to my delight. I clutched it close on the way home, super excited to find out what I'd been sent all the way from Poland!

Disappointed I was not, as I unwrapped the gold polka dot wrapping to unveil a cavern of blue tissue paper and ribbon wrapped goodies.

A Christmas card from my Curious gift-giver wished me a lovely Christmas, before I got on to the gifts...

Firstly, Christmas decorations; a lovely knitted Christmas tree alongside a felt stocking and sweet. They went straight on my own Christmas tree, and looked wonderful.

Next, a bottle opener and three badges in a beautiful pink print. They're from a Polish design place (http://colorfolk.pl/ ) which seems to have the most wonderful array of items. I wish I could read Polish!

A pack of orange and pink origami paper was next in line - the perfect treat given I'd downloaded an origami app just days before. Who knows what paper animals I'll be making?!

A knitted handwarmer and Gluhwein hot chocolate stirrer (like mulled wine, with chocolate) were perfect items for the cold winter days.

And last-but-not-least, a delightful paper cutter shaped like a tree - that'll keep me going for Christmases to come crafting homemade cards.

All in all, what a wonderful experience! I'm thrilled with my gifts, and send a heartfelt thanks to the sender!"

A Curious Christmas! Box # 282

2012-01-04T21:48:00.001Z

"I received my curiosity parcel before Christmas and, after a wry smile from the postman, I couldn't wait to open it! The only problem was I haven't stopped since - so huge apologies to my sender if they were getting worried as to whether or not I had received it.

My lovely curious friend certainly picked out my likes and created a parcel full of goodies which contained:

a bag with safety pins on (very sewer friendly!)

a pincushion

a thermos flask and Bristol walk book (v.v handy and I shall be trying one these imminently!!)

some very cute elf Christmas ornaments that went straight on the tree

a Christmas pudding bath bomb

a recipe for Krispie Kreme doughnut hot chocolate (one to save when the diet fails in a few weeks!)

a Christmas candle

a 2012 diary so I can keep track of the wedding planning and...

a cryptic envelope that I'm not allowed to open until my wedding (which is September - not sure how I will cope!).

All of this came with a Christmas card with a sweet poem inside and Christmas Greetings from Cuxton on the front. Is this where my sender lives or is a curve ball?!

All in all a fabulous surprise. Thank you to my sender and to Tiffany for organising such a wonderful project."

A Curious Christmas! Box #281

2012-01-04T21:35:00.000Z

"I had to wait for a week to pick up my box from the PO Depot but boy was it worth that agonising wait.

Inside the parcel I found a box of warm burgundy and yellows which was echoed in the dried peppers, pine cones and wrapping of each gift - beautiful and that was before I unwrapped each present.

First I'd like to thank my Curious Friend as they went to so much trouble and made/bought me some fab presents. Inside the box as I unwrapped each gift I found:

- A Very She & Him Christmas ~ I’d been secretly thinking if buying this so was excited to receive this, in fact I'm still playing it!

- Scoop: the Little Handbook of Traditional Ice Cream Recipes ~ please let it be summer soon!

- a gorgeous handmade brooch that looks perfect on my red coat

- an egg cup with hand-painted seaside scenes on it. I don't have an egg cup so this will come in very handy

- a fridge magnet of deck-chairs possibly on Brighton beach

- a handmade polybag holder ~ something I definitely need & I've already put to good use

- two wee picture frames ~ think I might put some embroidery work in them

- domino set ~ will play this with my nephew

- bath gloves and a colour changing scrubby ~ showering just got fun!

- a fabulous card of a cheeky wee couple kissing on Brighton beach with the pier in the background. This now sits proudly on my cd player so I can dream of the sea every day.

- mini paper bunting recycled from cards ~ think that will stay up all year round

And last but certainly not least a pack of marigold seeds which I'll plant indoors and bring the sunshine into my flat.

I love all the presents and want to wish everyone who took part a very happy 2012."

A Curious Christmas! Box #280

2012-01-04T21:25:00.001Z

"I had been waiting for about a week after I sent box off and I was really hoping to receive it before Christmas. and then one day I got home from Christmas shopping to find, yes! A large parcel for me! Yay.

I made a cup of tea rushed upstairs to open it, away from the chaos of the kitchen. I found gorgeous hand printed brown card labels, each one more enticing than the last, taunting me to open the little parcel, I savoured the moment when they were all unopened neatly arranged all together in the box, but then I got down to business and started ripping and oooing and ahhhing...a little yellow cake stand...perfect from mince pies.

2 Clinique products, a face cream and exfoliator, I love Clinique! a pair of hand warmers, some hot chocolate sachets, mmmm and come other lovely bits, my favourites are the disposable camera and the letter writing set, which has in it a self addressed and stamped envelope so I can write to my new curious friend! What a great idea. Also the card had an inspirational note inscribed inside it....'we keep moving forward, opening new doors, doing new things, being we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths'.

Very nice indeed.

Thank you curious friend you will be receiving a letter from me in the post in due course...happy new year."

A Curious Christmas! Box #279

2012-01-04T20:47:00.001Z

"Dear Miss Curiosity,

I finally got home to my box a few days ago after a Christmas of bereavement and other such bad news, it cheered me up no end just to see it waiting for me.

My curious friend G must have special powers as my box could not have been a more perfect combination of items in my favourite colour combination of red and white.

My box contained all the best bits of Christmas including: jingle bells, a hot toddy recipe, sparkles and ribbons, the most beautiful felt toadstools ever, and my favourite item a Happy Holidays Cd of songs chosen by my curious friend.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to take part in this project I can't wait for the next one!"

Charlotte

A Curious Christmas! Box #278

2012-01-04T20:43:00.000Z

"Oh my goodness – what a lucky girl I am! I got home last week to find a note from the postman informing me that a parcel was being held at the sorting office addressed to ‘The Curiosity Project’. Unfortunately because of work I wasn’t able to pick it up for two whole days, but the anticipation was thrilling. When I finally got to open my box it was absolutely jam-packed full of goodies, each one individually wrapped with a note attached. Sticking out of the box was a label entitled ‘open me first’ and inside was a lovely cup, some sachets of tea (including Earl Grey – my favourite) and some chocolates. The instructions on the note told me to relax and enjoy opening my pressies; which is exactly what I did.

On the top of the box was a note with sheep decorating it and the heading ‘A Note for Ewe….’ – sheep are my favourite animals! Also enclosed were a couple of postcards from Bath with an explanation on the back of one – it was where my curious friend grew up and got married. On the back of the other postcard was a recipe for ‘The Best Victoria Sponge’ YUM!

So, whilst drinking tea in my new mug and scoffing choccies, I opened the following:

* A cross stitch card kit

* A beautiful robin who is now adorning my tree. The note informed me the sender’s mum collects robins so every time she sees one she has to give him a home

* A book – ‘One Day’ by David Nichols

* Some wonderful sparkly reels of thread

* A set of love heart cookie cutters

* A cute hand-made embroidered purse

* Butterfly buttons for craft projects

* A little box containing some fabulous beads. The note attached had the dictionary definition of ‘curiosity’ (a really nice touch!)

* A cupcake gift bag with some smellies in – these smell great and the hand cream was much needed!

* A bag FULL of embroidery threads – these were on my list for next time I visit my local craft shop

* Some reindeer and snow table confetti (I used this on Christmas day)

* A set of post-it notes for writing lists

* A very pretty ball of wool

* Cross stitch fabrics

* A hand-made needle tidy

* Some awesome butterfly paper (yes, it IS the prettiest paper I’ve ever seen)

Thank you so much my fantastic curious friend. My gifts made me feel so special; the thought and care you put into it really touched my heart. I’m a mum so at Christmastime I am usually preoccupied with gathering gifts for my son and rushing around preparing everything; to receive a box full of wonderful goodies that was just for me (and contained everything I love!) was amazing. I’m genuinely quite choked at the kindness of someone I have never met. A very happy new year to you and your family."

Emma x

A Curious Christmas! Box #277

2012-01-04T20:26:00.000Z

"I saved my Curiosity Box for Christmas Day. (Sorry, been away since and had no chance to upload) I absolutely loved my gifts from my curious friend, and am so glad I came across this project and became a part of it. It is my first year and wasn't really sure of what to expect, but having had such a fantastic experience, due to my lovely sender, I will def join in again next year! I opened my parcel to find a box FULL of treats!

Thank you for my sweet bird card, dear sender - (I didn't know I should put a card in and so the poor recipient who got a box from me didn't get a card, oops!) There was also a luscious lollipop and a darling little bag of buttons for all those craft projects I'm always tied up with. (I collect buttons for this purpose, how did you know?!)

I smiled to find a pair of cow print socks - I put them on immediately - I love them! Thank you.

Next, I found a gorgeous set of Cath Kidston pencils and eraser. I'm a massive Cath Kidston fan, and popped these into my Cath Kidston handbag so that wherever I am, I always have something to write with (and something to rub out with!) There was also a really pretty notebook, in the same print as afore-mentioned bag, so that went straight in there too. How very very thoughtful of you. There was some beautiful notepaper, and in the centre of it, a beeswax candle. Not long ago, I bought a vintage candlestick at a carboot sale - it has been standing on the dresser with no candle to go in it, and this candle complements it beautifully!

I loved the Cath Kidston bath powder, and the champagne truffles were a gorgeous treat! There were also mini party sparklers, which we used at New Year, in Cornwall, and our whole family enjoyed them. Thank you, sender, and Happy New Year to you! I look forward to using the lovely soap, it looks good enough to take a bite out of! There were also two darling little packs of alpine strawberry seeds, and some very pretty mini Cath Kidston notecards with envelopes.

My sender - you have truly shown me how it is to be done! I noticed all your attention to detail, the embellishments on the box, on the card, the tissue paper, the pretty ribbon you used on the notepaper....I appreciated everything. The gifts you sent to me are things I already know and love, and therefore we MUST be similar people! Opening my curiosity box on Christmas Day was a real blessing. It was a very special box of treats for me, and I truly relish every one of them, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You went to such trouble for a complete stranger, what a kind and thoughtful person you must be. May 2012 be as filled with blessings, treats and wonderful surprises for you as my curiosity box was for me..."

A Curious Christmas! Box #276

2012-01-04T20:12:00.002Z

"Firstly I would like to sincerely apologise to the sender of my BEAUTIFUL curiosity box, my delay in sending my images in are purely down to not being in one spot over Christmas long enough to email properly.

My lovely box arrived the week before Christmas, and was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. To start with, my sender had written down her favourite websites and music tastes, which were lovely to read even before I began to open the individually wrapped gifts. Each gift was labelled with the reason behind the item, such a lovely touch.

The 2 lovely heart decorations, looked perfect on my tree , and will come out year after year with all of my other sentimental decorations. I absolutely loved the Russian doll and cute bunting and put these on my fireplace for Christmas. My curious friend is absolutely correct - every girl should own a Russian doll!

And I have used the lovely soap and candle already - lovely and practical gifts. A big big thank you to my curious friend, it was the perfect surprise gift and I wish them a perfect new year xx"

A Curious Christmas! Box #275

2012-01-04T19:50:00.002Z

"Hi!

I received my curiosity box this morning - thank you!

I love everything in it, and was astonished when it arrived as it is all so wonderful :-)

The owl stickers have made my day!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #274

2012-01-04T19:42:00.000Z

"I was so excited to receive my Christmas Curiosity Box and I was not disappointed - it was gorgeous...

Beautifully wrapped box and inside some tissue wrapped objects...

The most beautiful, hand painted fair trade Christmas Tree bauble - I adore it and it spent Christmas on my tree and will be treasured always.

The softest silk scarf in one of my favourite colours - teal - great with my red hair!

A gorgeous Moroccan tea glass..I love all things Moroccan including the food so next time I have made a lamb tagine I can finish with mint tea..

And last but by no means least...a set of loose leaf teas - all my favourite ones (how did you know & just inspired as I prefer loose leaf tea to teabags!) they are in little Chinese style tins which made me gulp a bit as my lovely, late Mum had a large tea caddy in this style and they reminded me of her & how we always had a natter and a cup of tea just before she listened to The Archers on R4 on a Sunday...

Thank you so so much to my Curious Friend - I have a funny feeling I know where in the world you are...my mother in law lives in Carnoustie and when we are up that way I love to visit Broughty Ferry for all the wonderful little shops. So thank you so, so much and I hope that you have a Happy New Year."

Much love

Jane @ HFCouture

A Word From Our Sponsor...'More Than Words'

2012-01-04T09:08:00.000Z

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A new year means a new start-GO FOR IT!

A Curious Christmas! Box #273

2012-01-03T22:11:00.001Z

"Oh my…!

I had to join the queue in the post office that went around the room three times and out the door but as I knew what I was collecting it all became part of the building anticipation.

The wrapping of brown paper meant I knew I was about to open a gift from someone who knows me so well when not knowing me at all… especially with the additional of brown string and polkadot ribbon.

I took the parcel round to Make, Do and Mend in Chelmsford where my friends Hannah and Kath were just the people I needed to share the opening with.

One parcel led to the next with the most delightful selection of presents each labelled with letraset.

Presents were paired alphabetically and offered memories, recipes and beautiful treats including;

Christmas songs & chocolate coins

Happiness holly & ham

Robin redbreast & reindeer

Ivy & icicles

Spiced cider & socks

Tree & tinsel

Mouse (sugar) & mittens

Angel & advent

Santa & surprises

They were very much delights of the jolliest kind!

Thank you so much curious folk…"

Nastassia x

A Curious Christmas! Box #272

2012-01-03T22:03:00.002Z

"The Friday before Christmas I received my box. All our tables were covered with bits so I ended up sat on our kitchen floor. My other half said I looked as excited as a 5 year old on Christmas morning.

Firstly I opened the book One Day. I was so pleased as I had not read it. I have had flu so have been glad of something to read; I really enjoyed it. In the next parcel was a tin (lid is pictured bottom right) when I saw it I squealed with delight as my granny used to have a similar tin. It really made me smile. Inside the tin there were some beautiful Christmas decorations. We had bought a bigger tree than usual so it had been looking a little empty, but now it's lovely. There were also the lovely gold letters Noel which look lovely on the mantelpiece. I have also enjoyed eating the Lindt chocolates which I had to instruct my other half not to eat as they were mine. As it was Christmas I did let him have one! The little lavender bag is also very pretty. I even hung the little white stocking at the end of the bed on Christmas eve as I did not have one.

A huge huge thanks to my fantastic curious friend, it was such a lovely selection of bits which made me very, very happy!"

Josephine.

A Curious Christmas! Box #271

2012-01-03T21:59:00.000Z

"I received my box on the 23rd after having the morning from hell trying to get ready to go away for a Christmas break (with no internet connection I'm afraid so sorry for the delay).

I had dropped a bottle of wine on the pavement, been locked out of my house and was generally frazzled when my housemate said there had been a parcel delivered for me. I raced up the stairs and ripped open the brown paper to find a lovely silver parcel.

Inside was a beautiful ( I think homemade) box which I have started using for all my knitting. Inside the box was lots of little parcels neatly wrapped and sprinkled with silver snowflakes. My friend had read how much I love wintertime!

Inside there was:

*A candle in a glass jar - so elegant. I love it's little lid.

*Ski socks - perfect for my ski trip coming up, lovely and girly

*Two lip balms - to stop my lips chapping on the slopes. excellent

*A mulled wine spice - I will be using this to keep warm!

*A lovely mug with a knitted 'coat' on it. I love how cosy it is.

*AND 3 handmade decorations which will stay up all year, so lovely and unique.

Thank you Curious friend you really cheered up the start of my Christmas."

A Curious Christmas! Box #270

2012-01-03T20:05:00.002Z

"Apologies to my lovely sender, I've only just got home after Christmas and New Year away - hence I'm only now getting round to sending photos of my wonderful box (took it with me though!).

All of the items in my box were individually wrapped and included chocolates and some lovely fruit teas. It really is amazing how the sender seems to know you, my box included 'Mr Benn's little book of life' - Mr Benn was my absolute favourite when I was younger and I love this little book!

I also (or rather, Sam the cat) received a mousy cat toy - he ran off with it so I'm sure I'll find it, thoroughly chewed, in a few months time!

A beautiful christmas t-light holder, I'd never seen one like this before and I love it!

My favourite part of my box was three lovely postcards - too beautiful to send so I've framed them instead.

I also had some reindeer and star christmas confetti which we had on our Christmas table.

What a thoughtful box, so packed full of lovely things. Thank you so much to the sender - I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a very happy 2012."

With Love

A Curious Christmas! Box #269

2012-01-03T19:44:00.000Z

"My Curiosity Box arrived, after much anticipation, two days before Christmas. With lots of parcels arriving at that time of year I had been hopeful each time the postman rang but this time I saw the words, 'The Curiosity Project' written in bold letters on the parcel and my excitement began to grow.

I unwrapped the neat package to reveal a beautiful navy box, which I opened straight away. Inside I saw a selection of goodies accompanied by a card sent from my curious friend. I felt very lucky to be the recipient of such delights! A tin emblazoned with the words, 'Mortal Terror' caught my eye immediately, and I was a little frightened to open it, however there was no need. It contained some gorgeous looking stripey mints and a short story by Zadie Smith, which I am yet to read. I wonder if the contents of the box offers some clues about my curious friend? My favourite things are definitely travel related, namely the beautiful tags made from a London map and even more tags made from what is a clever take on the London Tube map, with station names replaced with titles such as Joy, Doubt and Envy. I also received some wonderful map envelopes, depicting different parts of the world, intended for Air Mail. I have friends all over, and look forward to using these when sending gifts and letters. In addition to these beautiful things, I received a bracelet, which I think may be hand made and which I very much look forward to wearing; animal rubber bands which are very cute indeed, almost too cute to use; a viewfinder which forces you to look at the world from a different perspective (something we all need to do from time to time) and a lovely leather purse containing some little buddhist (I think!) inspired statues. I will look after these and hope they bring me good fortune in return.

So thank you to my curious friend, and to Tiffany for organising such a gorgeous project. I have really enjoyed being part of it and look forward to the next one."

A Curious Christmas! Box #268

2012-01-03T19:24:00.000Z

"Dear Curiosity Project,

I saved my amazing box for Christmas Eve...unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it wrapped because my partner and brother (who had been sniffing round it for days) opened it before I got the chance!
This is the first time I've been involved in the Curiosity Project and my wonderful box exceeded all my expectations.

The box contained a lovely card from my curious friend giving their reasons for sending the gifts they did - like reminding them of times with their grandparents, or a memento of their favourite museum.

I shared opening the gifts with my brother and partner (seeing as they'd made a start already!) this is what we found:

✿ A Little Book of Scottish Baking, which was brilliant as we're all keen cooks.
✿ Some beautiful craft paper and stickers.
✿ A tapestry pattern, time to get my needles out!
✿ A beautiful broach, which I wore in Christmas Day
✿ Some whisky soap
✿ A snowman bathbomb
✿ A black and white photograph from the People's Palace in Glasgow, which is now in my study.
✿ And three beautiful Christmas tree decorations which went straight on to the tree :)

It was a truly wonderful experience.

Thank you!"

A Curious Christmas! Box #267

2012-01-03T19:18:00.000Z

"My package arrived over Christmas. We arrived back to a cold house on a very rainy and windy day. But there on the mat was my Curiosity Project Parcel. How exciting. I wanted to open it immediately, but had to wait until we'd located the camera in amongst all the bags and boxes we brought back after Christmas.

The first thing I noticed was a little apology - "Sorry it's not an actual box. I make small things" An entirely unnecessary apology, which served to intrigue me more about the contents of the parcel.

I first opened the parcel addressed to 'me and my little ones' and found a Little Miss Sunshine book. I have been reading this to my daughter several times over the last few days. A real winner.

I then found some beautiful handmade things; Some miniature bunting, a button necklace and earring set, a bracelet, and a beautiful wire Christmas tree, complete with star on top. Just gorgeous.

Thank you so much to my curious friend, and thank you for hand-making my gifts. It was such a treat to come home to. Happy New Year to you."

Monika.

A Curious Christmas! Box #266

2012-01-03T19:12:00.000Z

"Dear Curiosity project,

I received my box a few weeks ago but due to university commitments I have only just had chance to submit the photos! I was thrilled with the care and attention to detail my box had. My curious friend had decorated the outside of the box with decoupage of flowers and nature from glossy magazines, really pretty. Once inside the box I could tell that my friend had continued the theme of flowers throughout (I was pleased they had read and taken on board my description in which detailed my love of nature!)

My friend had provided a postcard introducing me to the contents in the box. It was lovely that each item had it's own individual tag hinting at the contents within.

I have already started using the post it notes for my university work and enjoyed a lovely cup of tea in the tea set!

The addition of my friend's own selection of photos was a really sweet idea, I enjoyed looking through them. My friend also took note of the fact I had mentioned about walking my dog, the hand warmers have been very useful in this cold weather!

Thank you curious friend :-)"

A Curious Christmas! Box #265

2012-01-03T18:12:00.000Z

"My Curious Box arrived safely and was absolutely fabulous! Who knew you could fit so much in a tiny box??

My curious friend sent me the most beautiful selection of interesting, useful and delicate gifts.

I can't decide on a favourite item but I do love the star shaped cutters - used many a time over the Christmas period to make Nigella's "Cheese Stars" (YUM). http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/recipes/cheese-stars

The buttons are amazing and I wonder if my curious friend made them? My box came with two lengths of ribbon, one saying "made by me" and the other a measuring tape print (no wrapping that around the waist post cheese stars!).

Continuing with the making-theme I received polka dot cupcake cases (I got these in my first box too - very popular!) and beautiful coloured tapes.

As if that were not enough I also received a beautiful notebook, a tiny darling bowl, christmas decoration (which lived on the tree) and a gorgeous brooch (now on my coat).

What an interesting and creative person my Curious Friend must be! It is a shame it is secret.

THANK YOU my Curious Friend for the amazing box! Apologies again for the delay in sending photos."

A Curious Christmas! Box #264

2012-01-03T18:05:00.001Z

"Dear Curiosity Project,

Happy New Year!! Hope you had a wonderful festive season & a great start to 2012! Many apologies for not sending this in sooner as I'm sure my sender will be wondering whether their box ever arrived. I'm so sorry & can only blame work & Christmas for not doing this so much sooner. However, I am SO touched by all the little things that were packaged into my box & loved every one of them! It was being held by a neighbour as I wasn't in when the postman delivered it & so it was a very exciting surprise when my neighbour came over with it. I waited until my little one had gone to bed so I could savour the detail & love that had gone into my special gift...

Everything inside was perfect & I did actually open my packet of Flumps first thing to enjoy while investigating everything else. I do love a Flump! I did wonder if the sender had an idea of who I was as the beautiful exercise book enclosed had birds all over it & I love anything with birds or birdcages on it, including the little pink bird on my logo! The gorgeous vintage brooch is pinned to my winter coat & has been admired by many over Christmas & the silver & gold doillies have been used already on the dining room table. The mulled wine was enjoyed with my mum but I have yet to sample my herbal tea yet. I had just been thinking that I needed to be more adventurous with my tea drinking & at least try some of the herbal varieties before turning my nose up at them & so this is just what I need to have a go & try. My lip balms are perfect for this cold wintery weather too.

Thank you so much for this beautiful box of goodies - it was so appreciated & loved."

Best Wishes,

Kirsten

A Curious Christmas! Box #263

2012-01-02T21:10:00.000Z

Jedi the cat feeling the force of curiosity...

"To my lovely curious friend Kathryn and everyone at the Curiosity Project

Firstly, apologies to Kathryn for not posting my box on here sooner. Tiffany emailed me as I understand you were worried it had not arrived safely. It did, thank you, ages before Christmas but I was saving it for Christmas Day to open with my family. I hope my "safely arrived" message got through to you, that you can forgive me for being a little tardy and the fact that we all agreed it was, by far, the most exciting gift to open that day makes up for this.

Inside my box (all wrapped up in decorated brown paper) I found a lovely handmade card with little clues to each of the individually wrapped gifts inside - all adding up to a nostalgic Christmas laced with Kathryn's family traditions (which really got us speculating about who Kathryn was, where she lives and what she would be up to on 25th December).

We all (even, as you can see from the photos, Jedi the cat) tried to guess what was inside the wrapping from the clue and cooed with delight as each was unwrapped.

Thank you Kathryn for choosing such gorgeous gifts so perfectly matched to me from the little information I gave you and for really brightening up my family's Christmas. I hope you loved your curiosity box as much as I love mine and that you have a had a wonderful Christmas (with cheeseboard !) and a great beginning to the new year. I will think of you whenever I go to Liberty now !

Thank you Tiffany and everyone else at the Curiosity Project for such a brilliant idea that brought so many smiles. I loved gathering the goodies for the box I was posting and of course, unwrapping the goodies inside the one I received. I also hope my curious recipient has had fun unpacking my offerings - I can't wait to see their posting on here now."

Lizzie

A Curious Christmas! Box #262

2012-01-02T21:04:00.000Z

"It has taken me a long time to get round to sending this because I have ME and have been ill over the Christmas period. However, my Curiosity Project box helped to cheer me up. The note said that the sender hoped I would enjoy the box "of weirdness", but it was lovely rather than weird - I can't wait to taste the homemade chutneys and marmalade, and to try the recipe! The book will be a bit of light relief from my reading for my History degree, and I look forward to finding a dress pattern with a belt for which I can use the vintage buckle.

I wish my sender a very Happy New Year, and would like to send many thanks.

I can't wait for the next Project."

Love

Ellen x