GIFTS RECEIVED

I received my gift package around early Dec. and put it away or should say gave it to Harv to hide from me. I finally talked him into letting me open this one Christmas Eve when we were putting our gifts around our little tree for the morning.

I found many nice things inside including a beautiful silver grey silky shawl/scarf.
It is my color exactly and I can't wait to wear it. right now it isdraped over a corner of my wicker armoire in our bathroom so I can see it when I go by.

The rest of the gifts (as if I needed any after that) were 3 beaded ornaments each wrapped in a vintage hanky, a handmade pot holder (which I can use as I am short of them right now) some chocolate candies and something new to me - Chocolate covered sunflower seeds . I just opened the container and they are delicious.
also included was a home made bag containing 3 balls of yarn co-ordinating in shades of gold yellow and blues. I will make use of these one day.

I should say that this all came from a nice lady named Ellen who I believe lives in
The Carolinas. I did not keep the envelope it all came in and I went back through her blog and she mentioned driving to Greensboro to catch plane so hence my guess.

She also included a Haiko for me:

Across the country
Ho Ho Ho, Secret Santa
Merry Christmas Pal

I love her blog name: www.babeswithballsofyarn.blogspot.com Go visit her and see what a nice group of friends she has with the same interests as her. I miss that as mine are spread all over the country. Nothing like old friends.

GIFTS SENT

For some reason blogger accepted my pics then would not print them. I will try again here.
I also sent one of the round frilly ornaments I made for the other swap but forget to take a pic of it.

SECRET SANTA SWAP GIFTS SENT

This year I signed up for the SSS with ColoradoLady blog run by Suzanne. We filled out a form with likes and dislikes and Suzanne sent us our partner. The cost was to be limited to 20.00 excluding postage. You could buy one big gift or numerous small ones. I went for the small idea - more fun to open.

First I started with a Christmas Box to put everything in. Then I added the above items. I hope she liked them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

It is Christmas Eve here in central FL. and has been another beautiful day. It broke a record for Dec. 23 with 85 degrees and was at least 80 today. We drove down to downtown Mount Dora last night to look at the lights and it was magnificent. The town itself really goes all out but the really spectacular site was the Mount Dora Yacht Club.
It is probably the best display of lights I have ever seen with various themes circling all around the buildings and the lake. I am so glad we drove down as last year we missed it.

Tomorrow is our 3rd. Christmas here and we are having the usual open house dinner. I am cooking a ham and having ice cream nd cookies for a light dessert and all the balance of the meal will be brought by the people coming. It is always a lot of fun.

I am showing pics now of the domino books I made for the girls and for a friend. The girls have received theirs by now and the friend doesn't know one is coming. I had fun making them but they are fiddly things to do. I also made one for myself.

The first is the front cover, the second is the back. The 3rd is the little book opened up with various pics and the 4th. is just the paper I used for the back that matched well. I cannot take credit for this as I saw it on a blog or two and just copied as I went. Having taken the previous domino course with Roses On My Table sure helped though. I will make a couple more when things settle down and use different photos, etc.

Hope Santa is good to you all.

Hugs FredaB

MORE SWAP ITEMS

If you remember from a couple of posts back, Michelle who was oe of the three ladies I swapped with, misunderstood and thought we were swapping just one item, not three.

When she discovered her error she wrote to us and I wrote back and told her to just foget it this year and enjoy her Christmas. Well a parcel arrived from Michelle and when I opened it there were 2 more really cute ornaments.

One is an ornament made from a dominoe and the other is a glistening snowflake with 25 on it. Thank you Michelle - they are both wonderful.

I will post tonight or tomorrow and show you some little things I made with the dominoes also.

BEADED SCARF

The first weekend in Dec. The Weavers of Orlando have their Christmas sale in Mt. Dora. I try and get there every year because there are always lovely things to buy either for myself or as gifts. this year was no different. I bought a beautiful beaded knit scarf and a cotton vest that were made by the members. They do beading, tating, knitting, etc. along with the weaving.

As a coincidence last winter my good friends Joyce and Pierre were staying at the Villages about an hour north of us. They came down to lunch and Joyce bought a beautiful off white scarf with a pearl knit fringe on either end. It was gorgeous.
She sent me the pattern which turned out to be the same as the one I purchased this Dec. I wanted to knit one but before you do you have to find a thread thin enough that you can thread about 950 beads onto it. I bought some I thought might work but it didn't so it went back last week to JoAnnes. I am going to have to get to a good knitting store and get them to help me. In the meantime I have the one I bought. You just sling it over your shoulders and the weight of the beads holds it down. Very neat.

I forgot to take a pic of the vest but will and will show it next time.

PAPER CHRISTMAS TREES

I had seen pictures last year on line and directions to make these paper trees out of paper back books. This year I bought the Family circle magazine and there was a tree and the directions. I made one with the tallest paperback I had and it becomes addictive. I looked through my books and found an old Agatha Christie mystery and made another. I did it while watching tv last night and it only took one hour. They are really pretty if the paper is slightly tinted as these old ones were. I put rhinestone pins on top and have put them out in my sunroom.

Also I had bought a Christmas cactus basket at the flea market for only $5.00 and it was just bursting with buds ready to bloom but you couldn't tell the color. The man said he thought it was white so I bought it. surprise it turned out to be a pink one but is very pretty. I took this pic yesterday and good job I did because today it started falling and I picked up a bunch of blooms off the floor. It bloomed about 1 week too early but maybe some more will bloom.

I have been very busy making things, mailing parcels and I don't know what all. A couple of Christmas parties in there like the Garden Club and another ladies lunch.

I have finally finished and the rest of the time is to myself until Christmas. We are having open house again this year for anyone not leaving or having company. So far we have 12 and that is just perfect. 6 around the sunroom table and 6 at the dinette table. I have bought a ham and a couple of gallons of ice cream for dessert along with cookies for dessert. All the rest will be brought by the other guest so it makes it really easy. I like this kind of entertaining. Pictures to follow after christmas.

Also I can't show what I have been making because family members read my blog so until they receive them I can't show them. Will next week. draft 12

CHRISTMAS SWAP RECEIVED

As mentioned below I was in a 3 person swap and each person was to send 3 items to each - or a total of 9 items sent and 9 received.

The first to come in was from Kate Hess in CA. They are in the first picture. She took an empty spool and wrapped it with rayon seam binding with a flower on top and beads and a charm on the bottom. Very cute idea. Next was a white star with tiny silver tinsel around the middle and 3 tiny jingle bells inside. Also a cute idea.
Third was a metal mold lined with netting and a christmas sticker in the middle. She used a black rose trim all around the outside and a silver tinsel edging inside.
Thank you very much Kate.

Next was acarton from Terri Lavelle of Dover, DE. She did a errific idea. She made a gift carton for her items. She covered a file box lid with stuffing to make it slightly padded then covered it with a gorgeous red and white Christmas toile. Around the outside she covered the edge with a red trim. This is going to be a keeper for future Christmases and a good idea for all of us to use. Inside she had
a snowman decorated cone, a pair of white gloves that she hand painted a snowman's face on the fronts (another idea to remember) a glass heart decorated with lace and filled with pearl beads. She also included a wooden manger scene of Joseph, Mary and child. Thank you Terri for these gifts and for all your great ideas.

Next was from Michelle Cox of CA. Michelle sent me an email when she received her parcels explaining that she had not understood she was to send 3 ornaments to 3 people. I told her I could easily understand that as it was a bit unusual and she is certainly not to worry about it. She said she would make more and send them and I told her to forget it and just have a wonderful Christmas. We need no extra worries at this time of year. Michelle made a candy cane wrapped in fabric and a chenille type yarn with a cute christmas yoyo on it and a gift box on the bottom. It hangs with a yellow Christmas fabric. thank you Michelle.

I may not have done justice to my gifts as my photography is not always the best and I have been so busy that I have rushng to get things done and on the blog.

I wish all 3 of you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy Crafting New year.

Hugs

FredaB

CHRISTMAS SWAP

This year I entered a swap online where 3 gals would swap making 3 christmas items for each other. I can now show a pic of what I made as they have been mailed out and received.

I made fabric collages similar to what I made for Jillayne's swap last year. People seemed to like them so I stayed with a proven thing. The second pic is a closeup of one of them. They all have the same angel pic as last year but otherwise different lace, color, buttons, etc.

Second were the birds I had also made previously and they have the tiny crystal at the botom with the word "fly".

The third was a paper rosette and I actually made 4. I was going to use a package of really pretty things for the middle. Well have you ever tore the house apart looking for something that you know is here but can't find. I finally gave up and used silver stars that I had and made 3 so they would all be the same. The day I mailed these out to the other gals I pulled a plastic box out from under a living room chair and they were in there. I could have screamed.

I did not put glitter around the rosettes as I have done in the past as people have been saying a lot on line about not wanting all the glitter getting all over everything and being an actual health issue in some homes. therefore I went glitter less and ho[pe they will add there own if they so please. I will add some to the 4th. one I made and it will be for me.

Tomorrow I will show you what I have received from my 3 gals.