A few gifts from blogging friends

Its hard to believe that Christmas is over for another year , we seem to prepare for such a long time and then it is over just like that. We had a wonderful Christmas this year , our grandson Christopher and his girlfriend Chelsey joined us for Christmas supper with turkey and all the trimmings, they had enjoyed a similar meal at Chelsey's home earlier in the day but still managed to eat a full meal and dessert too :-) It was really special to have them and by the way Christopher loved his quilt , his words were " Gammie you remembered ,oh I just love it" You see he had requested that I make him a quilt way back in the spring so I didn't want to disappoint. I should have had the camera ready but alas I was too busy enjoying the moment.
 Our son Chad and his family arrived on Boxing day which was really special too as Nila and Elise make the Christmas spirit come alive with their enthusiasm. They loved the Row by Row quilt and Elise ran right over and gave it a hug , no camera again , can't believe I was so stupid .
 Now I would like to share a few gifts I received from some wonderful blogging friends , I have to say that blogging has introduced me to some of the best friends ever . Jeanette is a blogging friend but has been a really special friend for a very long time , we have swapped many times ,taking part in quite a few RR's and infact are both part of one right now. It was with her encouragement that I started to blog .Jeanette does the most amazing embroidery of anyone I have ever come across , seriously she is flawless , her stitches are perfect you would swear they were done by machine .Oh to have that talent.

 This sewing case has my initials on the front  with the lovely bird , she knows how much I love birds , then inside are lots of pockets , a pincushion that you can take off as it has a snap .I know you want to see it so here it is .

See all the work she has put into this , simply amazing! This was for my birthday and she also sent a lovely pastel runner and pincushion for Christmas , she is extra generous.

 This will look wonderful in my bedroom. Thanks so much Jeanette , you are such a sweetheart.
 Then I got this great book and some delightful charm squares from Cyndi , love the book and as Cyndi knows I love the reproductions and will have lots of fun using them ,Cyndi is a such a sweet friend. Thanks Cyndi. Poor Cyndi has had more than her fair share of challenges this year so say a little prayer for her that 2012 will be a better year.

  Annette and I have become very  good friends this year , she is a relatively new blogger and has a great blog so check her out. She has been a great help to me on more than one occasion when I was trying to figure out what to do for my stay at home RR. . She has a few patterns of her own and she was very generous to send me not only this wonderful apron but the pattern as well , now I can make some in lots of different sizes. Thanks so much Annette , I love the apron , the colors are so bright and cheery and will be so pretty in my kitchen . Thanks also for being there when I needed some help and for your friendship.

Then last but certainly not least I received this beautiful table topper from Betsy of Quilting Fiesta , such a surprise .It is gorgeous and just look at the embroidery and her quilting , wow I hope to learn that next year . Thanks so much Betsy I love it and I also appreciate your friendship , it has been such fun getting to know you and your wonderful work.

Then I also won a stocking here at Gingerbread and Snowflakes  and it arrived just before Christmas and I was wowed by the contents of the package .

The stocking is just so pretty and lots of details you may not see here with beading and stitching.These sweet ornaments were inside and I absolutely love the horse , gorgeous and so me , I love horses ! See the unique coca cola ornament ,made from a popcan , now that is recycling at its best . then the little straw star , the little dutch shoes , chocolate sprinkles , a rubber stamp with a cupcake on it , a little kit to make another ornament and a yo-yo maker .

See how pretty it looks on our little fireplace !
 Such fun and really appreciated , if you have a moment check out her blog , it is really very interesting and if you like cookies she had a cookie recipe swap and there are lots of really great looking cookies you might want to try or save the recipe for next year.
 So I think I kept you long enough , thanks so much for visiting, it is always a pleasure to have you stop by and my hope is you find something interesting to read.
hugs Sheila