Thank You No. 1 - Mrs Martins Swap

I am surrounded by beautiful Christmas gifts that I want to show thanks for but if I do it in one post it will be as long as a piece of string so I am going to do lots of small posts so each can star and I can show how much the thoughts and beautiful creations mean to me.

I decided to put my little white tree up again on my big coffee table with lots of Christmasy crafts around it & then all my presents so I could admire but not touch! Mia had other ideas and her style of helping did hold things up for a few days.

Eventually everything was in place and the piles of presents were overwhelming!

I like to decorate in this corner of the lounge room as it is mum's corner where the photos of her & us together are displayed. That way she is still part of the celebrating with us. Pride of place this year was given to the Christmas mini frame and the gorgeous mini quilt I got in the Secret Santa at Ballan from Christine from MacDonald's Patch. (sorry yellow pics - maybe the flash was on Christmas leave???)

 

 

Now to the pressies & thanks yous! First off our final present for 2013 in the The Mrs Martin's Let's Celebrate Swap from my partner Glenys (no blog). This is the seventh swap that Glenys & I have done for 2013 and it finished off for me just as perfectly as it started.

 

 

This T'was The Night Before Christmas stitchery kit is wonderful - preprinted design and the felt needed for the reindeer & fir trees too. Yes the chocolates are empty - it is the 27th & there has been a whole lot of episodes of Revolution to catch up on. HB & the remainder of the chocolates were the perfect companions in the wee hours last night doing this.

 

The rest of my parcel just made my heart boil over - three Christmas buntings, wishing Joy, Peace & Love and a little bag of bells to sew on the points too. I just love these to bits! Thanks you Glenys, spot on as always! xx

 

 

Now to what I sent Glenys. I have to admit I love this little guy, I think he needs to go back on the to-do list again for next year & this time for me. The original pattern is by Cleo & Me and is a table runner featuring 3 x Rudy the Reindeer.

 

 

For this swap I made Rudy into a wall hanging with built in star hanger & added a Christmas snow flake button & two bells to his ribbon. I love that green with red spot on the border & binding. That was a perfect purchase made especially for this from Gail's Patchwork Emporium in Ballarat while staying with Shez. That shop is such an overwhelming wonderland! I also enclosed a large edible box of chocolatey goodness, no photographic evidence taken. I'm sure there was more but photographs & memory alludes me..... It is the silly season.

 

Thank you to Karen our swap-muma from Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop for hosting this year long swap & keeping all of us elves in line! Thanks again to Glenys - it's been a great year!

 

Off to take more pics, plan the next post of thank yous, add to the sewing & postage schedule for 2014, update the dreaded UFO list that grew instead of shrinking last year & make up a monthly projects list so I know what's up first for Friday Night sewing on Facebook tonight. Everywhere could do with a good clean up too starting with the cutting table area....

 

Happy stitching

Tracee xx