My Contribution...

My friend, Tammy is helping to organize a fundraiser for a friend who is seriously ill. She asked the Paneras group if anyone would like to make a contribution to their event next week. Many raised their hands right away and I volunteered to make a set of napkins.

These are what I made. They're reversible and 100% cotton so they'll wash nicely after they're used. I made them in a smaller size so they won't have to be ironed after they come out of the dryer either.

I think Tammy said they might add them to a themed basket of goodies for added "pop". I told her that she could present them any way they wanted to and that I hoped they help to raise some much needed funds for the cause.

I don't know her friend's name, but God does. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts as they go through a difficult time.

February Blissfull ATC Swap - Alice in Wonderland...

What a perfect theme for our February Blissfull ATC Swap Group. It was "Alice in Wonderland". My partner was Celia of Adventures of the Striped Stocking. I knew right away what I wanted to do!

I grabbed some of my favorite Alice in Wonderland fabric and cut and stitched and glued until it looked just the way I wanted it to. I added a tiny bottle filled with sparkling beads, and attached it to a ribbon which I glued into the seam of the card. Then added a tiny note that said, "Drink me". My final touch was an old clock button I had in my box.

I put together an assortment of goodies for Celia, including a Moda charm pack (5" squares), snippets of Alice fabric, threads, tags, ribbon and pages of decals. I sure hope that she likes them!

Celia and I were exactly on the same wavelength!!! I'm telling you, it was uncanny. Look what she created for me! Nearly the same images, but she added type from the book, which I really love! And if you look at the edge trim from the front, it reminds you a little bit of rickrack, but...

look what I found when I turned her card over! Beautiful red hearts. Just like Alice's Queen of Hearts! It's clever and pretty!

When Celia's package arrived, I was surprised to see that it was a rather large padded envelope. Look what was inside. She included beaded trims, large pieces of two coordinated (and totally fabulous) fabrics and a pin wrapped in lace.

Thank you for such wonderful surprises to accompany my beautiful new atc, Celia. I love everything you sent to me! It was a grand swap, indeed.

Thanks also to Wendy at Blissfull ATC Swap blog. Her tireless work to organize our swaps does not go unnoticed. If you'd like to see the other cards, just click here to go to the list of links.

 I'm off to the quilt shop this morning, but today, I'm going with my friend, Tammy. After our coffee group, she and I will be heading to an art show in Sarasota. I think we're going to have a grand day, don't you? I'll try to get some pictures to share with you next week.

A reminder...If you haven't entered my 1000th Post Giveaway yet, be sure to click here to go to that post and drop your name in the proverbial hat. Gotta run!

Spinning Wheel Decor...

My sweet friend, Tammy is planning a move to Virginia by the end of this year. Her husband has accepted a position in Quantico and they'll be transferred by December. I'm not particularly happy about this, you understand. Tammy was the driving force behind the knit/crochet/quilt group that first met at Books a Million in Port Charlotte, FL, and then moved across the street to Paneras.

In anticipation of the move, Tammy and her husband have been purging some of their possessions. Being a spinner, she (naturally) has a real spinning wheel, but she also had two "faux wheels" that she used in her decor that she wanted to leave behind.

Last week, she called and asked me if I'd like one of those two wheels. One was more realistic (even though it's non-functional) and the other was a planter. I told her I'd love to have the one that was more realistic-looking. She took it with her to Paneras on Tuesday evening where we transferred it from her vehicle to mine. I was surprised by how heavy it was!

Yesterday, I brought it into the house, took the wood cleaner and mineral oil to it, and it shined up like the treasure it is. Now, it sits outside the hallway to my studio. (Only because I have so much crap in there that there's no floor space don't have room for it in the studio!)

Thank you, Tammy. I'm grateful to have this beautiful gift from you. I'm going to try not to think about the fact that you'll be leaving before this year is over. Yes. I don't think we'll be talking about that for as long as I can avoid it. There!

Feeling A Little Sheepish...

We had a gift exchange at Paneras last night and it was so much fun. All of our gifts ended up being pretty comparable in size even though we never discussed our projects ahead of time.

One of the gals made chocolate stir spoons. (I can't wait to use mine!) Another gift was a candy cane in a crocheted "snuggy" with a choice of a gingerbread man or snowman button embellishment. It doubles as an ornament and it's so cute! Tammy made cute holiday earrings for each of us, and we all immediately put them on. There were also gifts of little meat tarts and cookies. Everything was so wonderful, and we really had a fun night.

 Tammy also made an "extended" Birthday gift for me...a gorgeous yarn bowl that she threw herself in a pottery class she just completed. It's so beautiful! My Birthday was officially extended to seventeen days this year! Thank you, my friend.

Krisann surprised me with a special teeny, tiny crocheted basket with yarn balls and needles. The needles were made from toothpicks! Thank you, Ka for such a sweet gift.

I decided to make keychains for each of the gals. I used knitting sheep fabric to make the fob for the keychain and then added heart twill tape to secure the large split rings to the fob. I sewed two pieces of fabric together and then stuffed them with silk-blend fiberfill. Of course, it's not finished until I add my label. You use labels on your projects, don't you? (I get my labels from a couple of great sellers on etsy, and I've always been happy with their products.)

I hope you're finding time for little gatherings with friends over the holidays. It really didn't matter that our gifts were small. All of them were made from the heart, and isn't that what the season is all about?